Yao Zhuhua stared with wide eyes, her face twisted in disbelief like a corpse frozen in death, her pallid complexion making her more frightening than words could describe.
On the day of the wedding, when the father and daughter of the Jing family had demanded to annul the marriage contract, she could dismiss it as Jing Yun being instigated by Jing Liangyu—a momentary tantrum to sever ties with her son.
Later, when her son came to apologize and heard how Jing Yun, completely changed from her formerly gentle and obedient nature, had ruthlessly humiliated and shamed him, she still assumed Jing Yun was merely blowing off steam.
Even when Tang Yingying claimed that Jing Yun had shared a room with Prince Yu, Xia Yanli, she still held a sliver of hope for Jing Yun…
Yet now, the cold, haughty woman seated before her—each word of denigration struck like a club against her skull, leaving her dazed and muddled, utterly unsure of what she should do.
The only clear thought in her mind was—
Jing Yun had changed!
Truly changed!
Become a stranger…
No, she had become someone Yao Zhuhua hardly dared to recognize!
That woman who had adored her son for ten years—when had she ever put on airs before them? Airs, let alone raising her voice! Because she loved her son, she not only lowered herself but also considered their every need, showering them with care and concern, lest they feel inferior due to the disparity in their family standings…
But this woman before her—where was even a trace of gentleness or kindness? That cold gaze, that arrogant bearing, so aloof and superior, as if in her eyes they were filth, weeds, objects beneath consideration.
"Old Madam Du, there's no need to be astonished by my transformation. Your actions have chilled my heart; I have merely come to my senses." Jing Yun rose, though dressed in plain garb with loose black hair, the sharp aura radiating from her made her all the more impossible to look at directly. She cast a sidelong glance of contempt at Yao Zhuhua, her tone cold and devoid of any human warmth. "You and your precious son mean nothing to me. I suggest you show some self-awareness and stop pestering me, or the consequences will be far worse than mere embarrassment."
With that, she lifted her chin, chest out, and strode out of the flower hall without looking back.
Yao Zhuhua stood rooted to the spot, her features contorted, her entire body trembling as if Jing Yun's words had pierced her through with wounds.
"Old Madam Du, you may take your leave now." Xiangxing issued the dismissal with impatience.
Yao Zhuhua dragged her trembling legs, as if she had suddenly been cast back ten years—her face drained of luster, her bearing robbed of authority, steeped in humiliation, more wretched than when she had been a destitute commoner.
It was only upon returning to the General's Pacification Estate and seeing her son that she seemed to come back to herself.
And the moment she regained her senses, she delivered a fierce slap across her son's face.
Du Yuanran, caught completely off guard, clutched his cheek and asked in bewilderment, "Mother, what has happened? Why did you strike me?"
Yao Zhuhua pointed at him and cursed furiously, "You worthless thing! You can't even deal with a woman, and you expect me, at my age, to lose all face for you! Jing Yun wasn't wrong—you bastard, how did you end up entangled with that wretch Tang Yingying? Don't you know the woman you're supposed to marry is the legitimate daughter of the Residence of the Marquis of Anqi? A mere little slut bewitches you so much you forget your own name—what matters more, wealth and honor or those low-class sluts? How did I give birth to such a muddle-headed thing who can't tell what's important! Just because you got a little slut pregnant, you lost such a powerful backer—are you trying to anger me to death?"
As she cursed, Yao Zhuhua plopped down on the ground, kicking her legs and pounding the floor as she wailed loudly.
Seeing this, Du Yuanran forgot the pain on his face and hurriedly crouched down to help her up. "Mother, it's your son's fault. It's your son who made you lose face. Please don't be like this—get up first…"
But Yao Zhuhua was throwing a tantrum and wouldn't listen to a word he said, only wailing incessantly, "What sin did I commit… What sin did I commit…"
Du Yuanran was truly at a loss and could only shout at the two senior maids by the door, "What are you standing there for? Hurry and help the old madam back to her room!"
The two senior maids didn't dare delay any longer and together pulled Yao Zhuhua up from the ground.
Watching his mother's retreating figure, Du Yuanran's face was dark and grim, his heart filled with an unutterable hatred.
Needless to say, his mother must have suffered humiliation at Jing Yun's hands!
He truly hadn't expected that Jing Yun would not only turn hostile so quickly but so thoroughly! That was his mother—his mother had gone to plead with her in person, yet she didn't even show his mother any respect!
…
After meeting with Yao Zhuhua, Jing Yun returned to her room with a cold expression.
The man who was sitting on her bed doing meditative breath regulation sensed the unusual aura around her, lifted his eyelids to glance at her, and teased, "If you don't like them, why go looking for trouble?"
Jing Yun shot him a look of utter disdain. "They're not qualified to upset me."
"Then why are you displeased?"
"Because I didn't get to curse enough!"
"…" The man's lips twitched imperceptibly.
"Those ungrateful wretches deserve to be cursed to death, cursed until they're too ashamed to show their faces. Unfortunately, my cultivation still isn't enough—I didn't get to say everything I wanted. Just thinking about it makes me angry!"
Xia Yanli glanced at her sideways, looking at her as if she were a monster.
There were actually people who got angry because they hadn't cursed enough…
"Are you really the sixth young lady of the Marquis's residence?"
"…" Jing Yun was momentarily stunned, then fiercely shot him a glare. "If I'm not, then are you?"
The man's lips curved downward, a trace of coldness flickering in his eyes—clearly displeased by her retort.
Jing Yun looked at his complexion. The flush on his face had faded, and his breathing was noticeably steady.
But she also knew this was only a surface improvement. With severe Internal Energy depletion like his, recovery was impossible without ten days to half a month.
"Your Highness, I've decided to leave the capital tonight. Are you up for it?"
Hearing this, Xia Yanli's handsome face turned blacker than the bottom of a pot.
Jing Yun didn't realize which of her words had been wrong. Seeing his grim expression, she assumed he was blaming her for being too hasty, so she explained, "My father said he'd send me to my maternal grandfather's in a few days. If I leave openly, you definitely won't be able to come with me. Besides, you've been staying here all along—even if no one discovers you today, I can't guarantee tomorrow or the day after. So I want to leave the capital as soon as possible. If your body can handle it, then we'll make our move tonight."
Xia Yanli's expression improved slightly. "Where do you plan to go?"
Jing Yun turned to gaze into the empty void. "It doesn't matter where. I just don't want to stay in the capital right now." She glanced at him sideways. "If Your Highness doesn't want to follow me, we can figure out how to settle you once we're out of the city."
Xia Yanli's eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze deep and heavy as he stared at her cold, elegant profile, as if trying to see through her fair, flawless skin to probe her true thoughts.
"Are you really going to let go of Du Yuanran?"
Jing Yun walked toward the wardrobe as if she hadn't heard his question.
Never mind explaining to others—she found even mentioning the Du mother and son disgusting.
Watching her back as she sorted through her belongings, Xia Yanli's probing gaze grew increasingly complex, and his brow furrowed tightly.
……
At the crowing of the roosters, after leaving a letter for Jing Liangyu, Jing Yun secretly left the Residence of the Marquis of Anqi with Xia Yanli.
Although Xia Yanli had suffered severe internal injuries, her original body was that of a martial arts expert—wall-running and roof-leaping were no challenge at all. After leaving the Residence of the Marquis of Anqi, she headed straight for the East City Gate and left the city the moment it opened.
"Your Highness, I have no particular destination on this trip. It may be quite inconvenient for you to follow me. We've already left the city—if there's somewhere you'd like to go, just tell me, and I can take you there."
"This prince has nowhere to go!" Xia Yanli's tone was somewhat cold and hard. He had helped her after all, yet when it came time for her to repay him, she treated him like baggage, eager to toss him away immediately! Tell him—how could he possibly feel at ease?
"Since that's the case, then let's walk for a while. I know the nearest town to the capital—we can get there in half a day. We'll stop there first, buy two horses and also get you two sets of clothes." Jing Yun glanced at what he was wearing.
To keep him from being exposed, she had specifically stolen these from the servants' quarters!
But her luck didn't seem to be very good—the clothes she stole didn't fit well. Fortunately, ancient clothing was made loose and wide, so on him it was merely a bit short.
If she hadn't mentioned it, fine, but the moment she brought up clothes, Xia Yanli couldn't help grinding his teeth.
Looking down at his exposed ankles, he wanted to strangle someone!
There were so many men in the marquis's residence—no matter how blind she was, she couldn't have stolen him a child's outfit…
He really suspected this woman did it on purpose!
Just to see him look ridiculous!
Jing Yun pressed her red lips tightly together, suppressing the urge to laugh, and took the lead walking ahead.
Traveling normally, it would indeed take only half a day to reach Yongguan Town, as Jing Yun had said. But a certain lord was, after all, an injured man—such a trek was truly unsuitable, so they could only walk a while and rest a while.
As the sun rose high, Jing Yun felt hungry, so she chose a spot in the woods to rest.
She opened the bundle, took out two water skins and two lumps of dry rations, and handed him a portion. Xia Yanli didn't disdain it and ate together with her.
After moistening her throat, Jing Yun suddenly looked at him and asked, "Your Highness, given your status, you must be well-traveled and knowledgeable. Do you know which temple in Great Shu Kingdom is the most efficacious?"
Xia Yanli paused mid-drink, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. "What, you want to become a nun? Seeing through the mortal world just because of one man?"
Jing Yun's face instantly darkened. "…"
What kind of logic was that? Asking about temples meant she wanted to become a nun?
Swallowing her internal complaints, she smiled slightly. "Your Highness, I've just been plagued by nightmares recently and wanted to find an enlightened master for some guidance."
But the man set down his sheepskin waterskin and looked her up and down with a serious gaze. "You've slept more soundly than a pig these past two days. When exactly did you have nightmares?"
Looking at his infuriatingly handsome face, Jing Yun wanted to claw it!
Could he not just talk properly!
To give up the bed for him, she had slept on the floor for two nights. Not only did he show no gratitude, he actually compared her to a pig!
Perhaps sensing her anger, Xia Yanli coughed awkwardly, then switched to a puzzled tone. "What exactly is your purpose in seeking an enlightened person?"
Jing Yun lowered her eyes. After a flicker of darkness in her gaze, she sighed sorrowfully. "Your Highness, to be honest, I just want someone to divine my fortunes for this life. I devoted myself wholeheartedly to someone for ten years, yet right before the wedding, I was betrayed like that. If I said I felt no anger or resentment, that would naturally be false. I don't want to accept my fate, but I fear that this is what fate has in store, so I wanted to find a master to guide me, to help me walk out of this gloom sooner."
After hearing this, Xia Yanli suddenly let out a derisive laugh. "With your ability to eat and sleep so well, you call that being trapped by love?"
Jing Yun couldn't help but glare at him. "These are a young woman's private feelings. What would you know? Must I write the words 'trapped by love' on my face to show my sorrow?"
Xia Yanli wasn't angry; instead, his smile grew even more mocking. "Are you sure you're even half as sad as you claim?"
Jing Yun took a deep breath.
This man was easy enough to get along with, but talking to him was just too exhausting!
Fine!
She just wouldn't ask anymore, alright?
So she stopped talking and focused on eating her dry rations.
"This prince knows a venerable monk, at Chengde Temple. But he spends most of the year wandering abroad, so it's uncertain when he's at the temple."
Hearing the information he suddenly offered, Jing Yun looked up at him again. "Chengde Temple? Where is it?"
Xia Yanli took a sip of water. "Three hundred li from the capital, within Yifeng City's borders."
Jing Yun lowered her eyes again.
Yifeng City?
The place where her original body's second sister had married into?
After some deliberation, she decided she still had to make the trip.
Regardless of whether that so-called venerable monk had any real ability, she had to try her luck!
…
Residence of the Marquis of Anqi.
Looking at the letter their daughter had left behind, Jing Liangyu was filled with worry.
Xiangxing, Nanny Liu, and Nanny Fu felt the same—none of them could rest easy with Jing Yun out there alone.
In the end, it was Jing Liangyu who calmed them down. "Don't spread the word about the sixth young miss leaving home. If anyone asks, just say the sixth young miss suddenly fell ill and was sent elsewhere to recuperate!"
Of course he worried about his daughter, but thinking of the harm Du Yuanran had done to her, and seeing her forcing smiles these past few days, his heart ached as well.
Now, he could only let his daughter go. As long as she could completely forget Du Yuanran, then so be it if she left home…
…
Residence of the Fuyuan General.
After the whole family had been humiliated at Jing Yun's place, Du Yuanran also quieted down and stopped showing his face to pester Jing Yun.
However, he had people watching the movements of the Residence of the Marquis of Anqi.
When he heard that Jing Yun had been sent out of the residence to recuperate elsewhere, he immediately sensed something was wrong.
Even Yao Zhuhua did not believe it, and said indignantly, "Ran'er, when we saw Jing Yun a few days ago, she was perfectly fine. This claim of illness is clearly fake!"
"Mother, she should be avoiding us." Du Yuanran still had a bit of self-awareness.
"Avoiding us? With that attitude she had toward us, does she need to avoid us?" Yao Zhuhua did not believe it, and said through gritted teeth, "What a coincidence—Prince Yu has also not been in the capital recently!"
Hearing this, Du Yuanran's face instantly turned green.
Based on his understanding of Jing Yun, to be honest, he truly did not believe that Jing Yun would transfer her affections to another.
Even when he saw Prince Yu by Jing Yun's side, he felt that Jing Yun was deliberately trying to anger him.
But right now, Prince Yu was not in the capital, and Jing Yun was not in the Residence of the Marquis of Anqi either. Was this really just a coincidence?
"Ran'er, you must investigate clearly. Do not let Jing Yun really end up with Prince Yu!"
"Mother…"
"Send people to make thorough inquiries. Absolutely do not let Jing Yun and Prince Yu be together! What we cannot have, others shall not have either! If Jing Yun really dares to betray you, then do not show mercy!"