Chapter 46
Pei Du pondered for a long time and felt that he should use examples from the past to make his promise seem credible. However, he didn't have any married men around him who could be used as examples, except for his father's story.
He was never hesitant to ask others for advice, no matter how much that person had mocked him in the past. Therefore, he readily sought out the Prince of the South to learn from his life experience, and asked, "Father, how did you convince Mother that you wouldn't take a concubine?"
The Southern King, however, found his actions offensive and nearly flew into a rage, yelling, "What concubine? I've been clean all these years, where would I get a concubine? You brat, stop talking nonsense!"
Pei Du raised an eyebrow: "Why is Father so nervous? Of course I know you have never taken a concubine. It's just that someone in Wangjing is spreading rumors that I favor my concubine over my wife, which has upset A-Yao. I came to you for advice. You and Mother have been loving and affectionate for so many years, so you must have some experience that I can't match. I hope you can give me some pointers."
Well, if this brat were to lower himself, he would be truly sincere and say the right things. No wonder he was able to win over that Xie family girl.
The Prince of Nan sighed inwardly, quite pleased with his son's attitude. Yes, this was how a son should be. His brows relaxed, and he stroked his beard, saying, "Then let me teach you a few tricks. Listen carefully. First, you must open your mouth and tell her that there is absolutely no concubine, that she is the only one, both before and after. Second, those who spread rumors must not be let off the hook, or there will be endless trouble later. Third... well, just remember these two points this time. You haven't even married a wife yet, we'll talk about the rest later."
Pei Du protested, "How can we wait until later?"
The Prince of the South sighed and earnestly told him, "There is a huge difference between before and after marriage. You still have a lot to learn. You will understand when you actually get married. A fiancée and a wife are not the same."
Pei Du's eyes flashed, and he asked in a low voice, "What if I could marry her sooner? I wouldn't have to wait until next spring; I could marry her as soon as winter arrives."
The Prince of the South was stunned: "Your idea... isn't quite appropriate? The wedding date has already been set, how can it be changed so easily? Given how much the Xie family dotes on that girl, I'm afraid they won't agree." He only wanted to say one thing: stop dreaming.
Pei Du stood up and handed over another letter, saying, "Our spies in the north have reported that the Hu people have new developments. Their mysterious high priest has calculated that this winter will be favorable for expanding their territory, and especially after hearing that Wangjing has 'three autumns of osmanthus blossoms and ten miles of lotus flowers,' he has decided to come and admire the flowers next year."
The Prince of Nan took the letter and read it carefully. He then asked, "Now that we know the situation, what preparations has the Emperor made?"
Pei Du sneered: "He's busy instigating infighting among the aristocratic families, using counter-espionage to turn brothers against each other and relatives against each other, consolidating power but not distributing military funds, and opening the borders to allow the Hu people to come and go from Wangjing as if returning to their homeland. Zhou Qin is still under house arrest in Wangjing, and the north is just a bunch of loose sand."
The Prince of the South remained silent for a long time, then lit the letter over the candle flame before saying, "Then do as you wish. However, if the north cannot withstand the attack, the south will also be in danger. But the wedding date is rushed, so don't wrong your wife."
Pei Du smiled slightly: "Of course not."
The Prince of Nan didn't bother to look at him. The Pei family's tyranny had indeed escalated. He himself had openly robbed them back then, but he hadn't expected this kid to have learned to use roundabout tricks without any instruction. Indeed, if he hadn't used tricks, he wouldn't have been able to snatch his beloved girl back home after just one birthday celebration in Wangjing.
This girl can't be taken by force.
——
Until autumn, Xie Qinghong stayed at home and did not go out, regardless of the rumors outside. However, A Yue told her that the rumors gradually subsided and new topics of conversation arose in the capital.
Xie Qinghong lived a rather leisurely life at home, occasionally checking on Yuan Qingqing's land and her cousin's studies. Knowing that both prospects were good, she felt relieved. With a considerable amount of money left over, she decided to plan for the future and found a trustworthy intermediary to buy several houses and farms in the south. The south was sparsely populated, and the prices for both houses and farmland were very reasonable.
She listened carefully to her mother, keeping all this to herself and revealing nothing to Pei Du. Her mother said that this was the way of marriage, and it was by no means about dishonesty.
Xie Qinghong thought it made a lot of sense. Putting himself in Pei Du's shoes, he decided to let Pei Du save some money on his own, but not too much.
As she was calculating her personal assets, Ah Xing suddenly brought an invitation into the room and said, "Miss, Seventh Sister of the Zheng family has sent you an invitation to a banquet to appreciate chrysanthemums and eat crabs."
Xie Qinghong found it very strange. She and Zheng Yingluo had no relationship whatsoever. Moreover, this person was a reborn person who could foresee the future. She had previously looked at her with pity, so why would she now focus her attention on her?
She accepted the post and read it. It was quite exquisite, indicating that this reborn female protagonist was living a very good life. After thinking about it, she realized that the protagonist always needs supporting characters to highlight him, and Zheng Yingluo wanted to show her her loving daily life with Qin Heng.
Thinking of Qin Heng's past despicable behavior, Xie Qinghong still couldn't hide her disgust. And because of that biography written in Hu language, her impression of Qin Heng was even worse.
However, if she marries and moves to the south, she won't have much time to deal with those two. She might as well take advantage of the time she has now to settle accounts with them. Trying to show off or compare in front of her? No way.
Xie Qinghong accepted the invitation and, on the day of the banquet, dressed up meticulously. She wore a scarlet, wide-sleeved brocade gown that trailed on the ground, and a crimson-gold and red jade crown in her hair, with long, delicate gold chains and tassels hanging down. Even such magnificent adornments did not overshadow her beauty. Standing there, she was the epitome of a stunning beauty, worthy of the title "Despair Capital."
It could be said that they had never dressed up so carefully when they met Pei Du before. Ah Xing and Ah Yue praised her highly, saying that the young lady was always too low-key. If she dressed up like this in front of Prince Pei, he would definitely be stunned.
Xie Qinghong adjusted her hair ornament and said disdainfully, "Of course I dress up so beautifully for young ladies to see. What do men know? He just needs to know I'm pretty." Besides, Zheng Yingluo must have gathered some people waiting to see her make a fool of herself. How could she let those people see her make a fool of herself?
The Zheng family garden was filled with laughter and joy. Zheng Yingluo was riding high. With the memories of her rebirth, she opened a shop selling novel and beautiful clothes. Many noble ladies fawned over her, eager to be the first to buy the new clothes when they hit the market.
That's not all. She and Qin Heng are in love and engaged. Qin Heng treats her very well and always protects her in front of others. Qin Heng is currently highly regarded by His Majesty and has become a vice minister at a young age. He is much more promising than his cousin Qin Zheng. It is said that the head of the Qin family is considering having Qin Heng inherit the title of Duke.
Before this year, who could have imagined that Zheng Yingluo would have such good fortune?
Therefore, the girls who came to the banquet secretly envied her, and flattered her in their words, saying, "Yingluo is so perfect now, I'm so jealous. Her fiancé is so considerate and ambitious, and she has all those beautiful clothes. How did you come up with such a thing?"
Zheng Yingluo smiled faintly: "It's just some clever idea. Please sit down. We're here to appreciate chrysanthemums and eat crabs today, so you mustn't talk about other people. If you really want to talk, then I'll call Brother Aheng."
The girls sat down and noticed that the seat closest to the head of the table was still empty, so they asked with a smile, "Was that reserved for your brother Aheng?"
Zheng Yingluo frowned slightly: "No, it was left for Miss Xie. She clearly accepted my invitation, but I don't know why she hasn't arrived yet. Maybe something came up and she's not coming. I'll send someone to check."
Upon hearing this, all the noble ladies in the garden looked over in surprise. They had all heard about the prophecy concerning Xie Qinghong. Whether they felt sympathy or schadenfreude, they all thought that they probably wouldn't have any dealings with Xie Qinghong in the future, so they didn't bother to maintain a relationship with her anymore. They never expected that Zheng Yingluo would still invite people to the banquet.
However, Xie Qinghong must be going through a lot of hardship right now. She knows the road ahead is difficult, but she has no choice but to obey the emperor's orders and marry him. Today, she probably feels weak and doesn't want to come.
Zheng Yingluo also thought Xie Qinghong had changed his mind at the last minute, and thought to herself that even if she had to go to the Xie residence in person to invite Xie Qinghong, she would have to come, otherwise today's chrysanthemum appreciation banquet would be a waste. She had just sent someone out of the garden to check when she looked up and saw a beautiful woman in scarlet dress appear at the garden entrance. Her long dress was flowing and trailing on the ground, and the tassels of her hair ornament shimmered slightly in the sunlight. She seemed to be shining in the flowers, and all the precious chrysanthemums in the garden became her backdrop.
Zheng Yingluo stood there stunned, while Xie Qinghong suddenly smiled and said, "Sorry, Sister Zheng, I'm late."
The opium trade was silent in the garden. Xie Qinghong didn't care and slowly followed the maid through the rows of seats, sitting down next to the head seat. Then she pretended to be surprised and said, "Sister Zheng actually arranged for me to sit here. I thought this seat was reserved for your fiancé."
Zheng Yingluo could barely maintain her smile, but when she thought of Qin Heng, she forced a gentle smile and said, "He has other seats, Qinghong, please sit down."
She secretly resented him. How could this person act as if nothing had happened, showing no sign of being about to marry the Prince of the South? How could he be so nonchalant, so...beautiful? Didn't she feel afraid after hearing about her fate and the rumors surrounding the Prince of the South?
No, she must be forcing a smile.
Zheng Yingluo took a deep breath, sat down at the head of the table, and announced the start of the banquet. The maids then brought out freshly steamed crabs, one for each of the ladies. The maids stayed behind to carefully dismantle the crabs before leaving. Zheng Yingluo's table was the exception.
The maidservant brought it over and said, "Miss, we just ran into Third Master Qin. He specially stopped us and personally prepared all the crab meat for you to eat. However, he also said that for your health, crab is considered cold and you should not eat too much."
Good-natured laughter rang out around them. Zheng Yingluo blushed slightly and muttered in a low voice, "He's so meddlesome and talkative."
Xie Qinghong deliberately frowned and said, "That's true. If you're already making such a fuss before we're even married, who knows what will happen after we get married?"
The girls who were about to praise the sweetness, along with Zheng Yingluo, all stopped awkwardly. Zheng Yingluo suppressed her anger and said, "Brother Aheng wouldn't do anything like that. But I can understand that you're angry with your fiancé, Qinghong, there's no need to belittle Brother Aheng. He's different from the Prince of Nan."
Others also cast disapproving glances at him. Xie Qinghong sighed and said, "They are indeed different. Pei Du is much better in appearance and temperament than him, so there's no need to compare them. Pei Du was able to suppress bandits at the age of fourteen and lead troops into battle at the age of sixteen. He has made outstanding military achievements. Sigh, I'm not saying that Qin Sanlang is bad, but he is far inferior to Pei Du. Oh, Sister Zheng, I'm just being blunt, please don't mind me."
How satisfying! In the past, when Zheng Yingluo spoke like this, she never thought that one day she could say the same thing and leave Zheng Yingluo speechless.
Zheng Yingluo's face darkened, but she gritted her teeth and replied, "It's alright." Having been reborn, she wouldn't bother with this little girl; she'd learn her lesson later.
Xie Qinghong drank a cup of Shaoxing wine and ate a crab before stopping. Only when Zheng Yingluo wanted to brag about her fiancé did she interject with a few words about Pei Du's merits, making Qin Heng seem worthless.
Zheng Yingluo was furious. It was fabricated, it must be fabricated! How could the Prince of Nan fall in love with her at first sight and treat her so well? He doesn't even bother to think before he lies!
Then Zheng Yingluo could only say that she had a new inspiration and was preparing to make a new batch of clothes, to which the other girls responded enthusiastically. Xie Qinghong, however, still made her uncomfortable: "Oh, I don't need to. Sister Zheng's inspiration is so precious, it's one less time to use it, so let's save it."
Zheng Yingluo almost thought she knew something, and didn't dare to discuss the topic further. But then someone lowered their voice and asked, "I think Qinghong's dress today is beautiful. Yingluo, does your shop have one like that? Even if it's not as pretty, it'll do. Oh well, I'll just ask Qinghong which shop made her dress."
The chrysanthemum appreciation banquet had to be cancelled. Zheng Yingluo hurriedly completed the formalities, saw the girls off one by one, and left Xie Qinghong alone for a confrontation: "Qinghong, did you deliberately embarrass me today? Have I offended you?"
Xie Qinghong widened her eyes: "How could that be? Sister Zheng, you're overthinking it. I was speaking from the bottom of my heart, especially about your fiancé. Not to be rude, but Qin Sanlang is indeed a bit out of line. I heard he's bought some estates specifically to take in orphaned girls in distress. Where does that leave you?"
"You're talking nonsense!"
Xie Qinghong looked at her with pity: "You can go and check it out yourself. It's in the suburbs not far from Wangjing. If I had no ulterior motives, why wouldn't I tell you? I'm doing this for your own good; I really can't bear to keep you in the dark. Sister Zheng, you won't blame me, will you?"
The two women were standing on the long corridor outside the garden when they heard men's voices coming from the other side of the corridor. The Zheng family had hosted a banquet that day and invited several familiar young men. Judging from the voices, they were coming to the garden after the banquet.
Xie Qinghong didn't turn to look, but only watched Zheng Yingluo's changing expression, and said in a low voice, "This is not something I should say, you should think it over."
After she finished speaking, she lifted her skirt and walked down the corridor, turning her back to the group of people and heading towards the Zheng family's gate.
As the group stepped into the corridor, they saw a young woman leaving. Among them, a young man from another ethnic group, surrounded by others, asked in fluent Sheng Kingdom Mandarin, "Who was that young woman?"
Qin Heng recognized her at a glance, his heart skipped a beat, and he calmed himself before replying, "It is Miss Xie, the beloved daughter of Grand Secretary Xie."
The person who asked the question still had his eyes fixed on the figure in crimson robes, and murmured, "This is the celestial maiden."
Hearing his mutterings, the others remained silent. This young man from another ethnic group was the fourth prince of the Hu people. He said he had come to Wangjing to learn about the culture of the Sheng Kingdom. He was quite humble and polite, but seeing his strong physique and the strength to lift a cauldron, they knew that he was not someone to be trifled with.
As for who is more dangerous to deal with, him or the Prince of the South, none of those present dared to try.
Because of her skirt, Xie Qinghong walked a little slower. Just as she reached the gate of the Zheng family, she suddenly heard hurried footsteps behind her, as if they were chasing after her. She thought to herself, "Would Zheng Yingluo realize what's going on and get angry and come to argue with me?"
She turned her head and saw a tall, unfamiliar young man from another ethnic group. Due to her innate dislike for Hu people, her expression immediately turned cold. Seeing that it was not Zheng Yingluo, she turned her head and stepped over the threshold.
The young man from another race called out, "Miss Xie, please wait. I am Kaga, the fourth prince of Tusha. Let's get acquainted!"
Before Xie Qinghong could speak, someone behind her suddenly answered for her: "No need to get to know him. Miss Xie has a fiancé she is about to marry. Prince Kaga is no match for her. It's not that Prince Kaga is bad, but compared to me, he is far inferior."
Xie Qinghong felt the effects of the yellow wine on his face and slapped the newcomer across the chest, exclaiming angrily, "What are you doing here?!"
Pei Du lowered his eyes and smiled, reaching out to grab her hand and pulling her closer to him, partially blocking her view as he continued to say to the prince, "She is mine."
Prince Kaga frowned and turned to ask Qin Heng, who had followed him, if it was true. Qin Heng hadn't expected to see the Prince of the South, and his expression darkened even more: "It's true." The radiant Xie Qinghong had actually been defiled by Pei Du alone; it was truly enviable.
However, he did not notice that Zheng Yingluo was not far away, silently observing his expression, and determined to go to that manor to take a look later.
Xie Qinghong tugged at Pei Du, who understood and let go. Seeing that her skirt was covered in dust, he instinctively bent down to pick up the hem of her skirt and escorted her to the carriage.
There were still a few girls outside the Zheng family gate who hadn't gone far. They couldn't help but widen their eyes when they saw this scene. Everyone said that the Prince of the South was violent and ruthless, but he didn't fight back when Xie Qinghong slapped him. He even bent down to lift up Xie Qinghong's skirt!
Furthermore, they had never noticed the appearance and demeanor of the Prince of the South before, but compared with the foreign prince and the third son of the Qin family, the two were indeed far inferior. The Prince of the South was like a pearl beside Xie Qinghong, and the phrase "a match made in heaven" seemed to be tailor-made for them.
The girls left in shame. They seemed to be doing well, not at all like the rumored ones who needed pity and sympathy.
Xie Qinghong had just gotten into the carriage when Pei Du squeezed in as well. She snorted and turned her head away, refusing to look at him. Pei Du smiled and moved closer, expertly slipping his fingers between hers, and whispered in her ear, "Just now in the garden you were saying everything about me was wonderful, so why don't you want to see me now that we're out here?"
Xie Qinghong glared at him angrily: "I was just talking nonsense!" The alcohol flushed her cheeks, and she was slightly drunk.
Pei Du's free hand rudely touched the soft cheek he had been eyeing for so long, gave it a light pinch, and quickly withdrew it before the girl could get angry.
“I’m not talking nonsense. Everything you said is true.” Pei Du looked at her and smiled. “I fell in love with you at first sight, every single time.”
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