As the sky was gradually darkening, Ruan Jiu still hadn't returned to the mansion.
Xie Jingchu felt an uneasiness welling up inside him.
In his haste, he was about to break into the palace at night to bring Ruan Jiu back.
Thankfully, Shen Yu was still rational enough to stop Xie Jingchu.
The palace was no ordinary place. It was heavily guarded. One might get in but not get out alive.
"Don't be so hasty. Maybe A Jiu has already left the palace. I'll immediately send someone to the palace gate to find out."
Hearing this, Xie Jingchu gave up the idea in his mind.
To avoid worrying the Shen couple, Shen Yu kept this matter a secret.
He lied that Ruan Jiu was still handling affairs at the Jinxiu Pavilion, so she didn't have time to come back for dinner.
Then, he went with Xie Jingchu to Ruan Jiu's room to wait for news.
They waited for a long time. Just as the sky in the distance was turning pale, the messenger rushed back in a hurry.
But the news they got was that Ruan Jiu hadn't left the palace!
After hearing this, Xie Jingchu couldn't sit still any longer.
Even if she was in the palace to make clothes for the princess, there was no reason for her to stay away for a whole night.
If the princess had kept her, she would surely have sent someone to inform the Shen family.
The palace was a ruthless place. What if Ruan Jiu accidentally offended some noble and was locked up?
"A Jiu must have run into trouble!"
After saying that, Xie Jingchu immediately prepared to gather people to rescue her from the palace.
Seeing that Xie Jingchu had lost his senses, Shen Yu immediately stopped him. "No!"
Although he knew that Xie Jingchu was quite capable, it was impossible for him to bring someone out of the palace.
If Xie Jingchu's true identity was exposed because of this, it might lead to a great disaster.
Then Shen Yu frowned even deeper. "I'll go tell father right away and ask him to enter the palace."
It was extremely difficult for the two of them to enter the palace.
But it was different for Shen Wenshan. Since the eldest daughter of the Shen family had stayed in the palace for a whole night, it was perfectly reasonable for Shen Wenshan to enter the palace to look for his daughter.
At least in this way, they could find out who had kept Ruan Jiu in the palace.
Hearing this, Xie Jingchu regained some of his senses. He had indeed been a bit reckless just now.
"Okay, I'll go with you."
After saying that, the two of them got up and walked outside.
Just then, a familiar figure appeared in the distance.
They saw Ruan Jiu dragging her tired body and walking in slowly.
Xie Jingchu immediately rushed forward. After seeing that Ruan Jiu was safe and sound, he finally let out a sigh of relief.
After drinking a cup of hot tea, most of the tiredness in Ruan Jiu's eyes disappeared.
"Why did you come back so late? We were almost scared to death!" Shen Yu said anxiously.
Ruan Jiu took a breath and put down the teacup in her hand.
Then she told them exactly what Concubine Shu had said to her in the Cold Palace and what had happened when she met Xiao Wang later.
It turned out that after Xiao Wang had locked her in the secret prison, he had brought out the cruelest torture in the prison, trying to find out from her the real purpose of her entering the palace.
However, those tortures never actually fell on her.
She knew that Xiao Wang was just trying to scare her.
Moreover, she had once been locked in a water prison by Shen Ruoxi and tortured. The tortures in the Eastern Palace were nothing to be afraid of.
Seeing that she always insisted that she had entered the palace just to make clothes for the princess, Xiao Wang had no choice but to let her out.
Later, she learned from the palace maid who had sent her out of the palace that it was the anniversary of Xiao Wang's mother's death that day, and the Xuanhe Palace was a forbidden area in the palace.
She was just unlucky to enter the palace on this day and offend Xiao Wang.
Xie Jingchu's face became darker and darker, and his anger grew stronger.
He closed his lips tightly, and a storm was brewing in his eyes. It was as if there was a flame flickering in his eyes.
He stared at Ruan Jiu fixedly, his eyes as cold as ice.
Seeing that the situation was not good, Shen Yu thought it was better for him not to stay here.
Seeing that Shen Yu wanted to leave, Ruan Jiu tightly grabbed the corner of his clothes and looked at him with pleading eyes, hoping that he would stay and speak up for her.
Shen Yu smiled bitterly and pried open Ruan Jiu's fingers. "You caused this trouble yourself. You deal with it."
After hearing what Ruan Jiu had done, he even wanted to scold her a few times.
Not to mention Xie Jingchu, who always regarded Ruan Jiu as the most important thing in his life.
After seeing Shen Yu leave, Ruan Jiu bit her lip and carefully tugged at the sleeve of Xie Jingchu's robe. "I didn't expect such a thing to happen. Don't be angry, okay?"
Xie Jingchu ignored Ruan Jiu's coquetry and coldly pulled out his sleeve.
"Do you always think you're omnipotent? Or do you think I'll be extremely grateful to you for doing these things for me?"
Ruan Jiu quickly shook her head. "It's not like this! I just wanted to..."
"Enough!" Xie Jingchu shouted coldly. "Don't be so self - righteous! I don't need you to do these things for me!"
"I..." Ruan Jiu's aggrieved eyes met the anger in Xie Jingchu's eyes. "I just wanted to help you..."
"Help me? You're just making yourself a nuisance to me!"
Hearing this, Ruan Jiu's nose turned sour. She blinked her eyes, and big tears rolled down from her eyes.
"A Jing, I really just wanted to help you..."
Seeing Ruan Jiu so aggrieved, Xie Jingchu felt as if a knife had stabbed into his heart.
But he knew he couldn't soften his heart.
He couldn't let Ruan Jiu put herself in danger again and again for his sake.
So he said coldly, "Have you ever thought about what would happen if you were caught by the Queen's people? If you're not careful, you'll expose my identity!"
"A Jing, don't worry. I'll never let others know your identity!" Ruan Jiu shook her head repeatedly.
Xie Jingchu sneered. "Never? If others threaten you with all the people in the Shen family, will you still be so sure when you say this?"
Ruan Jiu looked at Xie Jingchu in disbelief. "You don't trust me?"
"My whole Huo family was massacred, and one hundred thousand soldiers died in vain. Do you think I should bet my blood feud on whether you'll betray me or not? You think too highly of yourself!"
"No! A Jing, I know you're just angry. Don't be angry, okay!"
"Yes, I'm very angry. I'm angry at your self - righteousness. But I hate you even more. I hate that you almost ruined my only chance to avenge the Huo family!"
Every word of Xie Jingchu's stabbed into Ruan Jiu's heart like a needle.
Her fingers trembled slightly, but she still stubbornly looked at Xie Jingchu. "I don't believe it! I don't believe a single word you said!"
She didn't believe that Xie Jingchu hated her.
Xie Jingchu took a deep breath. "Ruan Jiu, let's call it quits."
"Call it quits? What does that mean? What do you mean by calling it quits?"
"I didn't expect you to become a nuisance to me. I can't risk my blood feud just to let you act recklessly!"
Ruan Jiu's voice trembled. "You don't want me anymore?"
Xie Jingchu closed his eyes, not daring to look at the glistening tears in Ruan Jiu's eyes.
He was even more afraid that he would soften his heart because of this.
After a moment, Xie Jingchu opened his eyes and said coldly, "But I'm very grateful to you for helping me find out some useful information. I'll leave the capital tomorrow.
From then on, we don't need to see each other again."
Xie Jingchu said the most heart - breaking words in the coldest tone.
The hand hidden in his sleeve had already clenched into a fist. His fingernails had dug deeply into his palm, leaving traces of blood.
Ruan Jiu didn't believe that Xie Jingchu could be so heartless. This must be his way of forcing her to leave him.
Looking at the coldness in Xie Jingchu's eyes, which seemed to have no trace of warmth, she felt even colder than falling into an ice - hole in winter.
With the last glimmer of hope, she choked out, "If you dare to abandon me, I'll immediately ask mother to find a husband for me!"
"Do as you please."