“My sister is so beautiful. I wonder which branch of the family she comes from?” Liuzheng asked with a smile.
Ruan Yunzheng’s eyes flickered for a moment, but she quickly answered calmly, “Yun’er’s real name is Nianyun. She is from a branch of my mother’s family in her hometown in Jiangnan. After her parents passed away, my mother brought her here eight years ago.”
Liuzheng remained calm: “Jiangnan misses home? Is it because you make Song brocade?”
“Does your sister know about Song Jin from the Nian family?”
“I’ve heard of it, it’s very famous.”
Jiangnan Nianjia not only makes Song brocade, but also the most precious “Dajin” among Song brocades, which was loved by the ladies in the palace.
A hint of smugness appeared in Ruan Yunzheng’s eyes.
“If you like it, sister, I will take your measurements another day and have them make you a few outfits.”
“No need. It would be a waste for someone who practices martial arts to wear such expensive clothes.” Liuzheng waved her hand and then asked her, “Your parents are both dead. Is there no one else in your family?”
“There is only one grandfather, who is still in Jiangnan.”
Liuzheng nodded: “My sister is so filial.”
Ruan Yunzheng’s expression stiffened.
While her grandfather was still alive, she changed her name and surname.
She disregarded her elderly grandfather and traveled a long distance to the capital to serve Lady Song. Isn’t that “filial piety”?
When she was a ghost, Liuzheng wondered why Ruan Yunzheng would abandon her grandfather and come to the capital to claim kinship.
It was only later that I learned about the complex forces behind Ruan Yunzheng.
Looking at Ruan Yunzheng’s stiff expression, Liuzheng’s smile deepened.
“Don’t misunderstand, little sister. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“Yun’er knows…”
As they were talking, Master Ruan returned with the letter he had written.
Liuzheng handed the letter to Pan Zhan.
In her past life, a major incident occurred at the Summer Palace, and in this life, she is determined to reverse it all.
“Make sure to deliver it to Grandma as soon as possible and bring her back,” she repeatedly instructed.
“Yes!” Pan Zhan bowed and left without saying a word.
Ruan Yunzheng watched Pan Zhan’s departing figure, her eyes darting around before she asked, “Sister, have you been associating with these men all this time at the border?”
This means that Liuzheng spends all her time among men and has no sense of propriety.
Liuzheng smiled: “At the border, there is no distinction between men and women, only between the dead and the living. It is my good fortune to be able to defend my country at the border.”
Ruan Yunzheng said she was “indiscreet”, so she used “defending the country” to suppress her.
As expected, Ruan Yunzheng’s expression stiffened again.
Before she could say anything more, Master Ruan spoke in a deep voice: “Your elder sister survived a near-death experience at the border and barely made it back alive. Don’t talk nonsense.”
“……yes.”
Liuzheng smiled.
Look at her good father!
He will protect whoever brings benefits and honor to the family.
Soon, Song came out from inside.
She cried again, her eyes were very red.
When he looked up at Liuzheng, the hatred in his eyes intensified.
Liuzheng pretended not to see and directed people to move things.
The second and third wives were staying at the Summer Palace with Old Madam Ruan. Liuzheng asked the servants to pack some of their belongings, and the rest would be packed when they returned.
The Ruan residence is connected to Dufeng Academy, and the academy’s belongings are still there, but even so, the amount of things that were sorted out was quite staggering.
“With so much stuff, when will we be able to move it?” Master Ruan sighed.
Liuzheng said, “No rush. You can take the things you need right away and move in first. I’ll have someone move the rest of your things slowly.”
“Alright.” He was just waiting for Liuzheng to take on this task.
Ruan Yunzheng, who was not far away, had a sudden thought and turned to leave.
At noon, Liuzheng was sitting in the pavilion drinking tea, watching the servants carrying things back and forth, when Song Shi brought Ruan Yunzheng over.
She got straight to the point: “I’m worried about leaving Yun’er here alone, so I’m taking her with me.”
It wasn’t a tone of discussion, but a command.
Liuzheng’s expression turned troubled.
“Although it is a mansion with three courtyards, there is not enough space in the courtyard once the second and third branches of the family and Grandmother come. If Sister Yun’er also wants to live in my General’s Mansion, she can only live in the outer courtyard.”
The Zhaoyong General’s Mansion is divided into an outer courtyard, a middle courtyard, and an inner courtyard.
The outer courtyard usually consists of the gatehouse and the back room, which is where the servants lived.
The Yushu Courtyard, where Madam Song had Liuzheng stay, was the servants’ quarters.
Now, fortunes have turned, and the person living in the lower-class house is now Ruan Yunzheng.
Song’s expression immediately turned sour.
“Such a large general’s mansion, doesn’t it even have a place for Yun’er to stay?”
Liuzheng put down the teacup in her hand.
“Mother, didn’t you and Father just say that it doesn’t matter where we live?”
Song blurted out, “How can you be the same as Yun’er?”
As soon as she said it, Madam Song felt uncomfortable. She covered her nose and coughed lightly, saying, “Yun’er doesn’t need a big place to live. You can find a way to tidy up a courtyard.”
“It can’t be fixed.”
Perhaps not expecting Liuzheng to refuse so directly, Madam Song paused for a moment before saying in a deep voice, “Now that you have military merits, you won’t listen to a single word I, your mother, say.”
“Mother,” Ruan Yunzheng said from the side, “As long as I can be by your side, it doesn’t matter where I live.”
Mrs. Song looked at you with heartache: “How could I let you suffer such injustice?”
“My daughter doesn’t care…”
Liuzheng sneered inwardly. Ruan Yunzheng’s grievances were indeed grievances, but hers were utter nonsense.
Liuzheng remained unyielding, and after frowning and pondering for a while, Madam Song finally agreed.
Rather than staying in this stinking Ruan Mansion, it’s better to go to the General’s Mansion first, since it’s located in Wuyi Lane.
“Let’s leave it at that for now! Once we have a new courtyard, we can let Yun’er move in.”
“good.”
Once the matter was settled, Madam Song didn’t linger for a moment and went to continue packing her luggage with Ruan Yunzheng.
Neither of them noticed the fleeting sneer in Liuzheng’s eyes.
Knowing that Madam Song was reluctant to let Ruan Yunzheng stay, she made arrangements for the courtyard in advance.
Even if she went with them, in this life, Ruan Yunzheng would not be treated as a legitimate daughter in the inner quarters as she had in her previous life.
With such a stark contrast, how long can Ruan Yunzheng maintain her mask of kindness and propriety?
Liuzheng picked up the teacup and took a small sip: “Good tea!”
Soon everything was packed and it was time to set off.
Liuzheng prepared three carriages: one for Master Ruan and Madam Song, one for the unconscious Ruan Changzheng, and one for Ruan Yunzheng and several head maids.
She was crammed into the overcrowded carriage, her heart filled with resentment.
It shouldn’t be like this…
If the military merit belonged to her elder brother, she would never squeeze in with the servants!
In the dim light, Ruan Yunzheng bit her cheek hard, causing her beautiful face to contort slightly.
The old women had wanted to say a few words to Ruan Yunzheng, but seeing her like this, they became a little afraid and dared not talk to her.
Liuzheng, riding her white horse, flicked her whip and galloped off ahead of everyone else to the General’s Mansion.
The arrangements at the General’s Mansion were all handled by another deputy general; she herself had never been there.
Upon arriving at the location, we saw several servants changing the signboard.
This place was originally the residence of an old minister from the previous dynasty. Later, when Emperor Jingyuan ascended the throne, he discovered that the old minister had embezzled disaster relief funds, so he confiscated the residence and exiled the whole family.
To others, this mansion was an ominous sign.
Having been reborn after ten years as a ghost, why would Liuzheng be afraid of misfortune?
Therefore, when Emperor Jingyuan bestowed this mansion upon her, Liuzheng showed no dissatisfaction whatsoever.
This unexpected turn of events made Emperor Jingyuan even more satisfied with Liuzheng.
When Liuzheng dismounted, the gatekeepers of the neighboring mansions all peeked around.
Liuzheng kept her eyes straight ahead, instructed them to hang the new plaque properly, and then entered the general’s mansion.
Meanwhile, in the Prince’s Mansion opposite the General’s Mansion, a steward hurriedly went to the front courtyard to report.
He lifted the curtain, not daring to look up directly, but instead staring down at a corner of the black python robe.
“Your Highness, General Zhaoyong has moved in.”
Prince Su was wiping his sword, his rough fingertips resting on the blade, making the unremarkable longsword appear somewhat sharp.
He was strikingly handsome, yet his thick, dark eyebrows and imposing aura made people instinctively hold their breath.
“Send over the housewarming gift I prepared first thing tomorrow morning.” The warm voice had a slight hoarseness.
“yes.”
After the steward left, Prince Shen He’an, who was standing beside him, immediately spoke up, eager to stir up trouble.
“When Xue Dinghai, a first-rank official, moved here before, I didn’t see you prepare any gifts. Why is it that this third-rank Zhaoyong General has caught your eye? Or is it that you have feelings for him?”
Prince Su ignored him and continued wiping his sword.
Shen He’an couldn’t help but say, “Stop wiping it! There are so many precious swords in the Prince’s mansion. I don’t know why you spend all day wiping this broken sword!”
And because of this broken sword, I remembered something.
“You suspected there was something wrong with the provisions sent to the army, so you went to the border to join the army under an assumed name. Did you join General Zhaoyong’s personal guard? You two didn’t know each other before, did you? Is that why you sent a gift?”
He shook his head again: “That’s not right. You suffered a severe head injury later, and you don’t remember any of your time in the army. Even if you joined the Changsui Army, you don’t remember this General Zhaoyong, do you? Tell me honestly, did you fall in love with him at first sight?”
Prince Su picked up his long sword and pointed it at Shen He’an’s throat.
“If you utter another word, I’ll cut off your head.”
“You wouldn’t want to!”
Prince Su’s eyes grew even colder.
Shen He’an finally dared not waste any more words, stood up and said, “I remembered my mother asked me to take something back with me, so I’ll be going now!”
“roll.”
Shen He’an shrugged and left.
Before leaving, he added, “Since you’ve given me a gift, I’ll prepare one too. I can’t let you outdo me!”
As soon as he finished speaking, seeing Prince Su pointing his sword at him, he quickly and nimbly rolled away.
The door closed, and Prince Su’s gaze returned to the broken sword that Shen He’an had mentioned.
The sword hilt bears three faded characters: “Chang Sui Jun”.
This sword was given to him by Ruan Liuzheng. She said, “Take good care of it. As long as the sword is there, you are here.”
After returning to the capital, he did indeed keep the sword.
But to the public, he said he had amnesia.
Because the draft law on grain is too complex, the slightest mistake could shake the foundations of the nation, and even his life could be in danger.
Therefore, he kept it from Shen He’an, only saying that he had suffered a severe mental injury and could not remember anything.
In fact, he remembers everything.
Especially… Ruan Liuzheng.
On the other side, Liuzheng had already toured the entire general’s mansion.
“General, are you satisfied? I’ve specially decorated the main courtyard and even had two of your favorite sycamore trees purchased,” said Vice General Pan Hong.
He and Pan Zhan are twin brothers. Except for a mole on his chin that Pan Zhan does not have, they look almost identical.
Of course, the two have very different personalities.
Pan Zhan was more silent, while Pan Hong was very talkative.
“Have the parasol trees been planted yet?” Liuzheng asked.
“not yet……”
“Then let’s plant it in Tinglan Courtyard. I’ll live in Tinglan Courtyard, and Grandmother will live in the main courtyard.”
She knew that Madam Song would definitely not let her live in the main courtyard, so she simply gave it to her grandmother.
Speak of the devil, and he appears; no sooner had she finished speaking than Madam Song arrived, radiating anger.
She immediately asked, “Why are they making me stay in Tingzhu Courtyard? Do you mean you’re going to skip over me and your father and move into the main courtyard?”
Completely forgetting that this was a general’s mansion bestowed upon Liuzheng by Emperor Jingyuan, Liuzheng could stay wherever she wanted.
Master Ruan, Ruan Hanmo, also looked displeased.
That’s just how human nature is; it’s never satisfied.
Having acquired the General’s Mansion, he looked down on the Ruan Mansion; having entered the Ruan Mansion, he then desired to stay in the best courtyard.