Chapter 79 Chapter 79 [VIP]
Chapter 79
It's not just one stick of incense, it's two hours.
Song Yunzhi stood up and followed Wang Zhao out, mentally prepared. He was not threatening her, but giving her a choice. If she didn't want to be tied to him, the only way out was to go to jail.
He would not let her do whatever she wanted anymore.
After leaving the dungeon, Wang Zhao told others that he was at the prefectural government's door. Song Yunzhi was confused and didn't know whether he agreed or not.
Wang Zhao didn't know whether this counted as an agreement or not, and he couldn't explain it clearly for the time being. He also didn't know what the Seventh Lady was up to, so he could only ask the prince to go to the door himself.
Song Yunzhi didn't have time to wait with her, so he walked through the narrow corridor outside the prison gate and chose the nearest road to the prefectural gate.
As soon as the man came out, he saw the real owner.
Qian Tong was wearing a festive crimson dress. Behind her stood several women from the Qian family, hiding behind her and covering their faces with round fans. Behind them was a group of servants. In front of each of them were piles of boxes and cabinets of various sizes, all tied with red silk. The team was so long that one could not see the end at a glance.
Such a scene has already attracted countless people to watch.
Song Yunzhi glanced at her, his gaze settled calmly on her face, his heart as firm as a rock. No matter what tricks she played today, they would not work.
"Prince Song!" The girl opposite smiled at him and said loudly, "Two months ago, the prince and I held an engagement banquet at a teahouse in the city. The people present, as well as my Qian family's relatives and friends, witnessed it. The prince and I made an engagement, vowing to be together through life and death, to hold your hand, and to grow old together. The prince once said that he was willing to be my seventh uncle-in-law."
The tension on Song Yunzhi's face receded, and he looked at her leisurely.
See how she plays tricks.
The people around her immediately became noisy because of her words.
"This Seventh Lady is so brave..."
"Yes, this is the prince."
"When the engagement was first made, the prince was forced by her. The Qian family is just a merchant, how could she be worthy of..."
Hearing the voice, Qian Tong turned around and stared at the gossiping woman, saying, "What do you care if I'm worthy or not? Sour grapes. If you were engaged to him, you would have come to force a marriage long ago. You can't stand other people's good things. You deserve to be unlucky for eight lifetimes. Continue to be poor..."
The woman who was being scolded suddenly blushed, and became angry and anxious.
She's not the only one saying...
If she, if she were to get engaged to the prince... everyone would want to get hold of such a good thing, right? The woman thought about her words for a while and then shut up obediently.
Qian Tong ignored her and said to the others, "I, Qian Tong, was lucky enough to find a son-in-law. Who could have known that he was the son of the eldest princess of the dynasty, the heir of a marquisate? I've always heard that the Song prince is a man of high rank, courteous, upright, and unyielding. Today, I come to ask the prince, is this marriage still possible?"
Seeing Song Yunzhi glance away, as if he didn't want to pay attention to her, she continued, "Now that the prince has restored his status, I will not let him marry into my Qian family. Therefore, today I, Qian Tong, have brought my own dowry and come to ask the prince, will you marry me or not?"
Isn't he here to force marriage?
She can too.
Even if they wanted to get married, it shouldn't be the upright and honest Prince Song who forced them to get married.
She came to force the marriage, using the upbringing that Prince Song had learned since childhood and his character of never letting others down to threaten him to compromise.
Even if one day in the future she can't turn back, she will still have the chance to give him freedom.
Seeing his gaze fall on her face and he hesitated to speak, Qian Tong smiled and urged him, "Prince?"
As soon as she finished speaking, her dress was pulled by Mrs. Qian San, who said in a trembling voice: "Tongjie'er, let's forget it..." She was scared to death. If she had known, she should not have come.
Not only will you lose face, you might even lose your head.
She wasn't supposed to be the one coming today. As soon as she woke up in the morning, Tong Jie'er came rushing over, saying she wanted her to accompany her to the prefectural government to force a marriage. She thought she had misheard, but Tong Jie'er told her that her mother, Madam Qian Er, had fainted from fright and couldn't go, so she had to come. "Third Aunt, please accompany me on the first trip. Since we're forcing a marriage, an elder must go."
The third wife almost fainted, but she was still a little short of it. Fu Yin held her arm and took the two concubines from the third room with her. On the way, the three of them took turns persuading Qian Tong.
The Third Lady: "Our family doesn't have to climb up the social ladder. Tong Jie'er, you are the head of the family..."
One of the aunts said: "Seventh Lady, let's go back."
Second Aunt: "If outsiders see you like this, I wonder how they will laugh at you. Go back..."
Qian Tong refused to listen.
When they arrived at the gate of the prefectural government, the three of them hid behind her, wishing they could cover their faces completely. After hearing what she said, their hearts were in their throats, fearing that the next moment Prince Song would order the cavalry to drive them out, settle all the old and new accounts, and chop off the heads of these ignorant merchants.
The Third Lady trembled, clutching the clothes around Qian Tong's waist tightly, feeling as if every day was a year. After a moment, she said, "Marry."
The third lady was stunned.
The sounds in my ears gradually quieted down.
The noise blocked my hearing, so I took the opportunity to ask again: "What did the prince say? I didn't hear clearly."
Song Yunzhi looked at her, in the silence,
Qian Tong turned around and looked at the terrified Third Madam and her two concubines, who were stunned. He ordered, "Please, Third Aunt and the concubines, carry the dowry in for the prince."
The third lady turned around, but before she could come to her senses, she was surrounded by the discussions of the people around her.
The third lady asked, "Is it done?"
The aunt nodded, "The prince agreed."
The Third Madam shook her head violently: "Pinch me now! Am I dreaming? Hiss! I told you to pinch me, and you did! Quick, go inform the Second Master and the Second Madam! Our Qian Family is going to make a name for itself..."
Qian Tong had already walked to the door. She looked up at Song Yunzhi and gave him the answer in person, "I will marry you." Although the answer came a little late and in a different way, she agreed.
She walked the entire journey with him.
There was little fluctuation in Song Yunzhi's eyes. It would be best if she could figure it out. He turned and walked inside, and Qian Tong followed closely behind him.
Wang Zhao didn't know what to do with the dowry for a moment, so he chased after her, "Madam Qian..."
Qian Tong's footsteps were briskly following the shadow cast by Prince Song on the ground. He turned back and corrected her, "Mrs. Qian, from now on, in front of the prince, call me the prince's consort."
She didn't know how long she could scream, so she decided to satisfy her desire first.
Wang Zhao was truly impressed by this Qian Qi Niang. He had just said so many heartless words this morning, but in the blink of an eye, he was coaxing her again, lowering his eyes and agreeing with her: "Princess, those things outside..."
There are too many, where should we move them?
Song Yunzhi didn't stop walking. A moment later, the girl behind him caught up and asked, "Prince, the king asked where to put my dowry?"
Song Yunzhi: "Carry it in first."
Qian Tong followed him into the house and secretly went to find his secret guard.
She didn't know if he had punished her, as it was all because of her. If she had been punished, she would go and apologize to him.
Song Yunzhi placed the file on the desk and turned back to see her still standing at the door. He said in a flat voice, "Since Madam Qian has agreed to the marriage, please go home. There is no need to follow me. I will discuss the wedding date with your father and then take you home."
As he was about to get married, he was in a calm mood, with no expression of joy or sadness on his face.
Qian Tong naturally remembered what she had said to him in the morning. Her liking for him was only slight, not to the point of having to marry him.
Now that he agreed to it, he felt in his heart that it was because he was forced to do so.
Qian Tong couldn't take back what she had said, but since she had already decided to marry him, there was no need to waste such a beautiful time. A couple should act like a couple. She walked in uninvited and asked, "Just after we got engaged, the prince wants to kick me out?"
Song Yunzhi ignored her and went about his own business.
Qian Tong walked straight up to him again, gently leaning on his desk, his hand on his chin, staring at him without blinking. When he could no longer bear it and finally looked up, he smiled at him, "It's sunny outside, and I'm thirsty. I wonder if my fiancée could give me a sip of tea?"
Song Yunzhi's calm eyes were slightly disturbed.
"I called you right." Qian Tong said, "The prince is going to marry me, so I am your fiancée and you are my fiancée, right?"
Qian Tong held his gaze and said shamelessly, "If the Crown Prince wants to marry me, he should be prepared to spend every day with me. It's inevitable that an engaged couple will use some intimate terms when spending every day together. And after marriage, won't the Crown Prince and your Crown Princess be sweet and affectionate with each other..."
Before she finished speaking, she saw Song Yunzhi stand up, walk to the wooden table beside her, pick up the teapot, pour her a cup of tea, push it to the seat opposite, and say calmly: "Drink."
Qian Tong: “…”
"Thank you, Yunzhen." She sat on the futon, took a sip of the tea she had begged for, and moved around. "Hey, why don't I see Meng Qing..."
"Since you are fine, let's talk about what happened last night." Song Yunzhi looked at her and asked, "Why did you kill the king..."
"Song Yunzhi." Qian Tong called his name, interrupting him weakly. He looked helplessly at the young man in front of him, frowning slightly, and asked, "Has anyone ever told you that you have no interest at all?"
Song Yunzhi remained silent.
Qian Tong muttered, "Today is the day we officially get engaged. Do you really want to discuss the case with me? Can't we talk about something else?"
After thinking for a moment, Song Yunzhi seemed to feel that what she said made sense. He could not refute it, so he gave in and said, "What are you talking about?"
The two were about to get married, so there were many things to discuss. Qian Tong looked around at his residence and said, "After we get married, are we going to live in this room? Then I'll have to ask someone to come and clean it up. It's too plain..."
She has too many things and this place is too small to fit them all.
Song Yunzhi said, "I'm going to the Qian family."
Qian Tong was stunned.
Song Yunzhi discussed with her, "The prefectural government is where cases are handled. Even if I were the heir of the Yong'an Marquisate, I can't settle down here. After we get married, I'll move in with you. Is that okay?"
Is it ok...
Was he asking for her opinion?
It was shocking enough that a prince married the daughter of a merchant, but now he was allowed to marry into the family and live in his own home. Qian Tong touched his neck and asked, "Will the princess kill me?"
Song Yunzhi lowered his head, not wanting to look at her silly expression, and replied, "No." After a pause, he added, "With me here, no one will embarrass you."
"Oh..." Qian Tong considered his suggestion carefully. Even if she wasn't afraid of death, some people would be. She said in embarrassment, "Second Master Qian and Madam Qian are timid. Will they be scared to death?"
Before she came out, one of them had already fainted.
Song Yunzhi insisted, "I'll go talk to Master Qian and Madam Qian myself." Seeing her teacup was empty, he picked up the teapot and refilled it for her. He said slowly, "I'm new in Yangzhou and have no property to my name, so I can't give you a permanent place to live. You've been used to having enough food and clothing since childhood, so you can't just settle for a small house. After careful consideration, I've decided to move in with you after we get married."
Seeing her staring at him blankly and not saying anything, Song Yunzhi asked, "What's wrong? Don't want to?"
He had said this much, so he must be determined to marry into the Qian family. What else could Qian Tong say? He smiled and said, "It would be a great honor for the Qian family if the prince could live in our home. I just hope that his parents won't come after our family in the future..."
Seeing that she agreed, Song Yunzhi did not accompany her any longer. "You rest here for a while. I will go to the Qian family with you after I finish the things at hand."
Qian Tong still had the self-awareness to do so and didn't ask him what he was dealing with.
It must be the mess that the Park family made last night, and the trouble she caused.
Once the news of the princess's death reaches Jiangning, the prince's troops will arrive outside Yangzhou City tonight at the latest. Prince Song will not let them in, and he should have sent a letter to Chen Che long ago.
Even if the prince's men haven't arrived, there's still Lan Yizi.
Moreover, at this juncture, the royal palace has already torn its relations with the Park family. Before the head of the Park family arrives, King Pyeongchang will not have friction with people in the court, but the court also needs a reason to send King Pyeongchang away.
Thank you for your hard work, Prince Song.
Qian Tong sat obediently in the room waiting for people.
After Song Yunzhi left, he heard his subordinates report, "The prince has been clamoring to see the prince."
He had probably heard about the Qian family coming to the prefectural government to force a marriage, and he was furious and anxious. The Pu family's affairs hadn't been resolved yet, so why were the Qian family joining in the fun? He cursed these merchants for being shameless, fearing that Prince Song would agree. He tried to go out to look for them several times, but was stopped by the guards. Prince Pingchang wanted to be angry, but he had to hold it back.
Song Yunzhi listened but ignored it. He went to Wang Zhao and asked, "Did you receive a letter from Kyoto?"
The dowry outside had not been carried in yet, and Wang Zhao was sweating profusely. He shook his head and said, "No." He also felt it was strange. Logically speaking, since the prince's life was such an important event, even if the marquis did not come, the princess would immediately return to Yangzhou. However, two months had passed, and there was no movement in Kyoto.
Could it be that the letter was not delivered?
Seeing that the wedding was about to take place, Wang Zhao hurriedly said, "I will send another trusted confidant to the capital as soon as possible to report the prince's situation to the Marquis' Mansion."
Song Yunzhi nodded.
He had originally planned to marry her off in a legitimate manner by submitting three letters and six proposals to the Marquis's Mansion with his parents present. But now she had gotten ahead of him and brought up the previous engagement banquet to propose marriage, putting him in a passive position.
Having the rich elders present did count, but his parents had to know about his marriage, even if it meant making a trip. He agreed to Wang Zhao, "Okay."
——
After Song Yunzhi left, Qian Tong sat for a while.
If she went back to the Qian family now, she would be surrounded by the Qian family. But it would be different if Prince Song went with her, as everyone would become mute.
Qian Tong waited patiently for someone to come. He drank two cups of tea and was just dozing off when he heard a noise at the door. Thinking it was Prince Song returning, he said groggily, "Yun Zhen is back."
The other party did not respond, and even the footsteps stopped.
After waiting for a long time and still not seeing the footsteps approaching, Qian Tong realized something was wrong. He forced himself to doze off and turned his head lazily.
She didn't see Song Yunzhi, but saw a fairy.
She really is a fairy.
Qian Tong had never seen such a sweet and clean girl, even though she looked a little disheveled at the moment, with a few strands of hair scattered under her crimson headband, and her aqua blue folded skirt was stained with dust. She stood outside the door, her posture upright, one hand holding the bag on her shoulder, the other holding up the hem of her skirt, with a bit of apology on her beautiful face, looking at her gently.
Qian Tong always felt inexplicably familiar.
I suddenly woke up from my sleep and slowly got up from the mat. I didn't know who the person was, but judging from her appearance and dress, she didn't look like a person from Yangzhou.
The other person's eyes initially showed the same surprise as hers, but perhaps she felt that staring at someone like that was not polite, so she quickly looked away, nodded to her, and then asked, "Sister, is this Song Yunzhi's residence..."
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