Eure Majestät

Kapitel 17

"Who exactly are you?" Du Peiru asked.

"Fine! I'll let you die knowing the truth!" the man in black said, pulling down the black cloth covering his face.

Upon seeing this, Du Peiru exclaimed in shock, "You, you are Steward Ma! Ahan's mother saved you, yet you repay kindness with enmity and poison Ahan!"

"Ha! That was just a scheme I used to infiltrate the Ouyang residence! Not only did I poison Ouyang Han, but I also poisoned Ouyang Han's mother!" Steward Ma said with a sneer.

Why did you do that?

The Real and Fake Bride (15)

"Because that old bastard Ouyang Hai killed the woman I loved most!" Steward Ma, fearing Du Peiru wouldn't understand, continued, "Back then, Ouyang Hai took on a case. Someone falsely accused Tang Tianhao of plotting rebellion and attempting to assassinate the Emperor. Without even investigating, Ouyang Hai killed Tang Tianhao's entire family. Poor Tang Tianhao, who had been loyal to that Emperor his whole life, suffered such a fate. If he had listened to my advice, he wouldn't have ended up like this!"

"Was one of the people killed in Tang Tianhao's family your beloved woman?" Du Peiru guessed.

“That’s right! Her name is Tang Yu, and she was betrothed to me since childhood! But unexpectedly, she was killed by that old scoundrel Ouyang. So you must die, and I want his son to taste the bitterness of losing his beloved woman!” As Steward Ma spoke, he walked toward Du Peiru with a ferocious expression.

"No!" Ouyang Han rushed out of the woods, but he was too late. Steward Ma had already kicked Du Peiru off the cliff. Ouyang Han tried to jump after her, but Steward Ma kicked him back.

It turned out that Ouyang Han had carelessly drunk the tea from the nunnery and immediately felt unwell. He tried to expel the poison, but found himself completely weak and unable to muster any internal energy. It turned out that Steward Ma had administered "Three-Day Softening Powder," a poison that would render someone unconscious for three days. Even the most skilled martial artist, if able to withstand the effects, would lose all their power within three days. Ouyang Han hadn't drunk much, and his long-term consumption of various medicinal herbs, combined with his profound internal energy, prevented him from collapsing in bed like Shen Lang.

Suddenly, he heard someone call Du Peiru's name. He went to investigate, only to overhear the conversation between Steward Ma and Du Peiru. The more he listened, the more anxious he became, but he was helpless. His only thought was to force the poison out quickly so he could save Du Peiru. However, he was completely weak; it felt as if all his strength had been drained away, making it impossible to expel the poison. Just then, he saw Steward Ma about to kick Du Peiru off the cliff, so without thinking, he rushed from his hiding place.

Just then, a figure darted over and caught Ouyang Han, who had been kicked back by Steward Ma. This person was none other than Han Yufeng. Ouyang Han, however, fainted due to the shock of the "Three-Day Softening Powder" and Du Peiru's death on the cliff.

The Dragon Tiger Gang members arrived later, protecting Ouyang Hai and Madam Zhao.

It turned out that after Long Junyi discovered that Steward Ma was the mastermind behind the Rakshasa Sect, he immediately went to inform Han Yufeng. Han Yufeng arrived at the Ouyang residence, only to be told that Ouyang Han and the others had already gone to the White Robe Nunnery. So he and Ouyang Hai and the others headed straight for the White Robe Nunnery, but they were still too late.

Upon seeing Ouyang Hai, Steward Ma lunged forward, intending to kill him, but was stopped by Long Junyi and even struck by his palm. Steward Ma staggered back three steps, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Then he laughed loudly, but the laughter suddenly turned into a mournful cry, saying, "Yu'er, I can't avenge you!"

Ouyang Hai sighed and said, "Lin Quan, do you really think Yu'er died twenty years ago? Have you forgotten that Yu'er, like you, knew the art of swordsmanship?"

Steward Ma was stunned when he heard Ouyang Hai's words.

Ouyang Hai continued, “Back then, the Emperor received a secret report that General Tang Tianhao’s son-in-law, Lin Quan, had founded the Rakshasa Sect with the intention of rebelling, and the evidence was conclusive. Therefore, the Emperor ordered the execution of Tang Tianhao’s entire family. I pitied General Tang’s loyalty and couldn’t bear to see him die, so I wanted to let him go. However, General Tang insisted on staying, but he asked me to rescue his daughter, Tang Yu. Yu’er was deeply in love with you and wanted to see you again, so she used a magical technique to change her maid’s appearance to resemble yours. At that time, my wife had just passed away, and to avoid suspicion, I had her disguised as my wife and stay in the mansion. Yu’er and I spent a long time together, and gradually, feelings developed between us, while you disappeared without a trace. So, a year later, Yu’er gave birth to me, and later gave birth to Han’er.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Quan burst into tears and said, "So it was I who killed my father-in-law and Yu'er. Master, there's something else I need to tell you. Actually, Yu'er is my child. When she entered the manor, I drugged your food to make you infertile. Then I drugged the second madam, making her pregnant with my child. Originally, I planned to kill the madam and the eldest young master, and then wait until you were seriously ill and handed the Ouyang manor over to Yu'er before telling you, so you would die with resentment. Fortunately, Heaven has eyes and didn't let me kill the eldest young master, otherwise my sins would be even heavier! Master, I'm at ease entrusting Yu'er to you. I'm leaving now! In the next life, I will definitely repay your kindness by serving you like a cow or a horse!" After saying this, he kowtowed several times to Ouyang Hai, and then took out a dagger and stabbed it into his chest.

Madam Zhao was stunned by Lin Quan's words.

Seeing this, Ouyang Hai patted her back and comforted her, saying, "Don't worry! I will treat Yu'er like my own son."

Upon hearing this, Madam Zhao immediately knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, sir!"

Time and space separation (1)

After Du Peiru fell off the cliff, both the Ouyang and Shen families mobilized to search for her body at Yingyue Lake below. However, seven days passed, and nothing was found.

Ever since Du Peiru fell off the cliff, Ouyang Han had been lying in bed, refusing to eat or drink, and wouldn't listen to anyone's pleas. He would vomit up whatever was fed to him, and he wouldn't even care when his own son cried. Everyone was worried sick seeing this.

That day, a young nun came to the White Robe Nunnery, requesting to see Ouyang Han. So the servants led her to a separate courtyard. Li Yushan, Shen Lang, and Han Yufeng happened to be there. Li Yushan asked her what she wanted.

The young nun replied, "Abbot Kongning asked me to tell Benefactor Ouyang that Benefactor Li Yushan and Sister Jingyuan are not twins, much less sisters."

Everyone was stunned. Even Jin'er believed Du Peiru's story, so how could Abbess Kongning suddenly say that Li Yushan and Du Peiru weren't sisters? Even Ouyang Han opened his eyes.

“Aren’t monks supposed to refrain from lying? Why did Abbess Kongning say that Li Yushan and Du Peiru were sisters before, but now she says they aren’t?” Han Yufeng said.

The young nun replied, "The abbess did not acknowledge that Li Yushan and Aunt Jingyuan were sisters at the time. She only said that Du Peiru was her disciple!"

After listening, everyone thought back for a moment. They vaguely remembered that Abbess Kongning had indeed never said that Du Peiru and Li Yushan were sisters.

The young nun continued, "The abbot told Benefactor Ouyang to take care, lest one return while the other perishes. The abbot also asked me to tell Benefactor Ouyang: 'Where you come from, you will return to; from where you return here, it depends on your worldly ties and karmic connections.'"

"What does this mean?" the crowd asked, puzzled.

The young nun replied, "I don't know either! The abbot only said that Jin'er should know. Oh! The abbot also asked me to tell you: 'Wait patiently for the day of return, or there may be an opportunity to meet again!'" After the young nun finished relaying her message, everyone donated some money to her and sent her away.

Upon hearing the little nun's words, Ouyang Han asked for porridge. Everyone was delighted.

After finishing his porridge, Ouyang Han felt more energetic and asked, "Why did Abbess Kongning say that Jin'er understood the meaning of those words? What exactly does 'where' mean?"

"Jin'er, quickly think about whether Sister Peiru told you where her hometown is? Who else is in her family?" Li Yushan asked.

Jin'er thought hard for a long time, remembering that Du Peiru had once told her that she came from the future. She hadn't believed it at the time. Now, seeing everyone pressing her for answers, she told them.

"You mean Pei-ru came from the future! Then what the nun said must mean she's back in the future now! I think Pei-ru must be trying to come back right now. Didn't the nun tell A-han to wait patiently?" Shen Lang said.

Everyone agreed with Shen Lang's statement.

After Du Peiru fell into Yingyue Lake, she lost consciousness. When she woke up, she found herself lying in a hospital bed receiving an IV drip. It was as if everything she had experienced had been a dream.

Time and space separation (2)

Seeing that Du Peiru had woken up, Xiaoqing began to chatter on and on: "Peiru, you're finally awake! I was so worried about you. The police had already given up on the search and rescue. Luckily, I persisted and kept pestering them until they got impatient and came with me to check. And sure enough, we found you floating on the surface. Thankfully, you were rescued in time, otherwise you would have been dead. Peiru, where have you been for the past month? Why are you still wearing ancient costume? And that doctor said you were weak after giving birth and needed to rest. I was wondering how I could not know you were pregnant, and I never saw your belly grow big, so I gave that doctor a good scolding!"

"I've only been gone for a month?" Du Peiru realized from Xiao Qing's words that she had indeed returned to ancient times. The things in her mind weren't dreams, but real events.

"Yeah! Don't you think I've worried about you enough? Do you want me to worry about you again? Honestly! You didn't have to try to kill yourself for that bastard falling for someone else..."

Xiao Qing wanted to say more, but Du Peiru interrupted her, saying, "Xiao Qing, I'm very tired and want to rest!"

"Okay! Okay! Okay! You sleep! I won't disturb you! I'll go back and cook some of your favorite dishes!" Xiao Qing left the ward only after Du Peiru had fallen asleep.

After being discharged from the hospital, Du Peiru resolutely refused to tell Xiao Qing what had happened during that month. So Xiao Qing stopped pressuring her. Du Peiru secretly went diving at Yingyue Lake many times, but she couldn't return to ancient times through the lake. Du Peiru also read many books about time tunnels, but still couldn't find a way to go back to ancient times. One day, she accidentally saw an article about a time-travel converter in a magazine. This excited her greatly. So she found the author's phone number through various means and called him.

The author said on the phone, "This time-space converter is impossible to build now or in the next few decades. It's just a concept from scientists, and the specific plan is still under research!"

Du Peiru told the author about her personal experience.

The author said, "Your situation is very rare! It's caused by many factors! Basically, it's because the magnetic field inside your body just happened to be the same as the magnetic field of a certain location in the lake that day, and also the same as the magnetic field of a certain location in the ancient lake. That's why it brought you back to ancient times and then brought you back. However, this situation is extremely rare, yet you've encountered it twice. I don't know if you consider this lucky or unlucky. You know that the magnetic field on Earth is affected by many factors, such as the Earth's rotation and revolution, the moon's revolution around the Earth, and the gravitational and repulsive forces of other celestial bodies on Earth, etc. If you want to go back to ancient times, you should do it in the same month, the same day, the same time, and the same location. That would be more likely to succeed, but I still advise you not to do it. You might not succeed; you might succeed but not go back to ancient times, but to the future or another planet; you might go to another dynasty. Even if you go back to the Song Dynasty, you might not return to that year. You might not even have been born when you return, or your son might already be old and gray. You'd better think it through carefully."

Volume 11

Time and space separation (3)

Du Peiru talked with the author for nearly two hours. In the end, Du Peiru decided to give it a try. So Du Peiru told Xiao Qing about her situation and decision. Xiao Qing didn't believe her at first, but gradually came to believe her and agreed to let Du Peiru give it a try.

On that day, Du Peiru and Xiao Qing went to Baiyi Nunnery again. Xiao Qing and Du Peiru talked for a long time, and after checking their watches, it was almost time. So Xiao Qing said to Du Peiru, "Peiru, I hope Heaven will have eyes and let you return to your husband and son. If your wish comes true, you must remember that you once had a sister like me. I wish you happiness! Here! Put this on!" Xiao Qing had Du Peiru put on the oxygen tank, held the ancient costume wrapped in plastic sheeting in her hand, then checked her watch again and shouted loudly, "Help! Help! Someone is going to jump off a cliff!"

Her cries for help attracted a large group of nuns. Xiao Qing stood at a distance and advised, "Peiru, don't jump! If you want to go diving, I'll go with you to the real ocean tomorrow. It's so big and blue there, much prettier than here!"

Du Peiru rolled her eyes at Xiao Qing. Honestly! They actually wanted her to perform this idiotic act; it made her so angry she wanted to vomit blood. But to prevent Xiao Qing from being questioned by the police, she had no choice but to cooperate. "No! I'm going now! I'm leaving!" Du Peiru said childishly before jumping off the cliff. Her action startled the nuns, who gasped in surprise.

The next day, major newspapers carried headlines such as "Mental Patient Jumps Off Cliff and Disappears." Newspapers sold out instantly.

Du Peiru successfully fell into the lake. This time she didn't faint. When she surfaced, it was daytime. She knew she had probably succeeded. So Du Peiru found a secluded spot and changed into her ancient costume. When she came out, she found a little boy of about four or five years old by the lake. So she went up to him and asked, "Little brother, is this the Song Dynasty?"

"Auntie, what are you doing here? Did you come to see me?" the little boy asked, seemingly unrelated to the question.

Du Peiru thought he might have mistaken her for Li Yushan. So she tentatively asked, "Do you know me?"

"Aunt Yushan, are you sick?" the little boy asked curiously.

Du Peiru confirmed it and then said, "Let's go! Let's go back to Aunt's house!"

The little boy nodded and took Du Peiru's hand as they walked into the city.

"Young Madam, why are you back so early? Where is Young Master? Why didn't he come back with you?" a maid from the Shen household asked.

"He has some business to attend to and will arrive later! You may leave! You don't need to serve him anymore!" The maidservant withdrew. Du Peiru then told the little boy to go out and play first, and that she would join him after she changed her clothes. Du Peiru casually grabbed a piece of clothing from Li Yushan's wardrobe, changed, and went out. When she found the little boy, she discovered he was playing shuttlecock with a little girl about his age. Du Peiru joined them in playing as well.

Time and space separation (4)

Meanwhile, Shen Lang and Li Yushan had gone out to visit relatives. When they returned to their courtyard, they found a woman playing shuttlecock with two children. The little girl looked at the woman with admiration and exclaimed, "Mommy, you're so good!" The little boy counted, "Seventy-seven, seventy-eight, seventy-nine..." Suddenly, the woman turned her face towards them. Everyone stopped in their tracks, their faces blank with surprise. They had seen the two young mistresses. As soon as the woman saw Li Yushan, she dropped the shuttlecock, ran over, and took Li Yushan's hand, saying, "Sister Shan, your goddaughter and nephew are having so much fun!"

Li Yushan snapped out of her daze and said, "Peiru, are you Sister Peiru? You're finally back!" She then ran to the little boy and pulled him over, saying, "Yan'er, quickly call her Mother! Your Mother is back!"

The little boy asked timidly, "Mother...are you really my mother?"

This time, it was Du Peiru's turn to be stunned. She looked at the little boy, then at Li Yushan.

Li Yushan nodded to her.

Du Peiru said in a trembling voice, "Yan'er!" Then she hugged him tightly, stroked his head and said, "You've grown so much!"

Afterwards, Li Yushan recounted what happened after Du Peiru left; Du Peiru also recounted what happened after she returned to the future.

Li Yushan asked again, "Sister, why didn't you go directly to your brother-in-law? Why did you come to the Shen residence to find me instead?"

“I…I’m afraid he’ll remarry!” Du Peiru stammered.

“Alas! It’s fortunate that your brother-in-law is so devoted, otherwise your family wouldn’t be reunited. Over the past few years, we’ve tried to persuade him to remarry, but he’s always refused. After Yan’er learned about your situation, she often went to the lake to see if you would come back. I never thought she would actually keep him waiting. You really are something! It’s one thing that you don’t recognize my daughter Bingqi, but you don’t even recognize Yan’er!” Li Yushan said.

At this moment, an old woman came to invite Du Peiru and Li Yushan to have a meal.

Du Peiru had lunch at the Shen residence before joining Shen Lang, Li Yushan, Ouyang Yan, Shen Bingqi, and others at the Ouyang residence.

Ouyang Han was having a meal in his room while looking at the account book.

Shen Lang stepped into the room and said, "Brother-in-law, you're so busy!"

Ouyang Han looked up and saw Shen Lang, so he smiled and asked, "Did Yan'er trouble you again?"

Shen Lang nodded, then said, "Guess who's here?"

"Could it be Bingqi? I haven't seen her for quite a while!" Ouyang Han said with a smile.

Shen Lang smiled but didn't answer. He simply clapped his hands twice, and then Li Yushan and Du Peiru walked in together.

Upon seeing this, Ouyang Han immediately stood up in a panic, knocking over the bowls and plates on the table, spilling soup all over it. He stumbled towards the two of them, then took one of their hands and said, "Wife..." Then he couldn't say another word. He pulled her into his arms, two lines of clear tears streaming down his face.

Han Yufeng jumped in from the doorway and said, "Rotten Egg, don't hug the wrong wife!" What a joke! How could Han Yufeng miss out on a good show!