getting married
The next day, Jiang Mian slept until the sun was high in the sky, and when she woke up, the person next to her had already disappeared.
She shifted her body, feeling a bit sore and weak, and a strange sensation rose up, especially on the side of her legs, which she knew, without even looking, must be covered in red.
Jiang Mian sat up, her long hair cascading down gently. She tried to get out of bed, and sure enough, an indescribable soreness was especially noticeable between her legs. Last night, Shen Ji must have gone crazy again. He did everything except for the final step.
She frowned, looked in the bronze mirror, and saw that her long, slender, white neck was covered with hickeys of all sizes, extending down to her collar, and even more in places that were not visible.
She put the bronze mirror down, and Shen Ji's words about leaving a mark were so straightforward and naked.
Now she really had no way to go out.
However, there are still two weeks until the wedding, so it should subside by then.
However, this meant she couldn't personally hand the knee pads to Song Mingyan.
However, having Yunji deliver it would be the same.
Three days later.
Outside the city, in a house, Shen Ji saw the exquisitely embroidered breath and a letter she had written herself. His face darkened, as if ink could be squeezed out.
Okay, very good.
She wanted to meet her lover secretly while he was away.
He crushed the letter into powder and coldly ordered, "Send a message to the Seventh Princess, saying that her lover is getting married."
"Yes." Yun Qing lowered her head and quickly walked out.
Shen Ji kept that knee pad. It felt like someone had stabbed her in the heart. He had been so good to her, why was she so ungrateful?
It was clearly she who said she liked him first.
If you like him, why marry someone else?
We want both.
There's no such thing as a free lunch.
Shen Ji picked up the knee pads and couldn't help but sniff them. It seemed to still carry her scent, just like that night when he kissed her passionately and she instinctively hugged him. Her unique fragrance kept flooding into his nose.
*
As the date drew closer, Jiang Mian grew increasingly nervous. She checked repeatedly and even wrote a letter to Shen Ji herself. His reply was normal, and he even mentioned his whereabouts. Looking at the words written on the paper, Jiang Mian finally felt relieved after days of anxiety.
Shen Ji definitely wouldn't be able to make it back before her wedding.
By the time he returned after hearing the news, she had already successfully completed her wedding ceremony with Song Mingyan. By then, it would be too late for him to stop her.
First, she needed to break free from his control. As for Song Mingyan, he was willing to give up his own marriage to marry her, which moved Jiang Mian deeply. But... they could never go back to the way things were. She thought that if he changed his mind, she could leave at any time.
Before they knew it, their wedding day arrived.
Jiang Mian sent He Yue out of the mansion early. Although the marriage could be kept from Shen Ji for the time being, it could not be kept from Shen Yuan. Early in the morning, Shen Yuan sent a nanny to help her get ready, while Shen Yan looked completely surprised.
They surrounded her, speechless.
"Xiao Wu, why are you suddenly getting married? I... am I dreaming?"
Jiang Mian felt a pang of guilt in her eyes. In order for the plan to proceed smoothly, she hadn't told anyone, not even Shen Yuan, so she hadn't had time to prepare anything. However, Song Mingyan had already made all the necessary preparations for her.
"Fourth sister, I didn't mean it... I really have some unspeakable difficulties."
Holding Shen Yan's hand, she really didn't know how to explain to her that during the months she was away, she had first gotten involved with Shen Ji, and now she was going to marry someone else. It sounded really unbelievable.
Shen Yan was indeed full of doubts, but before she could ask any questions, she was pushed out by the people her father had sent.
The makeup artists filed in to do Jiang Mian's makeup. She sat in front of the bronze mirror, but for some reason, she didn't feel much joy.
It wasn't until she put on the wedding dress she had chosen herself, and the veil slowly obscured her vision, that she began to feel a sense of reality—she was truly going to get married.
"Miss, take a step." The matchmaker led her forward. Everyone had a happy expression on their face. Chen Yuan stood in the middle of the courtyard, grinning from ear to ear. He had never imagined that one day he would be able to marry into the Marquis's family.
A hint of emotion flickered in Shen Yan's eyes. Though she had a thousand words to say, she could only condense them into one sentence: "Xiao Wu, I never expected you to get married before me."
"Fourth sister, I'm sorry." Jiang Mian felt a little guilty. She had kept too much from her and didn't know how to explain it.
"Today is your big day. Let's not talk about anything else. If your brother-in-law bullies you, I won't allow it." Shen Yan burst into tears. She was reluctant to part with Jiang Mian.
Not far away, Shen Tang stood outside the crowd, watching the laughter and merriment before her, her eyes cold and indifferent.
Ever since her mother was abandoned by her father, her marriage prospects were also affected. Now, she had to watch Jiang Mian get married in a grand manner, and to that person. She was really angry.
"Miss, everything is ready." The maid whispered in her ear. Shen Tang smiled with satisfaction. If it weren't for Jiang Mian, how could her mother have been confined by her father? She didn't know what tricks Jiang Mian had used to win over Xiao Si and make him one of her own, not only drifting further and further away from them, but also completely ignoring her mother's words.
Shen Tang clutched the handkerchief tightly in her hand. Today, she would never watch her get married in such a grand manner.
Even if she couldn't stop the marriage, she would still humiliate her in public.
The wedding procession quickly arrived at the Shen residence. Jiang Mian was helped out by the crowd. As soon as she stepped out of the gate, she heard Shen Yuan say something in confusion. Her heart tightened, and she became nervous for no reason.
"Why didn't you come in person, my dear nephew?"
Although Shen Yuan was puzzled, he dared not show the slightest dissatisfaction. He took two steps forward with eagerness, his face full of smiles.
"I am truly sorry. It was not that my young master intended to be negligent. It was simply due to an unexpected turn of events today. However, please rest assured, Miss, the young master specifically ordered me to come and greet you personally. There will be absolutely no mistakes."
"The young master said that once you are married, you will be his only wife, and he will only have you from now on. He will never take a concubine."
"This is the Crown Prince's apology to you."
Changqiu ordered his men to present the chest full of jewels and the land deeds.
Those present had originally planned to watch the spectacle unfold, but on the wedding day, the groom didn't even show up. Everyone said that the fifth young lady of the Shen family had struck it lucky, marrying into a prestigious family all at once, but judging from the situation, she was clearly not valued.
But the next moment, everyone was dumbfounded. Regardless of whether the guard was telling the truth or not, it was common for men to be fickle. Such a promise made in public was something almost no one could do. Moreover, Prince Song came from a noble family and his word was his bond. This meant that he cherished his new bride very much.
Although Jiang Mian was also confused, seeing that it was Chang Qiu who came in person, her unease dissipated somewhat.
She didn't care about those formalities; she just wanted today to go smoothly without any setbacks.
However, she ultimately underestimated the situation.
The wedding procession set off from the Shen residence and had just passed through the most bustling streets of Jeju when, unexpectedly, a group of masked men suddenly appeared.
To everyone's surprise, Changqiu had brought a large number of people today. Although these masked men were all fierce, it was clear at a glance that they only had some empty show of skill, and even the knives in their hands were very dull.
"Who sent you?" Although they were not a threat, Changqiu did not let his guard down. He took one of the leaders hostage, held his sword to his neck, and his eyes were cold and fierce.
Seeing that the situation was not good, the others realized that the person who hired them had only told them to kidnap the bride and bring her back later, which was obviously an attempt to ruin the bride's reputation.
However, they were not told that everyone in the wedding procession was a master.
"Second brother, what should we do?" one of them asked in a panic.
The man called Second Brother had a fierce look between his brows. When he saw that the boss had been kidnapped, he was about to step forward without saying a word. But just as he swung his knife, a group of masked men in black jumped out from another direction.
Um? ? ?
What's going on here?
"Release our boss." The second brother brandished his knife, thinking that reinforcements had arrived, and his tone became harsh.
Changqiu glanced around, his expression growing increasingly grim.
He brought a limited number of men, which was more than enough to deal with a group of henchmen, but the black-clad men who suddenly appeared in front of him were clearly different from the henchmen. They seemed to be assassins kept by someone, and their moves were quick, accurate and ruthless, without any hesitation.
The only way is to send a message to the Crown Prince requesting support.
However, the Crown Prince is currently entangled with the Seventh Princess's people and cannot get away.
A group of men charged forward with knives. Soon, the second brother realized something was wrong. It wasn't until he saw someone abduct the bride from the bridal sedan chair that he suddenly realized, "Damn it, someone dares to rob our business!"
"Oh no! The bride has been kidnapped!"
The matchmaker, who was hiding to the side, saw Jiang Mian being taken away. She ran out in a panic, but swords have no eyes, so she shrank back and couldn't help but shout, "Stop! The bride is gone!"
Upon hearing this, Changqiu immediately sheathed his sword, ran back quickly, lifted the carriage curtain, and found the sedan chair empty. The sedan chair bearers, the matchmaker, and the accompanying maids were all there, but the bride was missing.
"Arrest all of these people and interrogate them severely."
Changqiu quickly issued the order; now that things had come to this, he had to go and apologize to the Crown Prince.
Before the second brother could even understand what was happening, he was taken away, leaving behind a scene of utter chaos.
Jiang Mian's mind was also blank. Just now, she was sitting in the sedan chair, and although the ride was smooth, her eyelids twitched a few times with unease. But who knew that she would encounter an accident later? She sat in the sedan chair, nervously clutching the hem of her clothes.
Brother Wen Shi's men should be able to handle it.
That's what she thought.
However, this thought only lasted for a moment before she realized something was wrong; those people were after her.
The scenery before her eyes seemed to have become a blur, and the man in black who was holding her fed her a pill: "I'm sorry."
Immediately afterwards, she lost all consciousness and awareness.
They had no idea where they were being taken or what they were going to face.
**
"Damn it, such a big thing happened, why didn't you send someone to inform me?"
"Mother, please calm down." Shen Yuan wiped the cold from her forehead, not expecting that the wedding procession would encounter an accident on the way.
Three days ago.
The matchmaker who was on her way to the wedding rushed to the side of the mansion in a panic. Jiang Mian had been kidnapped by villains. Everyone in the mansion was in a state of panic. Shen Yuan immediately sent people to check, but they couldn't find her even after searching the entire city of Jizhou.
He knew in his heart that even if the person was found, his reputation would most likely be ruined, and since the Crown Prince had won the princess's favor, the marriage was most likely to fall through.
At this moment, he was actually glad that Jiang Mian had disappeared; otherwise, he would not have been able to bear the blame if the princess had found out.
He sent people to search for three days without success, then issued an edict saying that Jiang Mian had been murdered, and he didn't care whether she was really murdered or not.
But someone gossiped and told the old lady about it.
"Mother, please calm down. Your son is also saddened by what happened. The criminals have already confessed that they didn't know who kidnapped Xiao Wu."
"Then you can't say Xiao Wu is gone!" Old Mrs. Shen slammed her cane on the ground, her tone fierce: "Keep searching! We need to find him alive or dead!"
"Grandmother, what's wrong?"
The atmosphere inside was tense, but a person strolled in as if walking in a leisurely garden. His face was delicate and indifferent, and his handsome eyebrows slowly swept over everyone present. Only when he saw Old Madam Shen did his eyes show a bit of warmth.
"Ji'er, you've come at the right time! Xiao Wu has gone missing!" As if she had found her pillar of support, Old Madam Shen struggled to get up, but Shen Ji gently pressed her back down and said softly, "Grandmother, please take care of yourself."
"Just now, Second Uncle said that Fifth Sister was kidnapped on her wedding day?" Then, his clear gaze turned to Chen Yuan, his tone without any pressure, but for some reason, it made people feel heavy-hearted.
Shen Yuan dared not meet his gaze and took a deep breath: "Yes, Xiao Wu's whereabouts are still unknown."
"Since their whereabouts are unknown, the chances of them surviving are slim," Shen Ji said slowly, taking a sip of tea.
"Even you think so..." Old Mrs. Shen's eyes were filled with tears, clearly heartbroken: "I've let Xunyang down, I've let Yunniang down... A white-haired person burying a black-haired person..."
Who is Xunyang?
Shen Ji felt the name sounded somewhat familiar.
Without thinking too much, he rubbed his fingertips against the teacup. Seeing his grandmother's grief, he finally comforted her gently, "Everyone has their own fate. My sister Mian is unfortunate and has saddened your grandmother."
"Granny Xin, Grandmother's health can't withstand any more exertion. Please go back and rest. I will take care of Mian's matter."
As if grasping at a last straw, Old Madam Shen held Shen Ji's hand and urged, "You must find Xiao Wu, whether he's alive or dead, you must find him..."
“I know, Grandmother.”
The weather turned somber, with a gloomy atmosphere as if a storm was brewing. The tender grass was dampened by the rain, and soon, a light drizzle began to fall.
Shen Ji, holding an umbrella, his clean clothes spotless, disappeared into the rain and came to the carriage. His eyes were dark, a stark contrast to his gentle and refined demeanor just moments before.
"How is she?"
The man's voice was cold and deep, as if he were asking someone insignificant.
Yun Qing said in a low voice, "He has been burning for three days. The doctor said his condition is not good."
Upon hearing this, the man, who was already in a bad mood, instantly turned gloomy. He put away his umbrella, sat in the carriage, and ordered in a deep voice, "Go to Zhulan Courtyard."
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