"Ah Jiu, you're here!"
When Xie Jingchu saw Ruan Jiu at the hunting ground, he guessed that she probably had something to say to him. With a tentative attitude, he left marks in the forest.
Ruan Jiu knew that Xie Jingchu had already guessed that she was pretending to be Song Qingyu, and she actually had something important to discuss with him today. So she no longer concealed it and replied softly with tears in her eyes, "Ah Jing, I'm here."
Hearing this, Xie Jingchu immediately excitedly pulled Ruan Jiu into his arms.
"Ah Jiu, you're finally willing to recognize me!" There was a hint of sobbing in his tone.
He had been waiting for this moment for a long time!
Ruan Jiu gently stroked Xie Jingchu's back, her eyes full of guilt. "It's my fault. I've kept it from you for so long."
"No! As long as you're still alive!"
Xie Jingchu was so excited that his whole body trembled.
Ruan Jiu loosened her arms and got out of Xie Jingchu's embrace. She gently held Xie Jingchu's face and tenderly wiped the tears from his face.
"Ah Jiu, is your health better?" Xie Jingchu looked solemn.
Some days ago, Xiao Wang had surrounded the Prince Song's Mansion so tightly that he had tried countless ways but still couldn't get in. It was not until he found out that the poison on Ruan Jiu had been cured that the tense string in his heart finally relaxed.
"Don't worry. I wasn't poisoned." Ruan Jiu gave a faint smile.
Then Ruan Jiu told Xie Jingchu the whole story, as well as why she had become Song Qingyu. After finishing, her nose couldn't help getting sour, and the grievances and sufferings of these days gushed out all at once.
"Damn Xiao Wang. How dare he threaten you!" Xie Jingchu roared angrily.
His tightly clenched fists and the angry veins on his forehead all showed his rage.
Ruan Jiu sniffed and forced herself to suppress her emotions.
Now the time was urgent, and there was no time to blame Xiao Wang. She frowned and said seriously, "Ah Jing, I have something very important to tell you."
Xie Jingchu held his breath and quietly waited for what Ruan Jiu would say next.
"I found out that the reason why the queen helped Song Yanran frame Song Qingyu was that Song Yanran had something on the queen, and this something might be related to what happened to the Huo family back then."
Xie Jingchu frowned tightly.
Song Yanran and the Huo family seemed to have nothing to do with each other.
Ruan Jiu continued, "Song Yanran's grandfather once served in the Bureau of Secretariat. Later, he was beheaded for privately hiding poems from the previous dynasty. I suspect that before Song Yanran's grandfather died, he left something that could threaten the queen or the Gu family. And Song Yanran just used it to blackmail the queen into helping her get rid of Song Qingyu."
"But what does this have to do with the Huo family?" Xie Jingchu asked in confusion.
"What if that thing could prove that the letter accusing General Huo of colluding with the enemy and betraying the country was forged by Gu Kexing?"
"You mean that the person who forged that letter back then was Song Yanran's grandfather!"
Xie Jingchu and Ruan Jiu had the same thought.
As a tutor for the princes and princesses, Song Yanran's grandfather was certainly capable of imitating others' handwriting. He helped Gu Kexing and the queen forge the letter accusing General Huo of colluding with the enemy and betraying the country. He thought he could enjoy wealth and honor, but unexpectedly, Gu Kexing turned on him and secretly put the poems from the previous dynasty in his house. Before he died, he left evidence to protect his family. So the queen was afraid of what Song Yanran had and repeatedly helped her get rid of Song Qingyu.
If this was the truth, then everything could be explained.
Ruan Jiu pursed her lips. "But all this is just my guess."
Xie Jingchu closed his lips tightly, his expression complex.
Although he had brought back half of the petition signed by ten thousand people, proving the innocence of the Huo family. But the other half of the petition had long been destroyed by Gu Kexing. They couldn't prove that it was Gu Kexing who had leaked the map of Yizhou back then, nor could they prove that the letter accusing General Huo of colluding with the enemy and betraying the country was forged by Gu Kexing.
If Song Yanran really had evidence to prove it, then the revenge of the Huo family and the one hundred thousand troops would finally be avenged!
"Ah Jiu, this matter is of great importance. I'll immediately investigate what happened to Song Yanran's grandfather back then." Xie Jingchu said seriously.
Ruan Jiu nodded in agreement. "Since Gu Kexing and the queen still keep Song Yanran alive, it means that thing is still in Song Yanran's hands. I'll find a way to enter the Eastern Palace again to see if I can find out what exactly Song Yanran has."
Hearing this, Xie Jingchu pursed his lips down. "No. I don't want you to go to the Eastern Palace." His tone sounded as if he was jealous.
Ruan Jiu hooked the corners of her lips. She really had no way with him.
"Okay, okay. I won't go."
Hearing Ruan Jiu say this, Xie Jingchu finally showed a rare smile on his face.
"Ah Jing, I should go." There was full of reluctance in Ruan Jiu's eyes.
The two of them had finally met in their true identities, but now they had to separate so soon.
Xie Jingchu was also very reluctant, but he knew that if Ruan Jiu left for too long, Xiao Wang would surely be suspicious. So he opened his arms. "One more hug."
Immediately, Ruan Jiu without hesitation threw herself into Xie Jingchu's arms. At this moment, she just knew how much she was addicted to this warm embrace. She hoped that time could go slower, even slower. It would be best to stop at this moment. But finally, she still said reluctantly, "I really should go."
"You must protect yourself. If necessary, you don't have to worry about me. You have to believe that I can protect myself."
"Okay."
Ruan Jiu replied with tears in her eyes.
Xie Jingchu was always like this. He was her light, the vine that helped her move forward. He was the confidence for the rest of her life.
-
Ruan Jiu limped out of the hunting ground. As soon as she came out, she saw Xiao Wang's gloomy face. Before she got closer, she could feel the terrifyingly low air pressure around Xiao Wang.
The princess saw Ruan Jiu and immediately ran over to support her.
"Ah Jiu, where have you been?!"
Ruan Jiu pursed her lips and said innocently, "I was originally sitting there waiting for you. Suddenly, a wild boar ran out, scaring me so much that I ran away immediately. I didn't expect to get lost and sprain my foot."
"You scared me to death! If you had come out a little later, I'm afraid he would have killed me."
The princess lifted her chin.
Ruan Jiu looked up and met Xiao Wang's gloomy eyes. She couldn't help shivering.
The princess covered her mouth again and whispered in Ruan Jiu's ear, "If it weren't for seeing the emperor here, I'm afraid he would have gone to look for you himself."
Hearing this, Ruan Jiu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
So close!
Ruan Jiu walked in front of Xiao Wang and buried her head low. She was like a person who had done something wrong and didn't dare to look directly into Xiao Wang's eyes. And Xiao Wang just looked at Ruan Jiu silently, the air pressure around him still terrifyingly low.
"Brother Crown Prince, Ah Yu sprained her foot. I'll help her into the carriage first."
Ruan Jiu gratefully glanced at the princess. Sure enough, she was Song Qingyu's best friend. Even though she was extremely scared, she still came out to help her out. After she became Ruan Jiu again, she must make several sets of clothes for the princess.
Xiao Wang stood there watching Ruan Jiu gradually walking away. In his already gloomy eyes, a hint of ferocity suddenly appeared.
It seemed that there was one person missing here.