Chapter 87 Contradiction
Xuanfeng took a few steps forward, leaving no room for negotiation.
"Miss Ali, please."
Several strong men still did not withdraw their hands from the knife handles.
Song Lingyi suppressed her anger and followed them to the teahouse.
The teahouse was by the river, a few lanterns lit under the eaves. The atmosphere was exceptionally quiet. Aside from the burly man, also in his garb and carrying a sword, there were no other guests in the lobby. Xuanfeng raised his hand and motioned for Song Lingyi to go upstairs.
The surroundings were quiet. Song Lingyi deliberately slowed down her pace, and the wooden stairs made a slight creaking sound.
When she came to the door, she put her hand on the door handle but did not move.
Things in the past must come to an end.
Since you have decided to move forward, you have to overcome this hurdle.
After a long while, Song Lingyi pushed open the door, and the aroma of tea filled the room. Although she hadn't entered yet, she could smell the woody aroma mixed with the tea, and her whole body felt hot.
The elegant room is spacious and dimly lit by candlelight.
The familiar figure in black robe sat quietly on the soft couch by the window, with a handsome profile. His gaze slowly moved from the chessboard in front of him to Song Lingyi. He did not move, but just watched her restrained and helpless appearance patiently.
Song Lingyi stood stiffly at the door, not daring to move or go in.
"Your Highness is looking for me?"
Hearing her address change from 'Fifth Master' to 'Your Highness', Xiao Mingyi narrowed his eyes, his gaze darkening in the interweaving shadows of light and dark.
clatter--
The crisp sound of chess pieces falling was heard.
"Come here," he said.
The courage he had gathered when he came here was completely swept away by the word "light and frivolous". Song Lingyi instinctively wanted to run away, but the teahouse was full of his people and he couldn't escape at all.
After hesitating for a long time, she walked to the couch before Xiao Mingyi lost his patience.
A slender shadow fell on the chessboard, blocking the light without realizing it.
Xiao Mingyi looked up and stared at her with his dark eyes.
"When did I ask you to stand in the corner?"
“…”
Song Lingyi's eyelashes trembled slightly. She hooked over the crescent stool next to her and sat far away, trying hard not to look at Xiao Mingyi's expression.
"My elders are still waiting for me at the Lantern Festival. Your Highness, if you have anything to say, please speak directly."
After he finished speaking, the sound of the chess pieces dropping became louder.
Xiao Mingyi's eyes were always on the chessboard. He seemed to have no reaction, but in fact he was a little annoyed by her distant attitude.
"Elders in the family?"
Song Lingyi's heart suddenly tightened. She kept twisting her skirt with her hands on her knees until wrinkles appeared on the fabric. Then she heard him say:
"Is Pei Zhao considered your elder?"
“…” Song Lingyi was shocked.
Did he see it?
No, the tone and atmosphere sound like someone catching an adulterer. Even if it was, the adulterer should be him.
"He's my fiancé. It shouldn't be against public order and good customs for us to go to the Lantern Festival together."
Just as the last word died down, a cold sneer came from the opposite side, as if an electric current passed through. Song Lingyi got goose bumps all over her body. She raised her eyes slightly and met that cold and fierce gaze.
"Have you forgotten what I told you?"
Xiao Mingyi's voice was obviously extremely calm, yet it gave people a feeling that a storm was about to come.
talk?
What?
Song Lingyi frowned and thought about it carefully.
Last time at the Chu family wedding banquet, did Xiao Mingyi say anything else besides kissing her?
Seeing the girl's confused expression, Xiao Mingyi's eyebrows twitched twice. He suppressed his surging anger and sneered, "Have you forgotten that you pledged yourself to me before coming to Beijing? Do you think the Pei family will still accept you after knowing this?"
Upon hearing this, Song Lingyi's eyes widened and her lips lost their color from biting her teeth.
She wasn't ashamed of her commitment; after all, she had no choice given the circumstances. However, Dayuan valued a woman's chastity, and if word got out, not only would her reputation be ruined, but the Duke's Mansion would also suffer.
After a moment's silence, Xiao Mingyi said, "Before the engagement banquet is held, cancel the Pei family's marriage proposal today." His tone was full of dominance that left no room for questioning.
The flickering candlelight in the room cast heavy shadows on the two of them.
After a moment, Song Lingyi lowered her head and asked softly, "Why?"
He was unwilling to marry her, but also didn't want her to marry anyone else. He treated her as his private property, getting close to her when he wanted to and keeping her aside when he didn't.
Xiao Mingyi paused for a moment while playing with the warm jade chess piece, and looked at Song Lingyi with a dim gaze. Song Lingyi felt as if an airtight net was covering her heart. Any struggle and resistance would be like a fight of a trapped beast.
He twitched his thin lips slightly, his voice neither cold nor indifferent: "Pei Zhao is not suitable for you."
The aristocratic families had many rules, and with her personality, marrying into one would only lead to trouble. Pei Zhao was a scholar with a very gentle temperament, and the second branch of the Pei family was in charge. If she did get into trouble, Pei Zhao would not be able to protect her.
The most important thing is that A Li and Pei Zhao have very different personalities and have not been together for long. Getting married is not a joke. If you find out that their personalities are incompatible after getting married, it will be too late.
That's what he thought, but when Song Lingyi heard it, she understood it differently.
The Pei family was prominent, and Pei Zhao was renowned. If there was any incompatibility, it was simply that she wasn't worthy of him. Ever since the Pei family had proposed marriage, such rumors had surfaced endlessly. She had almost become desensitized to them, but hearing these words from Xiao Mingyi was like a heavy punch to the heart, dull and painful.
Song Lingyi was in a heavy mood, but she remained polite and respectful. "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness, but whether it's appropriate or not is for me to decide."
"How much does he know about you and how well does he understand you?" Xiao Mingyi asked in a deep voice.
As far as he knew, she and Pei Zhao had only met three times. Was such a short time enough for them to understand each other?
Thinking that Xiao Mingyi was hinting at commitment, Song Lingyi's eyes flashed with anger, and all her politeness and respect could no longer be maintained. All kinds of complicated emotions were entangled in her heart, making her unable to control them.
"so what?"
Song Lingyi frowned and said, "You don't have to threaten me. You can just tell them now that I willingly gave myself to a bandit in order to survive in the bandit's den and to go to Beijing to live with my relatives."
These words were like countless cold needles piercing Xiao Mingyi's heart. His dark eyes stared straight at the girl in front of him, a mixture of confusion, astonishment, regret, and anger...
"Do you know what you are saying?" Xiao Mingyi tried hard to control his emotions, his eyes sharp and burning.
"Of course I know." Song Lingyi stood up suddenly.
The crescent stool behind him shook several times and finally fell to the ground.
A loud bang woke the girl up. The man before her was the crown prince, the future emperor. No matter how angry she was, she couldn't afford to offend him.
Song Lingyi took a deep breath and fought back tears as she said, "You are the crown prince, above all others. The girl who can marry you must be the best in the world. My Song family is too lowly to be worthy of you. That's why I never asked you to marry me. Even after I learned that you were the crown prince, I never thought of marrying into the royal family."
"I came to Beijing to live with my relatives just to live a stable life. You said Pei Zhao wasn't suitable for me, but have you ever thought about it from my perspective?"
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