Chapter 42 Let me, your husband, properly demonstrate my authority.
Since the start of the hunt, Su Qingci had been urging his horse to catch up with His Highness, but he was always left far behind.
She gave up and wandered around aimlessly by herself, occasionally drawing her bow to shoot a wild rabbit, just for amusement.
As she wandered around, she suddenly heard a quarrel mixed with laughter coming from not far away.
"Young Master Lin is so handsome, aren't you afraid of being eaten by wolves if you come to such a dangerous place alone?"
"Exactly, look at that delicate skin, it doesn't look like a man at all, it looks more like a young lady from some family who has gotten lost."
"Why not follow us, young master? We guarantee you'll have a very fruitful day."
Su Qingci frowned, spurred his horse around the bushes, and saw Cui Jiulang leading a group of young masters.
Those people were all longtime followers of Cui Jiulang. There was the young master Jia from the family of the Vice Minister of Revenue, and the young master Xu from the family of the Duke. They were all a bunch of cockfighting and dog-racing enthusiasts.
A group of people on horseback formed a circle, mocking the person in the middle.
She recognized the man; he was Lin Xue'an, the youngest son of Minister Lin.
Lin Xuean was also very famous in the capital, mainly because he had a face that was unparalleled in the city.
Although he was a man, his eyebrows were like distant mountains, his skin was like solidified cream, and his eyes, which sparkled with a hint of shyness, were even more stunning than those of a woman.
Such a face not only attracts women, but also some men with impure motives.
Logically speaking, as the son of Minister Lin, no ordinary person would dare to offend him.
However, everyone in the capital knew that his birth mother was once a famous courtesan from Yangzhou. She seduced Minister Lin when he was drunk, and after Lin Xue'an was born, Minister Lin had no choice but to take her into his family. However, she died after giving birth to the child.
Lin Xuean was frail and sickly from childhood, and timid by nature. She was not favored by Minister Lin, and would not resist in such a situation.
Over time, everyone became someone who could make fun of him.
He was surrounded in the middle, his body trembling slightly as he rode his horse, and his beautiful eyes were already misty with tears.
What are you doing?
Su Qingci reined in his horse and asked in a cold voice.
She didn't often deal with these scions of wealthy families, nor did she want to get involved in these disputes. However, seeing their thuggish and unruly manner, and Lin Xue'an's bullied appearance, she finally couldn't help but speak up.
"Oh, isn't this the newly appointed Scholar Su?"
Cui Jiulang turned his head and saw her, a malicious smile instantly appearing on his face. "Miss Su, what a coincidence, we meet again."
Ever since he was publicly humiliated by Su Qingci at the Spring Banquet the day before, he has held a grudge against this "ungrateful" woman.
Logically speaking, Su Qingci is now a sixth-rank scholar, whose official rank is two ranks higher than his eighth-rank steward, so he should be somewhat wary of him.
But deep down, Cui Jiulang always felt that women holding official positions was a joke, something that couldn't be taken seriously, and therefore not worth paying attention to.
Su Qingci's gaze swept across the ground, where several brightly colored pheasants lay scattered, with Lin Xuean's arrows still stuck in them. They were clearly Lin Xuean's catch, but were now being trampled underfoot by Cui Jiulang's men.
“Cui Jiulang, you should win fair and square. What kind of skill is it to steal his prey?”
"Robbed?" Cui Jiulang asked as if he had heard a joke. "Which eye of Miss Su saw me rob?"
He turned to look at Lin Xuean, who was huddled to the side, and said, "Young Master Lin, tell me, did I steal yours?"
Seeing the unfriendly gazes of the people behind Cui Jiulang, Lin Xuean ultimately didn't dare to utter a rebuttal, "No... no, they hunted it, it wasn't mine."
"Did you hear that, Miss Su?" Cui Jiulang raised his chin smugly. "You really are as nosy as ever."
Seeing Lin Xuean's aggrieved but silent appearance, Su Qingci's anger intensified: "Cui Jiulang, you are a member of the Cui family, after all. Aren't you afraid of losing face for the Imperial Concubine and Prime Minister Cui if you do such a thing?"
Cui Jiulang chuckled, his eyes sweeping over Su Qingci with a flippant gaze. "Oh, so you're already lecturing your husband before even marrying into the Cui family?"
The young men behind him, having heard about the recent marriage negotiations between the Cui and Su families, also burst into laughter.
"Miss Su seems eager to become a member of the Cui family, doesn't she?"
"Jiulang, you are so lucky. You should listen to your wife."
"I think you two are too concerned about formalities. Why don't you just become husband and wife here and now, so that Miss Su can have a good time?"
A barrage of foul language erupted, and Su Qingci's cheeks flushed bright red.
"What nonsense are you spouting? If you dare to talk nonsense again, I will immediately report to the Censorate and punish you for the crime of disrespecting an official of the imperial court!"
"Oh, so you're using your official position to intimidate people?"
Cui Jiulang spurred his horse closer, and the two horses were almost touching.
He leaned down, his tone flippant and provocative: "Miss Su wants to discipline me? Why not wait until you marry into the Cui family and become my wife, Cui Jiulang's wife? Then, I'll properly 'prove your husbandly authority' and teach you what the Three Obediences and Four Virtues are."
His deliberately lowered voice, carrying an ambiguous tone, brushed against Su Qingci's ear, making her feel nauseous.
She abruptly turned her head away. "Don't even think about it. I'd rather die than marry someone like you."
"I'd rather die than marry you?" Cui Jiulang laughed even more smugly. "Is that any of your business? Besides, this is the middle of nowhere. If Miss Su insists on coming here, then I have no choice but to make it a fait accompli. Who can I blame?"
Su Qingci's heart tightened, and she abruptly turned her horse around to retreat, only to find that Cui Jiulang's men had already surrounded her on both sides.
She never expected that these noblemen would be so utterly shameless.
If she, a woman, were to be defiled today, she would be the one to suffer disgrace and ruin in the end.
Men like Cui Jiulang might get a few scoldings from their elders, but they could still live a carefree life afterward.
Only then did she begin to regret her decision; she shouldn't have stepped forward without being certain of success, only to ruin her own life.
If His Highness finds out, he will definitely be very disappointed in her and will call her a "fool" again.
She looked around frantically, hoping someone could help her.
Just then, as if sensing something, she looked past the layers of shadows and straight at the woods not far away.
Ten steps away, under a birch tree, Li Yuanzhao had already reined in his horse and stood there.
He was sitting high on his horse, staring coldly at this side, and had been watching for who knows how long.
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