Chapter 88 [88] Unconditional, unwavering until death. …
【88】/First release
At the end of July, the summer branches are densely green and the red calyxes are bright and fresh.
Yun Ran finally successfully hosted the first banquet at Prince Jing's Mansion. Even though it was just a small banquet for about twenty people, it gave her a great sense of accomplishment.
All those flowers, plants, fish, birds, bowls, plates, cups, curtains and ornaments that I bought specially for decoration in the spring finally came in handy and were not wasted!
She welcomed guests generously and the guests gave gifts generously.
Although he said congratulations, he couldn't smile too brightly, after all, the male owner of this mansion was still missing.
Being pregnant at this time is only a consolation.
Yun Ran also tried hard to maintain her current state as a "half-widow", even though a few hours ago there was a warm man lying in her bed. After touching her belly, he touched her breasts and said, "It seems to be a little bigger."
She blushed and retorted, and he coaxed her in a low voice, and they rolled around in the quilt for half an hour.
Yun Ran closed his eyes, trying not to think about the mess, and smiled as he entertained the guests who came today.
The guests who came today included not only my mother Zheng and my eldest sister-in-law Li Wanrong, the eldest young lady and Lu Jiuniang of the Lu family, my eldest aunt and the eldest daughter-in-law of my second aunt's family, and other relatives from my natal family, but also the young lady Yao Yingying of the Yao family, the wife of the Duke of Suguo and her eldest daughter-in-law, the princess of the Jiangxia County Prince's Mansion, and the women of the two Shangshu Mansions of the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Revenue...
In groups of three or two, flowers are in full bloom.
The process of each person's meeting was similar. First, they congratulated Yun Ran on her pregnancy, then comforted her not to be discouraged, saying that King Jing was a lucky man and would definitely return safely. Finally, they turned the topic back to the matters of nurturing and protecting the fetus.
In order to avoid being exposed, Yun Ran even hid the truth from Zheng and Li Wanrong.
During the banquet, Zheng and Li Wanrong spent half of the time holding her hands, one on each side, and giving her various instructions on what to pay attention to after pregnancy.
Yun Ran looked at the sincere concern of his mother and sister-in-law, responded seriously on the surface, but secretly said a lot of "I'm sorry" in his heart.
It is true that "success is achieved through secrecy and failure is caused by leaks". In order to catch a bigger fish, I can only wait until later to apologize to them.
By the time of Shen, this small summer banquet was over, and both the guests and the hosts were very happy.
When they parted, the ladies of each mansion warmly invited Yun Ran to visit their homes when he was free.
Yun Ran smiled in response. After the guests had left, she rubbed her almost stiff face and casually lay down on the beauty couch. She recalled the scenes of her interactions with people today, especially the details of her casual chat with the wife of Duke Su.
There shouldn't be any clues, right?
It was a night and the moonlight was hazy.
As soon as Duke Su returned home, he went straight to the backyard.
The Duke's wife said, "It's true that fools have good fortune. Such a foolish person actually got pregnant."
Duke Su: "Are you sure?"
The Duke's wife: "I'm sure. Although I didn't touch it, I saw the wife of the Marquis of Changxin touch it. It's round and a little pointy, so it's very likely a boy."
Thinking of the earnest instructions and cautiousness that the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law of the Marquis of Changxin had given to Princess Jing during the day, the Duke's wife couldn't help but sigh, "It's a pity that she has to become a widow at such a young age, otherwise she and Prince Jing would have had a perfect marriage."
Duke Su was silent, saying only, "Her current situation is indeed not easy. If you have nothing to do, please visit the palace more often and show your care as an elder."
Although the Duke's wife felt that her master was too generous and kind, she changed her mind and thought that the late emperor and the Duke were as close as brothers and that the late emperor had once saved the Duke's life. Now that the late emperor's most beloved youngest son had met with such a fate, as uncle and aunt, they naturally had to take better care of the orphan and his widow.
Just consider it as repaying the kindness of the late emperor.
The Duke's wife said: "Okay, we happen to have quite a few golden-threaded blood swallows in our storeroom. I'll send them to her in a couple of days."
***
Friendships between people require time and energy to cultivate.
After the Duke's wife's repeated visits, Yun Ran gradually became familiar with her.
When the sweet osmanthus flowers were fragrant in August, the little grandson of the Duke of Su held a full-moon banquet. Yun Ran reciprocated the favor and brought gifts to the door in person.
After the ceremony, just as she and Sima Jing had guessed, Duke Su invited her to play chess.
On the way to the study, Yun Ran's heart was beating wildly. He felt nervous and a little excited.
When he stepped into the study, he saw Duke Su, who was sitting in front of the chessboard. He was wearing a dark blue robe and had an elegant demeanor. Yun Ran bowed as a junior, "Greetings, uncle."
Duke Suguo's eyes swept over her slightly bulging belly calmly, and then he stroked his beard and said with a smile: "No need to be so polite, niece-in-law."
He gestured for Yun Ran to sit down: "I haven't seen you for a few months. You have lost a lot of weight."
Yun Ran didn't say anything, but just forced out a sad and melancholy smile.
Duke Su sighed, "I am also deeply worried about Ajing's situation. This child is truly pitiful."
He collected the chess pieces one by one from the board, his eyelids drooping with a look of pity. "I still remember how well-behaved and sensible he was when he was little. As a little kid, he would bow to me and call me Eighth Uncle... Not to mention that the late emperor doted on him. Who wouldn't love such a clever child?"
Upon hearing this, Yun Ran also lowered his eyelids, looking sad.
Duke Su recalled a few past events. Seeing his niece-in-law sitting opposite him becoming increasingly passive and silent, he changed his tone and said in a gentle and comforting voice, "Don't be too sad. The search is still going on in the south. As long as they haven't found it, there's still a glimmer of hope."
Yun Ran secretly pinched her thigh under the table, raised her head again, her eyes slightly red, "Uncle, don't try to coax me anymore. I know in my heart that if she was still alive, she would have been found long ago. Now, after so long, there is still no news. I'm afraid, I'm afraid..."
She choked and could hardly speak.
After taking two deep breaths, he calmed down and said, "Fortunately, God had mercy on me and left me with a child. Otherwise, I really wanted to go with him."
Duke Su said, "You are so young, don't say such foolish things. The most important thing now is to take care of yourself and give birth to Ajing's only child safely."
Yun Ran raised his sleeve to wipe the slightly red corners of his eyes: "Yes."
After she finished speaking, she saw that the study had become quiet, and her eyes flickered slightly.
What is this old fox on the opposite side waiting for?
He's been testing her for almost half a month. Is he still on guard against her? Or is he not the one behind this?
Just as Yun Ran's heart was in turmoil, wondering if she and Sima Jing had been on the wrong track, and pondering whether to take the initiative to raise the topic, the elder in the green robe sitting opposite her finally spoke: "Actually, I invited you to play chess today because I have an important matter."
Here we come!
Yun Ran's eyes moved slightly, and he lowered his sleeves, but his face was innocent and confused: "What's the matter, uncle?"
Duke Su did not speak immediately, but just stared at her quietly.
If Yun Ran had not dealt with Sima Jing, Queen Mother Zhao, and Emperor Wenxuan in the past year, and had not witnessed more majestic and sharp gazes and developed courage, he would probably have been timid by now.
But now she wasn't even afraid of the big black snake's green pupils, not to mention that the person sitting opposite her was just a duke—
In terms of rank, he is still lower than Sima Jing.
Thinking of Sima Jing and his yard full of snakes, Yun Ran felt inexplicably emboldened. He blinked innocently and asked, "Uncle, why are you looking at me like that?"
Duke Su saw this little woman, who looked so innocent.
He also came from a rural Taoist temple and couldn't even play Go, which showed that he was shallow-minded and had no ambition.
It is indeed a rare and good chess piece.
After calming down a bit, he calmed down his expression and sighed, "I'm just worried that you can't accept this news."
Yun Ran: "What?"
Duke Suguo pondered for a moment and said solemnly, "There are no outsiders here now, and I won't hide it from you. I have sent people to investigate. The assassination of King Jing was the work of someone in the palace."
Yun Ran was stunned: "How could it be!?"
She shook her head, as if stunned by the news: "Why did His Majesty want to kill my prince? They are brothers."
"Brothers?"
Duke Su sneered as if he had heard something funny. Then, meeting Yun Ran's astonished gaze, he said angrily, "Didn't I tell you before that the late emperor wanted to exchange three cities for Prince Jing, but died before he could carry it out? It's clear that the emperor was so cruel and ruthless, fearing that his position as crown prince would be lost, that he imprisoned the late emperor and angered him to death!"
"Once he had secured the throne, he ruthlessly murdered the descendants of the previous emperor. Finally, pressured by public outcry, he was forced to redeem King Jing from the Rongdi. You thought he was protecting his brothers, but in reality, he was only doing so to enhance his reputation as a virtuous ruler."
"After bringing Prince Jing back, he superficially gifted him with a mansion and generous salary, promising him a life of luxury and unparalleled honor. In reality, he secretly instigated the spread of rumors about Prince Jing being the reincarnation of an evil spirit and a cold-blooded, perverse person. Furthermore, Prince Jing's three previous fiancées were murdered because the Emperor had no children and feared Prince Jing would bear a child before him. This not only eliminated Prince Jing's potential for an heir, but also solidified his reputation as a scourge! This plan killed two birds with one stone—truly a sinister one!"
Duke Suguo said this angrily, then looked at Yun Ran's belly with concern: "The government is in turmoil right now, and rumors are spreading everywhere. My niece must be extremely careful, lest the emperor kill the bloodline in your belly as well."
Yun Ran was really surprised at this moment.
She knew that the emperor and Sima Jing were at odds, and she guessed that the previous rumors about Sima Jing might have been spread deliberately by someone. As for the recent uproar over the poisoning of a noble lady, she had also heard about it, but she couldn't tell whether these things were the work of the person behind the scenes or the means of Emperor Wenxuan.
True and false, false and true.
She couldn't tell the difference, but she was deeply afraid of and disgusted by these conspiracies and intrigues.
Seeing her frightened look, Duke Su struck while the iron was hot and told her many more of the emperor's evil deeds.
Including how he eliminated the dozen or so sons of the previous emperor, either by poisoning them, disguising them as accidents, or executing the entire family. He even did not spare the eight-year-old fifteenth prince, who drowned him in the lotus pond in the harem.
Yun Ran felt a chill down his spine because of his cruel heart and vicious methods.
Sima Jing had never told her about these things, and no one else had ever mentioned them to her.
She could hardly imagine that Emperor Wenxuan, who was as gentle as jade and always had a warm smile on his face, could be so... cruel and terrifying.
"...Uncle, please stop talking."
Yun Ran's face was pale, and he felt a faint nausea in his heart. He was not pretending: "I don't want to hear this."
She instinctively resisted these things.
Seeing her clutching her chest and about to vomit, Duke Su poured her a glass of warm water and said, "Okay, I won't say any more."
He looked troubled. "But when I think of such a disloyal, unfilial, and unrighteous beast sitting on the throne, I feel bad for the late emperor and I feel bad for Ajing."
Yun Ran drank two sips of warm water before the chill was slightly relieved. After hearing what Duke Su said, his eyelids moved slightly.
"But he is the emperor after all, the ruler of the world, holding immense power. Even if we know he has committed countless evil deeds, what can we do?"
Yun Ran frowned, lowered her eyelashes, and touched her belly: "At this point, I'm afraid I can only accept my fate."
After he finished speaking, the study fell silent.
After a long silence, Duke Su sighed sadly, "I'm afraid that even if you accept your fate, the emperor will still not tolerate you and your unborn child and will kill you all!"
Yun Ran paused stroking her belly and raised her eyes in fear: "Will it be?"
Duke Su looked back at her and said, "What does the princess think?"
Yun Ran: “…”
After a while, she hurriedly stood up and bowed to Duke Su: "Please, uncle, save me and find a way for me. My husband has a miserable life. The child in your belly is his only blood. As long as I can save it, I will do anything."
This is what I want.
"Niece-in-law, get up quickly."
Duke Su stepped forward and helped her to her feet. Seeing her tearful, frightened expression, he pondered for a moment before lowering his voice and saying, "If my niece-in-law trusts me, I will help you overthrow the emperor, avenge Ajing, and return the kingdom that rightfully belongs to him to his child."
"I just wonder if my niece-in-law dares to join me in rectifying the chaos and achieving great things."
…
"That's what he told me."
Late at night in the quiet Zhanlu Hall, Yun Ran, in a ivory-white undergarment, sat cross-legged within the bed curtains, recounting to Sima Jing the entire conversation she had had with Duke Su during the day.
After taking a breath, she continued, "He also showed me the late emperor's will. It looked very authentic, but I can't confirm whether it was genuine."
"Oh, right, he also said that the late emperor left you a group of forces, but since you returned to the court, you have been staying indoors and have been very cold to him even when we met. So he never found a chance to transfer that power to you. If I am willing, this power will help us ascend to the throne—"
At this point, Yun Ran couldn't help but sigh, "If I didn't know you were alive and right next to me, I might have been scared by his words."
I'm not afraid of fake things, I'm afraid of half-truths.
The moon in the water and the flowers in the fog are the most confusing.
After Sima Jing heard everything, he suddenly looked at Yun Ran and asked, "If I were really killed by Sima Ji, would you join him in the rebellion?"
Yun Ran was stunned for a moment and frowned: "I will find a way to avenge you, but rebelling... I dare not, and I will not."
"Rebellion is a grave crime that will implicate your entire clan. Although I like you very much, I cannot ignore the safety of my family and my master and implicate innocent people."
"Besides, the rebellion is so massive that it will inevitably implicate innocent people. We can't let others be implicated just for my own revenge."
Yun Ran tilted his head and thought, "Although I can't think of any good way to avenge you right now, a gentleman's revenge is never too late. As long as I'm alive, I'll find an opportunity sooner or later."
Sima Jing just asked hypothetically, and when he saw that she was really thinking about it seriously, he felt warm in his heart.
"Okay, don't think about that."
He tapped her smooth forehead with his long fingers and said, "Let alone the fact that this wasn't Sima Ji's work, even if it was really him..."
The words "Someone will take care of him" came to his lips, but then stopped and he swallowed them back silently.
Will the Queen Mother avenge him?
Maybe, maybe not.
After all, back then, between the two sons, she chose Sima Ji and abandoned him.
Giving up once is giving up anyway, so why not give up again?
Sima Jing curled the corners of his lips. He felt neither sadness nor anger in his heart, only sorrow.
Realize that your parents and relatives don’t love you as much as you imagined. The feeling can only be understood but not expressed in words.
"Then I will definitely avenge you!"
A clear and resolute voice pulled him back from his wandering thoughts. He focused again and saw the girl's eyes, glittering like stars within the dim curtains. Without a trace of impurities, she gazed at him with unwavering determination: "I swear to the Lord, even if it means exchanging my life for yours, I will avenge you."
Sima Jing's heart burned hot, and his throat was hoarse: "Really?"
Yun Ran nodded: "Yes! Husband and wife are one, you are me and I am you. Now that I have chosen you, I will not let you down."
After those words were spoken, the dim tent fell silent.
The man said nothing, just looked at her deeply.
Yun Ran felt this long and complicated gaze and was a little confused: "Your Highness?"
Sima Jing: "Yeah."
Yun Ran: "Why don't you speak?"
Did she just say something wrong?
Sima Jing looked at her: "I don't want to talk."
After a pause, he said in a hoarse voice: "I want to kiss you."
Yun Ran: “……?”
Before the man's lips pressed against hers, she quickly raised her hand to cover his mouth. Her cheeks were burning, but her eyes were clear: "Wait a minute! We haven't finished talking about business yet!"
I really don't know what's going on in this guy's brain. He was talking about major events that shook the government and the country one moment, and suddenly jumped to love the next.
Incomprehensible.
She tried to put on a serious expression and brought the man back to the point. "Now that we can basically confirm that the mastermind behind this is Duke Su, can we make it public and have His Majesty arrest him?"
Pretending to be pregnant is also very tiring. In the past half month, she has been eating three meals a day and drinking well. She has gained weight on her waist and her face has become rounder.
If she continues to pretend like this, she's afraid she'll really gain ten pounds.
Upon hearing this, Sima Jing temporarily suppressed the urge to kiss her and took her hand away: "It's not the time yet."
Yun Ran exclaimed, "When is the right time?"
"If I'm not mistaken, the forces he mentioned as being left behind by the late emperor must be spies from the Rong and Di tribes lurking within the Jin Dynasty. Since he's confident he can rebel, I imagine that force is quite significant..." Sima Jing said, "Capturing him alone is meaningless. Since we're closing the net, we must root them out completely and capture them all in one fell swoop."
Yun Ran asked: "Then what should I do next?"
Sima Jing: "Just continue to be an ignorant and easy-to-control puppet. It depends on when he plans to make his move..."
He whispered, his big palm casually wrapping around Yun Ran's small hand, his expression calm and composed: "But, it's almost done."
In the middle of the night, the autumn wind blew, bringing a cold rain.
It is said that every autumn rain brings a chill. It has been drizzling for five consecutive days, and the osmanthus tree in the yard has dropped a layer of golden fragments to the ground. It is the Mid-Autumn Festival again.
Even though rumors were spreading and there was still no news about King Jing, the palace still held the Mid-Autumn Festival dinner as usual.
Facing the window, while combing her hair in front of the mirror, Yun Ran couldn't help but blink as she stared at the bright face in the yellow bronze mirror, which had lost some of its baby fat and became more delicate.
Qingling was combing her hair with a comb. Seeing her expression, she asked softly, "Madam, are you in a good mood today?"
Yun Ran: "No. I was just looking at myself in the mirror, and suddenly remembered last Mid-Autumn Festival, when I was sitting in front of the mirror like this, and you were doing my hair and makeup for me..."
Qing Ling was slightly startled, and thought of this time last year, feeling melancholy for a moment: "Yes, a year has passed so quickly. This time last year, my wife still had her hair in a girlish bun, and your dress that day was also very bright and delicate..."
Having said this, Qingling stopped talking.
Because last year the princess was still a carefree young girl waiting to be married, this year the princess lost her husband and became pregnant. In order to show her steadiness and concern for the prince, she chose a sandalwood top and autumn-fragrance skirt when entering the palace.
She was only sixteen, young and youthful, but she was wearing old-fashioned clothes. Qingling felt sorry for her wife when she thought about it.
Yun Ran didn't expect that his words of reminiscence would make Qing Ling so sentimental.
However, when she looked at herself in the mirror and thought about what had happened in the past year, she couldn't help but sigh.
It really feels like a dream.
It's hard to say whether it's a good dream or a nightmare, but...
Thinking of Sima Jing, this dream is worth having.
The corners of her mouth curled up slightly, and her mood became brighter, like the moon appearing after the clouds have cleared.
Before entering the palace, she went to Liuxian Garden and greeted Sima Jing: "As soon as the palace banquet is over, I will rush back to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival with you. I won't keep you waiting for long."
Sima Jing saw that she had a fresh and delicate face, but she was wearing dark and gorgeous clothes that were totally inconsistent with her temperament. She also wore a heavy and gorgeous flower crown on her high black hair. She looked exactly like the most exquisite Mohelo in the shop.
Cute and pitiful.
"You wear this."
Sima Jing took out a finely crafted gold hairpin with a ruby peony, but did not give it to her immediately. Instead, under Yun Ran's nose, he pressed the ruby in the center of the peony flower. With a click, a sharp silver needle shot out.
Yun Ran was shocked: "Where did this come from? It's so powerful!"
Seeing that she understood how to use it, Sima Jing inserted the golden hairpin into her raven hair and said slowly, "The hairpin can hold ten poison needles at a time. If you encounter danger, use it to protect yourself."
Yun Ran raised his hand and touched the golden peony hairpin. As if he had a premonition, his heartbeat suddenly quickened. "Your Highness, do you think something bad will happen in the palace tonight?"
Sima Jing didn't want to scare her, but he didn't want to leave her defenseless even more.
"From the moment you agreed to conspire with him, every day is possible."
He spoke slowly, raised his hands to hold Yun Ran's face, and looked down at her: "Are you scared?"
It would be a lie to say she wasn't afraid. After all, this might be the boldest thing she had ever done in her life.
But things have come to this point, and it’s impossible to ask her to turn back.
Yun Ran pursed her lips. "There's no point in being afraid. At worst, she'll be a good wife again in sixteen years! And—"
Raising her head again, her dark eyes shone brightly as she looked at Sima Jing: "I believe Your Highness will protect me."
Sima Jing's dark eyes seemed to smile: "Are you so sure?"
Yun Ran snorted lightly: "You are a very bad person. You just like to scare me."
After a pause, he said, "But since I've chosen to believe in you, I will do so to the end. If you truly let me down, it's my own fault for choosing the wrong person. I'm willing to bear all the consequences."
She said that as long as it was her choice, she would have no regrets and would not be afraid of losing.
"I won't let you lose."
Sima Jing took her hand in his, leaned over, and kissed her on the forehead: "You said that husband and wife are one, you are me and I am you."
"Since I have chosen you, I will not let you down."
Just like she chose him unwaveringly.
He also chose her unwaveringly, without reservation, and until death.
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The author has something to say: Sima Jing: I am a Yunranist. [Hug]
It’s Friday, and a small red envelope will be dropped in this chapter. Happy weekend everyone!
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