DKGWF Chapter 12
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"You... What did you say? You said... you're going to the northwest?" Rong Jiahui stared in shock at Zhongli Luo, who was pursing her lips with an apologetic expression, and stammered as she asked.
So even after coming back again, this person was still planning to head to the northwest this year? Even though she had long known that Zhongli Luo wanted to make a name for herself, she couldn't help but feel a bit upset at this moment.
Even in her past life, when she had been completely indifferent to Zhongli Luo, she hadn't felt quite at ease seeing her just leave like that—it always felt like something was missing at home. Now, it was even more so.
Seeing Rong Jiahui frozen in shock, Zhongli Luo also felt a bit uneasy.
She sighed and said, "You know, I've always wanted to see it for myself. My father once shed his blood there. Unfortunately, he didn’t get the warrior’s ending he had hoped for—being wrapped in a horsehide and sent home. Instead, he died in a foreign land at nearly fifty years old."
Rong Jiahui was stunned for a moment and muttered, "But right now, there isn't much happening in the northwest—just some minor skirmishes. Can't you wait until things truly become unstable before going?"
As soon as she said that, she almost wanted to slap herself. Even though she knew that the future would indeed be turbulent, saying it so bluntly made it sound like she was cursing them.
Fortunately, Zhongli Luo was already used to her lack of a filter. She simply took it as a young girl's innocence and disregard for taboos. Smiling, she reached out to ruffle Rong Jiahui's hair and explained, "Prince Ning has been appointed by His Majesty to head to the northwest. If I don't take this opportunity to go, what if I never get another chance?"
Never get another chance? That would be great! Going to such a distant and dangerous place—why take the risk?
Rong Jiahui had spent her entire life confined to the inner court and knew nothing about these matters. But even she understood that swords and spears had no eyes. If too many things changed in this lifetime and Zhongli Luo ended up dying in that godforsaken northwest, then what?
Yet, she also knew that, while Zhongli Luo might indulge her in other matters, this was something she wouldn't compromise on. Besides, her entire future was tied to this path—why should she try to stop her? What, was she supposed to be happy seeing a talented general waste her life in mediocrity?
After all, she had approached Zhongli Luo in the first place because she wanted to become a marquis' wife!
Her nose tingled, and with a sour expression, she punched Zhongli Luo’s shoulder in frustration. "Other young noblemen do everything they can to avoid this kind of thing, but you? You're actually eager to go! Do you not care about yourself at all?"
Zhongli Luo had always been patient with her. Knowing that Rong Jiahui was reluctant to part with her and worried for her safety, she simply stood there and let her punch her as much as she liked.
Rong Jiahui’s strength was weak, and her small fists landing on Zhongli Luo felt more like a soft massage. After a few punches, she suddenly remembered something important.
"Xiao Wenyin’s father?" Rong Jiahui exclaimed.
"What?"
Zhongli Luo was taken aback. She had always been indifferent to worldly affairs, so how would she know anything about this Xiao Wenyin?
Rong Jiahui pouted. So it turned out that the entanglement between Zhongli Luo and Xiao Wenyin began because of this? Could it be that Xiao Wenyin remained single until twenty-two in her last life because of Zhongli Luo? Maybe she had caught a glimpse of Zhongli Luo while seeing her father off, and from that fleeting moment, she could never forget her!
Although this was purely her speculation, it was still possible! She quickly put on a fawning smile and said to Zhongli Luo, "That Xiao Wenyin is the Nanping County Princess of Prince Ning’s household. Listen, if you ever run into her, stay far away! She’s got a scheming heart, I’m telling you. She has an oval face, high cheekbones—which is a sign of bringing misfortune to her husband—a pair of big, round eyes, and a mole at the corner of her left eye..."
Here she goes again. No wonder she never got along with other girls—whenever she talked about them, she never had a single nice thing to say.
Zhongli Luo, feeling helpless, interrupted her, "Someone like me, a nobody, how would I ever get the chance to meet a county princess?"
Rong Jiahui lowered her head and mumbled, "I’m just worried, that’s all..."
Even though she had always thought Xiao Wenyin was rather plain-looking, she had to admit that those big, watery eyes of hers did have a certain charm. Especially when paired with her younger sister, Xiao Wenjia, who also had captivating eyes—it had been enough to make her younger brother utterly infatuated back then.
The most infuriating part was that after seducing her brother, the sisters didn’t even think he was good enough! But what was so bad about her brother? Sure, he was a little willful, a little disobedient, not too fond of studying, and loved to have fun—but where exactly was he lacking? How was he unworthy of them?
Her brother was devoted, too—eventually marrying Prince Ning’s illegitimate third daughter, Xiao Wenjing. Fortunately, they had a harmonious and happy marriage. Otherwise, she might have been so angry she’d die from it.
Thinking of this, she stubbornly tugged at Zhongli Luo’s sleeve and insisted, "I don’t care! If you ever run into those two county princesses, you must stay far away!"
Zhongli Luo had never been able to argue with her, so she could only agree. But in her mind, she figured that noble ladies like county princesses were far beyond her reach anyway. Whether she agreed or not made no difference.
Seeing Zhongli Luo relent, Rong Jiahui finally let out a breath of relief and grinned. She had a naturally sweet appearance, and when she smiled like this, it was like honey—so sweet that it reached straight into one’s heart. Zhongli Luo found herself momentarily dazed, and the sorrow of their impending separation was slightly eased.
Rong Jiahui added, "I’m doing this for your own good. It’s not just me who dislikes them—it's because you don’t know the other noble girls. We all get annoyed just seeing them. You can ask my cousins if you don’t believe me!"
"What did they do to make people dislike them so much?" Zhongli Luo asked.
Rong Jiahui thought for a moment and said, "They’re arrogant. Even more arrogant than me! At tea parties and poetry gatherings hosted by noblewomen, they act like they’re the most superior beings in the world, only treating princesses and county princesses as equals. They look at everyone else as if they were beneath them—if they could look down their noses at people any further, they probably would."
As she spoke, Rong Jiahui even pointed at her own nose in demonstration.
As for her brother’s entanglements, since they were all still young and those events had yet to unfold, she decided to keep that part to herself for now.
Zhongli Luo chuckled helplessly. Was this really enough to warrant such deep resentment? Though, to be fair, behaving like that did make it hard for people to like them.
She patted Rong Jiahui’s head and said, “It’s fine if you don’t like her, but don’t be too willful. You don’t want to offend people unnecessarily.”
Did she take her for some reckless troublemaker? Rong Jiahui couldn’t help but grumble inwardly. This fool was truly clueless when it came to understanding girls.
Time seemed to pass even faster during moments like these. In what felt like no time at all, the day of Zhongli Luo’s departure had arrived. It wasn’t just empty talk—she was truly leaving. Rong Jiahui had thought she wouldn’t be too sad, but now that the moment was here, she realized she was deeply reluctant to part with her.
She knew that Zhongli Luo, being the godson of a marquis, would likely not suffer too much hardship. After all, in her past life, she had never heard of Zhongli Luo having a difficult time. But still…
Looking at Zhongli Luo standing at the doorway, speaking with her parents, Rong Jiahui sighed.
Zhongli Luo had been living in the marquis’s residence for a year now, and both Rong Chen and Lady Yu were reluctant to see her go.
Lady Yu gently cupped Zhongli Luo’s face with a motherly touch and said earnestly, “I’ve never been to such a remote place, so I don’t know what it’s like. But I’ve heard that those Rong people are ruthless and savage. If you ever find yourself in danger, do as your godfather would—run if you can, hide behind someone else if you must, and if there’s no other choice, smear some blood on yourself and play dead.”
Hearing his wife speak so bluntly, Rong Chen coughed and pulled her aside before turning to Zhongli Luo. “Don’t listen to your godmother’s nonsense. Just take care of yourself. The food there is so bad it barely qualifies as food. Once you earn enough merit and rise in rank, write back to us. We’ll send you money to buy a bigger house and even send a cook over for you.”
Listening to her parents’ advice, Rong Jiahui couldn’t help but hold her forehead in exasperation. Her mother was practically encouraging Zhongli Luo to be a deserter, while her father was only concerned about food. Fortunately, with departure so close at hand, Zhongli Luo didn’t seem to mind.
Shaking her head, Rong Jiahui nudged her younger brother with her elbow.
“You should say something nice to him too,” she urged. “You’re always competing with him over everything, and he’s never even held it against you. Jiaze… Jia—”
Seeing no reaction from Rong Jiaze, she turned to look at him and noticed that he was hanging his head, looking somewhat downcast.
Rong Jiahui patted his head and teased, “What’s this? Are you going to miss him too?”
Rong Jiaze immediately shook his head like a rattle drum. “Of course not!”
Yeah, right. Who’d believe that? This kid was just too stubborn to admit it.
Before he could run away, Rong Jiahui grabbed his hand and dragged him over to Zhongli Luo, grinning. “Brother Zhongli, Jiaze says he has something to tell you.”
Seeing the siblings approach, Lady Yu and Rong Chen figured they wanted to say their private goodbyes. Deciding not to take up all of Zhongli Luo’s time, they stepped aside.
Zhongli Luo looked at the stubborn-faced Rong Jiaze in surprise. “Jiaze?”
Rong Jiaze had been quietly sulking in the background, but now that his sister had dragged him forward, he found himself at a complete loss.
To make things worse, Rong Jiahui seemed determined to embarrass him. She pushed him even closer and placed a hand on his shoulder, looking at Zhongli Luo with a grin. “Jiaze says he’s really going to miss you.”
Rong Jiaze’s face instantly turned red. He turned and protested, “Sis! Stop making things up!”
Rong Jiahui smirked and patted his head. “Be a good boy. This is when you’re supposed to say, ‘Brother, go without worry—I’ll be thinking of you.’”
The more Rong Jiaze listened, the more embarrassed he became. His face was so red it looked like it might start dripping blood. He shoved Rong Jiahui’s hand away and tried to run, but just as he took his first step, Zhongli Luo caught him.
The two of them had never had much to say to each other. After all, Rong Jiaze either glared at her or glared at her—he had never once given her a pleasant look. Thinking for a moment, she awkwardly said, “You… study hard.”
Rong Jiaze pouted. “You’re so nosy. I don’t want to study. If you like studying so much, you do it.”
This kid… Rong Jiahui couldn’t help but pinch his cheek. “At a time like this, can’t you just behave for once?”
Rong Jiaze lowered his head and remained silent.
Seeing that he wasn’t responding, Zhongli Luo decided to let it go. She looked past him and gazed at Rong Jiahui. After a moment of hesitation, she asked, “Don’t you have anything to say to me?”
Rong Jiahui was taken aback. A sour feeling welled up in her nose, and she nearly burst into tears.
She sniffed and said, “What’s there to say? You’re older than me. If anyone should be giving advice, it should be you giving it to me.”
Zhongli Luo smiled faintly. “Alright, then I’ll give you some advice. From now on, you have to be good and listen to the lord and madam. Pay attention in class. Since I won’t be around to copy books for you for now, you’ll have to do it yourself. Also, stay away from the pond—I won’t be around to fish you out either. And keep in touch with your cousins. I know, deep down, you actually like them…”
Listening to her nag like an old mother, Rong Jiahui couldn’t help but cut her off. “Enough already! You’re so annoying with all this! And… you too—stay safe. If you can come back, then come visit me… and Father and Mother. If you can’t, then at least write a letter. If you need anything, just write and let us know.”
“It’s a long journey. A letter would take ages to reach you, and by the time you send something back, I might not need it anymore.”
Such a mood killer. Rong Jiahui glared at her. “Are you going to write or not?”
Zhongli Luo had no choice but to nod. “Alright, I’ll listen to you. I’ll write.”
After saying that, she hesitated for a moment before slowly taking out a small item from her sleeve and holding it in her palm.
Then, sneaking a glance at Rong Jiahui’s expression, she extended her hand toward her and slowly opened it.
It was just an ordinary Liuyun Baifu jade pendant. But Rong Jiahui recognized it instantly—wasn’t this the very same jade pendant that Rong Jiaze had tried to snatch before?
Zhongli Luo, looking a little unnatural, said, “This jade is fragile and breaks easily. Keep it for me for now.”
Rong Jiahui was stunned. Carefully taking the pendant, she asked, “You want me to keep it?”
Zhongli Luo nodded. “Yes. When I was a year old, my mother asked a great master to bless this jade pendant. I’ve carried it with me ever since.”
Rong Jiahui was surprised. “Ah! It was blessed by a master? But if I keep it and it no longer protects you, what will happen?”
Zhongli Luo replied, “My fate is mine to decide, not heaven’s. I’ve never believed in such things. I only cherished it because my mother sought it for me.”
Hearing this, Rong Jiahui carefully put the jade pendant away and solemnly promised, “Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of it.”
Zhongli Luo let out a breath of relief. Now that everything had been settled, it was truly time for her to leave.
Yu Shi, with her soft heart, had always treated Zhongli Luo like her own child. Now, seeing this stubborn child insist on going to such a dreadful place to suffer, she couldn’t help but wipe away her tears. Rong Chen, watching her, was also reminded of the late Zhongli—his cheerful and bold old friend. Meanwhile, Rong Jiahui gazed at Zhongli Luo with deep reluctance, her heart filled with both sorrow and bitterness.
At that moment, Rong Jiaze, who had been lowering his head and holding back, finally overcame his inner struggle. He suddenly lifted his head, his face flushed red, and shouted at the top of his lungs while running toward Zhongli Luo.
“Zhongli Brother! I’m sorry!”
“I shouldn’t have laughed at you! I shouldn’t have told my friends to put a spider on your desk!”
“You can count on me! I promise I’ll study hard!!!”
Finally, he stopped running, caught his breath, and then roared again, “Make sure you come back soon!!!”
Hearing this heartfelt outburst from the boy who was like a little brother, Zhongli Luo froze for a moment before the corners of her mouth curled into a faint smile. Without turning around, she raised a hand and waved at him.
“All right.”
T/N: Please give support on my ko-fi page, thank you🍊🍊🍊
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