Chapter 46: "But I love you, and I want to marry you."
Oh no, oh no.
Mu Shan's face was ashen, his head bowed, his mind racing with a thousand thoughts.
Looking at Xiao Xu's calm face, Yun Sheng suddenly felt that he was somewhat unfamiliar.
She knew she shouldn't jump to conclusions based on just a few words she heard, but her thoughts couldn't help but wander and speculate further based on these seemingly random words.
She glanced at Mu Shan, then turned back to look at Xiao Xu.
With no one answering, she pressed on, "What did you mean by that? You found the Third Young Master a long time ago, but you haven't been letting him return to the capital, is that right?"
Mu Shan's heart tightened: "Princess Consort, this matter is actually..."
"Mushan, step back." Xiao Xu finally spoke, interrupting Mushan, his voice deep.
Mu Shan paused slightly, pursed his lips, hesitated for a moment, and then bowed and left the room.
Only the two of them remained in the room, but the tense atmosphere did not ease in the slightest.
Yun Sheng thought that perhaps her mind was not clear in the middle of the night, otherwise how could her mind be full of unbelievable thoughts?
"Answer me." Yun Sheng took a step forward, her mind overflowing with countless answers, yet she stubbornly insisted on waiting for Xiao Xu to give her a definite answer.
Xiao Xu stared at her, his eyes gleaming, his throat churning, but he really didn't want to speak.
He didn't understand why he felt worried after Yun Sheng discovered this.
Is it because of her expression at this moment?
Even before hearing his answer, he already looked resistant to questioning.
A slight tingling sensation spread from my chest all the way to my arm with the flow of blood, but finally dissipated at my fingertips.
His fingers twitched numbly, and he said in a hoarse voice, "Yes."
He stood up and slowly walked towards Yun Sheng, his expression gloomy, his tone as if it were the most natural thing in the world: "I have no intention of letting him return to the capital."
"……Why."
Xiao Xu approached, his body almost completely blocking the already dim candlelight in the room, making his vision blurry.
Yun Sheng did not back down; she continued to press for the answer she cared about, and she would not leave.
But what happens after she gets the answer?
Xiao Xu didn't know, but he reached out and grabbed her wrist first: "I don't want to see him, and I don't want you to see him either."
"Sheng Sheng, we're married."
Yun Sheng's pupils contracted slightly: "What do you mean by that? Are you saying that we are already married, and if the Third Young Master returns to the capital, I will do something to betray our marital relationship?"
This is utterly absurd.
But Xiao Xu's unchanging expression confirmed her absurd conjecture.
He had been suspecting that she would break off the marriage.
Xiao Xu tightened his jaw and stated in a deep, hoarse voice, "You like him."
Yun Sheng's eyes widened: "Didn't you hear what I said to you tonight?"
Even though he didn't know before, tonight, after hearing her firm words after she had thought it through, he secretly made this plan behind her back late at night.
"Then why do you care whether he comes back or continues to run away? What does it matter to you whether he comes back or not?"
Yun Sheng felt that Xiao Xu was simply unreasonable.
If he thought from the beginning that she would still be thinking of Xiao Ling after their marriage and that she would break off the engagement, then why did he agree to the marriage in the first place?
He kept saying he wasn't forced into the marriage, but he harbored suspicion and conjecture about her from the very beginning.
Looking at the gloomy-faced man in front of her, Yun Sheng suddenly had a shocking guess.
When did you first find him?
Xiao Xu's brow twitched, and the corners of his lips gradually tightened.
His deep gaze was fixed on Yun Sheng, as if he wanted to see her reaction to the answer in her eyes first.
But he couldn't see it. The light in Yun Sheng's eyes was obscured by his figure, unfathomable. He could barely even see the silhouette of himself reflected in her eyes.
"On the eve of the wedding, outside the south gate."
At that moment, Xiao Xu stood on the city gate, watching indifferently as Xiao Ling rode away.
As suspicion arose in her heart, this was already an expected answer, but hearing Xiao Xu say it himself still made her heart sink.
He answered with just this one sentence, yet it revealed all the facts.
It turns out that forcing her to marry her fiancé's elder brother on her wedding day was not the only solution.
No, it should be said that at the beginning of her marriage, she didn't need to be flustered and at a loss when faced with the unexpected changes in her marriage.
These words quietly faded into the room with the doors and windows tightly shut. The candle on the table seemed to be burning out its last bit of oil, its flame flickering and almost going out.
so what.
So he insisted on the marriage, but he always harbored suspicions about her.
Yun Sheng recalled the times she had talked about Xiao Ling with Xiao Xu.
At first, he avoided the topic and seemed awkward and reserved with her, but later he seemed to become more open, and she gradually felt at ease.
She has been trying to adapt to this unexpected marriage and accept the sudden mishap in her otherwise smooth life.
However, the reality was not what she imagined at all.
Yun Sheng took a step back with mixed feelings, only to find that her wrist was still tightly gripped in Xiao Xu's palm.
She twisted and struggled, but Xiao Xu tightened his grip on her fingers even more.
"Let go."
Xiao Xu's gaze darkened: "If he comes back, can you guarantee that you won't feel anything when you see him?"
Yun Sheng was speechless.
She didn't know the outcome of this event that hadn't happened yet, and she didn't want to make any promises to Xiao Xu.
Yun Sheng's silence made his throat feel sore, and his chest, neck, and even his face were tense as if he had lost control.
Yun Sheng winced in pain: "You're squeezing me too hard, let go of me—"
Before the last word was even finished, Xiao Xu blocked the rest of his words from his lips.
He released her wrist, but grabbed her neck, his body pressing down on her and easily pinning her against the door.
Yun Sheng's open lips were pinched by him, preventing her from closing them. Xiao Xu's tongue probed in, his suppressed emotions spiraling out of control as he eagerly and forcefully plundered the saliva from her mouth.
Yun Sheng reached out to push him away, but Xiao Xu grabbed her arm with one hand and twisted it behind her back.
Breathing became difficult; the scorching heat was draining her strength.
Yun Sheng turned her head away, and Xiao Xu's lips landed on her ear.
As they struggled, their bodies slammed against the door, making a loud banging that sent chills down one's spine.
As Xiao Xu's movements gradually slowed down, the sticky voice in his ear seemed to sweep away the stagnant atmosphere and turn into the intimacy they were both familiar with.
Whether it was her imagination or not, Yun Sheng felt Xiao Xu's fingers, which were gripping her neck, trembling slightly.
Then she heard his low, husky voice whisper in her ear: "What can I do then? Bring him back, force him to stay in the capital, and watch you two get married?"
"But I love you, and I want to marry you."
To this day, he still resists recalling the unrealistic idea that arose in his heart on the first day of his marriage, when he and Yun Sheng held hands and went to Rende Hall to pay respects to their parents and receive blessings from their relatives.
If Yun Sheng and Xiao Ling get married smoothly.
Xiao Xu closed his eyes heavily and turned his head to kiss her lips again.
“You yourself don’t know if you will waver if he comes back, how can I not be afraid?”
Yun Sheng opened her eyes in surprise, only to hear Xiao Xu utter the word "fear".
He suppressed her so much, doing such harsh and despicable things behind her back, and yet he said he was afraid.
Yun Sheng suddenly thought of that word.
play hard.
She fluttered her eyelashes, refusing to open her head or push him away. She could only press her lips against his and whisper, "...Don't talk nonsense."
"Have you ever thought about kissing him like this? Have you ever imagined him holding you so tightly?"
His breath slid down her neck, his Adam's apple bobbing as he sucked on her skin.
Yun Sheng felt a shiver run through her body, and a sense of disorientation washed over her as she felt Xiao Xu about to pull her into a passionate and lingering embrace.
"If he also likes you, would you choose me? Would you still marry me?"
Xiao Xu was unwilling to admit it, but he knew it very well in his heart.
As a fellow man, even a brother, he understood Xiao Ling's temperament and knew that Xiao Ling would naturally like Yun Sheng.
Just like when he missed her after the Lotus Banquet, Xiao Ling will forever regret running away from this marriage without knowing the situation.
If he doesn't fight for her or seize her, how can he stay by her side and occupy her place forever?
"You say you don't like him, but what about me?"
"Do you have any feelings for me at all?"
Xiao Xu opened his mouth and bit her neck, tightening his grip as he moved from her neck to her slender waist.
He mumbled indistinctly, "But a little isn't enough. I want more than just a little."
Yun Sheng couldn't listen anymore. Her mind was in a mess, and she didn't want to answer Xiao Xu's questions.
Her clothes were disheveled as she struggled, and Xiao Xu was very strong, easily controlling her, his teeth grinding against her skin, making her feel both sore and itchy.
His lips and tongue moved downwards along her open blouse.
In the darkness of night, the last faint light shone on her frosty white skin, only to be covered and concealed by the man, shrouding her in a mesmerizing darkness.
Yun Sheng let out a pitiful sob, her eyes brimming with tears, and pushed him away, saying no.
Xiao Xu seemed not to hear her, burying his face in front of her and breathing heavily.
She pounded and pushed, and finally, she suddenly exerted force on something, she couldn't tell.
With a muffled thud, Yun Sheng's freed hand swung past Xiao Xu's face, striking his chin with several fingers.
The blow was quite forceful, and Xiao Xu's head was knocked to the side.
The sweltering heat suddenly dropped, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over one's head, bringing one back to a cool, calm state.
Yun Sheng's chest heaved, her lips slightly parted, unsure of what to say.
Both of them stood frozen in place, and no one spoke for a long while.
After a long while, Yun Sheng took a deep breath: "Since you are full of doubt, why ask? Even if I answer and tell you, will you believe me?"
Finally, he lowered his eyes and said in a low voice, "Can you rest in another room tonight?"
Although it was a question, Yun Sheng didn't give Xiao Xu a chance to answer. After saying that, she lowered her head, turned around, and left the guest room.
After a long while, Xiao Xu slowly turned around, his gaze falling on the tightly closed door in front of him.
The dimly lit guest room was empty and silent. He stood there, feeling a void in his heart, as if a piece of flesh was missing, a feeling that was both painful and stifling.
*
After a sleepless night, Yun Sheng finally drifted off to sleep just before dawn.
But she hadn't slept for long before she was gradually waking up, weighed down by her heavy emotions.
Yun Sheng opened her eyes, her mind not yet fully clear. She turned her head and looked at the sky. Her heart skipped a beat, and she was fully awake.
She saw Xiao Xu sitting silently on a chair by the window not far from the bed.
Although it was already daylight, the house was dark inside due to the obscuring clouds.
Xiao Xu's figure was mostly shrouded in shadow, only his eyes, in the dim light, were fixed on her, and it was unknown how long he had been watching her like that.
Yun Sheng's breath hitched. After the initial shock, a sense of emptiness washed over her. She looked away and slowly sat up.
Silence spread through the air.
Finally, Xiao Xu spoke first: "I'm sorry about last night."
He seemed to have pondered those few words for a long time.
Upon hearing this, Yun Sheng kept her eyelashes lowered, remaining silent and motionless.
Until Xiao Xu suddenly stood up and took a step to walk towards her.
Yun Sheng suddenly looked up and pointed at him with one finger: "You stand there."
Her voice was still hoarse from just waking up, soft and weak, her cheeks were warm from sleep, fair and rosy, and her eyes were bright and sparkling.
Xiao Xu stopped in his tracks, staring intently at her. Finally, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he asked, "Is there anywhere you'd like to go today? I'll go with you."
Yun Sheng frowned. He had just said yesterday that he would inevitably have to meet with local officials in the next two days.
She slowly turned her head to look out the window. The sky was a hazy mess, with low, oppressive gray clouds blocking out the sun. It seemed that even the usually bustling streets had been silenced by the gloomy sky, and the lively atmosphere of the streets could no longer be heard.
Yun Sheng withdrew her gaze and said calmly, "The sky is overcast, it looks like it's going to rain, so let's not go anywhere."
Xiao Xu's expression darkened. He lowered his eyelashes to hide the bitterness surging in his eyes, and simply said, "Alright, then let's rest at the inn."
After saying that, he did not leave, but turned around and sat back down in the same chair.
"..."
Yun Sheng curled up in the blankets, her legs bent, and after a while, she couldn't help but ask, "Can you... go to the office?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Xu moved his lips, as if he wanted to say something.
Before he could speak, Yun Sheng added, "I want to be alone."
"Can you go to the office?"
Xiao Xu's face suddenly darkened, and the composure he had just maintained seemed about to shatter.
He looked up and stared straight at her.
After a moment, he replied, "Okay."
Xiao Xu's voice was somewhat strained.
"I'll be back at noon. I've heard there's a restaurant in Wangzhou that's famous for its fish, so I've already sent someone to order a portion. Come and try it at lunchtime."
"Hmm," Yun Sheng responded softly, sounding uninterested.
Xiao Xu looked at her quietly for a moment before turning his gaze away, standing up without a word, and leaving the guest room.
As soon as Xiao Xu left, Yun Sheng let out a heavy sigh of relief, her body and expression relaxing as she moved her legs off the bed.
"Cuizhu," she called out.
Cui Zhu entered the house in response, her face showing some worry.
This morning, she was surprised to see the Crown Prince emerge from another guest room with a gloomy face and faint dark circles under his eyes, as if he had not slept all night or had slept very little.
In short, it is obvious that he did not sleep with the Crown Princess yesterday.
Yun Sheng sat down in front of the dressing table, and Cui Zhu gently combed her long, smooth black hair. Yun Sheng's slightly dazed eyes were reflected in the bronze mirror.
Cuizhu hesitated several times before finally asking in a low voice, "Princess Consort, are you alright? You and His Highness..."
"It's nothing." Yun Sheng shook her head, not letting her ask any further.
The room was quiet for a moment, with only the faint sound of the comb brushing through the hair.
Looking at her reflection in the mirror, Yun Sheng suddenly asked, "Cui Zhu, how long have Chang Yu and I been married?"
Cui Zhu paused slightly as she combed her hair, somewhat puzzled, but still replied, "Your Highness, it has been more than two months."
"Yes, it's only been a little over two months," Yun Sheng repeated softly.
It was a short time, but it felt like we had experienced so much.
From initial panic and helplessness, to the gradual feeling of warmth, and then to last night.
Everything happened so fast that she was caught off guard.
She was silent for a moment, then asked softly, "How long do you think it takes to fall in love with someone?"
Cuizhu was even more surprised this time. She glanced at Yunsheng's face and guessed as she answered, "This... I am stupid. I have only heard people say that when it comes to feelings, sometimes it is fate that is decided at first sight, and sometimes it is the feelings that are revealed over time. But no matter how fast or slow, when feelings arrive, they arrive. It is just a matter of how deep or shallow those feelings are."
"Then how can this affection be considered shallow, and how can it be considered deep?"
Cui Zhu was speechless, her face slightly flushed: "This... this servant doesn't know, this servant has never experienced such a thing."
She bit her lip and asked cautiously, "Princess Consort, are you and His Highness...?"
Yun Sheng waved her hand, interrupting her: "It's nothing, I was just asking randomly, don't take it to heart."
She tried to smile and make a relaxed expression, but found it difficult, so she gave up.
Seeing this, Cuizhu's worries deepened.
Although the Crown Princess said she was fine and her expression was calm, her relationship with the Crown Prince this morning was clearly unusual, and she knew that something must have happened between them.
She thought for a moment, and while tying Yun Sheng's hair up, she softly suggested, "Princess Consort, although the sky is a bit overcast today, it hasn't rained yet, and it doesn't look like it's about to rain. If you stay cooped up in the inn, you might get even more depressed. Why don't you go for a walk?"
Yun Sheng's words were just to appease Xiao Xu; she didn't intend to stay cooped up in the inn.
She asked, "Do you know of any good places to go around here?"
"There's a bustling market near Wangzhou Wharf, selling all sorts of local and exotic goods, as well as teahouses and theaters. I've heard it's quite interesting. Or there's a quieter temple called Jing'an Temple in the west of the city, with good incense offerings and a serene atmosphere."
"Let's go to Jing'an Temple," Yun Sheng decided.
The tranquility of the temple might offer her a moment of peace to her troubled mind.
"Get the car ready, and also bring rain gear, just in case."
"Yes, Princess Consort." Cuizhu quickly replied, and deftly styled Yun Sheng's hair into a simple and elegant bun, adorning it with a simple pearl flower.
After everything was tidied up, Yun Sheng looked at herself in the mirror and, who seemed no different from usual, took a deep breath, got up, and walked outside.
Besides Cuizhu, Yun Sheng only brought two other reliable maids and a clever servant boy, along with the coachman, making a total of six people.
The carriage slowly drove away from the inn, heading towards Jing'an Temple in the west of the city.
At first, the road was relatively smooth, but as we went further west into the city, the number of pedestrians and vehicles gradually decreased, and patches of woodland and rolling hills began to appear on both sides of the road.
Jing'an Temple is located in a relatively secluded mountain valley outside the city. Although it is a popular place of worship, the path is indeed much quieter than in the city on days when there is no market or temple fair.
The sky remained a gloomy gray, pressing down heavily, and the wind carried a chill, rustling the leaves of the trees along the roadside.
The change happened without any warning.
Just as the carriage reached a relatively densely wooded slope, seven or eight men wielding sticks and with fierce expressions suddenly rushed out from the side and blocked the middle of the road.
The driver was so frightened that he hurriedly reined in his horse, which reared up with a neigh, and the carriage shook violently.
From outside came the servant's angry and alarmed shouts: "Who are you?! What do you want?!"
Soon, the sound of clubs being swung through the air and the screams and pleas for mercy from servants could be heard outside the carriage. The people outside had already started fighting, and they were no match for them.
Yun Sheng's heart leaped into her throat, and her face turned deathly pale.
She never expected to encounter highway robbers in broad daylight.
Xiao Xu had only arranged a small number of men to accompany him, and none of them were bodyguards; they were no match for these desperate criminals.
Yun Sheng forced herself to calm down and thought quickly.
Before they could think any further, a loud bang rang out as the carriage door was violently kicked open.
Yun Sheng screamed in surprise inside the carriage.
A face full of fat and wearing a lewd smile peered in.
The newcomer's lewd gaze swept over Yun Sheng: "Hey, this girl, brothers, we're in luck today. Let's take this little lady back to our leader as his wife!"
As the burly man spoke, he reached out and grabbed at Yun Sheng.
Cuizhu screamed and tried to stop the carriage, but the big man turned around and slapped her to the ground.
Yun Sheng was filled with fear and instinct. She pulled out the dagger that Xiao Xu had placed under the carriage and stabbed it forward.
The burly man hadn't expected this seemingly delicate young woman to dare to resist. Caught off guard, his arm was slashed open, and although it wasn't deep, it still drew blood.
"You bitch, how dare you hurt me!" The burly man roared in fury, knocking the dagger out of Yun Sheng's hand, grabbing her wrist tightly, and dragging her out of the carriage.
Yun Sheng felt a tremendous force coming from her, lost her footing, cried out in surprise, and fell to the ground.
"Brothers, mount up! Take this young lady and all the valuables in the carriage with us!" The burly man was the leader of this band of bandits.
Ignoring his bleeding arm, he roughly lifted Yun Sheng off the ground.
The sound of hooves immediately rose from the woods not far away, and four or five bandits on skinny horses rushed out.
All the accompanying servants were subdued. Their desperate resistance was futile, and they could only watch helplessly as the burly man tossed the struggling Yun Sheng across the horse in front of him like a piece of cargo.
Yun Sheng was upside down, her abdomen painfully pressed against the hard saddle. The jolting and the inverted position made her instantly dizzy, and her blood rushed to her head.
The rough horsehair and the heavy stench of the bandits' sweat made her want to vomit, while she heard the bandits' triumphant whistles and the increasingly distant cries of their servants behind her.
Horses galloped, dust billowed, and trees on both sides of the road rushed past.
Yun Sheng's eyes filled with tears. She bit her lower lip hard to keep herself from crying out, afraid that she would vomit if she opened her mouth.
Her fingers gripped the edge of the saddle so tightly that her knuckles turned white from the force.
Just then, a sharp whooshing sound suddenly rang out.
A short arrow shot out from nowhere, heading straight for the burly man beside Yun Sheng.
The big man yanked on the reins to narrowly avoid the fall, causing the horse to bounce violently.
A clear voice, accompanied by the rapid sound of horses' hooves, came from the side path in the woods ahead.
"Robbery in broad daylight, and even kidnapping women, your business practices are truly unethical."
Yun Sheng turned her head with difficulty, and through the turbulent view and flying dust, she saw a magnificent black horse charging towards her.
A young man dressed in a light gray outfit was riding on horseback.
His skin was slightly dark, and his eyebrows were thick, but his eyes were surprisingly bright. He was slowly scanning the bandits around him, a smile playing on his lips as if he found the scene amusing.
"Where did this wild brat come from? You're asking for death!" The bandit leader who had taken Yun Sheng hostage was both shocked and furious. He held the reins with one hand and reached for the cleaver at his waist with his other, uninjured hand.
Seeing that there was only one person, the other bandits, despite their somewhat intimidating entrance, immediately surrounded him, brandishing their clubs and shouting.
However, the gray-blue figure moved even faster.
"Tsk, quite a few people." The young man raised an eyebrow. "Perfect, I'm itching to get my hands dirty."
Before the bandit leader could fully draw his knife, he felt a blur before his eyes and a sharp pain in his wrist. The young man had precisely seized his pulse point, and a skillful force struck him, causing half of his body to go numb. He involuntarily released his grip on Yun Sheng.
At the same time, the young man's other arm swiftly reached out and grabbed Yun Sheng's waist, which was about to slip off the horse's back due to the loss of restraint.
"Ah!" Yun Sheng felt dizzy and her body was suddenly lifted into the air, falling from the cold saddle into a firm and warm embrace. A faint scent of grass entered her nose, completely different from the stench of the bandits.
"Go!" the young man shouted, using the momentum and skill of his forward charge to grab Yun Sheng and push off the bandit leader's saddle with his foot.
"Bastard!" The bandit leader nearly fell over, his wrist aching, and having lost his hostage, he roared in anger.
The remaining bandits quickly reacted, shouting and brandishing their knives as they spurred their horses to surround them.
The young man shielded Yun Sheng in front of him, holding her with one arm to steady her, and with the other hand he drew a sheathed longsword from his waist.
He didn't even draw his sword; with a flick of his wrist, he stabbed, swept, slapped, and struck, accurately hitting the wrists of the bandits holding knives and the sensitive parts of the horses.
"Ouch!"
"My knife!"
"The horse is startled!"
The screams, cries of pain, and neighing of horses created a chaotic scene.
In just a few exchanges, the few ordinary, skinny horses were either startled and ran wildly or were tricked out of their balance. The bandits on horseback were even more flustered, and some of them even fell off their horses in a sorry state.
The young man didn't linger in the fight. Seeing that an opening had been created, he shouted, "Black Wind, let's go!"
The magnificent black horse neighed, spread its hooves, and carried the two men, galloping off onto a mountain path that was different from both the official road and the bandits' route, instantly leaving the chaos and shouts behind.
The wind whistled past her ears and the rapid, powerful sound of horses' hooves filled her ears. Behind her, she felt the warmth and steady heartbeat of a stranger's chest, and her waist was supported firmly by his strong arms.
Yun Sheng stared blankly ahead, her heart still pounding wildly. The fear from before had not yet completely subsided, and the series of thrilling events had left her dizzy and disoriented.
She didn't even have time to think about who her savior was, whether he was good or evil. She could only stiffly lean against him, letting the horse carry them deeper and deeper into the forest.
I don't know how long we ran, but the horse gradually slowed down only when the noise behind us could no longer be heard.
The young man skillfully maneuvered the horse, turning into a narrower, more secluded mountain path. After traveling a while, he arrived at a secluded clearing backed by a rocky outcrop, where he reined in the horse.
The black horse stopped, snorted, and leisurely flicked its tail.
The young man nimbly dismounted first, then turned around and reached out his hand to Yun Sheng, who was sitting stiffly on the horse.
Their eyes met.
Yun Sheng's hair was slightly disheveled, her face was pale, and only the corners of her eyes were slightly red. Because of the struggle and fright just now, her eyes were wet, like a frightened fawn.
A hint of undisguised amazement flashed in the young man's eyes.
"What are you still standing there for?" He looked at her still-shaken expression, raised the corners of his lips, and said in a clear voice, "Get down, those small fry can't catch up. Do you want to sit on horseback forever?"
The sparse sunlight filtering through the leaves fell on his smiling eyes and his hand.
Yun Sheng hesitated for a moment, then slowly reached out and placed her fingers in his palm, whispering, "Thank you."
————————!!————————
I really can't write the next plot point, so I can only say in advance that Xiao Ling is in disguise, which is why Sheng Sheng won't recognize him [doge emoji].
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