Accident
It was a small woodshed with only one window in the southeast direction, which was covered with wooden boards, completely blocking the inside.
The guarding servants looked at each other, whispered a few words, and finally let the person in.
However, only Qi Qinghe was allowed in, and Qin'er was stopped outside, watching anxiously.
The room was too small, and with firewood piled in the corner, there was no place to stand.
The eighteen-year-old girl had her hands tied behind her back, with several ropes tied around her body. Her light grey clothes were tattered, and her delicate arms were covered with shocking scars. The mottled tear marks on her face were particularly noticeable. Her beautiful eyes were half-closed under her slender willow-leaf eyebrows, and her thick eyelashes trembled, making people feel pity for her.
Isn’t it Qi Qingyu, the eldest daughter of the Qi family?
Hearing the approaching footsteps, Qi Qingyu struggled to open her eyelids, trying to see the person in front of her clearly. She had been on a bumpy road, had an argument with her father, and had been punished by the family, so she was already exhausted both physically and mentally.
Even so, when she saw the person in front of her clearly, she was only surprised and confused.
The person in front of her had a slim figure, delicate eyebrows and a pair of round almond-shaped eyes, which looked very much like the civet cat she often fed, moist and extremely clear.
Qi Qinghe was also sizing up her cousin and spoke softly, "You must be Qingyu, and I am your cousin, Qi Qinghe."
Qi Qinghe briefly talked about what had happened in the past few days.
Qi Qingyu blinked and listened to her slowly, her chaotic mind not quite clear. "I see, this is the case. It's my fault. I never thought I would drag you down. I'm really sorry."
As she spoke, tears began to fall again.
This posture was really not good. She collapsed on the ground with her hands tied tightly behind her back. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't sit up.
That's so rude.
Qi Qinghe helped her sit up, half squatting, "I'm curious. If it's offensive, you don't have to tell me... Why did you leave home? Is it really for your lover?"
Qi Qinghe's wide eyes were filled with confusion. In her opinion, how could Qi Qingyu, a well-fed and well-clothed young lady, do such a thing for others?
Qi Qingyu hesitated after hearing this. It wasn't that this matter couldn't be said, but it was really difficult to say, not to mention that few people could understand it.
"Since you don't want to talk, I won't ask." Qi Qinghe comforted him, "Your father has a bad temper. Why bother with him? It's better to give in and save yourself the suffering."
"I understand. Thank you, sister." Qi Qingyu weighed her words carefully. "I left home because I just didn't want to be home. You've seen his temper these past few days."
The last thing she wanted was to participate in the selection of concubines, but she knew very well that even if there was no selection of concubines, there would be other ones to look at.
Her father usually ignored her and only thought about his younger brother. The only thing he cared about was what tangible benefits her marriage could bring.
But there was really nothing much to say. Qi Qingyu swallowed the words that were about to come out, raised her eyes cautiously, and looked at her cousin.
Qi Qinghe understood, but still didn't quite understand.
Isn't it the same for all girls? What difference does it make who they marry or not?
She slowly stood up. "So that's how it is. You should rest well and don't argue with your father anymore, or you'll suffer. I'll come to see you next time."
Qi Qingyu looked away, nodded almost inaudibly, and a flash of disappointment passed through her eyes.
The bustling woodshed suddenly became quiet again.
Qi Qinghe didn't take this little incident to heart, because Qin'er hurriedly told her that her wedding dress and golden crown had been delivered.
The master and servant ran to the front yard together and thanked the palace maid who ran errands. Qi Qinghe ignored her aunt's fiery eyes and ran all the way back to the lotus courtyard holding the wedding dress and hair crown.
It is a bright red, with golden peony patterns flying on the chest and sleeves. The high-quality material feels excellent.
Qi Qinghe had never seen such a beautiful dress before and was stunned for a moment.
"Girl, why are you just standing there looking at it? Why don't you try it on and try it on?" Qin'er said to the dumbfounded girl and asked her to try it on and try it on.
Qi Qinghe gently stroked her dress, hesitated for a moment, and shook her head.
It would be very troublesome if such delicate clothes were accidentally stained.
"Oh, this is our future Crown Princess. Let me see what this is."
A frivolous voice came from far away, and the door of the main hall in the lotus courtyard was pushed open.
A woman in emerald green clothes approached, and her contemptuous gaze swept over everyone in the room and fell on Qi Qinghe.
"Who are you and what's the matter?" Qi Qinghe subconsciously stood in front of his mother and asked coldly.
"This is Aunt Zhou." Shuya reminded in a low voice, as if she didn't know what to say and hesitated to speak.
Qi Qinghe understood that her uncle's concubine, Aunt Zhou, had returned home to visit her family recently. She finally saw her today. "It's Aunt Zhou. Is there something you want to see me about?"
"I've heard for a long time that our Qi family has a Crown Princess, and today I finally get to see her." Aunt Zhou was not shy at all. She looked around the small hall and then carefully examined Qi Qinghe. "You don't look outstanding, so why did His Royal Highness the Crown Prince take a liking to you?"
"Oh, let me see what this is." When her eyes fell on the wedding dress on the table behind her, Aunt Zhou's eyes lit up, "What a beautiful wedding dress, it's really beautiful."
"This belongs to our girl. You just look at it, why do you touch it?" Qin'er frowned and muttered softly.
"Where did this wild girl come from? She's so rude. I'm just taking a look at her, can I take her away?" Aunt Zhou raised her eyebrows and said disdainfully, "If that's the case, then I won't take a look."
After saying that, she threw down her wedding dress and left leisurely.
The wedding dress floated in the air for a moment, then landed on the table. The hem of the dress hung down and happened to be caught on a slanting branch.
The finger-sized hole on the bright red wedding dress was particularly conspicuous.
The three people in the room froze at once, and Shuya and Shuqing had already hidden far away.
"Miss, what should I do now?" Qin'er cried anxiously, "I just didn't want her to touch the wedding dress, how could it be..."
"Why are you panicking? Just mend your clothes if they're torn." Qi Qinghe interrupted her, not sure if he was talking to Qin'er or to comfort himself.
"I can do this job, let me do it." After a long time, Qi Xu said softly.
The sun rises and sets, the sky darkens, and in the blink of an eye, it's a new day.
Qi Qinghe yawned, stretched, went out, and started her daily routine.
The two maids became more friendly to her and never found fault with her, so it wasn't that difficult to bear.
At lunch time, Shuqing came to invite him and said that the master had something to say.
The dining room facing the water was sparkling with water, and waves of moisture hit my face, relieving the heat from my body.
My aunt Qi Zhang, Qi Qingyu, Aunt Zhou, and a young and energetic young man are all here.
Qi Qinghe understood, smiled lightly and greeted her, then sat down next to her cousin.
"Oh, isn't this our Crown Princess? What wind brings her here? Our family temple is small and cannot accommodate a big Buddha." Aunt Zhou was as sarcastic as yesterday and was not forgiving in her words.
"Don't say anything, or someone will report you to the palace." Qi Zhang's expression was calm and her tone was even. "Since everyone is here, why don't you go and invite the master?"
Qi Qinghe drank tea slowly, with a faint smile on her lips.
I worked until late at night to mend the wedding dress yesterday, and it was finally repaired. Even so, it was still possible to spot it if you got close.
She originally thought that after entering the palace, it would be inconvenient for her mother to stay in this mansion, so she should not take everything too seriously to avoid making her mother sad in the future.
Who would have thought that this person would have no way of restraining himself? If that's the case, why should I show him any mercy?
Thinking of this, Qi Qinghe smiled, "Auntie is right. You know the temple is small, so why be so rude? The exquisite wedding dress is made of the finest Suzhou embroidery, and the material is the priceless Beijing Chinese brocade. Now that Auntie has torn the wedding dress, my niece is very worried. I hope Auntie can give me some advice. What should I do?"
Qi Lin stepped into the dining room and only heard the second half of the sentence. He subconsciously asked, "What wedding dress has a hole?"
Qi Qinghe lowered her head, occasionally looking up at Aunt Zhou quietly, her voice as thin as a mosquito, stumbling as she spoke of what happened yesterday.
Aunt Zhou hurriedly interrupted, forcing a smile on her face, "Master, don't listen to the little girl's nonsense. I've never seen such fine clothes before, so I came closer to take a look, but I definitely wouldn't touch them. I'm afraid my niece has misunderstood something. I have no other intentions, I just want to get closer to you."
Aunt Zhou and Qi Qinghe were arguing back and forth, giving Qi Lin a headache. He interrupted them and said, "Alright, this matter ends here. No one is allowed to go to the Lotus Courtyard until my niece gets married."
His gaze swept over Aunt Zhou and Qi Zhang, and the warning in his eyes was self-evident.
Qi Zhang, who had clearly only said one sentence, had no way of expressing her grievances and could only secretly remember the mother and daughter.
Aunt Zhou withdrew her gaze indignantly and agreed softly.
Qi Qinghe murmured, "What should we do with the wedding dress? If it is discovered, what will happen if His Royal Highness the Crown Prince blames us?"
"You don't need to worry about this matter." Qi Lin said unhappily, picked up the ivory chopsticks and started eating first.
For a moment, no one at the table said a word.
In the afternoon, Qi Qinghe took a short nap and was awakened by a burst of chirping sounds.
She was sleepy and rubbed her eyes before opening the door, only to see Qin'er jogging towards her.
"Miss!" Qin'er said excitedly, her face full of excitement: "Miss, look, these are all the things that the master has found. They are the best embroiderers in the capital. They are here to repair your wedding dress."
"Don't worry, young lady." The leading embroiderer bowed to her from a distance, "We will definitely repair the wedding dress and make it as good as new."
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