Duke of Chu's Mansion, Main Hall.
When Chu Ruoyan entered, she heard Xiao Liu (Yan Zhao) swearing an oath: "...If I am fortunate enough to marry Third Miss, Yan Zhao pledges to follow Third Brother's example and will never take a concubine! I will treasure her like a pearl my whole life, never letting her suffer the slightest grievance!"
Every word came from the bottom of his heart. It was a pity Chu Ruolan, still severely injured, was bedridden and couldn't hear it.
At that moment, Chu Huaishan looked up and said, "Yan'er is here? Have a seat."
After Chu Ruoyan sat down, he turned his gaze back to Yan Zhao, narrowing his eyes dangerously. "But since ancient times, loyalty and love are hard to reconcile. Young Master Yan the Sixth, if this Duke were to ask you, are you willing to never set foot on the battlefield again for Lan'er's sake? What would you say?"
Chu Ruoyan's eyelids twitched. Her father's question was far too tricky!
Agreeing would be disloyal, and given her father's temperament, he would absolutely never marry her third sister to him.
But refusing would be unfavorable to Third Sister. It was a mistake either way!
She hurriedly tried to speak but was stopped by a wave of Chu Huaishan's sleeve. "The Chief Imperial Counselor's Lady need not speak."
Chu Ruoyan: "..."
He even called her 'Chief Imperial Counselor's Lady'! How could she possibly show favoritism now!
She saw Yan Zhao fall silent for a moment before slowly raising his head. "Defending our territory is the Yan family's duty. Yan Zhao... cannot agree!"
Chu Huaishan raised an eyebrow, then heard him continue, "But Yan Zhao can swear to heaven: if I must go to war, I will first leave a letter of separation. Should any misfortune befall me, Third Miss may return to her family and choose another worthy husband. If... I mean, if during my stationing at the border, Third Miss finds her heart belongs to another, Yan Zhao... Yan Zhao will not hold it against her. I will allow the separation and bless her new union!"
For a man, this was already an extremely difficult concession.
A look of approval appeared on Chu Huaishan's face. He glanced at Lady Jiang the Younger, who, though reluctant, grudgingly accepted this promise. "Good. Since Sixth Young Master has said this, this Duke will make an exception and betroth Lan'er to you. But let it be clear: if you fail to keep a single word of what you said today, this Duke will immediately bring her back to this mansion, without the slightest hesitation!"
Yan Zhao was overjoyed. "Thank you, Duke of Chu! Yan Zhao would never dare break this oath!"
Chu Huaishan gave a hum of acknowledgment and glanced sideways at Chu Ruoyan. "Chief Imperial Counselor's Lady, so the marriage alliance between our two families is settled?"
Chu Ruoyan: "..."
She couldn't hold back any longer. "Father, if you keep saying that, your daughter will have no choice but to return to the Chief Imperial Counselor's residence!"
Chu Huaishan laughed heartily. "Alright, alright, alright! Wasn't your father just thinking you could represent the Yan family? But then again, I must have owed Yan Xu something in my past life, otherwise how could I have promised both my daughters to the Yan family!"
Mentioning this reminded Chu Ruoyan of the past, when her father had vowed that the Chu family daughters could marry anyone except a Yan.
Who would have thought now he'd marry off two...
She shook her head and hurriedly instructed someone to fetch Madam Li.
The two families exchanged birth dates, the Yan family presented the betrothal letter, and the marriage was tentatively settled for the time being.
When Chu Ruolan found out, she was so excited she rolled off the bed, aggravating the injury on her back and condemning her to a few more days confined to her room.
In the blink of an eye, three days passed.
The day for the Empress Dowager's selection of imperial consorts arrived. The Chu family had already sent the betrothal letter; although she was dissatisfied, there was nothing she could do.
In the Bodhi Courtyard, Yulu rushed in excitedly. "Miss, did you know? The Emperor has taken two consorts this time!"
"Oh?"
"One is Grand Councillor Gu's granddaughter, Gu Feiyan, enfeoffed as Consort Yan! The other one you'd never guess in a million years!"
Chu Ruoyan raised an eyebrow, listening as the maid said cheerfully, "It's the Grand Tutor Rong's second daughter, Rong Su, enfeoffed as Consort Rong! People outside were initially quite critical because of her past marriage to the Young Master (Yan Zheng), but then the Emperor ordered the Ministry of Rites to compose a eulogy detailing the Rong family's contributions to the court and her noble sacrifice of reputation, working with the Young Master to bring down the Eldest Princess. Now everyone outside is saying she should have been enfeoffed as Consort Rong, not Consort Yan!"
Chu Ruoyan was taken aback.
These two consorts were exactly the two she had casually mentioned in the Yaoguang Hall!
Gu Feiyan was one thing; she had always been ambitious.
But Rong Su... her nature was gentle and retiring, not one to fight or strive. She had also held feelings for Yan Zheng before. How could she agree to enter the palace as an imperial consort?
Could it be...
A vague guess formed in her heart, and a sigh flashed in her eyes. "That silly girl..."
"Huh? She's about to become Consort Rong, and she's still silly?" Yulu didn't understand. Just as Chu Ruoyan was about to explain, Nanny Zhou came in. "Miss, the Mei family's eldest young lady is here. She says she's come to thank you."
The Mei family's eldest young lady, Mei Fangru?
Chu Ruoyan quickly said, "Please show her in!"
Soon, a slender woman in her mid-twenties walked in.
Her complexion wasn't good, but her eyes were firm. She bowed deeply to Chu Ruoyan. "Thank you, County Princess, for saving my Mei family!"
Chu Ruoyan hurriedly had Yulu help her up. "You are too polite, Miss Mei. It was the Noble Consort Dowager who helped..."
"The Noble Consort Dowager said it was the Duke of Chu who went to find her overnight! Fangru has just met with the Duke of Chu as well. He said the idea was yours, otherwise the entire Mei family would have been wiped out! It's shameful to say... during the days of imprisonment, my aunt actually thought it was you and the Chief Imperial Counselor who had schemed against us. She cursed you day and night in the prison cell..."
Mei Fangru bowed her head, looking utterly ashamed. Chu Ruoyan said calmly, "Madam Mei is Madam Mei. She has married out; it doesn't reflect on your family. By the way, what is your situation now?"
"Thanks to the Noble Consort Dowager's plea, the Emperor only placed us under house arrest in the prison, without applying severe torture. Today, because my grandmother is gravely ill, the Emperor specially showed mercy, allowing me to take her to the Hui Chun Hall for acupuncture..." As she spoke, she lifted her sleeves slightly, revealing shackles still hanging from both wrists.
Chu Ruoyan nodded. "You are very filial, Miss Mei. Please rest assured, as long as your father and brother did not surrender or betray the court, the Chief Imperial Counselor will see justice done for them upon his return!"
Tears welled up in Mei Fangru's eyes.
Since the Mei family's misfortune, everyone else had avoided them like the plague, offering not even comfort, let alone a meeting.
Only the Duke of Chu's mansion had continued to help them...
"Great kindness cannot be repaid with mere thanks. In the future, if there is ever anything the County Princess needs, my Mei family will not hesitate!"
As she spoke, she moved to perform another deep bow. Chu Ruoyan quickly said, "In that case, there really is one thing I'd like to ask you."
"Please, speak freely! Fangru will tell all she knows!"
Chu Ruoyan chose her words carefully. "Back then, wasn't the Emperor planning to select you to serve the Noble Consort Dowager? I heard the Noble Consort Dowager liked you very much and had even spoken of adopting you as her foster daughter. But why did she suddenly change her mind? Not only did she send you back, but she also secured a County Princess title for Roumin. What exactly happened?"
At this question, a complicated look appeared in Mei Fangru's eyes. "County Princess, this matter is long past. Fangru is also unwilling to gossip behind someone's back. May I be allowed to keep silent?"
Her words confirmed Chu Ruoyan's suspicion that Roumin must have played some trick back then!
It was just a pity that Mei Fangru, with her noble character, was unwilling to speak, and she couldn't force her. "Very well. You may tell me when you wish to speak of it."
After Mei Fangru left, Chu Ruoyan drank the fetal stabilizing medicine prepared by the servant and rested.
She had been very drowsy these days, often sleeping until noon the next day.
But for some reason today, halfway through her sleep, she woke up groggily, startled.
"The Xue family!"
Her eyes snapped open. She had finally remembered the crucial point she couldn't figure out before!
Yes, how could she have forgotten the Xue family?
Even if Consort Xue was demoted to a low-ranking attendant, the Emperor still held affection for her. As long as that remained, if the Xue family were to face calamity, the possibility of her restoration would be immense!
No sooner had this thought crossed her mind than lantern lights flared outside.
A faint sound of some dispute reached her ears, and then, unexpectedly, Lady Jiang the Younger rushed in, her face deathly pale: "Eldest Miss! The Xue family... the Xue residence is on fire! I've heard not a single soul escaped! And Old Madam Xue and Madam Wei of the second branch... they just took their own lives in the prison!!!"
