Ties of Love, Ruan Wan

Linglong's surprise startled Yujie, who frowned and glanced at Yao Churong in the courtyard outside.

Yao Churong was intently playing with Mingyue when Linglong realized she had been a bit out of line. She coughed lightly and asked, "What exactly happened?"

Yu Jie replied softly, "It's all over the capital. The Holy Maiden personally visited Rende Pharmacy, met Liang Feng, and said she wanted to learn about Ruan Wan through him. They talked in the inner hall."

"Did you hear what they were saying?"

Yu Jie shook her head. "The Holy Maiden's maid, A Qing, is guarding outside the door. Her perception is extremely sharp; our people dare not get too close."

Linglong frowned slightly, pondering, "What trick is she planning this time, going to see Liang Feng in such a high-profile manner?"

Yu Jie said, "Your Highness, could it be that we orchestrated this to make His Majesty doubt her identity last time, and she deliberately met with Liang Feng this time to dispel His Majesty's suspicions?"

Linglong's eyes lit up, and a smile appeared on her lips. "Only Ruan Wan needs to dispel the Emperor's doubts."

However, Linglong's expression immediately turned cold again. "But she must have thought of this as well. Doing this will only deepen the emperor's suspicions. What exactly is her purpose in doing this?"

Yu Jie replied, "Our people have become much more mobile since the last assassination attempt. Now we can monitor Liang Feng at any time, and we'll know immediately if he makes any move."

Linglong nodded, it was worth sacrificing four spies.

Yu Jie sighed softly, "However, those two maids, A Qing and A Zi, are truly difficult to deal with. The four of us couldn't handle A Qing, and we didn't even have a chance to escape. We could only commit suicide."

She is indeed difficult to deal with. If we want to do anything to this saintess, we will have to get rid of those two maids first.

Yu Jie wanted to say something more, but just as she opened her mouth, Linglong coughed lightly. Yu Jie immediately understood and turned around.

Yao Churong rushed in, frowning and carrying Mingyue. "Sister, Mingyue has diarrhea again!"

The wet nurse rushed over and took the little princess to the inner room to change her clothes.

Yao Churong sniffed and fanned the smell in front of her with her hand. "It really stinks!"

Yu Jie, standing to the side, looked rather unwell, staring intently at Linglong's face, while Linglong looked at Yao Churong with a loving expression.

"You come here every day, why don't you play with Joey? I'm so bored here."

Yao Churong smiled innocently, "Sister Qiao Yi spends all her time either reading or playing chess by herself with a chess manual. I don't like that. It's much more fun playing with Mingyue."

"What a bunch of children!" Linglong laughed. "You love excitement. The Mid-Autumn Festival is just around the corner. I've already asked the Empress for permission to bring you and Qiao Yi to the palace then."

Yao Churong's face lit up with joy as she tugged at Linglong's arm and jumped up and down, "Really? I've wanted to go to the palace for so long, it'll be so lively!"

Watching Yao Churong skip and hop happily away from Qingfang Courtyard, Linglong rarely showed her true feelings, her eyes even filled with sadness. "My younger sister was also as innocent and carefree as Churong, always holding my hand, her big eyes blinking as she looked at me. But now, they are both dead."

Yu Jie stood silently to the side, head down, not daring to say a word.

Three days later, Yu Jie jogged towards Qingfang Courtyard. When she saw Yao Churong playing with Mingyue in the courtyard, Yu Jie slowed down.

Yao Churong held a colorful embroidered ball in her hand, teasing Mingyue. Little Mingyue wobbled towards Yao Churong with her little legs, giggling.

Yu Jie bowed and walked into the room. Linglong saw Yu Jie's hurried figure from afar, her eyes fixed on the bright moon outside. "Has Liang Feng made any moves?"

Yu Jie whispered, "Yesterday, Liang Feng secretly transported a cartload of goods into the inner hall."

"What's going on at Yaotai Academy?"

"Just now, the Holy Maiden abandoned Princess Kangning and drove towards the north city."

Linglong's eyes lit up, and she said with a smile, "Quickly send someone to inform the Emperor, and have our men closely follow her movements. She's finally given herself away; let's see how she tries to deny it this time."

Rende Pharmacy was still packed with people. The doctors here were famous far and wide. They couldn't afford to see the imperial physicians, so many high-ranking officials and nobles in the palace would invite the doctors here to their homes.

Liang Feng was nowhere to be seen today. He used to be the most diligent, always busy with his work. When his master treated patients, he would always stand by and listen. But today, he was nowhere to be seen.

Ever since the saintess visited that day, everyone has become interested in this unknown young apprentice.

One curious patient asked, "Where's Dr. Liang today? He's usually the most diligent doctor I see."

The doctor merely glanced at the patient and chuckled, "Him? A batch of medicinal herbs arrived, and he's processing them in the back."

Suddenly, a commotion arose at the doorway. The old doctor didn't look up, but the apprentice beside him, who was holding a pen, stood up with a smile and walked towards the door. "Gentlemen, what brings you here?"

Without saying a word, the leading soldier pushed the man aside, and the group hurriedly ran into the inner hall.

The apprentice immediately scrambled to his feet and ran to his master, asking, "Master, what should we do?"

The senior doctor, however, remained as steady as a mountain, continuing to see patients. "They're busy with their own things, we'll be busy with ours."

Hearing footsteps outside, Liang Feng hurriedly closed the wooden door at the entrance of the cave and placed a chair in front of it to block the view.

Several soldiers found the entrance to the secret room with practiced ease. Liang Feng greeted them with a smile, "Gentlemen, how did we get to my inner chamber?"

The bearded man at the head of the group glanced at the people around him. A soldier with a knife stepped forward, grabbed Liang Feng's arm without saying a word, and pinned him against the wall.

Liang Feng was still struggling, saying, "Sir, let's talk this out. Is there some misunderstanding?"

The bearded man kicked the chair away, and the door swung open, allowing several soldiers to slip inside.

Liang Feng immediately shouted loudly, and the soldiers behind him immediately tightened their grip, causing Liang Feng to scream in pain.

After a while, the soldiers who had gone in crawled out. Their faces were grim. One soldier said timidly, "Sir, there's nothing inside."

The bearded man pushed aside the soldiers in front of him and personally crawled inside to search. He found only a few burlap sacks and nothing else.

The bearded man pulled out his knife and stabbed it into the burlap sack. Inside, Liang Feng frantically shouted, "Don't move! That's my treasure!"

After stabbing him a few times, a sour, foul smell gushed out, and the bearded man almost vomited.

The bearded man crawled out, covering his mouth and nose, and grabbed Liang Feng, dragging him to the cave entrance. "Where is he? Where did you hide him?"

Liang Feng looked at the bearded man with a completely bewildered expression. "Who is it?"

"Who are you? You dug this secret chamber to hide people, spies from the southern border."

Liang Feng scratched his head, looking at the bearded man with an expression that said, "What nonsense are you spouting? What secret room? This is a cellar, a place used for fermenting and processing medicinal herbs. It wasn't your government that made us make changes, saying someone complained that the smell of our processed herbs was too strong, so we dug a hole."

The bearded man stared blankly at Liang Feng, who didn't seem to be lying.

Liang Feng continued, "If you don't believe me, you can ask my master. He's a retired imperial physician, and he knows about this too."

The bearded man glanced at the soldier beside him, who immediately ran out. The smell of Chinese medicine spread, and apart from Liang Feng, everyone present covered their mouths and noses, looking pained.

After a while, the soldier who had gone out ran back. "Sir, what he said is true."

The bearded man released Liang Feng's hand, coughed lightly, and sheathed his knife. "Someone reported that you were harboring spies, so we came to investigate. It turns out it was a misunderstanding, and there's nothing to worry about."

The group rushed out again, leaving the patients present stunned and completely unaware of what had happened.

At this moment, Ruan Wan was standing at the back gate of the Lou Mansion. A Qing stepped forward and knocked on the door, two long knocks followed by two short knocks, and then the door was opened.

Cui Mo peeked out, looked around to make sure no one was following them, and then let Ruan Wan and A Qing in before immediately closing the back door.

Cui Mo wanted to bow, but Ruan Wan stopped her, saying, "This isn't the time for formalities. Hasn't everyone been settled in?"

Cui Mo nodded. "Madam, the person arrived yesterday and, as you instructed, has been placed in Uncle Li's room."

Ruan Wan nodded. "Where is Sun Shishi now?"

"Miss Biao is currently reciting scriptures before the altar; she does this every day at this time."

Ruan Wan sneered, "She seems perfectly content to be the Grand Master of Ceremonies."

Ruan Wan glanced down at Cui Mo's frostbitten cheeks and increasingly rough hands, and felt a pang of heartache. She took Cui Mo's hand and said, "Hold on for a few more days, I will definitely save you."

Cui Mo's eyes instantly reddened, all the grievances welling up in her heart, but she still forced herself to hold back, saying, "Madam, you don't need to worry about us. We just need to know that Madam is still alive."

Now was not the time for reminiscing and feeling sad, so Ruan Wan asked Cui Mo to keep watch outside while she and A Qing went straight to Uncle Li's room.

Aqing pushed open the door, and a person stood in the dimly lit room. Before Ruan Wan could even see clearly, Aqing had already knelt down.

When Ruan Wan finally saw the man's back, she was quite surprised. "Elder, why did you come here by yourself?"

The elder turned around, glanced at Aqing on the ground, and then smiled at Ruan Wan, "I've never left Southern Xinjiang in my entire life, and I'd like to come out and see the world."

Ruan Wan knew the elder's words had a hidden meaning, so she said, "I didn't bring my daughter with me, so we can't reveal her identity yet."

The Grand Elder nodded. "The identity of a prince or princess is indeed safer."

Suddenly, the Grand Elder's expression turned cold as he looked at Ruan Wan, "Don't forget your promise to Miao Jiang."

Ruan Wan smiled and said, "Having inherited the Holy Maiden's abilities, it is natural for me to fulfill the Holy Maiden's duties."

"This old woman is afraid of you. You enjoy the honor of being the Empress of Great Xia and have forgotten your duties as a Holy Maiden. After all, you were born in Great Xia."

Despite the elder's distrust, Ruan Wan showed no anger, but instead smiled and said, "The Holy Maiden has always followed the will of Heaven and the will of God."

The elder sighed, took a small medicine bottle from his robes, and handed it to Ruan Wan. "I've brought you what you wanted."

Ruan Wan opened the bottle, smelled it, and her eyes lit up. "Elder, how did you know I was going to make this medicine?"

The elder chuckled lightly, "You sent these medicinal herbs over; do you think I don't know what you're up to?"

Ruan Wan smiled and flattered the Grand Elder, "Elder, you are so meticulous. Thank you for your help."

The Grand Elder smiled with satisfaction. "I also heard the rumors about you in the capital while I was in Miao territory. You did what you were told, you didn't bow to the emperor and empress, you looked down on the officials, and you were worthy of the honor of the Holy Maiden."

Ruan Wan smiled and said, "It would be a pity for the Grand Elder to stay here for a few days. There's a thorough investigation of Miao spies throughout the capital right now."

The elder nodded. "You did a great job this time. You created a false impression and drew all their attention to that pharmacy."

This was all thanks to Linglong's scheming and the emperor's suspicion. The emperor never sent anyone to Sun Shishi's side, which made it easier for Ruan Wan to carry out this plan.

"We've established a foothold this time, which will make communication much easier for us in the future."

Just then, Cui Mo's voice rang out from outside, "Madam, we must hurry, Miss Biao's chanting is about to end."

Ruan Wan hurriedly bid farewell to the Grand Elder, and A Qing then got up from the ground and also bid farewell to the Grand Elder.

The three hurried to the back door, and Ruan Wan handed the small medicine bottle to Cui Mo. "This medicine is colorless and odorless. You just need to put it in Sun Shishi's food. This bottle's worth is enough; put it in seven times."

Cui Mo carefully put away the porcelain bottle, her hands trembling slightly, but her eyes were incredibly determined.

They didn't want to live like this anymore. Ever since Sun Shishi was appointed as the Grand Master of Ceremonies, they had to get up before dawn every day to boil water.

Sun Shishi has to bathe and fast every morning, and during this time they have to clean the front and back of the courtyard, the main gate, and the mourning hall until they are spotless.

If she finds even a speck of dust, she will beat and scold them. Sometimes, when she is in a bad mood, she will make them kneel in the night wearing only a thin layer of clothing.

After reciting the scriptures, they had to take another bath. When the crowd complained, Sun Shishi would bring up the emperor's decree, and no one dared to argue with her.

Especially Lanyu and Tingqin, the two of them used to serve the eldest young master and were taken in by him as concubines, but they did not have the status of concubines.

Sun Shishi went to great lengths to torment them, making the two of them wash all the clothes of the entire household, as well as the chamber pots of the servants.

The entire household now eats vegetarian food, and Sun Shishi is not used to such a life, so she asks her sisters-in-law in the kitchen to cook different dishes over and over again.

His temper is unpredictable; he only acts like a normal person when reciting scriptures before the spirit tablet. At other times, he has a million reasons to get angry and lose his temper.

Everyone in the Lou family has been served by Sun Shishi's whisk.

The people in the Lou family were already suffering terribly and wished they could just die.

Inside Qingfang Courtyard, Yu Jie hurried along, her face pale. She ignored Yao Churong beside her and ran straight into the room.

Yu Jie looked distressed. "Oh no, Your Highness!"

Linglong remained relatively calm. She glanced at Mingyue and Yao Churong outside and asked, "What's wrong? Why are you in such a panic?"

Yu Jie whispered, "The Kyoto garrison officers found nothing at Rende Pharmacy."

"If they didn't find anything, they didn't find anything. I expected her not to give herself away so easily."

Yu Jie's panicked expression showed no sign of easing. "Our people were following the Holy Maiden, but they lost track of her halfway through. After that, they vanished without a trace. Just now, their bodies were dumped at the execution ground, and the whole capital knows about it."

Linglong panicked at this moment, her eyes darting around. "Could this be a trap, designed to expose my informant?"

"Your Highness, what should we do now?"

Seeing Yu Jie's flustered state, Linglong coldly asked, "Is there anything else you haven't told me?"

Yu Jie stammered, "Our informants have been found with Chu items on them, and coupled with the assassination attempt on Lantern Market Street, everyone in the capital is talking about you now."

Linglong sneered, "So that's what you were planning. Immediately, recall all your spies and make them lie low. They are not allowed to make any moves without my order."

Yu Jie asked, "Should the informants monitoring Liang Feng also be removed?"

Linglong glared at her. "Why are you still monitoring him? He's a complete deception, full of loopholes. I was just confused for a moment to think the Holy Maiden would use him."

Yu Jie hurriedly ran out again, while Yao Chu Rong ignored everything else and only wanted to play with Ming Yue.

The following day, the Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture received a report that two highly decomposed female corpses had been found near Lingquan Temple. Their identities were confirmed by the items found on their bodies.

Officials from the government office came to report, "Master, these two are confirmed to be your former maids, A-Qiao and A-Rui."

Sun Shishi and her companions shed tears. "Didn't my cousin and his wife sell them? How come their bodies are left to rot in the wilderness?"

"The two maids were hacked to death with scythes; their deaths were gruesome, with dozens of cuts."

Sun Shishi's expression changed slightly. Crying, she grabbed the official's hand, "My lord, you must apprehend the murderer and avenge my poor maid!"

Behind her, Cui Mo and Cui Lu looked at Sun Shishi with disdain. After seeing the officials off, Sun Shishi turned around, and Cui Mo and Cui Lu immediately lowered their heads again.

Sun Shishi, who had been on the verge of tears and looking pitiful just moments before, now had a cold expression. "You slack off just because I'm gone for a little while? Aren't you your most respected young master and mistress? Why aren't you even putting your heart into reciting the scriptures?"

Sun Shishi picked up a whisk and whipped Cui Mo and Cui Lu on their backs. The two dared not speak out in anger and could only grit their teeth.