Xiao Shao looked down at the woman in his arms. Although he had not entered the courtyard, he was very clear about what had happened. He knew that Jiang Ruan usually did not care about anything, but in reality, she was just not used to showing it. These servant girls had grown up with her, and people always put a hundred and twenty percent of their trust in companions who supported and befriended them. But in the end, she found out that it was just a lie in the name of loyalty. She was someone who could not bear to have sand in her eyes, so one could imagine the sadness in her heart.
He patted Jiang Ruan's back and did not speak.
In such a generous and warm embrace, Jiang Ruan's mood gradually calmed down. In fact, she was most unwilling to suspect Bai Zhi. In this life, only Bai Zhi had accompanied her to the end in her previous life. Now, it seemed that Bai Zhi had been Xia Yan's person from the beginning. Although Xia Yan had not made her do anything to harm her, their positions had been hostile from the beginning. In the end, she had handed Pei 'er over to Bai Zhi, hoping that Bai Zhi could take Pei' er and escape. But in the end, Pei 'er had still fallen into Li Dong's hands. Perhaps Bai Zhi had simply handed Pei 'er over to Jiang Su Su, or perhaps she really had not managed to escape. But as for what the situation was, only Bai Zhi from the previous life could answer. But this matter was like a thorn stuck in her throat. Whenever she thought of this, she would suspect that in the end, it was Bai Zhi who had personally sent Pei 'er to a dead end. She had always been a stubborn person. Once she had this suspicion, she would never be able to let go of Bai Zhi. In this world, there were so many coincidences, who could know?
She gently broke free from Xiao Shao's embrace, feeling that she had lost her composure just now. Seeing this, Xiao Shao thought about it and said, "Tomorrow, go to the palace and take a look at Xuan Pei."
Jiang Ruan was startled. For a moment, she almost thought that Xiao Shao already knew the cause and effect of the matter. She probed, "Why?"
"He seems to have something to say to you." Xiao Shao pursed his lips. "You have not been to the palace for a long time."
Admittedly, his words were meant to divert Jiang Ruan's attention and lighten her mood, but Jiang Ruan was still shocked. What could Xuan Pei have to say to her? In this life, the two of them had almost no connection. However, what Xiao Shao meant was that Xuan Pei had taken the initiative to look for him. The conjecture that had surfaced in her heart at that time once again appeared in her mind. Jiang Ruan tried to restrain herself from thinking about it, but she could not help but think in that direction.
"Don't worry." Xiao Shao seemed to have noticed her uneasiness and comforted her, "You'll know what's going on when you get there. I'll protect you."
Every time, he would straightforwardly and straightforwardly express his standpoint of standing by her side. Jiang Ruan raised her eyes to look at him. The youth's features were cold and elegant, but the words he spoke had the power to convince people. It was as if as long as it came out of his mouth, he would definitely be able to accomplish it. She smiled faintly, temporarily suppressing the uneasiness in her heart, and only said to Xiao Shao, "Alright."
…
It snowed for an entire night. When they woke up the next day, the fresh snow covered the bloodstains on the ground. The soul-stirring scene from last night had disappeared. Everything was calm as if nothing had happened.
Not far from the Prince's Mansion, there was a newly built grave that seemed to have been built overnight. It was not extravagant, but it was not crude either. It was very meticulous. There was a stone tablet without a single word on it, and it was unknown who had erected it. Two young women squatted in front of the grave. In front of them was an iron basin filled with burning paper money. A few sticks of incense stood in the censer.
As Lian Qiao burned the money, she choked with sobs and said, "Bai Zhi, in this life, we can be considered sisters. Reincarnate into a good body, and don't be a servant in your next life. As you said, even being a peasant girl is good. After all, fate is always in our own hands."
Although Lu Zhu was angry that Bai Zhi had drawn the poison to Jiang Ruan, the tragic situation last night made her sigh in her heart. She was a soft-hearted person. In addition, ever since she had followed Jiang Ruan, she and Bai Zhi had been together for so many years. Bai Zhi's temperament was gentle, and she often took care of her like a big sister. Thinking of this, the rims of Lu Zhu's eyes became somewhat red. Her voice was somewhat stifled, "Bai Zhi jiejie, if there is a next life, when we meet again, I hope to have the honor of being sisters with you again."
Both of them were somewhat sorrowful, and after much difficulty, they finished burning the paper money in the silver basin. Both of them, who had always been lively, were somewhat solemn. Jiang Ruan did not come to offer her condolences. They were master and servant, but now, they did not know how they should meet each other. This was really ridiculous. Returning to the wang fu, Jin Er saw Lu Zhu's dejected expression. For the first time, he did not deliberately tease her. Instead, he stood behind her for a while before reaching out his hand to hand her a handkerchief, "Hey, you look so ugly when you cry." However, Lu Zhu was not in the mood to bicker with him. She hung her head and did not take the handkerchief. Seeing this, Jin Er, who was a veteran of playing with women, was at a loss. After a long while, he hesitantly moved over, tightly gripping the handkerchief as he stood in front of Lu Zhu. She raised her head to look at him in astonishment. Jin Er held the handkerchief and wiped the tears off her face. He said rather unnaturally, "How can there be someone crying in the wang fu? It's really an eyesore."
Lu Zhu stood there differently, as if she was enduring something. Jin Er's hand could not help but stiffen. He looked at her worriedly, and for the first time, he could not help but soften his voice, "What's wrong?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Zhu finally could not bear it any longer. She grabbed onto his lapel, buried her face in it, and burst into tears. Jin Er's body was somewhat stiff, and he looked at Lu Zhu, who was clutching onto his clothes, not knowing what to do. In the wang fu, Lu Zhu had always been a girl who loved to laugh. Her laughter was also very infectious, as if no matter how big the matter was, it was no big deal to her. This was the first time he had seen her so sad. Jin Er only felt that her crying made his heart ache. Finally, he plucked up the courage to reach out and pull her into his embrace, comforting her in a low voice.
In the end, Jiang Ruan did not know about Lu Zhu and Jin Er's situation. After Lian Qiao returned to the fu, she brought Lian Qiao and Tian Zhu into the palace. Ever since she had been poisoned, she had never entered the palace again. Even Empress Dowager Yi De could not justify it, so today, she took this opportunity to enter the palace. Jiang Ruan first went to the Palace of Compassionate and Peaceful to see Empress Dowager Yi De. Empress Dowager Yi De felt that it was a little strange that she had not seen Jiang Ruan for a long time. Jiang Ruan only said that she had caught a cold and had recuperated in the wang fu for more than ten days. Only then did Empress Dowager Yi De feel at ease. She pulled Jiang Ruan aside and asked her for a while whether she got along well with Xiao Shao and his wife. Jiang Ruan answered all of them. Empress Dowager Yi De was very satisfied with the peaceful relationship between her and Xiao Shao. She was probably also happy with the golden jade marriage that she had created, so she asked Jiang Ruan to stay for lunch. However, since Jiang Ruan was now married and had become Jin Ying Wangfei, she naturally did not have to stay in the princess palace hall. When Empress Dowager Yi De took her lunch break, Jiang Ruan bade farewell to Yang GuGu.
However, she did not directly leave the palace, as she still remembered Xiao Shao's words. She went straight to the Southern Yuan to see Xuan Pei. In her previous life, Jiang Ruan had walked around the palace for a long time, so she knew where the Southern Yuan was. However, at that time, Xuan Pei was not favored. Before she had raised him by her side, he had only lived in an extremely remote and gloomy courtyard. Now, Xuan Pei's status in the palace was very different, and he was deeply favored by the Emperor. The Emperor's favor might be a kind of poison, as he would place him in a position where everyone could see him, and countless cold arrows and hidden knives would be aimed at him. But at the same time, it was also a protective talisman that was more useful than anything else. As long as the Emperor liked him, the power of any cold arrows aimed at him would be greatly reduced.
The closer she got to the Southern Yuan, the more nervous she became. Since her rebirth, it was very rare for her to be so nervous. Tian Zhu and Lian Qiao, who were following beside her, noticed Jiang Ruan's abnormality. Tian Zhu stopped and said, "Young Madam, is there something wrong?"
Jiang Ruan suddenly returned to her senses and shook her head, "It's nothing." She forced herself to calm down. Everything that was happening now was just her imagination running wild. No one could say for sure what the truth was.
When she arrived at the entrance of the Southern Yuan, the young eunuch who was guarding the door saw her from afar and immediately bowed, "This servant greets Wangfei."
Jiang Ruan was slightly startled. In the palace, most of the time, the servants called her Hong 'an Junzhu. Now that she had suddenly heard them call her "Wangfei," the deeper meaning behind it was unknown. Just like when a princess married, she still addressed herself as a princess in the palace, but recently, people in the palace called her Wangfei. This indirectly revealed a meaning. The title of Wangfei of Jinying Wang fu was more honorable than that of Hong 'an Junzhu. It also further illustrated Xiao Shao's position in the palace.
A delicate and pretty palace maid walked out. After seeing Jiang Ruan, she first looked at Tian Zhu, then smiled and said, "This servant is Ming Yue, who serves by His Highness's side. His Highness has asked this servant to escort Wangfei in. Wangfei, please follow this servant. "
Jiang Ruan naturally saw the look that Ming Yue gave Tian Zhu. At first, she was somewhat puzzled, but then she understood. Then, she felt that it was somewhat inconceivable. Why would Xiao Shao send his secret guard to Xuan Pei's side? However, since it was Xiao Shao's person, she was completely at ease. She then followed Ming Yue into the Southern Yuan. Passing through the front hall, she saw the magnificent furnishings inside. She also knew that Xuan Pei had won the Emperor's favor, and his days were very comfortable. She was slightly relieved. Ming Yue stopped in front of the study and said with a smile, "His Highness is waiting for Wangfei in the study." After saying this, she took a step back and indicated for Jiang Ruan to enter alone.
Lian Qiao was still a little nervous, fearing that Jiang Ruan would fall into someone else's trap, so she wanted to follow. Unexpectedly, Tian Zhu grabbed her arm and shook her head at her. Tian Zhu came from the Brocade Guards, and her skills were excellent. Lian Qiao naturally believed in Tian Zhu. Although she did not understand, she had no intention of following in. Jiang Ruan herself did not comment. She trusted Xiao Shao's people. Moreover, in her heart, Xuan Pei would always be that beautiful and delicate child from her previous life. No matter how he changed, in front of her, he would always be a child-like existence. She would not worry that Xuan Pei would want to harm her, that was a mother's instinct.
Therefore, Jiang Ruan only paused slightly, then pushed the door open and walked in without looking back.
The light in the study was very dim, and the curtains had already been drawn. Thus, it was somewhat blurry. Jiang Ruan turned around and closed the door, then walked towards the desk. In front of the desk, a small person was sitting on a spacious chair. That person was holding a brush and seemed to be writing something. He had a serious appearance, but because he was too small, he looked a little comical. It submerged the usual sense of alienation and estrangement.
Jiang Ruan slowly walked towards him. The child's head was lowered as he wrote earnestly. His posture as he held the pen was inexplicably familiar. With his head lowered, she could see his delicate nose and rosy lips. His skin was like that of a delicate jade carving doll. Jiang Ruan looked at him silently. In the dim light, she could finally see the words on the paper clearly. It was actually four words. Two names. One was Jiang Ruan, and the other was Xuan Pei.
Jiang Ruan felt as if she had been struck by lightning, and her whole body was rooted to the ground. It was as if someone had torn out a picture scroll from her brain and suddenly revealed it in front of her. It was in a simple and crude palace. He was wearing clothes that did not fit him, but he had an exceptionally delicate and delicate appearance. The child clumsily held the brush and asked, "Imperial Mother, look, Pei 'er has learned to write his and Imperial Mother's names."
The child's smile was joyous, but the words he said made one's heart ache. He was a dignified prince of a country, yet he was neglected to this extent. Not even a teacher had been invited. Perhaps no one would pay attention to whether this unfavored prince was learned or not. However, as his imperial mother, Xuan Pei's handwriting was taught by her. The first time she taught Xuan Pei to write his and his own names, Xuan Pei had said this.
Now, that snow-white Xuan paper still had the same two names, but the handwriting was exactly the same as in her previous life. Even every detail was exactly the same. The scene in front of her eyes and the scene in her memory suddenly overlapped. For a moment, Jiang Ruan could not tell which night was in front of her. Perhaps all of this was just a dream, and she was in reality, or was it a dream?
Xuan Pei put down the brush in his hand. As if he had heard her voice, he finally raised his head. Seeing that it was her, he smiled sweetly and said, "Imperial Mother, Pei 'er has waited for you for a long time."
Jiang Ruan's footsteps paused, and she abruptly took two steps back. Her eyes, which had always been calm and steady, were filled with absent-mindedness and confusion, as well as disbelief and shock. She murmured, "What did you say?"
"Imperial Mother still intends to recognize me? I am Pei 'er. "Xuan Pei said.
Jiang Ruan's eyes widened, and she felt her mind go blank. She stared blankly at the elegant youth in front of her. He was clearly the same as the Pei 'er from her previous life, but his smile was exquisite and contained a deep meaning. He was definitely not the innocent and kind child who didn't understand anything in her previous life. He was much smarter than the Pei 'er from her previous life.
Xuan Pei laughed bitterly and raised his head to look at Jiang Ruan. He slowly retracted his smile and no longer looked at her with that innocent expression. He said, "Imperial Mother died under the rod, and after that, Pei 'er also followed her to the Yellow Springs. I thought that my life would be over. Who would have thought that the heavens would give me another chance at life, and even more so, I never thought that I would be able to see Imperial Mother again in this life. "He looked at Jiang Ruan and said," To this day, Imperial Mother, are you still not willing to recognize me? "
Every word that came out of his mouth was like a heavy hammer pounding on Jiang Ruan's heart. No one would know about these things, and he was not lying. Even the trace of disbelief that she had previously felt was now completely gone. Jiang Ruan didn't know whether she was happy or sad in her heart, but she felt a kind of pleasant surprise that she had regained what she had lost. She took a big step forward and reached out to touch Xuan Pei's face, but her hand suddenly stopped in front of Xuan Pei. For a moment, she felt somewhat timid, and for the first time, she said with some doubt, "You … are really him?"
"Imperial Mother taught Pei 'er to write his own name. Pei' er wrote Imperial Mother's and his name together, and from then on, we will never be separated again." Xuan Pei smiled with tears in his eyes.
Jiang Ruan was startled. At that time, she had taught Xuan Pei to write his own name and his own. Indeed, Xuan Pei had said so. Now, these words were still in her ears, and when they came out of Xuan Pei's mouth, Jiang Ruan finally pulled Xuan Pei into her embrace, "That's right, you are him, you are Pei 'er. Why didn't I think that since I was alive at that time, you are also a possibility. Pei 'er, it's all my fault. I didn't come to find you earlier. If only I could have recognized you earlier. You were alone in the palace, so you must have been very afraid. "
Her voice trembled with excitement. Even the people closest to her had never seen Jiang Ruan like this. She was a cold and hard stone, and Xuan Pei was her only softness. In her previous life, Xuan Pei had died, and in this life, her entire body was hard, and even the last trace of softness was gone. However, Xuan Pei had regained what she had lost, and this evoked her true nature, the most gentle part of the Jiang Ruan who had died in her previous life.
"I am not afraid." On the contrary, Xuan Pei comforted her softly, "I am living very well in the palace. I know how to protect myself, and I also want to help Imperial Mother take revenge. I always thought that Imperial Mother was different from the Imperial Mother in my previous life. At that time, Imperial Mother helped me out in front of Princess He Yi, so I thought that in this life, I only needed to protect Imperial Mother. Unexpectedly … when Imperial Mother was poisoned, I found out from Jinying Wang that Imperial Mother was still the same Imperial Mother. "
Jiang Ruan stared blankly. How did Xiao Shao know about this? She was somewhat uncertain. At that time, when she was unconscious, she had said some words, and Mr. Hakone Serpent had also mentioned this. Xiao Shao was an intelligent person, so naturally, he could infer a little bit from it. However, he had actually told this to Xuan Pei. Had he already guessed the relationship between her and Xuan Pei?
He didn't have a clear idea in his mind. Jiang Ruan slowly let go of his hand. She pulled Xuan Pei to the hard mattress at the side and sat down. As if they had often done this in their previous life, she said, "Pei 'er, at the end of your previous life, what happened to you? How were you caught at that time? "
When Xuan Pei heard this, he bit his lip. Even though his mind was no different from that of an adult now. But as soon as this matter was mentioned, those grey memories that had been sealed for a long time came back to him, and it still made him feel a little cold. He paused, then said, "At that time, Imperial Mother let Bai Zhi jiejie take me to escape along the secret passage, but halfway through, someone rushed over and killed Bai Zhi jiejie. I was caught, and later … " Thinking of that humiliating memory, Xuan Pei closed his eyes, "Later, Imperial Mother was killed by a random stick. I bit off that person's ear. He flew into a rage and killed me with a knife."
Jiang Ruan suddenly pulled him into her embrace, "Alright, don't say anymore." She took a deep breath, "I didn't protect you well."
"This has nothing to do with Imperial Mother." Xuan Pei gritted his teeth, "All of this was just Xuan Li's trick. If it weren't for him, Imperial Mother wouldn't have been wrongly accused and ended up like that. So, in this life, the only thing I want to do is to defeat Xuan Pei and not let him sit firmly in that position. "
The youth's brows were firm and resolute, and when he mentioned Xuan Pei, the coldness in his eyes was exactly the same as Jiang Ruan's. Jiang Ruan looked at him, and a trace of inexplicable melancholy suddenly flashed through her heart. She said, "Then tell me, what have you done in this life? How have you been all these years? "
"I found that I had returned to many years ago, and I thought it was just a dream." Xuan Pei slowly said, "Later, I discovered that it wasn't a dream, and I couldn't change the fact that my birth mother had already passed away. Coinciding with the years when Imperial Consort Chen was most favored, the princes who were slightly favored by Imperial Father all died inexplicably. Others don't know why, but I know that it was the doing of that mother and son pair. " Xuan Pei sneered, "Unfortunately, at that time, I was still too young, and my ability was too weak, so I didn't dare to confront them head-on. So, I pretended to be stupid and was willing to be an unfavored prince, just like in my previous life. At least, I could save my life. "
Jiang Ruan gently stroked his head, "Pei 'er did very well, you are very smart."
"But this is really too slow," Xuan Pei muttered, "I can't just save my life, I also have to avenge Imperial Mother and myself. Xuan Pei has always placed his chips in the imperial court, but I don't want him to live too smoothly. These years, I have also secretly cultivated a portion of people. Some are in the imperial court, and some are outside the palace. Even if Xuan Li has planted people everywhere in the imperial court, at least in terms of shops, if I want to trip him up, it is as easy as turning my hand. " Speaking up to this point, Xuan Pei smiled craftily at Jiang Ruan, "If he wants to sit firmly on the throne, he needs a steady stream of silver. But the silver is all in my hands, so it won't be so smooth for him. "
Jiang Ruan suddenly understood. No wonder in her previous life, Xuan Li had always been like a fish in water, but in this life, he had been going downhill. He was even worse than a few years in her previous life. Admittedly, Jiang Ruan had played a part in this, but she did not expect that Xuan Pei would also play a part in it. The enemy was in the light, while he was in the dark. No matter what, Xuan Li could not avoid the fate of falling.
"You, ah." Jiang Ruan could not help but laugh, "When did you become so crafty?"
"In my previous life, Imperial Mother protected me, but I could only watch helplessly as Imperial Mother died in front of me." A trace of coldness flashed through Xuan Pei's eyes, "In this life, it is up to me to protect Imperial Mother. If someone comes looking for trouble with Imperial Mother, I will think of all ways to make them pay a hundred, a thousand, ten times the price! "
Jiang Ruan's gaze fell on Xuan Pei. The youth was not tall, and the childishness on his face did not seem to have faded. He was born beautiful and fragile, like a delicate doll. However, the unswerving determination between his brows could not be ignored, and when he spoke, his voice was powerful and resonant. He was still the original Xuan Pei, but in the end, he was not the same Xuan Pei.
"Pei 'er, you have grown up." Jiang Ruan smiled.
"Imperial Mother, in my previous life and this life, I am also in my twenties." Xuan Pei blinked, "Imperial Mother cannot look at me as if I were a child. Because I am not a child. " He glanced at Jiang Ruan and suddenly smiled, "However, although Imperial Mother has lived for so long, your appearance is still as beautiful as in your previous life. I just don't know if Xiao Wangye will go mad with anger when he finds out that his wife is actually so much older than him. "
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