Ties of Love, Ruan Wan

At the same time, Zhang Ming's men arrived at Zhang's residence. Zhang Lucheng hadn't expected such a mishap and hurriedly ordered his men to guard all the checkpoints, determined to intercept and kill Lou Qianyuan on the way.

Xia Changfeng was having lunch with Linglong, and the two sat in silence.

Xia Changfeng served Linglong food from time to time. Linglong smiled gently. The two looked like they were treating each other with respect, but they didn't look like newlyweds at all.

Linglong looked at the man in front of her, very confused. Was this still the same husband who had been so tender and loving towards her on their wedding night?

Since that night, Xia Changfeng has never been to his own room again, claiming that he is busy with official business and sleeps in the study every day.

Today, she had to ask someone to invite him three times before he finally had lunch with her. Linglong couldn't understand what she had done wrong.

Despite his best efforts to be attentive, he remained merely polite, seemingly gentle but completely devoid of genuine affection.

At that moment, Amu suddenly rushed in, looking flustered. Seeing the Imperial Concubine, he hurriedly bowed, saying, "Your Highness, Imperial Concubine!"

Seeing his hurried manner, Xia Changfeng asked, "Is something the matter?"

Amu was about to speak when Xia Changfeng stopped him, turning around and saying, "Please enjoy your meal, Madam. I have official business to attend to."

After saying this, Xia Changfeng got up and went to the study, and Linglong hurriedly got up to see him off.

Watching the person walk away, Linglong looked at the table full of food, barely touching it. A ruthless glint appeared in her eyes as she ordered, "Lü'er, go outside and find out what happened before I married into this family."

Greenie agreed and went out to inquire. At first, she asked the people in the mansion, but the servants were all tight-lipped and she couldn't get anything out of them. The more she couldn't get anything out of them, the more suspicious it seemed.

Inside the study, Amu handed over a letter, and Xia Changfeng became increasingly terrified as he read it.

Amu said, "Your Highness, our spies have discovered that the Zhang family has ambushed people at various checkpoints along the only route to the capital."

It seems the letter is true; my cousin accidentally stumbled upon the Zhang family's treason and fell off a cliff, his whereabouts unknown.

Judging from this situation, my cousin at least didn't fall into the hands of the Zhang family. He went to find Xiaozhu, but the letter didn't mention her at all, so he probably didn't find her.

But where did this letter come from? "Amu, how did you get this letter?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, it was caught in a kite that fell into the courtyard. My men saw it and brought it to me."

Xia Changfeng thought to himself, it seems this person is unwilling to reveal his identity. Regardless of who sent the message, the most urgent matter is to deal with the current situation.

"Amu, send a group of men to Liuzhou discreetly, making sure they aren't discovered by the Zhang family. Also, keep a close watch on the Zhang residence; report immediately any strangers entering or leaving."

Amu immediately began to carry out the order.

Xia Changfeng stared at the letter for a long time. Zhang Lucheng, that old fox, really underestimated him.

If it weren't for Qian Yuan, they would have secretly taken advantage of us without us even knowing. But now, we don't know where my cousin is or if he's safe.

Lou Qianyuan and Ruan Wan were enjoying the spring sunshine deep in the dense forest.

They walked and rested intermittently, but there was really no other way. Lou Qianyuan's injuries were too severe; it felt like his chest was being torn apart with every step he took.

But they were also afraid that if Zhang Ming's men couldn't find them on the other side, they would wade across to look for them, so they dared not stop for a moment.

After three days, they finally found a place to stay, a long-abandoned thatched hut, which must have been a temporary dwelling for hunters in the mountains.

The facilities inside the house were extremely basic. Fortunately, the kitchen utensils were not broken and could still be used. Ruan Wan spread dry grass on the bed and settled Lou Qianyuan in.

Then they started cleaning up, making sure it was at least habitable. Lou Qianyuan wanted to help, but Ruan Wan, seeing his ferocious expression whenever he moved, told him to rest aside.

Lou Qianyuan coughs up blood from time to time, so it seems he will need to rest for a while.

Looking at the deserted mountains before her, Ruan Wan felt a strange sense of familiarity and a strange sense of peace.

Ruan Wan first surveyed the surroundings and set traps on several key routes, both to delay the pursuers and to block attacks from wild animals.

Fortunately, in these vast mountains, Ruan Wan and her group carefully concealed their tracks during their escape. Zhang Ming's men, lacking direction, would likely have a hard time finding this place.

The two settled down for the time being, and Lou Qianyuan also had to stop and recuperate.

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye. In order to keep track of time and avoid getting lost in the mountains, Lou Qianyuan would draw a line on the wooden door every morning using unburnt charcoal.

Ruan Wan goes out every morning to find food and herbs, while Lou Qianyuan rests in the thatched hut.

History is repeating itself. Sometimes Ruan Wan thinks that maybe she was just born unlucky and destined to serve others.

Having not returned to the mountains for nearly three years, Ruan Wan was a little rusty, but she got used to it after a few days.

Setting small traps to catch rabbits and pheasants is something I used to do often, and it was quite easy.

Today's harvest was plentiful; they caught a pheasant and a rabbit. What made Ruan Wan happiest was that she found kudzu root while gathering herbs.

Although kudzu root powder is a winter food, it is kept in the deep mountains until spring.

For half a month, we haven't had any staple food. Every day we eat chicken and rabbit meat, and the only vegetables are bamboo shoots and wild vegetables from spring.

Without staple foods, a person recovers more slowly. After so many days of recuperation, Lou Qianyuan still looked sickly.

After working in the mountains for half a day, Ruan Wan looked at the sun and realized it was already noon; it was time to go back.

Thinking of going back as soon as possible, I would make kudzu root into kudzu powder and cook it for Lou Qianyuan. Patients don't eat starch, as it is not good for their recovery.

In such deep mountains, there are no roads, making it very difficult to walk. Ruan Wan was carrying a lot of things, and when she returned to the thatched house, she was covered in sweat.

From afar, one could see Lou Qianyuan sitting on a rock, hammering salt blocks.

When Ruan Wan found this thatched house, what made her happiest was that there was salt in the kitchen, but it was a large block of salt mixed with mud and sand.

Fine salt is very expensive, while this kind of salt is much cheaper. So Ruan Wan asked Lou Qianyuan to slowly crush the salt while he was sunbathing, dissolve it in water, filter out the mud and sand with a silk cloth, and then heat the brine to extract the salt water.

Otherwise, Ruan Wan couldn't stand the crunchy feeling in the food. In such a limited environment, Ruan Wan tried her best to make life a little better.

Lou Qianyuan was very surprised. How did Ruan Wan know these things? Ruan Wan simply told him that this was the wisdom of the poor, and brushed him off.

When Lou Qianyuan saw Ruan Wan return, he quickly got up, went inside, and brought her a bowl of water, saying, "It's cooled down."

Ruan Wan took the water and drank it in big gulps. It had been a long time since she had lived so freely and unrestrainedly. These past few years in the Ruan family mansion, she had to abide by the rules of a young lady, which had been really stifling.

After finishing his water, Lou Qianyuan naturally took the bowl and handed him a towel to "wipe himself down."

The scene was quite funny. Ruan Wan felt like a man who had been working outside all morning, while Lou Qianyuan felt like a woman waiting for her to come home.

Ruan Wan picked up some kudzu root powder and waved it in front of Lou Qianyuan, "There's going to be something delicious tonight."

Lou Qianyuan smiled as he looked at the person in front of him, who seemed happy to have found food.

She is beautiful, kind, stubborn, intelligent, and heartbroken; perhaps the person before you is the most authentic Wan'er.

Free as a bird, laughing with such pure innocence.

Lou Qianyuan couldn't help but imagine how wonderful it would be if he and Wan'er were now like an ordinary couple, and time could stand still here.

I don't know how long it will take to win Wan'er's heart, but it would be worth it even if it took a lifetime.

Ruan Wan quickly prepared the pheasants and rabbits. Spring weather was gradually warming up. In the deep mountains, it was only a little cool in the morning and evening, and even a little hot at noon.

So there was no way to preserve meat. Salt was too precious to be used for curing meat. Ruan Wan thought of her previous life, when she was also in the mountains, and her neighbors used fresh tree branches to smoke meat.

Ruan Wan followed their example and picked fresh pine and cypress branches to smoke meat.

At noon, I stewed half a pheasant with kudzu root. Starch and oil are indeed the best partners, and Lou Qianyuan ate quite a lot.

After a delicious lunch, Ruan Wan washed and boiled the medicinal herbs, then helped Lou Qianyuan go for a walk. The air in the mountains was fresh, and the sunshine was just right.

Walking around and breathing fresh air is very good for your body's recovery.

Birds fluttered in the sky, flying back from the distant north to build nests and reproduce.

Lou Qianyuan looked up at the direction from which the birds had flown, lost in thought.

Seeing his worried expression, Ruan Wan said, "Don't worry, the key now is to recover from your injury."

"But if we don't send the message back soon, Changfeng and his men will have a hard time dealing with it."

"You're definitely surrounded by people from the Zhang family now. You can't take the road back to the capital, and even if you did, you wouldn't be able to get the news back."

Lou Qianyuan knew this, but he was still worried and frowned.

Seeing his condition, Ruan Wan had no choice but to say, "Once you're better, I'll take you back. I know a route that doesn't go through Linka."

Lou Qianyuan looked at Ruan Wan with suspicion. The Great Xia Dynasty was famous for its impregnable border defenses. How could there be a road without a checkpoint?

Ruan Wan had no choice but to say, "The Wudu River is the border between the Xia Dynasty and the Southern Barbarians. The area north of the river is the Great Xia, and the area south of the river is the Southern Barbarians."

Lou Qianyuan nodded, that was indeed the case, but what did this have to do with the checkpoint?

Ruan Wan continued, "The Bian River divides the Great Xia Dynasty from north to south, and the source of the Bian River is the Wudu River."

Lou Qianyuan suddenly saw some signs, but couldn't figure out how it was working. "You first go southeast, and after reaching Wudu River, go east along the waterway, and then take another boat on the Bian River to Liuzhou. But there are more checkpoints along the way than on land, aren't there?"

Ruan Wan smiled and said, "There are indeed more, but half of the checkpoints along the way are controlled by the Southern Barbarians. As long as the Zhang family doesn't collude with the Southern Barbarians, this is the most convenient route."

Ruan Wan sighed, "But this journey is twice as long as traveling directly from Liuzhou to the capital. I'm afraid even if we manage to deliver the message, it will be too late."

Lou Qianyuan also thought of this problem and sighed deeply.

Ruan Wan comforted Lou Qianyuan, saying, "We've done everything we could. The rise and fall of a nation cannot be decided by one person alone. If Xia Changfeng inherits the throne in the future, he will ultimately have to face these challenges alone."

Lou Qianyuan's eyes were somewhat obscure. "Changfeng, it seems difficult for you to inherit the throne."

Ruan Wan was somewhat surprised. Wasn't the Lou family's support for the Seventh Prince Xia Changfeng all for the sake of him inheriting the throne one day?

"He is the Empress's legitimate son, and with the support of your Lou family, shouldn't he be the most likely to inherit the throne?"

Lou Qianyuan said, "In the past, everyone in the capital thought so, but that day, when the Emperor ordered Changfeng to marry Princess Linglong, I began to have doubts."

Ruan Wan didn't understand the affairs of the imperial court. She only knew that during her three years in the capital, even though she was confined to her mansion, the most influential person in the capital was the Seventh Prince, Xia Changfeng.

Lou Qianyuan continued, "The future empress will most likely not be a princess from a foreign land; there can be no lasting peace between two countries."

Ruan Wan then realized that this was indeed the case. The Xia and Chu states had been in constant conflict for many years, and had even fought several wars over the centuries.

How could the mother of a nation be a princess of an enemy country?

Ruan Wan asked, "The emperor has seemed to favor Xia Changfeng for so many years, but is it just to put him on the hot seat?"

Lou Qianyuan was also puzzled. Their emperor was someone whose thoughts were beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.

The current prime minister, Zhang Lucheng, is a corrupt official who colluded with the enemy and was personally promoted by the emperor.

Especially in recent years, Zhang Lucheng's actions have become increasingly unscrupulous, and the emperor has simply turned a blind eye.

Therefore, Xia Changfeng and Lou Qianyuan have been trying to find evidence of the Zhang family's treason in recent years, hoping to eliminate them in one fell swoop.

Minor skirmishes cannot sever the Zhang family's roots.

Inside Chengqing Hall.

Chang Le was having a disagreement about the marriage and had been lying in bed for several days without eating or drinking.

She thought that if she did this, her father would not marry her off to the fourth prince of Chu, since her father had always doted on her.

However, this time, the Emperor initially tried to persuade her, but after Chang Le cried and made a fuss a few times, he never came again.

Her mother also urged her to marry, but Chang Le refused, as she was determined to marry Lou Qianyuan.

The mother, usually cold-hearted and indifferent, surprisingly offered a few words of comfort this time. Seeing Chang Le's stubborn refusal to listen, she grew impatient and said, "Even in death, you will still be the Queen Consort of Chu."

All she wanted was to marry someone she loved, but there was nothing she could do. Being a princess was utterly useless, so Chang Le could only lie on the edge of the bed and cry.

What's hateful is that the person I like is now nowhere to be found.

Suddenly hearing the door open, Chang Le assumed it was her mother trying to persuade her again, and began wiping away tears, saying, "I won't marry, I won't marry!"

Chang Le cried for a long time without hearing any sound. When she looked up, she saw that the person beside her was standing there motionless. It was not her mother, but her cousin Ruan Yuanyan.

Chang Le stopped crying, hurriedly straightened her clothes, sat up straight, and glanced sideways at Ruan Yuanyan.

The currently favored Consort Yan has been promoted to the rank of Consort in just a few months. The Ruan family has two Consorts, which is truly the envy of others.

Because Ruan Yuanyan and Chang Le were cousins ​​and had a good relationship, the emperor sent Ruan Yuanyan to persuade Chang Le.

Ruan Yuanyan looked at Chang Le on the bed, just like herself back then, put down the bird's nest in her hand and sat down on the edge of the bed.

Chang Le said irritably, "Are you here to persuade me to get married too?"

Ruan Yuanyan just smiled and said, "We are cousins ​​after all. If I don't come to see you, people will say I'm heartless after you die. How can I let them have something to say about me?"