VBNWDW - Chapter 113
Chapter 113
The commotion had already drawn the attention of people nearby, who were now making their way over.
The sound of footsteps grew closer. Zhong Jueyu stood her ground. Behind her were Li Shigui and Ruan He, waiting for her command. Before her was the small, helpless Little Daoist.
She tugged at the corner of her mouth, feeling what could be called pressure for the very first time.
"Your Highness," a voice called from outside the door. The Temple Master of Xuanmiao Temple, an outer robe draped over his shoulders, hurried over. He was supported on both sides by young acolytes, lest he trip and fall in the deep night.
Zhong Jueyu composed her expression and stepped forward.
At the same time, the Daoists living nearby also rushed over, crowding together outside the door.
"Temple Master," Zhong Jueyu called out.
"This is…" The Temple Master glanced inside and knew everything had been resolved. Seeing that Zhong Jueyu was completely unharmed, he was thoroughly relieved, and his expression softened slightly.
"Just a few petty thieves broke in," Zhong Jueyu said, her expression unchanging, as if the earlier danger had never existed.
How could the Temple Master not understand her meaning? Knowing she didn't want to make a big deal of the matter, he played along, "Perhaps with the sudden increase in pilgrims at the temple recently, these petty thieves got greedy. To think they would stumble upon Your Highness!"
He first offered a few words of comfort to Zhong Jueyu. After confirming she was alright, he offered to have some people come and help her clean up.
Zhong Jueyu naturally agreed, and then followed another round of repeated pleasantries.
Meanwhile, the three people inside the small courtyard stood facing each other.
Ruan He was dressed in green robes. She had slender, willow-leaf eyes and a delicate face that held a rare scholarly air. Though she held a long saber, she looked more like a scholar.
Li Shigui seemed much more carefree. She leaned lazily against the doorframe. Of the group, she had the worst manners and was the most ruthless in a fight. More than half of the wounds on these men were her handiwork.
Standing in the courtyard, Luo Yueqing's face was a little pale. For the Little Daoist, whose stamina was a concern, all this running back and forth had been truly exhausting.
She lifted her eyes to look at the two women, who were also sizing her up curiously, as if pondering why Her Highness treated her so differently.
Luo Yueqing, however, was thinking about the fates of these two in the original plot. As Zhong Jueyu's most trusted right and left hands, both of them met tragic ends.
Li Shigui was framed by the Crown Prince and forced to jump off a cliff, her body never found.
To save the Grand Princess, Ruan He had both her legs cut off, her face disfigured, and even her vocal cords damaged. She could only make hoarse, grating sounds. Though she lived, she was like a phantom.
Zhong Jueyu's later descent into darkness was also heavily related to these two.
But at this moment, Li Shigui was oblivious to her fate. She brazenly took off her outer coat, held it out to Luo Yueqing, and said, "Here, put this on for now, Little Daoist."
She didn't think much of it, her mind completely preoccupied with the question of the relationship between Her Highness and the Little Daoist before her. She was completely unaware of any impropriety.
Seeing Luo Yueqing hesitate, she added, "I've practiced martial arts for years, so I'm sturdy. You, on the other hand, have been running around and worked up a sweat. What if you catch a cold later?"
Will I have to go down the mountain to buy her candied fruit again?
She didn't dare say that last part out loud. She just pushed the coat a little further forward and grinned, thinking she understood the situation perfectly.
Beside them, Ruan He seemed somewhat disdainful. She shot Li Shigui a sidelong glance but didn't stop her.
Hearing the words "catch a cold," the bitter taste of medicinal soup flooded Luo Yueqing's tongue again. She had no choice but to reach out, take the coat, and drape it over herself.
"Thank you…" Luo Yueqing's voice trailed off.
Li Shigui promptly chimed in, "Li Shigui. She's Ruan He."
Luo Yueqing replied politely, "My Daoist name is Qingyue."
Ruan He raised an eyebrow and repeated with an unreadable expression, "Master Qingyue…"
Li Shigui, completely oblivious, said with a grin, "Thank you, Master, for rushing over so late at night and preventing these petty thieves from harming Her Highness."
She changed the subject. "Master, is there a mouse in your room? Do you need our help?"
Luo Yueqing nodded quickly, her expression a mixture of gratitude and lingering fear.
She had indeed planned to use some trick tonight to get Zhong Jueyu into her room. After all, she knew from the System that Zhong Jueyu would be injured in this incident, and the wound would be severe. It would be slow to heal, not even fully recovered by the time she was forced to lead troops into battle. This would directly lead to a defeat on the battlefield, impeachment by the court officials, and widespread public criticism.
Therefore, Luo Yueqing had wanted to help Zhong Jueyu avoid this. But unexpectedly, before she could even start knocking on the wall and acting shamelessly, a palm-sized mouse had scurried out from her pile of sweets…
"Your Highness!"
Before Luo Yueqing could respond to her, Li Shigui called out to someone behind her.
Luo Yueqing quickly turned around. Before she could even see the person, her hand was taken. Zhong Jueyu said in a low voice, "Alright, let's go back to your place first."
She then raised her head and said, "Come and help."
Her tone was as calm as ever, but it felt strangely odd, especially to Li Shigui, who was the one being looked at.
Li Shigui scratched her head, a little bewildered. Based on past experience, Her Highness was likely displeased about something. But what? Did that old man just now make Her Highness unhappy?
It never occurred to her that she might be the cause.
Seeing that the incident was over, the people outside began to disperse, and in a blink of an eye, only a few scattered individuals remained.
It was deep in the night and inconvenient to clean, so the Temple Master could only call a few people to move the bodies out of the temple for now, planning to deal with them the next day.
Zhong Jueyu had no objection, but when he asked if she wanted to change rooms, she paused for a moment and did not agree.
"Then where will you sleep tonight?" The Little Daoist, whose hand was still being held, tilted her head to look at her, her eyelashes fluttering.
Zhong Jueyu pressed her lips together. Just as she was about to speak, Li Shigui interrupted.
Li Shigui said, "Ruan He and I have a spare room. Your Highness can stay with us outside the temple for the next couple of days."
They often had to go down the mountain to pass on messages and found living in Xuanmiao Temple inconvenient. So, they had rented a small courtyard just outside the temple, so close it was practically attached to it. It was a house that villagers from the foot of the mountain had moved into to do business and make a living. The two of them had spent a hefty sum to rent it.
The hand holding Luo Yueqing's tightened slightly. Zhong Jueyu hesitated. Just as she was about to agree, she heard Luo Yueqing speak up hastily.
"Jinyan, I'm scared!" The Little Daoist grabbed her arm, her dark eyes looking pitiful, just like a little puppy about to be abandoned.
She quickly explained, "What if there are more mice?"
The hand being held now held the other back, gripping it tightly as if to show just how scared she really was.
"Only one snuck in today. What if tomorrow they all find out there are tasty things in my room and come running in droves?" The Little Daoist's reasoning was sound.
It did seem to make sense. Such creatures always appeared in groups.
Ruan He and Li Shigui remained silent at the side, their expressions growing even more complicated.
The Grand Princess staying up late to help the Little Daoist next door catch a mouse was already bizarre enough. Now she was going to offer herself up to stand guard in the Little Daoist's room…
But Zhong Jueyu truly seemed to have been persuaded. She opened her mouth but didn't refuse, only saying, "Let's catch the one in the room first."
Luo Yueqing nodded with a grin. At some point, she had already wrapped her arms tightly around the other's, practically hanging off her like a little cat that had just gotten a fish.
Zhong Jueyu's gaze swept over her. Her red lips moved, but in the end, she said nothing.
It was the two behind them who had complicated expressions, especially Li Shigui. Although she had suspected some things, she hadn't expected the two of them to be so clingy already…
She looked at her hopelessly smitten Grand Princess, her steps heavy.
The four of them returned to Luo Yueqing's room, which was in a state of disarray no less than the one next door. It was clear the two had put a lot of effort into catching the mouse. Even the bed had been moved halfway, sitting askew in the room.
Zhong Jueyu casually picked up the outer coat tossed on a chair and handed it to Luo Yueqing with extreme naturalness.
Luo Yueqing, not sensing anything amiss, pulled off the coat that wasn't hers, returned it to Li Shigui with a smile, and said again, "Thank you."
Li Shigui quickly took it, just about to speak.
But Zhong Jueyu pulled Luo Yueqing over and said in a low voice, "Get dressed first. Don't catch a cold."
Li Shigui could only retract her hand awkwardly. Her gaze fell to the side, only to be met with a glare from Ruan He.
"Idiot," Ruan He seemed to mutter, then stepped forward and said in a clear voice, "Your Highness, I'll take a look around first."
Zhong Jueyu nodded naturally, her eyes still on Luo Yueqing. Only when she saw the Little Daoist properly dressed did she relax. She instructed in a low voice, "Go sit on the bed. Don't get scared and run around again."
This was referring to earlier, when Luo Yueqing had been so frightened by the scurrying mouse that she ran all over the place before finally diving into Zhong Jueyu's arms and clinging to her tightly.
Zhong Jueyu, who had originally intended to strike with her blade, was frozen in place, unable to move. Forget catching the mouse; she couldn't even do anything when it ran right in front of her.
Luo Yueqing had looked up at her and smiled, looking incredibly guilty.
Anyone who didn't know better would have thought she was in league with the mouse, doing everything she could to obstruct Zhong Jueyu.
It made one feel helpless, yet unable to muster even a shred of anger.
Zhong Jueyu sighed, her tone softening again and again, showing none of the cold ruthlessness she'd displayed while fighting five men alone. She just said, "Go on."
Meanwhile, Li Shigui, who had been pulled away by Ruan He, withdrew her gaze and subconsciously touched the side of her face. The sight was enough to make one's teeth ache. Then she saw the open cabinet, filled with all the pastries she had bought.
So that's why Her Highness's tastes suddenly changed, she thought.
Li Shigui's mouth twitched. She was now personally experiencing the truth of the old saying, "a grown daughter cannot be kept at home."
Afterward, the three of them searched the room. Perhaps the mouse had been startled by Luo Yueqing and Zhong Jueyu earlier and had escaped while they were gone. They looked high and low; Li Shigui even climbed onto the eaves for a glance, but there was no sign of the mouse. Only then did the three give up.
After a whole night of frantic activity, they came to their senses and realized dawn was only a few hours away. They stopped their fussing. Zhong Jueyu was, as a matter of course, left behind, while Ruan He and Li Shigui departed quietly.
The candlelight in the room was dim. All was quiet, save for the scattered chirping of insects. Bright moonlight spilled down, and a white mist rose outside.
Zhong Jueyu stood before the wooden table, turned her head to look, and asked, "Are you asleep?"
The person on the bed was well-behaved, already wrapped in the quilt and huddled against the innermost side. She looked at Zhong Jueyu and nodded emphatically, her clear eyes gentle and harmless.
Zhong Jueyu's gaze flickered away for a second. She looked at the scented sachet hanging by the head of the bed, and only after a moment did she blow out the lamp. The room was instantly plunged into darkness.
Footsteps sounded, followed by the rustle of a quilt being lifted.
The bedding was already warm from the Little Daoist, and the faint scent of sandalwood wafted up.
Zhong Jueyu tensed up, unaccustomed to this, and lay there as stiff as a board.
The former Empress had been strict with Zhong Jueyu. Even as mother and daughter, they had never slept in the same bed. Zhong Jueyu had been made to sleep in a side palace from a very young age, with only maids to look after her. So, this was the first time Zhong Jueyu had ever shared a bed with someone.
The next second, the soft rustle of fabric sounded again.
The Little Daoist hugged her arm, rested her head on her shoulder, and mumbled something indistinctly.
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