Chapter 25: Taking a Concubine Ji Yunchan only had one thought left - how much...
Ji Yunchan only had one thought left - how disappointed he must be.
Ji Yunchan, look at what you have done.
The hand holding the document dropped, and she felt a pang of pain in her heart.
The thin paper fluttered under the table with the wind from her sleeves. Ji Yunchan looked at Yan Heng's departing figure and felt that if it ended here, she would be filled with endless regrets for the rest of her life.
When she realized this, she crawled forward on her knees and struggled to catch up with him.
Then, he hugged Yan Heng tightly.
She was still shaking, but she didn't care about anything anymore, including gains and losses, and not regretting her moves. She only knew that she had deeply hurt Yan Heng's heart.
Her voice was tinged with tears, her chest heaving as she hugged him tightly, "General, General, I know I was wrong. Please don't abandon me."
Yan Heng only felt a heaviness on his legs, followed by a belated repentance.
He paused and closed his eyes, but he couldn't suppress the rising anger.
He struggled twice, and the frail body was unable to stand steadily due to his movements, but he still stubbornly refused to let go.
Yan Heng sighed impatiently and pinched his eyebrows hard.
He just turned his back to her and warned in a low voice: "Ji Yunchan."
Ji Yunchan lost her sense of security and replied humbly, "I'm here."
Slave. Maid.
Even now, Yan Heng still finds these two words extremely harsh.
Time and again, she was fickle, yet she would stubbornly hold on to him when he was on the verge of letting go, torturing him in various ways, and her attacks always worked, as if she was born to defeat him.
He said nothing and looked up at the blue sky outside the house.
The sky is blue and the sun is high.
A sparrow flapped its wings and flew by, chirping so inappropriately.
Yan Heng smiled forcefully, then turned around, squatted in front of her again, and pinched her chin.
His eyes were full of scrutiny, lingering from her autumn-watery eyebrows to her bright red lips, as if he was appreciating some collection.
There were still tears on Ji Yunchan's eyelashes. She overcame her shame and allowed herself to be looked at like an object.
He never let go of the corner of the person's clothes in front of him, but instead held it even tighter.
Somehow, she thought, she'd caught it this time.
Ah Heng, calm down.
Don't leave me.
The blue corner of the clothes was wrinkled in the white hand, and the promise made in childhood came to his mind. Yan Heng felt it was ridiculous.
Ji Yunchan, is this your measurement?
He thought to himself, you are doing this to me with what I promised you, but you don’t love me.
He lowered his eyes to look into hers, and ordered with a heart as hard as iron: "Since you call yourself a slave, then come and please me... since you can please others."
Ji Yunchan closed her eyes, trembling, and kissed him awkwardly.
Almost like a sacrifice, she devoutly offered her slender neck.
So bitter.
Yan Heng watched with his eyes open, but could taste nothing but bitterness.
As their lips touched, Ji Yunchan leaned towards him tremblingly, as soft as a snake in the snow.
The blue blood vessels on the neck conveyed the warmth of a living person, the warmth of his beloved whom he had saved from the snowstorm.
At this moment, I am defenseless and let him pick it.
Yan Heng's eyes turned red.
Those shoulders were so thin that they could be held without much strength.
Yan Heng clamped his hands around her shoulders and ended the kiss.
He stared at her with a mocking expression, mocking both himself and her: "Do we have a childhood engagement?"
Ji Yunchan nodded barely audibly, afraid of touching anything.
Then Yan Heng suddenly smiled, almost with a sense of relief.
He said, "In that case, then come and be my concubine."
Ji Yunchan looked up at him, holding the corner of his clothes, and nodded without hesitation.
As if it were a gift.
......
When Ji Yunchan returned home, she was in a daze.
Ji's mother and sister Yun'e were chatting and laughing, and were suddenly shocked to see her come in with red eyes, as if she had lost her soul.
"Sister?" Yun'e stood up and went to help her.
Ji's mother also asked: "Yuanyuan, what's wrong?"
Ji Yunchan didn't answer. She held on to her sister's arm for support and went straight to the bedroom.
Yun'e and her mother looked at each other worriedly.
Ji Yunchan felt like it was all a dream, and she had never been so tired. She slowly fell into bed with her clothes on and fell asleep.
The sun was already setting outside the window when she was awakened by the rustling sounds of footsteps and conversations.
She sat up, her mind clouded.
Ji's mother came in to see her at this moment, her face full of distress: "Awake? Why don't you sleep a little longer?"
Ji Yunchan shook her head, her eyes slightly dry, and her voice was hoarse, "Mother, are the people from the General's Mansion here?"
Ji's mother nodded inaudibly, walked over and held her daughter in her arms.
"Mom, what are you doing?"
Ji Yunchan spoke softly, revealing a faint smile of self-mockery, not knowing to whom she was telling it: "This is good news, I'm getting married."
How can I not feel heartbroken when I become someone's concubine?
She cherished her first child and raised him up to be smart and beautiful. She also arranged a good marriage for him and should have had a worry-free life. However, she did not expect that time would change and he would end up like this.
Ji's mother was heartbroken: "I thought you two could get back together."
"What nonsense are you talking about, mother."
Ji Yunchan was calm, not like someone who had experienced it firsthand, with a hint of numbness from the emotional ups and downs. "He and I are worlds apart. How can an exiled criminal be my legal wife?"
"Mom——" The mother and daughter's hug was interrupted by the shout.
Ji Yun'e came in through the curtain, followed by the hesitant Zheng's mother. "Aunt Zheng is here."
Mother Zheng said embarrassedly, "I shouldn't have come, but my Yong'er went home and got sick again, so it's not convenient for him to come. I had to come."
"If it weren't for Miss Ji, I really don't know what I would have done." She looked at Ji Yunchan, who was obviously being tortured, and felt ashamed to face her. She turned to Ji's mother to find something to say to avoid the silence and awkwardness of the atmosphere: "I see everyone's busy outside, but is there a happy event at home?"
Mother Ji knew nothing about this. She looked at her eldest daughter, who lowered her eyes calmly. She had some suspicions in her heart, but she never expressed them. Just as she was about to speak, she heard the person in her arms say, "Aunt Zheng, don't worry about my family's affairs."
Ji's mother was surprised for a moment, and then her expression became serious.
She stood up, and Zheng's mother naturally stood up as well.
"I'm so busy at home that I really can't spare the time to entertain guests. Mr. Zheng is still ill, so you might as well take good care of him."
Ji's mother held Zheng's arm while talking to her, and led her to the door smoothly. After she finished her words without missing a single word, she sent her away.
Mother Zheng couldn't keep her any longer, so before leaving, she hesitated and asked, "What happened to Miss Ji?"
"Yunchan wants to be the general's concubine."
After Ji's mother finished speaking, she didn't bother to look at Zheng's mother's expression. She nodded and went in.
Zheng's mother was left standing there for a long time, feeling sad and guilty.
......
Mother Ji came in and eagerly grasped her eldest daughter's hand, fearing that she might not want to know. "Yuanyuan, tell me what happened."
Ji Yunchan had no intention of hiding it. She wanted to let the matter go. If she handled it alone, her mother would definitely continue to interact with the Zheng family out of reciprocity.
This way, she felt relieved.
She said, "I asked Yan Heng for mercy on Zheng Yong's behalf."
"How can this be possible?" Ji's mother murmured in fear.
"Yan Heng is so angry."
When Ji Yunchan talked about things she didn't want to recall, she lowered her eyes. By not looking into her mother's eyes, she could avoid the knife of pity.
"You're so angry that you want to break off all ties with me. I asked for you to be my concubine."
Mother Zheng could no longer hold back her tears as she watched her daughter suffer such injustice alone but still endure it.
She held her daughter tightly in her arms and said, "It's all because of mom and dad's uselessness. It's mom and dad's fault. It's mom and dad's fault..."
......
Out of her debt to her daughter, Ji's mother added the betrothal gift sent by Yan Heng to Ji Yunchan's dowry intact, and also took out a large portion from her meager family funds.
Ji Yunchan listened to her mother's instructions silently without saying a word. She simply went to the street alone to buy silk thread to embroider her wedding dress.
But I didn't expect to meet someone unexpected.
"Miss Ji."
The hesitant voice sounded familiar. Ji Yunchan turned around and saw Zheng Yong, whom she hadn't seen for many days.
He was thinner and looked haggard, and when he saw her, he looked a little hesitant.
Ji Yunchan nodded at him, "Brother Zheng."
The greetings remained the same, but Zheng Yong felt a thousand miles apart. Sadly, he said, "I heard... you're getting married."
Ji Yunchan responded.
He looked at the colorful silk threads in her basket. They were so bright and colorful, not the colors one would normally use. He felt it was dazzling. He bowed deeply to Ji Yunchan, his throat seemed to be blocked, and he said with difficulty: "It's all my fault that I have implicated you."
Ji Yunchan shook her head and stood where she was, neither helping nor letting him go. She just continued along with his words: "What are you talking about, Brother Zheng? It's only right to return a favor."
It is only right to return a favor, and it could have been done slowly, but it is not done to this extent.
Ji Yunchan was not without complaints.
Zheng Yong felt more and more ashamed, and looked at her as if seeking relief, his eyes clearly revealing pity: "How does the general treat you?"
This question is beyond the norm, and the person asking it is unconsciously seeking peace of mind.
Ji Yunchan smiled lightly and didn't answer.
Zheng Yong looked at her, stubbornly not stopping or skipping, so this question remained stuck between the two of them, and as time passed like sand, the true feelings underneath were revealed.
Whether it was sincere or fake, Ji Yunchan just didn't want to answer.
She opened her mouth and said, "The scientific examination is coming soon. It's more important for Brother Zheng to care more about his future."
The cutting meaning in the words was too obvious. Zheng Yong withdrew his gaze in despair. He had never been so aware that he had lost all contact with the girl in front of him forever.
.....
Ji Yunchan embroidered the wedding dress stitch by stitch with great patience.
The delicately stitched peony flowers swayed on her veil as she stepped over the threshold of the general's mansion.
The veil was all red and black, and she could only see the tips of her shoes when she lowered her eyes. Yan Heng held her hand steadily and walked into the hall amid the congratulations of everyone.
As the elders sang in unison, the bridesmaid helped her bend down and worship heaven and earth.
Ji Yunchan couldn't help but think that this was really a big deal, and her palms were a little wet.
Her heart was pounding, and she thought: Is it necessary to have a wedding ceremony to take a concubine?
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