Perfect Match – CH 058

Chapter 58

“Yunniang!”

His eyes lit up the moment he saw her, as if the sunlight had reflected in them.

Deng Ruyun watched him stride in from the courtyard gate, heading straight for her.

She quickly stopped talking to Linglang, seeing the little one still sobbing on her shoulder, and could only pick her up and stand up to greet Teng Yue.

“The General is home.”

Teng Yue was quite exasperated by her always calling him “General,” and he did not want her to call him “Second Master” either. Now that he was beside her, he said, “Can you not just call me by my courtesy name?”

Yu Chuan.

He had his courtesy name when he was seventeen, back when he and she were still in Jinzhou…

Deng Ruyun smiled but did not respond. “General, are you tired? I will have Xiuniang make you some tea.”

She was about to call Xiuniang when Teng Yue waved his hand to stop her.

“I am not tired,” he said, looking at her and Linglang. “What’s wrong with Linglang?”

He asked, and Deng Ruyun gently patted the little one in her arms. “Greet the General.”

But Linglang would not get down from her arms. She simply raised her head, her big eyes silently glancing at her uncle before speaking with a tense expression.

“…someone else’s…”

As soon as she uttered that word, Deng Ruyun immediately looked at her.

Under her aunt’s gaze, the little one twitched slightly and swallowed the word back.

“…Uncle.”

Teng Yue looked closely at the little girl, noticing her unusual expression.

“You are not going to call me ‘someone else’s uncle’ again, are you? Did Uncle do something to upset you again?”

He said, taking the little girl directly from Deng Ruyun’s arms.

He asked Linglang, glancing at Deng Ruyun as well.

Deng Ruyun, fearing Linglang might say something, pursed her lips and looked at her. The little girl twitched again, then refused to be held by Teng Yue any longer, wriggling down from his arms and running to the west wing.

Teng Yue asked in surprise, “What happened?”

Seeing Linglang like this, Deng Ruyun felt a pang of indescribable emotion.

The sun slanted below the heavy courtyard walls; even the last glimpses of the eaves’ upturned corners in the courtyard disappeared, leaving only a large expanse of gloom to signal the arrival of evening.

She pulled her clothes tighter and explained under Teng Yue’s questioning gaze.

“It’s nothing; I just said a few words to her.”

As she pulled her clothes tighter, she saw him step aside, his tall figure shielding her from the draft blowing through the courtyard gate.

Deng Ruyun turned her head. “Linglang is getting older and more playful. She does not want to go to school anymore; she wants to go back to play with her great-grandmother.”

Teng Yue raised an eyebrow at her words.

“Linglang can be playful too?”

Seeing his disbelief, Deng Ruyun could only say yes.

“There are a few neighborhood children about her age in the east of the city. Maybe she wants to run, jump, and play with children her age.”

Teng Yue had indeed seen children playing together near the small courtyard in the east of the city and nodded upon hearing this.

He reached out and helped his wife into the house.

“It’s understandable for children to be playful. Linglang is already more well-behaved than other children, so letting her go home and play for a few days will not hurt.”

He advised her, and noticing his wife’s lowered head and a hint of melancholy in her expression, he could not help but take her hand.

Her hand was slightly cool, and he held it tightly in his palm.

“Besides this, is there anything else?”

Teng Yue inquired, and Deng Ruyun shook her head, smiling gently, “Is there anything else the General wants to discuss?”

Teng Yue naturally wanted things to be peaceful at home, especially for her; he hoped nothing would happen to her.

She smiled as she spoke, then pulled her hand away from his. “I will go pour you a cup of tea.”

She said, go pour him tea.

Teng Yue’s gaze remained fixed on her retreating figure.

She wore a slightly worn, light green brocade jacket today. While it looked bright enough in the courtyard sunlight, indoors, in the dim candlelight, she seemed to blend into the gloom. Her already slender figure exuded an indescribable loneliness.

But when she turned around, carrying tea, her expression was as usual, completely dispelling the loneliness of the moment before.

Teng Yue could not explain it clearly. When people came from his mother’s Canglang Pavilion and invited them to dinner, he politely declined, saying he was tired and would not go out.

He only had the kitchen prepare dishes his wife and Linglang liked, and he ate dinner together at Liumingxuan with the aunt and niece.

That evening, he held her in his arms, sitting on the edge of the bed curtains, lit only by a small bedside lamp.

Thinking of what he had heard from Qingxuan earlier that day, he held her even tighter, resting his chin on her hair. “Has Yunniang ever been to Ningxia? Although Ningxia is remote, the sand is fierce, the wind is strong, and from the city walls, the view is vast and open.”

He looked down at her. “If I am transferred back to Ningxia, let’s go live there.”

As he spoke, his lips gently touched her forehead.

The soft warmth of his lips pressed against hers, and his embrace grew even hotter, as if she had already traveled with him to the vast heart of Ningxia, standing in that open world where there was no longer the hustle and bustle of crowds, letting the blazing sun beat down on her.

Deng Ruyun lowered her head and laughed.

“What are you laughing at?” he asked.

Deng Ruyun smiled. “I was thinking, if we went to Ningxia, would it not be more profitable to sell furs from beyond the Great Wall?”

Her words made Teng Yue feel a pang of sadness, and he could not help but laugh too, reaching out to pinch her ear.

“Why is all you think about in your little head making money? Is making money the only thing on your mind?”

Deng Ruyun turned her head away, refusing to let him pinch her ear.

“What are we going to do if we do not earn money? Starve ourselves in Ningxia?”

As she spoke, she seemed to try to get out of his arms, but Teng Yue held her waist, preventing her from leaving.

“Let you starve yourself? What use am I as your husband then?”

He emphasized the words, his gaze meeting hers.

Deng Ruyun paused slightly at the word “husband,” but he directly carried her into the heavy curtained bed, pressing her down beneath the brocade quilt.

His handsome eyes shone with a light like the North Star, the only ray of light in the dim bedchamber.

She heard him speak softly.

“But with me here, even the fierce northwest winds will stop at your feet.”

His voice was low and husky. His hand had already traced the soft line of her waist, holding her in his palm. With a gentle flick of her sash, her garments, like swimming fish, suddenly slid open, and her clothes flowed down her body like water.

Deng Ruyun gasped the moment the cool air touched her skin.

Seeing him straighten up, as if to remove his own clothes, she suddenly spoke.

“I am a little tired today. Let’s just rest tonight.”

She stopped him.

The man paused, looking at her. He saw her gathering her clothes, her expression showing an indescribable weariness.

Teng Yue did not continue. After a few moments, he reached out again to gather her slipped clothes and tie the sash.

“Alright.”

He did not move again, only pulled the quilt up for her and pulled her into his arms.

“Then sleep. If you are tired, go to sleep early.”

He lowered his head and kissed her hair. Deng Ruyun lay awake, feeling the night was incredibly long.

*

The next day, just as dawn broke, Teng Yue received an urgent message and left.

The Chief Eunuch’s campaign to reorganize military farms across the country had reached Liaodong. Under the pretext of this, he increased taxes, placing an unbearable burden on the military households whose farmland had already been seized. The Chief Eunuch’s men indiscriminately arrested and beat those who owed taxes, immediately triggering two riots in Liaodong.

This incident occurred two months ago, but now it suddenly reached the Shaanxi army, causing signs of unrest among the military households in various garrisons of Shaanxi.

Teng Yue was currently in charge of managing the military settlements, and the eunuch’s men sent to clean up the Shaanxi military settlements were about to arrive. He could not bear to see the soldiers and civilians riot, so he hurried out of the city at dawn.

Old Madam Lin wanted to say something to him, but did not have time. She could only send a message, instructing Teng Yue to make sure he visited the Great Ci’en Temple if he had time.

Deng Ruyun did not know how Teng Yue responded, but Old Madam Lin sent Qingxuan to Liumingxuan, saying that Teng Yue had left in a hurry and had not had time to bring any clean clothes, and asked her to fetch some.

The words were tactful, but Deng Ruyun understood the meaning.

Teng Yue’s trip to the Great Ci’en Temple was actually to meet Fourth Young Lady Zhang, the fourth young lady Old Madam Lin had arranged to become his wife.

Since he was going to meet his future wife, how could he wear such travel-worn clothes?

Deng Ruyun picked out two brocade robes that best suited him and also found two jade-inlaid sashes for his waist. Wearing these two outfits, he would look both luxurious and imposing, appropriate yet retaining his charisma.

Even Qingxuan could not help but say, “The General will surely like these two outfits.”

Deng Ruyun nodded slowly.

Good that he’d like them…

She finished her business for Qingxuan, who quickly left Liumingxuan with the two outfits.

Deng Ruyun did not stay at Liumingxuan for long. She focused her attention on Yuyun Hall, personally selecting a group of capable pharmacists. No matter how good Yuyun Hall’s prepared medicines were, without sufficient sales volume, further expansion was impossible.

Moreover, she had begun supplying medicine to the small pharmacies with which she had cultivated relationships. These pharmacies, chronically lacking high-quality, inexpensive prepared medicines, were like parched land, their businesses struggling. Now, with the arrival of rain, the parched land was sprouting lush green shoots, thirsting for nourishment even more. This had attracted pharmacies throughout Xi’an Prefecture to come to Yuyun Hall for medicine.

However, prepared medicines were not something just anyone could manufacture. The greater the demand, the more vigilant Deng Ruyun became. She dared not slacken her efforts.

Fortunately, with Sixth Young Master Bai overseeing things at Yuyun Hall, no one dared to cause trouble. She needed to seize this opportunity to quickly establish her reputation and build up her business.

However, while supervising the preparation of medicines in the expanded medicine-making workshop behind Yuyun Hall that day, she encountered someone.

The visitor was dressed very inconspicuously, but upon arriving at Yuyun Hall, they requested hemostatic medicine. “Not the kind for injuries, but for women… Do you have a female physician? Could you come with me?”

Yuyun Hall did not have a female physician, but physicians did not usually discriminate based on gender. However, for ailments affecting women’s private parts, they would sometimes call a female physician to assist.

Deng Ruyun went over and asked, “Who needs it? It would be best if the patient could come in person.”

The person shook their head immediately. “No, no, she cannot get out of bed at all. Could you find a female physician to come with me?!”

Seeing that the patient could not get out of bed, Deng Ruyun quickly told her not to rush. She glanced at the person and noticed a red birthmark covered with yellow powder above their eye and a name that seemed vaguely familiar.

She could not remember for a moment and only asked her assistant to find a nearby female physician, but the physician was not home.

The person grew anxious. “Is there not another female physician? We cannot wait any longer! Four days have passed; we cannot wait any longer!”

Deng Ruyun, hearing that it had been four days, raised an eyebrow and immediately called the person over.

“Alright, I will go with you.”

Although she was not a proper physician, she could use her skills in this situation.

As she spoke, seeing the person’s surprise, she said in her own voice, “I am a woman.”

Upon hearing this, the person did not hesitate any longer and led her home.

On the way, Deng Ruyun naturally asked her how she had found Yuyun Hall. The person only smiled bitterly, “I wanted to go to Yanchun Hall, but Yanchun Hall is in cahoots with them. How could they possibly save my lady’s life?!”

Deng Ruyun sensed something was amiss. Had she stumbled into some family’s secrets?

But saving her life was paramount, and she could not say much more now. Unexpectedly, this person led her all the way to the back gate of the Prince of Yanshan’s Mansion.

Deng Ruyun immediately stopped outside the gate. She might tolerate the secrets of ordinary families, but how dare she investigate the secrets of a Prince’s Mansion?

She hesitated, then turned back. The person who had led her there was now red-rimmed with anxiety.

“Please, physician, my lady is really going to die! They will not treat her; they will let her die! She’s so young, a lady from a wealthy family; why should she suffer like this?”

Deng Ruyun understood what was going on in these words. She looked again at the person with yellow powder on their face.

“You…you would not happen to be Hongye, would you?”

She had heard Teng Xiao mention that the eldest young lady of the Yang family had a maid with a red birthmark on her face. The maid was from the military and possessed some martial arts skills, but was bullied because of the birthmark. Teng Xiao had wanted to take her in, but the maid was only loyal to Yang Youyun.

Hongye was startled when she suddenly called out her name. Looking at Deng Ruyun, she saw that although she was also dressed as a man, upon closer inspection, “Madam Teng?!”

The two then recognized each other, and Hongye practically wanted to kneel before Deng Ruyun.

She grasped at Deng Ruyun’s sleeve as if it were a lifeline, refusing to let go, and told her about the post-miscarriage hemorrhage of her mistress, Yang Youyun.

“…The Prince’s Mansion is full of heartless devils. They just wanted the eldest young lady dead so they could marry someone else. After her miscarriage, they stopped letting physicians treat her. After two days, her medicine ran out, and they stopped giving her more. They even kept an eye on everyone she brought from her family. I tried everything, finally bribing the people in the back courtyard with wine, and managed to escape when they were not looking.”

“Then why not go to the Yang family for help?”

Hongye simply shook her head.

She said there were people from the Prince’s Mansion secretly watching outside the Yang family’s gate, making it impossible for her to approach. “Besides,” she added, “I’ve inquired, and my second madam is not home. It seems she took her niece from the capital to the Great Ci’en Temple. I really have no other choice!”

The Great Ci’en Temple…

Deng Ruyun paused, seeing that this path was blocked, and could only say, “Then I will go in with you and take a look.”

This Prince’s Mansion was like a dragon’s den and a tiger’s lair. If it were the second young lady, Yang Youling, inside, she would turn around and leave, not wanting to meddle. But it was the eldest young lady, Yang Youyun, inside. How could Deng Ruyun let her bleed to death in some unknown corner?

However, she was also very cautious. She first asked Hongye about the route and situation. Hearing that Zhu Tingguang was not home, she felt relatively safe and slipped inside with Hongye.

The Prince’s Mansion was deep and secluded; Deng Ruyun did not know how many courtyards she had walked through before finally entering a quiet, secluded courtyard.

A guard stood at the courtyard gate. Deng Ruyun, disguised as a servant bringing food, followed Hongye inside.

The courtyard was deserted, but the blood spilled under the trees over the past few days carried a heavy, pungent stench.

When Deng Ruyun followed Hongye into the room, she saw a person lying behind the curtains, as white as birch bark, pale, thin, and fragile.

She lay there lifeless, so much so that even Hongye had to call out urgently to her face.

“Miss, Miss!”

Only after calling this did Deng Ruyun see her slightly move her fingers.

Deng Ruyun stood frozen by the bedside, in disbelief.

The eldest young lady of the Yang family, whom she had met earlier, though listless, was still able to speak and move. She had helped Teng Yue find her, guided her, apologized on behalf of her mother and sister, and brought gifts, including those for Linglang, to apologize.

But now, apart from this one finger that could still move, she was almost lifeless.

She was pregnant with a child with Zhu Tingguang, the son of the Prince of Yanshan, but this man, in a drunken stupor, slapped her to the ground, causing her to miscarry and bleed. Not only that, but he also cut off her medical care, pushing her to the brink of death.

Deng Ruyun felt an indescribable shock and heartache, but she could not care less at this moment. She immediately went to Yang Youyun’s side and felt her pulse.

Feeling the faint, almost imperceptible pulse, tears welled up in her eyes.

She was not a proper physician, just a pharmacist. Deng Ruyun took out all the medicine she had brought, first having Hongye dissolve two pills and give them to Yang Youyun.

Poor thing, she did not even have the strength to take the medicine.

The person still did not wake up. Deng Ruyun applied some medicine and massaged acupoints, but it was to no avail.

She shook her head involuntarily.

“This will not do. Although I still have medicine to temporarily stabilize her, without proper medical treatment, she will not survive in this courtyard.”

Seeing Yang Youyun lying motionless, she knew she could not escape on her own.

She called to Hongye, “We still need to find a way to get the Yang family to take her away.”

Besides the Yang family, who else could Yang Youyun rely on?

Hongye’s face was extremely grim. “There are guards from the Prince’s Mansion at the Yang family’s gate, and the Second Madam has taken her cousin out of the city. Even if I deliver the letter to the Old Madam and the First Madam, I do not know if they will believe it or if they will come to the Prince’s Mansion to demand the release of my lady.”

Since the Prince’s Mansion wanted Yang Youyun dead, how could they let them in just because the Yang family said a few words?

Unless the Second Madam, as her mother, was willing to risk everything for her daughter, who else would risk that for her?

But the Second Madam was at the Great Ci’en Temple, not in the city.

As the two were talking, a commotion arose outside. Hongye, alert, pressed her ear to the window and listened, her expression changing.

“Zhu Tingguang is back. He might come to see our young lady, to see if she’s truly dead…”

She said, pulling Deng Ruyun along, “We are with our lady; our lives do not matter, but we cannot let you suffer. Please come with me; I will escort you out of the mansion!”

Zhu Tingguang was no benevolent man, and Deng Ruyun dared not hesitate. She left all the medicine she had brought with Yang Youyun and followed Hongye out of the Prince of Yanshan’s Mansion.

They were nearly discovered on the way, chased through two gates, and by the time they fled the mansion in a panic, both were drenched in cold sweat.

The people inside the Prince’s Mansion had noticed their commotion, making it even more difficult to enter or leave afterward.

Deng Ruyun looked at Hongye, noticing her ashen face, and suddenly turned to her, bowing deeply.

“Madam, disregarding past grievances, dared to venture into this dangerous place to see our lady; this is already a great kindness. Our lady is unconscious, and Hongye kowtows on her behalf. But given her current condition, she probably will not live to thank Madam in person.”

As she spoke, her hands clenched tightly.

“Second Madam insisted on breaking off the eldest young lady’s original engagement, saying that marrying into the Prince of Yanshan’s Mansion might make her the Princess of Yanshan. The Second Madam only thought of the wealth and glory here, the imposing presence of the Prince Qin’s Mansion, and how such a marriage would bring her prestige. She never imagined sending her daughter into this hellhole, tormented and forced into pregnancy, only to miscarry and die. What use is this prestigious marriage?!”

Hongye spoke through gritted teeth, tears streaming down her face, making the red birthmark on her face appear even more vivid, like blood.

Deng Ruyun paused, then suddenly called out to her.

“Hongye, keep these words to yourself. Tell them to your Second Madam in person.”

Hongye looked up abruptly, seeing the person before her speak.

“Go back and take good care of the eldest young lady. I will go to the Great Ci’en Temple for you and bring your second madam back. Let her clean up this mess herself!”

The moment the words left her lips, Hongye knelt down with a thud.

“Madam…”

Deng Ruyun was not worthy of the title “Madam.” She simply looked towards the direction of the Great Ci’en Temple, frowned, and sighed deeply.

That Great Ci’en Temple—she really should not go.

*

At the Great Ci’en Temple.

Second Madam Yang looked around at the temple gate. “Why has Teng Yue not come yet? Hui’er has been waiting for him all day.”

Old Madam Lin had no choice. “He’s been quite busy with matters at the military settlement. But it’s alright if he’s late. I will let him stay at the temple tonight.”

Second Madam Yang said that was the only option. Then, remembering something, she whispered something to Old Madam Lin.

“Why not have him escort Hui’er to the pagoda tonight? Climbing the pagoda at night to worship Buddha would be a good opportunity for them to get to know each other.”

Second Madam Yang chuckled to herself, covering her mouth.