Chapter 95 Qi-Liang Boundary (07) You actually dared to run here with someone like that...
With the departure imminent, the old lady waited and waited, but Jiu Li did not arrive. She then asked Feng Qiao to disembark and search for him. However, Feng Qiao searched the dock to no avail and ran back to the boat, covered in sweat, saying, "Oh no, old lady, Xiao Yu'er is missing! We haven't even found Qi Xubai!"
The old lady felt a sudden dizziness and quickly sat down, holding onto a chair. "Quick, quick, go back and tell your husband!"
Feng Qiao hurriedly hired a horse and rushed home to tell Yu Qi, asking if they should report it to the authorities. Yu Qi hesitated to do so, explaining that even eloping girls were subject to punishment, and even if the authorities showed leniency, word would still ruin the reputations of both men and women.
He had no choice but to go to the Qi residence to look for the person. Before leaving, he suddenly thought that this was an opportunity, and the old lady would not be able to accuse him of holding onto Jiu Li.
He turned to Fengqiao and instructed him, "You should still send the old lady back to Suzhou. If she asks, just say that the person has been found. Don't let her worry. Also, tell her that Yu'er won't be going back for now. She's still with me in Nanjing. I'll send her back at the end of the year."
It was late afternoon when he arrived at the Qi family's residence. He found the area in front of the gate calm and peaceful, with two servants dozing in the corner. He went up to them and asked, but the servants, looking confused, replied, "They kidnapped your young lady? That's not true. Our second master went out this morning and hasn't returned yet."
Yu Qi's face was ashen. "Where could he be if he's not home?"
The servant shrugged and smiled, "I don't know. Second Master is usually busy with official duties and is often not at home. He doesn't tell us servants where he goes."
Logically speaking, it would be inconvenient for Qi Xubai to go home with Jiuli, so he might go somewhere else, but he would never leave without a word. He is not the kind of person who would abandon his future. Even if he were to go somewhere, his family should know something about it.
"Where is your second master going on official business these days?"
The servant tilted his head and said smugly, "I don't know."
Yu Qi was caught off guard and wanted to go into the mansion to find out, but the servant quickly stopped him, saying, "No matter what, you can't just barge in! Let me go and tell our mistress first."
When the servant came in to report to Si Rou, she was unaware that Xu Bai was not home. She asked the servant, "Where did Xu Bai go if he's not home?"
"We saw Second Master ride out early this morning, without saying where he was going. We only found out when Mr. Yu arrived that he was going to the dock to see off the Yu family's ship. But it's a bit strange that he hasn't returned yet. Could it be that our Second Master really eloped with Miss Yu?"
Si Rou pondered for a moment, then sat on the couch, fiddling with her Bodhi beaded string, and chuckled softly, "What do you mean by 'abducted their daughter'? Her legs are her own; if she doesn't want to, who's going to kidnap her? Besides, this is all far-fetched. Xu Bai is a county magistrate; how could he knowingly break the law and elope with someone's young lady?"
"Isn't Second Master supposed to accompany the Prince to the capital tomorrow? Could it be—"
“He’s going to the capital tomorrow, so he should stay home for the night.” Si Rou said to herself, her expression changing. This was indeed risky. Could it be that Xu Bai wanted to take Yu Jiuli to the capital with him, and then, when they returned, make it a fait accompli, leaving the Yu family with no choice but to agree to the marriage?
She herself felt a little guilty. Who could be sure about matters between men and women? Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. But she still put on a brave face. "I think Yu Qi is just trying to frame us because his family has lost face. Even if it were an elopement, what could he do? Both men and women are guilty. Would he dare to report it to the authorities? Does he not care about his young lady? Don't be afraid!"
"But he insisted on barging in and asking."
"If he wants to ask, then please invite him to sit outside at the Four Seasons Pavilion, and I will go and talk to him!"
"Si Shi Xuan?" The servant was slightly surprised.
Si Rou smiled and said, "He's not some special guest. Does that mean he can't sit there? If we go to their house, they'll treat us the same way and make us lose face. Now that he's here, let him experience what it's like to be treated coldly."
Originally, although the Four Seasons Pavilion was a guesthouse, since the Qi family's downfall, there were fewer sycophants, and most of the pavilions and flower halls were no longer used. Although the Four Seasons Pavilion was in the outer courtyard, it was in the southwest corner, quite far from the main gate, and had no guests all year round. Now, some unused tables, chairs, and benches were piled up there.
Yu Qi followed the servant to this end. He saw that the flowers and trees outside were sparse and the cicadas were chirping sadly. Inside, the windows were dark and the beams were empty. It was cold and desolate, and the whole room was filled with a musty smell. He didn't know how long it had been since the windows were opened for ventilation.
Needless to say, it must have been because Madam Qi had lost face at the Yu family that day, and deliberately invited him here to sit on the cold bench of the Qi family. At this time, who cares about the etiquette of hospitality? He only wanted to know the whereabouts of Qi Xubai and Jiuli, so he sat there for a long time in the fading light of the setting sun.
Half a day had passed and Si Rou still hadn't arrived. He grew impatient and glanced at the servant, "Why hasn't your mistress come yet?"
Just then, Si Rou and Enoki arrived. Si Rou greeted them politely as she entered, saying, "Mr. Yu, you've been waiting a long time. Unfortunately, someone from the estate came to report the accounts, so I couldn't leave for a while and was delayed."
Yu Qi, too lazy to be polite, got up and asked about Xu Bai's whereabouts.
Si Rou smiled and sat down, saying, "To tell you the truth, Mr. Yu, Xu Bai is no longer a child and is now an official. Who cares where he is busy all day? I heard from the servants that Miss Jiu Li has gone missing. I am also worried for you, Mr. Yu, but you shouldn't make wild guesses. She may not be with our Xu Bai. Why don't I send some servants to follow you and search around?"
"This morning, your second master went to the dock to see someone off. He was talking to Yu'er when he disappeared. If he wasn't taken away by him, what else could it be?" Yu Qi stood with his back turned and sneered, "No need to trouble your servants. Just tell me where Qi Xubai is, and I will go look for him myself. If I still can't find him, then come back and talk to me!"
"Mr. Yu, please don't be in such a hurry. Going to court won't benefit either of our families. A young lady's reputation is far more important than a man's." Saying this, he pretended to ask Enoki, "Do you know what Xu Bai has been busy with these past two days?"
Enoki forced a smile and said, "That child wouldn't tell me either. I only heard him mention it the other day, saying that he was going to the capital soon, I think it was tomorrow. I think he hasn't gone home yet, he's probably going to meet some friends or buying some things for the trip to the capital."
So that's why they're going to the capital. Yu Qi realized why Jiu Li was willing to go with him; she probably also wanted to go to the capital to find out about her background. If Jiu Li was going willingly, given her frank personality, even if it went to court, she would only tell the truth. He couldn't sue the Qi family for abducting a girl; he was afraid she would sabotage him.
He could only suppress his anger and sneer, "Does the Second Master really have to go to the trouble of procuring these things himself? What are the servants in this household doing?"
Enoki smiled gently and said, "Mr. Yu, you don't know, but Xu Bai is a picky child. He always complains that the things the servants buy for him are not satisfactory, so he would rather make the trip himself."
Seeing that it was getting late, Yu Qi figured that whatever they bought should be back by now, and they were probably on their way. So he said, "I'll wait here for a bit."
Si Rou stood up with a smile, "Mr. Yu, please make yourself at home. We'll stay a little longer; we have some things to attend to over there."
After the two left, the servant who had been accompanying the guests stood in the room for a while. When he saw that Yu Qi’s teacup was empty, he made an excuse to fetch water, but lingered in the kitchen for a long time.
The cook on duty laughed and said, "Didn't you come to fetch water? The water has been boiled for a long time, why don't you take it over?"
The servant, still gnawing on a roasted chicken leg on the stool, said, "What's the rush? Let him sit there by himself. Madam lost face at his house last time, and she's still angry. If I rush to serve her, she won't say I'm treating the guest well, but instead blame me for being too attentive. I'll be the one who's wronged! Let him wait. If he doesn't come back to the Second Master, he'll leave on his own."
After an unknown amount of time, the servant stretched and walked out of the kitchen. He saw a patch of yellow-orange light shining through the eaves in front of him, with thick smoke billowing out. He looked towards the Four Seasons Pavilion.
Oh no! Fire! The servant hurriedly started banging drums and shouting. The whole family worked tirelessly until late into the night to put out the fire.
The night wind was bleak, the cold dew was silent, and the innkeeper struck the clapper, it was the second watch of the night. Looking out from the guest room on the second floor, one could see a vast wilderness, a low-hanging sky, trees, a clear river, and a moon that seemed close to man.
This post station is Luoshan Post Station, named after the mountain it backs on. In front of the post station is a mountain road, and a mile ahead is the official road to the capital. Not far down the mountain road is a waterway, where the boat carrying Prince Zhao back to the capital will pass by at noon tomorrow. Jiuli and Xubai will board the boat here. She is so excited about going to the capital to find her relatives that she can't sleep.
Secondly, I was also worried that the guest room might not be clean. Tomorrow I'll board the ship; King Zhao's ship will surely be spotless. Speaking of King Zhao, if she really is a princess, wouldn't King Zhao be her brother in name? Even disregarding titles, he's still her cousin by blood. He certainly won't bother with those formalities; once I get through this night, I can sleep comfortably on his ship.
If she were truly a princess, wouldn't she give Yu Qi a fright if she summoned him to the capital in her princess regalia? She leaned against the window, propping her chin up with her hand. The two fishing lights on the river seemed to wink at her as they flickered on and off, and she responded with a clear, cheerful laugh.
"You're still awake?" It was Xu Bai.
She went to open the door. He stood there holding a lamp. The second-floor veranda was completely dark, and she suddenly felt a sense of danger—a lone man and woman alone in the dead of night. But since she had already run away with him, and there was still such a long way to go, there was no point in panicking now. She could only pretend to be calm and let him in.
Xu Bai, fearing she wasn't sleeping because she thought the guest room was dirty, carefully inspected every corner. "I had them thoroughly clean it twice. There shouldn't be any insects or rats. You can sleep peacefully. I've sent a message to the Prince saying we'll wait for him here. When his ship passes by tomorrow, he'll send someone to fetch us."
“I’m a bit picky about beds and can’t fall asleep, so I might as well enjoy the night breeze here.” Jiuli invited him to sit at the table and poured him a cup of tea, subtly hinting, “Uncle is probably looking for me right now.”
Since coming from the dock, she had mentioned Yu Qi countless times, thankfully without making a fuss about going back. Xu Bai finally realized that no matter how many bad things were said about Yu Qi, she wouldn't listen. She believed him to be perfect, after all, she had grown up by his side since childhood.
He had no choice but to stop criticizing Yu Qi and advised, "Tomorrow, once we're on the ship, we'll send someone from the post station to deliver a message. This way, you won't have to worry, and we won't have to worry about chasing you home."
Jiuli nodded with a smile, "That's good. Once he's on the ship, the only way he can chase after us is all the way to the capital. As for your family, do they know they believe it?"
"This afternoon I asked that man to pass on a message to the Prince, and also send a message to my home. I suppose my family knows now, so they won't be in a hurry to look for me. They already knew I was going to the capital tomorrow."
Where will we stay when we go to Beijing?
“Of course you have a place to stay. My family still has a house in the capital. We sold most of it when we went back to Nanjing before, but we still have more than twenty rooms left. We also have servants to take care of us. Are you afraid of being homeless?”
It was getting a bit cold, so Jiuli went to close the window, took off the lampshade, trimmed the candle wick, and put it back on. She then sat down across from the table and asked, "Tell me, what does the Emperor look like? Does he look like me?"
Xu Bai smiled and shook his head. "I've never seen it either. But how can you ask such a question? Even if they do resemble each other, it's you who resembles him, and him who resembles you. Isn't that going against the natural order?"
Jiuli lay on the table, grinning foolishly. "What if a commoner like me, who doesn't know the rules, gets into the capital and not only fails to be recognized by her relatives, but also offends the palace for what she said and gets her head chopped off?"
"No, Your Highness will make proper arrangements." He said, glancing at her sideways, with two lamps between them, casting two bright orange suns in his eyes.
However, looking at her, he felt a sense of regret. He regretted that even though he was in the middle of nowhere tonight, with all the right time and place, he still didn't have the determination to give up everything just to get a woman.
He has a more important future and a more magnificent career ahead of him, so there's no need for him to lose sight of the bigger picture for the sake of a small gain.
He smiled and got up. "Go to sleep early. It's dewy and windy in the countryside. Cover yourself well with a blanket."
Jiuli guessed that they had talked too much today, and he must have realized that she had Yu Qi in her heart, but he did not get angry or take advantage of her vulnerability. At least he was still a gentleman.
Unexpectedly, as soon as the door was opened, a dark, imposing figure stood in front of it, pressing in as if it were a towering mountain range.
When Jiuli saw the fire blazing in Yu Qi's eyes, she knew she was doomed. Panicked, she shrank back into the house, chuckling awkwardly, "Uncle, Uncle—"
Yu Qi's eyes immediately swept sharply across the bed. Fortunately, the blankets and pillows were still neatly folded, indicating that no one had slept there. He stepped forward, grabbed her wrist, and said with a dark expression, "How dare you come to a place like this with just anyone?"
Seeing Jiu Li wince in pain, trying to pull her arm away but unable to, Xu Bai came over to persuade her, "Sir, please speak well—"
Before he could finish speaking, Yu Qi had already struck him in the chest with his backhand, knocking him to the ground. Xu Bai immediately felt a tightness in his chest and shortness of breath, and his heart and lungs ached. He coughed and vomited blood.
Yu Qi stared at the mouthful of blood on the ground and sneered, "If there's a next time, you'd better think twice about your life."
He grabbed Jiuli and started walking outside. Jiuli complained that her arm hurt, but he ignored her and dragged her straight to the gate of the inn. He carried her onto the horse, then climbed on top of her himself, tightly reined in her, and whipped her into the night.
-----------------------
Author's note: Thank you for reading.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
