Chapter 228 They got married

That evening, Liu Ye arrived at Bai Zilin's residence carrying a box. Old Li greeted Liu Ye and then stood guard outside the door: "Brother Bai, many people's residences in the capital have been robbed. My storeroom was also robbed, as were the general's residence, the princess's residence, and many other officials' residences. I suspect that the Emperor ordered Furong to lead people to do it."

Bai Zilin nodded and said, "I heard from Old Li that the national treasury suddenly disappeared. The emperor had no money, so he had to resort to despicable means to steal it. Humph, I can't believe he came up with that idea!"

"Have you dealt with everyone in your household? Old Li and his men have already bought the carriages. Old Li and his men have a total of 100 people. With the two of us, that's five carriages. The rest of the men ride horses. The Princess's mansion was robbed. Do you still have any silver? Luckily, Old Li was smart. He took 10,000 taels of silver with him when he left the General's mansion. Otherwise, I would have been left empty-handed."

Liu Ye nodded smugly and said, "Of course I have them. I don't like to put all my eggs in one basket. I've hidden all my silver notes and valuable jewelry under my bed." She opened the box she had brought, which was now overflowing with gold, silver, jewelry, and silver notes.

"I'm so smart, aren't I? Brother Bai, when are we leaving? I want to burn down the Princess's mansion so the Emperor will think I'm dead."

Bai Zilin thought for a moment and said, "Your idea is good. We'll leave as soon as the city gates open at dawn. I'll have Old Li take some men to set the city on fire in a bit."

Liu Ye nodded; she also wanted to leave this place of trouble as soon as possible: "Okay."

Afterwards, Bai Zilin ordered Lao Li to lead a group of men to set fire to the Princess's mansion. Lao Li, along with Hei Yi and four others, set fire to the mansion and left quickly. Autumn was dry and the fire spread rapidly, eventually engulfing the Princess's mansion in flames. The fire was so intense that it spread to the General's mansion, setting it ablaze as well as the Su family's residence. However, no one was injured.

When the people from the General's Mansion discovered that the Princess's Mansion was on fire, they all ran out. The same was true for the people living in the Su family, who were given to them by the Empress Dowager. They all ran to the main gate, anxiously shouting, "Fire! Help! Fire!"

As dawn broke and the sun rose, the Princess's mansion was reduced to ashes. The General's mansion and the neighboring Su family's mansion were also half burned down. The fake Bai Zilin hurriedly went to the palace to report to the Emperor. The Emperor didn't even raise his eyelids after listening: "Did you find the Princess's body?"

The fake Bai Zilin respectfully replied, "The Princess's mansion has been burned to the ground, and it will be difficult to find any remains..."

The Emperor sighed and said, "I understand. You may leave."

After the fake Bai Zilin left, Emperor Xuan said to the air, "Consort Xian, the Princess's residence suddenly caught fire. What do you think?"

Behind the screen in the Imperial Study, Furong, dressed in magnificent clothes, came out and said, "I think that the Peerless Monarch has already been burned to death. If she hadn't been burned to death, she would definitely have come to find Your Majesty. The Princess's mansion's treasury was robbed and the fruit shop was smashed. She doesn't even have a tael of silver on her now. How can she survive if she doesn't come to find Your Majesty?"

Emperor Xuan threw the pen aside, grabbed Furong and pulled her into his arms. He buried his head in her neck, kissing her as he whispered, "Yes, you're right. If the princess is not dead, I will keep her in the palace and make her Consort Hui. From then on, she will no longer be my adopted sister, but my consort, serving me alongside you."

Furong suppressed the jealousy churning within her and wrapped her jade-like arms around Emperor Xuan's neck: "Yes, Your Majesty, I am willing to serve you alongside the Princess. By the way, Bai Zilin has been rescued and hasn't been found yet. Perhaps he rescued the Princess instead..."

Emperor Xuan held Furong on the imperial desk and, while undressing her, said, "Bai Zilin was beaten half to death by the Empress Dowager's men, and his tendons in his hands and feet were severed. He might already be dead. Even if he isn't, he's a cripple. Why should I fear him? My darling Furong, I love your tongue..."

Five days later, Bai Zilin and Liu Ye successfully arrived in the south. Instead of choosing to settle in the bustling prefectural city, they chose to settle in a remote town called Funan Town. Liu Ye bought a house, five shops, and a manor with 200 acres of land in the town. The manor was on the edge of the county town and not far from the town.

As soon as Liu Ye entered Funan Town, she fell in love with the place. The people seemed very simple and honest, and the environment was beautiful. In the north, winter had already arrived at this time of year, but here it was still filled with birdsong and the fragrance of flowers. Flowers were blooming everywhere, crops were growing in the fields, and all kinds of fruits and vegetables were growing in the gardens.

She went to the garden and picked four or five lychees, all of which were planted by the previous owner: "Brother Bai, come down quickly, two are enough to eat."

Bai Zilin climbed high up a coconut tree, desperately pulling coconuts down: "These two are ripe too. If we don't cut them down, they might fall and hit someone."

Liu Ye stood far away from the coconut trees. Yesterday, she almost got hit on the head by a falling coconut. Coconut trees were everywhere here—in front of the door, behind the door, along the roadside, in the woods. There were also many other fruit trees, such as lychee, longan, mango, orange, and banana. There were many fruits she didn't recognize. Fruit was also very cheap here. Local villagers used fruit to feed pigs, especially bananas, which were the staple food for pigs.

Bai Zilin cut down the ripe coconuts, then jumped down from the tall coconut tree. He picked up four or five coconuts from the ground, carried them to the yard, and placed them under the window to dry: "Liu Ye, have you thought about what kind of business we should do?"

Liu Ye handed Bai Zilin two lychees: "What are you doing? We definitely can't sell fruit anymore. The South doesn't lack food, so opening a grain store is definitely not an option. The South doesn't lack food, and the people in the South are richer than those in the North. There are also more wealthy people in the South. I'm thinking of opening a restaurant. Once the restaurant is open, I'll open a few snack stalls. What do you think?"

Bai Zilin took a bite of lychee and felt the sweetness in his heart: "I think it's a good idea, but neither of us can show our faces in public. Let Lao Li and the others run the shop. We can't let Da Long, Xiao Hu, He Tao, and Hei Yi be idle either. After we get married, we'll go to the estate for a while. It's been a while since we went hunting in the mountains. I'm starting to miss it."

Liu Ye readily nodded: "I'll do as you say."

Three days later, Liu Ye and Bai Zilin got married. The guests were Lao Li, Hei Yi, Da Long, Xiao Hu, and He Tao. There were 100 people at ten tables. After Bai Zilin and Liu Ye finished their wedding ceremony, Da Long and Xiao Hu helped them into the bridal chamber. There was no wedding night prank or any of the complicated procedures.

When Bai Zilin and Lao Li returned after drinking, he used a scale rod to lift Liu Ye's veil. Liu Ye under the red veil was so beautiful that it was beyond description. She was like a fairy from heaven or Chang'e in the moon. Bai Zilin stared at her, his eyes wide, and he kept swallowing his saliva.

"My wife, you are so beautiful. I... I've really struck gold. It's getting late, let's... let's go to sleep..."

After Bai Zilin finished speaking, he lunged at Liu Ye, but Liu Ye quickly dodged him. She looked at the table next to her, which was covered with various pastries, nuts, and fruits, and there was a "double happiness" character on it: "Brother Bai, we haven't drunk the nuptial wine yet, what's the rush..."

Bai Zilin hugged Liu Ye from behind, his face flushed, and said, "Why are you in such a hurry? I... I'm almost dying of anxiety."