Chapter 78 (2/2)
Ruan Zhu remained silent and remembered that he had previously sustained a very heavy injury when he was escaping from Shun Tian Hall’s prison with her. Fighting with the jailers had caused his injuries to intensify and although later there was Imperial Physician Zhang’s careful treatment, it could not cure him. “Your poison injury is all healed by now, right?”
“After I ate all of the snow lotus from Mount Tian that Emperor-Father bestowed, I’m pretty much cured.”
“Are those assassins still causing trouble for you?”
“Your family’s number three led some people and killed quite a few of them and the ones remaining were constantly under danger and misfortune.”
‘Your family’s number three’? Xuanyuan Zong Zhi–when did her third husband receive the appellation of ‘the other man’? Forget it, this xiao san was not the same as the other xiao san, so there’s no reason to twist them up.[a]
Nuan Chun finished eating and stepped out of the heated room, continuing to serve his master in the meal.
“Niangniang!” Xing Yun entered to report: “Outside the gate, there is a girl with a very frightening appearance claiming to be niangniang‘s younger sister and saying something about how she also wants to enter the residence. But that person clearly is not Second Miss. This slave asked Steward Yang and Lian Xi to identify the person and they said she was the Third Miss who had left home previously and allowed this slave to ask for niangniang‘s opinion?”
Third Miss, Ruan Ju?
Ruan Zhu’s brows lifted: “Have Steward Yang give her ten taels of silver and then send her off!” After having transmigrated for this long, her heart had gradually become cold. She had gone through so many experiences that her previous compassion and gentleness had subsequently been whittled away quite a bit.
After a while, a reply came from below, saying the female outside refused to leave and asking if niangniang would like for them to inform the yamen for them to take her to prison.
“Truly annoying. I’ll go send her off.”
Without even taking his woolen cloak, Xuanyuan Min Zhi grabbed his sword and left Yi Xin Residence.
Ruan Zhu was afraid he would kill someone in his anger. No matter how wicked Ruan Ju was, she was still of the same blood. If she were to die at the entrance to her home, it would become words that were easy to say but hard to hear and a topic for the neighbors to gossip about.
“Nuan Chun, support me outside for a look.”
Nuan Chun brought over a fox fur cloak and had Ruan Zhu properly wear it before supporting her and pushing the door for them to leave……The two imperial bodyguards had received the news and came out of their respective rooms, carrying swords as they accompanied the pair. They had yet to walk out of Yi Xin Residence when they could distantly hear pounding against the gate along with a series of shrill screams:
“Open the gate, open the gate. This is my home, I am also surnamed Ruan, I am a person of the Ruan clan. All of you dog slaves actually dare to lock the Third Miss of the Ruan clan outside. In a little while, I’ll break all of you dogs!”
Outside the door came an extremely crude male voice shouting curses: “You said before this was your Pa’s house but you cheated us, you hen who can’t lay eggs, you ugly person who ain’t useful at all. I toldja to earn some silver but you can’t even do that so what was the point in letting you eat? I shoulda just kicked you to death.”
Ruan Ju cried: “Don’t hit me, help me pound the door. When we have broken through the door, my Pa can then come out and see me.”
A round of even fiercer slamming sounded out and the two vermilion gates seemed as if they were about to break when Xuanyuan Min Zhi had men lift up the door bolt.
Ruan Ju’s several husbands ruthlessly charged inside when suddenly, a bright, cold ray of light from a longsword horizontally slashed before their eyes. The eldest youth yelped in alarm: “This is my father-in-law’s home, what are ya trying to do?”
Ruan Zhu felt extreme hatred towards their use of the the phrase ‘father-in-law’ and deemed it as if they had profaned Ruan Zi Xu. Seeing Xuanyuan Min Zhi’s blade striking downwards, she couldn’t resist shouting: “Do not kill in front of my home. If you want to kill, go outside. Do not dirty the doorstep with bloodstains.”
Xuanyuan Min Zhi sheathed his sword and lifted his leg to aim a kick over at the wretched eldest youth’s stomach. Amidst the sound of breaking bone, the eldest brother’s body flew outside the gate and past the steps, where he laid flat on the ground, motionless. His several brothers ran over to pull at him, only to realize their eldest brother had already been kicked to the bucket. His sternum had collapsed, exposing a corner of his heart. With a touch of a hand, they discovered that he was actually no longer breathing.
The several brothers became so scared they lost their heads and started shouting: Murder! The Ruan clan has killed someone!
The night was dark. Ruan Zhu was a distance away and could not see the scene outside but that trace of blood wafted inside the courtyard, causing her to be dizzy for a spell.
Those several brothers wildly charged inside the Ruan residence and caused an uproar: “Eldest Brother was killed by them and a murder must be paid with a life. Hurry and give us money or we’ll report ya to the yamen.”
“First, grab that young wife and force them to give us money.”
“Get five hundred taels, no……a thousand taels……”
The imperial bodyguards of the Prince of Qi’s residence heard there was trouble and stepped out with their swords before encircling Ruan Ju’s husbands and starting a scene of blows and kicks.
Seeing this array of men, Ruan Ju’s husbands were stunned silly with fright. They had only heard that the Ruan clan was one of merchants. Since that was the case, how could a mere merchant be able to produce this sort of scene?
A luxurious carriage galloped along the street with an entire squadron of imperial bodyguards on horses following behind. The carriage stopped before the residence’s gates. From the carriage stepped out man with a grave and cold face and in his arms was a fast-asleep small toddler.
“Nangong, send the troublemakers to Da Jue Mountain.”
“Understood, Your Highness.”
The one who arrived was precisely Xuanyuan Zong Zhi, who hadn’t expected there would actually be people who dared caused a commotion at the entrance of his home when he had only been gone for half a day. Handing over the sleeping Zhi Xi over to Qu Gao, he stepped inside the courtyard and pulled his wife into his arms before horizontally lifting her up and striding towards Yi Xin Residence. He instructed He Gua while he moved: “Quickly bring Imperial Physician Zhang over. Delays are not allowed.”
Entering the bedroom, Xuanyuan Zong Zhi placed his wife on the bed and saw that her complexion was pale. His heart jumped into his throat: “Wife, are you all right? Is there anywhere that is uncomfortable?”
Ruan Zhu was only able to recover from that extreme dizziness after a spell: “I just can’t bear the smell of blood and am much better now.”
[a] Again, this is a pun based on 小三 which in modern terms, refers to a mistress or the other woman.