Chapter 104 Marry Me
A moment of silence fell over the room.
“That’s not the case.” Ji Yun’s tone was calm, each word clear and resolute. “It is because I have already been engaged and dare not marry another.”
"A marriage agreement?" The Empress Dowager raised an eyebrow, clearly disbelieving. "How come I haven't heard of it? If it were your marriage to the Meng family, wouldn't it have been called off long ago?"
Ji Yun said no more, turned around and said in a deep voice to the outside of the hall, "Please invite Granny Gui in."
The palace doors opened, and Granny Gui, soaked from the rain, entered carrying a brocade box. She first bowed to the Dowager Consort and the other nobles, and then, at Ji Yun's prompting, opened the brocade box in front of everyone.
Inside the box lay a marriage certificate with gold leaf and a red background, along with a pair of crystal-clear jade pendants depicting two fish.
Ji Yun picked up the marriage certificate and presented it with both hands: "This is the marriage certificate between me and Miss Meng Yutong. Both of our elders have signed and sealed it. The token is here."
He picked up the pair of fish pendants, held one up, and moved away from between the seats, walking towards Meng Yutong.
He stopped in front of Meng Yutong's seat, his gaze turning to her. His voice was deep and clear, carrying an indescribable complex emotion, "All that happened before was my fault. I angered you, causing you to annul the engagement in a fit of pique. However, the engagement has not been dissolved, and I have always treasured the token. Today, in front of the Dowager Empress and all the distinguished guests, I return it to its rightful owner. Please don't hold a grudge against me anymore, okay?"
His words were clever, downplaying the previous annulment as "making her angry" and "annoying her in a fit of pique," thus saving Meng Yutong's face while restoring their relationship to that of "engaged couple."
Everyone in the hall was stunned by this sudden turn of events.
The Empress Dowager's face darkened completely. She stared at the marriage certificate and the jade pendant with a sinister look in her eyes.
Seeing this, Princess Jingfu immediately seized the opportunity, smiled and spoke with a touch of appropriate teasing and smoothing things over: "Oh dear, so it turns out the young couple had a quarrel! I knew it! The reason why Huai worked so hard for Yutong these days was that he wanted to apologize and make amends!"
"Your Highness, look at this... The young couple has their marriage certificate and all the necessary tokens. If you were to interfere and play matchmaker, wouldn't you become the villain who breaks up a good marriage?"
She said it jokingly, but every word she said made sense, and every word was a slap in the face to the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager's chest heaved slightly, clearly indicating that she was quite angry. However, Princess Jingfu had already made her point, and the marriage certificate and tokens were irrefutable. If she were to forcefully grant the marriage, it would not only be unreasonable but would also give others cause for gossip and make her a laughingstock.
She stared intently at Ji Yun and Meng Yutong, and after a long while, she finally managed to squeeze out a sentence through gritted teeth: "It seems I've been meddling."
Meng Yutong took the jade pendant from Ji Yun's hand, walked to Ji Yun's side, and bowed respectfully: "It was my ignorance that caused this misunderstanding and disappointed the Empress Dowager's good intentions."
"Enough, enough for today. Let's stop here. I'm tired too." After saying this, the Empress Dowager got up, left her seat, and turned away.
Seeing the Empress Dowager leave, the guests had no intention of lingering and all rose to take their leave.
Jin'an walked up to Ji Yun and Meng Yutong, paused slightly, and smiled faintly, though the smile did not reach her eyes: "It turns out it was all a misunderstanding. I've troubled the Empress Dowager with all this trouble for me. To my shame, I never expected that the Empress Dowager would have such thoughts, actually wanting to pair me up with Physician Ji."
Her tone was gentle, carrying just the right amount of helplessness and innocence.
Ji Yun simply nodded slightly, without saying much, his expression distant, clearly not wanting to get entangled with her any further.
Jin'an's lips twitched slightly, and a hint of impatience flashed across her eyes, but it was quickly covered up by a deeper smile.
She turned her gaze to Meng Yutong, her tone becoming even gentler: "Since your engagement is still on, when would you like to set the wedding date? I'd love to come and share in the joy."
Qing Shu, who was serving beside her, had always stood respectfully with his head bowed. But at this moment, as if sensing her gaze, he raised his eyes and met Meng Yutong's probing gaze.
Meng Yutong was filled with doubts: Why was Qing Shu by Jin An's side?
Ji Yun took a half-step forward without making a sound, his figure perfectly shielding Meng Yutong behind him and blocking Jin An's view. His tone was calm and even: "Thank you for your concern, Princess. If the wedding date is set, I will certainly send you a wedding invitation. It is getting late, and Princess is not feeling well and needs to rest. My fiancée and I will take our leave now."
After saying that, he naturally took Meng Yutong's hand and turned to leave.
The palace path stretched out, and the chilly autumn wind, carrying dampness, swept over us.
Meng Yutong's fingertips were icy cold, carrying the chill of the rain, but they were completely enveloped by Ji Yun's warm and dry palm.
The warmth seeped through her skin, strangely calming her chaotic thoughts.
Her mind raced. How did this dramatic turn of events happen tonight? Why did the marriage certificate that Granny Gui sent have her and Ji Yun's names on it?
The two walked silently to the corner of the palace gate, where Yunzhou was already waiting in his carriage.
Ji Yun looked down at Meng Yutong's still slightly furrowed brows and preoccupied face, gently squeezed the back of her hand, and whispered, "Get in the car first."
Meng Yutong suddenly came to her senses and nodded.
The carriage rumbled along the quiet street. Inside, two people sat facing each other.
"Marriage certificate..."
"What happened tonight..."
The two spoke almost simultaneously, then stopped at the same time.
"You go first," Ji Yun gestured.
Meng Yutong raised her eyes and asked directly, "What exactly is going on with this marriage certificate tonight?"
Ji Yun remained calm and explained, "Tonight I went to see Old Madam Meng. The Meng family has been using up a lot of a certain medicinal herb that supplies the Imperial Medical Academy, and their stock is running low. I need to discuss the future supply with her."
"Just then, Bai Zhi rushed over and told you that you had been urgently summoned to the palace. She expressed her concern that the Dowager Consort might take the opportunity to arrange a marriage, and her plan to use Liu Sijun's name to fake an engagement in order to solve the immediate crisis."
He looked at her calmly: "You chose Liu Sijun because you thought he would leave Lin'an sooner or later, so this matter would have the least impact on his reputation and the lightest burden on your heart, right?"
Meng Yutong remained silent, tacitly agreeing.
“Have you ever considered,” Ji Yun said calmly, yet with a clear understanding of the situation, “that the Dowager Consort came prepared today, and she will not easily let you off the hook because of a hastily drafted and obviously flawed marriage contract? If she is determined to control you, she has many ways to invalidate your marriage contract. I once said that if you encounter any difficulties, I hope you will come to me first. Why is it that this time, you still don’t think of me?”
A hint of anxiety flickered between his brows, an emotion I had never seen in him before.
Meng Yutong was taken aback by his question, a hint of confusion flashing across her face. What he said made sense.
She pursed her lips, and after a moment, whispered, "Just as you said, asking my cousin for help would be the least costly, and I would feel more at ease with myself. But asking you is different..."
She raised her eyes, her gaze complex. "We've already had a marriage entanglement before. If we're bound together by this again, things will only get more complicated in the future."
“Since you’re afraid of getting entangled,” Ji Yun continued, his voice deep and clear, “then let’s not try to get entangled.”
He looked into her eyes and said, word by word, "Have you ever thought about taking this opportunity to marry me?"
Meng Yutong suddenly opened her eyes wide and looked at him in disbelief.
What is he saying?
Seeing her astonishment, a fleeting, almost imperceptible dimness flashed in Ji Yun's eyes before he regained his composure, his tone becoming more rational and calm: "Don't misunderstand, I mean, a fake marriage."
He explained in detail, “As you can see, the Dowager Consort is also eyeing my marriage. If we form an alliance, we can not only resolve our current predicaments, but you can continue to run your Zhaoyutang after the marriage, and I will continue to work at the Medical Academy. Our lives will not change in any substantial way. Once the situation stabilizes and the storm has passed, we can discuss a peaceful divorce and part ways amicably.”
Meng Yutong initially found the suggestion absurd and instinctively wanted to refuse. However, upon calming down and thinking it over, she realized that his proposal actually coincided with her own initial idea of finding someone to have a fake marriage with.
Moreover, if the object is Ji Yun, the two can be said to be using each other and getting what they need, so there is no question of who owes whom a favor, and the psychological burden is indeed much less.
She frowned and pondered for a moment, then looked at him with a scrutinizing gaze: "Even so, marriage is not a trivial matter; it involves many complexities..."
“I understand your concerns,” Ji Yun interjected. “Precisely because this is not child’s play, we need to be meticulous. To avoid any unforeseen complications, we need to put on a good show in front of others and not let anyone see through our act. Apart from that, everything is as you wish, and we will not interfere with each other.”
Seeing how thoughtful he was and how honest he was, Meng Yutong's resistance gradually disappeared.
She paused for a moment, then finally asked, "When is the wedding date set?"
Ji Yun took out the marriage certificate from his sleeve and pointed to the last part: "To avoid any unforeseen problems, it's better to do it as soon as possible. The ninth day of the tenth month is an auspicious day, which is more than a month away. There's still time to prepare for the wedding."
Meng Yutong hesitated.
Ji Yun added, his tone heavy with undeniable seriousness: "November ago, there were still several banquets in the palace. Today, we publicly humiliated the Empress Dowager, and it's hard to guarantee she won't find other ways to pressure us. Before that happens, your marriage into the Ji family, where your status is secured, is the safest way to protect yourself."
Weighing the pros and cons and considering the Empress Dowager's possible follow-up actions, Meng Yutong knew that this was the best option at the moment.
She took a deep breath and finally nodded: "Alright, as you said, the ninth day of the tenth month. But I hope you understand that our marriage is just a sham."
She emphasized this solemnly.
"Hmm," Ji Yun replied calmly.
Seeing that she finally agreed to the suggestion, Ji Yun's tense shoulders and neck relaxed almost imperceptibly.
He carefully folded the marriage certificate in his hand, his movements slow and solemn.
He appeared no different from usual, still with that aloof and self-possessed demeanor, but upon closer inspection, one would notice a slight, barely suppressed tremor in his slender fingertips as he performed this simple action.
Since the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, memories of the past have flooded back like a tide, and he has not been able to sleep peacefully.
While Jin'an and Qing Shu were certainly instigators of the tragedy in the previous life, the real culprit was none other than his self-righteous "protection."
He believed that as long as Jin'an's mental illness was cured, he could fulfill his brother's last wish, resolve Jin'an's inner conflict, and prevent Meng Yutong from being implicated.
He misjudged the stubbornness and madness of human nature.
Some people are twisted to the core, and even their docile demeanor in front of their elder brother is probably a carefully crafted facade.
This time, he will never repeat the same mistake.
Now that Heaven has given him a second chance, he is determined to turn the tide and protect her.
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