When the three people inside heard the noise, they all turned towards the door, their smiles frozen.
Ruan Yuyi walked into the darkness of the house step by step.
"...Ling Ling? Did you hear everything?"
She stared at that face for a long time. Her hair had grown longer and her skin color had become darker. Apart from her clothes becoming more luxurious, there were no major changes.
The eyebrows and eyes were still familiar, but for some reason she felt that the person in front of her was so unfamiliar that she had never known her before.
She moved her gaze to the place where the two of them depended on each other.
Zhaorong's face was rather plain, but she was wearing a lot of make-up, which made her look very unflattering. She was almost completely pressed against Cheng Xingqiu's side, with a happy smile that had not been hidden on her face, which made her feel very...
Dazzling.
Cheng Xingqiu was about to come forward, but was grabbed by Princess Zhaorong beside him. He helplessly put his hand on her hand to express comfort.
"Lingling, listen to me——"
Ruan Yuyi smiled, knowing that she was extremely sad, but could not shed a single tear. It was also true that this year, she thought he had been killed and had shed tears every day. It was time to shed all her tears.
"Xingqiu, I hope you're fine. Where have you been these days? Why haven't you sent a letter home?"
She smiled sadly, her eyebrows furrowed slightly, her greased lips trembled involuntarily, but she swallowed the soreness in her throat.
Mu Xiang on the side felt distressed and held her hand tightly.
Who has ever seen a beauty shed tears like this? When Cheng Xingqiu heard her say this, he also remembered how softly she used to lie on his shoulder and act coquettishly.
"Ling Ling..."
Ruan Yuyi suddenly said loudly, "Don't call me that!"
"A year ago, I went to do errands for His Highness Prince Yu. When I came to the mountain road, the road was narrow and my horse stumbled. I did roll down the cliff and was seriously injured." Cheng Xingqiu tried hard to convince her. He lifted up his collar and said, "Look
, there are still scars here. It’s because Zhaorong was kind-hearted and happened to save me when he passed by, otherwise I really wouldn’t be able to come back.”
Mrs. Cheng Zhu put down her tea bowl and said impatiently, "What are you yelling about? Are there any rules? The eldest princess is here, have you ever saluted?"
She originally planned to hide it from Sister Yi, and when she thought her eldest son was gone, she was disheartened, so she managed to arrange her marriage with Rui'er in advance.
I didn't expect her to come here now.
Seeing Ruan Yuyi staring directly at him without saying a word, Cheng Xingqiu continued, "From now on, you can marry Rui'er with peace of mind, and we will still be a family. If you really don't want to, you can make me a child."
He thought about it and felt that he was very reasonable. Ruan Yuyi was just a daughter of a poor family, so it was impossible for the eldest princess to become a child.
Zhaorong raised his chin, with some hostility in his eyes, but pretended to be magnanimous, "Xingqiu and I didn't come here to discuss with you. We agreed to let you be a concubine because you would honor Xingqiu for one year."
For my sake.”
Ruan Yuyi breathed rapidly, her chest rising and falling violently.
What has she been guarding and looking forward to this year? Or, this marriage has always been just wishful thinking on her part.
More than a year ago, she came to Beijing with her mother to pay a visit and send congratulatory gifts to her distant relatives who had won the first prize. On the way, she happened to meet Cheng Xingqiu, who was the first scholar and was parading in the streets.
Dressed in red, with a proud look on his face, he was riding on a horse, with a group of attendants behind him. He marched forward without squinting amid the sound of gongs and drums and the gazes of the people on the street.
At that time, he had a handsome appearance and was blessed with talents, which attracted the attention of many girls. He thought that he was just one of the many, and did not want to see him in the street and meet again. There was already an undercurrent of affection between the two of them.
Later, Ruan Yuyi married him as she wished, but she stayed in Beijing and never returned home.
The number one scholar in her memory gradually overlapped with the person in front of her, and she heard herself say calmly, "No need, even though my Ruan family is not as prosperous as before, as the legitimate daughter of the Ruan family, I will never be petty with others."
"It's just right, then you can just sit back and stay in peace for the next few days, waiting to remarry Rui'er." Mrs. Cheng Zhu misunderstood, thinking that she had agreed to become Cheng Rui's wife, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief, "You go back first, I
I still have something to discuss with Her Royal Highness the Princess in the autumn."
She was spinning her head in confusion, thinking about what she should do next if Mu Ling found someone.
At this moment, she didn't know where the strength came from to support herself. Pingpingtingting stood upright, as if she was the mistress of the house, with a majestic dignity that could not be derogated.
Cheng Zhu's voice came from behind, "Remember to pack up the things in the house and move them to the east chamber as soon as possible."
After walking for a while, Ruan Yuyi felt that her calves were sore from dancing this morning, so she put more weight on Mu Xiang.
Mu Xiang's worried voice sounded in her ears, "Miss..."
Cheng Rui, who was originally squatting next to the hibiscus, had gone to play somewhere else. He had plowed the one-inch square of land to pieces, with a piece of weed missing and dead branches thrown aside casually.
The servants and maids were still walking back and forth, and more and more red satin was hung around, creating a happy scene.
She dragged her body back into the house, completely ignoring that the fabric of her skirt was scratched and snagged by the branches leaning out from the side.
Ruan Yuyi lowered her head, clasping her hands on the armrests of the chair, almost curled up on one side. Her eyelashes were drooped, and her hair blocked half of her face, making it difficult to distinguish her emotions.
A cup of warm tea was poured and placed on the table. Ruan Yuyi raised her eyes when she heard the sound and saw the wood fragrance, so she said, "Go find the wood spirit and go with her."
"Miss, Mu Xiang just wants to stay here with you," Mu Xiang said softly, fearing that even the breath she exhaled would shock the porcelain-like young lady to pieces, "Mu Ling just left a
It's not too late, I'm afraid I won't be able to come back soon. If you're worried, I'll ask a few more people to look for you."
She didn't answer, sighed, picked up the tea cup and sipped a little.
Muxiang knew that what she had just seen had a great impact on the young lady, so she never mentioned those bad things, but thought about how to make the young lady happy.
"When Mu Ling comes back, we will accompany you to find the new uncle," Mu Xiang squatted in front of her, looked up at her, and used his fingers to hook Ruan Yuyi's palm, "The new uncle must be Zhilan Yushu, Guangfeng Ji
Yue, our young lady is so beautiful, my new uncle will definitely be eaten to death by the young lady."
Ruan Yuyi felt the itching in the palm of her hand, her thoughts drifted away with Mu Xiang's words, and the tips of her ears could not help but turn slightly red.
"What are you talking about, you girl." She knew Mu Xiang was trying to coax her, so she helplessly poked Mu Xiang's forehead with her finger, causing him to lean back and fall to the ground.
Yes, it doesn't matter if Cheng Xingqiu is missing. The life is her own, and she has to live it. She just thinks that the dead tree pole is unstable and broken, and she just throws everything behind.
She let out a breath and felt relieved when she saw Mu Xiang covering her forehead with worried eyes.
The atmosphere became lively for a moment, and Mu Xiang was about to speak again when she heard a crisp question coming from behind.
"What new uncle, what are you talking about? I want to listen too."
"Mu Ling?" Mu Xiang stood up to greet him, "Why are you back so soon? Is the matter done?"
The visitor was a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl with a double-ring bun and some baby fat on her cheeks. She had a very pleasant appearance. Mu Ling was the new maid who entered the house when Ruan Yuyi married her, and she was also named by Ruan Yuyi.
Ruan Yuyi reassured her and arranged for her to be in the same generation as Mu Xiang. This wood spirit is lively, although not as steady and careful as Mu Xiang, but he has a simple mind.
"Hehe, don't worry, Sister Muxiang, I heard about it." Mu Ling said as he walked in, "This slave is walking to the bottom of the mountain. Young Madam, guess what?"
Mu Xiang heard this "young lady" with sharp ears. In the past, it would have been no problem, but now...
She glanced at Ruan Yuyi's expression.
"Mu Ling, don't call me 'young madam' from now on. Just call me 'young lady' like Mu Xiang." Ruan Yuyi also felt uncomfortable and mentioned it casually.
Mu Ling didn't know the whole story, so he asked blankly, "Why?"
"Keep talking." Muxiang pinched her secretly.
"Oh, I heard from the people at the foot of the mountain that the prince will be fasting with the concubine for a month, so many young girls came in twos and threes."
"Which eldest son?" Ruan Yuyi asked.
Mu Ling came closer, as if conveying some palace secrets, "It's Prince Yu."
The name of Prince Yu's eldest son was Jiang Qi, and his reputation as a romantic was well-known throughout the city. He had a good appearance that attracted the attention of girls. He was also romantic, passionate, eloquent, and had a clever mouth that offended many girls.
He himself even picked flowers and wild flowers at home. Not to mention the number of concubines in his house, there were also many actors and brothel girls living outside, but his behavior was ignored at home.
However, the more this is the case, the more reassuring the new emperor, who now has no plans left, can rest assured.
Mu Xiang on the side saw her lost in thought and asked tentatively, "Miss, the reputation of Prince Yu..." Although Jiang Qi pleases young girls, which serious family would consider him first?
Ruan Yuyi lowered her eyes and stroked the rim of the cup with her fingertips. This romantic prince was still able to endure it. He gave up the delicacies of mountains and seas to spend many days with the dowager, so he thought his character was not too bad.
She doesn't want any glory, she just wants an empty name to give her freedom.
What's more, her aunt is pressing harder and harder. Now, she has no more choices.
"I have my own considerations." She pondered for a while and said.