As the group stepped out of the main hall, they were greeted by the abbot who was waiting for them in the courtyard.
Su Zhen sincerely thanked the abbot, saying, "Thank you for taking my daughter in. It is late today. I will definitely personally provide incense oil for your temple and recast the Buddha's golden statue in the future."
The abbot clasped his hands together and replied softly, "You are very kind, benefactor."
Su Ruanruan walked past him, and the abbot lowered his head and said softly, as if talking to himself, or as if speaking to her, "Please remember my words, benefactor."
Su Ruanruan's lips curled slightly, revealing a subtle smile that seemed both mocking and provocative. She replied softly, "I'll do as you wish."
Huo Yan, who was standing nearby, noticed her unusual behavior and asked with concern, "What's wrong?"
He reached out to support Su Ruanruan's waist, but she nimbly dodged him.
Su Ruanruan looked around again, but that slender figure had already disappeared.
Emerging from Fahua Temple, Su Ruanruan sat in a spacious and luxurious carriage, lifting the curtain to gaze out the window. The surrounding scenery unfolded before her like a magnificent painting.
This place was once her dream destination, but time has passed and things have changed. The trio that once vowed to be together is now gone, with Mu Bai and Xiao Xi nowhere to be seen, leaving her all alone.
Throughout the journey, Huo Yan sat upright on his tall horse, gazing down at Su Ruanruan inside the carriage. He felt both ecstatic joy at their reunion and a touch of unease, sensing that Su Ruanruan's attitude towards him was slightly different.
In the temple, she said she didn't remember who had taken her away, and she was unwilling to talk about her experiences during those days.
He had a thousand things he wanted to say to her privately, but Su Zhen guarded her like a wolfhound protecting a treasure, keeping him tightly by her side and not letting him get close at all.
After entering the city, Su Ruanruan looked curiously at the people outside the window; it was truly bustling with activity.
Upon seeing the carriage from the Duke of Su's mansion and Huo Yan on horseback, the people gathered around curiously, peering out.
"Is she the missing eldest daughter of the Duke of Su's mansion?"
"They actually found her? Let me see what she looks like."
Some people were whispering to each other, and it was unclear what they were saying.
Su Ruanruan didn't want to be stared at like a monkey, so she casually lowered the curtain.
Without needing to guess, she knew what they were talking about. A woman missing for half a day would be branded with the stigma of impurity, yet she had spent countless dark nights in an unknown place.
Now, it is likely that everyone in the capital has heard that the daughter of the Duke of Su and the princess came from a remote mountain village in the northwest, and even her every move in Qingshan County is known to all.
Before she even showed her face, her reputation was probably already... well, it's probably already infamous.
Su Ruanruan never imagined that the pain would come so quickly.
The carriage stopped in front of a magnificent golden gate, which was already crowded with onlookers.
As Su Ruanruan was helped down from the carriage, the old women, servants, and maids waiting at the door called out "Fifth Miss" repeatedly.
Su Zhen excitedly exclaimed, "My dear daughter, we're home!"
Huo Yan watched Su Ruanruan step onto the steps, thinking to himself that she was indeed unable to return to the General's Mansion with him due to her current status, but he would definitely marry Su Ruanruan into his family as soon as possible.
Just as Su Ruanruan and the others were about to step through the vermilion gate, a servant suddenly came out from inside, carrying a tray in her hand. On the tray lay something quietly—a ruler, which gleamed with a chilling light in the sunlight.
Su Zhen realized something was amiss and immediately shouted, "Outrageous! Who gave you permission to bring out the family rules?"
The servant lowered his head even further and replied softly, "It is...it is the princess's decree."
"How is this possible..." Su Zhen was caught off guard.
"That is exactly what I meant." Princess Jingyi gently placed her hand on Granny Shu's wrist and walked over with graceful, delicate steps, like a willow swaying in the breeze.
Her black, gem-like pupils surged like a tidal wave the moment she saw Su Ruanruan, but only for a fleeting instant before returning to her aloof and distant demeanor.
Su Ruanruan stood there, staring in disbelief at the radiant woman before her.
She looks exactly like her mother, even the beauty mark under her eye is the same.
Her gaze remained the same as before, distant and unfamiliar when she looked at her.
Looking at that familiar face, memories of the past played out in my mind like a movie.
There were no tearful breakdowns, no touching scenes of mother and daughter embracing and weeping.
"Kneel down!" Princess Jingyi roared, her voice booming like thunder in Su Zhen's ears.
Su Zhen took a step forward, his brows furrowed, and stared at her, saying, "What do you mean by this? Let's talk about it when we get back to the manor. Our daughter has gone through so much hardship outside, and she has only just recovered. Don't let her suffer again..."
Jingyi glanced at Su Ruanruan and said, "As a woman, the first thing to learn is how to establish oneself. The way to establish oneself is to be pure and chaste. Purity brings cleanliness, and chastity brings honor."
"Don't you understand these principles for women? If you weren't so improper, how could so many things have happened, causing everyone to worry about you?"
Su Ruanruan felt as if a million ants were gnawing at her heart, a dense, throbbing pain shooting through her. She stared at the face that had haunted her nightmares for countless nights.
She said slowly, "This is the first thing you said to me... I thought you would care about whether I was hurt, whether I went through hardships, whether I was cold and hungry outside... but I never expected that you would belittle me so much."
She once thought that God had taken pity on her and given her the opportunity to rewrite her mother-daughter relationship, allowing her to make up for the maternal love she had never had and desperately longed for.
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