Chapter Sixty: Entering the Inner Chamber

  Rong Jing took the clothes, smiled and glanced at them, then said to the outside: "Xuan Ge, return to the mansion! We won't go to the imperial palace today. The emperor is busy with a million things, and has been overworking lately. Let's talk about this another day!"

  "Yes!" Xuan Ge's mouth twitched slightly as he responded strangely, and the horse carriage that had turned towards the imperial palace turned back again, continuing on its way to Rong Wang Fu.

  Rong Jing slowly and carefully smoothed out the crumpled clothes, untied the ribbons, opened the stuck hook and eye, removed the outer gauze, and pulled out the silk fabric that was wrapped around her arm. Without exerting much effort, she quickly tidied up the clothes. She glanced at Yun Qianyue, who looked unwell and sat there with a faint smile on her face. Rong Jing leaned forward, wrapped her arms around Yun Qianyue's body, and said softly, "Hold out your hand!"

  The cloud is shallow and the moon stretches out its hand in harmony.

  Rong Jing helped her put on the clothes, tied the silk ribbon and buckled the ring buckle one by one. Finally, he wrapped that piece of brocade around her arms. After doing all this, he took out a wooden comb to comb Yun Shang Yue's hair.

  Yun's body was stiff and numb as she let him manipulate her.

  She combed her hair and then took out a hairpin from the wall cabinet of her own carriage and inserted it into her hair. Satisfied with what she saw, she praised: "Not bad!"

  Yun Qian didn't bother to argue with him and remained silent.

  Rong Jing didn't think much of it, took a step back, leaned against the car wall and closed his eyes again. However, if one looked closely at him, they would find that the corners of his mouth were slightly curved upwards, revealing that he was in a good mood.

  The two of them stopped talking and the car fell silent.

  Before long, the carriage stopped in front of the Rong Wang Fu gate. The sound of the zither came again, "Young Master, you have returned to the mansion!"

  Rong Jing responded with a sound, opened his eyes, glanced at Yun Shangyue, slowly stretched out his hand to lift the curtain of the carriage, slightly leaned forward, and got off the horse-drawn carriage first.

  Yun Qian Yue jumped down from the carriage after he got off. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she heard a burst of gasping sounds. Following the sound, she saw that there were many people standing at the gate of Rong Wang Fu. In addition to the guards standing at the gate, there were Rong Ling Lan and two women she had never seen before who were dressed in luxurious clothes, as well as two young men and an old man. Those two young men were the ones she saw that day at Ling Tai Temple, seemingly being Rong Jing's collateral brothers. The old man was also the one she met after she and Rong Jing were rescued and taken to the North Mountain Villa of Ling Tai Temple, dressed in attire befitting a high-ranking steward of Rong Wang Fu. The gasping sounds just now came from those two young men.

  Yun Qianyue swept her gaze over the few people, her eyes passing over the two young men who were staring at her in astonishment, without pausing, and expressionlessly withdrew her line of sight.

  "Brother, how...how did she come?" Rong Linglan looked at Yun Shangyue and asked Rong Jing.

  "She stayed in the mansion for a few days." said Rong Jingdao.

  When did she say that she would stay in the Rong Wang Fu for a short while? Yun Qian Yue looked at Rong Jing, just about to speak, but saw Rong Jing turn his head and glance at her, raising an eyebrow: "Could it be that you can get up at three watches and rush to the Rong Wang Fu, then return to the Yun Wang Fu at midnight? Rushing back and forth?"

  Yun Qian Yue immediately fell silent, of course it couldn't be! That's absolute!

  "Or is it that you want to stay in Rong Wang Fu for a few more days?" asked Yong Jing again.

  Yun Shallow Moon reluctantly nodded.

  Rong Jing withdrew his gaze, sweeping over the few people at the door, and his eyes fell on the two young men. He said in a light tone: "Yesterday, I received a letter from Mount Tianxue, saying that Rong Feng will enter the capital in two days. My body needs to be nursed back to health, and I have been entrusted by Old Master Yun of the Cloud King's Manor to teach shallow moon Miss Yun how to read, so I don't have the energy to entertain him. So, I'll trouble you two brothers! He has just returned to the capital for this martial arts competition, and we are from the same branch, so it is only right that we take care of him. The old Wenbo manor has long been abandoned, let's arrange for him to stay in this manor!"

  Rong Jing's words fell, and the two young masters did not respond. They kept staring at Yun Shang Yue without moving their gaze, not hearing what Rong Jing said. Qi Qi thought to herself: Is this really that Yun Shang Yue, the laughing stock of the capital, who is said to be illiterate and unrefined? Now seeing her standing tall and slender, wearing a purple dress with elegance, her eyebrows and eyes clear and refined, how could she possibly match up to the rumors?

  Rong Jing's eyes flickered towards Yun Shangyue, seeing her expressionless face, he covered his eyes with a slightly cold gaze, and said to the two of them: "Let him move into Cuihua Pavilion then!"

  The two of them nodded unconsciously.

  Rong Jing turned around and walked towards the inner courtyard of the mansion, with Yun Qian Yue following closely behind.

  "The young master, Old Master Wang said that if you return, please go to his study for a visit." Rong Wangfu's steward, Rong Fu, also couldn't believe his eyes. He had seen Miss Shang Yue before, but she didn't seem like this usually.

  "Let Grandfather wait for a moment, I'll settle Miss Shallow Moon and then go over." Rong Jing didn't even turn his head.

  "Yes!" The steward Rong Fu bowed his head in response and remained silent.

  "Brother, you're teaching her to read? She... she's moving into our estate? Isn't that a bit..." Rong Linglan stared at Yun Shangyue as she followed closely behind Rong Jing's back, but couldn't turn the corner. How could Yun Shangyue be worthy of being taught by the crown prince, and also move into the Rong Wang Estate?

  "There's nothing wrong! Yun Shizi took care of the princess, no one managed her, and Old Master Wang entrusted her to me." Rong Jing turned his head and glanced at Rong Linglan, saying lightly: "I just ran into the young princess of the Xiaoqin King's mansion when I left the house, it seems she went to the Prime Minister's mansion, probably to visit Miss Qin. If you have nothing else to do, sister, go take a look too!"

  "You're concerned about her!" Yun Qianyue hummed softly.

  "The Chancellor's mansion is very close to the Crown Prince's mansion, they are on the same street." Rong Jing smiled and glanced at Yun Shangyue.

  Yun Shallow Moon suddenly enlightened, so it was!

  "Yes, Prince Brother is right, I should go and see Yu Cong." Rong Tinglan immediately stopped entangling Yun Shangyue about whether to let Rong Jing teach or live in the Rong Wangfu, and hurriedly ordered someone to prepare a carriage. She was afraid that Leng Xuan's intention was not to go to the Prime Minister's mansion, but to the Crown Prince's mansion. How could she allow her to snatch the heart of the Crown Prince alone? That day, when she rode in a carriage with the Crown Prince on the way back, he was much nicer to her than before, and she naturally wanted to take advantage of the situation.

  "Second sister, didn't you say you'd take us shopping? I heard that the rouge shop on West Street has some high-quality rouge again, aren't you going to buy some?" The woman standing next to Rong Linglan immediately asked. She was the fourth miss of the Rong Wangfu.

  "Yes, not only did the rouge shop on West Street bring good rouge, but also the Emerald Jade Shop on East Street brought excellent jewelry! I heard they are all new styles." Another woman immediately said. She was the fifth miss of Rong Wang Fu.

  "See you tomorrow!" Rong Linglan didn't have the heart to buy any more cosmetics and accessories, and she waved her hand at the two of them, "If you're in a hurry, go ahead yourselves."

  Those two naturally knew her thoughts and immediately pouted.

  Rong Linglan ignored them and got into the carriage as soon as it was ready. The carriage quickly left the Rong Wang Fu gate and headed towards the Taizi Fu.

  "Second Aunt doesn't care about Second Sister at all, just letting her run to the Crown Prince's mansion every day." Fourth Miss said. She was the legitimate daughter of the third old master of the Rong Wang Fu, and she was called Fourth Miss according to the ranking order of the Rong Wang Fu.

  "Fourth sister, Second Aunt would naturally not care about such things. She can't wait for Second Sister to marry into the Crown Prince's mansion!" Fifth Miss was the legitimate daughter of the Fourth Master of the Rong Wang Fu, and she watched as Rong Linglan's carriage hurried away, pursing her lips.

  "The crown prince doesn't seem that great to me either, I think the fourth prince is quite good!" said the fourth miss.

  "The Fourth Prince is not bad, but you haven't seen the Seventh Prince. If you had seen the Seventh Prince, you wouldn't say that. In my opinion, the Seventh Prince is even better than the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince!" said the Fifth Miss.

  "Seventh prince? Is that the seventh prince who was implicated in his mother's crime and demoted to serve in the northern border five years ago?" Fourth Miss asked.

  "Yes, it's him. I heard that the Seventh Prince went to Beijiang five years ago, coinciding with the turmoil in Beijiang. At that time, many officials had already died, and everyone was at a loss for what to do. The Emperor wanted to send troops to quell the uprising, but the Seventh Prince somehow managed to stop the riot. The Emperor highly praised him and exempted him from his past crimes, allowing him to stay in Beijiang to gain experience. He would be allowed to return to the capital after achieving great merit.

  It's said that the Seventh Prince started as a low-ranking soldier and achieved military merit every year. The Emperor was overjoyed and repeatedly promoted the Seventh Prince. Last year, when Beijiang suffered from drought, the Seventh Prince opened up a mountain to bring in water and alleviated the disaster. The Emperor then promoted the Seventh Prince three ranks in one go.

  It's said that the Emperor has now permitted the Seventh Prince to return to the capital, but he refused, saying he didn't want to return to the capital and would rather continue to guard Beijiang for our Tian Sheng Town. The Emperor highly praised him, saying this was a true son of Tian Sheng.

  The Fifth Miss lowered her voice, but couldn't hide the admiration in her eyes."

  "So that's how it is! So the Seventh Prince really did get it." The Fourth Miss also showed a look of admiration. She asked the Fifth Miss, "Sister, when did you see the Seventh Prince? How do you know so much about his affairs?"

  Miss Wu's face turned red as she said in a low voice, "I saw him from afar when the Seventh Prince left the capital five years ago."

  "Oh, it was that time you sneaked out to play and almost got your leg broken by Fourth Aunt when you came back." Fourth Miss suddenly realized.

  "Uh-huh!" Miss Wu nodded.

  Fourth Miss looked at Fifth Miss, obviously able to see that she had fallen deeply in love with Seventh Prince. Although she also admired Seventh Prince's actions, she still said disapprovingly: "He has military achievements and received the emperor's praise, but what use is it? His mother was punished, his entire maternal family was implicated, and now he is alone. Moreover, how can his status surpass that of Crown Prince and Fourth Prince? Although Crown Prince's mother is not noble, she was raised under the name of the Empress Dowager. As the crown prince, this is what makes him noble. The mother of the fourth prince came from a noble family, she was the late Chen Guifei in the palace, although Chen Guifei has passed away, but the status of the fourth prince is still noble, and also under the guidance of the Empress Dowager. No matter how hard he tries, Seventh Prince's status and position cannot surpass that of Crown Prince and Fourth Prince. Having military achievements is not enough."

  Miss Wu bit her lip and remained silent.

  Fourth Miss said, "Besides, the Seventh Prince is also too ignorant of the current situation. The Emperor has already agreed to let him return to the capital, but he still refuses to come back? It's said that the North Border is a harsh and cold place, could it be that this Seventh Prince's brain is damaged? He actually wants to spend his whole life guarding the North Border? Even if he had great abilities, in the future, he'll probably have no achievements to speak of, and can only stay in that place at the North Border."

  Miss Wu's face suddenly turned somewhat unpleasant, still without a word.

  "Fourth sister, I know what you're thinking. Even if you like the Seventh Prince, what's the use? Are you going to marry him and suffer with him in the North Territory? I think it's better to forget about it! The North Territory can't compare to the prosperity of the capital. It's okay if the Seventh Prince is foolish, but don't be foolish yourself." Fourth Miss looked at Fifth Miss, lowering her voice to advise: "In this household, only you and I have a close relationship, so of course we're speaking from the heart. If you still stubbornly pine for the Seventh Prince, I'm afraid you'll suffer the consequences in the future."

  "I understand, Fourth Sister." Fifth Miss nodded, her expression gloomy, and said in a low voice: "It would be better if Seventh Prince were to return."

  "Even if you come back, you'll probably be ostracized by the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince, as well as all the other princes. In short, there's no good outcome for you. I advise you to just forget about it. Apart from our own Eldest Brother, there are also Prince Yan, the Crown Prince, the Fourth Prince, Cloud King's son, the Third Son of the Duke of Filial Piety, the Young Master of the Chancellor's household, and the Young Master of the Minister's household... With so many talented young men from good families to choose from, how could you possibly be chosen with your status? Why must you insist on choosing a Seventh Prince who has no family background, no social standing, and no maternal clan support? Isn't that just asking for trouble? If Fourth Aunt finds out, she'll definitely not let you off easy!" The Fourth Miss whispered in an extremely low voice: "I heard that Fourth Aunt has already started arranging your marriage..."

  The fifth young lady's face turned pale as she looked at the fourth, "Second sister, third sister and fourth sister are not yet married, and the person to be betrothed has not been decided, why should I be anxious?"

  "You're not in a hurry, Fourth Aunt is in a hurry!" Fourth Miss scolded Fifth Miss with a glance, nudged her with her arm and smiled: "Let's go, Second Sister isn't going to the cosmetics shop or Emerald Jade Lane, we'll go."

  "Uh-huh!" Miss Wu nodded.

  The two of them had just finished speaking and were about to leave when they suddenly realized that their two older brothers were still standing at the door, staring blankly into the courtyard. The fourth young lady was taken aback, and following the direction of their gaze, she looked around in confusion, but saw nothing. She immediately asked: "Second brother, third brother, what are you looking at?"

  Those two young masters, one was the eldest son of the second master of the Rong Wang Fu, Rong Yi, and the other was the eldest son of the third master of the Rong Wang Fu, Rong Ye. Upon hearing this, they turned their heads back, and Rong Yi asked Fourth Miss and Fifth Miss: "Was that woman who just went in with the Crown Prince really Shallow Moon Miss from the Yun Wang Fu?"

  "Yes!" The fourth and fifth young ladies nodded in unison.

  "She...she's not like what people said?" Rong Xuan asked.

  "Is there a difference? How come I didn't notice! Isn't she still herself?" Fourth Miss said.

  "Hmm, I also think that Shallow Moon Miss is a bit different from before!" Fifth Miss thought of the woman she had just seen and pondered for a moment before saying: "She seems to have become even more beautiful!"

  "That's it! That's the one!" Rong Yi clapped his hands.

  "What's so good about her? I don't see where she's beautiful. A woman who can't even recognize a single character, how can she be beautiful? Let's go, we're going out." Fourth Miss reached out to pull up Fifth Miss and they set off immediately.

  "Fourth sister, it seems that our young master brother is somewhat different towards Miss Shallow Moon!" Fifth miss said softly while being supported by fourth miss as they walked.

  "What's different?" The fourth young lady had her mind full of new cosmetics and accessories.

  "Have you ever seen Young Master look at anyone with different eyes? Not to mention women, even men are rare." The fifth young lady turned her head and looked back, but saw nothing. She said in a low voice: "Just now she came in the carriage of our Young Master! In all these years, which woman has gotten close to Young Master by even half a step? Not to mention sharing a carriage together."

  Fourth Miss's footsteps paused, "Listening to you say this, it seems that Young Master is not ordinary towards her."

  Miss Wu nodded. She thought He Ji was not ordinary.

  "Hmph, didn't you just hear that Young Master treated her with respect only because of Old Master Yun's face? Is she worthy of Young Master's special treatment? If it were Qin Yuxin from the Prime Minister's estate who received Young Master's special treatment, that would be more like it." The fourth miss snorted in disdain. "Let's not talk about her anymore, let's hurry up and go! If we're late, I'm afraid everything will be taken by others."

  The fifth young lady nodded, although she didn't agree with the fourth young lady's words, but also didn't speak again.

  The two of them quickly left Rong Wang Fu.

  Rong Yi and Rong Ye exchanged a glance, originally intending to go out, but instead they both returned to the mansion and headed towards the Zizhu Pavilion in the rear courtyard where Rong Jing was.

  At this time, Rong Jing and Yun Qianyue had already turned around the front yard of the Rong Wang Fu and arrived at the back yard.

  The scenery is still as usual, walking lightly and steadily, each step extremely light and shallow, yet looking very stable and elegant. From start to finish, he didn't look back. Yun Shang Yue followed behind him, strolling carelessly while appreciating the scenery of Rong Wang Fu.

  The scenery in the front yard of Rong Wang Fu is similar to that of Yun Wang Fu, but after passing through the front yard and entering the back yard, it is greatly different. There are no artificial hills or stone carvings in sight, nor are there any rare and precious flowers, unlike Yun Wang Fu's layout which showcases grandeur and luxury. Instead, there is a unique quietness and serenity. Especially when Rong Jing walks along this path with her, the back yard is different again. A large and wide emerald lake blocks off the front and back yards, on which stands an octagonal pavilion. A suspension bridge spans across the pavilion, but it's not too wide, only allowing two or three people to pass through at a time. On the other side of the lake is a dense purple bamboo forest. The purple trunks and leaves are straight and slender, swaying gently in the breeze. The purple bamboo forest is extremely lush, and one can't see the end of it.

  Yun Jian fell in love with this beautiful scenery at first sight and couldn't help but exclaim, "Purple smoke and clouds, a picturesque landscape."

  Rong Jing turned his head and glanced at her, "You still have this taste and know how to appreciate it?"

  Yun pouted at him, "This lady's taste is naturally impeccable!"

  "Ah, it's great!" Rong Jing turned his head and said in a warm voice: "Just like your horse and that new carriage! As soon as the carriage goes out on the street, no need to hang a sign, everyone knows that the one sitting in that carriage is Miss Shallow Moon of Yun Wang Fu."

  Yun Qian's face turned black, and she was about to storm back, but suddenly remembered that Cai Lian was still in the car. She immediately turned her head to look around, but couldn't see Cai Lian's shadow anywhere. She hastily stopped in her tracks and said, "Hey, it seems I've abandoned my maid and the car on the street."

  "If you wait for you to remember, your car and maid would have been dried up in the sun. Don't worry! I've already arranged it, let your maid and carriage return to Yunwangfu, anyway, you live here, don't need her service." said Rong Jingdao.

  "Back again!" Yun Shallow Moon frowned, "I've been with you all along, when did you hand it over?"

  "It was when I was dressing you." Rong Jing said calmly.

  Yun Shallow Moon's face immediately sank, and as soon as she mentioned this matter, her temper was not in one place. She didn't suspect at all that Yun Old Wangye had secretly colluded with this black-hearted guy, knowing that he disliked Ye Tianqing, so he used threats to take advantage of him.

  The two of them stopped talking and walked across the suspension bridge, arriving in front of the purple bamboo forest.

  Yun Qian Yue saw a stone standing in front of her, on which were written several large characters: "No entry without permission." The characters were scribbled hastily, but because the stone was very tall and the characters were red, they were quite eye-catching. She glanced at them and said, "Why didn't you write 'Trespassers will be killed'?"

  "It means the same thing. If you enter without permission, the outcome is death." said Rong Jingdao.

  Yun Shallow Moon rolled her eyes, "You really think you're a recluse and a superior being?"

  "The hermit is not here, but this bamboo forest has no one leading the way in or out." Rong Jing suddenly stopped in his tracks, turned around to see Yun Shang Yue rolling her eyes, and raised an eyebrow, smiling: "Why don't you try? See if you can get in?"

  "I don't want to die young yet." Yun Qianyue stood still, urging: "Hurry up and lead the way, it's time for lunch, I'm starving."

  Rong Jing raised his eyes to glance at the sky, rubbed his forehead with his hand, and walked forward, "Indeed, the days are too short. I was wise to have you get up at three to study."

  "Can you get up at the third watch? If you can, I'll get up too. Don't ask me to do less than you." Yun Qianyue hummed and stared at Rong Jing's footsteps. In her past life, she had learned about mechanisms and strange doors from a master. However, the array in this purple bamboo forest was quite mysterious. Now that she didn't have any martial arts skills, she naturally didn't dare to try it out easily. If she still had some martial arts skills left, she would definitely give it a try. For now, she could only follow Rong Jing's footsteps.

  "I'm getting up, so you should too." Rong Jing said.

  Yun Qian Yue hummed again and stopped talking.

  This purple bamboo forest looks dense from the outside, but it's actually not big. In just a moment, Rong Jing and Yun Shang Yue walked out of the purple bamboo forest. Yun Shang Yue had thought that it would probably be a small, cramped place, with a patch of bamboo blocking the front, and Rong Jing wouldn't mind living here for a long time. Unfortunately, she was wrong. What entered her line of sight wasn't a small, cramped place at all, but rather an open area of over one square mile. Moreover, this vast empty space was filled with all sorts of medicinal herbs. Before they even walked closer, the fragrance of medicine wafted up to their noses.

  Yun Shallow Moon snorted twice, "If I didn't know better, I'd think your family makes a living selling herbs!"

  "Hmm, about the same, most of our family's wealth comes from these herbs." Rong Jing nodded.

  Yun Qian's eyes widened in shock as she stared at Rong Jing, her gaze no longer that of a person looking at another human being, but rather like one beholding a monster. After a long while, she finally managed to utter a sentence, "You actually paved the floor with jade, used white jade for the railing, made coral into a trellis, used inkstone as a table, used agate as stone stools, used green tourmaline as steps, and used amethyst as window curtains... You, you're not human at all!"

  Rong Jing looked at Yun Qian Yue and smiled slightly, "It's rare that you have a discerning eye!"

  Yun Shang's heart skipped a beat, and he forced himself to look away, sizing up Rong Jing. "Isn't anyone going to dig three feet under this land? How can you sleep at night?" This courtyard where he lived was not a courtyard at all - it was a mountain of gold!

  "No one dares yet! I slept very well." Rong Jing stepped forward towards the courtyard.

  Yun Shallow Moon stared at Rong Jing's back, staring for a long time before shaking her head. People are really suffocating!

  The two of them entered the courtyard one after another, and as they did, their view of the scenery became even clearer. Yún Shǎn Yuè couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, while at the same time she muttered to herself, scolding Róng Jǐng for not being a decent human being.

  In the courtyard, a florist, a sweeping maid, and a young child were all busy with their respective tasks. When they saw the two enter, they all gave way to Rong Jing and paid their respects. Then, seeing that Yun Shang Yue was scolding her own son without any restraint, while the son smiled lightly as if he hadn't heard, the three of them all showed a look of surprise, exchanging glances with each other. Their surprised expressions then turned into a "so it's true" expression. They had long heard that their young master treated Yun Wang Fu's Shang Yue Miss differently from others. Now that they saw her, she wasn't just different from others - she was one-of-a-kind in the world! Who would dare scold him to his face? Even the emperor had to show respect to the young master. The three of them thought to themselves again, this Shang Yue Miss would be someone they wouldn't dare offend even if they were given a million chances from now on.

  Yun Shangyu scolded Rong Jing for a long time before finally focusing her gaze on the only three people in the courtyard. The three of them were dressed very plainly, with an old man holding a flower rake and scissors, looking like a florist, probably over 60 years old. A maid, about the same age as Yu Mei, looked to be around 16 or 17. Another young boy had clear and elegant features, only 13 or 14 years old, still very tender. She carefully examined each of them, noticing that their breathing was all light and shallow, especially the old man, who didn't even seem to breathe at all. It was obvious they were all skilled in martial arts, with extremely high levels of skill. She withdrew her gaze, thinking no wonder nobody dared to mess with this place! With intricate linked arrays outside, one misstep would be fatal, and inside, these three people could take on a hundred others. What's there to fear? This black-hearted guy must have trouble sleeping at night.

  "What injustice! What injustice!" Yun Shangyue thought about how she had worked so hard in her previous life, and all the money in her bank account couldn't even compare to the value of this small piece of land. She felt deeply frustrated. Then she remembered the twelve Buddha statues she had painstakingly hidden away at Lingtai Temple, which could probably only buy a plot of land as big as what was under her feet now. She felt even more frustrated! With resentment, she said to Rong Jingdao: "Why didn't you tell me earlier that your family is rich? If I had known earlier, why would I have bothered hiding those broken Buddha statues? I could have come to your house and moved in earlier. And what was the point of exhausting myself like a shed snake skin for those broken Buddhas?"

  Rong Jing smiled at Yun Shangyue, his expression extremely innocent. "I told you my family has a lot of money and asked if you wanted to count it. You said no, and I should keep it for myself as funeral expenses. How can you blame me now?"

  The cloud was shallow and the moon was bright, and she seemed to remember that there was such a thing. It was on that day when he went to the Cloud King's Mansion to pick her up to go to the Lingtai Temple to get on the carriage, but she just thought he had a lot of money. Who knew it was so rich to the point of being abnormal? She held back for half a moment and hummed: "How did I know that your family's money is enough to make ten thousand coffins and still have some left over?"

  "It's not too late to know now, you can still count on it." Rong Jing smiled lightly and suddenly lowered his voice: "Besides, who would be disgusted with more money? Those twelve golden Buddha statues, if you hadn't taken them at the time, would have been a bargain for Ye Tianqing. You hiding them is not wrong either."

  "It is!" Yun Shallow Moon nodded, feeling a bit more at ease in her heart, thinking of the twelve Buddha statues still hidden under the Lingtai Temple. She furrowed her brow and said: "But how do we get them out?"

  Rong Jing looked at her frowning face and didn't say a word.

  "This matter is now on your shoulders, you're in charge of getting it done." Yun Shangyue felt that with her current situation, unable to lift a hand or shoulder the responsibility, being new and inexperienced, without any internal power or influence, she wouldn't be able to get it done even if she tried, and even if she did manage to get it done, she probably wouldn't be able to keep it hidden, so she could only rely on this person now.

  "Good!" Rong Jing responded very readily.

  "Oh dear, I'm starving, let's eat, let's eat!" Yun Qian Yue was too lazy to bother anymore, as long as someone solved it for her. She walked past Rong Jing and directly into his room. Not having the slightest awareness of being a guest."

  The flower farmer, the maid, and the child all stared at Yun Shangyue in a daze. Seeing her walk into the house with an air of confidence, they turned their heads to look at Rong Jing, seeing his face filled with smiles, his eyebrows and eyes seemingly painted with joy, warm and harmonious. The three of them exchanged glances again, all having the illusion that this person was not their own young master. How many years had it been since their young master last smiled? How many years had he spoken so little? How many years had he been cold and detached? Now they felt as though the ice that had frozen for a thousand years had melted, everyone lowering their heads in both delight and heartache. Their admiration for Yun Shangyue rose to another level.

  "Qing Shang, can you tidy up that room?" Yong Jing asked the maid as he turned around.

  "Return to the world, I've already taken care of it." Qing Shang nodded.

  "Hmm, she lives in Rong Wang Fu these days, you will serve her!" ordered Gong Jing.

  "Yes, I will definitely serve Miss Shallow Moon well." Qing Shan nodded vigorously.

  Rong Jing seemed to smile slightly, shaking his head, "No need to try too hard, just treat her as one of the objects in this courtyard, sweep and tidy up every day, she's here to learn characters, not to enjoy herself."

  Qing Shuang "uh" for a moment, nodded obediently, "Yes!"

  Yun Piao Yue was listening inside the house, rolling her eyes in annoyance. She thought to herself that this guy really overestimated her, she herself didn't think those things in his courtyard were worth much. No need for anyone to serve her either.

  Rong Jing turned his head and asked the little boy, "Qingquan, have you tidied up the study according to my instructions?"

  "Back to Master, everything is ready, all done according to your instructions." Qingquan nodded immediately.

  "Uh-huh!" Rong Jing nodded, then turned to the old man, "Yao Lao, her body is extremely weak, with both Qi and blood deficiency, plus internal energy depletion. For these days, please take care of preparing medicinal dishes for her meals."

  "Don't worry, young master. Even if I don't do anything else, I will make sure to nurse Miss Shallow Moon and you back to health as soon as possible." The old man immediately nodded with a smile.

  "Uh-huh, I naturally believe you." Rong Jing also smiled slightly, and without saying more, turned around and entered the house.

  The three of them exchanged a glance, hastily threw down the chopsticks in their hands, and laughed so hard that they couldn't close their mouths as they each went off to attend to their own tasks.

  Rong Jing pushed aside the beaded curtain and entered the room, only to see Yun Qian Yue sprawled out on his warm jade bed, lying on her back with her legs stretched out straight. He raised an eyebrow and asked with a smile, "What are you doing? Are you planning on sleeping?"

  "I've never lain on such a high-grade bed, let me try it out." Yun Shangyue felt the warmth beneath her and sighed in comfort as she lay there.

  "Or should I give it to you?" asked Rong Jing.

  "Give it to me?" Yun Qian Yue suddenly sat up straight, looking at Rong Jing with suspicion.

  "This bed has been slept on since I was injured at the age of seven, otherwise do you think I could have endured for over a decade? Now it's no longer needed, if you like it, I'll give it to you, what's the harm?" Rong Jing walked in and sat down slowly. The suffering of the big illness that had been simmering for ten years was light as cloud and wind in his words, as if it were just a wisp of cloud.

  Yun Shallow Moon reached out to touch the warm jade bed, and suddenly remembered that he had taken a cold poison pill to suppress his lust because of the aphrodisiac. His body was extremely cold, which is why he wanted to sleep on this warm jade bed. She rolled her eyes, "I don't want to. This bed is all your dark heart, I'm afraid if I sleep for a few days, I'll also be infected with a dark heart."

  She jumped down from the warm jade bed and walked lazily to the table to sit down.

  Isn't there a saying "Near the vermilion, one becomes red; near the ink, one becomes black"? From now on, you'll be with me every day. I'm afraid that even if you don't sleep in this bed, you won't be able to stay clean." Rong Jing glanced at Yun Shang Yue with a profound meaning.

  "It's just studying with you these days, isn't it? Don't worry, I can handle it and won't let your dark heart affect me." Yun Shang looked at Rong Jing with a glance, poured herself a cup of tea, took a sip, and praised: "This is top-grade Gunpowder! I didn't expect you to have Gunpowder here too, it's simply my favorite!"

  "After all, things are unpredictable." Jing's clear eyes flashed with a different emotion, looking at Yun Shang Yue's admiring expression, raising an eyebrow and smiling: "Mao Jian?"

  "Isn't it?" Yun Shangyue asked with a tilted head.

  "This is a new tea discovered by Medicine Old Man at Yunwu Ridge this year. He thought it tasted good, so he picked some back and hasn't named it yet." Rong Jingying met Shang Yueshan's gaze and said slowly: "It's said that the picking process is very complicated, only taking that one tender bud from that one tea plant, and then shading it from light. Especially when picking on a clear morning after rain, this tea tastes even more refreshing and fragrant. Medicine Old Man brought some back for me to name, but I haven't named it yet. Now you say it's Maojian, which is indeed the most fitting name for this tea."

  What! Was it also her who gave this nickname? Yun Qian Yue twitched the corner of her mouth and remained silent for a long time.

  Rong Jing carefully looked at Yun Qian Yue's expression, seeing that she seemed to be in a state of being struck, his eyes flashed, and he glanced at the tea water in his hand, his mind uncertain.

  "Where is Yun Wu Ridge?" Yun Qian Yue fell silent for a moment before asking again.

  "In the clouds and mist of Mount Baili." Rong Jing also poured himself a cup of tea, savoring it slowly.

  "What's it like? Have you been there?" asked Yun Qiu Yue.

  "The mountain is high and steep, with clouds and mist swirling around it all year round. Many precious medicinal herbs grow in the mountains, but wild beasts also roam freely, and if you're not careful, you might fall off a cliff. As a result, there are almost no human footprints here."

  "Ah!" Yun Shangyue nodded. She lowered her head to gaze at the tea leaves in her cup, which were tightly rounded, emerald green, and fragrant with a rich aroma. The flavor was mellow and thick. Moreover, they grew in a region of dense fog, so these tea leaves were undoubtedly Maojian. As she stared at the tea leaves and water, a layer of cloudiness veiled her eyes. She loved drinking this tea because of one person; that person also loved drinking this kind of tea. Every time they had a holiday during the tea-picking season, they would personally go to pick some and drink it together. Later, during a mission, that person left and never came back. So she drank two people's worth alone, also wanting to drink on behalf of that person. Until she arrived in this world, thinking she had completely severed all past connections, unexpectedly, there was Maojian here. It seemed some people were destined to be remembered for a lifetime, forever unable to forget, even if they died; as long as their soul remained, they would still remember. In her heart, she let out a soft sigh.

  Rong Jing gazed at Yun Qianyue's expression, listening to her barely audible sighs. Her slender eyebrows furrowed slightly as she smiled and asked: "Who is it that has moved you to such sentiment?"

  She's so obvious? The cloud on the shallow moon surface dissipated, and she restored her usual careless appearance, lying on the table with a boneless body, glancing at Rong Jing with a nonchalant tone: "What kind of person or thing can make me feel sentimental?"

  Rong Jing looked at her deeply, and no longer spoke.

  Yun Qian Yue took a sip of tea, savoring it carefully, and said in a clear voice: "Spring tea is green and first bitter then sweet. Summer tea tastes astringent and has a dark color. Tea picked after the white dew is autumn tea. Now your Maojian was probably picked by Medicine Old around the end of spring and beginning of summer, so it has both bitterness and sweetness, as well as astringency."

  "Miss Shallow Moon, do you really know this tea? Old Man Yao's voice came from outside, seemingly extremely surprised and excited, as if he had found a long-lost acquaintance. "I have several kinds of picked tea leaves here, I wonder if Miss Shallow Moon can recognize them all?"

  "Is the medicine ready? Bring it over and let me take a look!" Yun Shangyue beckoned to him from outside, the window was open, just in time to see that old man's excited face. She smiled at him.

  "Alright!" The old man hurried down.

  Rong Jing lowered his head and sipped tea, without objecting. His long eyelashes covered his eyes, it was unknown what he was thinking.

  Yun Qian Yue no longer spoke, her hands cradling the teacup as she gently swirled it, the tea leaves and water swirling in circles within the cup, forming a beautiful pale blue pattern.

  Before long, Yao Lao carried several exquisite boxes into the house, placed them on the table, and looked at Yun Shang Yue with a hopeful face.

  Yun Qian put down the teacup and opened each box one by one. After looking at several boxes, she shook her head with difficulty towards Shang Yao Lao's expectant gaze, "I don't recognize any of them. I only know this kind of tea."

  The old medicine is eagerly awaited by the old face, and it will collapse in an instant.

  Rong Jing smiled lightly and raised his eyelids to say to Yao Lao, "You really think she understands everything? If she understood everything, why would she need to be forced to come learn? The reason she can recognize this tea is probably because she stepped on some dog shit luck."

  The old man nodded, and his fallen face immediately smiled again. He hastily put away the brocade boxes and said to Yun Shangyue: "Miss Shangyue can recognize this kind of tea, which is also remarkable. Ordinary women can't recognize it at all." After finishing speaking, he walked away with the brocade boxes in his arms.

  "Rong Jing! Don't speak so crudely, you're a refined gentleman, how can such filthy words come out of your mouth!" Yun Shangyue reminded Rong Jing solemnly after seeing Yao Lao leave. Can she recognize these few types of tea leaves? She could say it even if she didn't want to. Anyway, they weren't the ones she liked to drink, she just wanted to take a look, to see if those teas from that world really existed in this world.

  "You're still the legitimate daughter of Yun Wang Fu! Everyone's darling, aren't you just as rough?" Rong Jing raised an eyebrow.

  "How can you and I be the same?" Yun Shangyue's words fell, and she smelled a savory aroma, "It smells so good, I smell the flavor of Braised Fish with Lotus Root."

  "Have you smelled the scent of silver?" Rong Jing smiled at Yun Shang Yue, saying slowly: "Yesterday evening, Grandfather Yun sent me a sum of silver, it's your living expenses. I took a look and saw that there was quite a lot, so I made this Fu Rong roasted fish for you. Hope it's enough for you to eat for several days. Grandfather Yun also said if it's not enough, go find him again to get more silver. I agreed."

  "You..." Yun Qian Yue's eyes widened in shock, her hand pointing at Rong Jing as she struggled to get the words out for half a day.

  At this time, a voice came from outside, "Young Master, lunch is ready!"

  "Alright, bring it over!" Jing ordered.

  Qing Yu walked in with lunch, and indeed the first dish was Braised Fish with Lotus Root. As soon as Yun Shangyue saw the Braised Fish with Lotus Root, she forgot everything else. That old scoundrel gave this black-hearted silver to her anyway, after all it wasn't hers. In the future, the family business of the Yun Wangfu would not be handed over to her either. If anyone was pitied, it should be Yun Muhuang instead. Thinking like this, she immediately felt at ease and started eating the fish.

  Rong Jing smiled and took a glance at her, also picking up his chopsticks.

  The two of them stopped talking, and the room was quiet, with only the fragrance of food lingering in the air.

  After dinner, Yun Shangyue lay down on Rong Jing's soft couch, sprawling out in all directions, feeling sleepy after eating and drinking. Before she could close her eyes, she heard Rong Jing instructing someone outside, "Ice Spring, take Miss Shangyue to my study!"

  "Yes, Young Master!" The little boy outside, called Bingquan, immediately responded.

  "No, I want to sleep." Yun Qianyue shook her head at Rong Jing.

  "Do you still want to eat steamed fish with egg tomorrow? If not, then go to sleep!" Rong Jing looked at her.

  I just ate today, I can skip tomorrow. Yun Shang Yue shook her head, "No way!"

  "What I meant by tomorrow refers to the future. This dish of steamed fish with pickled mustard greens is renowned throughout the land, yet only one person beside me knows how to make it. Are you certain you want to sleep now and not go to the study?" Gong Jing raised an eyebrow.

  Yun Qian Yue lay on the soft couch, entangled, and sat up after a while, saying in an ill-tempered tone: "Not eating won't kill me. You make it sound like I'm extremely greedy or something, can't live without Steamed Fish with Osmanthus?"

  "You may not be greedy, but this delicacy isn't something just anyone can eat whenever they want." Rong Jing gazed at her with a hint of a smile, his jade-like hand lightly tapping the table surface, producing a soft sound that accompanied his warm and gentle voice, "Think about it, life is so long, not eating it today or tomorrow doesn't matter, but if you were to never have the chance to taste this dish again in your lifetime, wouldn't that be a pity?" As he finished speaking, he saw Yun Shang Yue still hadn't moved, and said to someone outside, "Alright, you can go do something else now! No need to bring her to the study anymore, she says she's not going."

  "Who said I wasn't going?" Yun Qianyue stood up, took a step forward, and then turned back to look at Rong Jing, "Didn't you say you'd teach me? Are you not going to the study just because I am?"

  "You go first, I want to go to my grandfather's study for a while." Rong Jing said.

  Yun Qian Yue said nothing more and stepped out of the room.

  Qingyuan saw Yunshen and bowed deeply, then led her to Rongjing's study.

  Rong Jing gazed out the window, watching as Yun Shang and Qing Quan walked away with a carefree air, their footsteps light. She smiled to herself, then withdrew her gaze, focusing on the cup of tea she had been drinking from earlier. Her eyes lingered on it for a moment, her expression serene, revealing no emotion.

  Digression

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