Chapter 77 Your marriage is also a big deal
The dappled light and shadow swept across the girl's unadorned face, revealing the shimmering ripples deep within her eyes.
Under the dim light, her slightly moist lips were gently teased and nibbled, the tender flesh of her lips rising and falling with each turn of her teeth. In the instant her toes lifted into the air, her fingertips lightly brushed against Fu Huaiqing's Adam's apple, causing the bobbing Adam's apple to freeze for a moment, followed by an even more surging desire.
The intermittent, panting breaths that had been carried by the gentle breeze paused for a moment, followed by a muffled groan that seemed difficult to describe, carried away by the breeze. The fingernails of a fallen branch that had landed on his back dug deeper, and he collapsed into his arms like a tidal wave.
The man's long, strong palm gripped the girl's waist, prying open her teeth without any resistance, giving her no room to breathe.
A gentle breeze rustled the treetops, and a stream gurgled in the courtyard, its surface undulating with the breeze.
The girl's clear eyes were filled with shimmering water, her forehead pressed against Fu Huaiqing's, their breaths mingling and intertwining, making her earlobes burn red.
Leaves blown down from the courtyard landed obliquely on the flowing water, floating around with the current. As the continuous gurgling water rushed by, the leaves drifted a few steps upstream.
However, it only floated slightly upwards before being unable to withstand the undulating river. Even the treetops and leaves in the courtyard rustled in the breeze.
Fu Huaiqing's eyes narrowed for a moment, and a desire that was not concealed flashed in the depths of his dark eyes.
After only a brief respite, another towering wave surged forth, leaving Begzhi floating entirely in the water.
She kept climbing upwards, only to be pulled down again.
Fu Huaiqing precisely found the girl's tightly pursed lips, and without hesitation, pushed them open, capturing her trembling tongue and entwining them continuously.
The girl's fingernails left red marks on her back, but Fu Huaiqing seemed oblivious to the pain. A dark desire flashed in his eyes as he let her climb up. However, she seemed tired and lost her strength as she climbed up, suddenly falling down.
The bright moon outside the window, hearing the rustling of the breeze, couldn't help but hide behind the thick clouds.
Biezhi, her soul seemingly gone, rested her chin on Fu Huaiqing's shoulder, letting him do as he pleased. The dazed look in her eyes made it impossible for her to even see the books lying on the desk so close to her.
She didn't know how much time had passed before she came to her senses.
As she regained her senses, the fulcrum surged again. Unable to bear it any longer, she bit down hard on the man's shoulder, which was radiating a burning heat, her broken, hoarse voice echoing in her ears.
Biezhi quickly understood what it meant to invite trouble upon oneself.
In an instant, her body, which had stopped trembling, shook again, and her straight back fell down once more, her lips landing right above the teeth marks she had just bitten.
She had nowhere to escape, and she couldn't escape.
Even the briefest moment of breathing was caught by Fu Huaiqing.
Fu Huaiqing slightly lifted his foot, and the girl in his arms couldn't help but shrink back, bobbing up and down with his steps.
The overlapping shadows cast on the wall lingered for a long time without separating.
...
The chirping of birds came from outside the window, and Biezhi, huddled under the covers, struggled to open her eyes.
Looking at the empty, already chilly bedside, her drowsy thoughts returned slightly. Her body felt very comfortable after the bath, and she didn't even know when she had changed her clothes.
The sun was already high in the sky outside.
She stretched and yawned, then changed her clothes and went to wash up.
While she was getting ready, someone knocked on the gate outside the courtyard.
Biezhi raised her eyes and met Huachao's gaze through the bronze mirror.
Hua Chao's face was also filled with confusion.
When Biezhi pushed open the door and saw her master standing outside, her eyelashes trembled, and a slight glint of water flashed in her eyes, blurring her gaze as she looked at Ling Feng. "Master, where have you been?"
After Jing Qing was arrested and Zhang Yan and the Xu family's treasonous acts were exposed, she hadn't seen Ling Feng for some time.
It's not that she doesn't want to see him, but that she can't.
After rushing back from Suzhou, she never saw him again.
Ling Feng, who had rushed back weary from his journey, saw her lips twitching and couldn't help but laugh out loud, saying, "It just so happens that there's nothing else going on at Xianyun Tower lately, so I thought I'd go out for a walk."
He didn't say it explicitly, but Biezhi understood.
When Jing Qing was sentenced to death, she was in the capital, but she did not go to watch the execution.
Biezhi found it hard to describe her feelings towards her senior brother. Logically, she should hate him for betraying her and disregarding their brotherhood, leading assassins to hunt her down. However, upon hearing the Dali Temple's final verdict, she couldn't stop trembling.
He's already gone.
"Hmm." The smile in Ling Feng's eyes faded slightly. "I've heard about it."
I had already heard about this matter when I was still outside Beijing.
Looking at his disciple, whose expression was slightly complicated, he glanced around at her, the quiet courtyard filled with the scent of human presence. He slowly turned his gaze back to her, "Are you sure it's him?"
Last year, he had suggested that Biezhi find a small courtyard in the capital. With the money she earned, she could easily find a comfortable and bright place to live. However, she brushed it off. At that time, Ling Feng roughly understood that she had no intention of doing so.
Now that they have settled down in Beijing, they must have already made up their minds.
Looking into her master's half-smiling eyes, Biezhi raised the corners of her mouth slightly and nodded: "Mm."
“In that case, your marriage is a big deal.” Ling Feng did not approach the courtyard. He pondered for a moment, planning to go find Fu Huaiqing later. He said thoughtfully, “It must be handled properly and cannot be done haphazardly.”
Upon hearing the word "marriage," Biezhi paused for a moment, then said, "I'm not in a hurry for that."
“He’s in a hurry.” Ling Feng raised his eyebrows, recalling the guards who came to his lodging every two or three days. They all sat there silently, bringing letters without saying a word. Thinking of this gave him a headache. “Otherwise, why do you think your master would rush back at this time?”
Upon hearing this, Biezhi blinked slightly.
She had never heard Fu Huaiqing mention this matter.
There have been too many things happening lately. Many court officials have been uprooted because of the Zhang Yan and Xu family incident. There has been constant turmoil inside and outside the court. Fu Huaiqing also has a lot to deal with. Biezhi naturally felt that it was not a good time to handle other matters.
Seeing the girl's confused expression, Ling Feng knew he had let something slip.
He coughed twice, covering his mouth, "Just pretend I was never here, and that I never mentioned this to you."
Bie Zhi's lips parted slightly, but she stopped herself from speaking at the last second, saying instead, "I'll go find him later and have a proper discussion with him."
"You just sold me out like that?" Ling Feng chuckled.
The girl raised her delicate eyebrows slightly and said matter-of-factly, "Hmm."
Ling Feng's smile deepened, and his mood inexplicably improved.
He knew that Biezhi wouldn't go to Fu Huaiqing to mention this matter; she was just saying it to amuse him.
Fu Huaiqing, who was in the palace, was naturally unaware of the conversation between the master and disciple. He looked at the court officials standing in the palace, looking at each other, and tapped his fingers on the table without saying a word.
Lin Yiqing, who was in the lead, frowned and glanced at the official who had suddenly brought up the marriage of Prince Su. He was usually a very composed person, but now he seemed to have had an epileptic seizure, and his eagerness was already overflowing in his words.
If he had met the man's expectations, that would have been fine. But who knows where he got the audacity to come back, because all he mentioned were noble ladies from high-ranking families, as if he was intentionally or unintentionally flirting with someone.
Fu Huaiqing's thin lips curled slightly, "In Lord Li's opinion, I should marry the noble lady of the He family."
In an instant, the vast Xuanzheng Hall fell into a deathly silence.
Everyone turned to look at the official standing in the courtyard, their eyes wide open, praying that he wouldn't mention their children. If he did, they would fight him to the death.
The official named, Li Jue, cupped his hands in greeting: "The Bian family."
As soon as he finished speaking, the court officials exchanged glances.
Not a single official in the entire court bore the surname Bian.
Upon hearing this, the man on the steps raised an eyebrow slightly, and the coldness in his eyes gradually dissipated. He looked at the decisive figure below and said, "Continue."
"I believe that although the Bian family are merchants, they deserve the title of a noble family. They must know the situation they would face if a criminal charge were brought to the capital." Li Jue had been an official for decades and had served as the prefect of Suzhou before coming to the capital. Apart from the young girl he met some time ago, he had seen the entire Bian family. "Their daughter has been living away from home for many years, but her integrity is no less than that of any of your colleagues here. A noble lady is valued for her integrity, not for her birth."
He still remembered what His Highness Prince Su had said in the court that day, and he had also heard many rumors recently: "If the youngest daughter of the Bian family is interested, Your Highness should put the matter of marriage on the agenda as soon as possible."
Upon hearing his words, the high-ranking officials of the court all breathed a sigh of relief, and led by Lin Yiqing, they stepped forward to echo his words.
Apart from Qin Xiao.
Fu Huaiqing stared at him for a moment, then casually looked away.
In fact, Fu Huaiqing didn't even need to say anything. The Ministry of Rites had already been happily preparing for his marriage to another woman for quite some time. However, as the preparations progressed, they couldn't help but start to have doubts, wondering whether they should proceed according to the standards for a princess or an empress.
I thought about it for half a month but still couldn't figure it out.
Now that someone had finally brought up the matter, the Minister of Rites immediately called out to Lin Yiqing, who was planning to leave the palace with Prince Su, after the meeting ended. After thinking for a moment, he felt that something was missing, so he called out to Su Ci and Qin Xiao, who had a close personal relationship with Prince Su.
Hearing the Minister of Rites' conflicted words, Lin Yiqing and Su Ci exchanged a glance.
Now the arrow is on the string, just holding the bow and the fletching, ready to be released.
As close advisors to Prince Su, they had seen the late emperor's edict, which clearly stated that the throne would be passed to the second prince, Fu Huaiqing. They understood that Prince Su had not made the edict public before because he wanted to see who planned to use the young emperor's power to start a rebellion, and he had subsequently dealt with many officials as a result.
Now that everything that needed to be sorted out has been mostly done, they don't know when His Highness Prince Su plans to publicly release the late emperor's edict.
This puts the Ministry of Rites in a difficult position.
With the young emperor still alive, holding the wedding according to imperial standards would inevitably be seen as a slap in the face to the public.
If the young emperor were to become enemies with Prince Su, they could do so. However, the two brothers were not only close and respectful to each other, but also because the young emperor had always been accompanied by Prince Su and Princess Duanhui since he could remember. He was quite dependent on these two, and they had always been there for him without reservation.
The Ministry of Rites had about twenty people, and they were all at their wits' end, unable to come up with even a single feasible idea.
Seeing that they remained silent for a long time, the Minister of Rites knew that he had come to them in vain. He made up his mind and said, "Let's do it according to the standards for the emperor and empress. I'll go back and tell them now."
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Author's note: No update tomorrow, update on Wednesday.
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