When You Yuanzhi saw Yan Ning turn around, he immediately hid behind the curtain of a silk shop sign, the yellow and white curtain blocking his view of Yan Ning. When he hurriedly followed again, only Yan Ning's personal maid was walking forward.
Looking around, You Yuanzhi saw a handkerchief with clusters of lilies floating out from under the oil-paper umbrella.
Just as Yan Ning was wondering how You Yuanzhi could still be alive, she was pulled out from under the oil-paper umbrella.
You Yuanzhi led Yan Ning to a secluded alley, surrounded by discarded baskets and old wood. Anyone could take them as they pleased, and return them when they were done and had nowhere else to put them. Gradually, the alley became blocked, and fewer and fewer people came.
Beneath the faded blue-black brick wall, Yan Ning watched as You Yuanzhi ripped off his beard, his face red from the tear. You Yuanzhi glanced at Yan Ning, then put his hands behind his back, his oversized cloth shirt hanging loosely, losing the handsome, roguish air that Yan Ning remembered.
Life's vicissitudes are not always as one wishes. You Yuanzhi sighed, noticing the question in Yan Ning's mind. "I'll tell you about my affairs later! How is Xiang'er? The baby should have been born by now. Are they both safe and healthy?"
Upon hearing You Yuan's question, Yan Ning lowered her head, unsure how to respond to his urgent voice.
Seeing that Yan Ning was unwilling to answer, You Yuanzhi assumed that Yan Ning harbored resentment towards him and did not want to reveal the affairs of the Fucha family. He sighed heavily again, then turned his back to Yan Ning and said, "I came to see you today so that you can tell Xiang'er that I am not dead and that she need not worry or grieve for me!"
After he finished speaking, Yan Ning behind him remained silent. You Yuanzhi then realized that he had been wishful thinking. Xiang'er was now another man's wife and mother, so why would she grieve for him? His eyes, filled with pain, suddenly darkened. He stood up, leaped over the high stack of baskets, and with a swift turn, disappeared into the blocked alley.
Yan Ning stared blankly at the perfectly tidy basket, her encounter with You Yuanzhi just now feeling like a dream.
Was it You Yuanzhi who was taken in by Buddha and, seeing that I had just prayed for Xiang'er and her child, transformed into human form to ask about Xiang'er's recent situation? But as a spirit general under Buddha, how could he not know that Xiang'er's child was dead and that she had gone mad?
Yan Ning walked aimlessly down the street, no longer paying attention to the shouts and cries of the vendors. She stretched out the hand that You Yuanzhi had just held; it was still smooth and lustrous, and after being soaked in flower petal juice for a long time, it had taken on a delicate, flowery hue. There was none of the dark aura associated with ghost stories.
In the bustling crowd, Yan Ning only came to her senses when Heshen's anxious expression appeared before her.
Seeing Mingxin standing with Heshen, Yan Ning frowned slightly. She walked past Heshen, grabbed Mingxin, and headed towards the Fucha residence.
On the streets paved with bluestone slabs, colorful signs and banners swayed and fluttered. Watching Yan Ning hastily distance herself from him, as if avoiding a plague, Heshen gripped his court hat tightly. His crescent-shaped eyes relaxed into almond-shaped ones, then narrowed into slits, concealing a chilling glint.
The court hat in his hand, with its embroidered gold top, glittered brightly. The jadeite plume tube, clear inside and out, held a peacock feather, and large pearls and rubies exuded an air of nobility. The insignia on his court robes depicted cranes soaring through the clouds, chasing the high-hanging red sun, the entire insignia adorned with auspicious seven-colored clouds.
The commoners on the street all bowed their heads and walked around Heshen when they saw him. The people of the outer city rarely saw high-ranking officials from the inner city. Although they did not know what rank Heshen held, they knew that they could not afford to offend this man, given his noble and imposing court robes and hat, and the large number of servants following behind him.
Seated in a luxurious official sedan chair, Heshen and Yan Ning walked in opposite directions. Inside the sedan chair, his eyes remained half-closed.
When Mingxin rushed to the mansion, saying that Yan Ning had been kidnapped by a strange man, he didn't even bother to change out of his court robes, nor did he care if Yan Ning would suspect Mingxin of revealing the Fucha family's affairs. He hurriedly followed her with his servants. Yan Ning had been back at the Fucha mansion for a month, but the Empress Dowager was unwell and had not yet summoned her to the palace. Since she was living in the mansion, she only learned about her recent situation from Mingxin.
Thinking of Yan Ning's furrowed brows and lowered head when she avoided him, Heshen felt a surge of heat in his chest and slammed his fist heavily on the sedan chair.
The eight sedan bearers were startled and stopped in their tracks, exchanging bewildered glances at the people beside them. The large group of servants behind them, blocked by the sedan chair, also had to halt.
Liu Quan knew Heshen's thoughts, so he quickly reprimanded the sedan bearers who had stopped and ordered them to continue.
Upon returning to Jian Gong Zhai, Yan Ning dismissed all the maids, leaving only Ming Xin behind.
The tables and chairs in the hall were made of dark rosewood, which exuded an air of solemnity. The passageways to the inner rooms on the left and right were covered by brown curtains, and the doors to the rooms were tightly closed.
Mingxin quickly knelt down, carefully observing Yan Ning's silent face. A velvet carpet, made of cotton yarn as warp and weft, and decorated with colorful wool or silk threads, was laid on the stone slab. The carpet featured a red background with auspicious patterns and auspicious designs.
This carpet has a wood-red background and is woven with patterns in colors such as orange, light yellow, pink, white, dark blue, light blue, peacock blue, and dark brown.
The outer edge of the carpet is dark blue, the outer edge is decorated with square checkerboard floral brocade, the middle edge is decorated with peony branches, and the center of the carpet is decorated with a four-sided auspicious brocade pattern; it looks dignified, elegant, and gorgeous.
Mingxin tugged at Yan Ning's cherry-red skirt, looking aggrieved, and said, "Madam, I walked dozens of meters but didn't see any villains, but you disappeared. I asked the oil-paper umbrella shop owner where you were hiding, and he said you were forcibly taken away by a man! It's far from the Fucha Mansion, and I had no other choice but to go to He Di!"
Seeing that Yan Ning remained unmoved, Ming Xin was so anxious that she burst into tears.
The Fucha family had strict rules, so she could only go out with the kitchen staff to purchase ingredients, under the pretense that Yan Ning had to personally select the food she would eat.
Chef Wu of the kitchen, eager to climb the social ladder by marrying Yan Ning, completely believed Ming Xin's words. Every time she left the Fucha residence, she would go to a farmer's stall selling seasonal fruits and vegetables. That was He Shen's servant, who had been tending the stall since the day she entered the Fucha residence. While waiting for Ming Xin to bring news of the major events that had occurred at the Fucha residence, He Shen, after Yan Ning's return, was more interested in Yan Ning's current situation.
“I remember telling you this when you entered the Fucha residence! If you dare to reveal even the slightest thing about the Fucha family, I will not let you live!”
The thought that Heshen was so cunning and capable of extracting everything he wanted about the Fucha family from Mingxin's few words sent a chill down Yan Ning's spine.
Yan Ning was initially extremely reluctant to keep Mingxin in the Fucha household, but if she didn't, Fukang'an wouldn't so easily believe she was the daughter of the Su family. The gratitude Yan Ning felt for Heshen instantly crumbled; how could she have been so foolish? How could someone as shrewd as Heshen have gone to such lengths for a mere woman like her?
Mingxin tugged at Yan Ning's skirt, making it even more disheveled. "This servant didn't, this servant didn't tell Master about the Fucha family! I only went to Master today because I was in a hurry!"
Yan Ning slammed her hand on the table, revealing her pearly teeth. "Do you know how the General would deal with you if he knew all this!" Ming Xin had always been loyal to her, which made her forget that He Shen was her true master. Overwhelmed with heartache and resentment, Yan Ning's mind was in turmoil.
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