Chapter 113 Chapter 113
[Chapter 113]
Ruan Yun was startled and her breathing became heavier. She wanted to take another look to confirm whether it was that person, but the person was no longer on the street.
She clenched the curtain tightly in her hands, not daring to look again. However, she was afraid that the emperor beside her would notice something unusual, so she lowered the curtain gently without any sign of damage.
He looked very similar to the man in my memory, but I was confused for a moment and was not sure if I had seen it wrong.
A slightly heavy gasp fell into Yan Shiyu's ears. He grasped Ruan Yun's hand with his big hand, frowned and said, "So cold?"
Ruan Yun wanted to withdraw her hand, so she leaned into the emperor's arms and lowered her head, making it difficult for people to see her face:
"I forgot what I saw just now. Your Majesty, please warm me up."
Yan Shiyu smiled brightly. Seeing her unruly look, he did not push her away and let Ruan Jun's hand rest in his palm.
The carriage was moving slowly along the street. Listening to the rhythmic sound of horse hooves, Ruan Yun looked up and said, "What if that shop doesn't have sour plums anymore?"
Yan Shiyu pinched her little face and said nonchalantly, "How can I still starve you?"
This was indeed a contradictory statement, and the double meaning made Ruan Yun's ears turn slightly red.
She really didn't know why the emperor, who usually wore a dragon robe and was stern and stern, became a different person at night, saying some embarrassing words and being extremely reckless.
Ruan Yun turned her head away and did not respond to the emperor's words. However, Yan Shiyu noticed that something was wrong with her and whispered in her ear:
"I was talking about sour plums, what was Xiaoxiao thinking about?"
Ruan Yun gritted her teeth and said, "That's what I thought."
The numb and low laughter fell into Ruan Jun's ears, but Yan Shiyu did not expose it, and their hands were clasped all the way.
The shouting in my ears gradually faded away, and the sound of horse hooves became clearer.
Ruan Yun opened the curtain in surprise and saw the carriage heading to a secluded place at the end of the street. Her eyes immediately became round and wide with anger. "Your Majesty, what are you doing? Where are you taking me?"
Yan Shiyu said calmly, "It will be soon."
Seeing this, Ruan Yun had to suppress her curiosity. Her hand was held by the emperor, so she couldn't lift the curtain to look outside. She could only listen to the sound of horse hooves gradually stepping on the bluestone slabs and the silence all around her.
The carriage stopped after a while, and Wei Maoyuan whispered to the inside of the carriage, "Your Majesty, we've arrived."
Yan Shiyu took Ruan Jun's hand and carefully brought her down.
Ruan Yun was not from Shangjing and was not familiar with any of the places there.
Looking at the unfamiliar mansion in front of me, it is extremely quiet and deserted. The solemnity and solemnity are reflected here to the fullest. Not to mention that although this is just a side door, it can still be seen that this is a century-old family that is reserved and implicit.
Wei Maoyuan respectfully went forward and knocked on the door. Soon the corner door opened. The servant inside saw the newcomers and asked with some doubt, "Who are you?"
After handing over the token in his hand, Wei Maoyuan lowered his voice and said, "My master is here to visit you."
Seeing the intricate patterns on the token, which vaguely showed the royal family's wealth, Xiao Si did not dare to delay and quickly took the token and walked inside.
The corner door was only left with a small gap. Yan Shiyu touched Ruan Yun's little face with the back of his hand and asked, "Are you cold?"
Ruan Yun shook her head, "There is a hand warmer."
After touching her little face and finding that she was indeed fine, Yan Shiyu didn't say much.
Soon, there was a sound of hurried footsteps coming from inside the mansion. Ruan Yun just looked up and saw Young Master Yu and Duke Guo and his wife walking out. They knelt down and said, "Your Highness, I am here to see Ying Chongrong."
Ruan Jun bit her lip. It turned out that this place was the Duke's Mansion. But the Emperor brought her here. Could it be that he wanted her to meet the old lady?
The hand holding the heater tightened inexplicably. The people in the Duke's Mansion in front of him turned aside and whispered, "I didn't know that the emperor would visit you so late at night. I am guilty."
Yan Shiyu raised his hand, his voice somewhat calm, "It was just a spur of the moment."
After saying that, he led Ruan Yun and walked inside. The Duke looked at Ruan Yun's figure and carefully examined Ying Chongrong, who was now favored by the emperor. Although Ying Chongrong's appearance was probably a combination of her parents, her almond-shaped eyes were very similar to those in the portrait of her sister, whom he had never met.
The Duke's eyes were filled with tears, but his sleeve was pulled by the Duchess's wife, which helped him to stay calm.
Ruan Jun walked beside Yan Shiyu and the emperor pinched her hand. When she looked at the emperor, the dim candlelight fell on her body, soft and peaceful.
Yan Shiyu spoke in a low voice, looking at Ruan Yun and then at Young Master Yu, and then he said:
"I remember eating a kind of sour plum in the Duke's Mansion before. Today I suddenly felt like trying it again. Do you have it?"
The Emperor has not been to the Duke's Mansion very often. Even if you count the time when he was still a prince, the number of times can be counted on one hand.
Therefore, everyone in the Duke's Mansion remembers very clearly what the emperor uses every time he visits.
When the Duke heard the Emperor's words, his eyes lit up and he nodded quickly, saying:
"Of course we do. My mother likes to eat sour plums, so we always have them in stock in the mansion."
Yan Shiyu turned his head and touched Ruan Yun's ear intimately, and said in a low voice: "Young Master Yu and I still have something to discuss. You go to the flower hall and wait for me first."
Ruan Yun had no choice but to nod and watch the emperor leave.
Seeing this, the Duke's wife stepped forward to support Ruan Yun, her eyes full of love, "Your Highness, please come this way."
Ruan Yun looked at the gentle face of the Duke's wife and remembered who she was, so she said, "Outside the palace, Madam, you don't have to be so polite."
It seemed like the Emperor brought her to the Duke's Mansion on a whim today, but there must be other reasons behind it, but she just didn't know it.
But Ruan Yun was certain of one thing: the emperor definitely wanted her to acknowledge her identity.
The Duke's wife's surname was Su. She asked tenderly, "Is your pregnancy going smoothly?"
Speaking of the baby in her belly, Ruan Yun smiled, touched her belly, nodded and said, "It's an obedient child. Before, he couldn't eat, but he's better in the past two months."
Su nodded and smiled, "That's good. He loved you so much while you were still in my womb. It will be easy to take care of the baby after it is born. He will be a quiet child."
Ruan Yun felt embarrassed by Su's words, lowered her head and said, "I am looking forward to it too."
Su was a person who could not stop talking. She continued, "The sour plums that mother eats are made by a maid beside her. They are especially suitable for mother's taste. In recent years, mother has disliked sour plums from other families, and only likes the ones made by this maid. Madam, please try them later. If you like them, just bring more. If you no longer have the Duke's Mansion, you can still have them in the future."
Ruan Yun was also moved by Su's enthusiasm and said softly, "Okay."
Looking at Ruan Yun's peaceful and gentle appearance, Su couldn't help but sigh in her heart. She couldn't say what she wanted to say. Although the Duke's Mansion was of high status and it was okay for Ying Chongrong to agree to this, the news brought back by Qi Ge'er made them lose hope, and even his mother fell ill.
I wonder if things have changed now that the Emperor has brought Ying Chongrong with him?
However, when she looked at Ying Chongrong, it didn't seem like she was loose at all.
Walking to the flower hall, Su knew that now was not a good time to bring up this matter, but she thought of her mother who was getting worse and worse, and couldn't help but say:
"Madam Tai hasn't gone to bed yet. I heard that the queen is here and wants to see her. I wonder if the queen would like to see her?"
Ruan Yun was being helped to sit down by Ying Ning. When she heard this, there was a hint of hesitation in her almond-shaped eyes.
Remembering how the lady-in-waiting looked at the banquet, with a sad and tearful face, her hardened heart when she rejected the emperor eventually softened.
Ruan Yun nodded slowly. Seeing this, Su Shi was unwilling to give Ruan Yun a chance to refuse. She waved her handkerchief and ordered the people below, "Quick! Go and see if the Madam has gone to bed? Ask the Madam to come over."
"Bring the snacks and lamb soup made by the kitchen today."
The maids in the flower hall immediately got busy.
When leaving the palace today, Ruan Jun only brought Yingning and Tingxu with her, so they really couldn't do anything.
The food from the kitchen was brought over, and Su personally held it in front of Ruan Yun and said, "Madam, please try it. The old lady particularly likes the cakes from Jiangnan. Take a look and see if it suits your taste."
Ruan Yun looked at the nod in front of her. Although she wanted to eat, she just...
Ying Ning saw the queen's worries, stepped forward and said with a smile: "I shouldn't have rejected Madam's kindness, but the imperial physician said that my queen should be extra careful about what she eats."
Su was stunned, clapped her hands and said, "It's my fault. I didn't take it into consideration. Please don't blame me, Your Majesty."
Ruan Yun saw that she looked a little disappointed, but she didn't say anything else. The baby in her belly was the most important thing right now, so she must be careful.
Fortunately, Su Shi did not remain disappointed for too long. She looked outside and said, "Please wait a moment, Madam. I will go see if the Madam has arrived."
Ruan Yun nodded, and at once most of the people in the flower hall followed Su out.
Ying Ning asked with concern, "Is the queen okay?"
Ruan Yun nodded, "What's wrong with that? It's much more comfortable than in the palace."
Tingxu covered her mouth and laughed secretly, "The Emperor loves the Empress the most and even takes her out of the palace."
The two of them didn't know what the relationship was between the Duke's Mansion and Ruan Yun, but they felt it was a little strange, but they didn't know how to say it out loud.
Ruan Yun's eyebrows and eyes were indifferent. For some reason, the child who had been particularly obedient along the way was now restless.
Biting her lower lip, Ruan Jun stared at her abdomen. Could it be that the child also knew that he was going to meet his great-grandmother? The blood connection made him move particularly happily.
Ruan Yun couldn't help but utter "ouch" because of the pain from the baby in her belly. This made the two people beside her very nervous. They stood on both sides of Ruan Yun and asked hurriedly, "What's wrong with the queen?"
Ruan Jun didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and touched her belly. "I don't know why, but he moved really hard today."
When the lady walked to the door, she heard Ruan Yun's words. Tears welled up in her eyes. She couldn't help wiping them and said, "When Yangyang was still in my belly, she was like this too, lively and active. I thought I was pregnant with a boy again. My Yangyang was so healthy in my belly, how could she..."
Su also started to cry, but she still tried to comfort the lady, "Mother, my sister is gone, you should just look at the person in front of you."
The lady sighed and went inside with her cane.
In the flower hall, Ruan Yun looked towards the old lady with her almond-shaped eyes, and those watery eyes aroused many of the old lady's imaginations for no reason.
Following the etiquette, he greeted Ruan Jun, who walked forward quickly, startling Yingning and Tingxu.
Putting her hand gently on the lady's arm, Ruan Yun said softly, "Madam, there is no need to be so polite."
"Okay." The old lady had tears in her eyes. She wanted to hold Ruan Yun's hand but pulled it back. Ruan Yun took the initiative to put her hand down. The old lady didn't react for a while. It was Su who called out to her, and the old lady lowered her head and wiped away her tears.
"I'm sorry to make you laugh, but it's always like this when you get old."
Then he hurriedly said, "Hurry up and sit down, your Majesty. Now that you are pregnant, you can't be careless."
A warm feeling flowed through Ruan Yun's heart. Her grandparents had been very kind to her in the past, but it was not often. She was very young at that time, and her memory of them had long been vague.
I don’t know if it’s because she’s pregnant or something else, but whenever I see the lady’s look, I always feel sad and my emotions are aroused.
"I'm fine now, Madam, don't worry." She spoke softly and the old lady was happy to hear it. "As long as the queen is fine, that's all."
The Madam was sane very rarely, and today was one of the rare times she was sane, so she couldn't help wanting to say more.
"I heard that Your Majesty wanted to eat sour plums." The Madam took the sour plums from the nanny beside her and placed them in front of Ruan Yun. "Your Majesty, please try them. Is there any difference between them and those in the palace?"
Ruan Yun did not refuse. She picked up one and put it in her mouth. The sweet and sour taste spread in her mouth. It was indeed delicious, much better than those made in the palace.
After twisting another one and putting it in her mouth, Mrs. Tai looked at Ruan Yun lovingly. She wanted to touch Ruan Yun's black hair but did not dare. She quickly took her hand back and said, "In the past, my favorite was this sour plum."
Ruan Yun looked at the old lady with sparkling eyes. The old lady smiled and said, "It was when I was pregnant."
The sour plums suddenly turned sour. Ruan Jun could only feel the taste in her lips and teeth, making it impossible for her to swallow them.
The lady realized that what she said was not right, and shook her head and said, "It's my fault. I shouldn't have mentioned these things."
Seeing the Madam's expression, Ruan Yun said, "Madam, can you tell me what I want to hear?"
The lady seemed to have not expected Ruan Yun to say this. This time, she directly held Ruan Yun's hand and said, "At that time, I accompanied the old Duke to the northwestern border. In fact, I already knew that I was pregnant when I went there, but I didn't tell him..."
Talking about the past, the lady's expression was half bright and half dark, with complicated emotions on her face, "If he knew, he would definitely not agree to let me go with him. He and I have known each other since childhood, and we are inseparable. He wants to abandon me, but I don't want to."
Whenever the old lady recalled the old duke, she always spoke with some intimacy, but Ruan Jun felt inexplicably depressed when she heard it. If the old duke were still alive, the lady would surely have lived a good life.
"But I couldn't hide the fact that I was pregnant on the road. I felt so uncomfortable that I was vomiting. He felt sorry for me because I was pregnant, so he asked people to find something to relieve the pain. He happened to buy these sour plums, and I felt much better after eating them. He then brought the person who made the sour plums with him. I didn't have to do anything but pickle the sour plums."
"This would sound so ridiculous to other people, but he didn't notice it at all. He even said that it's just a joke for others, as long as I'm fine."
Ruan Yun burst into tears when she heard these words.
I quickly lowered my head and wiped away my tears. The lady was already immersed in what she was talking about. She spoke in a gentle voice with a slight smile:
"We already have a son, so I wanted a cute daughter. But I didn't expect her to love sour plums. Thinking of the rumors, I was really scared. He saw my worry and frowned, saying that if it was still a boy, he would never let me get pregnant again. If I really wanted a daughter, I could just adopt one from the royal family."
"Although I didn't say anything, I didn't refute his words either. I prayed every day for the birth of a daughter. Although we were in the northwest border area, I couldn't help but feel happy whenever I thought of the child in my belly."
At this point, the old lady's hands trembled a little. Ruan Jun didn't have any other thoughts. She just held the old lady's hand and passed some of the warmth in her hand to her.
The lady's eyes were filled with hatred. "If I had known that he would get into trouble while patrolling the border, I would never have let him go. He got into trouble there, and I became unstable and had a premature birth. I didn't guard against the people around me, and they actually let someone... replace my Yangyang."
The lady hammered the couch beside her. Su's face was full of tears. She said quickly, "Mother, be careful. Don't hurt your hands."
Ruan Yun's face was full of worry. The lady held Ruan Yun's hand and was unwilling to let go. She shook her head and sighed:
"If I didn't know that my Yangyang had been replaced, I probably wouldn't be so distressed. I would just treat her well and think she was my daughter."
Ruan Yun's thoughts were still clear at this time, and she could roughly guess that the "she" the lady was talking about should be the daughter of the merchant.
"Madam, how did you find out?"
The lady's eyes were filled with hatred. "The merchant's business failed and he lost all his money, so the couple turned their attention to the child. They even dared to come to the capital, secretly stopped her, and forced her to give them money. She was young at that time, only twelve years old. She must have panicked when she encountered this. She thought they were beggars from somewhere."
"But they are her biological parents. There is a birthmark on the inside of her left leg that looks like a plum blossom. When they told her this, she knew that what they said was right. It is such a private place. Unless they have seen it before, how could they know it? She used her own jewelry to give to the two of them. She was also very panicked, fearing that we would know her true identity."
"But the jewelry in her room was getting less and less. The nanny who took care of her could see it and told me that night. After interrogating the maid in her room, I learned the truth. Who would have thought that when the old duke heard about it, he was so angry that he fainted. I almost couldn't breathe either."
"We invited the imperial physician to come to the mansion, and he actually said that the old duke was poisoned and didn't have much time left. There was no antidote for the poison, and it was running rampant in his body. He must have been kidnapped by barbarians in the past and was poisoned like this."
"My daughter is not my own, and the old duke wanted to leave me. When I was seriously ill, the old duke was afraid that I would be sad to see the child, so he ordered someone to send her to the manor. But the child could not accept such a gap, and when no one was paying attention, she jumped into the lake and committed suicide."
"The old Duke ordered people to deal with the couple and exiled them to Lingnan. They will never come back in this life. He also ordered people to look for our Yangyang, but there was no clue until he died."
After the lady finished speaking, she couldn't help crying, "It's my fault. If I hadn't gone with him, how could this have happened?"
Ruan Jun felt bad listening to this. Her mother was the only daughter of the Duke's Mansion and was loved by everyone. But she didn't want to be harmed by others. Her health was not good either, so she passed away early.
Biting her lower lip, Ruan Yun saw the lady's expression and finally couldn't help but speak, and told her what happened in the past:
"My mother is the most gentle person I have ever met in this world."
"She can take care of flowers and plants, and help the weak. When my father did nothing good when I was a child, my grandfather didn't like him and wanted my mother to be submissive, but my mother never complained. She took me out to sell flowers and plants. The flowers and plants she took care of were always the best. Many wealthy families in Qingzhou liked them. Although I lived with my mother, she never let me suffer any grievances and would buy me cakes every day."
When Ruan Jun mentioned her mother, there was a hint of joy in her eyes, but hidden in them was endless sadness.
"Later, my father's business grew bigger and bigger, and our family's life became better. My father was very good to me and my mother, but after I fell asleep, I always heard my mother's voice advising my father, and my mother sobbed from time to time. I thought I had misheard, but I didn't want anything to happen to my family until I knew why."
That was something she had never mentioned to anyone, and it was something that had been buried deep in her heart all these years:
"My father was doing spice business with a businessman named Liang. One day, the businessman Liang suddenly said that he had a deal and had 50 boxes of medicinal powder with nowhere to put it. He was worried about what to do. He said that the person who wanted to put the medicinal powder had offered a high price. My father was very excited. My grandfather always thought that my father was not very talented. If this deal, which was not even a business, was successful, I thought that my grandfather would definitely look up to him."
"My father agreed to do it, but one day when he opened the box, he found that it was not medicine powder, but a kind of powder with a strong smell. He didn't know what it was, and he didn't dare to do anything rashly. However, by then, the merchant Liang had already been found, so my mother wanted to transport the box away overnight and bury it directly, but my father was a man of his word, so how could he agree to that?"
Ruan Yun's eyes were filled with sadness, and she closed her eyes and said:
"That night, a fire broke out in our home. My father was engulfed in flames, and my mother died with him. My mother carried me outside, and the last words she left for me were to keep living."
"After my father died, he left a large sum of money, which was taken over by his close friend, the Cui family in Suzhou. However, the Cui family was already on the verge of collapse, and they couldn't survive with so much money. The family couldn't support so many people, so all the slaves were sold. Originally, because of my father, they treated me well, and I always had a mouth to feed. But after the slaves were sold, I started doing odd jobs. However, they didn't want to support me anymore, so they sold me directly to a human trafficker. I was taken to Shangjing. The human trafficker originally wanted to sell me to a brothel, but the person in charge of purchasing in the palace saw me and took me into the palace."
Ruan Jun said so much in one breath without shedding a single tear, and her tone was calm.
"The one who harmed my father and mother was the rebellious King Qin. It wasn't medicine powder at all, but gunpowder powder. He wanted to make my father the scapegoat, but he didn't expect my father to find out. When he saw that the matter was exposed, he just set fire to it and burned everything to ashes."
After hearing this, the lady hugged Ruan Yun and cried out in agony, "My poor child, why does God love to play tricks on us so much? Why?"
Ruan Yun's hands gradually climbed onto the old lady's shoulders, her tears soaking her clothes, and she called softly:
"Grandmother."
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