Chapter 174 The Noble Young Master of a Marquis's Family (Thirteen): The Noble Young Master's Revenge and Love...
Since the incident at Yunding Temple, Zhao Xuanhong has lived a secluded life in his residence for quite some time.
His indifferent attitude placed Sun Qing'er in an extremely awkward situation. As an unmarried illegitimate daughter who had lost her reputation, it seemed that she had no other choice but to be dealt with according to family law to preserve the family's reputation.
That night, Sun Yiheng instructed his personal servant, Mu Zhu, to give Sun Qing'er fifty strokes of the cane. However, by the thirty-second stroke, her flesh was completely torn apart. If the beating continued, she would surely die.
Sun Yiheng closed his eyes briefly, then turned around and instructed Mu Zhu to carry the person away first, and then ask a doctor to treat her. In his heart, Sun Qing'er was, after all, his blood-related sister; although she had made a mistake, it did not warrant death.
Later, Sun Qing'er remained unconscious for three days and three nights before finally slowly opening her eyes.
She gazed at the tiny window, no bigger than a palm, in the ancestral temple in the backyard, momentarily losing track of time. Through the iron bars, all she could see was a patch of gray sky, nothing more.
The ancestral temple had been deserted for a long time, and was cold and damp. Sun Qing'er curled up on the bed, receiving only a simple meal brought by her maid each day.
Is congee all we have today?
Her voice was weak as she raised her hand to call the maid who brought the food over. Unexpectedly, the maid sneered, slammed the wooden tray heavily onto the offering table, and raised her chin, saying, "Now that you've entered the family temple, do you expect to eat big fish and meat? It's only thanks to the Second Young Master's extraordinary kindness that you have a bowl of hot porridge."
Sun Qing'er gripped the thin blanket tightly, her nails digging deep into her palms. She remembered this maid, named Chunying, who used to be just a third-class maid in her courtyard, always bowing respectfully to her. Now that she had fallen on hard times, the other woman's eyes were filled with disdain, as if she were afraid of being tainted by something dirty.
She forced herself to sit up and said angrily, "Chunying, you..."
Chunying took a half step back, as if she hadn't heard at all, and left the ancestral temple with the wooden tray in her hand. Before leaving, she slammed the door shut with a loud "bang" and then locked it.
As Chunying's footsteps faded into the distance, Sun Qing'er gave a self-deprecating smile and stared blankly at the bowl of porridge on the offering table. After a long while, she slowly got out of bed, gritted her teeth and endured the pain, reached for the bowl, and began to drink the porridge in large gulps.
The night at the ancestral temple was exceptionally long. Sun Qing'er curled up into a ball, listening to the distant sound of the night watchman's clapper. However, today, the clapper had only sounded once when she vaguely heard the sound of the outer lock being opened.
She suddenly opened her eyes and saw a strange black figure appear in the doorway.
"Who are you?"
Sun Qing'er's voice was hoarse as she struggled to sit up, but the figure raised his hand to stop her.
"You are badly injured, so it's best not to move around too much."
"you……"
Before Sun Qing'er could speak, Yueying knocked her unconscious, then hoisted her up, lightly touched the ground with her toes, and quickly left the Rongguo Duke's mansion like a ghost, without attracting anyone's attention.
When Sun Qing'er woke up again, her nostrils were filled with a bitter herbal smell. She tried to raise her hand, but found that she was wrapped up tightly, and the wound on her lower back seemed to hurt less.
"Don't move."
Suddenly, a cold male voice came from the corner.
Sun Qing'er then noticed that the unfamiliar man in black was facing away from her, seemingly preparing some kind of ointment.
"Who sent you? Where is this? Who are you?"
As the most outstanding bodyguard in the Marquis of Weiwu's mansion, Yueying naturally sensed the wariness and unease in Sun Qing'er's words. He did not answer immediately, but instead gently poured the ointment in his hand into a porcelain bottle.
After a long while, Yueying slowly spoke: "My name is Chu Yue, and I am a... doctor. I happened to pass by your house that day and saw that you were seriously injured. If you stayed there any longer, your life would probably be in danger, so I kindly helped you save you."
Sun Qing'er: "...Do you think I'm stupid?"
Yueying remained expressionless and said without a word, "Believe it or not, it's up to you."
Seeing that the man who called himself Chu Yue was no longer speaking, Sun Qing'er couldn't help but ask again, "Did Zhao Xuanhong send you to rescue me?"
Her response was a disdainful sneer.
Sun Qing'er: "..."
She bit her lip, her gaze fixed on the moon's shadow behind her. The dim candlelight cast his blurry silhouette on the wall, and in the flickering light, Sun Qing'er couldn't help but feel a deep sense of gratitude towards the person before her.
"No matter who you are, I still want to thank you..."
As Sun Qing'er spoke, she struggled to sit up, but the movement was too large, aggravating the wound on her back, causing her to hiss in pain.
"I told you not to move." Yueying didn't turn her head, her voice cold. "If your wound reopens and becomes infected with sores, even a god couldn't save you."
"Um……"
Sun Qing'er forced a response and obediently lay back down. She glanced around and found the room to be very simple, even worse than the servants' quarters in the Rongguo Duke's mansion. Yet, for some reason, she felt a strange sense of peace and security here.
She tried hard to recall what happened before she lost consciousness, only vaguely remembering that the person had knocked her unconscious and then taken her away. If he were just an ordinary doctor, how could he have such skills?
Just as she was lost in thought, Yueying had already prepared the medicine and handed the bowl directly to her.
"Drink your medicine first."
Sun Qing'er looked at the bowl of dark brown medicine in front of her, hesitated for a moment, and finally took the bowl. However, she only took one sip and was so bitter that she couldn't speak.
"Ouch, it tastes so bitter..."
"Drink it and you'll live; don't drink it and you'll die. The choice is yours!"
The person before her wore a face mask, and a thin scar was faintly visible at the corner of his right eye. Sun Qing'er looked at his indifferent and slightly impatient expression, subconsciously bit her lip, picked up the bowl, and drank it all in one gulp. The bitter medicine flowed down her throat, causing her to cough a few times.
Moon Shadow silently accepted the empty bowl and turned to leave.
"Wait!" Sun Qing'er instinctively called out to Yueying, asking him nervously, "Where...where are you going?"
"..."
Yueying paused, her figure, with her back to her, appearing exceptionally reliable in the candlelight.
"Go out and gather herbs."
Sun Qing'er was taken aback and subconsciously glanced at the dark sky outside. If she wasn't blind, then the person in front of her must be mentally unstable.
He's going out to gather herbs so late at night? There's a curfew in the capital!
"you……"
Before Sun Qing'er could speak, Yueying realized that his excuse was rather lame. But he really didn't want to deal with this delicate young lady, so he simply left the room quickly.
Seeing Yueying leave, Sun Qing'er felt inexplicably flustered. She didn't understand why she felt this way... Even though this person's origins were unknown, she had developed a strange sense of dependence on him in this unfamiliar place.
The moment this thought crossed Sun Qing'er's mind, she was surprised. When did she become so pretentious? Could it be that her second brother's beating had really damaged her brain?
Sun Qing'er silently lay back on the bed, gazing at the simple table and chairs not far away, her thoughts racing.
In the days that followed, Sun Qing'er stayed in the small courtyard to recuperate. It took her more than half a month for the wounds on her back to finally scab over.
They finished their meal in silence that day. Suddenly, Sun Qing'er asked, "Young Master Chu, the Rongguo Duke's mansion is heavily guarded. How could you, a doctor, bring me out quietly?"
Moon Shadow paused for a moment, then resumed her normal movements.
“As I said, I just happened to be passing by that day.”
Sun Qing'er bit her lip. "If you were just passing by, why did you risk saving me?"
"Just doing it as a matter of convenience."
Sun Qing'er: "..."
After Yueying finished cleaning up the dishes, she handed her the prepared ointment and said, "Take off your clothes and change the dressing."
Sun Qing'er's face flushed bright red instantly, and she stammered, "Okay... thank you, thank you for your trouble..."
"..."
After changing her bandages, Sun Qing'er got dressed and said sullenly, "Young Master Chu, no matter what your purpose was in saving me, I won't implicate you. Wait, wait until I'm healed, then... I'll leave this place."
Upon hearing this, Yueying turned around and looked directly at her. "No."
Sun Qing'er: "...?"
"You should focus on recovering first; we can talk about other things later."
"Hmm... okay."
As the days went by, Sun Qing'er's injuries gradually healed, and slowly, she began to be able to walk around in the courtyard.
Just after dawn that day, Sun Qing'er heard a faint sound of joyful music coming from outside the courtyard. She paused, looked at the moonlight in the distance, and asked, "Is someone getting married today?"
"Um."
Yueying looked up at the sky, a faint smile curving her lips.
Meanwhile, the Rongguo Duke's mansion had been adorned with red silk. Dressed in her wedding attire, Sun Yiyao tearfully bid farewell to her parents before being carried into the bridal sedan chair by her elder brother, Sun Yiheng.
Outside the mansion gate, gongs and drums resounded, and the wedding procession of the Marquis of Weiwu was grand and imposing, filling the entire street with a festive atmosphere.
Sun Yiheng gently placed his younger sister into the bridal sedan chair and said softly, "Ayao, if you suffer any grievances in your husband's family in the future, remember to come home and tell your brother, okay?"
Sun Yiyao, her voice choked with emotion, said through the veil, "Brother, don't worry, Ayao knows everything."
With a shout of "Lift the sedan chair!", the bridal sedan chair steadily made its way towards the Marquis of Weiwu's residence. Sun Yiheng stood there, watching the departing sedan chair, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
Ever since Sun Qing'er was punished by the family and then mysteriously disappeared, the atmosphere in the mansion had been very oppressive. Now that it's the day my younger sister is getting married to Song Ce, it finally brings some joy to the mansion.
...
Inside the Marquis of Weiwu's mansion, lanterns and decorations were everywhere, and guests filled the seats. As soon as Sun Yiyao's bridal sedan chair landed, Song Ce, dressed in a bright red wedding robe, immediately stepped forward, gently took her hand, and the two of them stepped into the mansion together.
The wedding ceremony proceeded smoothly: "First bow to heaven and earth, second bow to the parents, husband and wife bow to each other—"
After the ceremony, everyone smiled and escorted the newlyweds into the bridal chamber.
Sun Yiyao sat upright on the wedding bed, her eyes nervously fixed on the tips of her shoes beneath the red veil. Red candles flickered inside, and the sounds of commotion outside drifted in.
Not long after, the door creaked open and Song Ce walked in, smelling faintly of alcohol.
He walked to the bedside, smiled slightly, and gently lifted Sun Yiyao's red veil.
"Is Madam tired today?"
Sun Yiyao's cheeks flushed, and she lowered her head, not daring to look at him. She softly replied, "I'm fine... Husband."
Song Ce smiled, poured her a glass of wine, and sat down beside her. Holding the glass in one hand and pulling her hand in the other, he whispered, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
Sun Yiyao subconsciously looked up at Song Ce, only to find him smiling and gazing at her tenderly.
Her eyes suddenly welled up with tears, and she nodded gently.
"Hmm... I'm not afraid."
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Author's Note: [Fireworks]
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