Chapter 74 Rumor has it that the young master of the Yan family is a devoted lover.
“Ah Wan, you…”
Suddenly, Cui opened her eyes wide and looked at her niece in disbelief.
This is murder!
Blatant murder!
Over the years, her hands hadn't been completely clean, but she couldn't afford to be so careless. Every time she made such a decision, she was haunted by nightmares. Yet, Cui Wan, a beautiful young woman of sixteen, remained calm and composed, showing no remorse for taking a life. She explained her reasons for doing so with equanimity.
"Liyang is out of control. As long as she's alive, she'll always be a threat. Only death can bring lasting peace and prevent her from causing any more trouble!"
“Aunt, my grandfather taught me from a young age that anything beyond our control should be eradicated completely, so as not to leave any hidden dangers for ourselves, otherwise it will eventually become a disaster, hmm…”
She looked at Cui, "He should have taught you as well."
Cui remained silent.
She understood this principle perfectly well, but Liyang was ultimately the person her child cared about...
Lord Yan has Yan Jun, Yan An... and possibly even children she doesn't know about who have been lost and wandered away, but she only has one son, Chang Jun!
They are different!
Since Yan Langzhu discovered that his proud eldest son was not acting on a whim, his feelings towards Liyang have grown stronger day by day. The recent events on Xiangshan Mountain have made him extremely disgusted with people. However, he has tolerated it so far because Yan Ning is protecting him and it would be beneath his dignity to take action himself. Cui Wan's actions are exactly what he wanted. He looked at her with admiration in his eyes and praised her, "Ah Wan is indeed worthy of being taught by your grandfather. She really has his demeanor from back then."
They remain unassuming most of the time, but when it matters most, they strike with deadly precision!
Looking at the two who admired each other, Cui felt a chill run down her spine. She remained silent for a long time before saying, "That's true, but how can we explain this to the Prince?"
Cui Wan blinked innocently and said, "What is Aunt talking about? What do you need to explain? We didn't do anything. It was Lady Liyang who couldn't bear the blow and jumped off the cliff herself."
...
Yan Ning regained consciousness two days later. The first thing she did upon waking was to find Li Yunru and ask about her condition.
But the servants knelt on the ground, and no one answered him.
"I'm asking you a question! Where is Lady Liyang?"
Still no one answered; everyone's heads were bowed so low they seemed to want to bury themselves in the ground.
"Smack!"
This situation gave him a bad feeling, and he panicked. He picked up a teacup and threw it at the person beside him, shouting angrily, "Speak!"
"Cousin, please don't make things difficult for them." Cui Wan came in from outside carrying a bowl of steaming medicine. She placed it on the table, moved gracefully to Yan Ning's side, lowered her eyes, and said in a mournful and gentle voice, "They are not saying anything for your own good."
"After the incident at the flower hall that day, the county magistrate was overwhelmed with grief and jumped off a cliff on her way back to Jiankang City."
"impossible!"
Yan Ning jumped up from the bed. "She couldn't possibly do that!"
Yan Ning denied it.
"She cherishes her life above all else, protecting it like a precious jewel. She would never risk her life for a few words!"
"He's really my brother."
Yan Sheng only received the news the next day. Upon hearing it, she disregarded the rules and secretly ran over. In the past two days, Yan Ning's injuries have been mostly taken care of by her and Cui Wan.
When people mentioned Li Yunru, their eyes reddened. They said, "My sister-in-law is gone. She jumped off a cliff and disappeared. My mother and the others sent people to look for her, but there was no trace of her in the bottomless abyss. They only found one of her jade shoes and the armlet she always wore."
"Since no one has been found, how can it be considered gone!"
Yan Sheng: "..."
Cui Wan: "..."
Ignoring their speechless expressions, Yan Ning said she would go find it herself.
Yan Sheng couldn't make the decision on this matter. Not only was he still unwell, but the weather wasn't suitable for him to go out right now.
It started raining suddenly last night, and the rain is very heavy. It shows no signs of stopping. The area where the accident happened has a complex terrain with many ravines and muddy mountain roads, making it difficult for people to travel.
But Yan Ning ignored this and insisted on going out. Helpless, she had no choice but to tell her parents what had happened.
Lord Yan sat high above in the hall, showing no reaction to the request. He calmly took a sip of tea and said, "Since he wants to go, then let him go!"
Only by letting him see it with his own eyes can we put an end to all his thoughts!
Since her father had agreed, Yan Sheng had nothing more to say.
Cui assigned many people to go together and take care of Yan Ning along the way. Yan Sheng and Cui Wan also accompanied them.
The group braved the heavy rain to head to the cliff on the east side of Fragrant Hills.
This is one of the paths down the mountain, but it is not a necessary route. Usually, only those who take shortcuts choose to take this route. However, Fragrant Hills is the territory of the Yan family. Apart from some clansmen and poets who invite friends to stay for a few days, it is usually empty. As for those who are invited, they are mostly relatives of noble families with high status. No one would choose this route for no reason.
The mountain path was muddy and difficult to walk on. Everyone trudged along slowly, and it took about an hour before they finally arrived at their destination.
Apart from the soil and rocks battered by the heavy rain, there was nothing on the mountain; it was as if no one was there.
When you reach the edge of the cliff, all you can see is a bottomless abyss, pitch black, with water vapor and mist mingling together, obscuring your location.
“My mother and the others have surveyed the area; there is no way to get to the bottom of the cliff.”
Yan Sheng didn't want to admit this fact, but everything in front of her seemed to prove its truth.
The person is gone. Instead of choosing the shortcut back to Jiankang, they chose to plunge into this place, leaving no trace of their body.
Yan Ning did not answer her question, but stared blankly at the bottom of the cliff.
I felt as if something was calling me, and my body couldn't stop moving forward, forward...
"elder brother!"
"cousin!"
Just as he was falling, the group of people accompanying him managed to pull him back from the brink of death.
His gaze was vacant, and he remained silent, ignoring all attempts by those around him to call him, as if he had entered a void.
The rain was getting heavier.
The sky seemed to have burst open, and the raindrops mercilessly pelted his body, soaking his pale clothes and covering them with mud and dust. He looked up at the sky blankly, muttering Li Yunru's name to himself, but something seemed to be stuck in his throat, and his heart felt heavy. Finally, he vomited blood and fainted again!
This time, he slept for nearly a month, and before he knew it, autumn had turned into winter. He had just woken up, but he was still very lethargic and didn't talk much. He did take his medicine, but after taking it, he would just sit there, woodenly, without giving any reaction.
Madam Cui had not expected people to react so strongly to Madam Li's matter. In her mind, he would be sad for a while, but life would still go on, and he would regain his former noble and upright demeanor, becoming the pride of her and her husband once again.
Now he looks like a living dead...
"My son!"
She pressed her face against his with heartache, tears streaming down her face.
Yan Ning sat by the window, gazing at the green bamboo and pine trees battered by the wind and snow outside, lost in thought. But when she sensed someone getting close, she instinctively moved away.
This subtle gesture only pierced Cui's heart.
"I think we should think of a way. After all, we can't find the body of that Li family member right now, who knows..."
She felt a pang of regret, thinking, what if Li Yunru were alive...
Upon hearing her words, Lord Yan's face immediately darkened, and he angrily said, "What nonsense are you spouting? Li Shi is dead, and that's it!"
"But……"
Cui had never felt so helpless. She said bitterly, "This can't go on forever, Changjun."
Lord Yan snorted coldly and said, "What a spineless coward! He's willing to die for a girl. How can he shoulder any great responsibility!"
These words strongly suggest that the eldest son has been abandoned.
Too.
If he follows the established path, he should naturally inherit the position and take control of the Yan clan.
He is also happy to have someone else inherit it.
But otherwise, he has more than one son. He had already indulged Li Shi by letting her go back then. If Li Shi couldn't escape, it was her fate. He couldn't do anything more about it!
But to Cui, it had a completely different meaning.
Thinking of her filial son, as beautiful as the moon and as lovely as jade, it was just a momentary lapse of judgment that he actually had such thoughts. She was furious and shouted, "Is this what he wanted? He didn't want this marriage in the first place. You and the clan forced him to accept it after weighing the pros and cons. Now look what's happened. He got what you wanted, and you got everything, but you complain that he's useless because he's obsessed with women. Don't you even think about who caused this situation?"
"What did you say?"
Lord Yan was clearly taken aback when his usually gentle and dignified wife spoke to him so loudly. He was stunned for a moment, but then felt that his authority had been challenged.
He wouldn't allow anyone to disobey him!
The man said coldly, "I think it's not just Changjun who's gone mad, you've gone mad too! From today onwards, Miaozhuang will manage this household. You just focus on worshipping Buddha and taking care of your son. We'll talk about taking over the household when you're better!"
Miaozhuang was the principal wife of Yan'an, the second son. She came from the Longkang Huan clan and was quite talented even when she was still a young girl. After marrying into the Yan family, she was even more obedient and dutiful, respectful to her parents-in-law and her children, never overstepping the bounds of propriety. She was dignified and proper, a worthy wife of a noble family.
For over thirty years of marriage, she had always been proper and compliant. She never imagined that he would strip her of her power as a housekeeper without the slightest hesitation over a single disrespectful remark from someone who loved their son dearly.
At this moment, Cui truly felt the coldness of the person in front of her.
She recalled that when she was negotiating with Li Yunru, someone asked her, "Madam, you have endured hardship and toil for your husband for most of your life, have you ever truly gotten what you wanted?"
She didn't give anyone an answer at that time.
But at this moment, she was certain: no, never!
"I've managed the household for half my life and I'm tired of it. Since you think I'm not doing a good job, then let me go. I won't ask about it anymore!"
The two parted on bad terms.
...
This ordeal lasted for a long time, until the third month of spring. The relationship between Lord Yan and his wife had not improved, and Yan Ning's mental illness also persisted.
The entire Yan family was enveloped in a strange and oppressive atmosphere.
Even if they tried to keep it a secret, the news still got out despite the huge uproar.
On the official road leading to the border, a caravan stopped to rest at a teahouse and overheard nearby farmers talking loudly: "That young master from the Yan family, who would have thought he was such a devoted lover, what a pity!"
"That's right. I never thought there would be such a devoted lover in this noble family. I don't know whether to say that the former princess was lucky or unlucky."
"Whether we're blessed or not is none of our business. What's important right now is to figure out how to get through this. It's already the third month of spring, and the planting season is just around the corner, but not a drop of rain has come. Look at how dry it is! If this continues, we'll miss the spring planting season, and everyone will go hungry!"
At this point, the men became worried again. Looking at the passing caravans, they sighed, "Ah, you guys are so lucky. You travel all over the country and don't have to worry about the weather for your livelihood."
"I can't really say, I'm just trying to make a living. These days, it's not easy for anyone."
The man mentioned that when he passed through Langya before, the Yang family of Hongnong and the Wang family of Langya were arguing over a piece of land and drew a boundary line. As a result, people were the ones who suffered and were not allowed to enter the territory to do business.
"It's not easy, it's not easy for anyone!"
"It was better back when Emperor Xuan was alive; everyone had a way to survive."
Speaking of this, someone got excited and leaned forward to ask, "Have you heard? The former crown prince has been released from the imperial mausoleum. It's said he's even been appointed as the Grand Master of Ceremonies. Don't you think this is a good omen? Could it mean that in the future..."
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Author's Note: This is a transitional chapter; a new chapter is about to begin! [Milk Tea][Milk Tea][Milk Tea]
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