Chapter 36: Wrath and Reconciliation

his time, although Rong Jing wasn’t holding an umbrella, his gait was still light and graceful. His slender figure resembled a bamboo shoot, complemented perfectly by a moonlight-colored brocade robe...Chapter Thirty-Six: Wrath and Reconciliation

The two of them locked eyes, as if time had frozen in an instant.

In this moment, Rong Jing seemed to see no one else but her, looking at Yun Qianyue with warmth and tenderness.

Yun Qianyue's gaze remained soft and calm, her pale face showing no change in emotion. After a brief moment, she calmly turned away and said to Ye Qingnuan, "Two pots of blue osmanthus wine won't buy me off."

Ye Qingnuan let out an 'ah.'

"I'm tired, you all have fun, I'll go back to the manor first!" Yun Qianyue ignored Ye Qingnuan's shocked expression and stood up.

"I knew you were tired. Let's go, I'll send you back," Ye Qingran also stood up.

Yun Qianyue nodded and stepped out of the pavilion. A gentle breeze blew, causing her clothes to brush against Rong Jing’s crescent white brocade robe without pausing.

Ye Qingran immediately followed after her.

Ye Qingnuan stared blankly as Yun Qianyue and Ye Qingran left; she was a bit slow to react. Soon, she turned around to look at Rong Jing, who had his head slightly lowered, staring at the water pouch on the table before him—his emotions unreadable. She opened her mouth but didn't utter a sound.

"I said Miss Yun Qianyue has indeed fallen for Young Prince Rang," Princess Six snorted coldly.

Everyone's thoughts were instantly swayed by these words.

Rong Jing suddenly raised his head and stared at Princess Six with sharp eyes.

The princess’s body trembled, feeling an instant chill all over; she had never imagined that a man who was as gentle as jade could have such piercingly fierce eyes. The words she wanted to say instantly froze in her throat.

Rong Jing only glanced at Princess Six before turning away and picking up the water pouch to stand up. Everyone only saw a white blur flash past them, and he had already vanished from his original spot.

Ye Qingnuan let out an 'ah' once more.

Everyone was taken aback; they looked again and saw Rong Jing blocking Yun Qianyue's path, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards his carriage.

"Rong Jing, what are you doing" Ye Qingran yelled angrily.

Rong Jing stopped in his tracks and gazed at Ye Qingran with cool eyes. "Young Prince Rang, shouldn't I be asking you that question What exactly were you up to"

"I brought the little girl out for a walk so she wouldn't suffocate in the Moon Manor," Ye Qingran said. "Now that she's finished her stroll, naturally I'll send her back. Since you ignored her for five or six days at the Moon Manor, why are you suddenly here"

"Who says I've been ignoring her" Rong Jing arched his eyebrows and squinted his eyes. "Even if I did neglect her, it doesn't give anyone else the right to interfere."

Ye Qingran suddenly sneered. "What gives you that right Just because you're Rong Jing"

"Because I like her and she likes me. Is this answer satisfactory for Young Prince Rang If not, I can tell you: Because we’ve been in love for ten years; because she once triggered the Phoenix Tribulation to forget her memories for my sake; because I don't let anyone come within three feet of her; because I told her that I would take no other wife this lifetime and wouldn’t marry without her. Because she told me that she is heavier than all the people in the world. No matter how we torment each other now, it doesn't give others a reason to interfere with our relationship," Rong Jing's tone was icy.

Ye Qingran was momentarily at a loss for words.

Rong Jing no longer looked at Ye Qingran and pulled Yun Qianyue away. His steps, which were usually light and elegant, now moved incredibly fast; in no time he reached his carriage, String Song immediately lifted the curtain, and Rong Jing got on first before pulling Yun Qianyue up.

Yun Qianyue stood不動in front of the car, quietly watching Rong Jing.

"Get in!" Rong Jing looked at Yun Qianyue with a cold face.

"On what grounds do you say I should get in" Yun Qianyue's body didn't move, trying to pull her hand out of his grip.

Rong Jing held onto her hand tightly and didn't budge. He narrowed his eyes and glared at her coldly, "You want to ride back with him"

"I'd rather walk than sit in your carriage," Yun Qianyue tried to shake off his hand by exerting force.

However, Rong Jing restrained her power first and abruptly lifted his wrist, pulling Yun Qianyue into the car. Before the curtains fell, a purple object flew out of the compartment, instantly transforming into a shower of purple flowers that sprinkled over Ye Qingran's body - it was exactly Yun Qianyue’s purple mink fur cloak.

"Rong Jing, what are you doing" Yun Qianyue shouted angrily from inside the carriage.

Rong Jing didn’t answer her and spoke with a cold voice, "Ye Qingran, if you dare not to curb your thoughts again, you will be like this cloak!" With that said, he instructed Xiang Ge, "Drive on!"

Xiang Ge was startled for a moment but quickly whipped the reins. The carriage started moving.

Ye Qingran watched as the purple mink fur cloak turned into dust and burst out in anger, "Rong Jing!" He then tried to stop Rong Jing’s carriage.

A black mist fell down, with Qing Ying blocking Ye Qingran's path. His voice was cold and wooden, "Young Prince Ran, please hold your ground!"

"Move aside!" Ye Qingran waved his hand, sending a palm strike towards Qing Ying.

Qing Ying dodged and when he saw that Ye Qingran was about to send another palm strike, he calmly reminded him from within the pavilion, "Miss Yun Qianyue likes my lord. If you do not want little Princess today's injuries to worsen, then you must not take action."

Ye Qingran halted his strike just in time and turned around to look at half-mountain pavilion; he saw a black-clothed shadow guard holding a sword against Ye Qingsuan’s neck. It seemed that if he were to make another move, the sword would毫不猶豫地砍斷夜輕暖的脖子。他臉色陰沉地轉回頭，看著容景的馬車走遠。

"Young Prince Ran understands well then! Hope there won't be such incidents in the future. Other than Miss Yun Qianyue, my lord can harm any woman in this world," Qing Ying said coldly before disappearing on the spot.

The shadow guard holding a sword to Ye Qingsuan's neck also withdrew his weapon and disappeared instantly.

Ye Qingran clenched his fists tightly inside his sleeves, veins pulsing on his forehead. He stared firmly at the carriage as it departed.

Everyone in the pavilion was shocked by this scene, witnessing for the first time Rong Jing’s tough and cold demeanor beneath his gentle exterior. No one had ever seen such a side of Rong Jing before, not even imagined it. Almost everyone was stunned and took quite some time to come back to their senses.

Little Princess suddenly burst into tears, breaking the silence.

"Why are you crying Haven't you learned any martial arts" Ye Qingran turned around angrily at Little Princess, "If not for you today, Rong Jing wouldn’t have taken Yun Qianyue away so easily."

"How can my rudimentary skills match up with Brother Jing’s shadow guardsmen" Little Princess cried out, "He must be using me to get back Miss Yun."

Everyone was enlightened by this.

"Blind! Did you really fall for his words" Ye Qingran looked at Little Princess in anger.

"Not at all. Although I like Brother Jing, it's not the kind of feelings between a man and woman. I just came here to watch, hearing they were fighting, I wanted to see how Brother Jing would reconcile with Miss Yun. So…" Before she could finish, Ye Qingran whipped out a handkerchief from his sleeve, blocking her mouth coldly. He glared at her furiously, "How could you let him kill you just now"

Saying that, he turned around and strode towards his carriage.

The Night Qingnu immediately removed the handkerchief from her mouth and hurriedly left the pavilion. Although she was not fast with her light-foot techniques, it didn't take long for her to arrive at Night Qingran's carriage. Just as Night Qingran was about to get in, she pounced on him and hugged him tightly. She said softly, "Brother, I'm sorry. How could I have known that Jing would be so heartless and use me to blackmail you..."

"Get lost!" Night Qingran angrily pushed Night Qingnu away.

"Big Brother, I really am wrong. Even though I blindly helped Jing, it's also because I wanted to help you! You know that Sister Yun likes him, so no matter how much you do for her, she won't like you..." Night Qingnu pleaded again in a soft voice.

"You still dare say such things!" Night Qingran glared at her.

Night Qingnu shrank back and looked like a small rabbit. She clung to Night Qingran tightly, not letting go, "Big Brother, I asked you for that cloak yesterday but you refused me. Now, it's ruined by Jing..."

"Shut up!" The sight of the purple velvet all over the ground made Night Qingran’s face turn green.

"Brother, Jing looked so impressive just now." Night Qingnu saw the purple velvet and her tear-stained face was full of admiration. "I've never seen a man lose his temper like that..."

"Do you want to die" Night Qingran said ominously.

Night Qingnu immediately fell silent, her body trembling as she hugged him even tighter. After a moment, she suddenly asked, "Brother, Jing looked so scary just now. Do you think Sister Yun will suffer because of it"

Pushing Night Qingnu away with his inner energy, Night Qingran got into the carriage without saying anything.

Night Qingnu fell back two steps but immediately followed him in and squeezed into the carriage like a rabbit.

"Get out of here! I don't have you as my sister!" Night Qingran shouted at her.

"Brother, you're so good. Even though Jing embarrassed me today, I'm still happy that you care about me. Since Sister Yun doesn’t want the two jars of spring osmanthus wine, how about I give them to you when we get home" Night Qingnu hugged him.

Pushing her away again with a dark expression, Night Qingran ordered, "Return to the mansion!"

The carriage began moving immediately.

Night Qingnu clung to him like an octopus and asked curiously, "Brother, do you think Sister Yun will be at a disadvantage"

No longer paying her any attention, Night Qingran ignored her.

The carriage moved away. The people in the half-way pavilion no longer heard their voices. Everyone was lost in thought and looked at each other without knowing what to say.

Cang Ting broke the silence with a deep laugh. "Today has been very interesting!"

The Sixth Princess was still stunned by the icy glance that Rong Jing had given her. Her face was pale, so she remained silent.

Shen Zhao looked in the direction where the carriages left without speaking.

The four of them leaving made everyone feel a sense of emptiness here. They all lost interest in appreciating plum blossoms and said they were going to leave. Soon, this grand poetry appreciation meeting was over.

When Yun Qianmo saw Rong Jing forcefully pulling her into the carriage, she became furious when he tossed Night Qingran's purple mink cloak out of the window and destroyed it with inner energy. However, before she could show her anger on her face, Rong Jing pulled her into his arms. Then everything turned around and he pressed her onto the seat as passionate kisses rained down upon her.

Yun Qianmo tried to hit him but he held her wrists; when she kicked him, he pinned her feet down. When she bit at him, he dodged, then kissed her roughly. She glared at him angrily, knowing that except for his superior martial arts skills and physical strength, there was no way she could win against him in a fight. Her eyes turned red with anger.

Rong Jing seemed unwilling to look into her eyes as he covered them with his hand and kissed her lips passionately. Yun Qianmo thought of all the委屈she had endured these days and finally couldn't hold back her tears anymore.

The warmth and moisture of Rong Jing's hand made Yun Qianyue feel intensely wet, causing her body to stiffen and her actions to suddenly stop. She pulled away from him, breaking their kiss and looking at him.

Seeing that he no longer made any moves, Yun Qianyue opened his hand forcefully, pushed him aside as she sat up, and threw the warming hand warmer in his direction with great anger, shouting: "Rong Jing, are you trying to show off your prowess Are you feeling so powerful today Didn't you say that you didn’t care about me and would leave me alone If you have such prowess, then why don't you just ignore me forever What's with this sudden act of coming here to kidnap me"

The hand warmer hit Rong Jing but he neither dodged nor blocked it. He took the blow squarely, his lips slightly pursed as he looked at Yun Qianyue.

"I’m a lowlife who travels thousands of miles to help Ye Qian in South Yao; I’m a lowlife who uses my spiritual energy to save people left and right; I’m a lowlife who runs back day and night without rest just to see you. Not only did it exhaust the horse to death, but it also made me ill. I am truly a lowlife. Are you disgusted by this If you are unsatisfied with us, we can part ways. Then I won’t treat you like a lowlife anymore. This time, I’ve learned my lesson! Whether Night Tianyi and you fight till the death is none of my business. I’m just one woman; why should I care about all these things in the world Do I really think that I’m some saint who can save everyone If I stay far away from you and out of your sight, will it make you happy" Yun Qianyue shouted as she grabbed the curtain to get off the carriage.

Rong Jing reached out and firmly held her hand back.

"What are you going to do Are you trying to imprison me as a slave for yourself I am human, not your pet. If you tell me to go east, I won’t dare to go west; if you say west, I won’t dare to move east. Beside you, I can't even smile at others or befriend anyone else. When I leave the house, I have to walk carefully and fear that you’ll get angry over anything. Are you still not satisfied How should I act to make you happy" Yun Qianyue waved her hand to hit his.

Rong Jing held onto her tightly without moving an inch.

"If you don’t let go, do you want me to burn your hands with my spiritual fire to make you happy" Yun Qianyue glared at him fiercely.

If burning his hand would satisfy her anger, he was willing to have it burned, Rong Jing said helplessly in a low voice as the previous coldness and fury had disappeared from him.

Seeing this look on him made Yun Qianyue even more infuriated. She gathered spiritual energy into her palm instantly, causing ice-blue flames to resemble a lotus flower that enveloped his hand holding hers tightly from within outwards.

Rong Jing looked at it silently while tightening the grip of his hands without letting go.

Yun Qianyue attempted to push him away with her spiritual energy but found she could not move his hand. Her face turned cold; if she really burned his hand, she would be unable to continue doing so. She was infuriated again and her eyes reddened once more. Suddenly, the other hand that he wasn’t holding snapped at her wrist.

Rong Jing’s face changed as he grabbed her hand immediately.

"Will you release me if I threaten to cut my own pulse" Yun Qianyue glared at Rong Jing fiercely.

His complexion turned pale, and his lips were tightly pursed. After a moment, he slowly let go of her hand.

Yun Qianyue withdrew her hand and prepared to get off the carriage.

Rong Jing suddenly embraced her waist and held her in place, murmuring softly: "Qianyu, I’ve been worried about you when you went to South Yao and South Liang. I couldn’t sleep at all."

Yun Qianyue was about to get angry again but hesitated upon hearing this.

"I can tolerate your use of spiritual energy to provoke Shen Zhao and Gu Shaoqing, but do you know how I felt when I opened the door and saw that you were unconscious before me That horse died with foaming at the mouth, while you fainted…"

Yun Qianyue's anger was instantly frozen.

"I didn’t want to keep you imprisoned. I don’t raise pets; if I did so, you wouldn’t be able to go to South Yao and South Liang. If I raised a pet, it shouldn’t be someone like you—a woman who can disobey orders while others listen to me obediently." Rong Jing said softly: "I clearly told you to take care of yourself and return safe and sound without any injuries, but why did you disobey I know that you wanted to see me and do good things for me, but such affection hurts me the most."

Yun Qianyue lowered her head with a curled hand.

"I was so angry then that I couldn’t care about you. It’s impossible for me to watch beside your bed as you lie unconscious and feverish, pale and weak, knowing that if I touched one finger to wake you up, it might be the last."

Yun Qianyue pursed her lips tightly without uttering a word.

"Three days later when I heard that you woke up, I went to see you. Although I wanted to hug you in my arms, but seeing your weak figure lying naked and unable to stretch out my hand…" Rong Jing suddenly closed his eyes: "Qianyu, if I have made a mistake, it’s because I love you too much. Are you going to ignore me for the rest of your life just because of this"

Yun Qianyue suddenly lost her strength, and her anger, frustration, and委屈 all dissipated at once.

"I was angry at you, but now you're angry at me. This is just letting others watch a show," Rong Jing turned Yun Qianyue's body around to look at her, then lowered his head to gently kiss her lips and eyes in a soft tone: "Shall we stop fighting We both had our turn being angry today, so it’s fair now. Shall we make up"

Yun Qianyue raised her reddened eyes to glare at him, somewhat unwillingly saying: "I don't want to just let it go."

Rong Jing's gaze flickered as he held her and asked softly: "Then what do you want"

"I'm still angry!" Yun Qianyue said with a straight face.

Rong Jing tightened his hold on her body, asking in a gentle tone like he was soothing a child: "What will make you stop being angry then"

"Night Qingran gave me that purple mink cloak; why did you destroy it" Yun Qianyue snorted coldly.

"I’ll give you another one," Rong Jing immediately said.

"That's what I like!" Yun Qianyue deliberately didn’t let him off the hook.

Rong Jing looked at her, his tone becoming softer as he gently teased: "You wearing someone else’s cloak is deliberately provoking me. Think about it, who is Night Qingran Is it really necessary to make all of Jinling City know about a purple mink cloak He has ways to keep things secret if he wants to, but now everyone knows. What kind of intentions does he have"

"I'm stupid and don't know what his intentions are; tell me," Yun Qianyue glanced at him.

"He wanted to take advantage of the situation by starting rumors to break us up," Rong Jing’s gaze turned cold, "destroying that cloak was a light punishment."

Yun Qianyue snorted lightly: "Yes, Mr. Rong, you’re so capable; destroying someone else's cloak and threatening their little sister. Only you can do such things, even though the girl calls you Brother Jing."

Rong Jing suddenly laughed softly, lowering his head to look at Yun Qianyue: "For seeing my people not being taken away by others, I naturally put in every effort, killing one as a warning to all. No matter who they are—whether they call me Brother Jing or even Uncle—they can't get in the way."

Yun Qianyue hit him with her arm angrily: "I’m still angry, and your cloak isn’t enough."

"A plate of lotus root braised fish," Rong Jing upped his offer.

"Still not enough," Yun Qianyue shook her head solemnly.

Rong Jing seemed to ponder for a moment, then spoke softly and warmly: "What if I give myself to you"

"I don’t care!" Yun Qianyue’s body trembled slightly as she pushed him away.

Rong Jing tightened his hold on her, hugging her entire body closely without any gaps, sighing softly: "Yun Qianyue, you've lived two lifetimes already, why are you still tormenting me"

Yun Qianyue couldn’t help rolling her eyes. Who said someone who has lived two lifetimes would have high emotional intelligence

"Yu Zishu says that you're calm, restrained, decisive in your actions, not dragging your feet, doing nothing without principles, never leaving room for others to take advantage or find loopholes; you’re intelligent and strategic both towards matters and emotions—you’re the easiest to worry about…" Rong Jing lowered his head to look at her, then changed his tone: "But why do I feel like you're the hardest person to deal with"

Yun Qianyue pouted unhappily: "People can't live their lives in the same way. The matters of previous generations have long turned to dust. Now I’m living this life; last lifetime, I was an orphan without family or relatives. This time, I have a home and relatives. Last time, Xiao Qi包容我處處，這一輩子遇到的人是你，處處不讓著我。上一輩子我堅信正義，為民為國，這一輩子天聖皇朝讓我失望，我又哪裡生得出來對它的正義信念？”

“原來是這樣！”容景煞有介事地點點頭，“那我就勉為其難接受你的不省心吧！”

“這多不好意思，容公子，您多高貴，連生個氣都這麼高調，小女子哪裡承受得起？不用您勉為其難。”雲淺月要從容景懷裡出來。

Rong Jing chuckled lightly and hugged her tightly, "I was wrong. Not because I had to endure it勉強, but because I willingly accept it樂意之至. You deserve it."

Yun Qianyue snorted.

"Can't you be happy These few days have really tormented me terribly難受，再也不想折磨了, Uncle Yuan and Aunt Qing said that they would punish you to teach you a lesson教訓懲罰你一頓, unfortunately, I found out at the end that I punished myself. In the future, I will not fall for their tricks anymore, as they definitely do not have good intentions towards me." Rong Jing seemed somewhat gloomy.

Yun Qianyue recalled her parents' words from that day and hearing this person's words reminded her that half of the reason behind the emotional issue was due to those two people. She clenched her teeth in frustration.

Rong Jing looked at her, his lips curling into a warm smile as he bent his head and gently kissed her lips.

Yun Qianyue pushed him away twice but when he hugged her tighter, she stopped resisting. Matters of the heart are like drinking water; only oneself knows whether it's hot or cold冷暖自知。 She blamed Rong Jing for ignoring her three-day coma昏迷不醒，Rong Jing blamed her for disregarding her body披星戴月不顧惜身體 and returning to see him in a comatose state. How could one distinguish who was right and who was wrong Both of them were too deeply in love, so they each carried burdens that the other couldn't bear承受。 Let it serve as a lesson; next time be more cautious. As for today... let's just reconcile吧！ She already missed him terribly想念，還折騰什麼？

There was no longer an early stormy downpour; this kiss was gentle and lingering溫柔繾綣, Rong Jing seemed to want to pour out the intense emotions he had been suppressing over these days.

Yun Qianyue soon surrendered under Rong Jing's tenderness柔情下丟盔棄甲， could only rely on his breaths度過來的氣息喘息。 Her mind was still a bit cloudy昏昏沉沉 from just recovering from a serious illness, and her body became even softer無力。

The temperature inside the carriage continued to rise攀升。

After some time, Rong Jing released her, reached out to touch Yun Qianyue's face which was flushed紅霞，and whispered喘息地道：“我說冰心一片如玉湖，九天灑出胭脂色。原來也竟然錯了。應該是冰肌玉骨做嬌顏，雪膚花貌凝胭脂。”

Yun Qianyue's face turned even redder, her eyes clouded with a blush羞惱，and she weakly pounded him喘息地無力捶他，“你才華冠蓋，詩文學來就是做這等兒女情詩的？你羞不羞？”

“Not ashamed!” Rong Jing shook his head搖頭， his gaze gentle like melting ice溫柔，“My greatest ambition is you. Using learned poetry on you is what makes the poetry worthwhile有價值。”

Yun Qianyue was both angry and embarrassed at him噴他，“You not only can make your ancestors turn in their graves, if Shen Zhao heard this, he would probably drop his jaw下巴掉下來，regarding you as seeing ghosts見鬼， regretting coming to Tian Sheng to see you後悔來天聖見你, even changing the color of his intestines腸子都能青八節。”

Rong Jing chuckled低笑，“The ancestors of Yong王府 should be proud to have me as a descendant子孫。 As for Shen Zhao, he has seen me waste away憔悴， unable to eat食不下嚥or sleep寢不安穩 for you these past few days日日見我為你. If regret悔 was already felt and if his intestines青 had already changed color的話也早青過了, then now that he's still living in Yong王府, after today’s incident今日之事以後, I think he should be accustomed to it適應了。”

Yun Qianyue rolled her eyes翻了個白眼， pushed him with her hand伸手推他，“Get down沉死了。”

Rong Jing pecked啄了一下 on her lips again, turned over and lay beside her, holding her hand扣住她的手. He softly幽幽地道：“You are somewhat kind良心as a woman; you didn't sell me out為了兩壇青桂酒就出賣我。”

Yun Qianyue snorted哼了一聲。

Rong Jing's hand held hers tightly相扣， closed his eyes不再說話。

Listening to the sound of the carriage wheels and the rhythmic thudding踏踏有規律的節奏of horse hooves, Yun Qianyue felt all her recent depression委屈消散一消而散, and she was light-hearted心情也跟著輕快起來。 She softly muttered低聲道：“上邪！我欲與君相知，長命無絕衰。山無陵，江水為竭，冬雷震震，夏雨雪，天地合，乃敢與君絕！” When she finished, she sighed輕輕一歎， his taste唇齒間他的味道 still lingered, making her soften下來，“What other poem can express my feelings for you better than this one？”

Rong Jing hugged her into his arms攬進懷裡, closed his eyes不睜開, and said in a gentle voice溫柔寵溺，“天地合，乃敢與君絕。 From now on, I will cherish your heart好好地收著你的心 carefully, not allowing it to cry再不讓它哭。”

Yun Qianyue suddenly smiled忽然笑了，“Better remember what you said.”

Rong Jing softly又重重地“嗯”了一聲， the echo迴音 in his mouth was like a thousand pounds猶如萬鈞。

The carriage continued to move forward, and Stringed Instrument Song's almost dropped嗓子眼的心 fell back into place again, sighing in relief大大地鬆了一口氣。

－－－－－－Epilogue－－－－－－

This Mid-Autumn Festival was a little pitiful, staying huddled縮成一團 in front of the computer without going out…s inherent aloofness made him stand out from everyone else. This kind of innate arrogance was born with him and put him above all others.Although Night Tianyi looked good too, he couldn't compare to R...