Broken Linglong (8)

Qin Zhiqing still found nothing today, but the golden light she had encountered earlier had inexplicably disappeared. She returned to her residence and went to sleep, only to open her eyes to find it was a new morning. Unusually, she didn't sit up immediately, but instead lay in bed staring intently at the ceiling above her. She had already searched most of the graves on the mountain, but hadn't found what she was looking for. If it truly was still in the Qi family ancestral land, then the only remaining possibility was the ancestral altar at the very top.

But she had heard from Qi Shuojun that the ancestral altar would not be opened easily unless there was a major event in the clan. The only major event for the Qi family recently was her wedding with Qi Shuojun... What should she do? Her deadline was only before the wedding.

Qin Zhiqing was somewhat troubled. She stared straight ahead without moving until the sound of Zhi Que's footsteps approached, at which point she suddenly sat up.

As usual, Zhique pushed open the door and entered, helping Qin Zhiqing wash up as before. She introduced the day's arrangements, saying, "Young Master Qi has already had someone deliver the wedding dress in advance. Miss, please try it on in a bit."

"But after so many revisions, there shouldn't be any major problems," Zhi Que muttered softly, before finally securing the hair ornament for Qin Zhiqing.

Looking at herself in the mirror, Qin Zhiqing realized that after so many sleepless nights, her face still looked somewhat haggard. She asked Zhique to apply another layer of makeup to conceal her fatigue.

"Lead the way." Qin Zhiqing stood up and followed Zhique to the room where the wedding dress was kept.

Zhique led Qin Zhiqing through the corridor and into a spacious courtyard. The Qi family's matrons and maids had been waiting there for some time; upon seeing the bride, they bowed respectfully and greeted her.

Then, two maids pushed open the door, and a dazzling golden light rushed in. A solemn and exquisite wedding dress was laid out flat and hung on a mahogany shelf in the center of the room. The low tables on both sides were filled with gold and silver jewelry: gilded filigree jade rings, auspicious kingfisher feather phoenix-shaped gold hairpins, peach branch, flower, bird and cloud pattern earrings... One by one, precious ornaments were placed in silk and sandalwood boxes, neatly arranged in order, dazzling the eyes.

Although the Qin family was not short of money, they could not compare to the overwhelming wealth of the Qi family. Zhi Que stared at the room full of jewels, speechless with astonishment.

Qin Zhiqing remained unmoved. She stepped closer and gently touched the collar of her wedding dress. The collar was edged with delicate pearls, the bright white pearls echoing the red silk. About an inch below the collar, there were lotus and raindrop patterns embroidered in gold thread—a special design for weddings in the Qi family, dignified yet graceful. The rest of the dress was equally impressive; the intricate patterns were filled with joy and blessings, auspicious clouds and golden phoenixes leaping across the fabric. Even picking up a corner of the dress, one couldn't help but admire the exquisite embroidery.

"Do you like this outfit?" Qi Shuojun's voice suddenly rang out from behind.

Qin Zhiqing was taken aback and turned around to see Qi Shuojun stride in, his golden robes standing out even more brightly in the jewel-encrusted room. He walked to Qin Zhiqing's side, mimicking her gesture by lifting one side of his robe, his slender fingers tracing the fine lines on it, and mused, "It's much more exquisite than the previous version, and it certainly lives up to the reputation of the Weaving Workshop."

"Why don't we try it on again to see if it fits? If it's inconvenient to move around, we can send it back to the embroidery workshop to be altered. There's still time," Qi Shuojun asked, tilting her head.

"Let's try it out first." Qin Zhiqing withdrew her hand expressionlessly, turned around and walked behind the screen to the side, instructing Zhique to help her change her clothes.

Qi Shuojun tactfully turned his back and looked outside. The old woman who had been waiting at the door pursed her lips, came inside, and whispered to him, "Young master, the wedding is approaching. Even if you're eager to see your bride, coming at this time is somewhat impolite. If the master and madam find out..."

Qi Shuojun lowered her eyes and smiled, "Why don't you just not say anything? It's not like I'm here for the first time."

The question sounded like a question, but it carried a hint of threat. The old woman pursed her lips helplessly, bowed her head and answered yes, then stepped aside. Qi Shuojun was the only son of the Qi family. No matter how willful he was, this huge family business would eventually be under his control, and no servant would want to go against him.

Qi Shuojun waited a while longer until the rustling sounds behind her gradually subsided, and light footsteps sounded. Zhique lifted the hem of her wedding dress and whispered a reminder to be careful. Only then did Qi Shuojun turn around, just in time to see a red figure emerge from behind the screen.

Qin Zhiqing's cool and aloof face appeared even softer against the backdrop of her red wedding dress. Her eyebrows and eyes were exquisitely beautiful, her skin as white as snow, and her crimson lips even more vibrant. Qi Shuojun's gaze sharpened, and for a moment she forgot to praise her.

After Qin Zhiqing turned around and tried on the size of the clothes, Qi Shuojun finally realized what was going on and smiled at her, "Luckily I took a look beforehand today. If I had only seen it on the wedding day, I was afraid I would have forgotten the process and just been too busy looking at you."

Zhi Que couldn't help but chuckle to herself, knowing that her young mistress was exceptionally beautiful, even Young Master Qi was captivated by her.

Qin Zhiqing was stunned again, but quickly regained her composure. She calmly thanked the other person for the compliment and said, "This wedding dress fits perfectly. Thank you to the people in the embroidery workshop for their hard work. This is fine as it is."

After saying that, she turned around and went behind the screen to change back into her own clothes.

Seeing this, Qi Shuojun stopped her and said, "Why don't you wear your jewelry too?"

Qin Zhiqing paused, turned around and looked at the accessories on the table, a hint of hesitation on her face. Seeing this, Zhique quickly advised from behind, "Miss, please try it on. What if you find out on the wedding day that it's too loose or too tight? That would be a big problem."

Qin Zhiqing agreed and nodded. Qi Shuojun immediately ordered two other maids to help Qin Zhiqing change into the gold and silver jewelry. Qin Zhiqing, like a doll, let them dress her up. After a while, she was finally fully dressed. She felt that the jewelry on her body was so heavy that it made her feel suffocated.

In an instant, Qin Zhiqing finally had a real sense that she was going to marry Qi Shuojun. Long-buried confusion suddenly surged into her mind—was she really going to marry him?

She stared blankly at Qi Shuojun, only to see his gentle gaze. When he noticed her looking at him, his smile deepened rather than diminished. He stood there, tall and slender, with an innate air of nobility that emanated from within, drawing the attention of anyone who saw him. Qi Shuojun was like a golden wheel suspended in the sky, its soft light silently entering her eyes, dazzling but not scorching.

Qin Zhiqing forced herself to look away, afraid that if she looked any longer, she would lose control. This was just an arranged marriage, Qin Zhiqing silently told herself. Then she hurriedly pulled off her jewelry: "The jewelry fits perfectly, so this is fine."

The maidservant beside her hurriedly picked up the sandalwood box and carefully put away these precious items.

Qi Shuojun looked at her with some regret, but didn't say anything.

After removing her jewelry, Qin Zhiqing immediately turned back behind the screen, eager to take off her wedding dress. Seeing this, Zhique immediately followed her in, afraid that her mistress might scratch her clothes in her haste.

After finally changing back into her everyday clothes, Qin Zhiqing's panicked heart calmed down a little.

She stepped out from behind the screen again and looked at Qi Shuojun, saying, "The wedding attire has been tried on. If Young Master Qi has nothing else to say..."

"Hey, let's go for a walk," Qi Shuojun said before she could finish speaking. "It's at the pavilion in the mansion."

Qin Zhiqing was speechless, but ultimately did not refuse. She followed Qi Shuojun out of the room and all the way to the garden of the mansion. In the center of the garden was a wide artificial lake, with an octagonal pavilion standing on the water. Two figures were sitting in the pavilion, one of them leaning against the railing, gazing idly at the lake outside the pavilion.

The other man, seeing them approach, raised his eyebrows happily and greeted them, "Brother Shuo! Miss Qin!"

Upon hearing this, the person overlooking the lake also turned around. Qin Zhiqing paused, only then recognizing the two figures as Ye Yingying and Zhao Yuxiao from the Drunken Gold Pavilion yesterday.

How did they get here? Qin Zhiqing frowned, looking puzzled.

Qi Shuojun turned to her and said, "I noticed you were happier when they were here yesterday, so I took the liberty of asking them to come over and keep you company again today."

Seeing that Qin Zhiqing was still confused, he explained, "When we're alone together, you always seem a little uncomfortable, so I guessed that you might feel more relaxed if there were more people around."

After speaking, Qi Shuojun awkwardly rubbed his folding fan for a moment.

Qin Zhiqing suddenly understood his meaning, and was also stunned. The words of refusal that she had been thinking about were stuck in her throat, and she didn't know how to refuse his kindness for a moment.

"Well, since we're already here, let's just meet." Qin Zhiqing stepped forward and said, "Young Master Zhao, Miss Ye, it's nice to see you again."

"Miss Qin, how have you been?" Ye Yingying waved to her and smiled. "Young Master Qi said you were trying on your wedding dress today, and he wanted to go and join in the fun, but he absolutely refused to let us, and only allowed us to wait here."

“Exactly, exactly.” Zhao Yuxiao chimed in, “They even said it was the Qi family’s rule, keeping us under tight control, it’s so mysterious.”

Qin Zhiqing chuckled: "It's alright, we'll see you in a few days. You'll definitely have to wear it on your wedding day."

"Huh?" Ye Yingying feigned curiosity, a sly glint in her eyes. "Since you're already here, why don't you give me a little hint?"

"That won't do."

Qin Zhiqing refused decisively, giving Ye Yingying no chance to try again. Ye Yingying tried several times but failed to get her to talk, so she had no choice but to give up. She leaned back and pouted disdainfully, saying, "Fine, I won't tell you then. On our wedding day, I'll see how special this dress is."

"Then you'd better take a good look then, don't just glance at it and start making judgments," Qi Shuojun said jokingly as she stepped forward. "Not everyone has the chance to see the wedding dresses produced by our Zhijin Workshop."

"It seems I should thank Young Master Qi for his kind invitation." Ye Yingying squinted and gave Qi Shuojun a fake smile.

Qi Shuojun shamelessly shook his fan: "Of course, I didn't charge you any money."

"How can he be so shameless?" Ye Yingying became interested and rolled up her sleeves, ready to argue with him, but Zhao Yuxiao stopped her.

Zhao Yuxiao earnestly advised, "Miss Ying'er, let it go. Brother Shuo is good in every way, but the way he talks about money is really annoying. I'm afraid you won't be able to resist hitting him in a little while."