Ties of Love, Ruan Wan

Peony looked at the two who had suddenly become serious with a puzzled expression, and nodded.

Suddenly, a commotion broke out outside the door, and a male voice could be heard shouting, "Where is Mengniang? I want to see Mengniang!"

"Young master, Mengniang is not receiving guests today."

That was Xiao Tao's voice. Peony said irritably, "It's him. He's here to see you."

Looking outside, Ruan Wan suddenly jumped up and asked, "Mengniang, is there anywhere here where I can hide someone?"

Mengniang didn't react for a moment, then said anxiously after finishing, "Hurry, hurry or it'll be too late!"

Mengniang immediately got up and led Ruan Wan and Lou Qianyuan to a cabinet.

Ruan Wan squeezed Lou Qianyuan inside, then squeezed in herself. The closet was small, and the two of them huddled together inside.

Mengniang immediately closed the cabinet door, leaving it pitch black inside. Lou Qianyuan squeezed through the crack in the door to look outside. Ruan Wan's body was pressed against his chest, and she was very uncomfortable but could only endure it.

Mengniang tidied her makeup, hid the two sets of bowls and chopsticks on the table, checked them again, and then sat back down with Mudan. She then said to the outside, "Xiaotao, let the guests in."

Xiao Tao opened the door and saw a man dressed in foreign clothing staggering in.

The man had a curved sword at his waist, and the jeweled and gold scabbard was very eye-catching. Zhang Ming followed behind him with a displeased look on his face, but he couldn't show it.

Unexpectedly, the Dongyi sent their second prince, Duomuhe, who turned out to be an irritable and arrogant man who complained the whole way.

They said that the people who had followed them all the way had never tasted meat, and today they wanted to see if the women of Jiangnan were really made of water. They found a bunch of girls, but none of them satisfied them.

Duo Muhe's eyes swept around as he shouted, "Where's Mengniang? Come out here for me!"

Zhang Ming whispered in Duo Muhe's ear, "Young Master, it's best not to cause trouble, lest you ruin everything."

Duo Muhe glared at him, then looked at the table. The snake-like woman from before was there, and Meng Niang was beside her.

Duo Muhe looked her up and down. "So this is all the courtesan is like. Saying that women from Jiangnan are made of water is just nonsense."

Duo Muhe sighed and said, "Fine, fine, you're the one."

Mengniang wanted to lash out, but Mudan held her back; they couldn't afford to offend such an important person.

Mengniang suppressed her anger and walked to their side with a smile. "I'm sorry, this young lady is not receiving guests today."

Mengniang glanced at Duomuhe with a hint of disdain, then turned to Zhang Ming with a fawning smile, "This young master is quite handsome."

As she spoke, Mengniang suddenly clung to Zhang Ming, her delicate hands caressing his cheeks. "If this is the guest, I will certainly serve him well."

Duo Muhe was enraged and drew the golden knife from his waist, ready to kill Meng Niang.

Mengniang wasn't intimidated at all, craning her neck and saying, "You little Eastern Yi barbarians, how dare you kill someone within the borders of Great Xia?"

Enraged by Mengniang, Naduomuhe turned red in the face and, without thinking, raised his knife to strike.

Ruan Wan, inside the box, broke out in a cold sweat, wanting to rush out to help Meng Niang.

She's used to manipulating the powerful and wealthy here, so she has no idea how vicious the Zhang family is. Even if she doesn't dare to take action now, she's definitely offended them, and they'll inevitably come to retaliate someday.

Lou Qianyuan held Ruan Wan down tightly; if they were exposed, they would have no chance of escaping.

Zhang Ming was also quite annoyed by this Duo Muhe. He asked him to change into Xia Kingdom clothes, but Duo Muhe absolutely refused. Now he was starting to doubt whether Dongyi truly wanted to cooperate.

Otherwise, why would they send this idiot to discuss cooperation?

Zhang Ming reached out and grabbed Duo Muhe's hand, his eyes carrying a warning, "This is Great Xia, you'd better not act recklessly."

Duo Muhe winced in pain as his hand was pinched, broke free from Zhang Ming, glared at Meng Niang, and turned away.

Zhang Ming hurriedly followed, and Meng Niang, not forgetting to add fuel to the fire, leaned against the door, her voice sweet and honey-sweet, "Lord Zhang, I'll be waiting for you here anytime."

Peony laughed out loud, and Xiaotao quickly closed the door.

Ruan Wan rushed out of the box, panting, her face flushed. Lou Qianyuan quickly helped Ruan Wan sit down, while Meng Niang and Mudan grinned mischievously from the side.

Lou Qianyuan couldn't see any of this; his attention was completely drawn to Zhang Ming and the Dongyi people. He frowned and said, "It's Zhang Ming, but the person next to him looks like a Dongyi person. Why is Zhang Ming with a Dongyi person?"

Lou Qianyuan suddenly understood something, slapping his thigh, "So that's how it is!"

He was about to open his mouth when Ruan Wan stepped forward and covered his mouth, pulling him outside. "Mengniang, Mudan, let's go back first."

Mengniang just smiled. They had no interest in knowing other people's secrets; the more they knew, the more dangerous it was for those in their line of work.

The two hurriedly returned home, and Lou Qianyuan explained the matter to Ruan Wan in detail.

Lou Qianyuan and the others had always thought that Zhang Encheng's collusion with the Dongyi was just a fabrication by Zhang Lucheng to exonerate himself, but it turned out that they were indeed colluding with the Dongyi.

Zhang Lucheng, that old fox, is indeed cunning. If they hadn't discovered him today, something terrible would have happened.

Lou Qianyuan looked worried. "No, I have to send this message back."

Lou Qianyuan thought for a moment, "That Dongyi person must be carrying some kind of evidence of collusion with Zhang Lucheng. I need to get my hands on that."

He then stood up, took Ruan Wan's hand, and said, "Wan'er, I have to go to the Hundred Flowers Hall tonight. You hide first, and if I can come back, I will definitely come back to find you."

Lou Qianyuan started to walk out, but Ruan Wan pulled him back, saying, "There are so many of them, how are you going to carry them all?"

Ruan Wan pressed him down to sit and said, "I have a plan that should work."

Ruan Wan initially did not want to get involved in such important national affairs, having finally escaped the world of fame and fortune.

Here, Ruan Wan lived an ordinary life and no longer wanted to get involved in any trouble.

But then he thought, as long as Zhang Lucheng doesn't fall from power, he'll have to live in hiding for the rest of his life, and he doesn't know when danger will strike.

Moreover, Ruan Wan had a vague feeling that fate did not allow her to escape, even though she had already fled to this remote town in Jiangnan.

It's too much of a coincidence that I could run into someone from the Zhang family in such an ordinary place as the Hundred Flowers Hall.

Most importantly, Ruan Wan did not want to see war.

Nguyen Wan came from a peaceful era and a peaceful country, but history has shown her the cruelty of war.

Those in power, driven by their own selfish desires, launch wars between nations, but it is the common people who suffer. Ruan Wan does not want to see such a situation.

Ruan Wan then told him her plan, and Lou Qianyuan immediately stood up and shook his head, "No, absolutely not, it's too dangerous."

Ruan Wan advised, "This is the safest way."

Lou Qianyuan still shook his head, "No, I can't risk you."

Seeing him like this, Ruan Wan could only provoke him, "If you go like this, you'll most likely not come back. You're all liars, all that talk about forever is just empty words."

Lou Qianyuan immediately became anxious: "I didn't lie to you, everything I said is true, but this time I have no choice but to do it, it's something I owe Changfeng."

It was already wrong of me to deceive him, and I felt even worse to leave him alone in the court. If I can resolve the Zhang family's matter this time, it will be a way of repaying him.

After thinking for a while, Lou Qianyuan said, "There's another way. We don't need to take any risks. I'll send the message back to Changfeng. He can prepare in advance, so there shouldn't be any problems."

However, this would not completely eliminate Zhang Lucheng.

Ruan Wan had already made up her mind: "How can you be so sure that Xia Changfeng can defend against this? And will there be another opportunity like this, where he delivers himself to our doorstep and we can eliminate Zhang Lucheng in one fell swoop?"

Seeing Ruan Wan's resolute attitude, Lou Qianyuan looked at her with a sorrowful expression and said, "For Changfeng's sake, are you really going to disregard your own safety?"

Ruan Wan sighed. Lou Qianyuan thought that everything she did was for Xia Changfeng, and at this critical juncture, he even became jealous.

"I am doing this for all the people of Great Xia. If, because of me alone, Great Xia were to be plunged into war, I would feel uneasy."

Looking at Ruan Wan's resolute expression, Lou Qianyuan felt a deep respect for her. "We still need to carefully study the plan. The most crucial thing is to ensure your personal safety."

Ruan Wan found a blueprint and drew the layout of the Hundred Flowers Hall on it, studying the escape route.

Lou Qianyuan even came up with several escape plans and repeatedly emphasized that if things didn't look right, the plan should be terminated immediately.

The two returned to the Hundred Flowers Hall and carefully made their way back to Mengniang's room.

Peony Dream Lady was slightly tipsy when she saw Ruan Wan return and quickly pulled her to drink with them.

Taking advantage of her drunkenness, Mudan flirted with Lou Qianyuan. Ruan Wan stared intently at Mengniang, who felt uneasy under Ruan Wan's gaze. "Just say what you want to say. Make it clear beforehand, I don't do murder or arson."

Ruan Wan told Meng Niang about her plan, but of course did not mention their purpose or identities.

Mengniang and Mudan agreed, realizing it wouldn't harm them, and they split up to make preparations.

Xiao Tao took Lou Qianyuan to change his clothes, while Meng Niang helped Ruan Wan change hers.

After all that fuss, Mengniang pulled Ruan Wan around in circles, exclaiming, "If you came to our Hundred Flowers Hall, there would be no place for me as the top courtesan!"

Peony nodded in agreement from the side.

The pale white and green-sleeved dance costume, like the waters of Jiangnan, ripples into people's hearts with every step.

Back in the hall, Lou Qianyuan changed into a musician's robe and stood with his hands behind his back, holding a xiao (a type of vertical bamboo flute).

Mengniang coughed lightly, and Lou Qianyuan turned around. Looking at the beauty in front of him, he hadn't seen Wan'er like this in a long time, and his smile reached his eyes.

Peony teased, "You'll see plenty more later, hurry up, they'll be leaving soon."

As she spoke, she and Mengniang stood there. Lou Qianyuan stepped forward and picked up the hemp rope from the table. "Excuse me."

Lou Qianyuan quickly tied up Mudan Mengniang and placed her on the bed. Ruan Wan stuffed two wads of silk cloth into their mouths, saying, "No matter what we do, you'll know what to say later."

Mengniang nodded, signaling Ruan Wan to hurry up and leave.

Ruan Wan took out a pair of cotton swabs and handed them to Lou Qianyuan. "Put these up your nose. When I start spinning around, try to hold your breath."

Ruan Wan stuffed two tampons into her own pocket, put on a veil, and headed toward the dance hall.

Even though it was something I insisted on doing, I still couldn't control my nervousness, and my palms started sweating.

Ruan Wan silently told herself, "I'll get used to it, I'll get used to it." Then she thought, "No, wait, I'll retire after this job."

Ruan Wan couldn't control the random thoughts running through her mind.

Lou Qianyuan noticed Ruan Wan's nervousness and pressed down on her shoulder, saying, "If it really comes to this, we should stop now."

Ruan Wan shook her head and continued walking forward. When she reached the front of the dance hall, several girls ran out wiping away tears. Inside, Duo Muhe cursed, "What a lousy place! There isn't even a decent girl here!"

While cursing, he drank heavily, while Zhang Ming advised him, "Young master, you should come to the capital with me as soon as possible. The girls there are much prettier than these."

As he spoke, Zhang Ming stood up and poured wine for Duo Muhe, saying, "Young master, please be patient for a few more days."

Ruan Wan turned to observe the scene inside the dance hall, and it was indeed as Meng Niang had described.

There was a screen in the center of the ballroom, with musicians behind it, dancers dancing in the center, and guests watching from the front.

Lou Qianyuan seized the opportunity to slip behind the screen and found a seat among a group of musicians.

The musicians all looked at him with suspicion. Lou Qianyuan smiled and said, "New here, new here."

As he spoke, Lou Qianyuan nodded to the people around him. Such things happened often, and the musicians were used to it, so they each fiddled with their own instruments.

After a while, Lou Qianyuan began to play the xiao (vertical flute). The musicians were all stunned and stared at him, not daring to speak. Everyone knew that today's guest was a formidable character.

Several experienced musicians immediately picked up their instruments and followed suit, and the other musicians followed suit as well.

Ruan Wan waited outside the door for a long time, her heart beating faster and faster. Finally, she heard the sound of the flute. Ruan Wan, who was originally extremely nervous, was now completely calm.

As soon as the sound of string and wind instruments filled the air, Ruan Wan quickly straightened herself and walked slowly to the ballroom. She first bowed to Duo Muhe and Zhang Ming, who were seated there.

Then she began to dance gracefully, stepping to the beat with exquisite charm.

Although Ruan Wan was not from Jiangnan, she wanted to evoke the gentle charm of Jiangnan like flowing water, firstly to buy time, and secondly to distract them.

Doki was immediately captivated, and smiled with narrowed eyes, "Finally, a good one! But I wonder what the face under that veil looks like."

As she was about to step forward and lift her veil, Ruan Wan turned around and stepped back. Duo Muhe thought that the dancer in front of him was flirting with him.

At this moment, the music reached its climax, and Ruan Wan began to spin around, her skirt fluttering like a blue wave.

Duo Muhe and Zhang Ming were very happy watching, their eyes fixed on Ruan Wan's dance.

Seizing the opportunity, Ruan Wan opened her arms, and the pollen from the datura flowers in her palms was scattered throughout the dance hall along with her sleeves.

Ruan Wan glanced at Duo Muhe and Zhang Ming, both of whom were staring intently at her on the dance floor, seemingly unaware of her presence.

Before Duo Muhe and Zhang Ming collapsed, the music stopped, and several musicians fell down. It seemed the medicine had taken effect.

Takagi Hei was also shaking his head, trying to open his eyes. Ruan Wan pretended to faint and fell into the dance floor. Takagi Hei tried to go forward, but after taking one step, he fell directly into the dance floor. Zhang Ming lay face down on the tatami.

After waiting for a while without any movement, Lou Qianyuan came out from behind the screen and helped Ruan Wan up.

Ruan Wan removed her veil and poked Duo Muhe and Zhang Ming, but there was no reaction. Lou Qianyuan then began to search Duo Muhe's body.

Lou Qianyuan searched inside and out, even turning his underwear and socks inside, but found nothing.