Runaway Bride (Part 1) (sp)
"Master, in another half month, once everything is finalized, the head of the family will send someone to bring you back to the manor," the personal maid whispered, massaging Qin Yuzhi's shoulder.
Perhaps it was the heavy humidity in Lingnan that caused Qin Yuzhi to have another headache. She gripped the bed frame tightly, her brows furrowed.
Yesterday's drugging plan wasn't entirely successful, but it still achieved its purpose.
Although Yan Zhiwei wasn't poisoned, she somehow regained her senses and surprisingly agreed to marry. Qin Yuzhi found this strange, worried that it was a trap, but also thought that Yan Zhiwei was just a country girl who might have realized that marriage was the best way out.
Qin Yuzhi thought that with Yan Zhiwei's limited perspective, nothing could go wrong, so she didn't think about it any further.
The personal nanny's massage had no effect, so Qin Yuzhi simply slapped her hand away and asked, "Is the dowry we brought for this trip enough?"
Qin Yuzhi made thorough preparations for her trip to Lingnan, even preparing the dowry that Yan Zhiwei might need.
After all, the Yan family looked down on the Wang family. If possible, they only hoped that Yan Zhiwei would marry directly from Lingnan, so as not to tarnish their family's reputation.
As for the dowry, Qin Yuzhi counted it; it was a whole chest of brocade and a chest of gold and silver.
After all, she is his own daughter, and she is going to surrender. It is really not presentable to prepare only some ordinary clothes, a basin and soap.
Qin Yuzhi and her personal nanny checked the almanac and chose a relatively auspicious day to send a letter to the Wang family. They also instructed the servants they had sent to closely guard and escort the wedding sedan chair all the way to the Lingnan border.
The Wang family will be there to assist, and once the bride is handed over, the marriage will be considered settled.
Qin Yuzhi tilted her head, feeling sleepy, and told her personal maid to leave.
——
In the long-neglected backyard, the brass lock under the eaves had developed green rust.
At Shenshi (3-5 PM), Yan Zhiwei, with a cold expression, stepped across the courtyard of the Fang family, separated by only a wall.
"Zhiwei, are you really not going to reconsider this matter?"
“If you don’t want to get married, we can run away. With me protecting you, there’s no need to waste words with these people. Why risk your life?” Zhu Mingyu kept up with Yan Zhiwei’s quick pace, his forehead covered in sweat.
The scene of Yan Zhiwei being poisoned yesterday is still vivid in my mind, but who would have thought that Yan Zhiwei would act as if nothing had happened today? She got up early this morning and, contrary to her usual behavior, rushed into Qin Yuzhi's bedroom to discuss the marriage.
Zhu Mingyu was confused and only realized what was going on after eavesdropping for a while.
Yan Zhiwei didn't say it explicitly, but she was definitely going to elope. And not before the wedding, but after the handover in the bridal sedan chair, she would poison the Wang family to anger them before running away, all so that the Yan family would end up shooting themselves in the foot and suffering the consequences.
Although Zhu Mingyu was on Yan Zhiwei's side, he did not support Yan Zhiwei's self-destructive actions.
Firstly, Yan Zhiwei is a weak woman and may not be able to defeat the people sent by the Wang family to help her. If anything goes wrong, it will become a disaster.
Secondly, although the Yan family was wrong to poison Yan Zhiwei, they were still the place where Yan Zhiwei was born and raised, and the Wang family was not a benevolent family. Such actions would likely bring a lot of trouble to the family.
Therefore, even though Yan Zhiwei's plan needed assistance, Zhu Mingyu made it clear that he did not support her plan.
Yan Zhiwei listened to Zhu Mingyu's explanation without smiling.
"Zhu Mingyu, if you don't want to help, then forget it. Why do you have to persuade me?" Yan Zhiwei tilted her head and twitched her lips.
"Aren't you leaving soon?" Yan Zhiwei recalled the few bags she had unintentionally seen in the corner of Zhu Mingyu's dormitory a few days ago, and coupled with Zhu Mingyu's sudden absent-minded behavior recently, she had some speculations in her mind.
She knew that her relationship with Zhu Mingyu was at most a fleeting affair, a "temporary romance" where they lived together for convenience. Although Zhu Mingyu had lost his memory, he still retained his innocence, so he must have had a good family upbringing and support.
As an orphan, Yan Zhiwei was nothing more than a small weed and never thought she could keep Zhu Mingyu by her side for a lifetime.
She never expected that, on the eve of parting, even the smallest request she made as her savior would be so easily rejected.
Not only did he refuse, Zhu Mingyu even wanted to teach her a lesson.
Yan Zhiwei was furious and rolled her eyes: "Zhu Mingyu, I used to think you were indecisive, but that's not true. You're just incapable of handling important matters."
"Just watch, one day the same thing will happen to you, and you will pay a heavy price for your naivety." Yan Zhiwei stared directly at Zhu Mingyu, her face full of sarcasm.
Yan Zhiwei's steps quickened and quickened.
"They've got a knife to your throat, and you still want to back down and settle things? Why should I compromise myself? Why should I consider the bigger picture?"
“I refuse to be that kind of person. My life is in my own hands. Even if it means mutual destruction, even if it means being like a moth drawn to a flame, I will live for myself and live a life worthy of being called a human being.”
Yan Zhiwei turned her head, her eyes filled with sharp knives: "I want them to know that even if I am insignificant, I will do my utmost, with my last bit of strength, to tear off their skin and drink their blood!"
Yan Zhiwei clenched his fist, his teeth grinding against his flesh, grinding his entire chest until it was covered in blood.
"Zhu Mingyu, whether you're willing to help me or not, I'm determined to do this!" With that, Yan Zhiwei shook her head.
“Zhiwei…” Zhu Mingyu raised his hand, as if he wanted to say something more.
But he only caught a wisp of the tail wind.
——
"The auspicious hour has arrived, prepare to lift the sedan chair, the newlyweds bid farewell to their parents!" Dressed in red, clutching her bridal veil tightly, Yan Zhiwei bowed and paid her respects to Qin Yu in farewell.
Red lanterns swayed and flickered, the fire pits crackled and popped, the canopies rose and fell, and clumps of firethorns moved through the forest.
Yan Zhiwei sat in the bridal sedan chair, biting her lip to suppress her inner unease.
Her palms were sweaty. She had rehearsed her revenge plan countless times in her mind, but at this moment her hands were still trembling.
Yan Zhiwei pulled off the red veil and opened her palms.
She clutched a sachet embroidered with mandarin ducks in her palm, given to her by the girl before she boarded the bridal sedan chair. Yan Zhiwei opened the sachet, pulled out the top few large spices, and buried underneath was a pile of white powder.
Yan Zhiwei sniffed it and confirmed that it was the strong laxative she wanted.
Yan Zhiwei recalled the always smiling Miss Fang, who would thoughtfully remove peanuts from the rice cakes and hurriedly seek a way to extricate herself after uncovering the conspiracy.
The entire town, knowing that Yan Zhiwei was getting married, got up early in the morning. Even though Qin Yuzhi didn't host a banquet, it didn't matter; they just wanted to witness Yan Zhiwei's happy occasion.
Yan Zhiwei's eyelashes were a little damp.
She closed the sachet and continued to review her plans as she swayed in the bridal sedan chair.
Her thinking was simple: Da Zhao had a custom of sending wedding cakes when people got married, and even the wedding processions, big and small, received some.
Yan Zhiwei had added a sufficient amount of rhubarb, croton, and other laxative herbs to the wedding cakes in advance, intending to give them out when the Wang family's wedding procession took over the bridal sedan chair.
Of course, this plan also has its flaws.
Not everyone can taste the wedding cakes, so if someone in the convoy doesn't like them and refuses to eat, they won't fall for the trap.
Fortunately, Miss Fang had prepared a more potent laxative in advance. The journey to the Wang family was long, and Yan Zhiwei only needed to mix the colorless and odorless fine powder into the drinking water when the guards were not paying attention, so that she could achieve her goal.
As for the rest, Yan Zhiwei also wore her everyday clothes under her wedding robes. The red color was really eye-catching, and she had to hide in the woods as soon as possible to avoid the servants who were looking for her and increase her chances of escaping.
Yan Zhiwei sighed. She had no intention of taking the lives of these innocent servants. She only wanted to wait for them to fall into the trap and then escape, ultimately turning the tables on the Yan family.
"Miss, it's almost noon. The mountain path ahead is rugged, and we've encountered a light rain. We won't be able to get through anytime soon. Could we stop and rest for a while?" A servant outside asked for permission. Yan Zhiwei lifted the curtain and looked ahead. The light rain was persistent, and the mountain path indeed seemed to have no end in sight.
"Let's rest here for half an hour," Yan Zhiwei nodded.
"Yes!" The sedan bearers steadily lowered the bridal sedan chair.
A small bridge spans a flowing stream, surrounded by lush greenery, with the sound of a mountain spring echoing in the distance.
The maidservant accompanying the bride suggested that Yan Zhiwei get out of the sedan chair and walk around, but Yan Zhiwei was extremely nervous and refused after thinking for a moment.
At this rate, we should be close to the place the Wang family had agreed to pick us up by dusk.
We must prepare in advance.
Yan Zhiwei opened the prepared food bag, took out a cold sesame seed cake, and drank some water to barely fill her stomach.
The midday sun grew stronger, and animal cries echoed from the green fields. Yan Zhiwei rested her head on her hand, completely unaware that a figure was approaching.
"Rob the bride!" A voice rang out from the forest. The bandits surrounded the Yan family's wedding procession, their eyes glaring as they drew their knives.
"Hand over the stuff." The leader, who was leading a wolf, had shifty eyes and a long scar between his eyebrows that had cut off his eyebrow.
“I’ve been watching you ever since you entered these mountains. I know you’re from a wealthy family. I don’t want much. If you know what’s good for you, leave your valuables behind, and I might spare your lives.”
Seemingly remembering something, "Broken Eyebrow" whistled again: "Oh, right, send your young lady over too. I want to keep her as my wife..."
"Outrageous!" The maid sent by the Yan family to escort the bride interrupted "Broken Eyebrows'" speech.
She looked around and saw that there were only five or six bandits, as well as several short and chubby men. The wedding procession had more than ten male servants, many of whom were warriors.
The maidservant who was escorting the bride gave a mocking smile. With these half-baked people, she didn't know how she could possibly lose if they really fought.
Hearing the noise, Yan Zhiwei also woke up from her slumber. She slightly lifted the curtain and secretly observed the current situation.
Indeed, the differences between the two sides are vast.
Even though the bandits had wolves as companions, they only carried ordinary wood-chopping knives. Ordinary people might be intimidated by them, but the Yan family's servants were clearly not like that.
Yan Zhiwei glanced at the servants' thick arms and the newly sharpened swords in their hands, guessing that they had long been prepared to be robbed.
To turn the tide, these bandits would need muskets, which is clearly impossible.
Yan Zhiwei felt a chill run down her spine. She had also considered hiring people to pose as bandits to rob someone and then escape in the chaos, but she ultimately gave up because Zhu Mingyu refused to cooperate.
Thinking of Zhu Mingyu, Yan Zhiwei pursed her lips, momentarily lost in thought, but quickly snapped out of it.
In the final moments of the countdown, conflict among the bandits was imminent. Yan Zhiwei ducked behind the sedan chair and pulled out the sharpest hairpin from the top of her hair.
"Three, two..."
"Broken Eyebrow" picked his teeth with his hands, while his brothers slowly raised their machetes.
"One..." The tense atmosphere reached its peak, and when "Broken Eyebrow" finished falling, the brothers suddenly stopped their movements.
"You really don't want to live anymore?" "Thief Eyebrows" insisted on asking.
The maidservant escorting the bride interrupted again: "You bastard!"
"Bang!"
A firelight pierced the rain, shattering skulls and bones.
Blood mixed with brain matter flowed downwards, and the maidservant collapsed to her knees with a thud, half of her intact face submerged in the muddy water, a smile still lingering on her lips.
"Broken Eyebrow" was still picking his teeth slowly and deliberately, his fingers running across his gums, bringing out strands of pus.
Before the smoke from the dark gun barrel had even dissipated, another loud bang followed, the spent cartridges fell to the ground, and several high-speed black crows stole several eyeballs.
The servants stood stiffly in the rain, their expressions blank. Someone was the first to react, shouting, "Run!"
run!
run!
No one remained calm; the ants scattered in chaos.
Life and death are separated by a single thought; everyone is concerned with their own fate, and there is no such thing as master and servant.
Yan Zhiwei ripped off her wedding dress, jumped down from the bridal sedan chair, and hurriedly ran away, not even bothering to fold her skirt.
The mountain wolf was still howling, and the red silk, stained with blood, fluttered in the wind onto the convulsing body.
Yan Zhiwei threw off her shabby shoes, bypassed the fighting crowd, and found herself facing a rushing river.
Yan Zhiwei gasped for breath and fell, the metallic taste of blood on her tongue mingling with the scent of the earth.
Voices came from behind.
"I didn't expect the young lady to be so beautiful."
"Broken Eyebrow" chuckled, "It's a pity your servants are so blind. I'll just have to send you down to keep them company for now."
Another loud bang.
Crimson flowers bloom on the blue waves.
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