The new emperor's first decree upon ascending the throne was to forcibly take his cousin as his

Having eaten a bit too much for dinner, Ruan Xianrong was digesting in the courtyard when she got bored and decided to go talk to her elder brother.

However, Ruan Zhaolin was not there; he had gone out drinking with a friend.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly asked, "Did they say where they went?"

"Young Master frequents only a few places, and I don't know exactly where he goes, because he doesn't allow anyone to follow him."

She hurried back to the courtyard, where she was even more unable to sleep.

Logically speaking, there should still be some time before the main storyline begins, but what if things change?

She's traveled through time, so maybe things will be different now?

The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he became. He dressed himself and quietly left the mansion with his men.

"Miss, the young master has gone out to meet friends and drink before, so don't worry, nothing will happen," Yinque reassured her.

Ruan Xianrong's expression did not soften.

She now regrets not paying attention when she read the book, focusing only on the male and female leads, which resulted in her not having a deep impression of the supporting characters. She only remembers their fates and general developments, without knowing the details.

Therefore, she did not know exactly when Ruan Zhaolin had the accident.

According to the book, Ruan Zhaolin was out with friends when he got drunk and took liberties with a woman.

The woman was a daughter of the Marquis of Jing'an's family. She was originally engaged, but Ruan Zhaolin harassed her and ruined her reputation.

If she were to break off the original engagement and marry into the Prime Minister's household, it wouldn't be impossible. However, Ruan Zhaolin was stubborn and unyielding, and would not tolerate being slandered by others. She kept insisting that she was innocent.

But he was drunk at the time and there were no witnesses around, so he was completely killed by the bite.

Ruan Zhaolin still insisted that he had done nothing and drove away the people from the Marquis's mansion who had come to discuss the marriage.

When the girl heard that Ruan Zhaolin was unwilling to marry her, she hanged herself.

The matter has escalated completely.

As the eldest son of the Prime Minister's family, Ruan Zhaolin's crime was aggravated, and he was directly imprisoned. Her father was also punished by the Emperor for failing to properly educate his son.

From then on, the Ruan family began its decline and collapsed in just a few years.

She has never allowed Ruan Zhaolin to drink alcohol over the years, for fear that it would cause him to make mistakes.

But they still couldn't stop him, so they could only keep him at the Imperial Academy and try to keep him away from home as little as possible.

The carriage was parked outside, and the servants searched all the restaurants the young master frequented, but they couldn't find him.

Ruan Xianrong grew increasingly anxious. Sure enough, she caused this trouble as soon as she returned.

"It's just going for a drink, why aren't you at a restaurant? Where else could you be?"

Unable to find anyone at their usual haunts, they asked at all the restaurants and taverns, but as night fell, they still couldn't find anyone.

Yinque thought for a moment, "When going out for drinks and entertainment in the evening, Sanhe Restaurant is more lively than a restaurant, so it might be there."

Ruan Xianrong's expression lit up, and he quickly instructed the driver to turn around and head to Sanhe Restaurant.

The tavern was bustling with people. The waiter went up to look for someone and came down in a hurry a moment later, "Yes, yes, the young master is upstairs."

Didn't you tell him I was waiting for him?

"I have already said so, but there are still several distinguished guests at the table, so I dare not say more."

Distinguished guest?

"I only recognize the Third Prince and the Second Prince at this banquet, as well as several sons of ministers and vice ministers. They are all here."

Ruan Xianrong pursed her lips. It wasn't strange that these people were gathered together, but she was afraid that there might be someone among them with ulterior motives.

"Miss, why don't you wait a moment? The young master knows you're coming and should be down soon."

Having found the person, she felt a little relieved. There were other people she knew in the residence of the Minister and Vice Minister, so it wasn't appropriate to go there.

He instructed the servant: "Go upstairs and wait, keep an eye on the young master, and make sure nothing happens to him. If anyone comes looking for him alone, you must stay by his side at all times."

The servant obeyed and went upstairs again.

It's summer now, and restaurants and eateries stay open all night, making the streets bustling with activity.

Since we're already here, we pulled Yinque out of the car and said, "Let's go take a look."

"Girl, it's not safe outside."

"It's alright, we brought a lot of people."

This area is mostly filled with brothels and entertainment venues, and it's even more lively at night than during the day.

Her family never allowed her to come, but she came secretly quite often; she knew this place well.

I didn't go far, just wandered around the neighborhood, and finally found a wonton stall.

The wontons had just been served when a commotion broke out nearby.

Ruan Xianrong sent a servant to check on the situation, and when he returned, he said that a woman had been sold into the Furong Tower and was crying and shouting outside.

This kind of thing happens here every day, and the wonton stall owner is used to it.

"People are sold here every day. Young lady, you shouldn't meddle in other people's business. With your looks, you might attract unwanted attention."

The crying was heart-wrenching; even in such a noisy environment, it made people feel uneasy.

The woman refused, but was pulled away by several burly men and managed to break free.

He must have some skill, because he ran towards Ruan Xianrong's direction.

Yinque quickly stepped in front of her young lady, but by sheer coincidence, the woman suddenly collapsed not far from her.

Seeing the burly man catching up behind her, the woman's gaze fell directly on her, and she desperately crawled over to grab her ankle.

Silver Sparrow was terrified and hurriedly tried to pull the person away, shouting, "What are you doing? Let go, let go right now!"

The woman looked up at them; her clothes were tattered, her hair was disheveled, and her face was obscured, but her voice was terribly hoarse.

"Girl...please save me...save me..."

When the thugs from Furong Tower came forward, they saw that Ruan Xianrong was dressed in fine clothes, so they did not dare to attack her.

A middle-aged woman stepped forward, speaking in a fairly polite tone, "Young lady, this man is from our Furong Pavilion. You'd better not meddle in other people's business."

The woman tightened her grip on her ankle, her eyes shining brightly under the light.

"No, no, I was tricked into coming here. I'm an innocent girl, I'm not one of their people..."

After saying that, she began to sob and cry.

Yinque was terrified and quickly called for people to pull the woman away.

"You woman, let go of my daughter!"

Ruan Xianrong waved her hand, saying that if she hadn't encountered it, so be it; but since she had, she couldn't just stand by and watch someone die. She then gave Yinque a wink.

Yinque understood, walked over to the woman, gave her the silver notes, and took back the indenture.

After everyone left, Yinque helped the person up and ordered another bowl of wontons.

Silver Sparrow whispered, "Miss, you're too kind-hearted. What if she's a bad person?"

Ruan Xianrong didn't think much of it. Although she had saved the person, she didn't intend to take them with her.

After serving the wontons, she handed over a purse, saying, "Eat up. After you're done, take this money and find a place to stay."

The woman nodded weakly, sniffed, and her eyes reddened. "Thank you so much, young lady. I will definitely repay you in the future."

Ruan Xianrong was slightly taken aback, feeling that this scene seemed familiar, but she couldn't remember where she had seen it before.