Chapter 94 Qi-Liang Boundary (Part Six) Could it be an elopement?! ...

Jiuli remained silent, walked behind the desk, and slowly squatted down towards Yu Qi. He also slightly moved his chair towards her. She took one of his hands and pressed it against her face, raised her eyes, and their reddened eyes met. She looked directly into the dark and vulnerable place in his heart.

"What's wrong?" Yu Qi leaned down to look at her for a while, realizing that she had probably heard everything outside. He hadn't refuted the old lady's suggestion to take her back to the countryside in Suzhou, so she was probably disappointed.

But he could only disappoint her. He couldn't love her, nor could he bear to see her love someone else. Perhaps this was the best solution.

The room was quiet at this moment. The Qi family and the Wei family were far away. Only the two of them and the dust in the twilight remained. But she knew that she still could not truly stay with him.

She couldn't help but smile, but her heart sank with sorrow. "It's all your fault. You're too good to me, making everyone else pale in comparison."

His gentleness and the kindness he showed her were nothing short of a cage, and she only now realized that she had been trapped by him for many years.

Yu Qi laughed, leaning back in his chair and gently stroking her hair. "If I don't treat you well enough, you'll hate me."

Her hair was naturally thick and heavy. Since he discovered he loved her, those trivial details from the past often popped into his mind. In the summer, after she washed her hair, she liked to lie back on the bed to dry it. When he was there, she would put her head on her lap, hug the cloth tiger that Aunt Feng had sewn for her, and look at him with her big eyes.

At this moment, her clear, large eyes were veiled with tears. "Hate may be more than love."

If he sent her back to the countryside, wouldn't she be lonely? She's never been one to bear loneliness, and over time, she'd inevitably resent him. But suddenly, his heart hardened; hating him was better than seeing her fall in love with someone else.

In fact, after all these twists and turns, if it weren't for the "last moment," he would never have realized that he was far less generous than he thought, and that his previous magnanimity was just an act for himself.

“You pretend you don’t care about anything, but you’ve always remembered what happened before. You’ve held a grudge against me deep down. You’ve been back for so many years, providing me with good food and clothing, and building a big house for me to live in. On the surface, you’re being filial to me, but actually, you just want to show off to the villagers. Look how amazing the Yu family’s son, who was sold off when he was young, is. He’s never held a grudge against his mother and is so filial. You know, the more people talk about it, the more upset I get. You’re just deliberately trying to stab me in the heart!”

"It's the same now. You're ostensibly arranging a marriage for Yu'er, but you're looking at this house from one door to another. It's all just for show. I know that even if the emperor himself came, you wouldn't agree to this marriage. You're just putting on a good show for yourself!"

These words were spoken by the old lady. No one knows a son better than his mother. People say that a fake act can become real. He had been acting for so long, but the old lady easily saw through his act. He could neither become the best person nor the worst person, but that was all he could do. He was stuck in the middle, unable to move forward or backward.

Jiuli was going back to the countryside in Suzhou with the old lady, and sent Fengqiao to escort them. Yuqing and the others thought it was because the old lady had offended people by refusing the marriage proposals from the Qi and Wei families one after another, and she couldn't save face. Besides, she couldn't be left unattended all the time. The old lady was already living a very restrictive life in Nanjing. Everyone knew about the rift between the mother and son.

As for why she brought Jiuli back, the old lady said, "Look at how she's living here, she's getting wilder and wilder, and it'll be even harder for her to find a husband in the future."

For some reason, after all this fuss, the whole family felt that finding a husband for Jiuli was a long way off. Everyone had a vague feeling that Jiuli would never get married, just like Yuqi, probably because she was destined to have a shallow marriage.

As Yuqing helped her pack her luggage, she said, "I heard there's a very effective matchmaking temple in Suzhou. Grandma, take Yu'er there to pray on your way. Maybe you'll be able to settle down next year."

The old woman, wringing out a garment, turned her head, gave a mocking laugh, and said nothing. Could gods or Buddhas control Yu Qi? He had no respect for ghosts or gods whatsoever.

Like a nine-legged carp, she was packing her belongings. Fengqiao had booked a boat for tomorrow and would head to the dock early in the morning. She would be back in Suzhou in about four or five days. The thought of the journey by water made her feel hopeless and lonely. Yu Qi had promised to come back to see her once a year, but what did that matter?

Du Zhong peered at her expressionless face and vaguely sensed something. Her refusal to marry and her return to her hometown were both suspicious, but he didn't dare to ask. He only said, "Don't worry, I will take good care of Master."

Jiuli tossed her clothes on the bed, turned around and glanced at him listlessly, "Who's taking care of whom?"

"Okay, okay, Master will take care of me, alright?" He melted the gold pendant with fish playing with lotus flowers that Guan Youjun had given him before into two pieces, and held one half in front of her. "You've always liked this, haven't you? I've broken it in two, so we can each wear one."

She hadn't felt particularly reluctant to part with him these past two days, but suddenly when she looked into his eyes, Jiuli burst into tears. She hugged him tightly and realized that he was already a head taller than her.

She let go of him, glaring at him with displeasure. "Don't be happy. Your uncle has already found out about your affair with Aunt Guo. He's such a rigid and old-fashioned person, he won't allow it."

Du Zhong was so startled that he quickly covered her mouth. He turned his head and saw that Xiu Zhi was busy somewhere. He smiled without much worry, "I know that my uncle will not agree easily, so I plan to slowly erode him! As long as he doesn't ask me, I will keep quiet for now."

Jiuli wiped away her tears, "How can someone as stupid as you possibly whittle him down?"

"I reasoned with them and appealed to their emotions."

He shouldn't even think about challenging Yu Qi! But maybe he's different. Yu Qi only sees him as a son, as his "father," so maybe he can understand him a little better, unlike her. Their relationship is so special.

Perhaps Du Zhong will get what he wants in the future, but she felt even more alone. She turned around and continued to slowly pack her things. "I wish you all the best, but I don't think it's likely."

Du Zhong chuckled and plopped down on the bed, propping himself up with his hands behind his back and looking up at her. "Does Qi Xubai know you're leaving?"

Jiuli shook her head. "I don't know."

Just then, Xiuzhi came in and said, "Wei Hong is here."

Wei Hongyuan had come to apologize to the old lady on behalf of his grandmother that day. When he entered the main room, he kowtowed to the old lady. The old lady was even more embarrassed and quickly helped him up. She then instructed Yuqing to call Jiuli over to talk to him. The two of them stood together, and the old lady looked at them with great regret.

After chatting for a while, Wei Hong was about to take his leave, but the old lady asked Jiu Li to see him out. Jiu Li specially led him out through the ceremonial gate, and in the alley, Wei Hong asked, "I just saw the old lady packing her things. Where is the old lady going?"

"My grandmother and I are going back to the countryside in Suzhou."

Wei Hong was taken aback. He had thought there would be plenty of time and another chance. But then, he was suddenly told that she was leaving. A feeling of regret washed over him, causing him to stop in his tracks and remain silent for a while.

"Everything was fine before, so why does Mr. Yu disagree with our relationship now?"

Jiuli didn't know what to say, so he just smiled and said, "In the future, there will naturally be many good girls to discuss marriage with you."

Wei Hong fell silent again. Yu Qi watched from the alley entrance for a while, seeing the two of them just standing there, neither speaking nor moving, with a step between them, a somewhat dangerous distance. He had never been bad at judging people; Wei Hong was not an impolite person, so he dared not overstep the mark, but he still couldn't help but keep an eye on him.

Somehow, Guan Youjun overheard the news. She was always well-informed, and by evening she had prepared a large farewell feast, saying many words of reluctance to part to the old lady. After leaving the Yu family, she wasn't in a hurry to return home, but instructed her servant to take the carriage to the Qi family.

Niangzhuang understood her meaning and asked, "I heard that the two ladies of the Qi family personally went to the Yu family to propose marriage, but were rejected by Mr. Yu to his face. Why did you come to tell him, Miss? Even if you did tell him, what could Master Qi do?"

Youjun laughed and said, "What he does is none of my business. I'll just tell him what I'm saying."

Upon receiving this news, Xu Bai became restless, unsure whether he couldn't swallow his anger or let go of Jiu Li. He tossed and turned in bed all night. Two rumbles sounded outside, the air was heavy and suffocating, yet it didn't rain; perhaps the rain had gone elsewhere.

Early in the morning, Xu Bai ordered his servant to harness a horse and hurried to the dock. He waited until the Yu family members who had come to see him off had returned. When he saw Jiu Lifengqiao helping the old lady into the cabin, he boarded the ship to pay his respects. The old lady assumed that he was also there to see him off, and since it wasn't time for the ship to depart yet, she allowed Jiu Lifengqiao to disembark and go to the teahouse to have tea and talk.

The boardwalk was bustling with people, and the shore was just as lively. As soon as the two of them stepped off the boat, they were instantly swallowed up by the sea of ​​people. Xu Bai asked, "Why didn't Mr. Yu come to see us off?"

Judging from their tone, it seemed they had seen the people who came to see them off. Jiu Li smiled and asked, "How long have you been waiting in the distance?"

“Not long, just a quarter of an hour.” Xu Bai glanced at her again, somewhat aggressively, “You still haven’t told me why Mr. Yu didn’t come to see you off?”

Jiuli could only pretend it didn't matter, "What does it matter whether he comes or not?"

He suddenly chuckled, "He doesn't dare to come, afraid he won't be able to bear it."

She was startled and pretended not to hear, but he saw right through her, "You're not speaking because you want to cover up your husband's immoral and disgraceful behavior. You were raised by him since childhood; he's your father. Of course, it's understandable that you want to protect his reputation and dignity. But—"

Before she could finish speaking, she exclaimed, "That's not how it is!"

"What do you mean? He raised you, yet he monopolizes you. Isn't that despicable and vile?"

Jiuli glanced at the passersby around her, and could only suppress her voice, clenching her teeth, "No, no! Don't make false accusations, I started it first—"

Before she could finish speaking, he grabbed both her arms. "You're so stupid! What do you know? You're just a young, naive girl. You've been bewitched by him! You even defend him. Think about it carefully. He can't have you, and he won't let anyone else near you. Sending you back to the countryside is nothing more than imprisoning you, keeping you like a bird in a cage where you have no worries about food or clothing! Isn't that possession?!"

Jiuli couldn't reason with him, but they were determined to throw all the blame on Yu Qi. She shook off his hand, not wanting to dwell on the matter, and sulked alone for a long time.

After a while, seeing his horse tied up outside the teahouse with a gray satin bundle hanging from it, I was a little surprised. "Are you also going on a long trip?"

“Oh, the Emperor has summoned me to the capital to report on the Qinglian Temple case. The Prince will also be escorting Chen Jia back to the capital tomorrow, and I plan to go with him.”

"If you're not leaving until tomorrow, why didn't you pack your bags earlier today?"

Xu Bai swallowed hard, then suddenly asked in a serious tone, "Will you come with me?"

"Going together? What is this? Could it be an elopement?!" The two stopped beside their horses. Jiuli looked out from her horse and saw a row of boats moored along the shore, some carrying passengers and some carrying cargo. She didn't know where they were going. Her family's boat was going back to Suzhou, but Yu Qi wasn't going back with her. It was as if their hometown had become a foreign land.

Seeing that she remained silent, Xu Bai felt somewhat relieved. As long as she didn't say no, there was a good chance. He then offered a huge temptation, "The prince told me that he saw your mother's painting by chance in the emperor's bedchamber. He found it strange that the emperor would keep Aunt Quan's portrait, so he secretly asked a painter to make a copy. Don't you find that strange too?"

As expected, Jiu Li's expression changed drastically, filled with disbelief, "The Emperor? The current Emperor?"

"That's right. The current emperor and your mother are of the same generation and are about the same age. When the emperor was still the crown prince, he also knew your mother."

"You mean, the Emperor might also be my biological father?"

Xu Bai nodded. "This is just a suspicion between me and the Prince. Whether it is true or not, we still need to go to the capital to investigate in detail."

If her biological father were not Prince Feng but the Emperor, then she would not be the daughter of a disgraced official, but a princess of noble birth! What would she have to fear about recognizing her ancestors? At that time, even Yu Qi would have to listen to her, and who in the world would dare to gossip about her?

Her anger turned to joy, and she nodded at him, "Alright, I'll go to the capital with you."

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Author's note: Thank you for reading.