Kitali extra chapter one
Princess Changping has been very worried recently. She just turned seventeen and is about to start discussing marriage. The person her father and mother have chosen is the youngest son of the Duke of Liguo.
The Duke of Li's mansion wasn't particularly well-known in the capital, and after three generations, it was about to be demoted. Although Shu Beili was the youngest son, his three older sisters were already married, and he himself was a rare young man with a real job and achievements. The Duke's old lady had watched her grow up, and everything seemed fine.
The biggest problem was that he was currently employed by the Ministry of Justice. That was the Ministry of Justice, a mysterious organization known for its brutal tactics, immense power, and remarkable achievements, surpassing the Ministry of Personnel to become the foremost of the Six Ministries. Rumor had it that most of its members were incredibly intelligent and possessed unusual habits: some enjoyed living in prison cells, others enjoyed whipping suspects, and still others...
Changping's face paled the more she thought about it. Princess Xin couldn't help but slap her. "What are you imagining? Don't let me hear anyone in the mansion spreading these false rumors again. If they scare the princess, I will expose them all without mercy!"
He glanced fiercely at the maids and servants behind Changping, and seeing that they all turned pale and lowered their heads in response, he looked at his daughter.
"Although Shubeili will be demoted, it is still a marquisate. He has three powerful older sisters, yet they haven't developed a dandy character. Instead, they are clean and honest. They have been officials for only a few years and have reached the fifth rank. Their reputation is also good. This is already better than half of the young masters in the capital. If it weren't for my mother's good relationship with his eldest sister's mother-in-law, I wouldn't have found such a good candidate."
She had already heard from her husband, Prince Xin, that this young man would be transferred within a year at most. With his title and his dedication to hard work, he had a promising future. Furthermore, he had close ties to the Su family. Su Qing had only been prime minister for two years, yet his reputation was already high. Su Zirui was flourishing in the Ministry of Justice, and this family had already firmly established itself as a noble family. With the two families on good terms, they would complement each other and their future was promising.
"But he's so fierce..." Changping had seen Beili before; she'd occasionally run into him at banquets. Because his eldest sister was his aunt's eldest daughter-in-law, the two had been introduced to each other.
"How is he mean? He has such good relationships with all three sisters, so he must have a soft side." His fingers were different in length, yet he could command the praise of three women with different personalities and preferences, and still have the same good feelings for them. How could he be someone who was ignorant and tactful? He was clearly a man who understood women's hearts and was not promiscuous!
tenderness?
Changping couldn't help but recall the scene she witnessed mid-year, when the Marquis of Dingbei was confiscated for colluding with a foreign clan. The Vice Minister of Justice, Su Zirui, was cold and stern, his gaze threatening to shatter ice shards as he scanned the Marquis of Dingbei's mansion as if he were looking at a dead person. And Beili, trailing behind him, had a sullen expression and a fierce glare that made her legs tremble as she sat in her carriage.
Can she really marry such a man?
Princess Xin glared at her, annoyed. "Beili looks impressive, with a slender figure, and he comes from a noble family. What are you dissatisfied with? His appearance? He resembles his father, but not as pretty as his three sisters. But that boy from the Su family is handsome enough, aren't you willing to marry him?"
Changping's face paled. Two years earlier, when she had reached the age of marriage, her father had considered marrying into the Su family, a thought that had terrified her all day, fearing she would marry that living hell. Fortunately, the Su family had suddenly announced that they had no immediate plans for an engagement, and even her biological mother's family, the Guiyuan Marquisate, had given up on the idea.
"I don't know what you young ladies are thinking. You just look down on such a good candidate and let a merchant girl get the position for nothing." Princess Xin was also very regretful, but she knew that Su Qing had no intention of marrying into a wealthy family, otherwise he might not be able to get the position smoothly.
"What's good about it? Sister Qin is his cousin, and she trembles when she talks about him." The girl from Guiyuan Marquis's mansion who was rumored to be going to marry him immediately became a nun. Who would believe that she was not scared by him?
Changping was familiar with the girls from Guiyuan Marquis's mansion, so naturally he knew more than anyone else.
Princess Xin rubbed her forehead, feeling helpless about her naive daughter. It seemed this marriage had to be arranged sooner rather than later. Such an innocent daughter deserved the protection of a capable man. The Emperor had been increasingly frail over the past two years. If anything happened, her niece Changping's wedding would be delayed. Furthermore, the status of a nephew as emperor was different from that of a brother.
"You, don't just follow the crowd. You just didn't see how well Minister Su treated his wife after they got married." Princess Xin mingled with married women, so naturally she'd seen and heard more. "There were many people secretly following him before, but you were the only one foolish enough to believe these rumors. You didn't even consider that they might have been spread deliberately by someone with ulterior motives."
Changping curled his lips. Of course he treated his wife well, because he had finally tricked her into marrying him. Everyone knew that on the wedding day, he had sent people to surround the bride's house, fearing that she would run away.
As for secretly following him, she hadn't heard of it yet. But the daughter of the former Grand Tutor, Miss Liu, who had been following him for many years, turned around and found a gentle cousin and married him in Sizhou, didn't she?
Seeing her daughter's refusal to listen, Princess Xin also became annoyed. "Beili will also be going to the autumn hunt this time. You should pay close attention to him and don't give me any more nonsense. Do you understand?"
Changping lowered her head and responded. Even though she was reluctant, she knew this was a rare opportunity to meet someone. Her parents were being open-minded and loving by allowing her to pay attention to her.
How many young ladies in Beijing were married off by their families without even knowing whether their husbands were fat or flat.
"Listen up, serve the princess well and don't let those blind people offend her!" Princess Xin warned.
The maids and servants agreed cautiously and did not mention it.
On the endless grassland, even the air is refreshing.
This was not Changping's first time participating in hunting, but it was the first time he had such an important mission.
I secretly asked a few girls I knew, and all I heard were descriptions of him as serious, steady, capable, etc. These were good, but not what she wanted.
Birds of a feather flock together. He spends all day with the icy Rakshasa, so he is definitely not a considerate or humorous person... Changping didn't dare to tell his mother that she liked someone like Lord Lin, the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple.
Handsome, funny, and capable.
Unfortunately, the Lin family is an aristocratic family, and her mother was afraid that she could not bear the heavy responsibility of being the wife of an aristocratic family, so she had no interest in the Lin family.
Changping, with something on his mind, was unable to ride his horse freely, so he simply left the group and rode his horse slowly and leisurely along the hunting ground.
Suddenly, a woman's soft laughter came on the wind. Changping looked up and found that he had reached the horse farm.
A woman in a crimson dress awkwardly guided a tall, strong, shiny black horse back to the fence on one side.
Changping couldn't see her face clearly, but her laughter was clear and crisp, and he could tell she was in a good mood. As if possessed by some strange force, Changping rode his horse towards that direction.
At the edge of the fence, a man in a blue robe took over the reins from her. The horse was indeed strong. The man looked tall, but the horse's back reached his shoulders.
"Come down."
Changping heard him whisper, his tone vaguely suspicious. He glanced over and saw the man's appearance clearly, and was slightly startled.
That handsome man was Su Zirui, the Minister of Justice whom her mother had mentioned a few days ago. That woman must be his wife.
Is it so cold even when talking to your own wife? Changping secretly clicked his tongue.
"No." The woman on horseback had her black hair tied into a neat heart-shaped bun, and her fair face was dazzling under the bright sun.
She refused! It was so decisive that Changping couldn't help but turn his head to look over, wanting to see the brave woman.
"This horse is too tall and has a fierce temperament. You haven't ridden a horse for a long time and it is not suitable for you. Choose a docile one, okay?" Su Zirui looked at his wife who was attracted by the horse's appearance with a headache and frowned slightly.
"It's perfect. I ran over it a bit and it's very obedient." The woman lowered her head and touched the horse's neck, a smile on her face. She was very satisfied with this height.
"Stop messing around." Su Zirui said with displeasure, exuding coldness all over his body.
The atmosphere of the confrontation between the two looked terrifying. Changping gripped the reins tightly. He felt that the man's face and tone were frosty, which made people tremble just by listening to them.
"Don't make trouble," the woman said, not afraid of him at all. She reached out and teased him by lifting his chin. "Don't look so sullen all the time. Ah Feng and the others don't dare to come and play with me anymore. Our Lord Su is so handsome. He looks so beautiful when he smiles."
She, she, she was teasing him! Changping stared in amazement as the woman in red pinched the man's chin, smiled, leaned over, and kissed him on the lips.
Instead of getting angry and smashing ice cubes as she had expected, the person being teased narrowed his eyes slightly, reached out his hand to hold the back of the teaser's head, tilted his head back and kissed him back.
Oh my god...she, he...Before Changping could come to her senses, a cold gaze swept over her, and she was so scared that she quickly turned the horse's head, kicked the horse's belly and ran away.
Su Zirui withdrew his gaze, his eyes softened, and he reached out to hold his wife's waist and lifted her off the horse. "Be good, let's switch."
He had to accompany the emperor today, so he couldn't keep an eye on her. If anything happened, how would she handle it with her lightness skills, which she could only use according to the situation?
"No." The gentle retort was accompanied by a smile, firm and decisive.
Changping ran hurriedly for a while and soon met everyone.
"Changping, what's wrong with you?" A sister who was close to her saw her and asked in surprise, "Your face is so red!"
"I, I didn't..." Changping was startled. He covered his face with one hand and pulled the reins with the other. With the force, the horse suddenly raised its front hooves.
Changping was caught off guard and fell back, losing his balance. The women screamed in shock.
At the critical moment, a figure approached from the side. The next moment, Changping felt his back tighten and the reins were taken away from him.
The horse quickly calmed down, and the arm that was supporting her from behind was quickly pulled away. She turned her head blankly, and following the strong and powerful arm up, she saw a sharp-edged face.
"Lord Shu..."
Bei Li tilted his head and smiled gently, "It's okay, don't be afraid. Remember next time, don't let go of the reins casually, understand?"
Changping nodded blankly before he could come to his senses. Her delicate face was innocent and well-behaved, making people feel soft-hearted.
Beili had seen many criminals with ferocious faces, and it was rare for him to face such a cute and well-behaved girl. He just felt that her round face was so cute that it made people want to pinch her.
He shook his head with a smile, said a few words of comfort, and was then called away by the people he was traveling with.
"Changping, are you okay?" Princess Anle rode over and asked her cousin who looked terrified with concern.
"No, I'm fine." Changping's face suddenly turned red. When the man was protecting her from behind, her back hit his hand, and she felt it was strong and powerful. Although his face was not handsome enough, she felt unexpectedly at ease.
"The one just now, is he the fourth young master of the Duke of Liguo's Mansion?" The woman in yellow who came with Anle suddenly asked as she looked at the direction where he went away.
"Yes, what a coincidence, isn't it, Changping?" Anle winked at his cousin and saw her blushing. He couldn't help but tease her, "Now, you have to repay my life-saving grace with your own body."
She had heard from her parents that Prince Xin was interested in marrying into the Duke's family, and her mother had asked her to help with the review.
"What nonsense are you talking about! Disgusting..." Changping's flustered thoughts were exposed, and he said angrily in shame.
Several girls soon understood and started laughing. Some of those who were familiar with the Marquis' Mansion praised Beili greatly, even bringing up his thoughtful act of helping his three sisters to verify their brother-in-law.
The woman in yellow looked at Changping, whose face was blushing, lowered her eyes and bit her lip.
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