Abandoned Woman Busy Farming

Chapter 1523: Chapter 1523 Jiuli Clan Member_1

The next day, Bai Ruozhu went to the Female Physicians Institution within the palace, only to unexpectedly encounter Bai Guanghe on the road.

It was not unusual for Bai Guanghe to pass by this area on his way to the Imperial Study Room, so Bai Ruozhu didn’t think much of it and, from a distance, gave him a polite but distant bow. A flash of pain crossed Bai Guanghe’s face, but he quickly concealed it and rapidly walked towards Bai Ruozhu.

”Elder Bai, I have not been feeling well recently and was hoping you might take a look,” he said, casting a meaningful glance at Bai Ruozhu and even carrying a pleading tone in his demeanor as he furtively glanced at Jianqi, who was by Bai Ruozhu’s side.

Bai Ruozhu sighed softly. If not now, was he hoping to talk when he found his way home?

”Jianqi, go ahead and wait for me up front,” Bai Ruozhu said in a low voice.

Jianqi nodded his head. He wasn’t worried that Bai Guanghe would attack Bai Ruozhu; this was the Inner Palace, and Bai Guanghe didn’t have the nerve to act rashly, plus, Bai Ruozhu was not one to be trifled with.

Once Jianqi had walked a good distance away, Bai Guanghe showed a look of guilt and said: ”Qingyan told me everything about your father, I owe you and your family an apology.”

”I assume you didn’t come just to apologize?” Bai Ruozhu’s tone grew sharper at the thought of how pathetic he had been back then.

”I wanted to tell you that Jiao Yunyun must still be alive, it’s just that she wasn’t able to go find your father. It’s likely that her clansmen took her back,” Bai Guanghe said, his eyes reddening as he spoke.

Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but look at him, puzzled. Wasn’t it said that Jiao Yunyun was just a martial heroine from River Jiang with no special background?

Bai Guanghe sighed, ”I’m sure she’s still alive, I can feel it.”

Then, he began to explain to Bai Ruozhu.

It turned out that Jiao Yunyun’s identity was anything but simple; however, she confided only in Bai Guanghe and made him promise not to tell anyone. Thus, decades passed, and Bai Guanghe kept the secret, at times even believing that their child had been taken away by Jiao Yunyun’s clan as well.

Although the two of them were close to Qi Qingyan, they couldn’t share this secret with him.

Jiao Yunyun’s name was indeed real, but she was not just a martial heroine; she was a member of the mysterious Jiuli Clan. Legend had it that the Jiuli Clan descended from gods, and its people, both men and women, were exceptionally handsome and blessed with extraordinary talents.

But the Jiuli Clan lived in seclusion and moved in mystery, so not everyone knew of them. However, those who had heard of the great name of the Jiuli Clan greatly feared them.

A hundred years ago, the Jiuli Clan did not permit marriage with outsiders until the era of the clan chief Wei Aofeng. To avoid inbreeding and to prevent complacency among its people, the Jiuli Clan started to allow members to marry outsiders and permitted the younger generation to venture out and gain experience. Jiao Yunyun met Sangshu during her travels, which eventually led to her romance with Bai Guanghe.

There were rumors that Fang Qingluo, the cousin of the clan leader Wei Aofeng, was an exceptional individual born from the marriage of a former Jiuli Clan chief’s daughter to an outsider, surpassing everyone in the Jiuli Clan of that generation. Sadly, a hundred years had passed, and no one had since exceeded her reputation (Does the name ring a bell? Heh, Fang Qingluo was the female lead in the previous book. Wei Aofeng was the junior clan chief of the Jiuli, and Jiao Yunyun, well, she was the great-granddaughter of Wei Aofeng’s daughter, quite a distant relation).

”Then why hasn’t she returned to find her own child after being taken back?” Bai Ruozhu asked after hearing the story.

”I once heard Yunyun mention that Jiuli Clan descendants without the birthmark blessed by the heavens are not allowed to be taken back to the clan. Even if they were taken back, ordinary individuals would not find happiness there,” Bai Guanghe said with a sigh. ”But, theoretically, she should have been able to leave the Jiuli. Maybe she has been searching too but with Big Brother’s passing, she lost her lead.”

Bai Ruozhu took another hard look at him. ”Why are you telling me all this? Even if the Jiuli Clan is formidable, it has nothing to do with us. Since they gave up on my father back then, it’s unlikely they would come looking for us now.”

”You are very impressive, even more so than Yunyun back in the day. It’s possible that the Jiuli Clan might indeed come looking for you one day. I just want to warn you, lest you end up confused and cause some misunderstanding when the time comes,” Bai Guanghe said, his voice tinged with sadness. His own granddaughter simply refused to acknowledge him, and even seemed quite hostile towards him.

”I understand, thank you,” Bai Ruozhu politely bowed and thanked him, and then took her leave.

Bai Guanghe watched Bai Ruozhu’s departing figure, his shoulders sinking involuntarily. He seemed to age a decade in that moment, taking a long while before finally turning to leave.

Inside the Imperial Study Room, Luan Chao Tang Yin reported with a bow, ”Your Majesty, just now Ministry of Rites Vice Minister Bai Guanghe stopped Chief Doctor Bai to talk. I don’t know what was said, but the Vice Minister seemed quite despondent.”

”Oh? How did these two get involved with each other?” Tang Yin asked with interest, stroking his chin, ”Speaking of which, both of them share the surname Bai, and it seems that on several occasions Elder Jiang Ge had troubles with Yichun at the court, Bai Guanghe always spoke on Yichun’s behalf. Go, have someone secretly look into this, and make sure not to alarm either party.”

”Yes,” Luan replied, taking the command and leaving.

...

Bai Ruozhu was feeling somewhat unsettled. Achun joked that her family affairs were complicated, but now it seemed her father’s identity was indeed extremely complex.

An incompetent father who had failed to protect his wife and child, now the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, and a mother with the mysterious background of the Jiuli Clan—it really was quite a troublesome situation.

Lost in thought, she had unknowingly arrived at Cining Palace. Just as she entered, she saw Hao Mu standing to one side with a strange expression. Upon seeing her, he quickly approached.

”Lady Bai, you’d better take a look quickly, there’s another commotion. Chu Hai siblings couldn’t calm it down, and the Empress Dowager is extremely upset. It might even alarm the Emperor soon. You know the Emperor is not as tender-hearted or as easy to speak with as the Empress Dowager,” Hao Mu said in a low voice.

”What’s the commotion?” Bai Ruozhu’s heart skipped a beat, she seemed to guess the reason.

”Ah, it’s really not my place as a servant to say. You should see for yourself,” Hao Mu said, displaying an awkward expression. After all, Fen Wan was the wife of the Emperor’s uncle; technically, even the Emperor should call her Imperial Aunt, and it was certainly not Hao Mu’s place to gossip about her.

Bai Ruozhu nodded and hurried towards the backyard.

Before reaching Fen Wan’s room, she could already hear the sounds of sobbing and Hao Feng’s comforting voice.

”Enough already, Fen Wan. Many things are difficult to recall right after you’ve awakened, so you might understand. Think about it from a different angle—it’s merely a junior whom you admire,” Hao Feng said in a soothing tone.

”How could that be? He looks older than me, how could he be my junior? You’re all in on this with him, using me, deceiving my feelings!” Fen Wan exclaimed, bursting into tears.

”Nonsense, even your son is older than him, you just don’t remember,” Hao Feng replied, now clearly irritated.

The crying of Fen Wan grew louder, ”How could I possibly have a son? You must have mistaken me for someone else. I am clearly, I am clearly still...”

She seemed to struggle to say it, and finally, biting her lip, she suddenly lifted her sleeve. All the people in the room looked towards her fair arm and couldn’t help but gasp in shock, their eyes widening as they took in a sharp breath...