Chapter 187 Chapter 187 is the only genuine version...
"Really?!" Xie Jing asked impatiently.
"Leaving the capital, go straight south. There's a tea stall. If you want to see her, just wait there." She took Xie Danling's arm and said, "Cousin Danling, let's go fly a kite."
"Where is she now?" Xie Jing thought of Gu Zhizhuo's mention of Duke Cheng'en, and a thought flashed through his mind. "Could she be in Duke Cheng'en's mansion?"
Gu Zhizhuo turned his back and waved his hand without commenting. After a while, he and Xie Danling walked away together.
Cheng'en Palace...
Sun Nian?!
Xie Jing knew that Sun Nian and Ji Nanke had always had a close relationship, as close as sisters. Even after Ke'er was driven out of the Zhenbei Palace and abandoned by her friends and family, Sun Nian would often visit her.
Oh, right. I was so stupid.
Xie Jing clenched his fist and clapped his hands. Ke'er had no money, no property, and no pass.
Where else could she go? She must be at the Cheng'en Mansion, with Sun Nian!
The exhaustion and helplessness in his heart overwhelmed the joy that should have been there. Xie Jing couldn't help but think, if he hadn't broken off the engagement with Gu Zhizhuo, with Gu Zhizhuo helping him and the Zhenbei Palace as his backing, would he not be so exhausted physically and mentally, and would he be able to easily give orders to the court like Xie Yingchen?
This thought was becoming increasingly difficult to suppress. After watching the two cousins turn a corner and completely disappear from his sight, Xie Jing hurried out of the palace and headed straight for Duke Cheng'en's Mansion.
The main gate of Duke Cheng'en's mansion was wide open, and the dowry tied with red silk was being carried out by the servants. Along the way, the sound of firecrackers continued.
The gate was crowded with people asking for money, and Xie Jing took advantage of the chaos to enter the mansion.
The house was in a mess, with servants coming and going.
"Be careful, be careful."
"Ouch, don't bump into it."
"...Your Highness, why are you here?!"
The steward who was directing the servants to carry the dowry noticed him and immediately came forward to greet him, "The Duke is inside."
Xie Jing asked directly, "Is Ji Nanke in the mansion?"
"I don't know."
There has always been a distinction between the inner and outer courtyards. As a manager of the outer courtyard, he really has no idea what is going on in the inner courtyard.
"Jing'er?"
The astonished voice of Duke Cheng'en sounded in his ears. Xie Jing originally wanted to take advantage of the chaos to come in, find Ji Nan Ke and take the person away. He never thought about facing Duke Cheng'en.
He abandoned his job and quietly returned to the capital. He was in the wrong and would definitely be scolded by his uncle.
Without a second thought, Xie Jing covered his face with his sleeves and fled.
No wonder Miss Gu asked him to wait outside the city tomorrow. She must have expected that today's trip would be in vain.
"Jing'er!"
"Why are you back? Where's your errand?"
When Duke Cheng En chased after him, Xie Jing had already disappeared. He could only grab the steward and ask, "What did His Royal Highness the Third Prince say?"
"Your Highness asked if Miss Ji has been here."
Another one with the surname Ji!
Duke Cheng'en stamped his feet angrily, and an inexplicable sadness surged in his heart.
He poured his heart and soul into his nephew Xie Jing, marrying his daughter to a living dead man, and even marrying himself to a living dead man. What was the result?
He found a good job for him. Duke Cheng'en even thought that even if Xie Jing could not compete with Xie Yingchen and could not sit in that position, with his marriage to the Princess of Liang and the merit of welcoming the bride, Xie Yingchen would not be able to take his life after he came to power. At that time, he could just be conferred the title of prince or duke, and his life would be stable.
As a result, he gave up his job and future for a man named Ji.
He also knew that this was not something that could be done in public, and he didn't even dare to see me, but he did it anyway!
"My Lord, the dowry is almost ready."
The steward reported carefully,
"My Lord," another steward hurried in. "Steward Liu from the Prince of Jin, I'd like to ask if we can skip the hassle of getting ready for tomorrow's wedding."
When it comes to welcoming the bride, Duke Cheng'en's face turns pale: "Go ask the lady."
He staggered inside and really wanted to quit.
But no matter how much he complained, how annoyed he was, or how much he wanted to be a hands-off boss, he couldn't split this day into two days.
There was no joy at all in the mansion of Duke Cheng'en. Apart from the red silk wedding cloth hung high, there was not even a smile on the masters' faces. The servants all kept their heads down and did not even dare to speak loudly, for fear of accidentally offending the masters and getting beaten.
Finally, the wedding day came.
The crackling sound of firecrackers broke the deathly silence.
Xie Qiyun came to welcome the bride in a carriage, and accompanied by waves of joyful congratulations, a sedan chair was carried out of the door of Cheng'en Mansion.
The servants of Prince Jin's mansion scattered wedding money all over the capital, and the sound of music and drums was heard.
"Ke'er, is the bridal sedan really gone?"
Sun Nian sat in her boudoir and asked repeatedly in disbelief.
When Xie Qiyun just came back, her father said that she was a living dead person and wanted to cancel her engagement.
A few days later, Prince Jin brought Xie Qiyun to discuss the marriage in person. She hid behind the screen and took a quick look. This look scared her so much that she had nightmares for three consecutive nights.
Fortunately, her father loves her.
As a result, her father told her that the marriage with Prince Jin would go on as usual.
These days, if Ji Nan Ke hadn't been with her, she would have wanted to die.
She had already decided to accept her fate, waiting to get into the bridal sedan, waiting to marry a living dead man, waiting for the fate of being a widow.
She even thought about returning home as soon as the prince died.
However, she put on her wedding dress, had her hair combed by Quanfu people, and even had her face made up, but no one came to carry her to bid farewell to her parents.
She sat in her boudoir, waiting and waiting, until the noise had completely faded away and no one came.
She didn't even know when, even her maid, wet nurse and Quanfuren disappeared, the yard was empty, except for her, there was only Ji Nanke. Ji Nanke went out to inquire about it, and when she came back, she told her that the sedan chair had left.
Ji Nanke confirmed: "Yes. He really left! The guests are already eating at the table."
Sun Nian was surprised at first, then delighted: "Could it be that the Jin Palace suddenly changed its mind, or did they find an unlucky guy with a better fortune?"
"It's the unlucky guy who found a better fortune."
The one who answered was the wife of Duke Cheng'en, who walked in with only one close confidant.
"Really?" Sun Nian was overjoyed. "Tell me quickly, who is it? Who is so unlucky?"
"Your father."
Sun Nian: “…”
Her breath hitched for a moment, and she was stunned.
Lady Cheng'en glanced at Ji Nanke and said quickly, "Pack up quickly, change out of your wedding dress, and leave the city."
Sun Nian asked blankly, "You mean, Daddy got married for me?"
She felt that she must be crazy, or her mother was crazy, otherwise how could she say such a thing. Even if it was a replacement marriage, it should be to a concubine's sister. She had never heard of a father marrying his daughter in her life.
Lady Cheng'en's face was filled with as if she had a toothache, and she squeezed out an awkward voice: "Your father... has a good fortune."
She had lived for most of her life and had never heard of such a ridiculous thing. She could only comfort herself that it was better than her daughter marrying him.
"Don't delay, hurry up, mother has already made arrangements. You go stay at the farm for a while and come back after the storm has died down."
Otherwise, the Prince of Jin’s Mansion will regret it and come to pick up the bride again!
Sun Nian sat there in a daze.
Lady Cheng'en sighed, "Sister Nian, your father still loves you."
I don’t know who will be the wife and who will be the concubine between me and Xie Qiyun after today.
My head hurts, I'd better stop thinking about it.
Sun Nian: "Really?"
Lady Cheng'en urged her to change out of her wedding gown and said, "Ke'er, you are Nian'er's best friend. Do you want to go with Nian'er?"
Ji Nanke agreed.
They hardly packed anything. Anyway, the farm had everything it needed. Even if there was anything missing, Lady Cheng'en would deliver it in a couple of days. The two of them quietly got into an ordinary black lacquered carriage through a side door and slipped away.
The driver was a stranger, and Lady Cheng'en didn't even let her bring her maid and wet nurse.
The streets were quite lively. Even through the curtains of the carriage, one could hear people around talking about the grand ceremony of the wedding reception at the Prince of Jin's Mansion.
Sun Nian felt uneasy and gritted his teeth and said, "Go and take a look."
"The Duke's wife said..."
"Let's just take a look from a distance and then leave. Please, Ke'er."
Ji Nan Ke did not try to persuade him any further, so the carriage turned a corner and went around the street in front of Prince Jin's Mansion.
The further we went, the louder the firecrackers became, deafening and the rumbling sound almost filled up half the sky.
A sedan chair stopped at the gate, and the matchmaker with a stiff face and a smile that was uglier than crying helped the person down from the sedan chair.
There was a sudden silence all around.
How come this bride is so... uh, so plump?
The sound of firecrackers continued to ring.
The smoke from the gunpowder made the surroundings gray.
Gusts of evil wind came from nowhere, blowing up the red paper on the ground.
Sun Nian lifted a corner of the carriage curtain, covered her face with her hands, and almost cried out loud.
Others might not recognize him, but she recognized that figure; it was her biological father.
Her father was willing to marry in her place for her?
"Ke'er."
Sun Nian fell on Ji Nan Ke's body, sobbing and crying, becoming more and more sad.
Fearing being discovered, Ji Nanke quickly lowered the carriage curtain and ordered the carriage to move faster, saying comfortingly, "The Duke is, is..." Even though she was eloquent, she was too shocked to speak and could only say dryly, "...Don't let the Duke's sacrifice be in vain."
Sob, sob. Sun Nian cried until she was out of the city, then she stopped, her shoulders shaking.
The carriage went south along the official road without stopping.
After walking for half an hour, Sun Nian became restless.
In the past, when people went out, even if they had to take a carriage for a long time, they would get a very spacious carriage with soft seats covered with thick cushions and a lit incense burner. There were food, drinks, and toys in the carriage, and even a toilet. There were also maids and old women to serve, and riding in a carriage was like lying on a beauty's couch in the boudoir.
It’s not like now, the carriages are so small and narrow that there’s not even room to drool.
Sun Nian got up early in the morning. In order to avoid going to the toilet, the bride could hardly eat anything all day, and now she was thirsty and hungry.
Seeing the tea stall sign hanging on the roadside, she quickly said, "Stop, stop for a moment, let's go down and rest for a while before we continue."
Sun Nian urged them on, and the carriage finally stopped at a tea stall. Sun Nian pulled Ji Nanke out of the carriage and called out from a distance, "Two bowls of tea, is there anything to eat?"
Xie Jing sat at a small square table with his head down.
Ever since he met Lord Cheng'en, Xie Jing didn't dare stay in the capital anymore. After leaving the city, he headed south and found this stall. After giving the owner a silver ingot, he has been waiting here until now.
Hearing the familiar voice, Xie Jing looked up suddenly and saw Ji Nan Ke at a glance.
Ji Nan Ke was still as beautiful and charming as when he left. She and Sun Nian came side by side, talking and laughing.
No, Sun Nian?
Xie Jing was dumbfounded. Wasn't Sun Nian getting married today? Why was she here?!
The words "escape marriage" instantly came to my mind.
Not only did Ji Nan Ke run away by herself, she also took Sun Nian with her to escape the marriage!
Why did she become like this?!
"We have braised pork noodles and wontons. What would you like, girl?"
"Wontons, two bowls..." Sun Nian exclaimed, "Cousin?!"
Ji Nan Ke was startled and quickly looked in the direction of the sound. Xie Jing was sitting at the square table behind the screen, blocked by the screen. When they got off the car, they didn't notice him at all.
Xie Jing stared at her intently and thought: Gu Zhizhuo's divination is really accurate!
Ji Nanke: “…”
Ji Nan Ke guessed that he would rush back after receiving the letter, but Ji Nan Ke had never thought of meeting him so soon.
All men are the same, what they can't get is the best.
Just like now, because Gu Zhizhuo broke off the engagement with him, he still can't forget her.
She originally wanted Xie Jing to be unable to find her, so that he would realize that she was the most important to him, and then appear again.
Their eyes met in mid-air for a moment, Ji Nan Ke gritted his teeth and ran away.
"Ke'er!"
"Stop!"
Xie Jing stood up suddenly and ran towards her. His movements were so fast and urgent that he almost overturned the square table.
"cousin."
Sun Nian tried to pull him but failed, and could only watch him run after Ji Nan Ke.
"Don't come over... There's no chance for us." Ji Nanke stood in front of the carriage, "I won't provoke you again, and you too, don't provoke me."
After she finished speaking, she got into the carriage.
Both she and Sun Nian were so focused on escaping and chasing each other that no one noticed that the driver sitting on the cart had been quietly replaced by someone else.
Ji Nanke shouted loudly: "...Hurry up and go."
She originally thought that this was the carriage of Duke Cheng'en's Mansion, and the carriage would definitely not move until Sun Nian got on. However, before she could sit firmly in the carriage, the carriage actually moved.
She stumbled and nearly fell on her face.
"wait……"
Ji Nan Ke wanted to say stop, but when she looked outside, Xie Jing had caught up with her on horseback, so she had to swallow her words.
The carriage was running very fast and unknowingly deviated from the official road.
The path was bumpy, and this wasn't a carriage for traveling; it had no shock absorbers, so Ji Nanke was tossed around and bumped several times. She clutched the window sill tightly with both hands, feeling waves of nausea rising in her chest and cold sweat running down her back.
"Stop, stop now." She couldn't stand it anymore!
Her voice was drowned out by the sound of the carriage wheels and was not heard at all.
"Hey, are you almost lost?"
Xiangyang, who was driving, looked back, pulled the reins and asked the horse to run slower so that the people behind would not get lost.
But if Xie Jing chased him closely, Xiangyang would make the horse run faster.
Hanging him not too far away, not too close.
"drive!"
Xiangyang waved his whip handsomely, and the horse spread its limbs and ran wildly.
Xie Jing was sweating profusely as he chased. Every time he thought he was about to catch up, the gap would widen again. He looked at the carriage at the back of the carriage swaying from side to side, as if it would overturn at any time, and his heart was trembling with panic.
“Stop it!”
Xie Jing shouted loudly.
He didn't know how long he had been chasing. Before he knew it, they were getting further and further away from the official road, further and further away. Until a small village appeared not far away, the carriage seemed to have lost control and rushed straight towards the village.
The sudden commotion attracted the manager of the manor. He narrowed his eyes and a strange glint flashed across them.
Who is it!
Are you just passing by, or are you prepared?
The steward made a gesture, and the mute servants scattered to guard against the enemy.
The horses pulling the cart neighed.
Click!
The carriage's frame suddenly broke, and the entire carriage fell uncontrollably to the side, landing heavily on the ground, with dust flying all over the sky.
"Ke'er!"
Xie Jing finally caught up, jumped off the horse, and stumbled over: "Ke'er, are you okay?"
Ji Nanke struggled to climb out of the carriage, her face covered in dust. Xie Jing, still terrified, held her in his arms.
"Let me go." Ji Nanke pushed him away, "You're so hypocritical!"
She was sweating profusely, her throat felt sour, and her head felt so swollen that she almost died.
She vomited with a "whoosh" sound, all over him.
The steward rushed out a few steps cautiously and looked at them.
Xiangyang, dressed as a groom, fell to the ground. He put the bird flute hidden in his palm to his lips and blew it rhythmically a few times.
Birds are singing and chirping.
Chongjiu, who was hiding in the dark, heard the sound, stared at the small house, waiting for an opportunity to move.
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