After Jiang Qi left, Luo Yuan immediately changed into his night-clothes and sneaked out of the manor.
He went to the Jiang Xian Pavilion.
He entered the room on the second floor of the Jiang Xian Pavilion, which had a strange lock, without making a sound. He found her belongings still there. Ruo Ning’s strange items were scattered on the desk, and a giant backpack stood by the bedside. The backpack was open, as if its owner had only stepped out temporarily.
Luo Yuan was perplexed. Had she not left?
Suddenly, a faint sound of footsteps came from the doorway. Soon, someone unlocked the door and prepared to enter the room. He quickly ducked behind the door.
The door opened, and it was Su Su who entered.
Su Su stood still in the room for a moment, then quietly asked, "Lord Luo?"
He emerged from the darkness.
Su Su breathed a sigh of relief, as if she had been waiting for his arrival.
"Lord Luo," her voice was filled with anxiety.
"Where is she?" He walked to the desk and examined Ruo Ning’s things, asking.
"Are you asking where my sister is? Something happened to you, and I’ve been trying to get news about you and my sister. I wanted to ask if my sister was well, but I couldn't reach her. I also wanted to ask how your sister was," unexpectedly, Su Su said this.
"When was the last time you saw her?"
"She never came back after going out to deliver goods that day. I thought it was because of the recent trouble with Lord Luo that my sister couldn't see me. So, you don't know where your sister is either?" Su Su became even more worried.
His gaze was suddenly drawn to a colored piece of paper on the desk. He pulled out a square piece of hard paper, a few inches in size, that was pressed under a book. It was a thing called a photograph, which could capture all things in the world. Ruo Ning had shown it to him before.
When Luo Yuan saw the two people in the photograph by moonlight, he gasped. Memories that had been sealed away for years surged from the depths of his mind. The couple in the photograph looked so real yet so illusory.
In the photograph, the young Empress Dowager was wearing yellow robes, smiling shyly. The man looking down at her with infinite love was the Imperial Tutor! He recognized the black shirt the Imperial Tutor was wearing in the photograph – it was an outfit Ruo Ning often wore!
So, the Imperial Tutor was the person Ruo Ning was looking for?!
Luo Yuan suddenly realized something. He quickly put the photograph into his chest. "Please gather and hide all of Ruo Ning’s things for now. If anyone asks, tell them she went with me to the place of banishment." After instructing Su Su, he leaped out the window and disappeared into the night.
************
As soon as Luo Yuan entered the back garden, he saw Uncle Zhong standing in the courtyard. Uncle Zhong’s figure was stiff, his back turned as he gazed at a patch of flowers in the garden, lost in thought, completely unaware of anyone entering.
He felt a sudden strangeness and called out softly, "Uncle Zhong."
Unexpectedly, this call startled Uncle Zhong, making him stumble and fall to the ground.
Seeing Uncle Zhong’s reaction, Luo Yuan glanced at the patch of flowers Uncle Zhong had been staring at, and a doubt arose in his heart. What was it about that patch of flowers that made Uncle Zhong so terrified?
Upon seeing that it was Luo Yuan, Uncle Zhong quickly got up from the ground, his voice trembling, and said, "My lord, I would like to invite a Taoist priest to the manor tomorrow to perform a ritual. Please grant your permission!"
Perform a ritual? He suddenly remembered Uncle Zhong mentioning inviting a Taoist priest earlier. Why did he need to do so at this particular time? Were there ghosts haunting the manor? He felt something was amiss and asked in a deep voice, "Where are the ghosts?"
Uncle Zhong pointed to the patch of flowers and said, "Just now... a ghostly voice came from there..."
"Was it a male or female voice?"
"It was a male voice..."
He realized that the "ghostly voice" Uncle Zhong spoke of might be Ruo Ning's belongings. He immediately said, "Uncle Zhong, it's late, you should go back and rest. I will guard this courtyard."
"...Yes, my lord," Uncle Zhong said, wanting to speak but holding back. However, since the lord's attitude was firm, he had no choice but to leave the courtyard, still reminding the lord to be careful as he left.
After Uncle Zhong left, Luo Yuan found a black "box" inside the flower bush.
Not knowing how to use it, he casually twisted a button on it. Immediately, a strange crackling sound came from the "box."
"Yang Ruo Ning, are you there?" a voice immediately came out.
"Qing Ye?" he murmured.
Unexpectedly, Qing Ye on the other end replied, "Luo Yuan?" This startled him. Qing Ye could hear him speaking! However, Ruo Ning had too many strange and magical items. Having something like a 'thousand-mile ear' was not unusual, so he quickly regained his composure.
"Yes, it is I," he replied.
"Where is Yang Ruo Ning?"
"I thought she was with you."
"Has she really left?" Qing Ye muttered. "She should have bid me farewell. How could she leave without saying goodbye to me..." Qing Ye suddenly shouted, "She wouldn't leave without saying goodbye to me!"
The hidden truth revealed by that photograph had caused everything to turn upside down. Ruo Ning's true target was the Empress Dowager. And if Qing Ye's relationship with Ruo Ning was as he suspected, was his obsession with reclaiming the throne the reason she could never get close to him and ultimately chose to leave?
He had to know the truth, he had to hear Qing Ye reveal the truth!
Luo Yuan's momentary silence made the person on the walkie-talkie more anxious. Qing Ye shouted hysterically, "Luo Yuan, Yang Ruo Ning has nothing to do with this! Don't you just want this throne? I'll give it to you! Don't hurt Yang Ruo Ning! She kept persuading me to leave here with her. It was me! It was me who insisted on staying. She did nothing! She did nothing wrong to you!"
Luo Yuan pretended to sneer and said sternly, "You two are truly a pair of ill-fated lovers, defending each other so fiercely. This touching scene almost makes me want to fulfill your wishes!"
"Ill-fated lovers?" Qing Ye was stunned. Luo Yuan's statement surprised him. "She really didn't tell you, did she?" Qing Ye seemed to be murmuring to himself.
Luo Yuan raised his left eyebrow and seized the opportunity to ask, "Tell me what?"
"The person she loves is you, and it has always been you," Qing Ye's voice gradually rose, and finally, he roared, "She married you!"
"What did she want to tell me?" Luo Yuan ignored Qing Ye's anger and stubbornly continued to ask.
On the other end, Qing Ye fell silent. After a while, his sigh came from the walkie-talkie. "You are also in love with her, aren't you?"
"That is between me and Ruo Ning. What does it have to do with you?"
"I need to know. I must know. When I tell you this truth, am I facing Yang Ruo Ning's husband, Luo Yuan, or the little prince who desperately wants to restore his throne?"
"What difference does that make?"
"Because of this truth, I can only tell it to the husband who is devoted to her, who can do anything for her, and is willing to give up everything for her."
Luo Yuan took a deep breath and said, "Ruo Ning is missing. No one knows where she went."
"She wouldn't leave without saying goodbye to anyone!" Qing Ye became even more agitated. "She must have encountered danger!"
"That's why I need to know the truth!" Luo Yuan roared.
"Alright, I'll tell you, but you must promise me first that you will never hurt her!"
"I love her madly! For her, I am willing to give up everything!"
There was a few seconds of silence on the walkie-talkie, then Qing Ye's voice rang out. "Okay, Luo Yuan, I believe you." Qing Ye paused. "The truth is, Yang Ruo Ning is my aunt. My biological father is the missing Imperial Tutor, Yang Ruo Ning's younger brother – Yang Ruo Xuan!"
Luo Yuan staggered back a step. This was the truth Ruo Ning had always been unable to tell him! How could she tell him, when he had repeatedly emphasized that her family were the murderers of his imperial concubine, the ones who caused him to lose his throne and wander among the common people! How could she tell him?!
Luo Yuan looked down and gave a bitter smile, then said to Qing Ye, "Qing Ye, until I find Ruo Ning, you will stay put on that seat and don't make any rash moves. I'll be back!"
"Luo Yuan, please, you must find her!"
*********
Where was Ruo Ning now? Luo Yuan felt a fear he had never experienced before. That woman had once told him what true courage was. She told him that courage meant moving forward resolutely even when knowing the path ahead was fraught with peril. But now, fear was almost suffocating him. What if Ruo Ning... No! He struck the stone table heavily with his fist. Ruo Ning would be fine. He wouldn't allow anything to happen to her!
Thinking of this, Luo Yuan picked up his sword again, preparing to venture out to see Wang Zhongze. He turned out of the courtyard and saw Uncle Zhong still standing anxiously outside, waiting.
As soon as Uncle Zhong saw Luo Yuan, he knelt down with a plop. "My lord, please spare my life. Miss Yang's ghost..." Before he could finish, a cold glint flashed, and Luo Yuan's long sword was already at his neck.
"Why are you so sure Ruo Ning is dead?" his voice carried a chilling coldness.
"My lord, this old servant was merely following orders..."
Luo Yuan's sword had already drawn a bloody scratch on Uncle Zhong's neck. "Following orders? Whose orders? Your master is me!"
"My lord," Uncle Zhong said with a resolve to die, "a secret letter from You Prefecture arrived a month ago, ordering me to deal with Miss Yang secretly. I originally intended to tell you first, but that day I overheard your conversation with Miss Yang. Miss Yang asked you to elope with her and live in seclusion. I was afraid you would be misled by her and give up the throne, so I hid it from you and sold Miss Yang to slave traders in the capital..."
"You have great courage," Luo Yuan's sword seemed to have embedded itself in Uncle Zhong's flesh. Uncle Zhong was originally an eunuch from the imperial concubine's palace and had been loyal to him for many years. Although he was furious at Uncle Zhong's deception, he still valued their past relationship, and he still needed him to guard the manor. Therefore, despite his anger, Luo Yuan's reason prevailed. He sheathed his sword.
Luo Yuan looked at the kneeling Uncle Zhong and said coldly, "I will spare you this time, but it will not happen again! Remember, your master is me! Not the one in You Prefecture!" With that, he turned to leave.
Hearing this, Uncle Zhong stubbornly continued, "My lord, you must not jeopardize the great cause of the empire for a woman, my lord—"
"Uncle Zhong, do you know that without Ruo Ning, I would not be who I am today? Without Ruo Ning, what meaning would this great cause of the empire have for me? The prince you knew died with his mother in that valley at the age of seven."