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Seeing Mei Shuang's provocative smile, Chu Xiruo's face instantly turned pale.
The maid beside her was indignant and shouted at Mei Shuang, "It was clearly you who ruined my lady's kite, yet you blame us for it..."
"Don't speak," Qin'er said. "Let's go." Chu Xiruo reluctantly glanced at the broken kite before turning to leave.
With her goal achieved, Mei Shuang couldn't be bothered with Chu Xiruo anymore. She ordered the ruined Hongyan Kite to be thrown away and left behind the talkative Mei Ru, heading back home with her entourage.
Mei Ru stood alone on the grass, while her maid Xu'er pouted, carefully wiping the blood seeping from the cut on Mei Ru's lip. With sympathy, she complained, "Miss, why do you always endure like this? Miss Mei Shuang is truly too much. I must tell Master about this; otherwise, it will be truly lawless..."
Mei Ru listened silently and shook her head. "Does Father not know? But he has no way to intervene. If you report her, she will only retaliate even more fiercely, causing Mother to bear Father's wrath..."
Xu'er sighed as she examined the swelling on Mei Ru's face and said angrily, "Miss, for Madam's sake, you endure too much... But let her gloat; this debt will be repaid one day..."
Mei Ru remained silent for a moment before suddenly saying, "Xu'er, let's go sit by the river and watch the kites."
As they gazed at the colorful kites dancing joyfully in the sky, Mei Ru suddenly remarked, "Xu'er, look how freely they fly in the sky..."
After staring at the kites for a long time, Xu'er felt her eyes strain and grew bored. Hearing her mistress speak with such envy made her curious. She yawned and casually replied, "Miss, no matter how freely they fly, they're still tethered by a string! It's not like those birds up there that are truly free..."
The speaker was oblivious while the listener took note. Upon hearing these words, Mei Ru's expression changed drastically, followed by a bitter smile.
Indeed! Tethered by a string, wherever they flew they were still bound by it, subject to its whims—never able to escape that string...
How similar this was to her own situation!
After yawning, Xu'er noticed Mei Ru lost in thought and felt guilty for having unintentionally touched on a painful subject.
By the time the two returned home, it was already late. Xu'er accompanied Mei Ru to the pharmacy to buy some medicine before heading back.
As they walked halfway, Mei Ru suddenly stopped, her gaze shifting, and quickly pulled Xu'er to hide under a large tree in the shadows.
By the light of the inn's lantern, they saw several shadows blending into the darkness swiftly moving along the tall wall in the distance, as if searching for something.
Suddenly, someone flipped over from inside the wall and fell to the ground like a kite with a broken string, struggling to crawl forward, trying to evade the pursuers behind.
Xu'er gasped in shock, but Mei Ru calmly bent down, picked up a stone from the ground, and waved it toward the distance.
Although they couldn't see where the stone landed, the rapidly moving shadows immediately turned and chased in the opposite direction.
Then, Mei Ru hurried over to the fallen man, helped him up, and signaled Xu'er to assist him in leaving quickly.
Xu'er soon knocked on the door of a nearby house and slipped a small silver coin to the female owner, who allowed them to stay.
Under the candlelight, the rescued man was covered in blood with numerous knife wounds; he was gravely injured and barely breathing.
Xu'er spread her hands in despair and said helplessly, "There’s no doctor here; it looks like he won’t survive."
However, Mei Ru remained calm and asked the male owner of the house to help remove the man's outer clothing. She then took out some small bottles and jars from her belongings. Strangely enough, those medicinal powders stopped the bleeding more effectively than any outside medicine. Xu'er was astonished to discover that this seemingly delicate young lady had medical skills.
The next day, when the man woke up, he saw Mei Ru dozing off with her chin resting on her hand at a table by the kang.
Just as he was about to speak, Mei Ru woke up and, seeing that he was fine, showed no surprise.
After washing away the bloodstains, the man appeared very young with distinct facial features: a broad forehead, high nose, and thin lips. He was quite handsome, especially with those deep black eyes that were captivating.
Mei Ru's heart skipped a beat; what a uniquely charming and graceful man!
Mei Ru openly scrutinized herself, and the man also recognized her as the same woman who had been slapped in the countryside earlier that day and had silently watched kites by the river for a long time.
Compared to her cautious demeanor in the countryside, she now appeared calm and unruffled, her delicate face framed by almond-shaped eyes that resembled grapes, carrying a hint of detachment and pride.
At the very least, she was a completely different person from the one he had seen earlier. Even more astonishing was that she had healed him.
With this alone, he realized she was not someone to be underestimated. After a moment of silence, he took the initiative to speak, "Thank you for saving me..."
Mei Ru replied lightly, "Alright, since everything is fine now, I'll take my leave..."
Before leaving, Mei Ru pulled a small object from her wide sleeves and handed it over. "This is what you dropped on the ground; I'm returning it to you... Xu'er, let's go..."
Upon seeing the object, the man's expression changed. He hesitated for a moment before firmly stating, "Today I owe you my life..."
Watching Mei Ru's slender figure walk out the door, her light voice floated back to him, "If you need anything, I will let you know..."
...
By the time Yun Kong finished telling this story, it was nearly noon.
Mei Shuang patiently listened as Yun Kong took half an hour to recount these two events, which could actually be summarized in two sentences.
The first was about how Mei Shuang had previously been domineering towards her half-sister Mei Ru, even slapping the honest Mei Ru just for flying a kite and finding an excuse to bully her rival Chu Xiruo—an event that Yun Kong happened to witness firsthand.
The second point discussed how Yun Kong met Mei Ru and explained why he complied with her wishes; it was entirely because Mei Ru had saved his life.
This was understandable; even a small favor should be repaid with great gratitude, let alone a life-saving grace.
But clearly, at this moment, Yun Kong's endless chatter had nothing to do with the question Mei Shuang had just asked him: why he had saved her.
Since it was irrelevant, it was just avoiding the question and answering without addressing it.
Moreover, she noticed that Yun Kong did not explain what the small item was that Mei Ru had returned.
Fine, she would set aside her curiosity, but damn it, she truly did not want to waste more time on meaningless talk. She was here for answers, not to listen to this nonsense.
Mei Shuang's displeasure was evident until Yun Kong pulled a small object from his pocket.
It was an exquisite ring made of an unknown material, glossy and dark. The ring was adorned with a serpent-like emblem, supporting a flying eagle. The two animals were carved vividly—one raised its head and flicked its tongue while the other spread its wings fiercely. Coupled with the ring's dark color, Mei Shuang felt an unsettling aura emanating from this bizarre object and didn't want to look at it any longer.
"Xiangcao, you keep watch over there. I need to speak with Miss Mei Shuang alone," Yun Kong instructed.
"What is this thing? Is it what Mei Ru returned to you after you dropped it?" Mei Shuang asked, thinking that Yun Kong wasn't entirely foolish; he knew what she wanted to know.
"This is a token," Yun Kong took a deep breath. "It's called 'Dragon Coiled, Eagle Wing,' a token of Queen Himiko of Yamataikoku..."
"What?!" Mei Shuang felt her scalp tingle, her eyes widening like saucers. "A token of Queen Himiko?! Let me see it again..."
This time, without waiting for permission, Mei Shuang snatched the item from Yun Kong's hand and examined it closely. She sighed in awe.
"Indeed! Just look at this design; Yamatai's items are truly sinister!"
As soon as she finished her exclamation, Mei Shuang raised her gaze and met Yun Kong's deep eyes, unable to discern his emotions. Suddenly, she was filled with dread. "How did you come to possess this? Could it be... are you from Yamataikoku?!"
Before Yun Kong could respond, Mei Shuang suddenly realized something. "I understand now! Kuranami Miyako once mentioned that the men in their family are cursed by Queen Himiko of Yamatai; all the men from the Eastern Kingdom do not live past fifteen years old. Yet you are an exception. I’ve been puzzled all along—turns out you’re not from the Eastern Kingdom at all but rather a subordinate of Queen Himiko from Yamatai! Ah!"
In an instant, Mei Shuang questioned herself with some confusion, "No, Yun Kong, how could the people from the Jiu Rang Family not know about such an obvious issue?"
Yun Kong's gaze deepened, and suddenly the corner of his lips curled up. "Of course they all know. I am indeed from the Eastern Kingdom, but I am not a native of the Eastern Kingdom."
...
Next, Yun Kong recounted his background, a story that sounded quite tragic and convoluted to Mei Shuang.
It turned out that Yun Kong's father was the old king of the Eastern Kingdom and also the leader of the Jiu Rang Family, while his mother was from the Great Qin Empire.
Decades ago, there was no trade between the Great Qin Empire and the Eastern Kingdom, and there was very little interaction between the people. It wasn't until adventurous explorers dared to venture into the Central Plains and discovered the rich and diverse resources of the Great Qin Empire that the king of the Eastern Kingdom disguised himself as a folk artist and traveled to the prosperous Central Plains. It was during this time that he met Yun Kong's mother.
At that time, Yun Kong's mother came from a prestigious family and was exceptionally beautiful, undoubtedly captivating the Eastern Kingdom King in an instant. Naturally, such a cross-border marriage was not permitted, and even revealing his identity could not convince Yun Kong's mother's family.
Who would want their precious daughter to marry far away in a foreign land, especially as a secondary wife?
When the Eastern Kingdom King returned home in anger alone, Yun Kong's mother was already pregnant with his child.
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