The Female Regent’s Daily Guide to Spoiling Her Wife - Chapter 38

As soon as Gao Han returned to her room and sat down, a servant attending to Lu Ah Zhao rushed in to report. “Eldest Princess, this is bad! The Regent has just ridden out of the manor on horseback!”

Gao Han’s pupils constricted sharply. Unable to believe the maid’s words, she stood up in a daze. Once she regained her senses, she slammed her teacup onto the floor and cursed resentfully, “Lu Ah Zhao, your wings have truly grown strong! Quick! Quick! Go and bring her back to me, even if you have to bind her!”

The maids retreated with trembling compliance. They had never seen the Eldest Princess in such a towering rage, and each was terrified into silence.

After leaving the Eldest Princess’s Manor, Lu Ah Zhao headed straight for the suburban villa. The autumn wind whipped fiercely against her pale face, and her light blue robes were filled with the biting chill. Yet, Lu Ah Zhao felt no cold. A fire seemed to be burning in her heart; she had to find her Xiaxia as quickly as possible and set things straight.

The wounds on Lu Ah Zhao’s body had not yet healed. After the exertion of the journey, the injury on her shoulder had already torn open, soaking a large area of her clothes in blood, looking utterly horrific. However, she seemed oblivious to it, pushing forward with single-minded focus.

Upon arriving at the villa, Lu Ah Zhao leapt from her horse and kicked the main gates open. Her dark hair was disheveled behind her, and her expression was dark, her thin lips pressed into a hard line. Appearing like a reaper from hell, her voice was cold and urgent. “Where are Zheng Rong and the girl Niannian? Bring them to see me immediately!”

The servants were so frightened by her appearance that they were as quiet as cicadas in winter. They knelt on the ground with their heads bowed; not one dared to speak.

Anxiety clawed at Lu Ah Zhao’s heart. Her mother had sent Xiaxia away to an unknown location. If she were to leave Yindou, she would most likely be sent back to her hometown. But damn it! She realized she didn’t even know where Xiaxia’s hometown was!

Self-reproach, heartache, and regret swirled in Lu Ah Zhao’s mind. She furrowed her brows and roared impatiently, “I am asking you a question! If you keep playing dumb, I will make it so you never speak again!”

Cold light flickered in Lu Ah Zhao’s eyes. She looked coldly at the kneeling crowd, drawing her sword and pressing it against the neck of the head steward. She said coldly, “Steward Liu, will you speak now? Or would you prefer to never speak again?”

Cold sweat beaded on Steward Liu’s forehead. As Lu Ah Zhao’s sword pressed closer, a thin line of blood began to seep out. His legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground in terror, wailing, “Master, have mercy! Master, have mercy! I will speak! This morning, the Eldest Princess sent people to take Zheng Rong and her child away, saying she was arranging for them to return to their hometown to live a good life. We were forbidden from saying a word, or we would face family punishment. Master, have mercy!”

Lu Ah Zhao asked coldly, “Which direction did they go?”

Steward Liu replied in a trembling voice, “South!”

Lu Ah Zhao retracted her sword. Turning her back to the steward, she said coldly, “This villa is under my name, Lu Ah Zhao. Everyone here should take orders from me. Since you are all so muddled, go to the Regent’s Mansion tomorrow to collect your wages. You need not return. I, Lu Ah Zhao, do not keep disloyal people.”

The servants at the villa looked at each other in shock. They truly hadn’t expected such an end, and they began to wail and lament.

Lu Ah Zhao galloped alone on the small paths in the outskirts of Yindou. She ignored the reopened wounds on her body, her mind filled with only one thought: Find Xiaxia! Faster, even faster! How could she watch the most important person in her life disappear? She couldn’t do it!

Along the road, Yunxia frequently lifted the carriage curtain to look outside. Yindou was growing further and further away. She watched stubbornly as that prosperous capital slowly vanished from sight. Her beloved was there. Had Lu Ah Zhao woken up yet? Would she look for her after she woke? Or would she actually get over it very quickly? Would she marry Song Jin?

Yunxia clutched her heart, not daring to think further. The mere thought of her being with someone else caused an uncontrollable ache. What a selfish person she was! She didn’t want her beloved to be with anyone else, and she didn’t want her to be forgotten.

Zheng Rong watched as Yunxia stared out the curtain for the entire journey. The girl had grown thin, losing her usual cunning and resilience; a side of her face was still red and swollen, looking as if she had lost half her life.

Zheng Rong felt a deep ache for her. This was all the fault of those imperial relatives in Yindou. What did they know of the preciousness of true feelings? After a moment’s thought, Zheng Rong pulled the curtain down and said softly, “Xiaxia, stop looking. Once we are back in our hometown, what kind of fine young man won’t be available? Even if you favor women, we can find someone better!”

Yunxia leaned blankly against the carriage wall. Her heart felt as if it were being pulled back and forth by a blunt knife. To forcibly forget that person was truly painful.

Seeing her like this, Zheng Rong pulled the girl’s limp body into a heart-aching embrace, stroking her arm in silent comfort.

Yunxia’s eyes were blood-red. The pain in her heart made it difficult even to breathe. After a long while, she spoke, her voice uncontrollably choked with sobs. “Aunt… no matter how good others are, they aren’t her. I… I only want her.”

Zheng Rong’s heart broke. She held Yunxia and kept soothing her. “My poor Xiaxia. When you wanted to enter the Regent’s Mansion, I feared this would be the result. Those imperial nobles are not people we can hope to climb toward. Just treat it as being bitten by a dog and forget it!”

Niannian chimed in from the side, “That’s right, Xiaxia. That Regent is so fierce. Aside from a good face, there is nothing good about her. When we get back, I’ll find you eight or ten women even more beautiful than her!”

Zheng Rong slapped the back of Niannian’s head. “You’re just a young girl; what’s this about eight or ten! Be more proper when we get home; you still have to get married!”

Niannian rubbed her head and glared at Zheng Rong. Hmph, she didn’t want to get married! It was too much trouble! One could end up crying non-stop or even be placed under house arrest—it wasn’t fun at all!

Yunxia was deaf to their conversation. she only huddled helplessly in Zheng Rong’s arms, tears sliding from her eyes. Her mind was filled with images of Lu Ah Zhao—sometimes tender and proud, sometimes distant and noble. Her sister was so good; who could possibly be better? Lu Ah Zhao was the beam of light in her dark life, bringing her sudden palpitations, a faint joy, and a deep sense of being moved.

Suddenly, the heavy sound of galloping hooves came from ahead, and their carriage was forced to a dead stop.

The driver’s angry voice came from outside. “Do you have no eyes? You nearly crashed into us!”

The newcomer had a dark expression and was covered in blood, looking extremely disheveled. Yet, those eyes were cold and bright, set in a tall, upright posture with an air of noble arrogance. With just a single, cold glance toward the driver, the man trembled and instinctively wanted to kneel in submission.

The newcomer wordlessly hauled the driver down, strode onto the carriage, and swept the curtain aside. Her dark, deep eyes fixed upon the red-eyed Yunxia inside, the pain in her heart intensifying. During the time she was unconscious, how much grievance had her Xiaxia suffered?

Lu Ah Zhao’s eyes swirled with emotions that Yunxia couldn’t decipher. She spoke in a deep voice. “Xiaxia, come back with me.”

A simple sentence, yet she spoke it in a soul-stirring, deep, and husky tone that was incredibly beautiful to hear.