Side Story: Zhao Ruyu 6

Because Zhao Ruyu and Zhao Ruxi had a bad relationship, Zhao Ruyu becoming a concubine of Consort of Prince of Jingping could affect Zhao Ruxi's marriage, who was not yet engaged at the time. Therefore, Consort of Prince of Jingping was always unsure whether Zhao Ruxi hated Zhao Ruyu.

She promoted Zhao Ruyu to the position of official wife, but instead of gaining the favor of the Crown Princess, she angered her. Wouldn't that make her a laughing stock?

However, Zhao Ruyu was nominally Zhao Ruxi's cousin. Marrying a legitimate wife to put her above Zhao Ruyu would not only be an insult to Zhao Ruyu, but also to Zhao Ruxi. Therefore, Consort of Prince of Jingping did not dare to take action and delayed the matter.

Now she deeply regrets it.

Prince of Jingping was aware of his wife's concerns. Not only his wife, but he also shared these concerns, which is why he hesitated to make a decision.

He comforted his wife, saying, "Let's not talk about what we just said. Try to look on the bright side. We didn't get the better of us, but at least we didn't offend the Crown Princess, right? Better safe than sorry. Things are better this way than if we had offended the Crown Princess."

These words were a comfort to Consort of Prince of Jingping.

She said, "You're right, that's the only way to think about it."

Having made up her mind, Consort of Prince of Jingping treated He Yuqi and Xu Xue with exceptional kindness the next day.

After confirming that the Zhao Family indeed wanted Zhao Ruyu to leave the Prince Jingping's Estate, she not only had her maids and servants help Zhao Ruyu pack up her clothes and jewelry, but also gave Zhao Ruyu a thousand taels of silver.

"Such a lovely young lady, you've suffered some injustice coming to our household. This money can't make up for anything, but it's a small token of my appreciation. Please take it, don't refuse." Her attitude was very sincere.

Zhao Ruyu shook her head. "No need. I am no longer a concubine of the Prince's mansion, and I feel ashamed to accept this money. I have hands and feet, and I can support myself in the future. So thank you for your kindness, Your Highness."

If she had her own assets, she wouldn't even want the clothes made after she entered the Prince Jingping's Estate or the jewelry given to her by Xiao Sijie.

But she had nothing. Now she had the backbone to refuse the things from the Prince Jingping's Estate, but in the end, her brother and sister-in-law would have to provide them for her. She wouldn't argue about that.

He Yuqi nodded in agreement. "Ruyu. Your Highness should take the money back."

Consort of Prince of Jingping handled today's events based on the principle that even if she couldn't befriend someone, she couldn't offend them. Seeing that Zhao Ruyu insisted on not accepting the offer, she didn't force her.

When Zhao Ruyu suggested taking the two maids and the old woman with her, she readily agreed.

"There's no need to pay the indenture fee. Those are the people who serve you; you can take them with you." With that, Consort of Prince of Jingping gestured to a maid to fetch the indenture and handed it to Zhao Ruyu.

Zhao Ruyu no longer refused, accepted the contract of indenture, and then got up to take her leave.

As they emerged from the hall, before they even reached the second gate, a maid whispered in Zhao Ruyu's ear, "Miss, the young master is over there."

Xiao Sijie was a womanizer. Moreover, he had always admired Zhao Ruyu's beauty, so naturally he couldn't bear to let her go. Even though Zhao Ruyu had said some very heartless things yesterday, and he was furious, he still wouldn't let go.

If it weren't for the strict orders from the Prince and Princess, he certainly wouldn't be so quiet today.

Seeing that Zhao Ruyu was really about to leave, he disregarded his parents' warnings and ran out to intercept Zhao Ruyu on the way.

Zhao Ruyu listened to the maid's words, didn't even raise her head, and followed He Yuqi straight out.

Xiao Sijie tried to rush over, but the old woman had already stopped him. He could only shout at her, "Ruyu, don't go! Have you forgotten our love and the vows we made together?"

He Yuqi glanced at Zhao Ruyu, seeing that she ignored her, remained expressionless, and walked quickly, as if trying to avoid her at all costs. He Yuqi nodded in satisfaction.

As the group exited through the second gate, Xiao Sijie's voice faded into the distance. Zhao Ruyu, however, did not slow her pace at all. Only after exiting the main gate and boarding the carriage did she finally breathe a sigh of relief and relax.

"Sister-in-law, have you rented a house for me? Where is it?" Zhao Ruyu herself didn't realize that compared to when she was at the Prince Jingping's Estate, even her tone of voice was a bit lighter now.

In her previous letter, she had begged Zhao Jingli to help her rent a house.

As a daughter who had been a concubine and then divorced, returning to her parents' home would inevitably damage their reputation. Therefore, she decided that after leaving the Prince Jingping's Estate, she would first rent a house and stay there for a few days. Once she received Zhao Ruxi's letter and everything was arranged in Gusu, she would then rent a carriage and go to Gusu.

After Zhao Ruxi became the Crown Princess, the Prince Jingping's Estate stopped being harsh on Zhao Ruyu and gave her a monthly allowance. Ever since she had a vague feeling of regret, she tried her best to save the money, and now she has more than a hundred taels of silver on hand.

When she was favored, Xiao Sijie was very generous in making clothes and jewelry for her. She had a lot of gold, silver, pearls and jade jewelry, worth several hundred taels of silver.

She felt that with these things, she could manage to settle down in Gusu.

She had already prepared herself for a life of poverty.

"No need to rent, just go home and stay. Don't worry, you won't bother us. With the Crown Princess around, who would dare to laugh at you or us?" He Yuqi said.

"From now on, just stand tall and live your life with your head held high. Don't feel inferior just because you were once a concubine. We are all human beings; no one is more noble or lowly than anyone else. There's no need to feel ashamed."

"That's right, Ruyu. You've been studying since you were a child, so writing articles shouldn't be a problem. Besides teaching music, you can definitely write articles and submit them for publication to earn money," Xu Xue said.

"Before I got married, I supported myself by writing novels and even bought a house as my dowry. Many of my other sisters were able to support themselves through their own abilities. You are talented and can live entirely on your own, with dignity. We don't rely on others for support or eat their food, so we don't have to bow down to anyone."

"Xiaoxue is right. If you're willing, you can even write down your experiences and thoughts and submit them to the Women's Ten-Day Gazette to encourage those sisters who don't yet have the courage to escape their cages," He Yuqi added.

"Yes, I will. Thank you." Zhao Ruyu said, her eyes welling up with tears.

She had imagined many scenarios for what she would be like after leaving the Prince's mansion. She never expected her two sisters-in-law to be so kind, understanding, and encouraging.

"I deeply regret not waking up to this sooner," she said.

She didn't cry when she left the mansion. But now, having received kindness from her two sisters-in-law, she couldn't hold back her tears, which fell drop by drop.

"It's not too late now. There's still plenty of time." He Yuqi patted her arm. "You should be glad you don't have children. Otherwise, it would be difficult whether you stay or leave."

Hearing her say that, Zhao Ruyu also felt fortunate.

"I'll take you to see our newspaper office tomorrow," He Yuqi said. "We also have a newspaper office in the city below. If you're interested, you can look after the Gusu newspaper office for me in the future and actively submit articles. Our article fees are quite generous."

"Really? That's wonderful!" Zhao Ruyu felt a surge of joy.

Her world was no longer just that small courtyard and a repressive, hopeless life. He Yuqi showed her a bright and expansive future.