HLnovel Chapter 684 Ayin
Chapter 684 Ayin
Upon hearing the name of the child, Lu Yangyang was momentarily stunned.
But in that instant when she clearly sensed Rong Xin's nervousness, she suddenly remembered and tentatively asked, "You mean Xiao Jiu?"
"Xiao Jiu?" Rong Xin murmured softly.
Lu Yangyang had considered telling Rong Xin about the Ninth Princess, but she never knew how to bring it up. Now that her aunt had asked, she had no more reservations.
“Her name is Yuyin, and she is a very cute little girl. Over the years…” Lu Yangyang recalled the little girl she had only met a few times. She seemed soft and gentle, but she had her own way of surviving: “She is neither doing well nor badly. She has little presence in the palace and is occasionally bullied, but I think she knows how to protect herself.”
When Lu Yangyang first heard about the Ninth Princess, she heard that she had a doughy personality and that anyone could step on her.
After meeting her later, I found that she was indeed always timid, following behind several princesses, silent and avoiding participation in occasions she could avoid, just as everyone described her, as if she were a transparent person in the palace.
The emperor didn't want to hear about her existence, so no one cared about her existence either.
Lu Yangyang once thought that she might not be doing well, but after getting to know her, she found that this might also be a sign of her intelligence.
Rumors about the Emperor and Consort Rong were taboo in the palace, and no one dared to mention them. Therefore, no one dared to openly raise the Ninth Princess. However, with the care of the late Empress and Zong Que, the people in the palace did not dare to mistreat her. At most, they ignored her. She was able to hide away and live a quiet life, without competing, fighting, showing her face, or complaining. She successfully avoided the storms in the palace and raised herself well.
A person with such a mindset is definitely not someone who is easily manipulated; on the contrary, she is extremely clever and skillful.
“Yuyin…” Rong Xin said softly, as if remembering something, “My sister-in-law had a daughter named Xueyin, who died young. When I visited her, she said that the person she was most worried about in her life was Ayin. Now that Ayin has left her, she is no longer afraid of what might happen in the future. When I returned, I told the Empress about this. I don’t know if it was because I had a premonition that the illusion I had was going to collapse one day, so I told the Empress that if I had a daughter, I would name her Ayin.”
At that time, she thought that if she left first, she would not want the child to stay in the palace. She hoped that the child could go to her sister-in-law's side and grow up freely.
She hadn't actually planned to have children; entering the palace was a last resort. Her mind was already in turmoil at that time, so she had no energy left to raise a child.
When she had the child, she realized that it was Zong Lin's doing.
But at that time, she still held onto a sliver of hope that things weren't so bad after all.
She hoped that her elder brother would get what he wanted, and that she could use his victory to leave the palace quietly. At that time, she never actually intended to stay in the palace forever.
However, she misjudged everything.
With her elder brother defeated, the Rong family collapsed overnight. She had no heart to care about the child, and she didn't even know when she gave birth to the child, whether the child was a boy or a girl, or whether the child was alive or dead.
Over the years, I have been deliberately trying to forget her.
"Auntie?" Lu Yangyang called softly.
Rong Xin came back to her senses and said in a low voice, "She didn't have good parents, but it's enough that she was able to survive."
“Aunt, once the Rong family’s case is overturned, if Xiao Jiu is willing, she can leave the palace.” Lu Yangyang didn’t know if the Ninth Princess felt it was unfair, but she thought that if that smart and lovely girl could one day be given the freedom to choose, she would definitely be able to live a good life.
She couldn't forgive the Ninth Princess's parents who never loved her, nor could she force her aunt to accept all the pain of the past. But she hoped that one day, when the Rong family's case was overturned, the Ninth Princess and her aunt would both have the right to choose freely.
Rong Xin nodded and said to her, "Go and invite them over."
"Then Auntie, wait here, I'll go find someone right away," Lu Yangyang replied.
After agreeing with Rongxin, Lu Yangyang immediately left the manor and entered the city.
In the past few months in Changyang County, Luo Jing and Meng Lao have been busy.
Luo Jing was busy training his troops, while Elder Meng was directly seeing patients in the pharmacy and also mentoring his apprentices.
Although Lu Yangyang never explained why she brought them to Changyang County, they weren't in a hurry. After spending so much time together, they had come to understand Lu Yangyang's personality, and there must be a reason why she brought them here.
Moreover, they had a very fulfilling time during their stay in Changyang County.
It should be said that since leaving Jiangnan with Lu Yangyang, their lives have been very fulfilling. Now, when he thinks back on the things he did as a bandit in the mountains, Luo Jing can't help but feel ashamed. His self-righteous kindness ended up dragging many people down with him.
Upon hearing that Lu Yangyang was looking for them, Elder Meng and Luo Jing did not delay and hurried back to meet up with Lu Yangyang.
"Uncle Luo, Elder Meng," Lu Yangyang had just arrived at the mansion in the county town when Luo Jing and Elder Meng returned.
"Yangyang, why are you calling us back so urgently? Is something wrong?" Luo Jing asked, looking very energetic.
These days, they have not only witnessed the changes in Changyang County with their own eyes, but also participated in them personally. Luo Jing used to be a military general, and he was most annoyed by the nagging of those civil officials. Now, seeing these changes in person, he truly understands what a powerful local official means to the people.
He never dreamed that the dilapidated Changyang County of just a few months ago could undergo such a dramatic transformation, especially the high-yield new crops, which made him incredibly excited.
No one understood what this meant better than him.
With these supplies, their border garrisons no longer had to go hungry.
Old Meng is in excellent spirits. He originally thought he probably wouldn't live for many more years, but after a year or two of hard work, he feels more and more hopeful for life.
Lu Yangyang hadn't seen them for a while, and she was very happy to see them now. "I want to take you to meet someone."
The two looked at Lu Yangyang in surprise.
"You'll see when you get there!" Lu Yangyang couldn't wait and immediately ordered someone to prepare a carriage for Old Man Meng.
The two men trusted Lu Yangyang implicitly and didn't ask any questions. Before they even had a sip of water, they followed Lu Yangyang out of the manor and went to the estate outside the city.
Rong Xin was already waiting for them.
The two were initially curious about who Lu Yangyang was going to introduce them to, but when they saw Rong Xin, they both froze and their eyes welled up with tears.
Then he knelt down with a thud.