Chapter 79 Secret Letter from Chang'an "This is the solution the Crown Prince helped me with..."
Zheng Shuman: "......"
Ji Dian: "......"
Qin Jin: ""
Xue Rongyue: ""
Two faint barks echoed from the nearby alleyways, breaking the stillness of the night. As the letter unfolded before him, a crisp, loud clang suddenly rang out—
The four men froze on the spot.
Ji Dian's mouth was agape in shock, big enough to fit a whole egg. The plate of cakes he had painstakingly snatched from the dog's mouth slipped from his hand and shattered on the ground, the cakes rolling everywhere. But he had no time to care.
It wasn't just him.
Zheng Shuman carried a lantern, its eerie light reflecting in the eyes of the four people standing opposite each other.
The four men's expressions were strangely uniformly blank, their gazes stiff, their faces contorted with an expression more distorted than if they had seen a ghost in broad daylight. Their eight eyes were fixed on that unusual, extraordinary, and extremely conspicuous line on the letter—
"His Majesty has bestowed a marriage upon the Lady and the Prince of Qin. The imperial decree has already been sent to the Xue residence and the Ding'an Marquis's residence. Please make your decision as soon as possible!"
Like several thunderbolts crashing down from the sky, striking the four men squarely on the head. Their faces turned pale with a bluish tinge, as if they had been struck so hard that they were practically bruised and battered. Although they could still barely maintain their human form, their very souls were already beginning to emanate smoke.
—At this point, if you just push all four of them out and bury them, no one passing by will doubt that they are still alive.
In the courtyard, which was even more desolate than a graveyard at night, only the howling wind relentlessly assaulted the four motionless people again and again.
The frozen atmosphere lasted for an unknown amount of time. Jingnu, leaning against a pillar, bent down to pick up a piece of cake that had rolled to her feet, squatted on the stone steps, and began to eat it. Her eyes were vacant, and crumbs of cake fell all over the ground.
Her voice, tinged with a faint emptiness following utter shock, weakly said, "...I told you, this...this...this is even scarier than seeing a ghost..."
As these words were spoken, the four people who had been scorched by fire were finally "resurrected".
Ji Dian manually closed her agape jaw.
He staggered, clutching his head and crouching down, lost in deep doubt: "...Has His Majesty gone mad?" "Could it be a treacherous person forging an imperial edict?" "Or has His Majesty also been possessed?" "His Majesty is the Son of Heaven, it seems this demon's power is considerable." "Is it too late for me to go cultivate immortality and learn to exorcise demons?" "...If I successfully exorcise the demon for His Majesty, wouldn't that count as a meritorious service to the emperor?!"
Qin Jin's eyelids twitched violently, his breathing stopped, and the veins on the back of his hand bulged. For a moment, he couldn't even control himself and took a step back, almost kicking Ji Dian, who was squatting on the ground muttering to himself, over.
Xue Rongyue's face turned from pale to bluish-purple. Just before she nearly suffocated, she gasped for breath, and the fingertips gripping the letter began to tremble violently.
Her eyes were dark and deep, as if she had been dead and then gouged out. She stiffly turned her head to look at Zheng Shuman, and the curve of her lips was more terrifying than a female ghost who could rip out hearts. It scared Luo Zhen, who came out to use the toilet, so much that he screamed and scrambled back into the house.
"...I must have seen wrong, right?" Xue Rongyue's voice was very soft and calm, so calm that it sent chills down one's spine. "What's going on? This nightmare of mine is too real."
Upon hearing this, Zheng Shuman stiffly turned to look at her, craning her neck in silence. She swallowed hard with a "gulp," her hand trembling as if she were fanning Xue Rongyue on the shoulder, and squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth: "May you suffer the most injustice and accept the inevitable."
"..." Xue Rongyue turned her head back, closed her eyes, and suddenly someone's resounding words echoed in her mind—
"Tomorrow is the grand banquet in the palace. I'm afraid General Xue will try every means to continue to push for your marriage with the Liu family."
"I'll help you solve it."
The letter in her hand was twisted into a crumpled ball with a sharp "rip." Xue Rongyue took a deep breath, looked at Qin Jin beside her who was as stiff as a stone statue and hadn't uttered a word from beginning to end, and calmly asked, "Is this the solution the young master provided for me?"
As soon as the words were spoken, Ji Dian stopped pulling at his hair, pondering which Taoist temple to visit and learn from, Zheng Shuman stopped swallowing hard, and Jing Nu stopped shaking her legs on the stone steps.
Several pairs of eyes turned to Qin Jin simultaneously.
Jingnu's eyes widened: "...So it was the young master who had been plotting this for a long time, harboring wolfish ambitions and scheming against the emperor!"
Zheng Shuman was shocked: Was the surprise so sudden? I knew they were a match made in heaven!
Ji Dian suddenly realized: "...No wonder! I was wondering how His Majesty, the Son of Heaven, could be possessed by evil spirits. It turns out the key to the problem was you!"
Qin Jin: ""
Qin Jin was overwhelmed by a complex mix of emotions, including extreme bewilderment, shock, unease, and fear. He stood frozen in place, his ears ringing incessantly.
His thick, raven-feather-like eyelashes trembled incessantly, and the expression on his face was incredibly varied, finally settling on an indescribable daze, neither like pain nor pure joy, as if he had fallen alone into a light and soft dream, with a cautious and apprehensive air.
He simply couldn't believe it—
Does a free lunch really fall from the sky?
Does His Majesty also have such an understanding side?!
Xue Rongyue stepped forward, holding the letter. Her gaze scalded Qin Jin from his daze. He instinctively looked away, then realized what she meant: "Wait! This has nothing to do with me. I asked His Majesty to bestow a marriage between the Liu and Wang families!"
Faced with Xue Rongyue's menacing gaze, Qin Jin felt defeated for the first time in his life by the shadow of danger looming over him, and stumbled back three steps: "Really, you can ask if you don't believe me—"
Qin Jin's gaze swept across the courtyard, and he suddenly paused in his speech.
One had been infiltrating the bandit's den for months, and the other had been captured and imprisoned there for months. Neither of them knew anything about the current situation in Chang'an. As for Xue Rongyue and her servant, they were even less aware of the situation. When they left Chang'an, the imperial edict for the marriage between the Wang and Liu families had not yet been read.
His usual nonchalant and aloof expression vanished, and a clear sense of helplessness appeared in Qin Jin's eyes: "I feel like I have no way to defend myself..."
It was as if the lid controlling the flames had been removed, and the raging flames shot into the sky. Xue Rongyue's face turned red, and her breathing became increasingly rapid, clearly indicating that she was consumed by rage and about to unleash it.
Seeing that the situation was not good, Zheng Shuman, Ji Dian, and Jingnu huddled together and retreated hastily to avoid the center of the battle.
Xue Rongyue threw the crumpled letter in her hand at Qin Jin, her voice rising with anger: "Qin Jin, you shameless! You can't defend yourself! I still can't understand it! You, you, how could you make such a decision about marriage on your own—"
"I'm not shameless—" Qin Jin took a step back, "This really has nothing to do with me!"
Xue Rongyue flew into a rage: "You still dare to deny it! Who else could it be but you?! No wonder you made me pretend to be your fiancée this time on the mountain..."
Xue Rongyue's face turned even redder: "So it was premeditated!"
After Zheng Shuman and the others retreated to the pavilion, Ji Dian was greatly surprised upon hearing this. He poked his head out and spoke up for the opposing camp: "So that's how it is! So that's how it is! It really was premeditated. Qin Jin, you are shameless!"
"Get out!" Qin Jin roared without turning his head. "You were the one who had the fake household registration and travel permit made. I clearly told you to disguise her as a distant cousin who came to seek refuge, but who knew you would arrange for her to be your fiancée!"
"...Is that so?" Ji Dian pondered for a moment, then guiltily shrank back.
Xue Rongyue clenched her fist, feeling both angry and annoyed, with a strange, indescribable feeling in her heart.
Although she had indeed thought that the best way to escape the Xue family was through marriage, and Qin Jin was undoubtedly the best candidate, how could he be so arbitrary, not even asking her opinion? Marriage is a serious matter and should not be taken lightly!
Now that the imperial decree has been issued, if she really doesn't want to, there's no way out. Isn't this like forcing a cow to drink water, using the imperial decree to force her to submit?
Thinking about it this way, Xue Rongyue's anger flared even more, and she cursed again: "Qin Jin, you are despicable and shameless! Who else could it be but you!?"
Xue Rongyue knew perfectly well that the Xue family had chosen the wrong side. Naturally, she, a daughter of the Xue family, was not considered virtuous in His Majesty's eyes. If no one vouched for her and sought His Majesty's favor, how could His Majesty have issued this imperial decree of marriage?
She said coldly, "Don't think I don't know, you've been eyeing me since you were little! When we were kids, you even asked your brother if you could marry me when you grew up, and he pinned you down and beat you up!"
"..." Qin Jin suddenly looked at Xue Rongyue, utterly astonished, "You know that?!"
Xue Rongyue growled, "I know a lot more than that!"
“You’ve been up to no good since you were little. When you were a child, you dared to try to arrange a marriage between your children with the Lady of Ding’an Marquis at our mansion. You insisted on learning martial arts with your brother, and you would secretly put jewelry under my window every day, pretending it was brought by a bird! Also, did you pick up the handkerchief I lost six years ago?
Ji Dian listened in awe: "...Brilliant."
Zheng Shuman was stunned: "...That's amazing!"
Jingnu nodded solemnly, vouching for her mistress: "Yes, these unknown past events are all true."
Qin Jin: ""
Everything went black before Qin Jin's eyes, and he felt as if half the sky had collapsed: "You knew about this?!...I specifically told the servants in your courtyard not to tell anyone!"
Xue Rongyue retorted, "Are you stupid? Even if you repeatedly tell the servants not to make a sound in my courtyard, they will still tell me!"
Qin Jin strode forward, also becoming anxious: "Since you know, why have you never mentioned it before?!"
Xue Rongyue glared at him: "How do you want me to bring it up? How do you want me to say it?"
Qin Jin was speechless for a moment, his face flushed red, and he couldn't speak amidst his rapid breathing.
Xue Rongyue looked at Qin Jin, stunned by the emotions in his eyes, and for some reason, she also suddenly fell silent. The courtyard quieted down for a moment, and the restless, uneasily tossing and turning sounds from inside the house could be clearly heard.
The cool moonlight fell on their faces, which were so close together, making their already beautiful features even more vivid. Their rapid breathing gradually calmed down as their eyes met. After the anger was slowly dispelled, only a belated sense of embarrassment remained.
Qin Jin coughed, his thick eyelashes drooping. He said in a low voice, "On the day you left Chang'an, I went to the palace to persuade His Majesty to arrange the marriage between the Liu and Wang families. Immediately afterward, I left Chang'an. I really didn't know about this imperial decree of marriage."
After a moment of silence, Xue Rongyue looked away and bluntly asked, "So what do we do now?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Jin also fell silent, his thin lips pressed into a straight line. After hesitating several times, he looked up at Xue Rongyue and said earnestly, word by word, "The Xue family is in the middle of a vortex. I know you have long wanted to escape. If you are willing to marry me, I will never let the Xue family's affairs involve you."
Her eyelashes drooped suddenly, and Xue Rongyue pursed her red lips. She felt as if her ears were burning red-hot, but she was unwilling to just go along with Qin Jin's words. She deliberately asked, "What if I don't want to?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Jin suddenly lowered his head, his breathing becoming unsteady once again.
In the frozen silence, only the sound of their breathing rising and falling could be heard.
After a long pause, Qin Jin took a deep breath, closed his eyes briefly, and then opened them again. The veins on his neck, hidden beneath his fair skin, bulged. His voice was low and hoarse: "I will return to Chang'an and do everything in my power to persuade His Majesty to rescind the imperial edict. I will also never allow the Xue family's affairs to implicate you."
Xue Rongyue's heart skipped a beat, her lower lip trembled slightly, and her fingers, which had been hanging by her side, tightened again. She suppressed the surging waves in her heart and looked up at Qin Jin: "Really, it's not you?"
Qin Jin met her gaze without flinching: "I will not act on my own initiative or go against your wishes."
"One last question."
Xue Rongyue let out a soft sigh, raised her chin, and stared intently at Qin Jin: "Six years ago, we parted on bad terms at the flower-viewing banquet. Why did you pick up my lost handkerchief?"
His expression was still...strange.
Xue Rongyue thought for a moment, then swallowed the last sentence.
However, the moment the words left her mouth, Xue Rongyue saw that Qin Jin, who had just been sincere and had a firm gaze, suddenly became unfocused and even took a step back.
Xue Rongyue narrowed her eyes, stepped forward, and demanded, "Speak! Don't lie to me! If you dare to lie to me, I guarantee I'll make sure you never have a moment's peace from now on!"
His Adam's apple bobbed heavily, and Qin Jin managed to squeeze out a sentence: "Do I really have to say it?"
Xue Rongyue said decisively, "Absolutely!"
“I,” Qin Jin looked away, “I’ll bring it…”
Seeing his hesitation, Xue Rongyue suddenly had a bad feeling: "What did you bring it for?!"
Qin Jin took another step back, her voice weak and lacking confidence: "...I was so angry at the time that I used it to wipe my feet."
"??!"
After a brief moment of shock, Xue Rongyue's eyes widened, and as anger surged, she raised her hand high and slapped Qin Jin across the face!
The crisp sound of a slap echoed in the courtyard, causing the three people hiding behind the pavilion to shudder and desperately shrink back. Then they heard Xue Rongyue's furious growl—
"I will return to Chang'an tomorrow. I would rather hang myself in front of the palace than marry you!"
Having said that, he stormed off in a huff, his steps quick and hurried.
"My wife, wait for me!"
After Jingnu realized what was happening, she quickly followed. Zheng Shuman naturally followed closely behind, jogging behind. When passing Qin Jin, she didn't even dare to look up, for fear that Qin Jin would kill her to silence her.
After the door closed, Ji Dian slowly walked out from behind the pavilion, pondering what he should say to Qin Jin as he walked—should he sympathize with him for being slapped, or comfort him in his sudden panic at being betrothed, or perhaps... congratulate him?
Seeing Qin Jin standing frozen in place, his imposing figure with one hand covering his face, Ji Dian sighed slowly.
He rubbed his temples and thought to himself that even though he and Xue Rongyue were no longer at odds, he must have been flustered after being betrothed to her. Being slapped by his fiancée unexpectedly must have made him feel terrible. He should try to comfort her a bit.
Thinking this, Ji Dian walked up to Qin Jin, patted his shoulder, and before she could even utter a word of comfort, she was caught off guard by Qin Jin's thin lips curving into a smile that reached his bright black eyes. He muttered, "...I wonder what kind of perfume he used, it smells quite nice."
Ji Dian: ""
A few breaths later, Ji Dian said with a blank face, "Congratulations."
Ji Dian held back for a long time, but finally asked the question that was growing stronger in his heart: "If Xue Rongyue is unwilling to marry you, will you really go back to Chang'an and ask His Majesty to rescind the decree?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Jin lifted his eyelids to look at Ji Dian, his sword-like eyebrows casually twitching upwards, his smile deepening, and a meaningful glint flashing in his eyes.
Even though he didn't utter a single word, Ji Dian had completely understood the unspoken meaning behind his words. He raised his hand, clapped his hands, and said expressionlessly, "Impressive, brilliant."
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Author's Note: I finally went to bed early last night, around 11 pm, great! But I ended up with a stiff neck, and now it hurts so much I can't even turn it. It seems anything can defeat me. I suddenly remembered I promised to send out red envelopes when I asked for leave, but I forgot. I'll make it up to you later~
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