Prince Su’s Gift
Just as Liuzheng was about to speak, the old lady spoke up.
“Sister Bai, don’t be rude!”
Ruan Baizheng was still somewhat afraid of her grandmother.
She stepped forward, bowed to her grandmother, and then said, “Grandmother, I clearly see there was no mudslide. She just scared us for nothing.”
“Wouldn’t it be better if there really wasn’t a mudslide? You can get your hairpin from the mountain later.”
Ruan Baizheng choked.
“But…but isn’t this just playing us?”
“Alright, you can leave now. Go back and pack your things when the rain stops.”
Grandmother unconditionally stood by Liuzheng’s side.
A warm feeling welled up in Liuzheng’s heart.
After three days and nights of traveling, I no longer feel tired.
Ruan Baizheng gritted her teeth, feeling very dissatisfied, but she didn’t dare to be too presumptuous in front of her grandmother, so she could only plan to go back to her room first.
Fortunately, her mother, the second wife Zhao, entered at that moment.
“Mother, I’m not trying to be mean, but Yaoyao just got back and she’s already causing us all this trouble. What does that mean? It’s one thing for her to cause us trouble, but why is she dragging you into it too? You didn’t see it, but back at the manor, several burly men grabbed us without a word and put us in the sedan chair. If you knew, you’d say it was to help us avoid danger; if you didn’t, you’d think we’d committed some crime!”
“Exactly!” Ruan Baizheng exclaimed. “My father even bumped his leg because of this, and it’s still swollen and painful. Are they treating us like criminals?”
The old lady frowned deeply.
“Yaoyao was only trying to help us, why are you all so resentful?”
“Whether it’s for our own good or just to make things difficult for us, we’re not sure yet,” the second wife said.
Ruan Baizheng: “That’s right!”
Liuzheng was in a good mood after saving her grandmother and didn’t want to lower herself to their level.
She explained earnestly, “Second Aunt, Fourth Sister, it wasn’t that Liuzheng was deliberately trying to make things difficult for you, it’s just that it’s dangerous up in the mountains…”
“Danger? What danger? The manor is still standing there perfectly fine. Besides, even if there is a mudslide, our whole manor is not going to be completely submerged, is it?”
Liuzheng’s face turned cold.
“Since that’s what you think, Aunt, then you should go back to the estate now. Liuzheng won’t stop you.”
“You!” Just as Lady Shao was about to jump up in anger, the bearded man beside Prince Su arrived.
He looked fierce and always carried a sword. Although the mother and daughter from the second wife did not know his identity, they still subconsciously kept quiet.
The door was open, but the bearded man didn’t come in; he just stood at the door and knocked.
After learning that Liuzheng was General Zhao Yong, the bearded man’s attitude towards her improved considerably.
At this moment, a slight smile appeared on his fierce face, making him look even more frightening.
He cupped his hands in greeting and said, “Madam, I apologize for disturbing you. Our Prince invites General Ruan for a chat.”
When Liuzheng came down the mountain, she told her grandmother that the group of people who came up were the men of Prince Su, who came to help them.
Liuzheng said, “Grandmother, then I…”
“No rush,” the old lady said. “Since the prince has invited you, Yaoyao, change your clothes before you go, so as not to offend the prince.”
He added, “Change your clothes and have Granny Shu accompany you.”
Compared to Liuzheng, who has always presented himself as a man and is less concerned about the separation between men and women, the old lady thinks further ahead.
Prince Su was, after all, a man, and a bachelor at that. It would be inappropriate for Liuzheng to go to see him with wet clothes, and it would be even more inappropriate for her to go alone. Therefore, she suggested that Granny Shu accompany her.
Liuzheng quickly realized what was happening, and after telling the bearded man to wait a moment, she went to her room to change her clothes.
Because she hadn’t brought any clothes, the Third Madam brought them over.
“Thank you very much, Third Aunt,” Liuzheng said sincerely.
She knew that Dufeng Academy didn’t have much income, and the second and third branches of the family weren’t doing very well. However, because the second branch was willing to curry favor with Madam Song, they lived a relatively comfortable life.
Although this third wife was kind-hearted, she never judged people based on the issue itself.
Wrong is wrong, and right is right.
With such a personality, it’s no wonder that the First Madam didn’t like him.
But Liuzheng always repays kindness tenfold, and she will help her change the situation.
“It’s just a set of clothes. Although the material is so-so, it’s brand new and I’ve never worn it before,” the Third Madam explained.
Liuzheng has worn the clothes of the dead on the battlefield, so how could she complain about the material?
She thanked him again, and the Third Madam smiled and left.
Granny Shu helped her change her clothes.
After changing into dry clothes, Liuzheng felt refreshed and invigorated.
“Thank you, Granny Shu.”
“You’re too kind, Miss.”
The two then went out and followed the bearded man into Prince Su’s room.
On the way, the bearded man said his name was He Leyi, and he was a fourth-rank cavalry captain. He also asked Liuzheng how she had won the battle against overwhelming odds at Lushan.
Liuzheng gave a brief explanation.
“First, destroy their supplies. Without supplies, their morale will collapse. We will attack under cover of darkness, sneak into their camp and kill their commander. Then, carrying their commander’s head, we will frighten them into a state of panic and finally capture Lushan.”
It sounds simple, but the reality is extremely dangerous.
Although He Leyi had never witnessed it firsthand, he could imagine from Liuzheng’s words how much courage and ability it would take for a woman to sneak into the enemy camp and kill the enemy commander.
Commander He’s eyes were very bright.
“You truly deserve to be called General Zhaoyong!”
“Commander He, you flatter me.”
“You can just call me Le Yi.” Commander He admired her greatly, a stark contrast to when he first pointed his sword at her.
Liuzheng nodded.
She knew that Captain He’s admiration was something she had earned through her own hard work and dedication.
She deserves it, and she is worthy of it.
In his previous life, all the great achievements belonged to Ruan Changzheng.
These things still belong to her; no one can take them away, and no one should even think about taking them away.
As they spoke, they arrived at the door of Prince Su’s house.
Granny Shu wanted to go in with Liuzheng, but was stopped by Commandant He.
“Your Highness only saw General Ruan.”
“this……”
Granny Shu looked at her.
“It’s alright, Granny Shu, I’ll be right back. Please sit comfortably next door.”
Liuzheng gave Granny Shu a reassuring look, then stepped over the threshold and went inside.
She entered with her eyes lowered, bowing and clasping her hands in a masculine gesture.
“This humble general, Liuzheng, greets Your Highness!”
On a soft couch not far in front of her lay a tiger skin.
Prince Su sat on the tiger skin, carefully examining the zither.
She has blossomed into a more beautiful woman than she has been three years ago.
This kind of beauty is not from the carefully cultivated famous flowers in the garden, but from the hundred grasses that can withstand wind and rain.
He really wanted to tell her that he was Xiao Hengzi.
But he couldn’t.
He cannot acknowledge her as his wife.
Not only that, but they also had to deliberately make gestures to avoid being recognized.
Therefore, Prince Su did not give Liuzheng a friendly look, and only said in a cold voice, “Get up.”
Liuzheng then straightened up and looked at the soft couch.
Prince Su removed his black robes and changed into a white shirt.
One hand rested on the low couch, the sleeve rolled up to the middle of his strong, long arm, revealing the obvious muscle lines on his forearm.
His dark eyes were deep and bright, his nose was high and straight, and his lips were sexy. Put together, he was like a gentle and refined gentleman, as beautiful as jade. However, his cold aura seemed to freeze everything into ice.
The white shirt and tiger skin gave Liuzheng the feeling that she was dealing with a tiger for its skin.
But clearly, that face looked exactly like Xiao Hengzi, the refugee she had taken in at the border.
But Xiao Hengzi is clearly already dead…
Her entire body was burned to a crisp; she was buried by herself.
Afraid of losing control of her emotions upon seeing such a similar face, she quickly lowered her eyes and clasped her hands in a fist salute again.
“On behalf of the Ruan family, Liuzheng thanks Your Highness for your help today!”
“It was nothing, if anyone should thank you, it is you. Regarding the smuggled salt matter, it was thanks to your deputy general who delivered your secret letter in time that I and Prince Shen were able to find a direction for our investigation.”
Although he said he was thanking them, his tone remained completely cold.
Liuzheng couldn’t sense any gratitude in his words; in fact, she felt that he might dislike her a little.
But Liuzheng didn’t understand why?
She couldn’t remember when she had angered the prince.
She had already accepted the ten thousand taels of gold he sent.
After much thought, Liuzheng realized that this prince, like some people in the capital, probably thought that she, a woman, should stay at home embroidering and burning incense, and should not go to the border to show her face in public.
If Prince Su truly thought that way, he wouldn’t have sent that box of gold, nor would he have personally come to the Summer Palace to help.
Liuzheng couldn’t understand why Prince Su had reacted so strangely.
As his thoughts raced, he heard Prince Su speak again: “You helped me, how should I thank you?”
“This humble general dares not. On the day of the housewarming, the prince sent housewarming gifts back, which can be considered my return gift.”
“A return gift? Wasn’t your return gift a box of jujube paste cake?”
“Your Highness misunderstands. That was… a gift made by Liuzheng’s mother for the neighbors.”
Prince Su let out a barely audible groan, his expression unreadable.
Liuzheng felt a little uneasy, but she also understood why Pan Hong had said that Prince Su should not be underestimated after sending the secret letter back.
A person who can’t even distinguish between joy and anger is naturally extremely cunning.
Prince Su said again, “One thing at a time, I still want to thank you.”
“Your Highness, there’s no need…”
“General Ruan, there’s no need for such formalities. I have prepared two gifts for you. Bring them up!”
The next moment, a maid with a rag stuffed in her mouth and her hands bound was pushed out of the inner room and staggered to her knees.
Liuzheng looked up.
The maid was none other than Granny Qian, who had disappeared after the manor fell into chaos.
When Granny Qian saw her, she looked terrified and quickly lowered her head, not daring to meet her gaze.
A murderous intent flickered in Liuzheng’s eyes.
That old scoundrel almost killed my grandmother!
But with Prince Su present, Liuzheng did her best to remain silent.
But then Prince Su said, “When I went up the mountain, I saw this old woman sneaking down carrying a bag of things, so I had her arrested. After some questioning, I learned that she was from your Ruan family…”
Liuzheng nodded: “This scoundrel is indeed the nanny of my household, but she betrayed her master and fled, and even took things from her master’s house. She deserves to be beaten. Thank you, Your Highness, for capturing her for me.”
“Hit her?” Prince Su chuckled. “Since she betrayed her master and stole, she should be killed directly. General Ruan is brave, but she is ultimately a woman with a soft heart. How about I deal with her for you?”
Upon hearing this, Granny Qian trembled and kowtowed, as if she had something to say.
Liuzheng ripped the cloth out of her mouth, and Granny Qian immediately said, “Your Highness, spare me! Miss, spare me! This servant… this servant didn’t mean it. This servant didn’t know there would be a mudslide in the mountains… This servant was following the orders of the First Madam, which is why I rushed from the capital to stop the Old Madam from going down the mountain… If I had known this earlier, even if this servant had ten thousand lives, I wouldn’t have dared to leave the Old Madam on the mountain! Miss, please understand, Miss, spare me!”