Chapter 52: A taste of freedom
Ru Yi stayed rooted to the ground, eyes planted on the empty spot before her knees. She could hear the chatter outside the hall, everyone wondering what happened inside the hall.
The ministers all filed out as the discussed the exile. No one had really seen this coming.
Ru Yi looked up when she saw a pair of feet stop in front of her. It was General Han Zheng, his expressionless mask back on his face.
"You’re free to go now," he said. "Let’s hope to never see each other."
Ru Yi nodded. She planned to keep it that way without even being told. Once she left the kingdom, she’d never come back—not even in a million years.
"Good."
She was dismissed.
"Ru Yi!"
She grimaced, watching in horror as the crown prince made his way towards her. The smile on his face was what sickened her the most.
"Your finally free!" He raised his hands to throw them around her shoulder when an arm shot out and pushed him back.
Han Shuying?
Both Ru Yi and Zhao Chen looked at her with brows knitted in confusion. What was she doing here? No one had seen even a glimpse of her during the trial.
"I’m afraid she has to come with me," Han Shuying said, pulling Ru Yi towards her. "On orders of the Empress."
Ru Yi gulped, but she was still thankful that she’d been saved from the crown prince.
"It’s fine, I’ll come by later to see you," Zhao Chen said, not letting the excitement he felt be waned by the news. All he could think of was how he could finally marry Ru Yi without having to run away.
He was going to keep his title...and his woman.
"Let’s go." Han Shuying dragged Ru Yi away by the sleeve of the robe she was wearing, a scowl on her face. "What do you see in him anyway? He gives me the creeps."
Ru Yi risked a look at Han Shuying. "You’re the only one that think I don’t deserve him. Others seem to think I seduced him for his status."
Maybe Ru Yi was intoxicated by her newly declared freedom that she kept talking without noticing that Han Shuying had slowed down her pace. "I mean other women probably find him attractive, but I’ll rather not be within a mile of him. I’m so happy I don’t have to deal with him anymore."
"What do you intend to you when you leave the palace?" Han Shuying asked, dragging Ru Yi down a corridor so they wouldn’t have to deal with the crowd outside.
"Find a job that’s not so difficult but will help me earn enough to have a small house. And I want to go out to the market in the evenings and check out some merchandise I probably can’t afford." She laughed at that, but the sound was weak.
Han Shuying nodded. "I did tell you I’ll help you leave."
"But...why did you help me?"
"Don’t act like it was from the goodness of my heart. I got something in return."
Ru Yi knew Han Shuying will rather die than admit that she had done something good. "And what of the antidote, and the food you brought me last night?"
"That was..." Han Shuying stopped briefly to glare at Ru Yi. "Can’t you be quiet?"
Ru Yi lasted for only five seconds. "What happens now? Where are you taking me to?"
Han Shuying didn’t bother with an answer. She led them through a back door that led outside. There was no crowd waiting for them, only silence and the sun.
It didn’t take long before the arrived at Han Shuying’s residence which was situated just before the West gate. As the General’s daughter and part of the imperial army, she was allocated a building inside the palace.
The first thing Ru Yi noted when they entered was the empty courtyard and the lack of maids. There was only a guard outside the main gate, no one else.
"Do you live alone here?" Ru Yi asked, eyes searching for anyone else besides them. "There’s no one else here."
Han Shuying hummed in affirmation, walking over to her chamber.
Ru Yi said nothing as she followed.
This was exactly how she imagined Han Shuying would be. After all she’d glared at her the first time they met even though she was injured and needed Ru Yi’s help.
"Is the Empress here?" Ru Yi asked as she stepped past the threshold, bumping into Han Shuying who had stopped abruptly in the middle of the room.
Han Shuying turned, then looked at Ru Yi lazying, starting from the top of her head to the sole of her feet. "You can’t meet the Empress looking like that."
Han Shuying gestured to the other half of the room. "There’s a bathtub behind the screen, you can clean up there. I’ll get you a change of clothes."
Ru Yi nodded, only going over to the screen when Han Shuying left the room. She stripped out of the robe she was wearing and entered the tub that had already been filled with clean water.
It was cold but Ru Yi was happy all the same to be finally able to scrub all the grease on her body from being in that cell.
The last time she’d had a proper bath was in Yexue’s chamber. The last triplet had always made sure to fill the bath herself since Ru Yi couldn’t go out and none of the maids could see her.
For a second Ru Yi’s thoughts wandered—
Where were the triplets? What were they doing?
What would become of them after they leave—
She shut those thoughts down. She didn’t deserve to worry about them or to even feel any guilt. They wouldn’t have gotten exiled if it wasn’t for the role she’d played.
But it was either them or her.
She had to put herself first. Needed to.
The triplets would be fine. They were strong and could weather their way through any difficulties they’d possibly face.
She’d been so engrossed in her thoughts she didn’t realize Han Shuying was back in the room, bearing tiny bottles of oils and soap.
She kept them all on the floor, her eyes on Ru Yi’s back. "Do you need help?"
Ru Yi was startled, water splashing when she immediately turned to the voice that was right beside her ear. She sighed in relief when she saw that it was Han Shuying.
"You scared me."
Ru Yi didn’t realize she was bare in front of Han Shuying until she watched her throat bob, eyes drifting to the water sliding down Ru Yi’s chest.
Ru Yi immediately turned, arms going over her chest. "I didn’t hear you come in."
Han Shuying said nothing as she knelt on the floor behind Ru Yi. She picked up the first bottle and poured its contents on her palm.
"What are you doing?" Ru Yi asked when she felt Han Shuying’s warm breath on her shoulder. She instinctively clutched the sides of the tub when Han Shuying moved. "Are you trying to drown me?"
Han Shuying rubbed her palms together. "There are easier ways to get rid of you."
Horror bloomed on Ru Yi’s face. "The poison?"
Han Shuying reached for Ru Yi’s hair, lifting it out of the water and lathering it with the liquid soap. "Two more tablets and you won’t have to worry about that."
Ru Yi’s shoulders sagged in relief. "Will the Empress give it to me?"
Han Shuying didn’t answer, instead she focused on washing the hair. Her fingers slipped freely between the long strands before massaging the scalp.
A soft moan fell from Ru Yi’s lips without her knowing. It made Han Shuying freeze, only resuming the wash when Ru Yi made a sound of protest.
For life she didn’t know why she’d brought Ru Yi to her room, or filled up the bathtub herself for the girl to wash up.
She was supposed to take Ru Yi back to her room at the servants’ quarters before taking her to see the Empress in their designated meeting place.
And moments ago when Zhao Chen had moved to embrace Ru Yi? Han Shuying had almost lost her cool and sliced his hands off his shoulder.
Why was she acting differently from how she usually would?
Suddenly, like the hair between her fingers had burned her—Han Shuying sprang up, putting a lot of distance between her and the maid.
"Finish up, we can’t keep the Empress waiting," she muttered, moving to the other side of the room.
She tried to act like she couldn’t hear the splash of water as Ru Yi bathed, or the burning curiosity to find out for herself how Ru Yi tasted under that slice of water.
There was a ruffle behind the changing screen. "I’m done. Is the gown on the floor for me?"
Han Shuying nodded then realized Ru Yi couldn’t see her. "Yes. Meet me outside when you’re done."
