Threatening words at the restaurant, issuing a challenge on the street
With the imperial decree granting the marriage, the marriage between Prince Yi, Zhao Jingyi, and Qin Yuti, the second daughter of the Qin family, was a done deal, and the wedding date was set for the Qixi Festival three months later.
The news spread like wildfire throughout the capital, becoming the hottest topic of conversation. Everyone was speculating about how lively the Prince Yi's residence would become with these two seemingly incompatible individuals working together.
Zhao Jingyi enjoyed a few days of triumph, walking with his head held high wherever he went—look, so what if she's a talented woman? She still has to obediently marry this king!
On this day, he was in a great mood and invited several of his playboy friends, with whom he usually went cockfighting and horse racing, to drink in a private room of the "Drunken Immortal Pavilion" in the most bustling area of the capital.
After a few drinks, the atmosphere became lively. A young man from the family of the Vice Minister of Revenue, dressed in a brocade robe, winked and asked, "Your Highness, this time you've really... shocked the world! That Miss Qin is a famously talented woman, with a cold and aloof personality. You just asked His Majesty for her like this. Aren't you afraid that you won't be able to control her in the future and will suffer the consequences?"
Zhao Jingyi was in high spirits when he heard this. He slammed his glass down on the table, raised his chin, and with a mix of drunkenness and smugness, his voice unconsciously rose:
"Suffer a loss? Ha! Do you think I'd be afraid of a weak woman like her? What do you know! I'm asking for her hand in marriage so that I can rightfully keep her under my nose!"
He got more and more excited as he spoke, as if he could already see the dawn of victory: "Once the Qixi Festival is over, and the bridal sedan chair is carried into the gates of my Prince Yi's mansion, that will be my territory! Let's see how she can still be so sharp-tongued! I swear, I will definitely grind down her arrogance! Beating her eight times a day is too lenient! I will make her know what it means for a husband to be the head of the household!"
He was spouting harsh words with spittle flying everywhere, and the window of the private room, which happened to face the street, carried his voice clearly downstairs.
As luck would have it, Qin Yuti was just coming out of the nearby silk shop with her personal maid. She needed to buy some dowry fabrics. Although she was extremely unwilling to get married, she couldn't miss the proper etiquette. As soon as she reached the bottom of Zuixian Tower, she heard that familiar voice that made her grit her teeth in hatred coming from upstairs, along with that "bold statement" of "beating him eight times a day".
The maidservant turned pale with fright and gently tugged at Qin Yuti's sleeve: "Miss..."
Qin Yuti stopped in her tracks, raised her head, and her cold gaze was precisely fixed on the open window. Her face was expressionless, but her tightly pursed lips and slightly heaving chest revealed the anger in her heart.
She initially didn't want to pay any attention, but Zhao Jingyi's words were simply too harsh. To slander the future princess's reputation in broad daylight, in front of so many people, was a grave insult to her character!
Tolerate? Why should we tolerate it!
Qin Yuti took a deep breath. Instead of leaving quickly, she took a few steps forward and stood directly in front of the entrance to Zuixianlou, ensuring her voice could be heard clearly. She gathered her strength, her voice not loud, but exceptionally clear and calm, carrying a force that pierced through the noise, reaching straight to the private room on the second floor:
"Your Highness Prince Yi, how arrogant you are! You're not even married yet, and you're already thinking about how to resort to violence?"
The noise from upstairs suddenly stopped.
Zhao Jingyi, who was holding a wine glass, froze in mid-air, his smug smile instantly freezing. He suddenly leaned out to look downstairs, meeting Qin Yuti's cold, mocking eyes.
Seeing him looking at her, Qin Yuti did not back down and continued to say clearly, word by word, "You want to hit me eight times a day? Your Highness, you must still be dreaming!"
She slightly raised her chin, revealing the pride of a legitimate daughter from a scholarly family: "Since that's the case, let's wait and see. After the Qixi Festival, let's see who beats whom in Prince Yi's mansion!"
After saying that, she didn't look at Zhao Jingyi, whose face was turning red and white again, and turned around. With the help of her maid, she left the entrance of Zuixianlou with an elegant and composed demeanor, as if she had just casually commented on the weather.
Many pedestrians on the street overheard the conversation and chuckled, pointing and whispering about the building.
Zhao Jingyi stood frozen at the window, listening to the faint snickers coming from downstairs, watching the straight back of the retreating figure. He felt as if he had been slapped across the face several times from afar, the pain burning. The wine glass in his hand clenched so tightly it cracked.
His cronies looked at each other, wanting to laugh but not daring to, struggling to hold it in.
It's over.
It seems this feud has reached a very high level.
For the first time, Zhao Jingyi clearly realized that he seemed to have... really married an extraordinary ancestor.
The days to come will probably be even more "exciting" than he imagined.
As Qin Yuti left, she sat in the carriage on her way back to the mansion, a faint yet fiercely competitive smirk playing on her lips.
Zhao Jingyi, the game has begun.
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