Chapter 63: Something Doesn't Add Up

What was going on?

Bai Yao was a little stunned. The bride had burst out of the bridal chamber and was chasing down the groom to kill him?

Shang Shuqing and Lan Ruoting, who came running into the courtyard after hearing the commotion, were equally dumbfounded. Shang Chaozong had come running out barefoot, wearing nothing but a pair of trousers, his upper body completely bare?

What shocked Shang Shuqing even more was Feng Ruonan charging after him like a madwoman with a sword in hand. She had actually run outside dressed like this? Bare feet, snowy calves flashing beneath the hem of her robe, apparently nothing worn underneath, and that patch of white skin half exposed below the neckline... Shang Shuqing simply could not believe it.

To her, even casually exposing one's forearms before outsiders was improper for a woman. How could a woman run around openly while revealing herself like this?

She could not imagine what her parents would have done if they were still alive and saw a daughter-in-law behaving this way. Father would probably have ordered the archers to shoot her dead on the spot.

Lan Ruoting was equally stupefied. Feng Ruonan's conduct ran completely contrary to his notions of how a woman of this age ought to behave. He could scarcely imagine that a daughter raised by a great household like the Feng family could act this way. Shang Chaozong kept looking over his shoulder as he ran.

Barehanded, he was already no match for her. Now that she had a weapon, there was even less to discuss. He immediately accelerated and fled for all he was worth.

"Shameless dog thief! Stop running! Give me your life!"

Feng Ruonan's furious scream rang from behind him. The cultivators standing on the surrounding rooftops watched the spectacle in speechless disbelief. Bai Yao finally recovered. His figure flashed as he shot forward and swooped down through the air.

Hearing the rush of wind, Feng Ruonan turned and slashed upward without even caring that Bai Yao was one of her own people. Bai Yao flicked the scabbard in his hand.

Swish!

The empty scabbard neatly swallowed the descending blade. At the same time, his other hand seized Feng Ruonan by the shoulder and forcibly pinned her in place.

"Ruonan, enough!"

With a twist of the scabbard, he stripped the sword from her hand as well.

"Let go of me! Let go! I'm going to kill him! I'm going to kill him..."

Feng Ruonan struggled hysterically. Her eyes were already red. Tears glimmered faintly within them as she stared fixedly at Shang Chaozong.

Bai Yao frowned. "Ruonan, what happened?"

Feng Ruonan ground her teeth. "Despicable, shameless villain!"

Seeing that she refused to explain, Bai Yao could roughly guess what might have happened. Most likely, the thing she had been unwilling to do had happened after all. He did not know whether to laugh or cry.

She had already married the man. If that sort of thing had truly happened, it was only natural between husband and wife. Was she really going to kill him for it? No matter where beneath Heaven she took the grievance, the argument would not stand. Still, something puzzled him.

When they fought last night, had she not held the upper hand and refused every attempt by outsiders to intervene? If she truly did not want it, how could Shang Chaozong have done anything to her? Had she fallen asleep later and been taken advantage of? Surely she had not been that careless. Since she refused to say, Bai Yao could hardly question her in detail about matters inside the bridal chamber. He turned and signaled toward the panicked Wenxin and Wenli.

What kind of scene was it for Feng Ruonan to stand outside dressed like this? Using his cultivation, he forcibly dragged Feng Ruonan back into the bridal chamber. Shang Chaozong had already reached the courtyard entrance and taken shelter behind Lan Ruoting, Shang Shuqing, and several guards. Only after seeing Feng Ruonan restrained did he finally breathe a sigh of relief. Never in his life had he suffered such an embarrassing loss of dignity. Lan Ruoting turned back.

Seeing Shang Chaozong's appearance, he immediately had one of the guards on night duty remove his cloak against the chill and wrap it around the prince. Another guard even pulled off his own boots and lent them to Shang Chaozong so he could cover his bare feet. Lan Ruoting and Shang Shuqing quickly escorted him back toward his own courtyard. Along the way, Lan Ruoting tested the waters.

"Your Highness... did you succeed?"

He had plainly guessed something from the situation. The matter was difficult for Shang Chaozong to speak of. He merely nodded, admitting it in silence. With his younger sister beside him, he certainly could not explain further. She was still an unmarried maiden. At his nod, Shang Shuqing's face immediately reddened. Yet she was also puzzled. Feng Ruonan had obviously been unwilling. How had her brother managed to succeed? Once they returned to his courtyard, Lan Ruoting told Shang Chaozong to go inside and change his clothes first.

Shang Chaozong gave a dry cough.

"Sir, come in for a moment."

Lan Ruoting instinctively glanced at Shang Shuqing. He could hear from the prince's tone that he meant to avoid discussing something in front of her. He did not know what could require keeping her in the dark, but he still nodded and followed Shang Chaozong inside. When the door closed, Shang Shuqing understood her brother's intention as well and voluntarily stepped away. Inside, Shang Chaozong found his clothes and slowly dressed. His brows remained furrowed throughout. Something was plainly weighing on him. Lan Ruoting waited nearby.

Only after he had finished dressing did Shang Chaozong brace both hands against the table and lower his head. He remained silent for a long while before finally speaking in a heavy voice.

"Sir, something about this doesn't add up."

Lan Ruoting slowly came closer. "How so?"

Shang Chaozong said, "Last night, Feng Ruonan had actually already subdued me. Later, I felt the strength in her arms gradually weakening. I thought she had nearly exhausted herself, so I suddenly broke free and knocked her down. After that... after that, we... did it. Once it was over, I thought she had accepted her fate. But just before dawn, she seemed to recover her strength again. She started cursing me and accusing me of drugging her. What happened after that, you saw for yourself."

"Drugging her?"

Lan Ruoting looked uncertain. "Are you sure?"

Shang Chaozong thought for a moment.

"Last night I was angered by that woman and acted impulsively, so I didn't pay attention. Thinking back on it now, though, her condition really was strange. One moment she was full of strength and vigor. Later... later she simply had no strength to resist and could only let me do as I pleased. Something truly was wrong. I'm afraid what she said is most likely true."

He slowly turned his head and asked tentatively, "It wasn't someone on our side, was it?"

Lan Ruoting hurriedly waved both hands.

"How could anyone on our side resort to such a contemptible method? Besides, every bit of food and drink here was prepared by people sent from the Commandery Governor's residence. We were worried enough that they might tamper with something themselves. The bridal chamber arrangements never passed through our hands at all. It couldn't have been us."

Shang Chaozong smiled bitterly. "Surely the Commandery Governor's residence wouldn't drug its own daughter either."

"True. If someone really did this, then who..."

Lan Ruoting stopped halfway through. His eyes flickered. He seemed to have remembered something. Suspicion gradually filled his face as he recalled Niu Youdao's behavior the previous night.

Everyone else had worried Shang Chaozong might be injured. Only Niu Youdao had confidently called them all away and said nothing serious would happen. Lan Ruoting had found that strange at the time. Feng Ruonan was plainly taking revenge. Why had Niu Youdao been so certain Shang Chaozong would be safe? Now, after hearing Shang Chaozong's account, Lan Ruoting seemed to understand.

He said thoughtfully, "I'm afraid there is only one person who could have done it."

Shang Chaozong straightened. "Who?"

Lan Ruoting sighed softly. "The man who arranged Your Highness's marriage and then urged Your Highness to consummate it. Following that line from beginning to end, I doubt there is anyone else."

Shang Chaozong stared. "You mean Niu Youdao?"

Lan Ruoting nodded. "There were signs last night. Looking back now, nine chances out of ten this had something to do with him."

Shang Chaozong frowned. "Didn't you just say the bridal chamber arrangements never passed through our hands? How would he have had any opportunity to tamper with anything? Besides, I ate and drank the things inside the bridal chamber too. Why did Feng Ruonan have a problem while I remained unaffected?"

Lan Ruoting sighed repeatedly.

"How he accomplished it, I don't know. Snakes have their own paths and rats have their own tunnels. Whatever road he used, it certainly wasn't an ordinary one. Our Master Dao has a somewhat unorthodox streak in the way he handles matters. You could already see it from how he borrowed money from Feng... from the Princess Consort to buy the betrothal gifts. He's the sort who will use whatever means are necessary to achieve his objective. He doesn't feel like a man of the orthodox path. Still, he truly is capable. His vision and experience seem a step beyond other people's, and he can accomplish what others cannot. What I cannot understand is this: with his age, how could that little mountain village possibly have given him this kind of foundation? It doesn't look like something the Shangqing Sect could have taught him either, especially when they kept him under house arrest the entire time. Ah... just what kind of disciple did Mr. Dong Guo accept? Having a man like this beside us... I don't know whether it is a blessing or a curse. But for now, at least, it doesn't appear to be a bad thing. He truly has been helping us."

Shang Chaozong looked ready to cry. His face twisted bitterly.

"What kind of mess is this? How am I supposed to face anyone now..."

After they spoke a while longer, Lan Ruoting left him alone in the room to brood. Outside, Lan Ruoting found Shang Shuqing and invited her to speak somewhere secluded.

"Is Brother all right?" Shang Shuqing asked anxiously.

Lan Ruoting shook his head. He hesitated, plainly unsure whether certain words ought to be spoken.

Seeing this, Shang Shuqing said, "Sir, if there is something you wish to say, please speak plainly. There should be no need for such difficulty between you and me."

Lan Ruoting considered for a moment.

"I only wish to remind the Commandery Princess of one thing. Unless it is necessary, try not to spend time alone with Niu Youdao."

Shang Shuqing was surprised. "Why would Sir say that?"

Lan Ruoting thought about it, then lowered his voice.

"Something about what happened in the bridal chamber is suspicious. Feng Ruonan was very likely drugged by Niu Youdao. Otherwise, I'm afraid His Highness would never have succeeded."

"Ah..."

Shang Shuqing gave an involuntary cry. Realizing she had lost composure, she raised a hand to cover her mouth beneath the veil and lowered her voice again.

"How could that be possible?"

Lan Ruoting said, "That is most likely what happened. His Highness only realized it afterward..."

He roughly repeated what Shang Chaozong had told him. Shang Shuqing fell into thought. She too remembered Niu Youdao's strange behavior the previous night and understood Lan Ruoting's concern. He was afraid she might suffer the same kind of loss Feng Ruonan had. She sighed softly.

"Sir is worrying too much. Leaving aside whether he truly did it, with the way I look... I doubt such a thing is very likely."

She was referring to her own ugly appearance.

Lan Ruoting said, "I'm only reminding the Commandery Princess to be careful. There is something rather uncanny about that man."

He cupped his hands and left. Shang Shuqing watched him go and remained silent for a long while... In the small courtyard where the Nanshan Temple monks were staying, Yuan Gang had come again. Yuan Fang bowed and scraped before him with a broad, ingratiating smile, already mentally preparing himself for another beating. Yuan Gang did not immediately hit him. Instead, he looked Yuan Fang up and down in surprise. The old monk had actually shaved off that signature long white beard completely. He looked much younger without it.

Yuan Gang had almost failed to recognize him... The bridal chamber was a complete wreck. Feng Ruonan sat beside the bed, crying until tears covered her face. There was nowhere else to sit. Every chair and table in the room had been smashed apart. Images from the previous night kept surfacing in her mind. The situation had been completely under her control, only to suddenly reverse. Her entire body had gone weak.

Every time she remembered the humiliating scene of Shang Chaozong doing whatever he wanted with her, she found it unbearable enough to want to smash her head against a wall and die. She had no idea what ill fortune she had encountered lately. One humiliation after another had descended upon her. She truly felt like dying. Wenxin and Wenli carefully cleaned the chaos in the room. Even so, one of them accidentally kicked the golden wine pot lying on the floor.

Clang!

The sharp metallic sound startled both maids. Feng Ruonan's eyes shifted toward the wine pot. Her brows moved.

She suddenly wiped away her tears and asked, "Where did this wine come from?"

[End of Chapter 63]