Shu Zhu heard his master's scream and hurried into the hall, asking through the curtains and screens, "Madam, what happened?"
Ruan Yuewei's soul had mostly dispersed, and she came back to her senses only after the maid called her. She hugged her shoulders and trembled constantly, but she didn't dare to look at the hands on the table again.
But someone had to clean up the mess, and the most reliable people around her were the two maids, Shuzhu and Yinglan, who came with her as a dowry.
Ruan Yuewei managed to calm herself down, took a piece of clothing from the clothes rack, closed her eyes and trembled as she put it on the table. Then she said to the outside of the screen: "No, come here. You are alone."
Shu Zhu said "yes", walked around the screen and came to Ruan Yuewei. He saw that her face was pale, her eyes were staring, and cold sweat was dripping down her temples. She looked like she was sick or possessed by evil spirits.
Shu Zhu didn't notice the weirdness on the case for a moment, and hurriedly walked to Ruan Yuewei and held her hand. Her palm was full of cold sweat, cold and slippery like a fish.
she asked, taking the medicine bag from behind her elbow and letting her master sniff it.
Ruan Yuewei tightly grasped the medicine bag and took a few deep breaths. After the panic and fear in her heart subsided a little, she grabbed Shu Zhu's sleeve and said, "Listen to me carefully. No matter what you hear, don't make a sound..."
Shu Zhu nodded: "Yes, I understand."
Ruan Yuewei took a deep breath and said in a trembling voice: "The box just now contained a severed hand..."
Shu Zhu was so shocked that she almost screamed, but fortunately she reacted quickly and covered her mouth immediately.
Ruan Yuewei continued, "The severed hand is on the table. Check if there is anything else in the box, then pick it up and quietly burn it..."
She vaguely guessed the origin of the hand. If her guess was correct, there should be other identity proof items in the box.
Shu Zhu was so frightened that his face turned pale: "Madam... Madam... why don't you find a eunuch to come..."
Ruan Yue shook her head slightly, tears streaming down her face as she said, "Your Highness must not know about this. You are the only one I trust in the East Palace."
Shuzhu was still hesitant.
Ruan Yuewei cried and said, "Don't you even want to help me?"
When Shu Zhu heard this, he gritted his teeth and walked to the table. Trembling, he lifted the clothes covering the table. Although he was prepared, he still gasped when he saw the severed hand. He quickly turned his head away, covered his mouth and almost vomited.
Ruan Yuewei urged him, and Shu Zhu had to suppress his fear and nausea and turn his head back.
The box was overturned on the table, with half of the box full of salt grains. Shuzhu poured out all the salt, took out her silver hairpin and fiddled with it. After two fiddles, the head of the hairpin hit a hard object. She pulled the object out and found it was a white jade pendant.
Shu Zhu said, "Madam, there is a piece of jade in the box."
Ruan Yuewei still didn't dare to look at the table, and just said, "Bring it here so I can take a look."
Shuzhu held the jade pendant in a handkerchief and brought it to her.
Ruan Yuewei only took a glance and felt disappointed. The jade pendant was carved with a crabapple flower, and it was exactly what Zhao Qinghui wore with him.
It is obvious who this hand belongs to.
Ruan Yuewei felt chest tightness, shortness of breath, and dizziness. She knew that her cousin being killed and seeing his body parts clearly were two different things.
Tears immediately rolled down her cheeks, and she choked up and said, "Pick it up quickly and burn it."
Shu Zhu didn't know about Zhao Qinghui, but she was ordered by Ruan Yuewei to deliver ten kilograms of gold cakes and a small bag of real pearls and gems to a silk shop. She knew that her wife must be hiding something important from her.
But such matters were not something a servant should have the right to comment on. She just asked, "Madam, what should we do with this jade pendant?"
This thing can't be burned completely, and it's hard to hide. Ruan Yuewei thought about it and said, "Hide it on your body first, and bury it in a secluded place in the dead of night. Don't let anyone find it."
Shu Zhu agreed and timidly cleaned up the mess on the table.
Ruan Yuewei said, "Go and do it quickly. Ask Yinglan to come in and help me wash and change clothes."
Shuzhu went out holding the box, and Yinglan came in to serve.
Ruan Yuewei asked her to get some hot water to wash her face and clothes, change into clean clothes, and asked the palace maid to add a few pills of the "Begonia Under the Moon" incense she had mixed herself into the Jin Boshan incense burner.
But she didn't know if it was an illusion, but the smell of dried meat always seemed to linger in her nose, making her feel like nausea.
She couldn't stay in the bedroom, so she went to a side hall and lay down for a while. Her heart palpitations eased a little, and the fear and shock she had just felt gradually faded, and she regained some of her consciousness.
If nothing unexpected happened, the severed hand would have belonged to Zhao Qinghui, and he must have been dead.
Ruan Yuewei felt relieved, as if a huge stone had been lifted from her heart.
But before she could relax for long, she realized that there was something fishy about the whole thing.
Does Zhao Qinghui's close follower really have such great ability
No matter what, Zhao Qinghui is the eldest son of Duke Wu'an, and he is heavily guarded. Even his close friends would not find it easy to harm him. Moreover, after he disappeared, people from the Duke Wu'an's Mansion, the Huben Guards, the Jingzhao Prefecture, the Eastern Palace, and even the Yulin Guards were all looking for him. They searched Chang'an City and the entire Zhongnan Mountain. Where could a close follower of his hide
And on the day of the Chrysanthemum Banquet, this attendant easily sneaked into the Grand Princess's villa, delivered a secret letter to make an appointment for a meeting with the Crown Princess, and blackmailed her. Now, he has sent the severed hand to the Eastern Palace without anyone noticing.
Are these things really something a servant can do
The more Ruan Yuewei thought about it, the more frightened she became. She had been immersed in fear and anxiety for a while, her mind was in a mess and she had no time to think about many things. Now that she thought about it carefully, everything seemed strange.
And the fake letter her aunt showed her. She knew there was someone who could imitate her calligraphy and painting perfectly. She and Huan Xuan used to practice calligraphy in the Queen Mother's Palace, and they both copied the same calligraphy. Although their handwriting was different later, no one was more familiar with her handwriting and brushstrokes than him...
Ruan Yuewei's heart was shaken, her body trembled, and cold sweat dripped down instantly.
She couldn't help but think of the fifteenth day of August when she and her personal attendant were talking in the side room of Xiuhuang Pavilion. The curtains in the room were drawn low and it was dark. There seemed to be a wooden screen next to them. If there was someone hiding behind the screen at that time...
Ruan Yuewei didn't dare to think further.
It's impossible, she stroked her chest to comfort herself, the woman from the outer house was just a substitute that Huan Xuan found to ease his lovesickness. He couldn't possibly become an enemy of the Wu'an Mansion for such a lowly woman, and it was even more impossible for him to put the cart before the horse and test her.
She is the one he has been longing for and the one who is at the top of his heart. If he loses her, how difficult is it to find another one
When he heard that she was in danger during the autumn hunt, didn't he immediately save her regardless of his own safety? When there was only one horse, he sent her back first, leaving the concubine and a group of guards in the mountains.
If he had not met Zhao Qinghui on the way, he would definitely send her back to the palace and make sure she was safe before turning back.
How great it would have been if I hadn't met Zhao Qinghui that day, Ruan Yuewei thought angrily. If she hadn't met him, Huan Xuan wouldn't have abandoned her halfway, she wouldn't have known that Zhao Qinghui was going to have sex with the woman outside the house, and she wouldn't have done it without stopping him.
Ruan Yuewei kept comforting herself, but no matter how she tried to deceive herself, the matter seemed more and more strange.
The answer is almost obvious - the person who has a grudge against Zhao Qinghui and can get rid of the Prince of Wu'an without anyone noticing can only be the King of Qi.
Naturally, the hand was sent to the Eastern Palace by the King of Qi, so the whole thing made sense.
Since he was able to send her the severed hand, it meant that he knew she wanted to get rid of Zhao Qinghui...
Ruan Yuewei no longer cared about how her lover viewed her. Huan Xuan was willing to send her a severed hand to scare her, which meant that he had disregarded their years of friendship. There was no guarantee that there wouldn't be other dangers waiting for her in the future.
The more Ruan Yuewei thought about it, the more frightened she became. She lost her appetite, couldn't sleep at night, and was in a state of panic all day long. After a few days, she fell ill.
The prince was busy with state affairs, but his love for his wife did not diminish. Not only did he personally invite two officials from the Shang Pharmacy to the East Palace to diagnose the Crown Princess, he also took time out of his busy schedule every day to talk to her.
Ruan Yuewei was thankful that her husband still cared about her, but at the same time she felt cold towards Huan Xuan, who treated her like a treasure in the beginning, but abandoned her like a piece of trash after only a few days of having his new love, and did such a heartless thing.
She gradually became disheartened, and her love for Huan Xuan gradually turned into hatred.
The Crown Princess had been bedridden for more than a month. In the blink of an eye, it was already October and winter had arrived. Her condition had become even more serious, but the two Concubines announced the good news of their pregnancy.
When Ruan Yuewei heard the news, she couldn't help but cry bitterly. She hated Huan Xuan for being heartless, and she also hated herself for not being able to fight for it.
The prince knew that she was feeling unhappy, so when he returned to the East Palace after court that day, he did not even stay in the courtyard and went straight to her bedroom.
Ruan Yuewei's eyes were swollen like walnuts. When she saw the prince, she didn't say a word but just shed tears silently.
The palace maid brought in the medicine, and the prince personally took the medicine bowl and fed her the medicine with a spoon: "You are worried too much and keep everything in your heart. That's why your illness never gets better."
Ruan Yuewei felt as if her heart was being cut by a knife and she cried even harder.
The prince said, "You are my first wife. When the child is born, you will be respected as the legitimate mother. No one can surpass you."
Ruan Yue sobbed and said, "It was my concubine who used it..."
The prince put down the medicine bowl and held her hand, "Don't say such things. Just focus on giving birth to a child. When you give birth to a child in the future, it will still be a legitimate son. No one can compare to him."
Ruan Yuewei felt better after hearing his sweet words to comfort her, but then she thought of Huan Xuan's ruthlessness and felt that she had given her love to the wrong person. She began to miss the good things about the prince even more.
"Drink the medicine obediently," the prince said like coaxing a child, "Don't be afraid of the bitterness. After you finish the medicine, I will give you candied dates."
Ruan Yuewei felt more and more relieved.
After drinking the medicine, eating dates and rinsing her mouth, Ruan Yuewei lay back on the bed.
The prince tucked the corner of her quilt and pushed the loose hair behind her ears. His movements were extremely gentle: "Go to sleep. I will stay by your bed with you."
Ruan Yue shook her head slightly: "I am not sleepy, I will talk to Your Highness."
The prince nodded, drank and chatted about some gossip inside and outside the palace, and suddenly asked: "By the way, has my aunt come to the East Palace in the past few days?"
Ruan Yuewei's heart skipped a beat and her face turned pale: "What's wrong?"
The prince said, "I heard that two of Lord Wu'an's concubines are pregnant."
Ruan Yuewei forced a smile and said, "My cousin has been missing for so long, it would be a good thing for my aunt to have one or two illegitimate sons and daughters to take care of her..."
The prince nodded and frowned, saying, "I know that you and Prince Zhao are as close as brothers, but if you haven't been able to find him for such a long time, I'm afraid you are in danger."
Ruan Yuewei couldn't help but think of the severed hand, and her face turned from pale to blue.
The prince sighed: "This is really strange. A living person just disappeared without leaving any trace. It doesn't seem like the work of bandits. I wonder who Wu Angong offended..."
Ruan Yuewei asked cautiously, "Why did Lord Wu An offend people?"
The prince raised his eyebrows and said, "Prince Zhao is a teenager who doesn't like to go out and stays at home all day. Who could he have offended? It must have been done by someone who doesn't get along with Duke Wu'an."
Ruan Yue bit her lip and said nothing.
The prince said, "If we knew who did it, Lord Wu'an would never give up. I see that his hair and beard have turned a lot whiter in the past month."
A thought suddenly flashed through Ruan Yuewei's mind. She knew Huan Xuan's character. Those who offended him never had a good ending. Now he treated her like a worn-out shoe and might not show mercy.
If we let Lord Wu An deal with him...
Her heart skipped a beat and she felt a little reluctant for a moment, after all, he was the man she truly loved.
On second thought, it's not an exaggeration to say that he is heartless and ungrateful for treating her like this for a concubine. Why should she consider him in everything
She quickly made up her mind, and even felt a sense of pleasure for revenge from the bottom of her heart.
"Your Highness..." She sat up and struggled to get off the ground, "Your Highness, please forgive me..."
The prince seemed startled and hurriedly supported her: "Let's talk it over. Why are you doing this all of a sudden?"
Ruan Yuewei lay on the bed with tears in her eyes: "I am guilty. I have something to hide from Your Highness..."
The prince wiped her tears with a handkerchief and said, "Don't cry. No matter what happens, I will not blame you."
Ruan Yue nodded with tears in her eyes: "Thank you, Your Highness..."
She paused, covered her chest and took a deep breath, as if she had made a great decision: "I probably know who the Zhao cousin has offended..."
The prince was surprised and asked, "Who is it?"
Ruan Yue lowered her eyes slightly, hesitating to say, "It's the King of Qi..."
The prince's eyes moved: "Why is it him?"
Ruan Yuewei lowered her head even lower; "During the autumn hunt, my cousin from the Zhao family saw that the concubine of the King of Qi looked a bit like me, and he felt unfair for me, thinking that the King of Qi's action would damage my reputation... He said he wanted to find someone to scare the concubine and let her leave Chang'an on her own. I repeatedly advised him to give up this idea, and he agreed to it at the time. Who knew that not long after the King of Qi went to Huaixi, something happened in his concubine..."
She paused and said, "At that time, I suspected that it was the Prince of Zhao who did it, but I was just hoping for the best. I thought he was just a half-grown boy, how could he do such a cruel thing? So I comforted myself and thought it might just be a coincidence. It was not until the King of Qi returned to the capital and my cousin got into trouble again that I..."
As she spoke, she burst into tears: "If this is true, then wouldn't it be that I have harmed my cousin and that woman?"
The prince gently patted her thin back and said thoughtfully, "Don't be afraid, Atang, this is not your fault. Who else knows about this except you?"
Ruan Yuewei shook her head and said, "I don't know if my cousin has mentioned it to anyone else. He probably hasn't mentioned it, otherwise, with the ability of Duke Wu'an, he wouldn't have been unable to find out until now..."
She held the prince's hand and said, "Your Highness, I didn't mean to hide it from you, but I didn't know how to start. After all, the King of Qi is your Highness's concubine, and this matter is just a figment of the imagination. Maybe I am just overthinking it. Maybe my cousin and that woman just met with an accident..."
The prince patted her on the back and said, "I know, you don't have to worry about this matter anymore, leave everything to me, and just focus on recuperating."
He held her slender hand and said, "So you are worried about these things and have become ill. This matter was caused by Sanlang's nonsense. Prince Zhao wants to harm people, but what does it have to do with you? I know you are soft-hearted, but you don't have to take it upon yourself if it is not your business."
As he spoke, he held her in his arms. Ruan Yuewei leaned her face on the prince's strong and broad chest, feeling more at ease.
The prince stroked the shoulder of the person in his arms and slowly curled up a cold smile.
Duke Wu'an was in charge of the Tiger Guards, and he had long intended to secretly win him over, but the old guy's attitude was ambiguous and he was always unwilling to give in.
As soon as he fell asleep, someone brought him a pillow. The prince looked coldly at the woman in his arms and thought that this bitch was finally of some use.
The Yue family of Ningyuan Marquis's Mansion was not satisfactory either. The two concubines became pregnant one after another, and the Ruan family became anxious.
The prince's eyes moved, and he said to Ruan Yuewei, "You stay alone in the yard all day, no wonder you have wild thoughts. You can ask your mother-in-law and sisters to come and accompany you more often."
Ruan Yue was startled for a moment, then understood his hint; "Your Highness..."
The prince said, "Marquis Ningyuan mentioned this to me the other day, saying that the old lady was worried that you would be lonely in the palace, and wanted to send Liu Niang to keep you company."
Ruan Yuewei felt as if she had fallen into an icy cave. Her feet instantly lost all warmth. After a long while, she reluctantly said, "I am useless. My grandmother and father are worried about me... I will ask my mother to come to the palace to talk to me tomorrow. Your Highness, don't worry about me."
The next day, the prince sent his trusted aides to secretly go to the Wu'an Mansion. Before the man came out, Huan Xuan, who was far away in the south of the city, had already received the news.
After hearing the report from his subordinates, he just nodded lightly, and dropped a black piece onto the chessboard with a "pop" without even raising his eyes.
He understood Ruan Yuewei, and knew exactly what a weak, cowardly and selfish person like her would do.
That desolate and cold winter day many years ago, the little girl in red who fell from the sky, as bright and warm as the sun, might have never existed. She was just his fantasy when he was lonely and bored. Perhaps only the bird that was slowly growing cold in his arms was real.
…
In the Chang'anfangshanchiyuan, the maple leaves turned from red to dry and fell one after another, making the small courtyard among the maple trees look more and more desolate.
Guan Liulang walked along the path covered with fallen leaves to the nameless courtyard, stopped, pushed open the door and walked into the courtyard, only to feel that the surroundings had become a little colder.
The yard was overgrown with weeds and looked like it had been uninhabited for a long time. No one would have thought that this was the residence of a powerful prince.
He walked up the steps that were almost covered by weeds and said through the heavy curtains, "Your Highness."
A voice inside said, "Come here."
Guan Liulang lifted the curtain and walked into the hall. There was no charcoal basin inside, and the thick curtains blocked out the sunlight, making it as cold as an ice cellar.
Huan Xuan sat on the couch, with a chess game in front of him. He picked up a black piece and raised his eyes from the chessboard: "What's the matter?"
Guan Liulang suddenly hesitated, not knowing whether he should tell him the news.
But he was a loyal guard after all, and he couldn't hide it, so he calmed down and said, "Your Highness, the people sent out to find Lady Lu found something suspicious."
Before he finished speaking, there was a clear sound, and the black jade chess piece in Huan Xuan's hand fell to the golden brick floor.
Guan Liulang said, "Our people found out that more than a year ago, not long after Madam Lu was killed, a group of merchants traveled from Luoyang to Youzhou. They passed by a woman named Lu, who was also from Qinzhou. She was similar in age and appearance to Madam Lu... Of course, it's probably just a coincidence, but the guards in Youzhou have never seen Madam Lu. I want to go to Youzhou to confirm it myself. What do you think, Your Highness?"
Huan Xuan seemed not to have heard his words, and his whole body stood still as if carved out of ice.
After a while, his eyes moved slightly, and a ray of vitality slowly came out, just like a February spring breeze blowing and the river ice beginning to melt.
Guan Liulang saw the hope in his eyes, and it was like being burned by fire. He couldn't bear to look at it anymore. He lowered his head and said, "Your Highness, there are countless women with the surname Lu in Qinzhou, and many of them are of similar age and appearance. I am just in case..."
Huan Xuan said: "I will go to Youzhou to find her."
The corners of his mouth slightly raised, his eyes full of hope: "I knew she was still alive."
He stood up and said, "Tell someone to prepare the horses."
Guan Liu's eyes flickered, and he hesitated to say, "Your Highness, the Lu family in Youzhou is most likely not Lady Lu, and she was married three years ago..."
Huan Xuan's expression changed slightly: "Get married?"
Guan Liulang said with a stiff face: "The husband of the Lu family in Youzhou is surnamed Bai, and is from Runan. His family has some wealth, and he bought a shop in Youzhou City, which is managed by the Lu family. He himself studies for the imperial examinations..."
Huan Xuan said to him, "All of this can be faked. Prepare the horses."
Guan Liulang knew that he had made up his mind and would not give up until he saw it with his own eyes, so he could only say, "As you wish."
When he retreated to the door, Huan Xuan called him: "Wait, bring your wife's black horse here."
Guan Liulang looked at his master with complicated eyes, lowered his head and silently retreated.
While waiting, Huan Xuan put the remaining chess pieces into the chess box one by one. He soon figured out the whole thing.
In the fire in Zhaoying Mountain, not only were the two female corpses burned beyond recognition, but the bodies of the bandits were also burned to charcoal. This was certainly not without cause.
Zhu Erlang was the leader of the bandits in Chang'an. Could he not have thought that Zhao Qinghui would kill them to silence them afterwards? So he must have had a backup plan from the beginning.
He was most likely the one who started the fire. He had accumulated a lot of stolen money over the years, and all he needed was an opportunity to flee far away and change his appearance. So he killed his accomplices and burned their bodies, making everyone think that he had died in the fire, while he actually took Sui Sui and fled to Youzhou disguised as a merchant.
As for why he used her original surname, firstly, a fake surname would easily reveal a flaw; secondly, he thought he would not take a mistress to heart and keep investigating; thirdly, Youzhou was a vassal state in Hebei and the power of the imperial court was greatly weakened there, so he felt safe and secure.
Was Lu Suisui forced, tricked, or did he follow voluntarily
Huan Xuan didn't want to think about it too much. Now that things had come to this, he didn't want to pursue the matter. After all, it was his fault that he failed to protect her, which led to her falling into the hands of the bandits. How could he have the nerve to blame her
Even if she went with someone voluntarily, he would take her back.
But even with this thought, his heart still felt like it was soaked in vinegar and fried in hot oil, and he felt indescribable pain.
Guan Liulang passed the order down, and the servants had packed their luggage in less than half an hour, and the eunuch who was sent to the palace to deliver the letter had also left.
Guan Liulang personally led Little Black Face out of the stable.
Ever since Lu Suisui left, the black horse's temper has become worse and worse, and it would kick people at the slightest provocation.
When it saw Huan Xuan, it raised its hooves especially high, as if it suspected that he had stolen its owner.
Huan Xuan tugged at the reins and glared at it with disdain: "Look at you, your fur is all dry and you are so ugly. No wonder your master doesn't want you."
The little black-faced man seemed to hear that the man was mocking him, and he raised his head and hissed angrily.
Huan Xuan stroked the horse's head and said, "If you know what's good for you, I'll take you to find her."