Chapter 89

Inside the Jixiang Inn

Cheng Ruyi and Yan Zihao sat face to face. The atmosphere was a bit awkward; this was the first time Cheng Ruyi had ever chatted with Yan Zihao from such a close distance.

In her view, Yan Zihao was a decent person.

In the lifetime where Cheng Qingyao had not been reborn, Cheng Ruyi had lived a very comfortable life, and a large part of the reason was due to Yan Zihao’s protection.

Unfortunately, the original soul was gone now.

The two simply had a connection but were never fated to be together.

Not far away, the triplets were stealthily pulling their father along, poking their heads out to “spy” on their mother.

Rong Mo was utterly speechless at the triplets’ behavior, yet at the same time, he felt quite comforted.

“Dad, you really have a big heart. How could you let Mom and Uncle Zihao chat alone…” Eldest Baby poked his head out to observe for a moment, then snapped his head back. With a stern little face, he spoke in a tone of disappointment as if his father was a hopeless case.

Rong Mo rubbed his eldest son’s head. This little fellow loved imitating his father-in-law the most, and he also loved acting like an adult. Seeing a three-year-old toddler lecturing someone with such a straight face made it hard not to laugh.

However, he wouldn’t actually laugh out loud, lest he hurt his eldest son’s pride.

“Eldest Baby cares so much about Daddy, Daddy is very happy.” With a smile playing on his lips, Rong Mo reached out and scooped Eldest Baby into his arms.

Eldest Baby felt a bit shy cuddling in his father’s embrace, his tiny face full of inner conflict.

He was an adult; this wasn’t right.

But Daddy’s embrace is so warm, I really can’t bear to leave it.

Eldest Baby couldn’t resist burying his head deeper into Rong Mo’s chest, even subconsciously nuzzling against him.

The smile in Rong Mo’s eyes deepened.

Eldest Baby was still just a child after all.

“Daddy, I want a hug too!” Second Baby was deeply envious, looking at Rong Mo with wide, longing eyes.

Rong Mo raised an eyebrow and chuckled. He set down the reluctant Eldest Baby, gave Second Baby a brief hug, and vigorously rubbed his head. Second Baby grinned happily. Finally, Rong Mo pulled Third Baby into his arms and didn’t set her down again.

Third Baby was the happiest of them all.

She felt that Daddy definitely loved her the most.

Cheng Ruyi’s spiritual energy swept over the scene of Rong Mo playing with the triplets, and she couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Yan Zihao looked at her in slight astonishment.

Cheng Ruyi coughed lightly. “Apologies, I just thought of something funny.”

Yan Zihao pursed his lips and let out a soft sigh. Gazing at Cheng Ruyi’s smile, which was as brilliant as a flower, he thought to himself: Shouldn’t I have let go long ago? Why do I still feel a trace of reluctance at this moment?

“I am leaving tomorrow. For the matter of breaking our engagement back then, please accept a belated apology.”

Cheng Ruyi waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t let it weigh on your mind. I never took it to heart.”

Yan Zihao smiled bitterly. True enough, Cheng Ruyi was a person who lived freely and boldly, never caring much for reputation. Breaking the engagement was merely a trivial matter to her.

Yet, he had been brooding over it all this time.

Now, he finally felt a sense of relief.

Perhaps because he had truly let it go, Yan Zihao and Cheng Ruyi gradually found themselves conversing with great pleasure.

Finally, Cheng Ruyi couldn’t resist asking Yan Zihao how he had ended up bound and brought to Jiangling City. After Yan Zihao finished explaining, Cheng Ruyi was completely speechless. This Yan Zixuan was truly out of her mind.

A concubine’s daughter who had been kicked out of the Huaiyang Marquis’s residence actually dared to plot against her legitimate older brother. She truly didn’t know what to say about her.

However, if she hadn’t run into her family’s triplets, perhaps Yan Zixuan’s scheme would have actually succeeded.

Based on her secret interrogation of the woman named Yueniang, Cheng Ruyi couldn’t help but feel a trace of pity for Yan Zihao.

The Peony Women’s Caravan would also abduct or purchase exceptionally handsome men. The final destination for these men was the grand residence of the Western Liang princess who had established the women’s caravan, where they would serve as her male concubines.

Of course, Cheng Ruyi had no intention of telling Yan Zihao about these sordid details, lest it thoroughly disgust him.

The next day, Yan Zihao took Gu Qinghua along to bid farewell to Cheng Ruyi’s family of five before returning to the capital.

For some unknown reason, before leaving, that brat Gu Qinghua unexpectedly took off a jade pendant from his neck and gave it to Third Baby.

Rong Mo: “…”

A sharp, scrutinizing gaze fell heavily upon Gu Qinghua.

This brat dares to covet my daughter at such a young age. He’s got some nerve.

Cheng Ruyi, however, was delighted.

The fact that someone was already smitten with her daughter at such a young age proved that her baby girl possessed immense charm. Besides, this Gu Qinghua kid looked quite handsome; he shouldn’t grow up to look bad.

The husband and wife had completely opposite reactions.

After Yan Zihao and his party left, Yan Zixuan was entirely abandoned. With the “special care” from the Huaiyang Marquis’s residence, her future days would undoubtedly be utterly miserable.

One wondered if she regretted provoking her legitimate elder brother, Yan Zihao.

Cheng Ruyi and her group stayed in Jiangling City for five days. They toured every inch of the city, not missing a single piece of delicious food or fun activity. Their lives were incredibly leisurely and carefree.

As for the Peony Women’s Caravan, under the Emperor’s direct command, all officials who had interacted or shared mutual financial interests with the caravan were subjected to a rigorous investigation.

They even uprooted more than one human trafficking stronghold.

This matter caused a massive uproar throughout the Great Zhou Dynasty, becoming known to absolutely everyone. Even other nations caught wind of it and joined the ranks of the investigation, which indeed unearthed a great deal of filth.

The princess of Western Liang instantly became the target of public condemnation.

The Kingdom of Western Liang was heavily affected as well.

In the end, the Emperor of Western Liang executed justice upon his own kin, ending the princess’s life with a cup of poisoned wine.

Cheng Ruyi didn’t care about the aftermath, but Rong Mo paid some attention to the progress. Upon learning that the massive cancer had been thoroughly eliminated, his heart finally settled.

Back in the capital, the old Emperor harbored a mixture of love and hate for Cheng Ruyi’s family of five.

They had only left the capital for a short while, yet they had already stirred up such an earth-shattering event.

Five days later, Cheng Ruyi and the others continued their journey toward Dahu County.

When they departed, they felt the overwhelming enthusiasm of Jiangling City’s commoners, receiving a mountain of parting gifts.

The triplets were ecstatic.

The fish-shaped carriage sped swiftly down the official highway.

The triplets lay by the carriage window, watching the scenery flash past outside. Their excitement hadn’t faded in the slightest. Having tasted the sweetness of battle, they were now eagerly looking forward to someone coming to rob them.

“Alright, stop looking. No matter how much you look, no one is going to rob us. Our carriage is way too famous; bandits will steer clear the moment they see it!” Cheng Ruyi shattered the triplets’ hopes with a beaming smile.

Hearing this, the triplets were filled with vexation. How had they failed to think of this point?

What a massive tactical error.

But Mom was too wicked, always waiting to make a joke out of them.

Rong Mo shook his head. His little wife simply loved dealing blows to the children, yet ironically, the person the children loved most was his little wife.

They traveled across mountains and valleys, sometimes staying overnight in towns, sometimes camping out in the wilderness. Aside from the triplets being tricked by Cheng Ruyi into performing street arts to earn silver coins, they didn’t stir up much trouble.

They merely sent people to transport the novelties they gathered from various regions back to the capital for the Changle Marquis and Prince Rong, while reporting their safety along the way.

The Emperor, who had been constantly keeping an eye on them, let out a sigh of relief, though he secretly felt a bit disappointed.

However, the Emperor had rejoiced far too early.

Even if Cheng Ruyi and her family didn’t look for trouble, it didn’t stop trouble from wanting to latch onto them.

After the incident in Jiangling City, even the commoners of the Great Zhou Dynasty knew that the fish-shaped carriage was the exclusive ride of Prince Rong’s Heir and the Heir’s Consort, let alone wealthy and noble families.

Lo and behold, in a county neighboring Dahu County, Cheng Ruyi once again encountered an “apology incident,” making her unable to resist internally complaining about just how immense Rong Mo’s charm truly was.

“My maid accidentally offended the Heir and the Heir’s Consort. Li Yunxi represents her to offer her deepest apologies to you both.”

A woman as beautiful as a flower bowed gracefully toward Rong Mo and Cheng Ruyi. Her posture was delicate and her voice was melodious—if only her watery eyes hadn’t remained fixed upon Rong Mo.

Cheng Ruyi might have appreciated a Southern beauty under normal circumstances, but right now, she just wanted to roll her eyes. Along this journey, she had lost count of how many wealthy young ladies they had encountered who came to apologize on behalf of their maids.

Each one possessed remarkable beauty, and their gazes would inevitably drift toward Rong Mo with subtle longing.

It was both repulsive and absurd.

“Alright, it was merely a minor bump. We’ve seen plenty of it along this journey. Let this be a one-time occurrence, not to be repeated. Ah Mo, let’s go.”

With a half-smile, Cheng Ruyi looked at the young lady named Li Yunxi, whose intentions clearly lay elsewhere. She then glanced at the surrounding crowd of onlookers, took Rong Mo’s hand, and prepared to board the carriage.

“Wait, Heir, Heir’s Consort, please give this humble maiden a chance to make amends.” Li Yunxi grew anxious and couldn’t help but step forward to block their path.

“Dad, Mom, we’re hungry.” Second Baby suddenly poked his head out of the carriage window and shouted loudly.

“Understood, we’ll go eat some delicious food first,” Cheng Ruyi replied, not sparing Li Yunxi a single glance.

Rong Mo directly ignored the woman completely, returning to the carriage with his little wife. However, before entering, he cast a backward glance at Li Yunxi. His eyes were as piercingly cold as ice, completely indifferent and ruthless.

Li Yunxi was startled, instinctively clutching her chest as she took a step backward.

She could only watch blankly as the fish-shaped carriage drove away.

Faced with the strange, mocking looks from the surrounding crowd, Li Yunxi could hardly conceal her shame and anger, quickly fleeing the scene with her maid.

Inside the carriage.

Cheng Ruyi teased Rong Mo: “Ah Mo, you intimidated someone again.”

Rong Mo raised an eyebrow. “She brought it upon herself.”

“How annoying, Daddy has so many romantic encounters,” Third Baby complained unhappily.

Eldest Baby nodded in agreement. “Dad, beautiful women are trouble; beauties are all toxic. You must absolutely not be bewildered by feminine beauty, and you certainly cannot betray Mom. Otherwise, I will beat you up.”

“That’s right, that’s right! You cannot betray Mom!”

Second Baby loved his mother the most, immediately chiming in to support his brother.

Threatened by his eldest son, Rong Mo felt utterly helpless. He didn’t want things to be this way either, alright?

“Rest assured, I only love your mother.”

Cheng Ruyi burst into laughter, her eyes curving into lovely crescents, her heart feeling incredibly sweet.

The group completely threw Li Yunxi to the back of their minds. They had encountered countless beauties like her along the way, using the exact same tricks over and over again until Cheng Ruyi and the others were thoroughly sick of looking at them.

The four fine steeds, nourished and transformed by Cheng Ruyi’s special abilities, took a mere half hour to arrive at Dahu County.

The party continued to lodge at Dahu County’s Jixiang Inn.

Cheng Ruyi was quite curious about Dahu County, which served as the second major setting in the original novel. After having their meal, the family of five left their two guards behind and went straight out to explore. True to reputation, the prosperity of Dahu County was actually not inferior to that of the capital.

Pedestrians wove past like a dense fabric, and the various sounds of street vendors crying out their wares rose and fell in a lively cadence. It was exceptionally bustling.

The triplets eagerly followed their parents to explore the streets.

Whenever they saw delicious food, they bought it to eat. The exact same roasted meat skewers tasted completely different across different locations, using different spices, and roasted by different people.

Originally, Cheng Ruyi had planned to enjoy herself in Dahu County before heading off to find Cheng Qingyao. Who would have thought that plans could never keep up with changes? Cheng Ruyi and Rong Mo looked ahead in absolute speechlessness at a striking pair of a man and a woman pulling and tugging at each other.

They were both familiar faces.

The man was Chu Yuan’en, the Heir of Prince Wei, and the woman was naturally Cheng Qingyao. Even though she wore makeup, she still looked about fifty to sixty percent identical to her original appearance.

“What’s the situation? Why is the Heir of Prince Wei in Dahu County… Has Cheng Qingyao’s fake death been discovered?”

Cheng Ruyi was dumbfounded.

Rong Mo was astonished, clearly not expecting to witness this scene. He exchanged a bewildered glance with Cheng Ruyi.

The triplets were entirely mystified.

“Dad, Mom, what happened?” Eldest Baby asked curiously.

“I see your Aunt Qingyao. Look, it’s that person ahead pulling and tugging with the Heir of Prince Wei.” Cheng Ruyi’s voice carried a hint of schadenfreude. She had truly arrived at the perfect time; she was likely about to witness a splendid drama.

Hearing this, Eldest Baby realized that this was the wicked woman his maternal grandfather always mentioned who used to bully his mother. He harbored no favorable impressions toward her. His eyes darted around, a sly smile appearing on his face as a mischievous idea popped into his head.

That Aunt Qingyao seemed to thoroughly despise the Heir of Prince Wei, having no desire to return to the capital with him.

The Heir of Prince Wei seemed to be named Chu Yuan’en; Eldest Baby had heard his grandfather mention this person before.

Aunt Qingyao used to be Uncle Chu Yuan’en’s concubine, and rumor had it that she was later burned to death.

Looking at it now, there was definitely a secret plot involved.

Eldest Baby decided to play a trick on this Aunt Qingyao who had bullied his mother.

Thus, Eldest Baby called Second Baby and Third Baby over. The three little rascals huddled together behind Cheng Ruyi and Rong Mo’s backs, whispering and conspiring about something.

Unbeknownst to Cheng Ruyi and Rong Mo, the triplets were about to stir up trouble once again.

The surrounding crowd was dense. Cheng Qingyao was being relentlessly pestered by Chu Yuan’en, feeling incredibly irritated, and she hadn’t noticed Cheng Ruyi and her party at all.

Cheng Ruyi released her spiritual energy to eavesdrop, grasping the general gist of the situation.

Chu Yuan’en stubbornly insisted that she was Cheng Qingyao and demanded to take her back to the capital. Cheng Qingyao, of course, refused to go back with him, continuously claiming her name was Yao Qing and that Chu Yuan’en had mistaken her for someone else. She had absolutely no desire to become Chu Yuan’en’s concubine again.

Her words were full of absolute certainty, adamantly stating that Chu Yuan’en had identified the wrong person.

She had even sworn a solemn oath.

Just as the Heir of Prince Wei began to doubt whether he had truly mistaken her identity, the triplets, who were ready to play their trick, popped out at the perfect moment. They nimbly wove through the crowd, arrived right beside Cheng Qingyao, and called out to her in crisp, clear voices.

“Aunt Qingyao, we came with Dad and Mom to Dahu County to see you!”

Cheng Ruyi and Rong Mo: “…”

These three little terror-children are stirring up trouble again.

Now, it would be inappropriate for them not to step forward. Seeing them appear, and hearing the Prince Rong Heir’s Consort call the woman “Cousin Qingyao,” Chu Yuan’en was overjoyed. The woman before him named Yao Qing truly was Cheng Qingyao.

“Qingyao, it really is you. My intuition wasn’t wrong!”

Cheng Qingyao had been right on the verge of shaking off Chu Yuan’en. Who could have known that the triplets would suddenly emerge to disrupt her plans, and that Cheng Ruyi would also appear to forcefully confirm her identity? She nearly spat out a mouthful of blood from sheer rage.

Right after she had finished swearing an oath, people had come out to slap her across the face with the truth.

She truly was astronomically incompatible with Cheng Ruyi and the children she gave birth to.

These triplets came specifically to ruin me, didn’t they!

The moment she thought about losing the freedom she had fought so hard to obtain, only to return to the inner courtyard of the Prince Wei residence to fight for favor among a crowd of women, Cheng Qingyao felt that her future had turned entirely pitch-black.

Sansukini: Last chapter left.

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