Вдовствующая императрица Сяосюань

Глава 183

The butler shook his head and said, "No, young master, you've told us everything except the amount we lost."

Ru Feng shook his head and said, "Sigh, let's not talk about the money. Although the General's Mansion is not a very wealthy family, and is a bit poor, it can still afford this amount of money."

Seeing that no one had reacted yet, Ru Feng smiled and said, "Alright, I've said what I needed to say. Since all the ladies agree, the butler will see them out. Thank you all for your understanding."

As Ru Feng finished speaking, he clasped his hands in a fist salute and quickly left, leaving the crowd speechless.

Back in the courtyard, Ru Feng saw his junior brothers and sisters laughing hysterically. He was annoyed at first, but then he laughed and said, "Let's see who dares to come now. Our family is so stingy, haha—"

Zui Zhu chimed in, "Senior brother, now your image is ruined too."

"Who said it was only his? The General's Mansion was destroyed too," Han Shan added, his mind filled with the image of Ru Feng being chased and beaten by Yu Chi Huai Yang.

Zuiyue just covered her mouth and laughed, but Nanshan waved his feather fan and said, "Things won't end so easily. You'll find out in a few days. There will always be some stubborn people."

Everyone was taken aback when they heard this, knowing that Nanshan wouldn't talk about things he wasn't sure about.

A day passed, and the calm and tranquility made the people in the General's Mansion feel uneasy; it was too quiet! But outside the mansion, it was quite lively, with all sorts of rumors circulating: homosexuality, impotence, deep affection, praise... and almost all of them were about Yuchi Rufeng.

Ru Feng secretly rejoiced that his grandfather hadn't gone out these past few days, so there hadn't been any disturbances. Lin Yilan and Yuchi Song, on the other hand, felt much more relaxed, as they only needed to deal with Yuchi Huaiyang.

On the third day, after only a few days of peaceful life, new changes occurred.

A young woman came to propose marriage in person, accompanied by someone familiar to Ru Feng.

The young woman wore a light pink silk jacket with floral patterns, and a long pink, flowing skirt with tie-dye accentuated her graceful figure, revealing a small patch of her smooth, white breasts. She wore a tasseled necklace, and her hair was styled in a cloud-like bun, adorned with a pearl flower made of rubies. Her smooth black hair cascaded down her back, signifying her unmarried status. As she spoke and walked, her pearl earrings and gold hairpins swayed slightly, making her appear both beautiful and elegant, with a captivating charm.

Ru Feng rushed over when he received the housekeeper's report, and was caught off guard by the sight of this young woman, which made him freeze for a moment.

Seeing Ru Feng's expression, the young woman couldn't help but smile shyly. Her cheeks were painted with blush, so it was impossible to tell if she was blushing, but her expression was still bashful. She lowered her head slightly and said, "Young Master Ru Feng, it's me. I like you. I've heard some rumors from others these past few days, but I don't care. I think they're just trying to slander you and are jealous of you. And look, this is my dowry. I believe this is enough for the two of us to live on for the rest of our lives."

Ru Feng and his parents stared wide-eyed at the chests of jewels being carried in; they seemed to have never seen so much jewelry in their lives. It seemed this person was truly wealthy; their generosity was remarkable.

However, Ru Feng quickly regained his composure, smiled slightly, and said, "Miss Murong, it's been a long time. I just didn't expect to give you such a big surprise upon seeing you again. But..." Ru Feng hesitated for a moment, considering how to express his thoughts tactfully.

Bai Shaojun, who came with Murong Yinghe, was dissatisfied. He glared at Ru Feng and said, "Yuchi Ru Feng, my cousin has gone to such lengths, are you even a man? Aren't you going to do anything in return?" Bai Shaojun was furious. Because of his family connections, he had been granted a fifth-rank official position after returning from the war based on his military achievements. Although he didn't have any real power yet, his future was bright.

Ru Feng glared at him. To be honest, she knew that Murong Yinghe had been trying to get close to her these past few days, but she had refused without hesitation. She thought that after her stinginess yesterday, everyone would back down, but she didn't expect her to come back, and almost single-handedly propose marriage to her. How many women in this era could do what she did? Alas, she wasn't a man, destined to let her down.

Seeing her expectant gaze, Ru Feng felt a headache coming on. She glanced at her parents and finally spoke, "Miss Murong, let me be frank with you, and I hope you won't mind. To be honest, you are a good girl—beautiful, generous, cheerful, intelligent, capable, and from a good family. I believe there are many outstanding men in this world who would love you and be honored to marry you. However, that doesn't include me. I already have someone I love, so I can't let him down. If I were to leave him because of you, I believe you would despise me, right? I believe you will definitely find a man who truly loves you in the future, but unfortunately, that person isn't me." Ru Feng spoke cautiously, observing her reaction.

Murong Yinghe was initially surprised and shy, but eventually felt disappointed and pale.

Ru Feng couldn't bear to look away and glanced at Bai Shaojun, who was bursting with anger. She couldn't help but pull him over and say, "I'm telling you the truth. You don't want your cousin to be sad in the end, so you should persuade her to go back."

Bai Shaojun slapped Ru Feng's hand away, glanced at her with disgust, and whispered, "I didn't expect you to actually like men!"

Ru Feng was startled and looked at him in astonishment. Where did he get this idea from? But that wasn't the point. She did indeed like men, so she said, "No matter what, you should still try to persuade your cousin. I'm the one who wronged her."

"I don't understand why they like you, you sissy? My cousin is, and so is Wu Yan." Bai Shaojun's face was full of indignation. As soon as he finished speaking, he grabbed Ru Feng's hand and kicked her in the groin with his knee.

The movements were swift and fierce, as unprepared as the wind.

Ru Feng was taken aback and had no choice but to use his internal energy to leap up and retreat, narrowly avoiding the attack. The fan also struck at his face, thus neutralizing Bai Shaojun's kick.

In just a moment, the two exchanged several blows, both unharmed.

"Hmph, you're lying! You didn't even activate your martial arts!" Bai Shaojun was indignant. When he was a child, he was kicked by Rufeng during a fight, and he vowed to get revenge. He thought that Rufeng losing his internal energy was his best chance to get back at him, but he didn't expect to believe the rumors and be fooled by this kid again.

Ru Feng nodded helplessly, then shook his head, a cold sweat breaking out on his back. Lin Yilan and Yu Chisong also gasped in surprise, only patting their chests in relief when they saw that Ru Feng was alright.

Zuiyue rushed out, glared at Bai Shaojun, and said angrily, "Why did you attack me? Don't you know that my senior brother's injury hasn't healed yet? Look, the wound has reopened. It's been more than a month. If this continues, when will my senior brother's wound heal and when will he be able to use his internal energy again? You despicable villain!" As she spoke, Zuiyue looked at Rufeng with heartache. If there weren't other people around, Zuiyue would have really wanted to take off Rufeng's clothes to check him over.

Ru Feng patted Zui Yue's hand reassuringly and looked at Murong Yinghe sincerely, saying, "Miss Murong, I'm sorry, I don't have the fortune to be your husband."

Murong Yinghe glared at Bai Shaojun, then looked at the bloodstains on Ru Feng's left chest, bit her lip and said, "Forget it, it was my cousin's fault. Young master, you should go stop the bleeding quickly. We can talk about this later." As she spoke, she looked at Ru Feng and Zui Yue, hesitated, stamped her foot, and finally stormed out the door.

As the clinking of jewels faded into the distance, Bai Shaojun glared fiercely at Ru Feng and ordered the servants to carry the items back. He then added, "See you at the flower viewing party in three days!" His tone was incredibly menacing.

Looking at the missing boxes of jewelry, Lin Yilan said with heartache, "Alas, Rufeng is just unlucky."

Ru Feng snorted and whispered, "This matter needs to be resolved as soon as possible. You should tell Grandpa quickly. If I say it, Grandpa will kill me, but if you say it, you can still live. It's because you don't know martial arts." After saying that, he ignored their protests and went back with Zui Yue to bandage their wounds.

After tending to her wounds, Ru Feng looked at the stack of invitations on the table and sighed. These were all invitations from Yu Xuan and Yu Jue, inviting her to go on trips and other activities, which she had declined entirely, saying she wanted to practice martial arts with her grandfather and reunite with her family.

The excuse was lame, but Ru Feng just didn't want to go out, was too lazy to go out, and was afraid to go out.

Therefore, the two of them had been making nightly visits for the past few days, which greatly annoyed Ru Feng, because Mu Wenchen was very unhappy, as their time alone together had been taken away. Fortunately, Mu Wenchen was always there when they came, so they always left quickly, not daring to stay long.

Three days later, the emperor will hold a flower-viewing banquet, where envoys from the Spring Vine Kingdom and the String of Stars Kingdom will appear, and even Yun Tianze and his sister will be there.

This is definitely a matchmaking event, Ru Feng sighed heavily, feeling that something was very wrong.

Sigh, Yun Tianze... Yu Xuan... Wen Chen... Sigh! Ru Feng sighed again, lying weakly on the bed.

What exactly happened that night, the moment I lost consciousness? These past few days, there have been far fewer people monitoring me, and my life has become much richer.

The storm is brewing, but perhaps this is just the calm before the storm.

Volume 3, Chapter 143: Summoning (Description of a Summoning)

It was past midnight, but neither Ru Feng nor Mu Wenchen had any intention of going to sleep.