Chapter 58: Kidnapping the Bride "That's good, that's good." Xie Yushu stared at...
The day soon arrived and it was the third day of December.
The weddings of the Shangshu's daughter and the King of Qi were held at the same time. The gongs and drums were loud, the seats were full of guests, and everyone's face was filled with joy.
With the blessings of each guest, Xie Yushu drank glass of wine after glass.
In the past month, not only has his marriage with Du Ruo not been resolved, but he has also received another piece of bad news - Pei Yixue will also get married on the same day as him and marry into the Prince Qi's mansion, but in such a humiliating way.
The strong liquor went down his throat, scratching his throat with its spicy taste, and also cutting holes in Xie Yushu's heart.
Serving as an official in the court has always been his unwavering choice, but this time he seemed a little shaken.
If he had known that he and Pei Yixue would end up like this, and if he were given a chance to start over, he didn't know whether he would still resolutely choose the path of becoming an official.
He wanted too much. On the one hand, he wanted to enter the officialdom, but on the other hand, he couldn't bear to leave Pei Yixue.
But there is no such thing as having the best of both worlds. You can't have your cake and eat it too. He didn't know where he got the confidence from to think he would be so lucky to have both.
After the guests left, Xie Yushu, reeking of alcohol, staggered towards the bridal chamber.
Inside the house, the wedding candles were burning brightly. The warm yellow candlelight flickered and made the whole room warm and festive.
The bride, wearing a red veil and a gorgeous red wedding dress, sat upright on the edge of the bed.
No matter what the reason was for him and Du Ruo to get married, he had to stay here tonight.
Otherwise, Du Ruo would become an "abandoned woman" in the eyes of the public and would never be able to gain a foothold in the circle of powerful people in the capital.
Looking at Du Ruo's gorgeous red wedding dress beside the bed, Xie Yushu couldn't help but think of Pei Yixue.
He couldn't help but wonder, at this moment, was Pei Yixue also sitting by the bed like Du Ruo, waiting for King Qi to lift the veil?
The biological mother of Prince Qi, Concubine Li, proposed marriage to the Emperor, saying that Prince Qi loved Pei Yixue, but she also belittled Pei Yixue, saying that she was a merchant and weak, and that if she wanted to marry the prince, she was only worthy of wearing a wedding dress and being carried into the Prince Qi's palace in a sedan chair.
Two days ago, he heard the news and rushed to see Pei Yixue, who just smiled and said to him, "Don't worry, Ah Shu, it will all be fine."
"Why don't you come over, my dear?" Xie Yushu seemed to hear Pei Yixue's voice vaguely. He looked up at Du Ruo beside the bed and walked to the bed with heavy steps.
"I'm sorry, Miss Du." Xie Yushu picked up the scale bar and lifted the red veil on Du Ruo's head.
Seeing the face under the veil clearly, Xie Yushu couldn't help but be stunned for a moment. He had indeed drunk a little too much tonight.
Staring at that face, Xie Yushu said, "This marriage is not Miss Du's own will. Miss Du does not need to force herself. From now on, you and I will treat each other with respect."
"Ashu?" Du Ruo stood up, and Xie Yushu subconsciously took a half step back. Under the influence of alcohol, his body swayed involuntarily, and his vision became increasingly blurred and hazy.
He shook his head, trying to keep himself clear, and constantly reminded himself not to be fooled by appearances.
The person in front of him is Du Ruo. Pei Yixue should be in Prince Qi’s mansion at this moment.
"Miss Du, please have a good rest. I'll stay outside for one night." Xie Yushu stumbled out but was grabbed by Du Ruo.
Xie Yushuo couldn't stand steadily to begin with, and when he was pulled, he fell over.
The moment he pounced on Du Ruo, he suddenly smelled a familiar herbal fragrance, which was exactly the same as the one on Pei Yixue.
Even the breath is so similar. Xie Yushu was panicked and struggled to get up, but he had no strength to do so.
The medicinal scent coming from Du Ruo's neck and shoulders was extremely deceptive, making his consciousness more and more chaotic, until the last bit of rationality was completely gone. He leaned against someone and couldn't help but murmur, "...Yixue."
"Why did you drink so much?" Pei Yixue helped him onto the bed and tidied his hair, but saw tears oozing from the corners of Xie Yushu's eyes and he was mumbling in his sleep.
If you listen carefully, you can vaguely make out his name mixed in.
Pei Yixue couldn't help but feel distressed. He wiped away the tears from the person's eyes, lay down beside Xie Yushu, put his head against his chest, and comforted him, "Ashu, I'm here."
Two days ago, Xie Yushu went to him to ask about his marriage with the King of Qi. At that time, he replied with some ambiguous words of comfort. After listening to them, Xie Yushu turned around and left.
It's so cold and indifferent.
Pei Yixue thought that although Xie Yushu said that he would marry him after he retired and returned home, he actually wanted to get married and have children, so he calmly accepted the arranged marriage and married Du Ruo.
It made him sad for quite a while.
But now, he saw with his own eyes that Xie Yushu was drunk for him, and even called his name in his dream.
Pei Yixue's lips curled up slightly, and he was 80% satisfied with this answer.
After massaging the man's solar plexus for a while and giving him a few more needles to help him fall asleep peacefully, Pei Yixue also lay down and closed his eyes.
The next day, the sky outside was just turning white.
Xie Yushu woke up suddenly, and saw the wedding gown hanging beside the bed. His heart tightened, and he quickly touched himself. Seeing that his clothes were neat and intact, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, he didn't do anything stupid after drinking that he didn't know about.
He came to the door and called the servant: "Where is Madam Du?"
"Madam left the house at midnight last night and seemed to have something urgent to do." The servant replied respectfully.
"You left at midnight? Any news now?" The servant shook his head. Xie Yushu was silent for a moment, but he couldn't help but ask the servant, "How was the Qi Palace last night?"
"Prince Qi's Mansion..." The servant thought for a moment, "There was no peace last night."
"Not...quiet yet?" Xie Yushu was in a daze for a moment, feeling a dull pain in his heart.
"The Prince Consort was kidnapped by someone on the way. We have been searching for him all night, but we still haven't found him."
After hearing the servant's words, Xie Yushu's eyes widened and he hurried towards the gate of the mansion.
The outskirts of Beijing.
In order to find out who wanted to snatch Pei Yixue's marriage, Du Ruo was kidnapped by mistake because of a marriage exchange.
Pei Yixue discussed the matter with the King of Qi for the whole night. Although he still didn't figure it out, he was able to find Du Ruo's whereabouts through clues.
Pei Yixue stood on the mountainside, overlooking the quiet house at the foot of the mountain. He then glanced at the group of aggressive and murderous assassins behind the King of Qi. His brows slightly furrowed, and he felt a slight headache.
He turned to look at the King of Qi and asked softly, "Your Highness, how will you deal with that thief?"
"Behead him on the spot." The King of Qi's voice was cold, revealing his unquestionable majesty.
Pei Yixue was silent for a moment, and said earnestly: "On your highness's wedding day, it is not appropriate to see bloodshed. Chang Feng did not kidnap the prince consort for no reason. If the prince consort is safe and sound, your highness will be magnanimous and forgive him. In the future, the only son of the richest man in Daqing will be at your service, and your highness will be able to have another wing."
"Master Pei, do you want to save his life?" The King of Qi looked at him sharply.
"Your Highness is very observant." Pei Yixue asked, "I have some friendship with Chang Feng. I am willing to help Your Highness solve his problems and bring back the consort."
The King of Qi looked at him for a long while before he slowly spoke: "Mr. Pei only has a cup of tea."
"I will definitely live up to my mission." Pei Yixue replied.
After Pei Yixue entered the house, within a few words, Du Ruo, wearing a wedding dress and holding a red veil in her hand, hurried out of the courtyard alone and headed straight towards the direction of King Qi.
On the hillside, the King of Qi stood tall in front of a group of assassins, with a gorgeously decorated red sedan next to him.
"Your Highness." After seeing who was coming, Du Ruo stopped and looked at the King of Qi from a distance of several meters.
"Aruo." King Qi smiled and extended his hand to Du Ruo, "Your husband is here to take you home."
Seeing this, Du Ruo also broke into a bright smile, "Okay." He quickly walked up to King Qi and gently put his hand on King Qi's.
When the sedan chair was carried to the city gate, Xie Yushu happened to be seen riding out of the city on horseback.
Seeing the King of Qi also riding a horse, with a sedan chair following behind him, Xie Yushu hurriedly stopped and bowed, "Your humble servant greets His Royal Highness the King of Qi."
The King of Qi glanced at the man and said, "You are so exhausted so early in the morning. Where are you in such a hurry, Sir Xie?"
Xie Yushu shifted his gaze to the bridal sedan, "I heard that yesterday... the prince consort was kidnapped by criminals. I am a little worried."
"Thank you for your concern, my Lord. The Prince Consort has been found and is in the bridal sedan."
"Is he okay?" Xie Yushu realized that his tone seemed a little anxious, and hurriedly softened his tone and asked, "Has the bad guy been caught?"
"The prince consort is fine and was not hurt. The villain has been executed on the spot." The King of Qi replied slowly.
"That's good, that's good." Xie Yushu stared at the bridal sedan, gripping the reins tighter and tighter in his hands.
It was as if the person he loved was forced to marry someone else, and he could only watch from afar, feeling helpless and sad. If the King of Qi hadn't known that Xie Yushu had never met Du Ruo, he would have suspected that Xie Yushu had a deep love for Du Ruo.
The King of Qi asked doubtfully: "Did Lord Xie make a mistake?"
He couldn't understand why Xie Yushu came here to cry at the grave when he had clearly married Pei Yixue last night?
"I made a mistake." Xie Yushu forced a smile. He spurred his horse to make way. When the horse's hooves were steady, he bowed to the King of Qi again: "I congratulate your Highness and the Prince Consort. May your parents live happily together for thousands of years, and may orchids and osmanthus flowers bloom together... May you live forever."
"Thank you very much, sir." The King of Qi nodded, took the bridal sedan into the city, and passed by Xie Yushu.
The wedding ceremony between the King of Qi and his wife, which was not completed yesterday, was completed at 3 p.m. today.
As a guest, Xie Yushu watched every step from his seat.
After all the guests left, he dragged his dazed body back to Xie's house. Looking up, he saw the red silk and big red lanterns were still hanging high and had not been removed.
After walking up the bluestone steps, Xie Yushu asked the doorman, "Has the Madam returned?"
The concierge quickly replied, "He returned at 3 p.m. and is now in the front hall, waiting for you to come back and have dinner together."
Dining? Xie Yushu was stunned, and he felt a little guilty. He had indeed gotten carried away today, leaving Du Ruo alone on the first day of their marriage.
He hurried to the front hall. Du Ruo was eating at the table. He looked up and saw him. He called out happily, "I thought Ah Shu would take some time."
The name Ah Shu made Xie Yushu feel dazed again. He came to his senses and said, "Miss Du, you don't need to wait for me anymore. There are no rules in the mansion. Just be casual."
"Ashu." Pei Yixue put down the wooden chopsticks in his hand, stood up and walked towards Xie Yushu.
He approached, and Xie Yushu's body visibly straightened: "Ms. Du, I..."
Pei Yixue used her original clear voice again and whispered, "Ashu, it's me."
Xie Yushu's eyes were instantly filled with stormy waves. Pei Yixue put her index finger on his lips and whispered, "Let's go back to the room."
Pulling the confused Xie Yushu back to the bridal chamber, Pei Yixue closed the door and took off the human skin mask with quick movements.
"You..." Xie Yushu was stunned and reached out to touch his face, "Yixue?"
"Yeah." Pei Yixue grabbed Xie Yushu's hand, her eyes full of tenderness.
Xie Yushu picked up the human skin mask in his hand, examined it carefully, and asked, "Where did you get it?"
"I asked a master to carve it." Pei Yixue said, "Without the red veil to cover my face, I can only rely on this to hide my identity."
"Last night, it was you." Xie Yushu stared: "Prince Qi's Mansion——"
"That person on the other end is Du Ruo. Ah Shu drank a lot last night and didn't even recognize me."
"Does the King of Qi know?" Xie Yushu was full of worry.
"Well, he and Du Ruo are in love with each other."
"They, you, how could the King of Qi do this with you?" Xie Yushu hurriedly warned him, "This is all a misunderstanding, a mistake. I will report to His Majesty and resign from my post. Your Majesty will surely show mercy."
Pei Yixue raised her hand to stop him, "It's not a misunderstanding. I did this all by myself."
"Yixue." Xie Yushu stared into his eyes, "The crime of deceiving the emperor, do you know what will happen to you?"
Pei Yixue said seriously: "I know."
"You!" Xie Yushu's eyes turned red: "Why...why didn't you discuss it with me in advance?"
Pei Yixue asked back: "If Ah Shu knew, would he agree?"
Xie Yushu remained silent. Pei Yixue slowly turned around, but Xie Yushu immediately grabbed her wrist and asked, "Where are you going?"
"I planned this because I don't want to see Ah Shu marry someone else, but I don't want to cause trouble to Ah Shu." Pei Yixue turned his head and smiled gently at Xie Yushu, "I will report it to His Majesty."
"Yixue, that's not what I meant." Xie Yushu walked up to him and said anxiously.
Pei Yixue looked at him without answering. As they stared at each other, Xie Yushu hugged him and said, "Let's not talk about it anymore. Let's not talk about it anymore... It's all my fault. I shouldn't have come to the capital, and I shouldn't have chosen this path."
Now it was Pei Yixue's turn to be stunned, "How could it be Ah Shu's fault?" He put his arm around her back, "The emperor randomly arranged marriages without regard for other people's wishes, and officials should be virtuous. The rule that Shuang'er can't marry while she's an official shouldn't exist."
Xie Yushu hugged the man and didn't answer.
He couldn't tell what his mood was at the moment. He was charged with the crime of deceiving the emperor and was on the verge of life and death. But Pei Yixue was still there, and the relief and happiness in his heart seemed to far outweigh the fear brought by the crime of deceiving the emperor.
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