A night of passion.
By the next morning, the other side of the bed was already empty.
Chu Ruoyan leaned against the couch, her body utterly exhausted. Yulu wrung out a hot towel and remarked, "Miss, it seems your monthly courses haven’t come for a while now..."
Chu Ruoyan started in alarm and was about to summon Nanny Zhou to calculate the dates when the gatekeeper came in to announce that Cousin Xue Ling had arrived.
With no choice, she freshened up to receive her guest.
Xue Ling looked much better than the last time they met. She blushed as she said, "Cousin, I shouldn’t be here to ask this of you, but it concerns Young Master Xie’s future, so..."
Before she could finish, Chu Ruoyan had Yulu fetch something.
Seeing the resignation letter that had yet to reach the Emperor, Xue Ling grew emotional. But Chu Ruoyan pressed a hand over the letter and asked slowly, "Cousin, have you thought this through? Must you marry into the Xie Family?"
Xue Ling froze, then gradually steadied herself. "Cousin, to be honest, I was still hesitant just a few days ago. But when I heard he was willing to give up his official post for me, I thought—I must fight for him too!"
"I know the Xie matriarch is difficult to handle, and I know marrying in will bring countless hardships. But just as you would do anything for the Chief Minister, I’m willing to take this chance for Young Master Xie. Even if it means walking through fire, I want to face it with him!"
With such resolve, further words were pointless.
Chu Ruoyan handed her the resignation letter, along with a gilded silver hairpin adorned with phoenixes and butterflies as a wedding gift. "Cousin, I hope you get your wish. But if life becomes unbearable, remember you still have family to return to."
Xue Ling’s eyes glistened as she nodded firmly.
Not long after she left, a palace eunuch arrived with an edict: in five days, there would be a royal hunt, and the families of all officials were permitted to attend.
Chu Ruoyan was baffled. "In the past, only royalty and high-ranking officials attended hunts. What could the women possibly hunt?"
The eunuch merely smiled and claimed ignorance. After he left, Yulu suddenly said, "Could it be that His Lordship requested this favor from the Emperor to bring you along?"
"Impossible."
He was scheming to incite the Feng Family’s rebellion—the hunting grounds would be perilous. Why would he take her there?
Unable to make sense of it, she decided to wait for Yan Zheng’s return to ask.
But before Yan Zheng arrived, Chu Ruoyin came instead.
She hurried into the room, her face anxious. "Elder Sister, I heard Feng Ying is to marry the eldest son of the Yan Family’s second branch. Is it true?"
Chu Ruoyan noted how quickly the second branch had acted—just yesterday they’d mentioned the proposal, and now rumors were already spreading.
She nodded. "It’s true."
Chu Ruoyin gasped, covering her mouth. "This won’t do! That Miss Feng is infatuated with Brother-in-law. If she marries into the Yan Family, she’ll stir up endless trouble. You’ll never have peace!"
Touched, Chu Ruoyan thought, Silly girl, you haven’t even settled your own affairs, yet you’re worrying about me.
"Don’t fret. I’ve already discussed this with your brother-in-law. He has plans. But you..." She paused, then asked softly, "What are your thoughts about Prince Qin and Cousin Huaian?"
Chu Ruoyin’s eyes widened. "Elder Sister, you—?"
Chu Ruoyan patted her hand. "Second Sister, there’s no need to hide between us. I know you skipped the New Year’s banquet not because of your love for mathematics, but to spare Father from gossip. And I know you’ve apprenticed under Accountant Zheng, a renowned female accountant in the capital, and plan to leave the Duke of Chu's Mansion soon—all to avoid shaming Father, am I right?"
Chu Ruoyin’s face paled. After a long silence, she smiled bitterly. "I’ve already taken so much as the second daughter of the Chu Family. Now that the truth is out, how can I stay without guilt? Elder Sister, Accountant Zheng is willing to take me in. Once I learn bookkeeping, I can make my own way..."
Chu Ruoyan sighed. "It’s good to be ambitious, but with your status, what shop would dare hire you? And living alone in the city, unfamiliar with its ways—how much hardship must you endure before finding footing? Second Sister, I don’t oppose your independence, but I want you to choose a path that suits you. Even returning to our maternal family with Cousin Huaian, learning trade and meeting people before venturing out would be better!"
But Chu Ruoyin bit her lip, her expression pained. "Elder Sister, don’t. Do you know... Uncle has come to the capital!"
Chu Ruoyan was startled. "Uncle is here? Why wasn’t the mansion informed?"
"Because no one knew. He didn’t even greet Mother." Chu Ruoyin’s voice trembled. "He arrived two days ago, seized Cousin Huaian without a word, and... whipped him thirty times in an inn..."
"What?!" Thirty lashes would cripple even a soldier, let alone a frail scholar.
"Yes. His back was torn to shreds, but Cousin Huaian still refused to return to the Jiang Family. For over a decade, he’s never disobeyed his father—until now. And he bore the pain without a sound..." Tears spilled as she clutched her elder sister’s shoulders. "I’m not worth such devotion. Yet he endured it all. That same day, Uncle summoned me. He made me watch as Cousin Huaian lay there, bleeding, smiling at me while Uncle said, ‘If a child won’t obey, breaking his legs is the only way to take him home.’"
Chu Ruoyan’s brow furrowed.
Uncle was clearly threatening her!
Chu Ruoyin continued shakily, "I had to beg Uncle, promising never to see Cousin Huaian again. Elder Sister, I can’t return to the Jiang Family, and I can’t stay in the Chu Family. The world is vast, but I truly have nowhere to go..."
Heartbroken, Chu Ruoyan could only soothe her. "Don’t be afraid. If need be, I have a vacant house in the western city. You can stay there while we figure things out."
"No... I can’t impose—"
"Who says you can’t? You’ll maintain the property and pay rent—it’s not charity. Besides, if you leave abruptly, Father and your mother will worry. Staying there eases their minds. What do you think?"
After a long pause, Chu Ruoyin nodded. "Then... thank you, Elder Sister."
Just then, her maid Bihe entered. "Miss, someone from the mansion is here, urging you to return quickly."
As Chu Ruoyin rose, Chu Ruoyan asked, "Who came? What’s the matter?"
Bihe thought for a moment. "Someone from the palace, I think. Something about the hunt... insisting you must attend."
Chu Ruoyin was stunned. "But I don’t know how to hunt!"
Chu Ruoyan’s expression darkened. Ah, so that’s why women were invited this year—Prince Qin’s doing, all to target Second Sister!
