Chapter 10: Speechless

Gu Yunru’s broad-minded approach left Rong Zhen speechless.

“Can this really cure my illness?” Rong Zhen looked at Gu Yunru with a skeptical gaze.

“Of course, it helps to relax your mind. You need to shift your focus. Don’t just listen to me talk in grandiose terms. You won’t know until you try,” Gu Yunru replied earnestly, looking at the guards following behind Rong Zhen and asking loudly, “Which one of you can play horse-hanging? His Highness the Prince said there will be a reward for anyone who can beat him.”

The group looked at each other in confusion, with some already taking a step forward, but upon seeing the inscrutable eyes of His Royal Highness, they retreated in fear.

Gu Yunru thought for a moment and realized that this group was used to being abused by Rong Zhen and would not dare to challenge him. She patted his shoulder solemnly and pulled him aside, saying, “This won’t work. Everyone is afraid of you.”

“I didn’t say anything,” Rong Zhen replied.

“I know you are a prince, with high status and power. No one dares to play with you. How about this, I’ll help you dress up and take you to the horse-hanging hall in Qingle Street.”

Rong Zhen looked at her expressionlessly, but his heart was stirred. He had never been to such a common place before thus  lively and joyful scenes were never a part of his life. Could this really cure his illness?

He looked at Gu Yunru with a skeptical gaze once again, making her feel uncomfortable all over. She shrugged and coughed twice, saying, “Don’t forget our agreement. After all, we both have our own needs.”

“I will go,” Rong Zhen said

With a concise and effective three words, Gu Yunru got her way. Her eyes brightened, and she lowered her voice, saying, “Don’t call yourself ‘this prince’ when you’re outside.”

Rong Zhen nodded in agreement, and the two of them changed into low-key civilian clothes. Qingfeng, behind Rong Zhen, wore soft armor and carried a Qingguang sword, following closely behind them.

“Hey, I have business with your prince. We’re traveling incognito, so you don’t need to come along,” Gu Yunru said.

Looking at Qingfeng’s cold face, which was just like Rong Zhen’s, walking on the street would still cause people to gossip.

“But, Your Highness, I’ve never left your side,” Qingfeng replied.

This was an expression of extreme loyalty, but Gu Yunru couldn’t help but feel that it sounded so ambiguous, that goosebumps were rising all over her body.

“It’s this prince’s command. Don’t follow us,” he said.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Gu Yunru couldn’t help but smile, strutting down the street with Rong Zhen.

This was Gu Yunru’s first time wandering around the streets. She developed a strong interest in the hawkers shouting their wares, the dazzling array of goods, and some exotic Western things that she had never seen before.

Rong Zhen followed behind Gu Yunru, observing her every move. She was like a child, with a rarely seen gentleness in her brows and eyes.

“Hey, aren’t we going to Qingle Street?” Rong Zhen’s emotions began to become restless. Was Gu Yunru playing tricks on him?

“Oh, well… ah Zhao, it’s still early. Can’t we take a stroll first?” Gu Yunru said.

“Who allowed you to call me by my name?”

Rong Zhen’s displeasure was evident on his face. This name was only called by his wet nurse, who had passed away many years ago, and no one had called him by this name since then. He had kept this name and memories of his wet nurse sealed in his heart for many years.

It was clear that Rong Zhen was really angry, but never mind, as long as it was not an indirect mental illness, everything could still be treated.

“That… I just wanted to shorten the distance between the two of us. Please don’t misunderstand, it’s the distance between a doctor and a patient,” said Gu Yunru, a psychiatrist. By using an intimate nickname, she could reduce the patient’s defenses. But the hostility that had just appeared in Rong Zhen’s eyes was really too strong. If she could get Rong Zhen to accept this name, it would mean that she was one step closer to success.

“Whatever, call me whatever you want,” Rong Zhen compromised, because at the moment when Gu Yunru called him A’Zhao, a dead heart in him suddenly jumped, and for some reason, it felt warm and comfortable.

Rong Zhen accompanied Gu Yunru to circle around the city gate for a long time, but they still did not enter the Ma Diaoguan restaurant. He had a lot of physical strength, but not much patience.

While they were walking, suddenly a man pushing a sandbag cart rushed towards them, shouting anxiously, “Move away, move away quickly!”

It turned out that this was a downhill road, and the man somehow lost control of the cart, which was swaying from side to side. The cart weighed several tens of kilograms, and it was likely to accidentally hurt many people.

Gu Yunru saw a child walking on the roadside and rushed over to protect her in her arms. And at this critical moment, Rong Zhen rushed over and kicked the sandbag cart over to its side.

The onlookers let out a sigh of relief and began to applaud.

After hearing the cheers, Gu Yunru looked up and saw the tall figure in front of her like a mountain. A warm feeling welled up in her heart.

“Cuihua! Cuihua, you almost scared your mother to death!” A tearful woman ran over and hugged the little girl.

“Thank you, thank you all,” the woman said gratefully, taking her child and leaving.

“I mean, weren’t you risking your life just now?” Rong zhen’s ghostly voice rang out. Gu Yunru turned triumphantly and sniffed, “Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. Besides, I knew you wouldn’t just stand by and watch.”

Gu Yunru knew Rong zhen very well – he was an outwardly cold, inwardly passionate person. Although he had complained all the way, at least he had not just stood by and watched.

“Did you actually gamble on the fact that I would come to save you?” Rong zhen looked at her incredulously. Was this woman crazy?!

“It wasn’t really a gamble. I knew I would charge in even if you weren’t behind me,” Gu Yunruo waved her dusty sleeve. It was almost dark now, and she said to Rongzhen, “Stop talking and let’s hurry inside!”

They looked up and saw the sign for the Hanging Horse Tavern. As soon as they entered, they saw a familiar figure – Cuiflower, the little girl in the pink floral dress, doing chores.

“Big brother, big brother! How did you come here?”

The little girl Cuihua was busy pouring tea and water, and her mother was the owner of this Hanging Horse Inn.

“Oh, it’s the little cutie! We just came to take a look with this brother,” Gu Yunru bent down and pinched Cuihua’s collagen-filled cheek. Her watery eyes were full of childlike innocence.

“Please come in,” Cuihua led the two of them inside. This tavern had a reputation in Qingle Street and attracted many hanging horse enthusiasts. It never closed and had long become a rule of the street.

Gu Yunru looked around excitedly, but found that Rong zhen had disappeared. She anxiously stood on her tiptoes, looking around, and finally saw his upright figure in the center.

“Hey, did you bring enough money?”

“Did you bring enough money?” asked Gu Yunru softly behind him. But Rong Zhen remained silent, absorbed in watching the dice on the table.

“I knew you weren’t prepared. Luckily, I brought some! This is what you owe me,” said Gu Yunru, pulling out a small bag of silver bills from her pocket. It was enough for him to spend the night extravagantly, even though she felt a little bit reluctant, she had to pay the price for her freedom.


Note: Hanging horses, or diaoma, is a traditional Chinese game that involves hanging toy horses from a frame and players betting on which horse will fall first.