Chapter 54: Showing off and breaking each other's defenses.
Wei Yiner and Ah He escaped from the dungeon along the secret passage and hid in the bushes. Unfortunately, the one-eyed dragon also fled here, and a corner of white clothes exposed outside the bushes caught his attention.
Seeing him coming with a sharp knife, Ah He was terrified and silently called out to her sister to come and save her.
Wei Yiner signaled Ah He to stay silent and not move. Then, gritting her teeth, she darted out of the bushes like a white bird, right into the sight of the one-eyed dragon. She shouted at him, "You're the bandit leader who's in league with Wang Shiqi Niang! I recognize you, and I'm going to report you!"
After saying that, he raised his legs and ran away from Ah He. The one-eyed dragon felt threatened and chased after him with a knife.
Wei Yin'er, wounded and bruised, tumbled down the hillside before she could get far, only to be caught up by the One-Eyed Dragon. He raised his knife at her with a ferocious look on his face. Wei Yin'er, desperate, pleaded for mercy, "I won't report you! I have leverage over the Wang family. Don't kill me; I'm useful!"
The one-eyed man asked her what the evidence was, and Wei Yiner made up a bold lie: "General Wang bribed the eunuchs with a letter, and Wang Shiqi Niang accidentally brought it into the academy. I hid it, so Wang Shiqi Niang wanted to punish me... Don't kill me, I'll tell you where the evidence is."
Although she was young, what she said sounded very real. The One-Eyed Man had tied her up and hidden her in a natural cave under the waterfall cliff. This place was very secluded and was considered one of the One-Eyed Man's lairs.
While the one-eyed dragon went to verify the facts, Wei Yiner used all her strength to break the rope. However, before she could escape, the one-eyed dragon returned with a new hostage. Wei Yiner didn't recognize him, but she heard him call him "Prince Huai." Wei Yiner quickly retreated into a corner and pretended to be unconscious. She squinted her eyes and watched the Prince Huai being punched and kicked by the one-eyed dragon until he was almost knocked unconscious.
After beating and scolding the one-eyed dragon enough, he went out to find food. Wei Yin'er woke the Huai Jun Wang, cut his rope, and worked out a plan for escape with him. When the one-eyed dragon came back, the Huai Jun Wang unexpectedly controlled his hands, and Wei Yin'er took the opportunity to stab a sharpened stalagmite into the one-eyed dragon's throat.
The one-eyed man drew his sword at the moment of death, leaving a deep knife wound on Wei Yiner's body extending from the left lower jaw to the right chest.
"...The one-eyed dragon died, and Prince Huai carried me out of the cave. We soon met Third Master Xie's men, who rescued us down the mountain."
After listening to Wei Yiner's narration of this thrilling experience, Cong Ying was deeply moved, and Ah He burst into tears, expressing his guilt to Wei Yiner.
Wei Yiner forced a smile and said, "It's not Ah He's fault. I just don't want to stay in the Xie family. Please, Sister Ying, take me in."
Cong Ying was naturally willing: "Just focus on recovering from your injuries."
She sent Madam Xie away, then sent for the best doctor at Jichuntang. She also opened the treasury to find the century-old ginseng left by her grandfather. After the doctor prescribed the medicine for her wound, he personally helped her apply the medicine, bandage her, clean her, and change her clothes, regardless of the blood and pus on her body. He treated her almost like a sister and took care of her to the utmost.
Wei Yiner's eyes were slightly red: "My brother is always rude to me. I wish I had a sister like you."
Ah He was also busy serving tea and water. Upon hearing this, she said hurriedly, "From now on, my sister will be your sister. I will give you half of my clothes and jewelry. Sister said that this is how friendship should be between life and death."
She was always so innocent. Cong Ying smiled and found an excuse to send her out to find something. When she and Wei Yin'er were the only ones left in the room, Cong Ying asked gently, "Yin'er, is there anything you need my help with?"
Her sharpness surprised Wei Yin'er. She lowered her eyes in embarrassment and spoke out the thoughts that had been brewing for a long time: "Prince Huai said that I saved him and that I was indebted to him, and he would take me as a concubine, but I... I don't want this..."
Cong Ying whispered to her, "Do you not want to marry him, or do you not want to be his concubine?"
Wei Yiner shook her head and said, "I don't want to do either."
At this point, she had no choice but to reveal her entire life story.
She wasn't from the aristocratic Hedong Wei clan; she came from a poor family, and her brother, Wei Ji, was just a poor Hanlin scholar who hadn't yet been appointed to an official position. The two siblings lived together in Yunjing. Her brother couldn't bear to see her, despite her love of reading and learning, confined to the kitchen as a housewife, so he found an opportunity and allowed her to pass herself off as a Hedong Wei clan daughter and attend Congshan Academy.
Wei Yiner said, "My brother has never bothered to socialize or go out with others in order to save money to buy me clothes and jewelry. If the Prince of Huai County wants to force me to marry him, he will have no way to stop me. Sister Ying, I really have no one else to turn to."
Cong Ying sighed and said, "You and Ah He are the same age, both still children. There are many ways to repay a favor. The Prince of Huai's move seems to be motivated by lust."
She promised Wei Yiner that she would help her deal with the situation, and she just needed to wait patiently for news from the court.
＊
The argument in Chuigong Hall lasted from the afternoon to the evening. Prince Jin took his leave early because he was not feeling well. Xie Xuanlan also found an excuse to leave with him to ensure that he was really going back to Prince Jin's Mansion instead of sneaking around to look for Jiang Congying.
The King of Jin despised his petty behavior, which was like he was guarding against thieves, and warned him, "The matter of suppressing the bandits has not yet been decided. You should focus on your business now."
Xie Xuanlan disagreed and said, "My main job is to get married."
The Prince of Jin asked, "Aren't you afraid that the Prince of Huai will turn against you again and team up with Wang Zhaoshen to frame the Xie family?"
Xie Xuanlan waved his hand very casually: "My father, Prime Minister Xie, is still in the palace. He will hold up the sky if it falls. I am not afraid of this. I am only afraid that someone will have bad morals and seduce my new bride."
King Jin did not admit to any kidnapping. Everything he did was for Cong Ying to have a better life.
Of course, this was something Xie Xuanlan could not understand. In his eyes, Prince Jin was a hypocrite who was good at pretending and acting.
When he was at Guikuizhang, he still had to consider Jiang Congying and give King Jin a good face. Now the palace walls were heavily guarded, and the two of them, one wearing red and the other wearing purple, were naturally opposed and clearly divided.
Xie Xuanlan was unwilling to play along any longer and stated bluntly, "I know that His Highness the Prince of Jin has unobstructed access to my every move. You've managed to imitate my daily habits, even my calligraphy and chess skills. This is truly a testament to your sincerity. But a fake is just a fake. You may have temporarily gained Ah Ying's attention with this trick, but it won't change her heart. I advise you to put aside your inappropriate thoughts and focus on recuperating. The only person in the world who can be her husband is me."
The word "fake" sounds really harsh.
Prince Jin wanted to say that if it really came first, he and Aying had been husband and wife for several years, so how could a young boy like him compare to them?
However, saying this would not benefit the relationship between Ah Ying and Xie San. The King of Jin endured it again and again, finally swallowing his resentment and saying stiffly, "I really have no intention of competing with you for her."
"Really?" Xie Xuanlan said coldly, "I don't believe it."
He said, "Once I've seen a pearl, how can I not be greedy? I wish I could gouge out the eyes of anyone who has improper thoughts about her. You and I are the same kind of people. How can you say that you are content to live in peace and not fight or compete?"
This question left the King of Jin speechless for a moment. It was as if a hand had suddenly lifted the veil covering his heart, exposing his hidden desires in the fleeting illumination of purple lightning, revealing their hideous true nature.
Xie Xuanlan asked again, "If you are truly selfless for her, why do you always bother her and cause her more worries?"
The King of Jin was speechless.
His hands on the sedan chair trembled unbearably, and a mouthful of blood blocked his chest, so he could no longer say the word "no" in a righteous manner.
If we talk about hurting his heart, it turns out that he understood himself better in the past.
He really hoped for the best for Ah Ying, and was willing to risk his life or death for her in this life, but not seeing her and staying away from her... was like a person suffocating to commit suicide or a fish floating in water due to thirst. It was really too difficult, so he deliberately avoided it.
Seeing his gloomy face, Xie Xuanlan also said coldly: "So, Your Highness, the Prince of Jin, the hatred of stealing your wife is irreconcilable. The Xie family can only be irreconcilable with you."
…
Xie Xuanlan did not feel the slightest bit relieved after parting with Prince Jin on bad terms and leaving him speechless.
His original intention was to test the extent of the power that Prince Jin had secretly cultivated in order to seize the throne, but as soon as Jiang Congying was mentioned, he lost control first. Prince Jin hadn't said a few words before he revealed his true colors and exposed himself clearly.
Xie Xuanlan returned home in a bad mood and met Mrs. Xie who had just returned from Jiang's house, so she asked about Jiang Congying's condition.
Madam Xie said, "Aying has a deep grudge against her mother, and she's not happy in the Jiang family. Last time, you said you wanted to propose early and get married after the mourning period is over. Now I think it's a good idea. Once the marriage is confirmed, you can invite her to the mansion often to relax."
Xie Xuanlan remained silent, unlike Mrs. Xie's imagination, who was ecstatic and ready to do it immediately.
Mrs. Xie asked him, "Why, have you changed your mind?"
Xie Xuanlan smiled bitterly and said, "I'm afraid she'll change her mind. How will I carry the betrothal gifts in and how will I return them?"
Madam Xie said, "It is common etiquette to marry off a daughter with pride and to ask and beg three times."
Xie Xuanlan shook his head: "It's not a matter of etiquette."
His mood was so low, as if it had become some kind of fear. He was in no mood to say too much to Mrs. Xie, but Mrs. Xie was so perceptive as someone who had experienced it that she could see it clearly at a glance.
She said to Xie Xuanlan, "You've been favored too much and too easily since childhood, so you don't understand how hard it is to find a human heart, and even more so, love. Those who are deeply in love must compromise and endure hardships. This has nothing to do with family background or character. Since you like Ah Ying so much, you should ask for help instead of complaining. Complaining will only push people away, while asking for help will soften their hearts."
Xie Xuanlan frowned in confusion: "It's better to ask for more than to complain... What's the logic behind this?"
Madam Xie smiled and raised her fan to tap him on the head: "How could I give birth to a fool like you?"
She turned and walked away leisurely, leaving Xie Xuanlan alone to ponder and comprehend.
It was unknown how much he had realized. Early the next morning, Xie Xuanlan had his men count out eighty-eight red satin-wrapped and lacquered wooden carved boxes, heavily loaded with gold, silver, jewels, corals, jade, and valuable calligraphy and paintings. They were escorted on both sides by the Fengchen Guards. He himself carried two newly shot wild geese and ostentatiously crossed Bu Chunqu, heading for Yong'anfang where the Jiang family was.
He was rarely so neatly dressed, his black hair neatly tied back with an ivory crown, revealing a face free of any affectation, beautiful to the point of being almost intimidating. He held the reins in his right hand, a pair of geese in his left. The early spring sunlight, warm and moist by nature, suddenly became scorching as it streamed through his bright red, wide-sleeved cloak.
The people on the street and in the teahouses and taverns on both sides first saw the boxes of dazzling treasures, then saw the young man on the horse, and their eyes stopped moving.
From somewhere high up in the building a ballad begins: "Orchids grow in the courtyard, the bright moon emerges from the clouds. Now that I have seen the young master, who would still admire the ancients?"
Xie Xuanlan heard this and laughed out loud, "What kind of sour song is this? Sing me a happy song. I'm going to ask for a wife!"
The song was actually changed to follow the advice: "I admire the lofty mountains, and the beautiful deeds I follow. Four horses gallop, and the six reins are like a harp. Meeting you at the new evening comforts my heart..."
Xie Xuanlan threw a gold ingot into the distance and said, "Good singing, reward!"
Seeing that Third Young Master Xie was in a good mood, more and more people gathered around to watch the fun, eagerly following the procession carrying the betrothal gifts, wanting to see which girl could seduce this young man. They called their friends and partners, and it was as if the streets were deserted and an army was besieging a city.
When they passed by Wenqu Hall, the guests in the private room on the second floor seemed to be annoyed by their noise. After looking at them for a while, they slammed the window shut.
Zi Su thought to herself what a pity.
She also wanted to go downstairs to watch the fun and grab the wedding money, but the face of His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin was too gloomy. She was afraid that if she raised her foot, she would not be able to grab the wedding money and would be buried first.
So I could only yearn for it in my heart, stand with my hands in my pockets, and look solemn and dejected.
After a while, he heard His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin say with great aloofness and disdain, "What's the difference between a vagrant and a clown?"
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