Chapter 92 Chapter 92 Undercurrent
That night, the Yong'an Marquis Mansion was heavily guarded and the lights were on until dawn.
When the first ray of sunlight shone on the gray tiles at the highest point of Xiefang Garden, each room resumed its normal daily life.
However, those walking around were all women, and the servants kept silent and did not dare to slack off or say anything nonsense.
The Marquis's wife excused everyone from the recent greetings. Yin Wu returned with Yin Ruizhu, who was about to leave. Yin Ruizhu followed Yin Wu, her heart heavy. As they neared the main courtyard, she pulled Yin Wu aside and said, "These are turbulent times. Sister, I can't stay any longer. I'll go back first."
Yin Wu knew that she was engaged, and had wanted to take advantage of Nan Yun's betrothal banquet and Nan Xu's return to invite her to stay for a few days, firstly to relax and secondly to reunite with the sisters, but she never expected to run into this kind of thing.
She had invited the person, so she couldn't take the initiative to chase her away. Seeing Yin Ruizhu's initiative to return home, she couldn't help but sigh. She had become more sensible now that she was getting married, and even her words were more steady. She reached out and pinched Yin Ruizhu's cheek, tucked a few strands of her hair behind her ear, and forced a smile. "Okay, go back and give my regards to your uncle and aunt. I've watched you grow up, and now that you're getting married, I don't have much to give you. I made some jewelry and a few banknotes and put them in a box. I've given them to your maid to take back with you."
Yin Ruizhu was somewhat moved, but when she thought of what she had been thinking, she felt ashamed and embarrassed, and her face turned red. "Sister..."
Yin Wu thought she was reluctant to let go, blinked back tears, released her hand, and pushed her out of the mansion. "Let's go, let's go. It's not like we're parting forever, why are you acting like this? You're making me sad for nothing. First of all, I know your temper. What happened in the mansion, and about Ah Xu... Don't tell anyone about it, okay? If you dare to say a word, I won't forgive you even if you marry to the ends of the earth."
Yin Ruizhu was pushed forward and stumbled a few steps. The bitterness and guilt in her heart reached a peak. Thousands of words finally turned into a faint "OK" on her lips. Against the light, she looked deeply at Yin Wu, turned around and took a few quick steps, then suddenly turned back and ran forward, hugging Yin Wu tightly, "Sister, you must take care of yourself."
Yin Wu was caught off guard by being hugged. She was about to comfort her and tell her that she would see her off when she got married, but Yin Ruizhu quickly let go and walked away without looking back.
Yin Wu looked at her wind-like back and shook his head in confusion, thinking it was just an adverse reaction to Yin Ruizhu's sudden return to her little girl's behavior.
There were still a lot of things waiting for Yin Wu to take care of in the mansion, and she quickly put Yin Ruizhu's abnormality behind her. The master and servant walked around the corridor, passed through the screen wall, and suddenly heard faint crying sounds when they passed by the courtyard of the second house.
The voice was obviously that of her good sister-in-law Zhao Yuqin, who cried every day as if she was in mourning and didn't think it was bad luck.
Yin Wu didn't want to get involved at first, but after thinking about it, he decided to ask someone to find out what happened.
Soon, the servants came back to report that the second master had moved out last night for unknown reasons and was staying at the place of his favorite courtesan. The second mistress was very sad.
Yin Wu was rubbing his forehead while sorting out his accounts when he casually asked, "When did the Second Master leave last night?"
The servant said, "The end of the hour of Chou."
At the end of the hour of the Ox, wouldn't that mean he left the house at the same time as me?
Yin Wu thought for a moment and then abruptly closed the account book. "Quick, tell mother I have something important to report."
*
It is said that Yin Ruizhu left the Marquis' Mansion but did not return to the Yin Mansion.
She knocked the maid unconscious, secretly got off the carriage from the back door, found a secluded place, changed into the men's clothes she had prepared long ago, and took the silver notes she had prepared and the ones Yin Wu gave her today, bought a good horse, changed the route she had planned long ago to escape the marriage to the south of the Yangtze River, and ran all the way along the Shu land.
When the coachman drove the carriage back, the Yin couple waited and waited but their precious daughter did not come back. Instead, they received a farewell letter.
"Marriage is good, but my daughter's ambition is not here. The sky is high and the sea is vast. I will leave now. I hope my father and mother take care of themselves."
The old couple of the Yin family were so angry that they felt dizzy. They had no choice but to ask people to secretly investigate Yin Ruizhu's whereabouts, and at the same time, they reported illness to the family to whom they had promised to marry in order to postpone the wedding date.
In the winter of the fourth year of Xuanwu, Kyoto appears calm but undercurrents surge...
*
On the third day after the Marquis' Mansion learned that Nan Xu had been abducted by Li Zhan, Princess Jingyi and her entourage stayed in an inn in a small town in Wuchang Prefecture, which was on the way to Sichuan.
The place was secluded, and the innkeeper did not recognize the royal carriage. He only thought that the woman coming down was well-dressed and looked very noble, and that the young man who had come to take care of things was also dressed in silk and satin, and was as elegant as jade. Knowing that this was a distinguished guest from a prosperous place, he hurriedly and respectfully gave him two rooms in the upper room.
Jingyi glanced at Li Zhan, pointed at the sign of one of the upper rooms, and said in a cryptic manner, "Shopkeeper, you really don't know how to do business. Can't you tell that this young man and I are husband and wife? We are young and full of vigor. How can you ask me and my husband to sleep in separate rooms?"
The shopkeeper looked at the room card in his hand, then turned to look at Li Zhan, "This... Madam, it is this young master who requested two rooms. So this room..."
Jingyi fanned her hands as if she had smelled something unpleasant, then covered her nose and slowly walked up to the second floor. The maid beside her took one of the room cards and made a decision, "Of course, I will listen to you, Madam. Remember, from now on, any request will be based on yours."
Seeing that Li Zhan didn't say anything, the shopkeeper thought to himself that he was a son-in-law. Although he wanted to earn more rent for a higher room, he didn't dare to disobey the request of the nobleman.
He could only look at Li Zhan twice more with curiosity and pity, and ordered the kitchen to quickly prepare the food ordered by the distinguished guest.
There were few people in the inn in winter, so a charcoal fire was lit in the upper room. It took a while for the room to gradually warm up. Jingyi sat on the fox fur coat laid out by the servants, patted the seat next to her, and motioned Li Zhan to sit over.
Li Zhan stood at the door without moving.
Jingyi was not annoyed. "Why, what do you think, Prince Consort? Why not tell me directly?"
Because of the identities of the few people, there was enough charcoal in the inn, and the red flames made people's faces red. Li Zhan roasted himself for a while, stretched his arms and legs, and sat down as he was told.
"I don't have any thoughts. I just saw that the princess and the new man were inseparable, and I was thinking about her. Since the princess wants me to serve her tonight, I'm more than happy to do so."
His face was calm, as if he was talking about something very normal.
Jingyi stared at the face so close to her for a long time, snorted softly, and slowly leaned towards Li Zhan's arms. She raised her hand to touch his cheek, then pinched his chin and said word by word, "Are you serious? Don't try to scare me, Prince Consort."
Li Zhan suppressed the discomfort in his heart and followed her example, hugging her waist affectionately. "Of course, I will obey your Highness in everything."
“Bang!”
Jingyi shook her wrist, sat up straight from his embrace, her face cold, "Since you listen to me in everything, then don't sleep tonight. Just stand guard at the door for me and obey my orders. Come whenever I call."
Li Zhan smiled, with a pained look on his face, but he was not angry. He stood up and bowed respectfully to Jing Yi, "Your Majesty, I will do my duty to the best of my ability."
As he said this, he actually stood at the door. The cold wind rushed in through the crack in the door and then quickly blew into his collar.
Jingyi felt irritated as if she were being scratched by a cat, and her expression grew even colder.
She simply called in the young man who had been serving her for the past two days, and the two of them flirted in front of Li Zhan. In her peripheral vision, Li Zhan, who was standing at the door with a smile on his face, looked like a truly loyal guard.
Jingyi's heart became increasingly impatient, and the young man also worked hard to serve her. When desire and restlessness rushed to her head, Jingyi could no longer hold back the violence in her heart, picked up the things at hand and threw them at him, "Get out, I don't want to see you in the inn tonight!"
Li Zhan's obedience and cleverness made Jingyi temporarily lose interest in teasing him.
This is exactly what Li Zhan wanted.
Li Zhan lowered his head, curled his lips, and walked out, closing the door for the two people in the room before leaving.
The faint sound of panting could be heard. Li Zhan suppressed the joy in his heart and walked calmly past the servants in the princess's mansion. He asked the shopkeeper for a few thick quilts and some food to ward off the cold, and took them into the carriage.
Inside the car, Nan Xu huddled in a corner without looking up.
The car was as cold as an ice cellar. Li Zhan hurriedly turned around and went to the inn to ask for charcoal. The innkeeper hesitated for a long time and didn't say anything. Li Zhan understood what he meant. He glanced at the lighted room upstairs and ran into the car.
He carefully covered Nan Xu with the quilt. Nan Xu's body was shaking under the quilt.
Li Zhan felt a pain in his heart and tried to hug her tightly to keep her warm, but he was pushed away by the person who buried her head in her knees.
"A Xu, don't reject me, okay?"
There was finally a hint of warmth on his body, and Nan Xu wrapped herself tightly around him, without looking up or paying any attention to him.
Li Zhan knew she was angry, so he laid out the food he had brought. "Although we don't have crabapple chestnut flour cakes here, we do have chestnut cakes. Look," he picked up a piece, chewed it, and passed it to Nan Xu. "Although it doesn't taste as good as the ones in Kyoto, it tastes good too. Ah Xu, have a couple of bites while it's still hot. It won't be cold after a few bites."
Nan Xu still wrapped herself tightly in the quilt and did not move.
Li Zhan continued to introduce, "Okay, okay, let's not eat this. Let's try this. This is your favorite lotus root and pork ribs soup. And this is the crystal cabbage dumplings. Come, Ah Xu, I'll feed you."
Nan Xu finally felt a little warm, stopped trembling, and slowly exhaled the cold air.
She could sense that the person in front of her was holding the food in front of her. After thinking for a while, Nan Xu raised her head.
Seeing that she finally paid attention to him, Li Zhan smiled sincerely and worked harder, "Ah, open your mouth, Ah Xu."
Nan Xu glanced at him and turned away calmly, "I want something spicy."
"Spicy"
"Yes, spicy dishes like Shu cuisine."
Li Zhan's face changed slightly. He put down what he was holding and tightly pinched Nan Xu's arm. "When did you learn to eat spicy food? Did Duan Wenpei force you to do that? Tell me!"
Although Nan Xu already had some understanding of Li Zhan's madness, his current state still made her lose her mind for a short time.
How much does a person have to go through for his temperament to change so drastically?
Nan Xu looked into his eyes, trying to find some traces of the past, but unfortunately, it was so turbid there that she could not find anything.
"You don't dare take me to stay at the inn."
"What?" Li Zhan was a little confused.
Nan Xu picked up the chain at her feet and laughed sarcastically, "You were afraid Jingyi would find me, so you only dared to lock me in the carriage. My Lord, it's very cold in the carriage. I don't want to freeze to death, so I need to eat some spicy food to keep the cold away, that's all."
Since we are here, we might as well make the best of it. After two days of confinement, Nan Xu has figured it out.
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