Chapter 38 Humiliation will wait until after the New Year; let's leave Jiankang then...
Li Yunru smiled.
She burst into loud, unrestrained laughter, completely lacking any ladylike demeanor.
She stared at him intently, her eyes devoid of any hatred, only resolute determination.
"Alright, then go ahead and do it. It just so happens to be the first day of the lunar month, an auspicious day. Next year, we'll burn incense and paper money together, saving you trouble!"
Having said that, she lifted her skirt and strode forward. Chen Jingsheng and his men blocked her way, but it was just a bluff. Without his master's orders, he dared not act rashly. Only when the men approached step by step and were about to break through their human wall did he look at Yan Ning inside the house.
He stood there, his back to everyone, so his expression was not visible.
Everyone was waiting for him to speak, but he didn't in the end.
Li Yunru disappeared in Wutong Garden.
Only after the figure had completely disappeared did Chen Jingsheng dare to enter. He lowered his head very low and softly called out, "My lord?"
There was no sound.
He was about to call out again when, in an instant, a muffled thud was heard. Looking over, he saw that the plain white porcelain teacup in his hand had been crushed by his bare hands, and the shards were embedded in his flesh, his entire palm covered in blood.
"Ah! My love!"
Chen Jingsheng turned pale with fright and trembled as he hurriedly helped Yan Ning sit down. He then called out, "Someone, go and fetch the physician from the manor!"
While calling for help from the outer room, he carefully treated Yan Ning's hand injury, picking out the piercing debris one by one, and then taking a cotton towel to wipe away the blood.
The process was extremely painful, yet Yan Ning did not utter a single cry.
She has a very patient personality.
That's always been the case.
...
The two parted on bad terms.
Li Yunru was still in a daze when she left the Yan family. She felt her heart trembling. The day was already cold, but it felt even colder now, as if it came from her very bones.
She was so cold that she was shivering all over.
Every step I took felt like my feet were made of lead.
How did it get like this?
She didn't want things to come to this point with Yan Ning, but it seemed as if some unseen hand was pushing things in an uncontrollable direction.
Would he really do that to the people in her household?
Should they attack Songqi, or...her family?
To be honest, she didn't really believe he would do that.
After all, the Yan Changjun she knew, though cold-hearted and eccentric, was truly a gentleman; he was not an executioner.
However, thinking of the look in his eyes when the two of them were arguing earlier, she couldn't help but feel a chill.
Her thoughts were a jumble of knots, and Li Yunru felt as if her brain was about to explode.
"Princess!"
When Shu Yun and Song Ji returned, they were told by the servants that their master had left with the young master of the Yan family.
She didn't think it was a big deal. In her mind, the prince consort was a man of few words, but he was sincere in his feelings for the princess and would not hurt her. Besides, if they could really reconcile through this opportunity, it would be a good thing.
Having served the princess for many years, she could tell that the princess had feelings for the prince consort, but she was probably too worried at the moment. The way the Yan family treated her made her afraid to take that step.
The relationship between the two people needs a catalyst to ease tensions.
However, Songji didn't think that way. Fearing something might happen to them, she immediately ran over to the Yan family to keep an eye on things. She was afraid that some conflict might ruin things, so she had no choice but to come along.
The two were turned away at the door.
We couldn't get in.
However, one thing was certain: the person was in the Yan family's residence. Therefore, they had been waiting outside. Just as they were about to fall asleep, they saw the princess walk out of the Yan family's residence alone, looking distraught.
"It's a princess!"
Shu Yun shouted, but before anyone could react, Song Ji quickly stepped down from the carriage, carrying a large cloak. He strode over to Li Yunru's side.
"Princess."
The person put a coat on her and supported her to prevent her from falling.
Li Yunru's mind was in a daze, and her vision was blurry. However, relying on her instincts and senses, she barely felt herself fall into a warm embrace. When she looked up, she saw Song Ji looking at her with a worried expression.
The memory of arguing with Yan Ning earlier overlapped with the person in front of me, and the spirit I had been holding onto seemed to dissipate all at once.
"puff!"
She vomited a mouthful of blood, and then everything went black before her eyes, and she knew nothing more.
...
Cui was leading her two daughters-in-law in preparing for the ancestral worship ceremony at the ancestral hall. She was still hesitant about whether to call Li Yunru over, but when a servant came to report on the matter at Wutong Garden, she felt a little relieved.
That Li family member was quite sensible.
If it weren't for the fact that it concerned her son's future, given Li Yunru's appearance and sensible demeanor, she would have been willing to let her stay in the Yan family.
pity.
This person was sensible, but also extremely proud and stubborn, refusing to back down an inch.
"Send some medicine to Wutong Garden, and send someone to the County Magistrate's Mansion to deliver two boxes of clothes and jewelry as a reward for Madam Li. Tell her that she did a very good job, but I don't want what happened last night to happen again."
Mrs. Cui paused for a moment, then said, "Tell her that if she wants to attend legitimately, she can do what I told her before, and it will always stand."
"yes."
Granny Chen bowed her head and responded.
The items were delivered to the door the next day.
Shu Yun was initially delighted to see two large boxes of clothes and jewelry in the courtyard, but upon hearing the words of the maid from the Yan family, she became so angry that her brain congested. She completely forgot that she was also a maid raised in the palace, and lost all composure. She grabbed a broom from a nearby servant and chased him away.
"Get out of here! Take all of you trash with you and get out!"
This is absolutely outrageous!
The princess was wronged at the Yan family and fainted, yet people still chased after her to humiliate her with these worthless objects!
Li Yunru naturally understood Cui's meaning and why Shu Yun was so angry. However, having seen so much of life these days, she had become much calmer and less hot-tempered than before.
She accepted the gifts and said to the visitor, "Go back and tell your wife that I have accepted them all. What I said before still stands. As long as she takes good care of your husband, I will not bother her any further."
After the maid received the message and led the people away, Shu Yun began to speak recklessly.
"Why would the princess accept these things? The Yan family clearly intended to..."
"You humiliated me."
Li Yunru waited for her to finish speaking.
"Yes, since the princess understands this, why should she still do as they wish?"
The winter wind whipped at her face, and Li Yunru, pale-faced, reached out to beg Shu Yun to help her sit down in a rocking chair. After taking a few deep breaths to catch her breath, she said, "If it's an insult, even if we don't accept it, it won't change anything. Why throw away what we've already got?"
"But……"
She wanted to say that people should always fight for their dignity, something the princess had taught her, but she didn't say it out loud in the end.
Li Yunru interrupted her.
"There are no 'buts'."
She glanced at the two boxes and said, "They are all good materials and useful items. Distribute them to the people in the mansion, as well as to yourself and Songji, and make new clothes for them."
Having said this, the man said nothing more, but knelt down and said, "Thank you for the reward, Princess."
"Um."
She was exhausted and had no energy to deal with anything. After giving instructions and calling someone to leave, she picked up a blanket, wrapped herself in it, and closed her eyes.
As Shu Yun walked through the corridor, she ran into Song Ji, who was returning from the outer room with two packets of chestnut cakes in his hand.
Things are hard to find at this time of year. He searched all over Jiankang City before finally buying it from a corner shop on the outskirts of the city.
When the two met, he glanced at the two boxes of things, got a general idea of what they were, and without saying much, turned the conversation to Li Yunru.
"What are the princess's thoughts?"
Shu Yun shook her head. "She wouldn't say, but I imagine she's not feeling too good inside."
The person who was once so arrogant and unrestrained now seems to be stuck in the mud, someone anyone can step on. This huge fall from grace cannot be erased in such a short time.
"I'll go take a look."
"Um."
...
Spring is approaching after the New Year, but the weather is still a bit chilly. The flowers in the yard have not yet bloomed, and only one plum tree is covered in red plum blossoms.
The beautiful woman was under the tree, her long, thin figure seemingly blending into the chair.
It was an indescribable sense of desolation and loneliness.
Songji placed the two packets of chestnut cakes she was carrying on the table beside her, walked over to her, and wrapped the blanket around her a little more.
Li Yunru was not asleep. She woke up with a slight movement, opened her eyes and saw Song Ji in front of her. She said weakly.
"You're back."
"Um."
He said, "I bought some chestnut cakes, would the princess like to have some?"
Li Yunru laughed: "You went out so early in the morning just for this?"
The man extended a hand to Songji, gesturing for him to help him up, and then Songji helped him to sit down at the table.
Songji unwrapped the oil paper, and the fragrant aroma of chestnuts wafted to her nose on the wind.
Li Yunru took it and took a small bite.
It should have tasted good, but perhaps because she had just taken medicine, or perhaps because her body was very weak, her mouth didn't taste much, and she couldn't taste anything, only a slightly astringent taste.
"Is it not tasty?"
"It's delicious."
She just mentioned it casually, but the person went to look for it early in the morning, which shows they were thoughtful.
During the holidays, everyone was busy, and only a few shops were open. Who knows how long it took to find it?
But she really couldn't taste it, and after taking a bite, she couldn't choke and put it down.
"Songji, do you know why I love eating this?"
Song Ji said, "I don't know."
Li Yunru: "Before I was six years old, I grew up in the countryside. At that time, my father and mother were busy writing proclamations and uprisings every day, and they were running around. No one had time to take care of me. My older sister took me to live in the mountains. We ate wild vegetable porridge every day, and our faces turned yellow from hunger. It was only in the autumn that the chestnuts in the mountains fell."
She asked, "Songji, have you ever seen wild chestnuts? They don't get made into cakes; they just grow on trees. When they fall, they're covered in thorns and can prick your hands, but they taste hard and sweet."
As Li Yunru reminisced about the past, a smile gradually appeared on her face, and she looked much healthier.
She continued, "That only happened once a year, and everyone in the countryside loved it. As soon as the season came, they would rush into the mountains, rain or shine. So you had to go early, or it would be gone. My sister and I would get up before dawn every time. She would carry a big bag, and I would carry a small bag. We would come back only when we had collected everything. Then when we got home, my sister would make it into cakes for me to eat. If we had any left over, we would take it to the village to sell. But many times we couldn't sell it, and we would run into some bad people..."
"If the princess wishes to visit Lady Huayang, we can make a trip to Qingcheng."
Li Yunru shook her head.
"No, my sister is finally living a more stable life now, so please don't disturb her."
Her sister had it worse than her. She was still young at the time and didn't understand anything. She didn't rely on anyone much. Whoever took care of her, she would follow them. As long as she didn't starve, that was fine.
But her older sister was already an adult, with her own life, her own thoughts, and a lover she admired. She should have been pampered by her parents, and at this age, they might have been worrying about her marriage. But she had nothing. She was more aware of these hardships than anyone else. She forced herself to grow up and take on responsibilities that were not hers to bear at an early age, raising her younger siblings.
All these years, I have never had any regrets.
Her life has been full of hardships, but now she has finally settled down and can finally have some days of her own.
Song Ji stood to one side, head bowed, quietly waiting for her to continue.
Li Yunru remained silent for a long time before finally speaking, "Let's leave Jiankang after the New Year holidays."
Author's Note: The next chapter will be released at 11 PM Sunday. Why are the first-view numbers so low? All the data is so low, it seems like hardly anyone is clicking in. I'm questioning my existence. [Chin resting on hand][Chin resting on hand][Chin resting on hand]
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