Chapter 58 Let Me Out

Chapter 58 Let Me Out

Yan Xuerui snapped back to reality. Stopping an imperial procession in the street? Was she courting death, especially if she encountered a short-tempered noble?

She lifted the carriage curtain. A frail young girl was being held down by the guards. A closer look revealed a familiar face: Yao’er.

The commotion drew a crowd of onlookers. Yan Xuerui quietly instructed the guards, "Don't harm her. Take her with us."

Yao’er, fiercely loyal to Fang Zhixu, saw Yan Xuerui ignoring her. She opened her mouth and cried out, "Madam, please, I beg you to save—"

Yan Xuerui’s eyelids twitched. "Gag her. Now."

In a flash, before the situation could escalate further, Yao’er was gagged and led away. It wasn't until the grand procession reached the sparsely populated area outside the Meridian Gate that Yan Xuerui ordered Yao’er to be brought before her.

Before Yao’er, her face a mix of shock and indignation, could utter a word, Yan Xuerui cut her off: "What happened to Taoist Master Xu? Be brief."

After a day of turmoil, the sun was setting, casting a golden glow upon the vermilion palace walls. Yan Xuerui sat regally in her ornate carriage, her luxurious, layered skirts fanning out like blooming peonies, accentuating her delicate, snow-white face, making her appear even more beautiful and noble.

This imposing presence quelled Yao’er’s indignation, preventing her from acting rashly.

Yao’er lowered her head, gritting her teeth. "Madam... no, Your Highness, Master felt dizzy after breakfast this morning, followed by excruciating pain in both knees. The pain was so severe he fainted."

"Master has always been meticulous about his health. For years, he hasn’t even caught a cold. It’s that ointment!"

"Ever since Master started using the ointment you sent, his health has been deteriorating daily. Your Highness, you cannot abandon him!"

Yan Xuerui frowned. "How is Taoist Master Xu now? What did the doctors say?"

From their few interactions, Yan Xuerui knew Yao’er was fiercely loyal to her cousin Fang Zhixu, but also impulsive and prone to her own schemes. Her words couldn't be taken at face value.

"We consulted several doctors, but none could explain it. They all said there was no serious ailment and that he just needed rest. But how can rest help when he’s in so much pain he passed out?"

With the sudden death of the Virtuous Prince, Fang Zhixu and his adopted children had already planned to pack up and return to Yangzhou. Fang Zhixu was still debating whether to see his cousin one last time before leaving when this misfortune struck. Yao’er was convinced the ointment was to blame.

If other doctors couldn’t figure it out, then the one who tied the bell must untie it—that woman must have a solution.

Impulsive by nature and reckless with her own life, Yao’er had taken the risk of blocking the imperial carriage in the street.

Yao’er was too young, and her resentment inevitably showed in her words and demeanor. Yan Xuerui pondered, realizing that her cousin Fang Zhixu must be in critical condition.

The palace gates were soon to be locked. According to palace rules, she had to return before they shut. The palace staff who delivered the golden seal and token that morning had specifically reminded her. Although Yan Xuerui doubted the emperor would punish her for this, she was still new to the palace. If she broke the palace rules right after arriving, and with rumors already swirling outside, she didn’t want to draw undue attention.

Because of this, she hadn’t even had time to see her little page.

Yan Xuerui sighed softly and asked, "Where is Cousin Zhixu now?"

Without hesitation, Yao’er quickly named an alley. She urged, "I can take you there right now, Your Highness."

Yan Xuerui didn’t respond, simply saying, "Noted," before ordering the carriage to return to the palace.

She wasn’t as "heartless" as Yao’er thought. But she wasn’t a doctor. Even if she was worried, she knew going there herself would be futile. She planned to bring a court physician tomorrow, along with the doctor she had previously asked Madam to find, to thoroughly investigate and prescribe the right remedy.

The more urgent the situation, the calmer she needed to be.

She thought clearly, but she was only human. Yan Xuerui was troubled by Gu Yan and worried about Fang Zhixu. The palace bed was plush and comfortable, and imperial guards with cold, gleaming long sabers stood watch outside. She was safe for the night.

Yet Yan Xuerui lay wide-eyed, staring at the canopy with ruyi (auspicious) patterns above the bed, restless and unable to sleep.

Tonight was a sleepless night.

***

Meanwhile, Yao’er was escorted out of the palace gates by the guards. With her foster father’s life hanging in the balance, she paced anxiously outside the palace, too worried to leave. In the faint glow of the lanterns, a cold, tall young man suddenly came into view.

It was Gu Minglan, who had just finished his shift.

Yao’er’s heart skipped a beat. They had parted hastily at the Gu residence last time. He had saved her life, and she hadn’t had the chance to thank him.

Young Master Minglan was different from that brute Gu. He was honorable and compassionate. Back when she was just a lowly maid, she had felt he treated her differently. Perhaps she could ask him for help?

Would Young Master Minglan still help her?

With a nervous heart, Yao’er followed Minglan from a distance. She had some training in martial arts, and her small frame was hidden by the night. Minglan walked steadily, seemingly unaware of the "little tail" behind him.

As she followed, Yao’er gradually realized something was wrong. This wasn’t the way back to the Marquis’s residence!

Had he noticed her?

Yao’er’s heart pounded. She hesitated, holding her breath, her mind in turmoil. Just as she was wrestling with herself, Minglan stopped at the entrance of a small courtyard in the alley.

The courtyard wasn’t large, but in the expensive capital, it was quite rare. Two red lanterns hung at the gate, emitting a faint glow in the night.

"Tap, tap, tap."

Gu Minglan knocked on the door with his knuckles. After a moment, the courtyard door opened from the inside, and a deep male voice spoke.

"Young Master."

"Mmm."

Minglan responded and ordered, "There’s someone following me. Seize them."

With that, Minglan strode into the courtyard. In this quiet yard, a young woman in red leaned quietly by the window. Silvery moonlight spilled through the carved window lattice. She looked up, her skin as white and translucent as pearls, her thick black hair loosely braided and draped over her neck, adorned with coral beads and turquoise at her temples—a stark contrast to the women of the capital.

Hearing the noise, she turned her head, her bright blue eyes flashing with anger.

"Let me out!"

The girl spoke in clumsy Mandarin. Her features were deep-set, her skin extremely fair, her eyes as blue as the sky, with thick, curled eyelashes, a high nose bridge, and full, rosy lips. She possessed the exotic beauty and charm of a foreign woman.

She seemed furious. Picking up a cup from the table, she hurled it like a blade straight at Minglan’s forehead.

Minglan paused, dodging just in time. The cup shattered on the ground with a crisp sound.

"Put your clothes on properly. This is improper."

Gu Minglan looked her up and down. The red gauze clung to her curvaceous body, her fair skin faintly visible through the fabric. To Minglan, who had been raised with strict Confucian values since childhood, this attire was indeed "improper."

A Yina looked down at her clothes. It was so hot—was she supposed to layer up like the women of Great Zhou, wrapped tightly from head to toe, not even showing her ankles?

The women of Great Zhou must truly endure.

"We’ve already slept together. What decency are you talking about?"

A Yina didn’t care. She followed closely behind Minglan and said, "You promised you’d let me out in a couple of days. How many 'couple of days' has it been now?"

She had come to the capital with an important mission. Although this young man was handsome and skilled, she couldn’t—what was that saying in Great Zhou? Ah, right, she couldn’t let a pretty face ruin her mission.

Minglan first ordered a servant to fetch her a cloak. A Yina angrily tried to tear it apart, but under Minglan’s deep, dark gaze, she muttered something under her breath and reluctantly put it on.

The silk cloak was soft and comfortable, but A Yina hated it; the constriction around her neck felt like a horse’s bridle, making her extremely uncomfortable.

She said, "Is this better? Anyway, it’ll come off soon—such nonsense."

Minglan, who’d just sat down and taken a sip of tea, frowned deeply. After a moment, he said in a low voice, "I’ll get you a tutor."

Her crude speech meant she needed to be taught how to behave like a proper woman.

Meeting A Yina had been an accident.

Earlier, to bait the Virtuous Prince, Minglan had been stationed with his second uncle outside a camp in the outskirts of the capital to set up an ambush. During that tense period, every carriage entering or leaving the capital was closely inspected. Right at that tense moment, a group of merchants from Western Rong arrived.

Western Rong was a neighboring country to the northwest of Great Zhou, far from the capital. The Black Armor Army was stationed year-round in the northwest, and though there was no full-scale war between the two nations, they often skirmished.

This merchant group immediately caught Gu Yuan’s attention. Upon careful inspection, they claimed to be in the capital for the jade trade, but their caravans carried few jade stones and instead were filled with blades and spears. Gu Yuan ordered them arrested immediately. Of course, the merchants didn’t go quietly. During the skirmish, Minglan was injured by a dagger—the neck scar Yan Xuerui had seen earlier.

It wasn’t Minglan’s lack of skill; rather, he never expected that among a group of burly, suspicious merchants, there would be a fierce, alluring woman.

His mother had been worrying about his marriage. His requirements were simple: he only wanted a virtuous and beautiful wife. The noble ladies at the Flower-Viewing Banquet were not even one-tenth as refined as his mother. This woman, however, was passable—unfortunately, she was a spy.

Minglan was calm and collected. Though he kept a straight face, his special treatment of A Yina did not escape Gu Yuan’s notice. Gu Yuan, who treated Minglan like his own son, threw the other merchants into the dungeon for interrogation but let Minglan handle A Yina.

Having grown up under the influence of his second uncle, who shunned women, Minglan had never been with a woman before. At first, he was hesitant. In contrast, A Yina, with her bright blue eyes, asked, "That official said if I sleep with you, you’ll let me go?"

"I’m in a hurry. Quit stalling—get on with it."

Her speech, a mix of Western Rong language and Great Zhou speech, happened to be understandable to Minglan, who knew the Western Rong tongue. He had never encountered such a bold and unrestrained woman.

...

She seemed so indifferent that Minglan assumed she was experienced. To his surprise, she was a virgin. After that night, Minglan, raised with traditional values, thought it over seriously—he felt responsible.

She’d given him her innocence; he at least owed her a proper status. Her past, he would investigate her identity before making further decisions.

Of course, Minglan was attached to his first woman. He liked her bold passion, so different from ordinary women; he liked her untamed energy; he liked her fair skin and blue eyes; he liked how she held him tightly.

But he was also deeply troubled.

She was very disobedient. When he told her not to wear revealing clothes, she ignored him and did whatever she wanted. He disliked her crude language, her constant talk of "undressing" and "sleeping." He urged her to learn proper etiquette so she could someday meet his father and mother, but all she wanted was to leave, demanding he release her.

She was his woman now—where could she possibly go besides staying by his side? Why couldn’t she be as gentle and virtuous as his mother?

Minglan had little time to indulge in the comforts of romance. After deploying manpower, the Virtuous Prince died, his biological mother’s status changed abruptly, and rumors about his parents spread throughout the capital. As soon as Minglan had a moment’s rest, he came to see A Yina, only to find her as unruly as ever.

When his mother saw his father, she would gently step forward to pour tea for him. His father would often take her hand to keep her from overexerting herself. Having grown up witnessing this, Minglan believed deeply that this was how things should be.

His mother was elegant and quiet, speaking softly and gently, full of tenderness and kindness.

She rarely left the inner quarters; even when she did go out, it was always with his father. Their deep affection for each other was the envy of others.

In the Gu household, his father’s word was law, and his mother never disobeyed him.

...

Remembering this, Minglan looked at A Yina, who was stubbornly arguing with him and shouting, "Let me go!" and said, "Wait a little longer."

Wait until she learned proper manners.

Clearly, A Yina did not have Yan Xuerui’s patience. She shot to her feet and angrily retorted, "You go back on your word—how despicable!"

Gu Minglan couldn’t help but snort and reminded her, "I saved you."

The other merchants were still suffering harsh interrogations in the dungeon. Compared to them, A Yina was living like royalty.

A Yina frantically tugged at her hair, pacing back and forth anxiously. "I’ve told you, we’re not spies. We’re not."

"You clearly understand the Western Rong language!"

She had repeated many times that she was not a spy and that they had important business in the capital.

Minglan lowered his gaze. "I will verify it myself."

The young man she had slept with in a fleeting encounter was so stubborn that A Yina was going mad. She carried a heavy responsibility from her father and could not afford to be trapped in this small courtyard.

Suddenly, an idea struck her. A Yina looked at Minglan and tentatively asked, "Are you... also an official?"

He was such a young man that she hadn’t considered it before, assuming he was just the son of an official, a wealthy noble.

Minglan nodded modestly. "I manage to get by."

A Yina’s face lit up with joy. She stepped forward and grabbed Minglan’s sleeve. "Well then... as you say in Great Zhou, 'a hundred years of... sharing a bed'? Ah, we’ve slept together for so long—we’re like two grasshoppers tied to the same string, right?"

Minglan’s eyebrows twitched. He wanted to correct her but didn’t know where to start.

He said, "Get to the point."

A Yina’s expression suddenly turned serious. "Can you help me find a high-ranking official? We came to the capital specifically to seek him out."