"Plus, you have a strong personality and believe that an assassin should not have any emotional fluctuations!"
"But Ruyi! You're a person, not a puppet!"
Wei Tingyu could only do his best to comfort the real self that Ren Ruyi had shown during this time, and he was the only one who could do it! A quarter of an hour later, Ren Ruyi fell asleep in Wei Tingyu's arms. He knew that this woman had too many burdens on her shoulders right now, so much so that she couldn't find another place to feel safe and at ease except in his arms!
…
"County Princess! Where are we going?" The next morning, County Princess Chu Yue was riding a horse with her maid through the market. The maid next to her yawned and mumbled in a low voice. She had been dragged out by the County Princess early in the morning to ride horses! It would have been great to go galloping in the ranch outside the city, but the County Princess insisted on just strolling through the market! With so many people on the road, they could only walk slowly on horseback, which was truly uncomfortable.
"…" Chu Yue heard her maid's complaint and pursed her lips speechlessly, saying, "Honestly! This huge An capital has no fun places…"
"Is that really the reason?" The maid couldn't help but roll her eyes at the County Princess's words. But she was lucky that she had grown up with Chu Yue, so she dared to be so presumptuous. Of course, Chu Yue saw her actions.
"What do you mean?" Chu Yue frowned and raised her whip when she heard the maid's complaint and saw her rolling her eyes. "I'm warning you not to let your imagination run wild, or I'll punish you by not giving you any lunch…"
The maid wasn't scared when she saw Chu Yue raise her whip, as she knew her personality very well. Although they were master and servant, they had been accustomed to playing and teasing each other in private since they were children. So, instead of being afraid of Chu Yue's threat, she spoke her mind without reservation.
"You say we're just wandering, but we've been strolling through the market for a whole hour, and it's not like we're completely aimless!" The maid pouted and looked at Chu Yue, who was feigning a fierce expression with her innocent, big eyes. "The County Princess has been leading me in circles, and we're always near the post house, aren't we?"
"If you want to see the Marquis of Jining, why don't you just go to the post house and find him openly?"
"Now that your marriage is settled, why are you still so shy? You're not like your old self at all!" The maid's words were more like a complaint.
Chu Yue's face immediately turned red!
"Who wants to see him?" The girl raised her head and said a little defiantly, "It's just that this market is more bustling and there are more fun things here!"
"I brought you here purely to wander around. It has nothing to do with him…" But while County Princess Chu Yue was still stubbornly arguing, her eyes suddenly caught sight of Wei Tingyu riding his red horse, named Xunmei, galloping down the street in front of them.
"Ah…" The moment Wei Tingyu appeared, County Princess Chu Yue's eyes immediately lit up and uncontrollably followed his retreating figure into the distance. She even forgot her stubbornness, and a smile unconsciously appeared on her lips! Her expression and gaze were full of pleasant surprise!
Seeing this, the maid couldn't help but roll her eyes even more. And you were just being stubborn in front of me? The moment the man himself appears, you give yourself away!
But before she could finish her complaint, both girls suddenly froze. A woman in a fiery-red outfit, Ren Ruyi, was also riding a horse and galloping behind Wei Tingyu. They were only a few steps apart.
"Who is that woman?" County Princess Chu Yue was stunned. She turned to her maid and asked, "Is she with the Marquis?"
The maid saw the jealousy on Chu Yue's face and quickly shook her head, saying, "I don't know either, but I heard that the Marquis of Jining came to our An capital with the Prince of Li from Wu Kingdom in light attire on fast horses… Maybe she is the Prince of Li's maid?"
"The Prince of Li's maid?" Chu Yue frowned. She naturally didn't believe the maid's explanation because it didn't make sense. From the way the woman was riding the horse, Chu Yue could tell that she was an expert. An ordinary maid could never have such skills! Besides, if she were truly the Prince of Li's maid, what was she doing riding alone with Wei Tingyu and heading out of the city?
No! I have to go and see! Thinking this, County Princess Chu Yue said no more, kicked her horse, and rode off in pursuit, shouting to her maid, "You go back to the manor! Don't follow me!"
The maid was a little worried and instinctively wanted to follow, but after hearing the County Princess's words, she reined in her horse. She thought about it and realized that her County Princess had always been wild. Nothing would happen to her on the grasslands, let alone in the An capital? Besides, she was going to chase her fiancé, so he would definitely protect her no matter what! Thinking this, the maid turned her horse around and headed back to the Duke Chu's manor.
…
"You said you'd take me out of the city. Is it to see the sights?" On a small path in the outskirts of the An capital, Wei Tingyu and Ren Ruyi rode side by side, enjoying the gentle breeze, light rain, and the scent of flowers. Ren Ruyi's mood was much better than before.
"You've been carrying so much on your shoulders all this time…" Wei Tingyu said with a smile to Ren Ruyi, "This is the only way I can help you relax!"
"Mm," Ren Ruyi was touched by Wei Tingyu's smile. But then, she glanced behind them and smiled again, "But why are we bringing a little tail along to accompany me?"
"County Princess Chu Yue of the Xisha tribe!" Wei Tingyu had also noticed the "little tail" behind them. He smiled and replied, "She saw us as we were passing through the market just now…"
"She's not here for me, is she?" Ren Ruyi's eyes curved into crescent moons as she looked at Wei Tingyu and said, "It seems the Marquis has been affectionate with someone else again?" Her tone was a little jealous, but her expression was completely calm, with even a hint of teasing.
"We have already settled on the marriage," Wei Tingyu, of course, would not hide this from Ren Ruyi! He smiled and said, "Their Xisha tribe's sincerity is truly not small! They've basically given half of the Xisha tribe as this girl's dowry!"
"Duke Chu agreed to that?" Ren Ruyi's expression was one of shock upon hearing Wei Tingyu's words. The Xisha tribe was a major tribe that could directly influence the An Kingdom's politics! Half of the Xisha tribe becoming County Princess Chu Yue's dowry meant that Duke Chu had truly gone all in! And if Wei Tingyu was telling the truth, then this matter couldn't have been a private arrangement between him and County Princess Chu Yue. Duke Chu himself must have done his best to make it happen!
"Of course!" Wei Tingyu became a little smug and said to Ren Ruyi with a hint of pride, "This just shows that Duke Chu has a sharp eye and can see that this Marquis is no ordinary man!"
"Hmph!" Ren Ruyi saw Wei Tingyu's arrogant and pompous look and couldn't help but let out a soft snort through her nose, but she couldn't refute him. At the same time, she praised Duke Chu in her heart for having such good foresight! At least it was on par with her own!
As for whether County Princess Chu Yue was willing or not? Ren Ruyi didn't even think about it. In her opinion, as long as Wei Tingyu made his move, there was no woman in this world who could resist the Marquis's charm! Just by looking at how County Princess Chu Yue was secretly following them like a "little tail" but not daring to reveal herself, Ren Ruyi knew that the girl had probably already fallen into Wei Tingyu's "trap"!
Thinking of this, Ren Ruyi's eyes darted around. With a burst of light footwork, she easily leaped onto Wei Tingyu's horse and sat in his lap. The sight of the two of them on one horse, hugging each other, was incredibly intimate!
"What are you doing?" Wei Tingyu instinctively wrapped his arms around Ren Ruyi, who had just sat down, but at the same time, he asked. But he didn't need to finish his sentence because he immediately understood. It turned out that Ren Ruyi was also a little jealous! So she was deliberately being intimate with him to provoke the other party to come and "catch them in the act"?!
And sure enough, after Ren Ruyi's actions, County Princess Chu Yue, who had been secretly observing them from behind, immediately flushed. But this time, it was obviously not from shyness but from anger!
"Who… who is she?!" Her soon-to-be husband was hugging another woman right under her nose?! And she could only secretly follow from afar! This made County Princess Chu Yue's temper flare up immediately! Although she had known that Wei Tingyu must have many wives and concubines in his capital manor, this was the An capital! Since Wei Tingyu's other wives and concubines hadn't followed, she was the only woman in the An capital with an engagement to him! She naturally had the right to intervene in his business with other women!
Thinking this, Chu Yue clenched her legs and wanted to charge over to demand an explanation! At the same time, she wanted to get a good look at this seductive temptress who was seducing her future husband!
But after her horse took two steps forward, she reined it in and stopped it! Because Chu Yue was now much more mature than the wild, fearless girl she used to be. If she just charged over like that, wouldn't she be embarrassing the Marquis too much? If she did that, the woman would be clinging to the Marquis sweetly, making her look like a rude, unreasonable woman!
No! I can't be so foolish! Chu Yue's little eyes darted around as she quickly considered this possibility in her mind. And if she recklessly charged over to question Wei Tingyu, the result would be almost certain to turn out this way! Right! I need to think this through carefully! As for the temptress next to the Marquis, it would be best to find an opportunity to quietly get rid of her!
…
"She's not coming over?" However, Ren Ruyi, who was sitting in Wei Tingyu's arms, secretly looked back over her shoulder, frowned, and whispered.
"You wanted her to come over…" Wei Tingyu was also helpless. "So you used this method to provoke her, didn't you?"
"Since she is a concubine that the Marquis will be taking into his manor, it is only natural for me, as the primary wife, to vet her!" Ren Ruyi, with the guarantee from Wei Tingyu that she was the primary wife, naturally had a perfect reason to do this now! But the fact that County Princess Chu Yue didn't charge over to question her immediately surprised Ren Ruyi a little. The temper of this "jewel of the Xisha tribe" was known throughout the An capital, and Ren Ruyi, as a native of the An Kingdom and a former commander of the Vermilion-Robed Guard, naturally knew all about it!
"Your plan failed, didn't it?" Wei Tingyu laughed at Ren Ruyi's surprised and slightly disappointed expression, saying, "I never thought our great assassin, Ren, would have a plan that fails…"
Wei Tingyu's senses were much sharper than Ren Ruyi's. He knew that her plan had almost succeeded. Chu Yue had even clamped her legs on her horse, ready to charge over, but she had reined it in at the last moment. Wei Tingyu was quite happy that Chu Yue was able to restrain her impulse at this moment! After all, this girl was going to be a female general in the future! The biggest taboo for a general was to act on anger. Without a calm mind to analyze the situation, she would never be able to achieve great things with just her archery and martial arts skills!
"Who says I failed?" But when Ren Ruyi heard Wei Tingyu's teasing, her expression became a little flustered. She was not one to be provoked! She said stubbornly, then her eyes darted around, and she immediately came up with a second plan! She quickly used her light footwork to leap back onto her horse, then she clamped her legs on the horse's flank, steering her steed onto a small path next to them, and galloped back in the direction they came from.
Wei Tingyu was stunned, then he understood Ren Ruyi's intention. She wanted to test whether County Princess Chu Yue would continue to follow him or turn and follow her instead! Wei Tingyu, of course, knew that Ren Ruyi was trying to assert her authority as the primary wife and put County Princess Chu Yue in her place during their first meeting! So, he didn't try to stop her. After all, this could be considered an internal matter between the two women!
And County Princess Chu Yue, seeing Ren Ruyi suddenly gallop back along a small path, and even pass right in front of her, couldn't hold back any longer. She immediately turned her horse and followed! At this moment, there was only one thing on her mind: she had to figure out this woman's true identity and what her relationship with Wei Tingyu was. Of course, asking her directly was the simplest and most direct method!
Wei Tingyu was speechless as both women galloped away from him. He had originally intended to take Ren Ruyi out for a scenic ride, but he never expected this little detour. But that was fine. Let them get to know each other first. It would save him the trouble of having to explain everything!
…
It must be said that County Princess Chu Yue's equestrian skills were superior to Ren Ruyi's, and her horse was slightly better, so the distance between them gradually closed. When the two parallel paths merged into a main road in front, they were only twenty paces apart, with no more obstacles.
At this moment, Ren Ruyi suddenly leaped up, lightly stepped on her horse's saddle, performed a beautiful aerial spin, and landed on County Princess Chu Yue's horse, hugging the girl from behind. Chu Yue was completely taken by surprise. Jumping so lightly between two fast-moving horses was a skill that not many people possessed. So, by the time she reacted, she was already firmly held by Ren Ruyi's arms from behind, and her neck was also being held firmly by the other's hand!
"You've been following me all along!" Ren Ruyi, of course, knew who County Princess Chu Yue was, but she deliberately used a cold tone and asked, "Who are you?"
"I…" Chu Yue was stunned, then she felt the coldness emanating from the hand on her neck. She could see the sharp nails and knew that if she made any sudden moves, the other person could easily slice her neck!
"I'm the maid of County Princess Jinming!" Jinming was Chu Yue's title. At this moment, she didn't care about anything else and could only pretend to be her own maid. Of course, after answering Ren Ruyi's question, Chu Yue didn't forget the purpose of her pursuit and asked in return, "Who are you?"
Ren Ruyi almost laughed. Who are you? I already know! And you're still acting in front of me? But since they would all be sisters in the future, Ren Ruyi naturally wouldn't hurt Chu Yue now. She simply turned her horse around and returned to find Wei Tingyu! And the horse that Ren Ruyi had been riding was a fine steed that knew its owner. Without anyone controlling it, it trotted along behind Ren Ruyi and Chu Yue.