Continuous announcements resonated in the courtyard while successfully bringing the conversation in the room to a halt.
Amid the excitement, Nurse Ping hurried outside, bowed to the visitors and respectfully answered, “Thank you for holding my lady in high esteem and coming yourselves to visit her, but it just so happens that she came down with a cold last night. She cannot leave bed to welcome you, regrettably.”
Following a momentary pause, a gracious voice replied, “Since Ah Rong isn’t well she should take her time to rest. Please let her know, nurse, that I will come back to pay her a visit another day.”
Forthwith, wheels started rolling to the successive departure of the young ladies.
The courtyard soon returned to its quiet state.
Chen Qian, Chen Qi and the rest of the girls together looked back at Chen Rong who sat behind the screen.
A brief contemplation was followed by Chen Qian’s jealous voice: “Ah Rong, your reputation sure is great.”
“I am ashamed,” Chen Rong wearily replied.
Chen Qi stood up. She had a delicate beauty that comprised a fair skintone and a pair of lucent eyes. Hers was the kind of looks the nobles loved.
She watched Chen Rong on the other side of the screen and used a rare gentleness that she typically only used with men to say: “You had the bravado to seek death in Mo’yang. Regardless of reason, Ah Rong, your fearless reputation has reverberated in Nan’yang. All men of wisdom and courage will appreciate your strength of character.”
Strength of character.
Behind the screen, Chen Rong’s hands twisted into a knot. A smile appeared on her beautiful face, although one couldn’t be sure whether it was joy or irony.
After her second chance at life, she had always wanted to win for herself a praise of character, but no matter what she did, because of her background, because of her looks, everybody turned a blind eye to her merits.
This was, of course, to be expected. Just like Ran Min, no matter how many Jin lives he saved, no matter how many storms he weathered for the residents of Nan’yang, people would always look down on his surname behind his back.
She at last received the evaluation she wanted, even if it came from an unknown young lady like Chen Qi. Alas, such evaluation did not come without a dilemma.
The girls chatted for an hour and then began to take their leave.
Listening to their distancing footsteps, Chen Rong lay back down and sprawled motionlessly for a long while before suddenly yelling out: “Nurse Ping!”
The nurse hastily ran in while repeatedly asking, “Miss, what’s the matter?”
Answering her was Chen Rong’s suddenly feeble voice: “Nothing, nothing. You may go.”
Subsequently, Chen Rong’s courtyard became completely swamped with even more girls who came to visit.
After consistently pleading illness to turn her guests away, Chen Rong suddenly found in the late afternoon that her courtyard had fallen to a strange silence.
Though it was usually quiet, the servants’ whispers and distant sound of laughter were always heard. At present, however, all voices had vanished from the world.
Chen Rong paid the silence little attention at first. Slowly, when she felt something was amiss, she sat up in bed to call for Nurse Ping.
She had scarcely sat up when she heard Nurse Ping’s voice trembling with joy: “H-have you personally come to visit my young lady? Please, come in, come in.”
Chen Rong quickly closed her mouth and stifled her voice.
At this time, a familiar voice rang soft and pleasant like springwater. “All, please rise.”
Just three words. Three single words.
And yet the dead silent yard erupted into cheers and chatter.
Amid the excitement, leisure footsteps steadily fell on the ground.
Listening to the footfall that was advancing toward her bedchamber, Chen Rong jumped down from bed and reached for the whip on the wall.
She had only touched the handle by the time a low laughter sounded at the door.
His laughter was gentle and soft, and had a teasing note that stiffened Chen Rong‘s movement.
Chen Rong only paused for a second before she removed the whip, narrowed her eyes, and then turned around to look at the man.
Leaning against the door frame and faintly smiling at her in his snow white attire, while illuminating the entire room with his beauty, was that not Wang Hong?
Chen Rong glanced behind him and quietly barked, “Close the door!”
It was an order.
Wang Hong couldn’t help upturning the corner of his mouth when he heard her. He waved his wide sleeves and closed the door as told.
As soon as the door was closed, Chen Rong dashed in front of him.
She outstretched her hand and held the whip against his throat.
“Who told you to come