Abandoned Woman Busy Farming

Chapter 2447: Chapter 2448: Trouble at Zhaoti Temple

This earthquake lasted for a quarter of an hour, and just as it was settling down, government soldiers arrived, stating that they were acting under the Emperor’s orders to protect the safety of the Noble Ladies and judges.

Seeing the situation stabilize, Bai Ruozhu took leave of everyone, planning to leave together with Jiang Yichun and the others.

Princess Ya’an seemed a bit absent-minded, perhaps still pondering over previous events, or unable to accept that her trusted friend Hui Zi would plot against her like that.

”Fangzi, shall we escort you back?” Bai Ruozhu whispered to Fangzi, fearing that once they left, Fangzi might be targeted by Hui Zi again.

Fangzi quickly shook her head, ”You’ve already helped me a lot. The Emperor will arrange for someone to send us home. Master Bai, you’ve also worked hard all day, please go back and rest.”

Bai Ruozhu saw her understanding, which made him feel a bit more fond of her, and then he left with Jiang Yichun and the others.

When they returned to the posthouse, everyone looked anxious. Seeing them return safely, they finally felt at ease.

By afternoon, General Chisong and the Emperor both sent people to express their sympathies, checking if they had suffered any losses due to the earthquake.

The next day, Bai Ruozhu and the others went to the street and saw that the citizens had resumed their lives. The damaged houses and roads were quickly repaired. The people of Fusang were accustomed to earthquakes and handled the aftermath swiftly.

Bai Ruozhu took a few girls to see the jewelry of Fusang, only to unexpectedly encounter an ”acquaintance.”

Yaxi, upon seeing Bai Ruozhu and the others enter the shop, couldn’t help but show a surprised expression, but her look soon darkened.

Today, her mother, seeing her in low spirits, had asked her to go out and shop for some jewelry, not expecting she would run into Bai Ruozhu.

Bai Ruozhu had no intention of ingratiating himself with her, merely nodding as he passed by. She focused on her business, while Yaxi attended to hers.

While discussing with Fo Lanying which item to buy, footsteps were heard behind them.

”Master Bai, may I bother you for a moment?” Yaxi’s voice was a bit nervous, even trembling slightly.

Bai Ruozhu turned to look at her, ”Sure.”

Yaxi glanced at the shopkeeper and said, ”It’s not convenient to talk here. How about I invite Master Bai to the Tea House to sit and rest for a moment?”

”Alright.” Bai Ruozhu agreed.

Yaxi led the way, and Bai Ruozhu and the others followed her to a nearby Tea House, which was actually similar to the tea houses in Zhongyuan, only quieter and with more elaborate tea ceremony procedures.

While the tea was being brewed, Yaxi remained silent, sitting quietly beside them, which seemed to be the custom here. Bai Ruozhu was in no rush, so he also sat quietly.

Only when the tea was brewed and distributed to everyone did Yaxi respectfully say, ”I hope Master Bai will enjoy the tea of Fusang.”

Bai Ruozhu blew on the hot tea, sipped it slowly, and said, ”Indeed, it is good tea, well-crafted.”

Yaxi finally showed a bit of a smile, ”As long as you like it.”

Bai Ruozhu said nothing, waiting for her to continue speaking. After biting her crimson lips, Yaxi finally asked, ”Master Bai, was everything you said yesterday true?”

”I have no reason to lie or falsely accuse a young girl of Fusang; it does me no good. Why should I do such a thing?” Bai Ruozhu said with a faint smile.

”I...” Yaxi showed a sad expression, ”We grew up together, and our relationship has always been good. Could it be that she has always been insincere with me?”

”I wouldn’t know from before, after all, I haven’t witnessed it directly. Perhaps she considered you a friend in the past, but now that you’re in her way or pose a threat, she might act this way,” Bai Ruozhu smiled, feeling some sympathy for this clever yet guileless young girl, ”You might want to seek your mother’s opinion more, to at least suffer fewer losses.”

”My mother told me not to break off completely with her, just not to be easily exploited in the future.” Yaxi lowered her head, seemingly disapproving of her mother’s words.

”Your mother fears that you’ll provoke people you shouldn’t, so even if she knows someone opposes you, she doesn’t want to break off completely. Just understanding it is enough. But if it were me, I wouldn’t bother associating if I didn’t like it. What’s the value of keeping appearances? You can ignore those you dislike to avoid being too repressed,” Bai Ruozhu said.

Living is hard enough as it is, if you clearly don’t like someone but have to entertain them without offending, it’s troublesome. Simply ignoring such people would make life happier.

Yaxi nodded vigorously, ”I don’t wish to deal with her anymore, it feels exhausting. Also, I don’t understand why she always implies or explicitly speaks ill of Princess Ya’an to us.”

Bai Ruozhu laughed, ”She’s not trying to tarnish Princess Ya’an’s reputation, but rather to keep you away from the Princess. If the Princess has many close friends, how would she remain the most special one?”

Yaxi suddenly understood, ”I get it. Isn’t it exhausting to be like this?”

Bai Ruozhu snorted, ”Some people like it this way, feeling they’re adept at navigating relationships, thinking they’re the smartest. But over time, their facade will always slip. Even if I hadn’t spoken yesterday, you’d find out the truth eventually. So, be sincere; it’s the same with making friends. Only by making friends with true intentions are they real friends.”

Fo Lanying, smiling playfully, said, ”Exactly, Ruozhu makes friends sincerely with us, we all genuinely like her.”

Yizi and Wa Wei also hurriedly agreed, making Bai Ruozhu feel a bit embarrassed, glaring at them with playful annoyance.

Yaxi admired Bai Ruozhu and her friends, understanding that Hui Zi’s actions shouldn’t push her to scheme at every turn. In the future, she too would treat her friends with sincerity, but she also needed to keep her eyes open and not believe one-sided stories.

As Bai Ruozhu and her group left the Tea House, Yaxi even proactively invited them to visit her home sometime. Bai Ruozhu didn’t refuse, smiling, ”Sure, give me an invitation when there’s a chance.”

Yaxi became happy and immediately started thinking about organizing some event soon, putting Hui Zi’s matter entirely behind her.

As the group planned to return to the jewelry shop to continue shopping, Jianqi suddenly arrived, looking serious, and said, ”Master, something’s happened to Master Puru.”

”What happened? Infection of the wound?” Bai Ruozhu asked urgently.

Jianqi quickly glanced around and lowered his voice, ”Today, Master Puru invited the Second Prince to Zhaoti Temple, saying he wanted to pray for the soon-to-be enthroned new Emperor, but something happened to the Second Prince at Zhaoti Temple.”

Bai Ruozhu’s heart skipped a beat; did Master Puru act according to the brocade pouch’s plan, determining the Second Prince couldn’t be Emperor?

”It was Sa Tian who came to ask for help. The master and the sage infiltrated Zhaoti Temple to gather information and asked me to quickly report the situation to you,” Jianqi added, ”As for what exactly happened to the Second Prince, neither does Sa Tian know the specifics.”

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Wishing everyone good luck, prosperity, and all the best in the Year of the Rooster!