11 Ruan Qinwang Manor

With Feng Yun gone, Madam Lin was left alone. She slightly dozes off for a stick of incense's worth of time, gently sleeping off her intoxicated state before she came to.

She could not remember a time since she was sixteen when Feng Yun was not accompanying her. She thought she would have a sister that she would grow old with, someone that would be with her through all the stages of life. She knew that she would only be a small moment in that girl's life. She understood why Feng Yun would choose to stay away from relationships.

She then thought of herself for a moment.

She whispered two words: "Wen Jian."

Suddenly, a black shadow appeared next to her. It was a man dressed in black, he had very common features, with slightly thick lips and messy eyebrows, he would not be easily noticed in a crowd. "Do you have any orders, madam?" The man asks respectfully.

"Prepare a carriage, I want to go for a ride around the city."

"Yes, Madam." The man says as he retreats without saying another word.

Moments later, a seemingly ordinary carriage comes through the mansion's grand gates. It was strange to see such a plain carriage come out from a mansion that had such beauty to it. If this were to happen during the day, it would most likely draw the attention of many.

Fortunately, the streets were mostly deserted and no one really paid attention to the plain carriage, nor the man who could not be easily spotted in a crowd driving it. The sound of the horses' hooves could be heard as it made its way down the streets of the capital.

"May I ask where madam wishes to go?" The man who was driving the carriage asks.

"Ruan Qinwang manor." The cold voice sounds from inside the carriage.

The man does not say anything and continues driving the carriage in the silence brought on by the cold night.

Madam Lin's identity was no secret to those within the clan. They all knew that she was once the proper consort of Ruan Qinwang, they all knew how she had ended up being one of them.

They had never been worried about her ties with the prince getting in conflict with their interests. In fact, the life of an insignificant prince could be easily taken, and they would not face any repercussions, but it was the madam that stopped them from doing so. She had said that she did not want him to die so easily.

She had said that she had her own plans.

Their journey was silent, there were no words to be exchanged, aside from Feng Yun, the other person madam Lin felt comfortable giving the orders she could not say to anyone else was Wen Jian. This was because his personality was very detached and would not tell anyone else. A person that only listened to her orders.

Madam Lin's expression was filled with nothingness as she slid the window of the carriage open, allowing a cold, yet refreshing wind to enter the carriage, with the warmth of carriage colliding with the bitterly cold air from the outside.

She closed her eyes, as she allowed the cold air to blow toward her face. It had been a long time since she experienced such a feeling. She remembered that day well.

As one descended a mountain, the temperatures would inexplicably plummet accompanied with bouts of dryness.

As Madam Lin thought of the terrain in the descent into the mountains she let out a mocking smile as her palm touched her chest as if holding onto a memory lost to time.

It was best to let go…

She had always said that to herself in the years past, yet there was a part of her wanted to have some fun before this matter was settled.

Her emotionless gaze stared into the passing world as the carriage quietly drove by.

After some time, she closed the sliding window, retreating back into the warmth of the carriage.

Whether it was cold or warm, nothing hardly made any difference to her now. She felt as if she should have died long ago, yet couldn't move on, like an angered spirit who continued to linger in the same place years after it had met its death.