The evening banquet was also held in the Imperial Garden, and compared to the last book unveiling, it was surprisingly casual and unrestrained. People sat in small groups in various waterside pavilions and gazebos. Some even sat on the grass as if on a spring outing.
Lanterns of various colors illuminated the courtyard, and the sounds of music, drinking games, and women's laughter filled the air. In the largest pavilion in the center of the courtyard sat the Emperor. In the middle of the Dripping Water Lake before the pavilion, dancers in flowing gauze sleeves performed with graceful movements, like celestial maidens descending to earth.
Those fortunate enough to be invited to sit in the pavilion were all the most honored and powerful figures in Da Song. Besides Jiang Qi and Luo Yuan, the other two individuals were unknown to Yang Ruoning.
When those two individuals’ gazes flickered over Yang Ruoning, she felt a profound sense of unease. Gossip was a potent force, and her relationship with Luo Yuan was already the hottest topic in Bianliang. To now be invited by the Emperor into the pavilion, sitting with Luo Yuan and them, the implications were deeply unsettling.
A young palace maid approached with a white jade wine bottle, pouring wine in turn. When it was Yang Ruoning’s turn, she said to the maid, "I'm fine."
Luo Yuan looked surprised. "This is excellent Western wine gifted this year. Why not try some?"
Yang Ruoning replied, "I've quit. I'm not drinking anymore."
"Oh? Quit? Why so suddenly?"
"Well... I've decided to live a better life from now on."
Luo Yuan smiled. "That's a good idea."
Catching the intentional and unintentional glances from those around, Yang Ruoning knew that her every move with Luo Yuan was under their close scrutiny. She nudged him gently under the table, signaling him to stop talking.
Luo Yuan received her signal and fell silent.
Such occasions made Yang Ruoning feel like she was sitting on pins and needles, with eyes on her back. The exquisite snacks before her tasted bland. Luo Yuan, meanwhile, was chatting with others and sipping wine from his jade cup, not paying her attention for the moment. Yang Ruoning excused herself to use the privy and left the pavilion.
She walked leisurely to the privy, and after finishing, she didn't feel like returning immediately, so she decided to wander in the Imperial Garden. The garden was vast, and at this hour, the candlelight was fading, and the palace attendants hadn't yet replaced the candles. In the dimness, Yang Ruoning lost her way back. Behind a secluded rockery at a hidden turn, she unexpectedly encountered Jiang Qi. Yang Ruoning knew this was likely no coincidence; he had sought her out.
As expected, Jiang Qi cut straight to the point, "Miss Yang, has Luo Yuan made any moves recently?"
Yang Ruoning replied, "No. He has always acted cautiously. I've been monitoring him these past few days, and I have no useful information to tell you."
"Oh, is that so?" Jiang Qi lowered his head, twirling the jade thumb ring on his finger. "Miss Yang, is there truly no useful information, or are you unwilling to tell me?"
His words carried a hidden meaning, and Yang Ruoning was perplexed. Although she disliked Jiang Qi, he was Qingye's uncle and Jason's friend. Their goals aligned, and they were allies. She had no reason to hide anything from him.
She replied, "Lord Jiang, I have nothing to hide from you. If you don't believe me, you are welcome to listen to the recordings."
Hearing her words, Jiang Qi looked up at her. "I do not disbelieve you, young lady. However, this concerns the state. I cannot afford to be careless."
Yang Ruoning frowned and looked at him as well. "Why don't you arrest Luo Yuan directly?"
"Without any solid evidence, arresting him would likely give them an excuse."
"Do you not have troops capable of resisting him?"
"Although the capital is said to be garrisoned by a million troops, due to the previous emperor's long-standing policies of prioritizing commerce and agriculture, most soldiers have returned to farming and business. Gathering them will take time. Currently, the Luo family's army shows no intention of moving south."
If not for a large-scale military campaign, how did he plan to seize power? A small-scale raid? That seemed plausible, Yang Ruoning suddenly thought.
Luo Yuan was unstoppable, yet Qingye was determined not to give up. All she could do was find a path to escape for Qingye and Yue Feng.
Before that, she had to find a way to retreat safely.
Yang Ruoning looked at Jiang Qi and said sternly, "Lord Jiang, I will inform you immediately of any news."
"Miss Yang, I must still remind you about Luo Yuan..."
Yang Ruoning interrupted him. She understood Jiang Qi's concern. "Lord Jiang need not worry about me and Luo Yuan. Qingye and Yue Feng are my family. Family always comes first."
Since returning from the palace on the Dragon Boat Festival, Jiang Xian Pavilion had introduced a new service: home visits for selection. Customers could select a date and request that Jiang Xian Pavilion bring their latest products for an in-home viewing. If a client liked a style, they could place an order and have their measurements taken on the spot. Once the undergarments were made, they would be delivered to the customer's home by the shop. This service was primarily aimed at young ladies confined to their chambers who couldn't easily go out.
As soon as the service was launched, bookings were already backlogged for two weeks. Yang Ruoning voluntarily took on the delivery and errand work. The owner of Jiang Xian Pavilion, Su Su, was perplexed. She couldn't understand why Yang Ruoning, one of the two owners of Jiang Xian Pavilion, insisted on doing such laborious work. However, she knew Yang Ruoning's actions were always unusual, so she didn't press the matter further, only instructing the manager, a young woman named Xiao Song, not to assign Yang Ruoning too much work, and to limit her deliveries to once or twice a day as a mere formality.
Yang Ruoning wasn't actually going to deliver goods. Delivery was just an excuse. At this moment, the red dot on her phone had just begun to move, indicating that Luo Yuan was leaving the palace.
Since there was no usable map, the phone could only display his location. Therefore, Yang Ruoning had to track him personally to confirm where he had been.
A moment later, she saw Luo Yuan's red dot pass by the red dot representing herself. Yang Ruoning looked up and saw Luo Yuan's carriage exiting the palace gates. She pulled down her bamboo hat and quietly followed.
Although she walked much slower than the carriage, she knew his direction of travel, and she could find any place he stopped.
Today, after a brief pause at his residence, the red dot moved out of the manor again. Yang Ruoning saw Luo Yuan change into plain clothes, pick up a fan, and walk out of the back gate of his residence. He soon blended into the crowd and disappeared. Yang Ruoning quickly followed.
Luo Yuan walked at a leisurely pace. Yang Ruoning maintained a certain distance from him to avoid being discovered. She followed him through the East Market and then turned into the West Market. He paused briefly in front of a blacksmith's shop and bought a newly forged pair of scissors. After exiting the West Market's main street, he crossed a bridge and entered an alley on the other side of the river. This alley specialized in groceries and snacks, and Yang Ruoning was quite familiar with it; she often came here to buy wine and listen to storytellers. She saw Luo Yuan buy some osmanthus cakes from a shop. Afterward, Luo Yuan turned to the end of the alley, winding through its twists and turns, and arrived at the ferry crossing. The ferry crossing was busy at the moment, with many merchant ships coming and going. Bare-chested laborers were sweating profusely as they unloaded cargo on the dock. Luo Yuan walked past the dock and headed north.
Normally, there would be idle young men loitering near the dock. They would stand in groups and, if called upon, help load and unload goods for a day's wage. Yang Ruoning noticed that there were more of these individuals today than usual. Some of them looked robust and strong, seemingly trained fighters.
Yang Ruoning recalled Qingye mentioning that the Huai River region had suffered floods some time ago, causing many refugees to travel south to Bianliang in search of a livelihood. Consequently, there had been an increase in vagrants in the city recently, putting a strain on public safety. Qingye had even warned Yang Ruoning not to return home late to avoid harassment.
With this in mind, Yang Ruoning put away her phone and intended to walk past them quickly.
Suddenly, someone blocked her path. The person had a blade of grass in his mouth and looked at her lecherously. "I never expected that even women who do manual labor would be so delicate. Women in the capital are truly different, hahaha." A group of people standing nearby chimed in with laughter, "Exactly, exactly! Her arms are as white as bamboo shoots."
The person suddenly reached out, attempting to open the collar of her clothing. "I bet what's inside is even fairer than that white steamed bun..."
Yang Ruoning slapped his hand away and glared at him fiercely.
"Haha, looks like she has a bit of a temper."
Yang Ruoning didn't want to get entangled with them. She stepped to the left, trying to get around the person in front of her. To her surprise, the person seemed determined not to let her pass. She moved left, and he moved left. She turned back, and he immediately jumped to block her path.
Yang Ruoning stopped, glared, and said in a low voice, "You've picked the wrong person today! I advise you to be sensible and move aside, or the consequences... I cannot guarantee what will happen to you!"
The person actually burst into laughter. "Oh ho, look at this, little beauty is threatening me. I'd like to see who you are that's so untouchable. Could you be the old Emperor himself? Hahaha." As he spoke, he roughly grabbed Yang Ruoning's arm.
Yang Ruoning raised her knee and forcefully thrust it towards his groin. The man yelped in pain and released Yang Ruoning. Seeing this, the crowd erupted into laughter. At this moment, someone sitting quietly in the crowd suddenly said, "Let her go." His voice was not loud, but it carried an authoritative tone, like a command.
Hearing this, the circle of people immediately dropped their playful expressions. The person's face changed in an instant. He released Yang Ruoning and sneered, "You can go."
Yang Ruoning looked towards the crowd. She saw the owner of that authoritative voice. Despite wearing worn-out hemp clothes, he possessed an extraordinary aura. She presumed he was the leader of these men. After glancing at him, she quickly fled.
After this ordeal, Luo Yuan had long since disappeared. She pulled out her phone and saw Luo Yuan's red dot to her west. She hurried in Luo Yuan's direction.
Yang Ruoning discovered that after a brief stop at a restaurant, Luo Yuan returned to his residence. After hastily delivering the goods, she returned to Jiang Xian Pavilion to report, changed her clothes, and also returned to her residence.
As Yang Ruoning walked into the study, she immediately saw a plate of osmanthus cakes and a pair of new scissors placed on the tea table.
Luo Yuan saw her enter and said, "Ruoning, I bought you some osmanthus cakes. Oh, and the scissors you wanted." He was still writing on paper, so he didn't look up. "I've booked a table at Fengle Tower for dinner tonight. Shall we go there?"