AWB Chapter 205 Self-End
Chapter 205 Self-End
Wanru turned around slowly, a barely perceptible trace of fatigue between her brows: "I just woke up and tried on the wedding dress. I felt that the waist seemed a little tight. Please help me take it to Caidiexuan and urge them to modify it as soon as possible."
After hearing this, Ding Dong's eyes flashed with surprise: "Miss, your waist is as slender as a willow, why do you feel that it doesn't fit you well?"
"If it doesn't fit, then it doesn't fit. Time is running out. There are only six days left before the concubine ceremony. You can't let me wear an inappropriate wedding dress and make a fool of myself on my wedding day, right?"
Wanru's tone was unusually stern. Ding Dong didn't dare to say anything more. He quickly picked up the plate on the table and said, "Yes, I'll take care of it right away."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ding Dong turned around and walked out the door in a hurry, and his figure quickly disappeared around the corner of the corridor.
Wanru watched Ding Dong's departing back and let out a light breath, as if to expel the worries in her heart, but the worry between her brows still did not dissipate.
At this time, Su Yue walked into the room with light lotus steps and said softly, "Miss, the people from the eldest lady's place have arrived."
Wanru nodded slightly, stood up and walked out with a seemingly insignificant small package in her hand.
There was nothing in the package except the necessary silver bills and a simple coarse cloth skirt.
Seeing this, Su Yue couldn't help but ask, "Miss, are you not going to take those precious jewellery with you? It would be a pity to leave them here. If you pawn them, you can get a lot of silver."
Wanru's tone was calm but firm: "Those things are too conspicuous, and you and I both know who gave them to me. If I take them out, I'm afraid that I'll be in trouble before I can even get far."
Su Yue couldn't help shrinking her neck when she heard this, and secretly sighed in her heart: "Miss, you are indeed very thoughtful."
At this moment, Nanny Zhuqing had already arrived at the courtyard and was busy directing several maids to carefully sprinkle scented oil everywhere in the courtyard. A faint fragrance filled the air.
"Miss, please come with me."
There was unquestionable firmness in Zhuqing's words.
Wanru nodded slightly and put on the hood of her cloak. Most of her face was hidden in the night, leaving only a pair of clear but determined eyes.
She followed Zhu Qing's steps closely, walked out of Qiu Shui Pavilion step by step, and blended into the embrace of the night.
Zhuqing led Wanru through the winding corridors. In the night, the two of them walked quickly towards the small door in the west that was usually closed and only known to the servants.
Outside the door, in a narrow and hidden alley, a gray-blue carriage was waiting quietly, as if waiting for something.
Suddenly, a panicked cry broke the silence of the night: "Oh no! There's a fire!"
Wanru stopped and looked back, only to see that the direction of Qiu Shui Pavilion was surrounded by raging flames. The flames illuminated half of the sky red, like the fire of hell, hot and ferocious.
Zhu Qing whispered to comfort her: "Miss, go ahead without worry. The first wife will take care of the rest. Even the substitute has been prepared. There won't be any mistakes."
Wanru pursed her lips, finally lowered her head, quickly walked through the side door of Xie Mansion, and boarded the carriage that had been waiting for a long time.
As the driver waved the whip, the carriage raised a cloud of dust, sped out of the narrow alley and bypassed the main gate of Xie's mansion.
The magnificent golden words "Xie Mansion" appear particularly dazzling in the night, like a mark of an era.
Wanru quietly lifted the car curtain, looked back for one last look, and her heartbeat inexplicably quickened.
A year ago, she entered this door with Ah Jin, full of prayers, and tried her best to stay; today, a year later, after all her calculations, she finally escaped from this place of restraint.
This is both the place where she is reborn from despair and the place where she walks on thin ice every day. Her feelings towards it are complicated and indescribable, just like her feelings towards Song Yanyi.
However, no matter what, leaving means the end of everything, and there is no need to be overly involved in all the troubles and entanglements.
Wanru took a deep breath, lowered the car curtain, and didn't look back.
Inside the Xie Mansion, chaos reigned. Servants were running in all directions, wailing: "It's on fire! Put it out!"
"The Qiushui Pavilion is full of fragrant oil, there is no way to put out this fire!"
This sudden fire even alarmed the Songhe Garden in the East Garden.
When Cuizhu heard the words "Qiu Shui Pavilion", her heart suddenly tightened and she rushed out of the house to check.
The firelight illuminated the air, illuminating her frightened face. Her fingers trembled, and the tray in her hand fell to the ground. The exquisite white jade tea set instantly turned into pieces.
"Hurry up and put out the fire!"
Cuizhu screamed almost hysterically and rushed forward.
When they arrived at Qiu Shui Courtyard, they saw servants carrying buckets of water and trying their best to throw them at the raging fire, but the water was just a drop in the bucket and was powerless to stop the spreading flames.
"We can't put out this fire at all. The whole yard is soaked with scented oil. Once it ignites, it will be like a wildfire on the grassland. We can't suppress it with water. We can only let it go out on its own."
The faces of the servants were filled with helplessness and despair.
Cuizhu was extremely anxious: "Then, what about my cousin? Did she escape?"
The servants' answers were low and hesitant, as if they were hiding an unspeakable secret: "It seems... that they didn't see her."
This sentence was like a thunderclap that shocked Cuizhu all over. She stared at the fire in front of her that was getting more and more intense, and the courtyard that was ruthlessly devoured by the flames. She could hardly imagine that if her cousin was really trapped in that sea of fire, her fate would probably have been extremely dangerous.
The servants around began to whisper, and the voices added a bit of gloom to this dangerous night: "The fire was so fierce, and it was sprinkled with scented oil beforehand. It looks like it was a self-destructive fire."
"She committed suicide? How is that possible? Everyone said she was about to reach the peak of her life!"
"I don't know the details, but I vaguely heard that there was news from Maoshan Academy that her brother accidentally fell off a cliff and died..."
"What?! Where did you get this news?"
Cuizhu's voice trembled with shock, her eyes were full of disbelief, and her heart was already filled with waves.
Having served the Second Madam for many years, Cuizhu was well aware of the various undercurrents in the mansion. The letter in her hand still carried the chill of the night, and the handwriting was clearly visible. The fire that broke out in Qiu Shui Courtyard soon after, the inseparable connection between the two, was like a sharp knife hanging over one's heart, making one shudder.
Cuizhu's face lost its usual rosiness. In a hurry, she grabbed a servant who was passing by, her eyes full of unquestionable determination: "Ride the fastest horse immediately to Qizhou and make sure to tell the young master this news!"
The words fell with a loud voice.
"Yes, I understand, little one!"
The servant responded, turned around and trotted towards the stable.
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