Union

Chapter 149, Section 148: Head-to-Head
Lin Shuqing was intimidated by her elder sister and became completely at ease.

Seeing this, Lin Shuyu had someone bring over boiled eggs and ointment.

With this two-pronged approach, by evening the swelling on Lin Shuqing's face had finally subsided. With just a light application of powder, unless you looked very closely, no one would guess that her face had been slapped twice.

As night fell, Lady Chang'an finally awoke.

She had her two daughters accompany her to the meal, and then instructed Shuyu to send Shuqing back to the Rongguo Mansion.

Lin Shuyu paused, about to tell her mother that they should wait a little longer, since her brother-in-law might come to pick her up later.
Before he could say this, Liu Mama rushed in and said, "A eunuch just came from the palace and summoned the young master to the palace."

The room fell silent. After a moment, Lady Chang'an spoke again, "Since the son-in-law has entered the palace, he certainly won't have time to pick up Shuqing tonight. Shuyu, why don't you see Shuqing off?"

"Yes, Mother."

Lin Shuqing walked obediently beside her sister, and the two sisters remained quite quiet throughout the journey. So quiet that they didn't utter a single word from the moment they got into the car.

When the carriage stopped in front of the Rongguo Duke's Mansion, Lin Shuyu watched her younger sister get off before lifting the curtain and saying affectionately, "It's too late, so I won't go in. Qing'er, you should go back now. Next time, I'll invite you to go out and play together. We'll bring all your sisters-in-law and younger sisters with us, and we'll go admire the plum blossoms."

Lin Shuqing, with a long face, reluctantly went along with the act, "Okay, I understand. Sister, you should go back now, or your husband will come looking for you."

"I'm leaving now."

……

After returning to her residence, Lin Shuqing went straight to her Wanxiang Hall.

She didn't send a maid to Wenhua Garden to inform her, nor did she go to tell her mother-in-law herself.

She seemed completely ignorant of these etiquettes and disregarded these rules, acting willfully and recklessly.

When the Crown Prince's wife heard about this, she couldn't help but shake her head and say, "Mother is just too compassionate."

When Madam Feng heard about this, she simply sighed and said, "Let her be."

The loudest voice on this matter came from the Duke of Rong.

The Duke scoffed coldly, rarely speaking harshly to a junior, "Let's see how long she can keep this up!"

……

As night deepened, the lights in Wanxiang Hall, where Lin Shuqing lived, were turned off early.

However, apart from her, all the other residences in the mansion, whether it was Madam Feng's Wenhua Garden, the Prince and his wife's Linfeng Residence, or even the residences of Third Master Chen Yanhuai and Fourth Miss Chen Yanxi, were still brightly lit.

Everyone was waiting for Chen Yanzhou to return from the palace.

Although the emperor only summoned him in the evening, it was unlikely that Chen Yanzhou would return home tonight. But they were still his blood relatives, and they were all worried about him, not wanting to leave until they saw him return home.

Finally, curfew time arrived, and the palace gates were locked. Chen Yanzhou had not yet come out of the palace, so he definitely wouldn't be able to return home tonight.

Thus, the Duke of Rongguo had the lights turned off and took Lady Feng to rest.

Once Wenhua Garden was completely dark, the lights in Linfeng Residence and the residences of Chen Yanhuai and Chen Yanxi were turned off one by one, and everyone went to rest.

……

The troubles and worries in the capital were complicated and distressing, but Yunying, who had already arrived in Qianzhou, was in a relatively good mood.

They stayed overnight at the inn because of the snow that fell last night.

But when they woke up the next day, the snow had stopped early. In addition, the snowfall that night was not heavy, with only a palm-sized layer of snow on the ground. Therefore, the group continued their journey on this day.

However, because of the snow, the road was a bit difficult to travel, and they only traveled fifty or sixty li today before stopping at a post station along the way.

The closer to the capital, the more spacious and meticulously constructed the post stations became.

Today, they not only have floors to choose from, but also separate courtyards for them to live in.

Upon hearing that a small courtyard had become available, Mo Xue quickly paid extra money to reserve it.

There was even an underfloor heating system burning in the courtyard, so while it was freezing cold outside, the house was warm and cozy inside.

Yunying was no longer cold, and the servants in the courtyard even brought her hot water. Her heart was itching, and she finally took a hot bath.

After washing up and coming out of the clean room, Yunying felt like she had lost two pounds.

Throughout the journey, due to limited conditions and the sweltering cold, she hadn't had a proper time to wash herself. She usually just carried a basin of hot water around the room to wipe things down. Even so, she worried that the Second Master, who lived in the next room, might hear something, so she made sure to move very quietly.

With such restrained movements, it's easy to imagine that wiping oneself wouldn't be a pleasant experience.

It's been almost twenty days since we left Yungui County. After twenty days, she finally had a refreshing bath. Yunying felt all her discomfort disappear and her body felt lighter than ever before.

After taking a bath, Yunying lay in the warm and cozy bed and quickly fell asleep.

Yunying thought she would get a good night's sleep, but unexpectedly, she woke up in the middle of the night from a nightmare.

She was breathing heavily, her hands resting on her knees, lost in thought.

She dreamed of Lin Shuqing.

The high and mighty third young lady of the Marquis of Chang'an's mansion stood before her, looking down at her with disdain and contempt in her eyes. She said, "The fact that the Second Master brought you to the capital clearly shows that he is very satisfied with your service. Tell me in detail how you serve the Second Master every night."

The feeling of humiliation, the pain of fingers scraping her cheek, and the sarcasm and harassment in her words stung Yunying so much that her pupils contracted, and she felt as if she had been battered by wind and rain, collapsing and bursting into tears.

She was about to explain herself.

But what can she say in her defense?

Was it because the Second Master didn't take her back to the capital, or because she didn't serve him properly?
Although this kind of service and that kind of service are completely different things, what difference is there?

Since their behavior has crossed the line, it doesn't prevent others from using the word "serve".

Wasn't this exactly what she expected?
Back when she couldn't control her heart, softened for the Second Master time and time again, and "ignored" his approach time and time again, hadn't she foreseen this scene?
Hadn't she already prepared herself mentally?
Why are you now retreating, hesitating, and avoiding things?
No one knows what Yunying was thinking.

Just two days later, as the carriage was about to enter the capital's territory, Yunying called out to Moxue, "I don't want to go to the capital anymore. I want to stay at a temple in the suburbs. Can you find me a quiet place and take me there to stay for a while? Would that be alright?"

Mo Xue never expected that Yun Ying, who had been well-behaved all the way, would give him such a blow on the eve of his arrival in the capital.

Why did Yunying come up with the idea of ​​staying at a temple?

Why isn't she going to the capital? Is she avoiding the Rongguo Duke's Mansion and doesn't want to face Lin Shuqing? If Mo Xue put herself in Yun Ying's shoes, if she were Yun Ying, she wouldn't want to be subservient to the principal wife either.

Mo Xue believed he had seen through Yun Ying's thoughts, but sending Yun Ying to the temple was not a decision he could make on his own.

Mo Xue said with difficulty, "When the Second Master left, he said that he wanted me to hand you over to him safely and unharmed."

"What then? Will Second Master still place me in the front courtyard like he did in Yun Gui County? Even if Second Master is willing, I doubt the Duke and Duchess would allow Second Master to be so unruly. If I enter the Duke's mansion, I will only be able to serve Second Madam... Mo Xue, I don't want to."

Mo Xue watched as Yun Ying lowered her head with a calm expression, but her hands kept twisting the handkerchief in her hands, until the perfectly good handkerchief was crumpled up.

Her already pale face was now even more deathly white, and there was a thick layer of dark circles under her eyes.

You couldn't sleep last night because of this, right?
Seeing this, Mo Xue paused for a moment, then finally said, "I'll send a message to Second Master by carrier pigeon. If Second Master agrees, I'll send you to Linghui Temple."

"it is good."

In fact, Yunying wanted to say that there was no need to ask the Second Master, as he would likely respect her opinion on this matter.

But after thinking it over, Yunying didn't say anything more.

Yunying simply let them stay there for that one night.

She was determined to go to the temple. If the Second Master disagreed... then she would simply not leave and would spend the rest of the year at this post station.

Second Master was naturally unaware of Yunying's schemes.

After being summoned to the palace, he stayed there for one night until the next morning when His Majesty released him.

Having spent the entire night in conversation with the emperor by candlelight, the Second Prince remained on edge. Coupled with his previous busy journey and lack of proper rest, he inevitably looked somewhat tired when he left the palace the next day.

Fortunately, as soon as he stepped out of the palace gate, the Second Master saw his own carriage.

This was a good thing. The bad thing was that the Rongguo Duke's carriage was parked quite far away. And because today was the day of the sealing ceremony, which was considered a small court assembly, all officials of the fourth rank and above had to attend. As a result, the palace gate was crowded with officials everywhere.

Chen Yanzhou was once the top scholar in the imperial examination and was appointed by His Majesty as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, which was a sixth-rank official position, barely qualified to participate in the grand court assembly.

In addition, as the second son of the Duke of Rongguo, he was not an unknown figure in the imperial court.

Furthermore, he petitioned on behalf of Grand Secretary Tong, which resulted in his demotion to Yungui County by the Emperor. Although the officials in the court felt that this young man was impetuous, upon closer examination they also felt that he was loyal, upright, and filial.

Therefore, both the upright officials and the powerful had a good impression of him. When they saw him coming out of the palace, they couldn't help but pull him aside and ask him a few questions.

These were all fourth-rank officials, the superiors of his superiors. Although Chen Yanzhou was neither humble nor arrogant, he was stopped and questioned, so naturally he couldn't leave.

Finally, it was the Duke of Rongguo who came and rescued his son. Then, the Marquis of Chang'an, having heard the commotion, came over to say a few words to his beloved son-in-law, making it even more difficult for Chen Yanzhou to leave the room.

Finally, as the time for the court assembly drew near, the Marquis of Chang'an allowed him to leave.

Before parting, the Marquis of Chang'an earnestly instructed his son-in-law, "Come home with Shuqing when you have time. After today, when I have some free time, we, father-in-law and son-in-law, can have a few drinks together."

Before Chen Yanzhou could agree, the Marquis of Chang'an was pulled away by the Duke of Rong.

The two men disagreed on political views, and the Marquis of Chang'an made a concerted effort to get rid of his father-in-law. Then, with a flick of his sleeve, he strode away first.

Seeing this, the Duke of Rong chuckled. "Let you be arrogant today, let's see if you're still so arrogant tomorrow."

Chen Yanzhou left the crowd, got into the carriage, and the carriage started moving, heading towards the Rongguo Duke's Mansion.

As soon as they reached Zhuque Street, they heard dozens of riders galloping towards them.

The imperial court has issued a clear decree that, except for urgent military and political affairs, no one may ride a horse at high speed on Zhuque Avenue.

I wonder who this person is, daring to disregard the imperial decrees in this way.

Chen Yanzhou picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip, but the name "Xiahou Yi" suddenly jumped out from the depths of his mind.

Chen Yanzhou immediately pulled back the car window curtain and shouted, "Stop the car."

Sui Yu, the driver, quickly reined in the carriage, intending to ask the Second Master if he had any orders. Just then, the galloping horse that was running towards them was also abruptly stopped.

The horse's hooves rose high, and it let out a long neigh. Its mane shimmered in the fine sunlight. If you looked closely, you could even see glistening beads of sweat on its skin.

Then look at the burly man on horseback, with a somewhat cynical expression on his face—it was none other than Xiahou Yi.

Xiahou Yi looked at the Second Master, and the Second Master looked at him in return.

In the unspoken understanding, Xiahou Yi suddenly raised his eyebrows, "What a coincidence, isn't it? I just returned to the capital and ran into you."

"Your Highness is lucky. So many people are chasing you, but they can't even touch a hair on your head."

"No problem, no problem. In the end, it's just that they're too incompetent. They only ever use assassination and poisoning, and I'm immune to those two tricks. If they use something new, like a honey trap, I might fall for it."

"Since Your Highness has this intention, you must communicate with the person behind the scenes next time. That person knows your wishes and will certainly not refuse you."

Xiahou Yi laughed heartily, not at all surprised that he already knew about it. After all, it wasn't a secret; it was obvious that Mo Xue would write to Chen Yanzhou after the incident.

However, Chen Yanzhou's sarcastic remarks were even more intense than he had expected, which made him want to laugh.

"I told you you were going to get anxious, and you really are. Chen Yanzhou, Chen Yanzhou, how come I didn't know you were such a romantic? You said you were going back to the capital to report on your duties, and you even brought a beautiful concubine with you. You've done something so shameful. Does your first wife know about this? Do the people in the Marquis of Chang'an's mansion know about this?"

"Your Highness should just mind your own business."

"Sigh, what are you saying? We grew up together after all. Even though we weren't close friends, we were still acquaintances. I was even planning to go back to Beijing to have a drink with you, but you're being so heartless. Chen Yanzhou, this is really unacceptable of you."

"Those who were decent have all been skinned alive and fed to the dogs by Your Highness, so it's better for me to be disrespectful. Time is of the essence, Your Highness should go to the palace to report first, I will not see you off further. Suiyu, let's set off for the manor."

"Let's go now."

Sui Yu smiled and cupped her hands in greeting to Xiahou Yi, "Your Highness, our Second Master met with the Emperor last night and just came out of the palace this morning. I'll take him back to his residence now. Please take care, Your Highness."

Xiahou Yi chuckled twice and spurred his horse past them.

As soon as Xiahou Yi left, the dozens of guards behind him followed closely behind. For a moment, it was as if a gust of wind had swept by, causing the carriage curtains to sway wildly.

Many mud splatters and unmelted snowflakes splashed over, landing right on Sui Yu's head and face.

After spitting out the mud from his mouth a few times, Sui Yu muttered something under his breath and drove back to the Rongguo Mansion.