Chu Huaishan stormed over in a rage, directly pulling her behind him.
Chu Ruoyan covered her forehead, while Yan Zheng clasped his hands and said, "Father-in—"
"Father-in-law nothing! Marquis of Anning, you’ve already divorced my daughter. There’s no father-in-law here for you!"
Yan Zheng hesitated before saying, "Duke Chu."
Only then did Chu Huaishan snort. Feeling warmth in his palm, he looked down and exclaimed, "You’re hurt again?!" His voice was so loud it could be heard for miles.
Chu Ruoyan quickly interjected, "It has nothing to do with the Marquis of Anning. I did it myself—"
"It was me."
Yan Zheng cut her off. "A moment ago, I accidentally injured your daughter."
Chu Ruoyan’s temple twitched violently. What was wrong with Yan Zheng? Why was he suddenly so honest now?
Sure enough, Chu Huaishan’s brows furrowed in anger, as if he were about to drag Yan Zheng out of his wheelchair. "Yan San, what deep-seated grudge do you hold against my daughter? Why is it that every time she meets you, she either gets beaten or injured?"
"My mistake."
Yan Zheng admitted it readily, leaving Chu Huaishan with no outlet for his fury.
Suppressing his anger, Chu Huaishan glanced around. "Where’s Ruolan? Didn’t you say you brought my daughter to find her sister? Why is she gone?"
Chu Ruoyan was about to speak when her father shot her a glare. "Quiet. I wasn’t asking you."
He scrutinized Yan Zheng as if sizing up a scoundrel with ill intentions...
Nearby, Old Xu stifled his laughter long enough to catch a cold look from his lord. He quickly said, "Ah, Duke Chu, don’t misunderstand. Just now, these bandits meant harm to the two young ladies. Thanks to our lord risking his life, they were saved. The third young lady unfortunately sprained her ankle earlier and has already been escorted down the mountain by the Western City Patrol."
Only then did Chu Huaishan notice the corpses strewn across the ground—bandits and soldiers alike.
Frowning, he said, "In that case, this duke won’t linger. Farewell."
With that, he dragged his daughter away before she could even utter a word.
Shadow frowned, making a gesture that clearly meant, "This old man is so unreasonable."
Old Xu coughed. "Duke Chu is just worried for his daughter’s safety—perfectly understandable! But my lord, with such a formidable obstacle in the way, reconciling with Lady Chu won’t be easy~"
Though the words sounded concerned, there was an unmistakable hint of schadenfreude.
Yan Zheng arched an eyebrow. "It seems Old Xu has too much free time lately. How about spending half a month storytelling at the teahouse?"
Old Xu hastily backtracked. "Just a jest, my lord. Don’t take it to heart."
Meanwhile, Chu Ruoyan followed her father back to the temple, where chaos reigned.
Outside the prayer hall, dried fruits and vegetables were scattered everywhere, making it nearly impossible to walk.
"Ruoyan!"
Chu Jing called out from inside. Chu Ruoyan hurried in.
Fortunately, the refugees hadn’t breached the prayer hall. Her aunt and the others looked weary but unharmed.
"Aunt, Cousin, Sister Xie—are you all alright?"
The three women shook their heads. Chu Jing said, "Thanks to your advice before you left, we threw all the food outside. The refugees were too busy fighting over it to rush in. Soon after, your father and His Highness Prince Qin arrived."
"Prince Qin?"
She was taken aback, then heard a carefree voice say, "Indeed, it is I. Lady Chu, your reputation precedes you."
Chu Ruoyan turned to see a man in purple robes, his features bearing a striking resemblance to the emperor’s, stride in.
This was the emperor’s youngest brother, Prince Qin Murong Jin.
Also, in her dreams, the man who entangled with her second sister and framed her for defiling the imperial harem...
Chu Ruoyan concealed her thoughts and curtsied. "Greetings, Your Highness. You flatter me."
Murong Jin studied her for a moment before smirking. "I never flatter. I’ve long heard of how you beat the grievance drum to plead for the Yan family’s innocence—and how you infuriated my mother so much she’s still bedridden—"
Chu Ruoyan tensed. Was Prince Qin here to retaliate?
But then his tone abruptly shifted. "Well done!"
Chu Ruoyan was stunned. Murong Jin laughed. "I’ve long told my imperial brother that our cousin, the Marquis of Pingjing, needed to be dealt with. But our mother always shielded him. You, little girl, solved a problem for me."
His words seemed genuine. With a flourish of his sleeves, he strode away.
Chu Ruoyan narrowed her eyes at his retreating figure. Who knew the imperial family had someone reasonable...
Suddenly, her wrist throbbed—Lady Jiang the Younger had lunged at her. "Where’s Ruolan? My Ruolan! Why didn’t she return with you?"
Before she could answer, Chu Huaishan pulled Lady Jiang away. "Don’t panic, my dear. Ruolan is fine—just a sprained ankle. She’s already been escorted back to the capital for treatment."
Only then did Lady Jiang the Younger relax, collapsing into her husband’s arms with a sob.
The night’s ordeal had finally come to an end.
In the carriage back to the capital, Yulu burst into tears upon seeing the fresh wound on her mistress’s hand. "Miss, how did you get hurt again the moment I left your side...?"
Nanny Zhou added, "That Marquis of Anning—what kind of man can’t even protect a lady?"
Seeing the conversation veer toward Yan Zheng again, Chu Ruoyan quickly said, "Enough, enough. I’m fine..."
A loud cough came from outside the carriage curtain. Yulu and Nanny Zhou immediately curtsied. "Greetings, Duke."
Chu Huaishan stepped inside. "Leave us. I need to speak with my daughter."
The two hastily withdrew. Sitting across from her, Chu Huaishan said, "Actually, your nanny isn’t wrong. Yan San, a grown man, comes out unscathed while you suffer..."
Chu Ruoyan massaged her temples, too tired to explain.
Chu Huaishan sighed. "Alright, alright, I won’t bring it up... But Yan’er, there’s one thing I must ask. Do you still harbor feelings for that Yan Sanlang?"
Chu Ruoyan blinked.
"Harbor feelings"? What kind of father phrases it like that?
"Father, why not say ‘unresolved affection’ instead?"
Chu Huaishan exploded. "So you do still care for him! Yan’er, it’s not that I won’t support you, but look how many times you’ve been hurt since marrying him—last time, you nearly lost your life!"
"Listen to me, that man is bad luck for you. Cut ties and stop entangling with him!"
Chu Ruoyan sighed but paused at the mention of "bad luck," recalling the monk Liaokong’s prophecy.
"Father... were you and Empress Pei... acquainted in the past?"
That monk Liaokong insisted her mother had the fate of a phoenix—a symbol of the empress. Unless her mother was Empress Pei...
But Chu Huaishan looked baffled. "What nonsense are you spouting? I’ve barely met Empress Pei a handful of times. How could we be ‘acquainted’?"
"Then maybe... during Empress Pei’s childbirth, there was a royal switch, and the princess was secretly sent to our family— Ow!"
Before she could finish, Chu Huaishan rapped her head hard. "You’ve read too many novels! When an empress gives birth, the entire palace watches—maids, eunuchs, imperial physicians. Do you think a royal switch could happen under their noses?"
Chu Ruoyan exhaled deeply.
That monk Liaokong had clearly misread her fate.
If she wasn’t Empress Pei’s daughter, then the late Emperor Yunning had no other children, so the prophecy about her mother’s imperial destiny was nothing but nonsense!
Yet she failed to notice the fleeting panic in her father’s eyes.
Chu Huaishan coughed heavily twice and said, “Enough of this wild speculation. It seems to me you’ve simply too much idle time on your hands. Very well—once we return to the capital, it’s time to arrange your marriage prospects!”
“Marriage prospects?”
Chu Ruoyan’s eyes widened, but her father replied with utmost seriousness, “Indeed. Just a few days ago, your aunt was already making arrangements for your cousin Ruolan. To prevent that Yan Zheng from pestering you further, this matter is absolutely necessary. In a couple of days, you’ll join your cousin to meet potential suitors in the capital. See which young gentleman catches your eye—even if you don’t marry out, having him as a live-in son-in-law is perfectly acceptable!”
