Chapter 56: I want luck, not myself; I just want Zhu Qing. ...

Unable to contain his eagerness, he grabbed the wedding dress from the rack and, ignoring Zhu Qing's struggles, forced it onto her.

"I won't wear it, don't move! I've already said I won't wear it, I won't marry you, I've never even known how to spell the word 'marriage'!"

Zhu Qing gripped the sleeves of the clothes tightly, refusing to let Feng Huaihe put them on. No matter how much Feng Huaihe pulled, she wouldn't let go.

Anyway, if it gets damaged, it's Feng Huaihe who will suffer the loss, not her.

After a long standoff, Feng Huaihe realized she was unyielding and wouldn't put the clothes on. With a stern face, he draped the clothes over his arm, grabbed Zhu Qing's wrist with his other hand, and pulled her away from the screen.

Zhu Qing was no match for him in strength and was half-dragged and half-pulled to the outside of the screen. Seeing that he still had no intention of stopping and was walking towards the bed, she realized that he was not going to stop.

Zhu Qing immediately realized what he wanted to do. Memories from several months ago flooded back, and the feeling of being unable to move and being controlled made her hair stand on end. She hurriedly grabbed the azalea screen beside her and refused to go any further.

Feng Huaihe suddenly couldn't pull her anymore, turned around, and stared at her with his dark eyes.

When Zhu Qingyi saw that look in his eyes, she was so frightened that she couldn't move.

Feng Huaihe left with Li Keyong in the dead of winter and didn't return until early spring. Several months passed without him bothering Zhu Qing, who almost forgot about their unpleasant past.

But some people are just like that. With just a gesture, a glance, or even a soft chuckle, they can make Zhu Qing dream of the past, instantly recalling every moment they spent together and the torment in bed.

Zhu Qing gripped the azalea screen tighter involuntarily, almost holding her breath as she said, "So much time has passed, you've gotten everything you wanted, so..."

"Let you go?" Feng Huaihe took the initiative to finish her sentence.

Zhu Qing glanced at him guiltily, met his half-smiling gaze, and nodded vaguely.

Feng Huaihe smiled and said, "That's fine too. I'll stick to my suggestion: you marry me, we'll be husband and wife, and I won't force you anymore. I'll also help you become a strategist and make you famous throughout the world."

Zhu Qing frowned and remained silent.

After going around in circles, they ended up back to the topic from a few months ago. Apart from the pig in their family that would squeal for half a day when begging for food when they were kids, Zhu Qing had never seen anything as stubborn as it.

"I left in the twelfth lunar month before the Spring Festival, and now it's early April. It's been so long, you should have thought it through by now, right?"

Feng Huaihe spoke slowly, his gaze fixed on Zhu Qing. He walked slowly towards her, stopped when he was in front of her, bent down close to her face, looked deeply into her eyes, and then, as if suddenly realizing something, exclaimed, "Ah!"

“It was my oversight. You don’t seem to have thought this through at all. Since you can’t understand it and are unwilling, then I’ll just have to do it my way.”

He reached out and gripped Zhu Qing's wrist, which was clutching the screen. Zhu Qing refused to let go no matter what. Although he was strong, he knew that using brute force would hurt her. She was betting that he wouldn't let go.

As expected, Feng Huaihe didn't use any force. After a brief standoff with her, he completely lost patience and pulled Zhu Qing into his arms. He held her waist tightly with one hand and lifted her chin with the other, bending down to kiss her.

A deep, passionate kiss, his wet lips and tongue slick and slippery, sweeping wildly across her mouth. He kissed her so deeply that the tip of his tongue almost touched the back of hers, making her feel nauseous, and she couldn't help but let out a soft "wah."

Feng Huaihe quickly released Zhu Qing, and she returned to normal. He lifted her face, which was flushed from the kiss, and stared at her probingly: "Are you disgusting?"

Zhu Qing dared not say that, based on her experience, Feng Huaihe would not let her off just because she found him disgusting; on the contrary, he would only escalate the situation.

But no answer is more precise than silence. Feng Huaihe chuckled in exasperation, reached out and touched her little face, saying:

"Seeing you clinging to the screen, you must really like this place. It's alright, we don't have to go to the tatami mat, we can stay here."

"..."

Before Zhu Qing could understand what he meant, he suddenly picked her up, held her legs with both hands, and hung her on his waist.

Zhu Qing felt unsafe being suddenly airborne, so she instinctively wrapped her arms around his waist. By the time she realized what she had done, it was too late.

No matter how hard she pried at the screen, it was to no avail.

Feng Huaihe lifted the hem of her inner garment and slipped his warm hand inside.

He could lift Zhu Qing with one hand without hindering his other hand from roaming over her body.

Zhu Qing's hairpin swayed, the jade pendant clattering together with a crisp sound. After a few moments, she couldn't help but shake her head, and the hairpin fell from her hair to the ground. Her black hair instantly cascaded down like a waterfall, entwining around the necks of the two people.

Feng Huaihe paused for a moment, then reached out and brushed aside the black hair that had flown to cover her face. He immediately saw that her cheeks were flushed and her forehead and cheeks were covered with fine sweat.

"Are we still going to stay here?" Feng Huaihe suddenly asked, his voice as clear and warm as ever, as if he were handling official business, without a trace of emotion.

Only Zhu Qing was panting, "Go, go to the bed..."

Feng Huaihe carried her to the bedside and placed her on the soft wedding bed.

As soon as Zhu Qing lay down, she was pressed against the back, causing her to wince in pain. Her dazed eyes instantly cleared.

She reached out and touched them, finding small spring apricots.

The unripe spring apricots are a tender green, hard as stones, and cannot be crushed.

Unlike the peanuts and dates found in ordinary households, Zhu Qing found it strange and for the first time could ignore the foreign object belonging to Feng Huaihe inside her body, questioning, "Why is it apricot?"

Feng Huaihe glanced at her wistfully, but did not answer. Instead, he bumped into her forcefully.

Caught off guard, Zhu Qing dropped the apricots in her hand. Feng Huaihe grabbed the quilt and spread it under her, covering the uncomfortable apricots.

The afternoon sun shines brightly.

Surprisingly, this was the first time Feng Huaihe had ever held Zhu Qingyao's hand in such bright light. The sunlight streaming through the window shone on her, allowing him to take in every subtle expression of hers.

When did he furrow his brow most deeply? When did he tremble? When did he shout? Every frame was captured in Feng Huaihe's eyes.

Including the pinkish hue on her skin, like the pink and white apricot blossoms that bloom before the spring apricots bear fruit, a sight that never gets old, exuding a delicate fragrance.

I have never been so fascinated by anything. I wish every breath I take could be filled with her scent, and every step I take, sit or lie down, I hope to be in sync with her.

Perhaps that would deprive him of his own oxygen, but Feng Huaihe didn't want himself; he only wanted Zhu Qing.

As Zhu Qing was in a daze, on the verge of fainting, Feng Huaihe suddenly leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Chunxing is lucky to have married me. I don't want you to have a son; I want you to be lucky."

These words exploded in Zhu Qing's mind like fireworks, but before she could grasp their dazzling colors, she fell into a deep sleep. Just before her vision went completely black, she saw the golden sunlight shining on the window frame, bright as a dream, and the azaleas blooming outside the window, as red as blood.

-

Zhu Qing slept for the time it takes for two incense sticks to burn. When she opened her eyes, she saw that she was already wearing the wedding dress that Feng Huaihe had prepared.

She sighed, knowing she couldn't win against Feng Huaihe, and stopped putting up any more resistance, collapsing onto the bed to recover her strength.

She hadn't been lying there for long when she felt hungry. Just then, Feng Huaihe pushed open the door and came in, still wearing his bright red wedding attire. He walked to her bedside and asked, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm weak and hungry."

“It’s good that you’re not strong enough,” Feng Huaihe bent down and pulled her up from the couch. “You can do whatever you want with me. Go write the marriage certificate and then we’ll have the wedding ceremony.”

Zhu Qing's brain froze for a second before he realized that he was serious and dragged her to sit at the table.

Two burning wedding candles were placed on the table, with a marriage certificate, pen, and ink ready beneath them.

Ancient marriage contracts were like marriage certificates in the Qing Dynasty; once written, the marriage was truly settled.

Zhu Qinggan sat there, stubbornly refusing.

Feng Huaihe stood to the side and stared at her for a few seconds, then grabbed her hand and shoved the pen into it.

Zhu Qing remained motionless. Feng Huaihe, as if teaching her archery, took her hand and guided her to write her name on the marriage certificate.

Zhu Qing struggled, and a few drops of black ink dripped onto the neat marriage certificate, staining it.

She shouted, "Why do you keep repeating yourself? I said I won't get married!"

Feng Huaihe seemed to have anticipated this, and he actually opened the box under the table, took out a neat copy of the marriage certificate, and placed it back in front of Zhu Qing.

He stared intently at her. "You're right. I was involved in this too. I guessed what Zhang Yin was planning, so I sold this courtyard to him and took in the elder brothers he sent in."

"Haven't you seen them yet? Do you still want to see them?"

"What do you mean?"

"Literal meaning. Didn't you do all this just to see them and ensure their safety?"

Zhu Qing scratched her head in frustration, "You always use the same trick, it's so annoying, you know?"

“I know I’m annoying,” Feng Huaihe said. He also knew that he would not be liked or loved, so he did not seek Zhu Qing’s liking or love. He just wanted to hold on to the one and only thing he had.

"After you marry me, I promise I will not bother you."

Zhu Qing remained silent, meeting his resolute gaze. The two faced off in silence for a long time before Zhu Qing finally gave in.

She picked up her pen impatiently, but couldn't write her name no matter what she did.

For her, it was no different from getting a marriage certificate in modern times. Psychologically, she still couldn't accept that she had suddenly gotten married.

Upon seeing this, Feng Huaihe immediately grabbed her hand and, before she could react, quickly wrote down her name.

Because he was anxious and excited, his writing was crooked and messy, showing no trace of the demeanor of a top strategist.

Zhu Qing was heartbroken when she saw this scene.

It's a done deal. Even if she and Feng Huaihe don't go through the wedding ceremony, they are already a legally registered couple.

Zhu Qing's face darkened.

Feng Huaihe dared not speak, but he was overjoyed. He carefully put away the marriage certificate, his eyes full of smiles, and then took Zhu Qing's hand and left.

Zhu Qing, impatient, tried to shake him off. "I want to see my eldest and second brothers."

"I'll take you to see him now."

A carriage was parked outside the courtyard, and Bao Fu, wearing a sun hat, was dozing off against the outside. Hearing the sound, he woke up, made way for the two of them, and waited for them to get in before driving back to the city.

Zhu Qing thought Feng Huaihe was going to take her to some remote mountain village or something to see her older brothers, since that's what hostage places are like in TV dramas.

But Zhu Qing didn't expect that she would be taken back to the Washing Flower Hall.

To her surprise, the Xihua Hall was packed with guests, filled with the joyful sounds of suona horns and string and wind instruments.

Zhu Qingli stood in the front room of the carriage and looked out. A long and thick red velvet carpet stretched out from the road all the way to the Washing Flower Hall. It was soft and fluffy underfoot, like a cloud.

On both sides of the road, two rows of soldiers stood solemnly and straight, the line stretching as far as the eye could see.

The tops of the elm and poplar trees planted along the street are adorned with red ribbons, which ripple like waves in the wind, blending seamlessly with the sunset on the horizon, creating a breathtaking and awe-inspiring spectacle.

Zhu Qing was stunned.

She never imagined that she would get married so unexpectedly, let alone have such a magnificent wedding.

Two rows of maids even stood outside the gate, carrying flower baskets and scattering petals into the air.

Zhu Qing was led closer by Feng Huaihe, and when she caught a petal that fell into her palm, she recognized it as a pink and white apricot blossom.

"I don't want you to have a son, I want you to be lucky."

Feng Huaihe's voice seemed to echo in her ears again, and Zhu Qing's heart was stirred. It was hard to say whether this was what it felt like to be cherished by someone.

She never experienced that her parents only cared about her younger brother, her friends only cared about the benefits she could bring, and that she had no lover and no one cared about her in that society.

Zhu Qing felt a lump in her throat and even had the urge to cry. She looked up at Feng Huaihe, who was standing beside her in his wedding attire, bathed in the rosy glow of the sunset. He turned his head and smiled gently at her.

"My wife," Feng Huaihe suddenly called to her in a very low voice.

Suddenly, the sound of the wind in the world disappeared, and Zhu Qing was almost fooled by the scene before her.

But she was quickly brought back to her senses. Someone called her name, Zhu Qingxun, and saw Chen Sangguo jump up in the crowd and wave at her.

Chen Sangguo held Manman's hand and stood with her eldest, second, and third brothers, as well as Nie Zhen.

Zhu Qing was astonished. How much effort had Feng Huaihe put in to have them all waiting here?

She smiled broadly as she squeezed through the crowd toward Zhu Qing. As she got closer, Zhu Qing could hear the tinkling of the bells on her head.

Feng Huaihe looked at his half-sister, whose identity he didn't know whether she was his half-sister or his full sister, and felt no emotion.

Chen Sangguo's eyes darted between the two of them, and she exclaimed in surprise, "You two are such a perfect match!"

Feng Huaihe felt a surge of emotion and smiled, suddenly realizing that his younger sister was actually quite nice.