Ties of Love, Ruan Wan

After breakfast, Qiu Shuang reported the news she had gathered: "Miss, the guards at the Seventh Prince's residence have not yet been withdrawn. Everyone in the capital is in a state of panic. Some residents have begun to hoard food, while others are fleeing south with their belongings."

Overnight, the enemy besieged the city, leaving it attacked from both sides. The wealthy families in the capital even considered fleeing south.

However, outsiders are not allowed to enter the Miao region to the south.

If the Great Xia were to be annexed, the world situation would change drastically, and it would be hard to say whether the southern border could defend the country's borders.

I wonder what outcome Lou Qianyuan will reach in the palace. It's possible that it will be peace talks. Now that we're besieged on both sides, there's no other way but peace talks.

If it really comes down to a head-on confrontation, there is almost no ability to simultaneously resolve the attacks from both the Chu state and the Dongyi.

Ruan Wan didn't know what the point of thinking about these things was, but she just couldn't help thinking about them.

If she were just an ordinary commoner, it wouldn't matter, but she was born into a powerful family and married into the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, so she had to consider the Great Xia Dynasty.

Having no appetite all day, Ruan Wan figured Lou Qianyuan must also be anxious and unable to eat, so she cooked dinner herself and waited for Lou Qianyuan to return.

When all the candles had burned out, Lou Qianyuan still hadn't appeared. Ruan Wan was a little worried and asked Qiu Shuang to send Hai Ping to inquire.

Now that Xia Changfeng is imprisoned in the palace, Lou Qianyuan cannot possibly be discussing this matter with the emperor. As an official of the Ministry of Rites, not a high-ranking official, there is no reason for him to be kept in the court.

After a while, Qiu Shuang returned, and Ruan Wan asked, "Was it the Emperor or the Empress who left Qian Yuan in the palace?"

Qiu Shuang frowned and said, "The son-in-law has already returned."

Ruan Wan looked behind Qiu Shuang, but it was pitch black and there was no one there.

Ruan Wan looked at Qiu Shuang and asked, "Where is he?"

Qiu Shuang turned to look outside. "The son-in-law is sitting alone at the gate. He seems not to hear us when we talk to him."

Ruan Wan stood up and walked towards the gate. When she arrived at the gate, she saw Hai Ping and Sha Bai standing far away to the side, while Lou Qianyuan sat on the threshold looking up at the sky.

Ruan Wan told Qiu Shuang to stay where she was and walked towards the gate alone.

Ruan Wan sat on the threshold, her hand intertwined with Lou Qianyuan's. Lou Qianyuan's face remained expressionless as he pointed to the bright moon and said, "When I was little, I always asked my father where my mother was. He got annoyed by my questions and pointed to the moon, saying, 'Your mother is in the moon.' Actually, I've never seen my mother since I was born. But everyone else has a mother, and I wanted one too. I told my friends that my mother was in the moon, and they laughed at me mercilessly."

Something terrible must have happened, something Lou Qianyuan couldn't bear. The calmer Lou Qianyuan was, the more frightened Ruan Wan became.

Ruan Wan stood up and gently hugged Lou Qianyuan's head. Lou Qianyuan found emotional support and burst into tears while holding Ruan Wan.

"Wan'er, what should we do? The Emperor is going to abandon Father."

Ruan Wan wanted to ask the reason, but Lou Qianyuan was crying so uncontrollably that Ruan Wan's heart ached at the sound of his heart-wrenching cries.

Abandoning the Duke of Zhenguo means that we are going to concentrate our firepower on the State of Chu. However, the border guards of the State of Chu have all been transferred away. Where will we get a large army?

This strategy is understandable. The Xia and Chu states share a land border, while the Xia state is separated from the Dongyi by the Wudu River, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.

But why send the Duke of Zhenguo, who was not good at naval warfare, to garrison the border of the Eastern Yi?

Lou Qianyuan wept bitterly, and even the bright moon in the quiet night seemed desolate.

Having finally vented his grief, Lou Qianyuan stopped crying. Ruan Wan took his hand and led him home.

Back in her room, after closing the door, Ruan Wan asked, "What exactly happened? Is His Majesty going to concentrate his forces against the Chu Kingdom?"

Lou Qianyuan said with a sorrowful expression, "The war has already begun. The Chu army on the border has never truly withdrawn. The Chu army of 100,000 was ambushed by the Xia army of 200,000 and has suffered repeated defeats."

"Therefore, from the very beginning, neither country trusted the other, and there was never a true alliance."

Lou Qianyuan nodded. "The State of Chu is now suffering defeat after defeat, and the State of Xia has even obtained Chu's border defense maps. Their advance is simply unstoppable."

Ruan Wan was somewhat puzzled. "With the defeat of Chu, the alliance between the Eastern Yi and Chu will naturally collapse. As long as Father can hold out, there shouldn't be any problems."

Lou Qianyuan shook his head in pain. "Father has left 30,000 troops on the Eastern Barbarian border, but he will have to face 200,000 Eastern Barbarian troops."

"Could we find a way to prevent the Dongyi army from crossing the river, just enough to hold them off until reinforcements arrive?"

"It's no use. Father is now besieged on all sides. The Eastern Yi have already sent 50,000 troops from Chu into Da Xia, and two cities have already been massacred."

The arrow was already on the bowstring and had to be released. Even if the Eastern Yi knew that the Chu state had been tricked, they would only take the opportunity to accelerate their occupation of the Xia territory.

Just then, the Chu and Xia states were locked in fierce battle, allowing the Dongyi to reap the benefits.

Ruan Wan suddenly realized something and looked at Lou Qianyuan, "How did the Great Xia obtain such a confidential map of the Chu Kingdom's border defenses?"

"It was Linglong; she secretly presented the border defense map of the Chu Kingdom."

Linglong is truly ruthless and heartless, betraying her own country just like that.

Ruan Wan looked at Lou Qianyuan with a worried expression. "What about Princess Chang Le? Is she still alive?"

Lou Qianyuan shook his head, and Ruan Wan felt a chill in her heart. Although she had no feelings for Chang Le and even had some grudges, she was still her aunt's daughter.

Ruan Wan suddenly felt a chill in her heart. Wasn't it said that Chang Le was the most favored princess of the current emperor? Ever since she married into the Great Xia, she had abandoned her.

Even the most favored princess, with all the honors and privileges, was nothing more than a pawn in the emperor's eyes, a pawn to be sacrificed at will for the purpose of expanding territory.

Lou Qianyuan said with great difficulty, "On the day the war began, the Chu state used Chang Le as a sacrifice to their flag in front of their entire army."

Ruan Wan felt a lump in her throat; her aunt was in the palace right now, and she wondered how much she was crying.

If even a princess could be sacrificed, how much more so a Duke of Zhenguo? That's why Lou Qianyuan was so desperate.

Although he only had 30,000 soldiers, Lou Yingyuan had no choice but to defend to the death. If he dared to retreat even a step, his entire Lou family would die.

The emperor set a deadly trap for the Lou family, a trap that Lou Yingyuan was destined to die in.

Ruan Wan felt a chill run down her spine; the emperor's former gentle and benevolent image crumbled in her mind.

Beneath that hypocritical facade lurks a hungry wolf.

Why did the emperor insist on putting Lou Yingyuan to death? There was no one left in the Lou family who could inherit military power.

After Lou Yingyuan relinquished his military power on the Chu border, the Lou family would no longer pose any threat, which Ruan Wan couldn't understand.

However, Ruan Wan did not want to sit idly by and wait for death, nor did she want to watch Lou Yingyuan die alongside Lou Qianyuan.

Ruan Wan looked at Lou Qianyuan with a determined gaze. "Qianyuan, let's escape. Let's escape to the border of Dongyi and take Father to the Southern Frontier."

With tears in his eyes, Lou Qianyuan looked at Ruan Wan and said, "There's no escaping it. The Lou residence is about to be surrounded by palace spies. Besides, Father won't escape; his military dignity prevents him from doing so."

Is there really no way out? The only way out is for Lou Yingyuan to hold out and wait for reinforcements to arrive.

"Where is the Empress? How could the Empress just stand by and watch her brother die?"

Lou Qianyuan, his face filled with grief and indignation, said, "I went to see the Empress, but she wouldn't see me. What is a brother more important than his son's throne?"

Seeing Lou Qianyuan in such pain, Ruan Wan felt a pang of sadness, knowing she couldn't do anything about it.

Suddenly, Lou Qianyuan looked up at Ruan Wan, his eyes resolute. "Wan'er, no, I can't stay in the capital. I have to go find my father."

Ruan Wan didn't want him to leave, but she couldn't persuade him to stay either, and could only watch helplessly as her father walked step by step toward death.

"There are spies everywhere at the gate, how are you going to leave the capital? And even if you manage to escape, how will you help your father?"

Lou Qianyuan shook his head. "I don't know, but I can't just watch my father go to his death. I'll stay in the capital and be a coward."

Ruan Wan took a deep breath. "I have a way to get you out of the capital."

Lou Qianyuan looked up at Ruan Wan, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Ruan Wan immediately added, "But you can't go and die. I want you to come back alive."

"I will definitely come back alive. I haven't had enough time with you yet; I want to grow old with you."

Early the next morning, Ruan Wan and Lou Qianyuan led a large group of maids and servants to the manor.

That day, they played as usual and even ate the salted plums that had been prepared during their last visit.

The next day, Ruan Wan took Lou Qianyuan, who was in a bad mood, to go boating on the lake. To outsiders, it seemed that Ruan Wan wanted to comfort her depressed husband.

From the moment Ruan Wan and her group left the capital, spies followed them all the way, and they are still doing so now, with spies lurking in the reeds by the lake.

Li Yuan rowed the boat from behind. Ruan Wan, seeing that she was in a good position, stood at the bow and reached out to pick a dried lotus seedpod.

Ruan Wan leaned half her body out of the boat, just reaching the lotus pod, when suddenly the boat began to rock. Ruan Wan cried out in alarm, and was about to fall into the water.

Lou Qianyuan leaped forward and pulled Ruan Wan back, then plunged into the water himself.

Ruan Wan immediately stood at the bow of the boat and shouted, "My husband has fallen into the water! Quick, jump in and save him!"

A Jin and Hai Ping immediately jumped into the water. After a while, Lou Qianyuan, whose face was covered in mud, was pushed out of the water by Hai Ping.

Ah Jin immediately climbed onto the boat, Hai Ping pushed from underwater while Ah Jin pulled from above, and the two of them together dragged Lou Qianyuan up. Immediately, a group of people surrounded Lou Qianyuan.

Qiu Shuang shouted, "Li Yuan, hurry and row back! Young Master has fainted!"

A group of people hurriedly rushed Lou Qianyuan into the room, with Ruan Wan following anxiously behind.

After returning to the room, Qiu Shuang closed the door, and the unconscious Lou Qianyuan jumped off A Jin's back.

Qiu Shuang brought over water for washing his face, and a face was revealed from beneath the mud. It wasn't Lou Qianyuan, but Chao Sheng dressed in Lou Qianyuan's clothes.

At this moment, Lou Qianyuan should have already found the bundle that Li Yuan had hidden in the reeds yesterday afternoon, and rode his horse straight to the border of the Eastern Yi.

It was Lou Qianyuan's breath-holding method of catching fish that inspired Ruan Wan to come up with this idea.

Yesterday afternoon, Li Yuan secretly hid his bundle in the reeds while he was fishing, and his eldest son, A Da, also rode his horse to the designated spot.

When Ruan Wan and the others boarded the ship, Chao Sheng, who was similar in build to Lou Qianyuan and was wearing Lou Qianyuan's clothes, had already hidden in the cabin.

As soon as Lou Qianyuan fell into the water, Chaosheng immediately jumped into the water from the other side and then dived to the spot where Lou Qianyuan had fallen in.

Lou Qianyuan held his breath and swam to the reeds to hide, waiting for the scouts to follow Ruan Wan and the others back to the room so he could escape.

Quickly, Chaosheng changed into a set of clean clothes belonging to Lou Qianyuan, and was carried onto the carriage by Ajin. The group then hurriedly headed back.

The scouts also returned to the capital. At the gate of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, Haiping and Ajin helped the unconscious Lou Qianyuan into the mansion, his disheveled hair just covering his face.

There's no need to call a doctor. Most people in the capital know that Ruan Wan is skilled in medicine, and everyone knows that she saved Xia Changfeng twice.

So all we need to do is send Qiu Shuang to the pharmacy in a big way and get a dose of medicine.

Hai Ping's Ah Jin and his men guarded the door until nightfall, but the spies did not leave, and no one entered the mansion to search.

That means the plan was not discovered.

Ruan Wan was not going to stay in the capital and wait to die; she could not let Lou Qianyuan go to the Eastern Yi border alone.

He was such an unlucky person, and he had escaped death twice because of Ruan Wan, so Ruan Wan had to go with him.

Disappearing together would be too conspicuous, so Ruan Wan could only send Lou Qianyuan out first, and then figure out a way to get out herself.

The next morning, Ruan Wan asked A Jin to ask Lou Qianyuan for leave, as he had a severe cold.

Then she requested permission to go to the palace. Before leaving, she wanted to visit Consort Nguyen Suk.

Although Ruan Yuanyan is in the palace, given her current temperament, it would be good enough if she didn't take advantage of someone's misfortune.

When Ruan Wan arrived at Qixiang Palace, she did not see the scene she expected.

Consort Ruan Shu was not as haggard and heartbroken as one might expect. Instead, she pulled Ruan Wan aside and asked her with concern, "The Crown Prince fell into the water yesterday and I heard he caught a cold. Why aren't you at home taking care of him? How did you find the time to come to the palace?"

The news spread so quickly. Ruan Wan looked at Consort Ruan and asked, "Aunt, are you really alright?"

Consort Ruan Shu laughed and said, "What could possibly happen? Since the founding of the Great Xia Dynasty, thirteen princesses have been sent to marry foreign rulers. Of these, six died far from home, two lived out their days in old age, and five were sacrificed to the flag. My Princess Chang Le was among them."

Seeing Consort Ruan speak so calmly, Ruan Wan felt a pang of pity. "Aunt," she said, "it's better to cry if you're upset."

Consort Ruan laughed and said, "This is her own fate. I have been helping her find a husband since she came of age, hoping that she could get married as soon as possible. But she insisted on marrying Lou Qianyuan. She thought that her father's indulgence of her was a sign of affection, but he was just waiting for the State of Chu to set a trap and send her to her death."

Ruan Wan was full of surprise. Her aunt knew all these things, but even if she knew, she could only send her daughter off to get married.

Even knowing it's a dead end.

Ruan Wan was so shocked she couldn't speak. Consort Ruan held Ruan Wan's hand and said, "I know you feel sorry for your aunt, but it's best for you to stay by the Crown Prince's side right now. The Emperor has set a trap for the Duke of Zhenguo's death. I can see through it, but he might not."

Ruan Wan dared not tell Consort Ruan that Lou Qianyuan had already gone to the border of the Eastern Barbarians.

After leaving the palace, Ruan Wan did not go home, but instead instructed Hai Ping to drive the carriage to the Seventh Prince's residence.

It's possible that the frontline confirmed the border defense map provided by Linglong was genuine, as the Imperial Guards outside the mansion gates were withdrawn yesterday.

Xia Changfeng was also released back to his residence.

The guard at the gate went to announce her arrival, and Ruan Wan stood at the gate waiting.

It was Xia Changfeng who ran towards them, his face full of worry. "I heard that Qian Yuan fell into the water and caught a cold. How is he now?"

Ruan Wan bowed to Xia Changfeng, "My husband has woken up, taken his medicine, and is fine now."

I will visit him at his residence tomorrow.

Ruan Wan said coldly, "My husband probably doesn't want to see His Highness right now."

Xia Changfeng frowned and said, "Xiao Zhu"

Ruan Wan glared at him, and Xia Changfeng immediately changed his tune, "Sister-in-law, this isn't something my mother and I can decide."

Ruan Wan sneered, "When Linglong presented the border defense map, was Your Highness unaware of it?"

Xia Changfeng avoided eye contact and remained silent.

At this moment, Yu Jie walked over, first bowing to Xia Changfeng, and then to Ruan Wan, saying, "Lady of the Heir Apparent, the Princess Consort invites you."

Ruan Wan followed Yu Jie inside, but Xia Changfeng suddenly grabbed Ruan Wan's arm and asked, "What are you going to see her for?"

Ruan Wan broke free from Xia Changfeng and said with a smile, "When cousins ​​meet, it's naturally to strengthen their relationship."

In Linglong's bedroom, only Linglong and Ruan Wan remained.

Linglong, however, still smiled insincerely, "What brings you here today, cousin-in-law? Right now, I'm afraid everyone in the capital is avoiding me like the plague."

Ruan Wan laughed and said, "How could that be? The princess is a meritorious official of the Great Xia. Now that the Chu Kingdom is suffering defeat after defeat, I'm afraid that in a few more days, they will be able to break through the capital."

Linglong's smile froze on her face, and Ruan Wan stopped pretending and went straight to the point.

"I have come today to ask the princess for a favor."

Linglong raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I'm barely able to take care of myself right now, so I don't know how I can help my cousin-in-law."

"My husband has fled the capital and gone to the border of the Eastern Barbarians. I hope the princess can help me escape the capital and reunite with my husband."

Linglong was surprised that Ruan Wan would be so direct, and she also didn't expect that Lou Qianyuan had already escaped.

Her spies brought back news that Lou Qianyuan was still recuperating in his residence.

Linglong was slightly shocked, then smiled and said, "Why should I help you?"