Chapter 107
Chapter 107
Ren Fengjue raced all the way back to Renxuan Marquis Manor without stopping.
After getting out of the carriage, he was hurrying toward the East Courtyard when a figure stepped out from the shadows and handed him something.
He took it in passing and asked as he walked, “Did you find out what Mu Zheng sent over that day?”
“We asked around. There were two boxes. One contained jewelry, and the other contained beads.”
“Beads?”
Ren Fengjue’s steps paused slightly. “After she returned from the palace, was there anything unusual?”
“No. After returning from the palace, she mostly stayed in her room. Occasionally, she would go for a walk by the lake in the Rear Garden.”
Ren Fengjue waved a hand. “Keep watching her. Do not let your guard down.”
The figure quietly acknowledged the order and left.
He went straight into the East Courtyard and entered the main room, only to run right into Marquis Renxuan as he was coming out.
Ren Xuan’s expression was odd. He glanced at his son, then let out a soft sigh and said, “Go in and see your mother first. Comfort her properly, and tell her not to worry so much about your affairs.”
Ren Fengjue could hear the implication in his words, but he could only enter the room first.
Inside, only an old nanny and the maidservant Rong Shu were by the bed, serving the medicine. Lady Rong, however, did not seem willing to cooperate.
Hearing footsteps, she sat up in bed. “Feng’er…”
Ren Fengjue quickly stepped forward and took Lady Rong’s hand. “Mother, how are you feeling?”
Seeing this, Rong Shu had no choice but to set the bowl of medicine aside for the moment. Then she took out a soft pillow and placed it behind the Marquise’s lower back.
When Lady Rong saw her son, a gratified smile appeared on her face, but she said, “You finally came back. Mother has something to say to you.”
With that, she directly dismissed Rong Shu and the old nanny beside her.
Ren Fengjue found it strange. He picked up the medicine, scooped up a spoonful, and brought it to Lady Rong’s lips. “Mother, drink your medicine first. Whatever you have to say can wait…”
But Lady Rong shook her head. “Promise Mother one thing first…”
Hearing her say that, Ren Fengjue understood as clearly as if he were looking into a mirror. He asked in return, “You aren’t going to bring up my marriage to Miss Xia again, are you?”
“Precisely.”
Lady Rong did not beat around the bush. She said directly, “You are already twenty-one. I… want to see you marry before I go.”
“Go?” Ren Fengjue’s expression darkened. “Mother, what nonsense are you saying?”
Unexpectedly, Lady Rong said, “Mother is not speaking nonsense. It was… the Bodhisattva who came to me in a dream and said she would take me away…”
“This is getting more and more absurd!”
Ren Fengjue set down the medicine bowl, already furious.
Lady Rong had always enshrined a Bodhisattva in her room.
She had always been devout. For many years, she had not touched the slightest bit of meat or fish, and she often took money from her private coffers to do good deeds.
But even if she worshiped the Bodhisattva, she would not be so foolish as to say something like this.
Suspicion rose in Ren Fengjue’s heart. He immediately walked out beyond the screen and called Rong Shu in from outside the door.
Because he rarely lost his temper in the Marquis Mansion, the dark look on his face now frightened even Rong Shu a little.
“What exactly has Madam gone through these past two days?”
Rong Shu hurriedly knelt on the floor and recounted everything that had happened over the past few days, leaving nothing out.
That day, Lady Rong had taken “Miss Xia” into the palace to pay respects to the Empress. Perhaps because she had caught a chill in the Imperial Garden, she fell ill after returning.
After Physician Zhang was invited over to examine her, he treated her according to the symptoms of a common cold, administering acupuncture and medicine. The treatment did prove effective.
But that night, Lady Rong was plagued by nightmares. After waking, she developed a fever again.
It had gone back and forth like this for two days.
When Lady Rong woke this morning, she seemed full of energy. She had even taken breakfast with “Miss Xia” in the warm chamber.
Afterward, when she returned to her room, she refused to take her medicine and kept saying she wanted to see the Young Marquis.
Hearing this, Ren Fengjue knew something was wrong. He asked, “During breakfast, did Miss Xia say anything to Madam?”
Rong Shu replied, “No. Miss Xia barely spoke at all. She only told Madam to take good care of herself.”
“On the contrary, my lady was the one doing all the talking.”
“And what did Mother say?”
Rong Shu glanced at the Young Marquis’s expression. After a brief hesitation, she lowered her voice and said, “My lady told Miss Xia that she hoped the two of you would marry as soon as possible. It would be best if you had children soon as well, so one of her wishes could be fulfilled…”
“…”
Ren Fengjue fell silent.
Rong Shu felt awkward too. She lowered her head and murmured, “Physician Zhang came by again just now. He said that judging from her pulse, it really is only a ‘cold and chill’ illness, and tried to persuade my lady again.”
“But as soon as he left, my lady refused to take her medicine again…”
At that, Ren Fengjue finally understood. How was his mother ill?
She was clearly using this as an opportunity to force him into marriage.
“All right. I understand.”
Ren Fengjue waved a hand, a faint headache forming.
He returned to the inner room and looked helplessly at Lady Rong. “Mother, Rong Shu has told me everything. Even if you are anxious about my marriage, you really shouldn’t joke around with your own health.”
He picked up the bowl of medicine again and tested the temperature. “Come, please drink the medicine first…”
Unexpectedly, the moment he brought the spoon over, Lady Rong shoved it away.
With that shove, the entire bowl of medicine spilled onto the floor.
“Feng’er, will you listen to me this once or not? If you refuse, then I… I will die with my eyes open!”
Her words stunned Ren Fengjue all over again. He almost wondered if he had heard her wrong.
How could his mother say something like that?
A bad premonition surged up from the bottom of his heart.
He looked around, forcing himself to calm down first.
“Mother.”
Ren Fengjue set the emptied medicine bowl aside and said gravely, “It is not that your son refuses to listen to you. It is only that there are certain hidden circumstances regarding this matter, and I have not yet had the chance to explain them to you in person…”
He was about to continue when a voice came from outside the door. “Has the Young Marquis returned?”
Ren Fengjue could not help frowning.
He did not answer. After instructing Rong Shu to take good care of the Marquise, he walked out.
When he reached the doorway, he saw “Xia Ximo” standing beneath the corridor. She glanced timidly inside and asked, “Is my lady… feeling any better?”
By the light beneath the eaves, Ren Fengjue studied her deeply.
For some reason, compared to the feeling she had given him when he first met her, she now seemed somewhat different again.
“Miss Xia, may I have a word with you in private?”
As he spoke, he walked toward the side parlor.
Behind him, “Xia Ximo” watched his retreating back. The corners of her lips curved into a smile, and she followed him at an unhurried pace.
After entering the parlor, Ren Fengjue had the maid shut the door.
Then he stood in the middle of the room and gestured toward the seat on his right, his manner extremely courteous. “Miss Xia, please.”
“Xia Ximo” showed not the slightest coyness and sat down directly.
Ren Fengjue paused for a moment before taking the seat opposite her.
Strangely enough, once the two sat facing each other and their eyes met, neither looked away.
Both were studying the other.
Doubt stirred again in Ren Fengjue’s heart.
He leaned back slightly, suppressed his suspicions for the time being, and asked calmly, “I heard that Vice Minister Mu came to the residence a few days ago.”
“Xia Ximo” answered without revealing anything unusual.
“He did. I even met with him here…”
“My uncle said the Young Marquis had gone to see him some days ago, though he did not know for what reason. That was why he came to pay a visit.”
Ren Fengjue smiled faintly. He seemed amiable, but there was a deeper meaning in his words. “There was indeed something I wanted to confirm with him.”
“Oh?”
“Xia Ximo” feigned surprise. “May I ask what it was?”
Ren Fengjue looked at her again. His gaze abruptly turned cold as he uttered three words.
“Mu Tingting.”