At this moment, Yang Ruoning stood on the dock, watching the workers lift a narrow coffin onto a small boat. Yang Ruoning didn't even know the name of the girl lying inside the coffin. They had only met once.
Yang Ruoning recalled the day they met.
On that day, Yang Ruoning delivered goods to Jiang Xian Pavilion as usual. The delivery address was a large mansion outside Dai Loumen in the southern part of the city. Susu said the customer was the sixth concubine of Master Li from the Ministry of Revenue. Before leaving, Susu specifically reminded Yang Ruoning that the sixth concubine had repeatedly emphasized that the goods must be delivered to her personally and not handed over to any household servants.
Although she found the request strange, the customer must have her reasons. Yang Ruoning didn't ask any further questions. She took the goods, wrapped them in oil paper, and headed straight for Dai Loumen.
Upon arriving at the Li mansion, she stated her purpose. A young maidservant pointed the way, telling Yang Ruoning to find her own way to the sixth concubine's courtyard in the back. This Li mansion was no smaller than Luoyuan's residence, but the layout seemed similar. Yang Ruoning asked for directions a few times and soon found the sixth concubine's courtyard.
Unexpectedly, the courtyard was unusually lively. Yang Ruoning saw maids carrying basins of water and white cloths in and out, the atmosphere as if something momentous had happened. Yang Ruoning stopped a young maidservant who had just come out of the courtyard and asked what was going on.
The maidservant replied that the sixth concubine was about to give birth. Yang Ruoning asked if she could hand the delivery to a close maidservant of the sixth concubine, as she couldn't receive it personally now.
The maidservant glanced at her and said, "You can give it to Miss Xiao Qing." With that, she hurried away. So, Yang Ruoning began to look for this maidservant named Xiao Qing. However, everyone was in a daze with work, and no one paid any attention to Yang Ruoning, the delivery person. Yang Ruoning had no choice but to give up. She sat in a nearby corridor, watching the people coming and going, waiting silently.
About an hour later, a loud baby's cry came from the courtyard. Yang Ruoning saw an old woman carrying a small bundle of cloth, walking towards the front hall with a face full of excitement. As the old woman walked, she shouted, "Master, Master, it's a boy!!"
After the old woman and a group of maids left, the courtyard became quiet. Yang Ruoning tiptoed into the courtyard and softly called out, "Miss Xiao Qing?"
A barely audible sound came from inside the room. Yang Ruoning hesitated for a moment, then walked into the room. The inner room was filled with a strong smell of blood, and the blood-stained white cloths were casually thrown on the ground. The room was a bit dim, and when her eyes finally adjusted to the darkness, Yang Ruoning saw a frail woman lying in a pool of blood on the bed at the end of the room. The faint sound was coming from the woman.
Yang Ruoning rushed to the bedside. She saw blood gushing from her lower body, dripping onto the floor along the edge of the bed, forming a small pool.
"Miss! Miss!" Yang Ruoning called out anxiously, "Don't fall asleep, stay awake." She turned and shouted towards the door, "Someone! Is anyone there! Hurry and call a doctor!! Hey!"
Yang Ruoning frantically grabbed something nearby, trying to stop the continuous flow of blood, but how could she stop it? The sixth concubine's face had no color, as pale as paper. Yang Ruoning could even feel life draining from her body at an accelerated rate. Yang Ruoning panicked. She didn't know what to do, how to stop the flowing blood, how to stem the life that was ebbing from the sixth concubine's body.
No one came. The courtyard was silent except for Yang Ruoning's crying shouts.
Suddenly, a pale and cold hand weakly lifted, reaching for hers. Yang Ruoning saw the sixth concubine slightly open her eyes, her lips parting, trying hard to say something. Yang Ruoning leaned close to her lips to listen.
"Child..."
Yang Ruoning clasped her hand. "The child is fine, it's a boy." Yang Ruoning saw a faint smile appear on her lips.
"Wait for me... die... send me... back... hometown... my mother..." The words took all her remaining strength. Yang Ruoning saw a light suddenly shine on her face. At that moment, a smile bloomed on her lips, and a sense of satisfaction appeared in her dilated pupils, then the light disappeared, and life quietly faded away.
In her panic, Yang Ruoning tried to perform CPR, but despite her best efforts, it was futile. After an unknown amount of time, Yang Ruoning was exhausted. She slumped to the ground, looking at the vacant eyes of the woman on the bed who had died, finally accepting the fact that she was dead.
Yang Ruoning didn't know how she left that silent courtyard. She remembered that as she walked past the front hall, it was filled with people, and the atmosphere was joyous. Master Li, holding the newborn in his arms, was surrounded by congratulators. Everyone had a smile on their face, celebrating the birth of a new life. No one paid any attention to the child's mother who had died in a pool of blood.
At this moment, Yang Ruoning placed a bouquet of white chrysanthemums, picked that morning, on her simple coffin. She remembered Susu's frightened eyes when she returned to Jiang Xian Pavilion covered in blood that day.
After hearing the whole story, Susu sighed.
Susu told Yang Ruoning that the sixth concubine was originally a woman of pleasure who was taken in by Master Li because of her beauty. Master Li had many concubines, and it was inevitable that there would be jealousy and intrigue among the households. Fortunately, the sixth concubine was quite clever and was never neglected by Master Li. Now that she had given birth to the first male heir for the Li family, it could be considered a complete fulfillment of her duty.
Complete fulfillment? Yang Ruoning sighed deeply in her heart. That was a vibrant life, a girl in the prime of her life.
Over there, the boatman had already lifted his pole. Yang Ruoning handed a note and a silver ingot to the boatman. "Old man, please send her to this address and tell her family to bury her with her mother." The boatman replied in agreement as he took them. "Miss, rest assured, the deceased will be delivered safely."
Yang Ruoning nodded, held onto a pillar, and stepped off the small boat onto the dock. She stood on the dock and watched the small boat slowly sail out of the ferry crossing, disappearing into the morning light.
Behind her, Luoyuan walked up to her. "Ruoning, let's go home."
Yang Ruoning turned to look at Luoyuan. She remembered the full moon banquet at the Li mansion two days ago. That night, the Li mansion was decorated with lanterns and festoons, and bustling with people. Master Li, overjoyed at finally having a son, had spared no expense and thrown a grand celebration. Luoyuan and Yang Ruoning had naturally attended.
The wet nurse placed the tiny infant in Luoyuan's arms. Master Li, under the guise of wanting the child to absorb some of Master Lu's heroic spirit and talent, had handed the baby to him. Yang Ruoning saw how carefully Luoyuan held the infant, the gentleness in his eyes, and the undisguised anticipation in his gaze when he looked at her.
Yang Ruoning extended a finger and gently poked the infant's plump, tender cheek. The child looked at her and actually giggled.
"Baby, you must grow up safely, and when you grow up, don't forget your mother. Your mother loves you very, very much," Yang Ruoning said to the infant. The child seemed to understand, extended a small hand, and grasped Yang Ruoning's finger.
She thought the sixth concubine had been sent back to her hometown for burial as per her dying wish, but it wasn't until she coincidentally met the maidservant Xiao Qing at the banquet that day that she learned the sixth concubine's coffin had been unceremoniously dumped in the mass grave outside the city.
This was the first time she had truly asked Luoyuan for help. She had asked Luoyuan to send the sixth concubine home. Luoyuan hadn't asked many questions, only helped her find the sixth concubine's coffin as quickly as possible and inquired about her relatives in her hometown. Thus, this farewell this morning had come about. Yang Ruoning was very grateful to him.
Yang Ruoning gently rested her head on Luoyuan's shoulder. "Thank you," she said softly to Luoyuan.
Luoyuan took her hand. "Let's go home."
As they turned back, many people had gathered on the dock, all busy starting their day's work. Yang Ruoning noticed that she and Luoyuan seemed to be attracting quite a bit of attention.
The casual laborers were still gathered by the dock, their eyes following Yang Ruoning and Luoyuan. They were the same ruffians from last time.
As she and Luoyuan walked past them, their gazes were sharp as swords, fixed on Yang Ruoning. Yang Ruoning frowned, but with Luoyuan by her side, she had no worries. She glared back at them, somewhat provocatively.
A person wearing a bamboo hat sat among the crowd. Half of his face was obscured, and although his rough, oil-stained cloth clothes were ordinary, they couldn't hide his somewhat aloof and sharp demeanor.
With just one glance, Yang Ruoning knew he was the one who had stopped the ruffians that day. His face emerged from her memory, finally merging with another person's face.
It was him! It was the person who had delivered the message from Fengle Tower. Yang Ruoning was startled and turned to look at Luoyuan. Luoyuan's expression was as usual. He looked straight ahead, as if oblivious to these people.
Yang Ruoning secretly became excited by this unexpected discovery. She looked back at the people behind them. They were still standing there.
When viewed from a different angle, their strange gazes began to make sense.
They were well-trained soldiers, Luoyuan's loyal warriors!