Chapter 36 Yunxi's Corpse in the Mass Gravesite
Upon hearing that the bill was settled, the shopkeeper immediately took the bill and a pair of fine jade bracelets, and said to Gu Nanxiao with a smile:
"Please accept these jade bracelets, Lord Gu and Miss Zhao. They are a gift from our shop for every ten thousand yuan spent. They are called 'One Step, One Sound,' which is a homophone for 'One Step, One Thought.'"
I wish you two esteemed guests a harmonious and loving marriage, and I hope you will continue to patronize my small shop.
Gu Nanxiao initially didn't think much of it, but after hearing the story, he reached out and took the brocade box, took out the jade bracelet, and personally put it on Yunxi's wrist. Then, in front of everyone, he took Yunxi's hand and strode away from the jewelry store.
Shi Qingchen stared at the all-too-familiar background, his mind replaying Zhao's delicate yet dazzling smile. Hearing the clinking of jade bracelets beside him, he turned woodenly to the shopkeeper and instructed:
"I'll also add this piece to my jewelry list, one step at a time."
On the morning of Shi Qingchen's wedding, the Shi family's vermilion gates opened wide, and a grand wedding procession emerged from the mansion. At the head of the procession, Shi Qingchen carried a memorial tablet in his arms, inscribed with the name of his beloved wife, Yunxi.
Behind him, someone carried a bright red women's wedding dress, followed by an exquisitely decorated red sedan chair, and finally, loads of betrothal gifts. The wedding procession, accompanied by music and fanfare, circled the streets of Kyoto.
The sorrowful yet joyful expression on Shi Qingchen's face moved all who witnessed it. Many in the crowd whispered amongst themselves.
"Could it be that Miss Yunxi's death was really an accident?"
"Judging from the young master's expression at that time, it didn't seem like he was faking it."
Another person said, "Let alone asking a young master from a century-old family to marry a memorial tablet, even if I, an ordinary commoner, were to marry a dead person, I would not be willing."
"Who wouldn't say that he must love her to the core to go to such lengths for Miss Yunxi?"
The Shi family's grand performance was not in vain; they successfully transformed Shi Qingchen's image from that of a swindler into that of a devoted and loyal young man in everyone's eyes.
Liu, hidden in the crowd, watched Shi Qingchen holding the memorial tablet with such deep affection, and gritted her teeth.
She still remembered the day Shi Qingchen married her. He didn't smile once from beginning to end. During the wedding ceremony, whenever she had the slightest contact with him, Shi Qingchen showed a look of resistance.
This caused her to be ridiculed by her sisters at home. What's even more hateful is that on their wedding night, Shi Qingchen abandoned his new wife and held a dead man, crying uncontrollably.
That incident made her unable to hold her head high in the Shi family. Was she, a lady from a respectable family, really inferior to a dead person? Madam Liu was unwilling to accept it, but she couldn't disrupt the wedding.
Her father had sent a special message to warn her that the interests of the two families were now intertwined, and that they would rise and fall together. He insisted that she cooperate with Shi Qingchen to find a way to consolidate her position as the young master of the family.
In fact, Shi Qingchen's desire to marry Yunxi was genuine, especially after he read the diary and learned of Yunxi's unspoken love for him, which made him see his own heart clearly.
He had thought countless times that if time could turn back, he would rather give up everything and run away with Yunxi to a distant land, where he would give Yunxi the most sincere love.
When he proposed to his father that he win the ranking, it wasn't just to turn the tide, but more to make up for the regrets between him and Yunxi.
Despite his injuries, he meticulously prepared for the wedding these past few days, carefully selecting everything from large pieces of furniture to small decorations in the bridal chamber.
He only hoped that if there were an afterlife, he could continue his relationship with Yunxi.
Just as the wedding procession was about to circle the main street, they bumped into the funeral procession of Zhao Yunxi, who was moving the grave of her sworn sister.
Upon seeing the other party's entourage, which clearly intended to obstruct their wedding, the steward of the Shi family immediately stepped forward to negotiate. Although Zhao Yunxi was only the daughter of a minor official, the person standing behind her was Gu Nanxiao, the commander of the Golden Guard.
Although we didn't see Lord Gu appear today, the two rows of Imperial Guards clearing the way for Miss Zhao, and the Deputy Commander Mo Yu standing behind her, are no different from Lord Gu in terms of kinship.
The steward hesitated for a long time, not uttering a single word, but was already drenched in a light sweat. However, remembering how much the Grand Secretary valued this matter, he had no choice but to steel himself and offer his advice:
"I wonder if Miss Zhao could make way for the wedding procession? After all, it's very unlucky for the bridal sedan to stop, and Miss Zhao wouldn't want your sworn sister to have an unhappy marriage, would she?"
Yunxi scoffed contemptuously and said loudly without any politeness, "Stop with your deceitful tricks!"
If Qingchen had truly loved my sworn sister deeply back then, how could he have left her body in a mass grave? If I hadn't sent people to collect her remains and bury her on the spot, she would probably have been devoured by wild dogs long ago!
Yunxi spoke very loudly, and the content of her words was like a thunderclap, causing a stir among the surrounding crowd.
"No way, they actually threw Yunxi's body into a mass grave after she died?"
"That's right. Even if a family member dies, we still have to buy a straw mat."
"Judging from the way the young master looked back with such deep affection, if he truly loved her that much, how could he have allowed Miss Yunxi to be left to die in the wilderness?"
As if they had stumbled upon some truth, the crowd began to discuss it loudly and without any attempt to conceal their opinions. At this moment, the online trolls that Qi Jinxiu had arranged also started to stir up trouble among the crowd.
"I think that the young master's so-called deep affection and unwavering devotion is just a way to save face for his own tarnished reputation."
"Actually, we don't need to speculate here. We can find out the truth simply by following Miss Zhao to move the grave."
"Yes, yes, let's go with Miss Zhao to relocate the grave and see if Miss Yunxi was thrown into a mass grave."
“Miss Yunxi has been kind to me, so I want to go with her.”
"The saying goes, 'To be buried in peace' means that whoever arranges the funeral for Miss Yunxi is the one who truly cares for her."
Upon hearing the words "mass graveyard," Shi Qingchen immediately panicked. He had indeed inquired about it with his father afterward. However, because he had been ill for so long, by the time he sent people to search, Yunxi's body was nowhere to be found.
Feng Xun told him that Yunxi's body might have been devoured by wild dogs. He never expected that it would be collected by her sworn sister.
But since her sworn sister had collected the body, why didn't she find a good place to bury it instead of burying it in a mass grave?
More importantly, if these people really find Yunxi's grave in the mass grave, wouldn't the family's scheme become another piece of evidence that would be criticized?
Shi Qingchen's panic did not stop the crowd. Just as he nervously held the memorial tablet, unsure whether to continue the wedding, two Imperial Guards suddenly appeared and forcibly dragged him towards the mass grave.
One of the Shi family's servants, sensing the danger, tried to sneak away to the mansion to report to the head of the government while no one was looking. However, he had barely escaped the crowd when Feng Xun caught up with him, knocked him unconscious, and dragged him to a corner.
The grand show that our master has arranged hasn't even started yet; how can we let these blind fools ruin his plans?
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