Yan Zhe was a reliable person, although sometimes childish, he had already shown some mature responsibility as a man. In a few days, he went to the palace again and delivered the reply to Yan Ruoxu.
According to the distance between the capital and the Yaoji mountains, even the best thousand-mile horse running day and night would take seven days to go back and forth. The speed of this letter is truly astonishing.
Before she had the chance to open the letter, there was suddenly a commotion outside the courtyard, so Yan Ruoxu had to temporarily put away the letter.
"Princess, the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess consort have arrived." Just as the maid waiting outside the door finished reporting, the Crown Prince Yan Li had already brought the Crown Princess consort, Xia Jiarou, into the room.
The Crown Prince had already established his own residence outside the palace, and with the recent complexity of state affairs, after the completion of their grandmother's funeral, Yan Ruoxu had not seen her elder brother for many days. As they were both born of Empress Xu, they shared a close relationship. Yan Li cherished his younger sister as if she were a treasure. With some free time on hand, he had come to the palace to visit her.
Apart from their father, Emperor Qianjing, this elder brother of hers was probably the man who genuinely cared for her the most.
Yan Ruoxu's eyes clouded over slightly, involuntarily thinking of the outcome between the two of them in a past life, unable to help the tears welling up in her eyes.
"Ruoxu, it's my fault. I've been too busy these days and haven't come to see you in the palace." Yan Li still treated Yan Ruoxu as if she were a child, reaching out to pat her head with a deep sense of apology in his voice.
As the two of them were in conversation, the Crown Princess consort Xia Jiarou was looking on tenderly, with a smile on her lips and clear, bright eyes. Coming from a scholarly family, she was a well-known talent in Dayan. Before she was even married, she was the ideal daughter-in-law for many prominent families, and there was no end to the number of marriage proposals.
Despite having such a well-bred and virtuous sister-in-law, Yan Ruoxu couldn't bring herself to be intimate with her. Her sister-in-law was too perfect, which instead created an indescribable sense of distance.
After finishing lunch, the sleeping chamber quieted down.
Yan Ruoxu rested her head on her hand and lay on the table, reminiscing for a while.
She remembered that after her elder brother ascended to the throne, he began to reform the court and ordered the use of harsh laws to govern the country. Initially, there was some restraint, but later the laws became increasingly harsh. It even reached the point where whole villages would be punished for the crimes of individuals, causing the people to voice their grievances, leading to unrest in the country.
Many courtiers risked their lives to remonstrate, but her elder brother turned a deaf ear to all of them. He even went so far as to behead those who remonstrated and hang their heads at the palace gates as a warning to other dissenters in the court, creating an atmosphere of fear. Even Yan Ruoxu couldn't help but think of him as an incompetent ruler.
But her elder brother shouldn't be this kind of person! Yan Ruoxu tightly grasped the teacup in her hand, her knuckles turning pale from the force.
In her mind, scenes from the last time she saw her elder brother in the eighth year of Tianxu flashed back to her.
As he passed by her in a palanquin, the wind happened to lift the bright yellow curtains. She lifted her head and through a narrow gap not even an inch wide, caught a glimpse of her elder brother, who hadn't yet reached middle age, but already had silver hair, his once robust figure reduced to a mere skeleton, and his cloudy eyes looked towards her, startling her into hastily looking away.
After that, the palanquin rushed past Yan Ruoxu, leaving her full of doubts. Her elder brother was the ruler of the country, why did he seem so full of fear and panic? Furthermore, he had already ordered that besides those in his inner circle, no one else should see him. All these peculiarities left Yan Ruoxu puzzled. Sighing, she took out the letter that Yan Zhe had brought back and began to read it again.
The envelope was inscribed with "Personally started by Princess Chang." The bold, arrogant strokes were just like Luyuan Zhe himself, carrying a sense of wildness and a hint of artistic beauty despite the ostentatiousness.
As Yan Ruoxu unfolded the letter, her eyes widened in surprise. Despite her having written a lengthy letter to Luyuan Zhe, he had replied with just a few words.
I have returned to the capital. Let's talk in person.
There was a single character at the end, "Luyuan."
Yan Ruoxu crumpled the letter into a ball, her mind racing. When did Luyuan Zhe return to the capital? But this made things much easier for her.
She was in a flurry within the room, and even her attendant was not idle. She came in holding Yan Ruoxu's sword, "Princess, there is a poetry gathering at the Prime Minister's house tonight, and I have already prepared everything."
Yan Ruoxu fingered the precious sword, touching the cold scabbard with excitement rising in her heart.
It had been a long time since she had touched the sword bestowed upon her by the Emperor.
"Princess, look at this." The attendant, Zhuier, took out two daggers from her bosom, her face full of pride. "I've got everything ready, shall we set off soon?"
Yan Ruoxu covered her forehead and shook her head helplessly, "Today, we won't bring anything, and you should remove any other weapons on you."
"Why?" Zhuier was puzzled, "Didn't the princess say we were going to teach the county princess a lesson today?"
"Of course," Yan Ruoxu stood up and went to the bedroom, taking out a wooden comb from the box that Yan Yuhan had sent and raising an eyebrow at Zhuier, "When we get to the gathering later, you will follow my instructions."
Though Zhuier didn't understand what Yan Ruoxu was up to, she still obediently complied. However, she nervously asked Yan Ruoxu on the way, "Are we really not bringing anything at all?"
Yan Ruoxu parted the corner of the sedan curtain and looked at the bustling crowd outside, laughing softly, "Rest assured."
The current prime minister, Qiao, was from a prominent family that had been influential for four generations and three imperial consorts, originally counted among the few prominent families in the capital. However, with the unrest on the country's borders, Emperor Qianjing had begun to prioritize military prowess over literature. Qiao's family had always produced literati, and they were gradually declining. However, like a centipede that doesn't die even when crushed, their family's influence still remained significant.
The main young lady of the Qiao family, Qiao Shuyuan, had a love for literature from a young age and was known for her talents and amiable personality. The poetry gathering she organized naturally attracted many scions of noble families, serving not just as a place of cultural refinement but also as an opportunity to build relationships.
Yan Ruoxu suddenly understood why in her past life, Luyuan and Han hated such banquets and gatherings—there really wasn't much meaning to them.
She outlined in her mind the face of the man who had made her disregard everything. Suddenly, she realized that she couldn't recall it clearly at all. Yan Ruoxu had nearly forgotten most of his appearance after all this time.
This is for the best, Yan Ruoxu thought with a faint smile.
"Big sister Ruoxu, why have you just arrived?"
Yan Ruoxu had just stepped out of the sedan when Yan Yushan, who had been waiting at the gate of the Qiao residence, hurriedly approached and clasped Yan Ruoxu's wrist, especially attentive, "Be careful, they have all arrived and are waiting for the arrival of the princess."
"Are you so anxious because you suspect that I might not come?" Yan Ruoxu pretended to be indifferent and casually replied, allowing Yan Yushan to attend to her as they entered the Qiao residence.
Yan Yushan averted her gaze from Yan Ruoxu and smiled like an opera performer, her face beautiful but tiresome to look at if seen too often.
"I knew that big sister would definitely come. I was just worried about whether the journey was smooth." Every word she spoke was carefully chosen, and she led Yan Ruoxu inside, where they immediately encountered a group of scions of prominent families who had come to welcome the princess after hearing the news.
Qiao Shuyuan led the way, her pair of delicate almond-shaped eyes, vermilion lips, and slender eyebrows exuding elegance with each gesture and expression.
"May the princess be healthy and safe," she made a courteous gesture and, holding Yan Ruoxu's hand, continued to lead her inside, "My elder brother has come up with a marvelous piece today. Please grace us with your presence, Princess."
Yan Ruoxu nodded and then scanned the faces of a dozen or so scions of prominent families, all of whom were children of distinguished families in the capital, feeling quite satisfied. The more tumultuous the event, the better.
However, she noticed someone unexpected at the back of the crowd, a woman in a sky-blue silk skirt.
Lan Xuejian had also come? Yan Ruoxu frowned. Although she had no connection with the Lan family now, there was no animosity in her heart. But seeing the daughter of the Lan family, her former step-sister from her past life, still left her feeling uncomfortable.
What happened next was even more unexpected.