Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 162 Ruihe
The dusk was as dark as ink, quietly swallowing up the afterglow of the sunset in Tan Qiuyuan.

The wolf-hair brush in Xue Sui's hand was suspended on the snow-white paper, and the ink seemed to have condensed into beads, trembling and about to fall.

"Miss..." Xiao Zhao was tired of watching, so he reminded her softly and pushed the candlestick towards the table.

“The ink is dripping.”

Xue Sui came back to his senses, lightly touched the paper with the tip of his pen, and wrote the words "Ruihe".

The ink marks instantly spread on the paper.

The sound of the night watchman's clapperboard slowly reached my ears.

The window frame was not closed, the gauze was fluttering, and the spirit feathers were flapping their wings.

The sultry July wind rustled the piece of paper with names written on it on the desk.

Xiao Zhao asked: "Girl, who is this Ruihe? It seems her name is not in the album?"

The room was silent for a moment before Xue Sui's voice was heard.

"Princess Pingle had two study companions back then."

She gently stroked the paper with her fingertips, paused slightly, and a faint smile appeared on the corner of her mouth.

"One is Xiao Qing'er who was born in the Prime Minister's Mansion, and the other is Ruihe..."

Xiao Qing'er's presence in the album was the result of her collusion with Pingle and her reckless behavior. Ruihe, on the other hand, rarely appeared in the circle of famous ladies in the capital, and later she stayed indoors for many years, never participating in anything that was exposed to the public, until she married far away in Longyou...

What Wen Jia said in Yanyu Tower today came to her mind again.

"Princess Ruihe's maiden name is Li Yuning. Her biological father was the orphan of the late emperor's cousin, who died in battle at an early age. When she was five years old, her mother also died of illness. Your Majesty took pity on her and brought her into the palace to be raised by the Empress Dowager and to be a companion to Princess Pingle."

"On the day Ruihe entered the palace, she held in her arms a golden sword left by her biological father. She always treasured it. I heard from the palace maids that she couldn't fall asleep until she held the sword in her arms every night..."

"At that time, the second brother had not yet been crowned as a king. He was studying and practicing martial arts in the palace. He treated Ruihe the most kindly, and Ruihe also relied on him very much, like a tail... Later, the second brother got married and set up his own household, and the two gradually became estranged..."

"It's a bit strange. They were so close in the past, but when my second brother got married, Ruihe didn't come to congratulate him. He just said that he was devoted to Taoism and was already half a monk, and he had no concerns about worldly affairs anymore..."

The breeze passed through the gauze curtains, and the smoke from the hollow incense burner on the desk dissipated...

Xue Sui suddenly stood up and took out the jeweled hairpin with a phoenix holding a pearl from the bottom layer of the dressing table.

The phoenix hairpin glowed coldly under the candlelight, and there seemed to be dark patterns flowing in the gemstone inlaid at the end of the hairpin - this was the prize she had won in the guessing game at the Duke of Zheng's mansion that day.

Xue Sui signaled Xiao Zhao to light the wick and watch carefully.

Under the candlelight, the phoenix hairpin sparkled.

Ruyi came in with a cup of steaming tea and saw her daughter using the tip of a hairpin to measure the old scar on her wrist. She was so frightened that she almost dropped the teacup.

"Girl, what are you doing?"

Ruyi rushed over and snatched the hairpin, but was stopped by Xue Sui.

"What did you say when you won the hairpin by shooting the cover that day?"

"I vaguely remember someone saying that when Princess Ruihe got married, the palace gave her an identical one?"

Ruyi nodded, "The girl has a good memory."

As she spoke, Ruyi placed the tea in front of Xue Sui and said with a smile, "When I entered the mansion, I heard people say that Princess Ruihe had been married for many years, but she had been waiting to be married. She said she would never marry. She served the Queen Mother in the palace and had a good reputation for being virtuous and filial..."

The words suddenly stopped on the tip of my tongue.

She noticed that the girl had a strange look on her face, and she looked at Xiao Zhao without saying anything.

The sound of Lingyu's flapping wings came from the windowsill, and Xue Sui put the phoenix hairpin into her dressing box.

"It's getting late, pack up and go to bed."

Xue Sui gently took the paper on the desk and threw it into the brazier until it was burned out. Then he stretched his body, slowly washed up and went to bed.

The window frames were tightly closed.

Li Huan didn't come today, Li Zhao...

She suddenly thought that she hadn't seen this man for several days. Perhaps all the trivial matters in Prince Duan's Mansion had reached his ears. Given his temper, she didn't know what kind of trouble he would cause.

At this time, we shouldn't speculate on Li Zhao's thoughts.

Therefore, Xue Sui was only distracted for a short while, and then closed his eyes again, recalling the people who were densely packed on the paper just now...

It was unknown how much time had passed before she gradually fell asleep.

The next morning, Xue Sui was awakened by the sound of low conversation in the corridor.

Emerald's laughter, accompanied by light footsteps, came closer and closer.

"Has Madam Ping'an not gotten up yet?" Ruyi replied, "Aunt Feicui, my Madam went to bed late last night and hasn't woken up yet."

Feicui said, "Please tell them that the princess asked Madam to move to the main hall, and Princess Ruihe will be here soon."

Hearing the voice, Xue Sui hurriedly sat up, recalled the beautiful dream last night, rubbed her cheeks hard, and called Xiao Zhao in to help her wash and dress.

In the bronze mirror, her eyelids were blue and slightly swollen, and it was obvious that she did not sleep well.

Xiao Zhao said distressedly: "Miss, please take care of yourself..."

Xue Sui was silent. He took the jeweled hairpin with a phoenix holding a pearl and handed it to Xiao Zhao.

"That's it."

Xiao Zhao was stunned for a moment and hesitated.

"The girl usually wears plain clothes. This hairpin is too gorgeous and doesn't match her at all."

Xue Sui said: "Then change into brightly colored clothes."
-
When Xue Sui arrived at the main hall of Prince Duan's Mansion, Xue Yuechen was already waiting there.

She looked Xue Sui up and down, showing a hint of surprise.

"Sixth sister is wearing bright clothes today."

Xue Sui smiled lightly, raised his hand and gently adjusted his hairpin, "Princess Ruihe is here, so we should treat her with respect."

Xue Yuechen nodded and said with a smile: "It looks great. This outfit suits you very well. You are in your prime years, so you should wear bright clothes. Don't waste your best years..."

The two of them walked out of the door together. As soon as they stepped down the stairs, they saw Princess Ruihe and a few maids walking slowly towards them.

Xue Yuechen turned his head and whispered to Xue Sui: "Although this girl is not a princess, she is the most beloved girl of Her Majesty the Queen Mother..."

Xue Sui nodded, and before he said anything more, he heard a low voice.

"I haven't stepped into Prince Duan's Mansion for many years. The crabapple tree in front of the porch has become more and more luxuriant."

Princess Ruihe was supporting her maid and walking very slowly. She was wearing a plain white skirt and a white jade hairpin on her temple. She had no ornaments on her body and her face was very plain, making her look pitiful.

Xue Yuechen greeted her with a smile, "The princess is finally here, come in and sit down."

Ruihe glanced at Xue Yuechen's carefully dressed face, smiled slightly, and bowed.

"I haven't been to the capital for a long time. I'm sorry for disturbing the princess by coming here rashly..."

Xue Yuechen hurriedly supported her, but was shocked by the coolness of her fingertips - in this kind of weather, is there still a way to survive at this temperature?
"What are you talking about? The princess's presence here is an honor to the palace."

After saying this, he paused for a moment, thinking of her experience.

"My princess, you look much thinner now that you are back. I don't know if you are living a comfortable life far away in Longyou. Have you suffered a lot?"

Li Yuning shook his head slightly, smiled and did not answer, turned to look at Xue Sui, his eyes full of scrutiny.

"This is Madam Ping An, right?"

"Greetings to the princess." Xue Sui lowered his eyes and saluted, catching a glimpse of her hands folded in front of her abdomen.

"As soon as I returned to the capital, I heard people say that there is a lady named Ping An in Prince Duan's mansion, who is very favored by my second brother." Li Yuning's voice was like bamboo leaves soaked in frost and snow, low and hoarse in its coldness. "Today I saw her, she is indeed graceful and charming, more dazzling than the prosperous garden..."

She suddenly stopped and her eyes fixed on the phoenix hairpin in Xue Sui's hair.

Xue Yuechen noticed Ruihe's subtle changes, stepped forward at the right time, and greeted him with a smile, "Princess, you have worked hard on the way, come in and sit down, and tell us about the scenery of Longyou..."

"This hairpin..." Li Yuning seemed not to have heard Xue Yuechen's words and suddenly interrupted her, with a strange blush on her pale cheeks, "Madam Ping'an, can you lend it to me for a look?"

Xue Sui calmly took off the phoenix hairpin and handed it over. He watched the other person's trembling fingertips stroke the gem at the end of the hairpin, rubbing it repeatedly, and couldn't help but smile indifferently.

"This phoenix hairpin is the prize I won in a guessing game at Duke Zheng's mansion. If you like it, I'll give it to you."

"I had one too..."

Li Yuning suddenly murmured.

The past seemed to be torn open by the Phoenix Hairpin, and the corners of her eyes turned red as if bleeding - at the Shangyuan Palace Banquet, His Majesty granted the marriage in public and awarded her the Phoenix Hairpin. Before that, she had refused the marriage many times and displeased the Emperor. Now that she was old, even with the protection of the Queen Mother, she could not be safe.

She tore off her hair, looked crazy, took out the golden knife and was about to commit suicide.

A stone shot from somewhere hit her wrist, and the golden knife fell heavily to the ground.

She reached out to pick it up with trembling hands, and saw a pair of black brocade boots passing by quickly without stopping...

"Thank you for your kindness, Madam Ping'an." Li Yuning said softly, handing the hairpin back. His deep voice sounded like it had been rubbed by sandpaper. "I lost my hairpin when I got married... Even if I can get it back, it won't be the same as before."

Xue Yuechen's expression changed slightly, and his smile seemed a little forced.

"Then I will respectfully obey your command." Xue Sui observed his expression and took the phoenix hairpin with a smile.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Li Yuning's right hand trembling slightly in his sleeve.