I rushed to hide behind his back, like a child running to his parent for protection after stirring trouble.
Before any man, I had never been afraid, but in the presence of this devious woman, I was suddenly a coward. I'd rather bear the domineering presence of two Ruan Yanjuns for an entire week than spend another minute with a creature named Princess Xinnu.
"It was an accident," I explained. "She was touching me inappropriately and I pushed her a little too hard."
Ruan Yanjun smirked. "And why are you hiding behind me?"
I flushed. I could not tell him that his back was the safest place to shelter me from the wicked woman. I could not hurt her. My upbringing had taught me that I should never hurt a woman because they were delicate, so I'd rather hide, even if I didn't think this particular variety of a woman was anything delicate.
"Lord Ruan," Princess Xinnu said. "Priest Luo pushed me for no reason and caused me injury. He deserves to be punished."
"No reason you say?" Ruan Yanjun taunted. "He just told me you were doing inappropriate things to him, so he acted in defense of his virtue."
I heard gasps and whispers from the onlookers, which probably embarrassed Princess Xinnu, and started screaming like the spoiled brat she was.
"Cease them both!" she cried. "Right now!"
The guards did not move.
"I said cease them now! If you don't arrest them, His Majesty will have your heads!"
Still, no one moved.
Ruan Yanjun laughed deeply. "Your father must be hiding his face in shame right now. He won't even come out to support you. Go back inside and continue celebrating your birthday. I'm taking Priest Luo away."
"You will not take him away! We're already engaged!"
"Ah, I'm surprised you think that way. So why do you want him punished?"
"I will be the one to punish him. As my future husband, he has to learn how to conduct himself properly in the presence of a woman."
My eyes shut wide. Hearing the word 'husband' from her chilled me down my spine.
"From how I see it," Ruan Yanjun said, "it's you who lacks propriety not only in the presence of a reputable man like Priest Luo but also in the presence of the general public. Take a look around you. With so many onlookers, you're behaving like an uncultured wretch in the street. If you don't care about your own reputation, then at least consider your father's status."
I heard Princess Xinnu's angry grunt, but she did not dare say another word.
Ruan Yanjun sighed. "General Xu, escort this lady inside. She's getting on my nerves."
Immediately, the general approached Princess Xinnu. When the princess refused to come along, General Xu carried her in his arms. She kicked and screamed but that did not stop the general from taking her back inside the hall.
"All of you, get back inside," Ruan Yanjun ordered the rest of the onlookers.
A moment later, the garden was peaceful once again.
Ruan Yanjun turned to me and lightly tapped my nose. "Don't worry, as long as I'm here, no one can touch you."
I was still shaken by the prospect of marrying the princess that I did not bother with his playfulness. "We're not really engaged, are we?"
"That's just the princess' delusion. It won't happen. That woman is not worthy of you."
"I think it's the other way around."
"If you were a noble, do you want to get married to that brat?"
I shook my head. "No."
"Of course, you won't. Otherwise, I'd despise you for having such a ludicrous preference."
"Thank you for coming to my rescue."
He chuckled. "Do not get too involved with women. If they come too close to you, by all means, avoid them. Despite your physical condition, you're still a much sought-after commodity. Knowing your origin makes you even more desirable."
He made it sound like I'm a product being sold in the market.
"Does the princess know anything?" I asked.
"She does not. She likes you mainly because of your beauty, but Shi Tengfei does. Why else would he scheme behind my back and systemically coerce you into a marriage with his daughter?"
I was not surprised. Being the emperor, he had to be wise. The moment he learned of his daughter's infatuation with me, he naturally had asked some people to investigate my background. But if he had known about my achievements in the past, he definitely should have known about my crime, as well. So why did he decide to still marry off his daughter to me?
"Don't worry, Shi Tengfei does not share confidential information that comes his way. He's a wise man. He keeps that information to his advantage." Ruan Yanjun grabbed my wrist. "Let's go."
I went along without objection. Having offended the royal family, my best option was to stick close to Ruan Yanjun. He was the only one who could protect me.
He pulled me towards a pathway. The area was dark and I could not see anything, so I allowed him to guide me through until we stopped before a carriage.
We were back at the front yard and the guards still surrounded the place.
"Lord Ruan," General Xu approached us, gasping as if he had been running for miles. "Are you leaving?"
"I'm taking back what you have stolen from me," Ruan Yanjun replied. "The next time you take him away without my permission, I'll have your head on a plate."
General Xu quickly lowered his head and did not say a word.
Ruan Yanjun turned to me. "Get inside and take that robe off."
Immediately, I climbed up the carriage and undid the belt around my waist. Even if Ruan Yanjun did not tell me, I definitely would not want to keep this robe anyway. It was too heavy and too intricate.
After removing the robe, I pushed the curtain aside and handed the heavy brocade to Ruan Yanjun. He returned it to General Xu.
"Allow us to accompany you back to your residence then," the general offered.
"No need," Ruan Yanjun quickly retorted. "I can protect Priest Luo on my own."
When Ruan Yanjun climbed into the carriage, I moved aside to give him space. He sat down beside me and started pulling the accessories off my hair. He tossed them aside as if they were mere trash.
"You look a lot better without those glittering rubbish. They only ruin your perfection."
I lowered my head as I felt heat flushing my cheeks. There was something awkward about the way he tried to praise me.
"Lin Si," Ruan Yanjun referred to the coachman. "Let's go."
I suddenly remembered something. "We have not bid goodbye to His Majesty."
"No need. After what his daughter has done, Shi Tengfei does not have the face to show right now."
I stared at him with my mouth agape. Only this man could dare speak out the emperor's real name. If he were a commoner, he would have been beheaded already.
One thing was certain, Ruan Yanjun was more powerful than the emperor himself.
I finally understood why everyone treated him with utmost respect. Emperor Yin was just Ruan Yanjun's puppet. The real power in Xianru was Ruan Yanjun himself.