Chapter 27 You said you wanted to marry me, is it true? ...
When she woke up the next day, she felt embarrassed. Although everything was normal, she felt that other people were looking at her strangely. Even when Xiaobai came over to greet her, she felt very guilty.
As usual, Xin Wanyou chattered away with her. Yang Qing felt very nervous under Li Shangxuan's subtle gaze and could only give a few perfunctory replies.
He couldn't help but get angrier the more he thought about it; he was always like this.
If you're going to watch, then watch openly and honestly; if you're going to not watch, then don't watch at all.
Why is he always like this? Even when he's talking to other people, he keeps glancing at her every now and then.
Xin Wanyou said, "...Ah Xun, were you even listening to me?...You were so loud yesterday..."
Her ears keenly picked up the word "sound," and Yang Qing tensed up instantly, though she forced a smile. "What sound?"
Xin Wanyou lives next door. Li Shangxuan had mentioned that the soundproofing here is poor, and she couldn't help herself yesterday, so the noise might have been quite loud. If Xin Wanyou really heard her, she would... she would...
Well, she didn't know what to do either. Anyway, she wouldn't try to kill herself over something like this. Besides, it was Li Shangxuan who bullied her, and she was forced into it. Even if she was ashamed and wanted to commit suicide, it should be him who did it. Yang Qing wouldn't even have such thoughts. After all, it's better to live a miserable life than to die. Her life had been smooth sailing, except for that hateful heartless man, Li Shangxuan.
Xin Wanyou shouted, vehemently accusing, "Ah Xun! You really haven't been listening to me at all! The wind was so strong last night, didn't you hear it?"
Hearing that it was just the wind, Yang Qing breathed a sigh of relief, her heart settled back into her stomach, and her body relaxed. She explained, "I went to bed very early last night and didn't hear any wind. I didn't mean to ignore you; I just had a nightmare last night and wasn't feeling well."
The first half of the statement is true, but the second half is only partially true.
Yesterday she dreamed of her childhood with Li Shangxuan. She even tricked Li Shangxuan into calling her "sister," and Li Shangxuan actually did it.
The important thing is that Yang Qing thought about it and felt that it was actually very likely to happen. After all, in order to sever ties with him, she had deliberately called him "Brother Shang Xuan" several times. Given his petty and vindictive personality, he would most likely retaliate and force her to call him "brother" later, which was very much in line with his behavior.
Xin Wanyou gossiped, "What nightmare did you have? Tell me quickly! Some nightmares are like that; once you tell me, you won't be scared anymore."
How could Yang Qing tell her these things? She only vaguely said, "I don't remember anything after I woke up."
Xin Wanyou was greatly disappointed. She wanted to take Xiaobai to the deck of the boat to enjoy the breeze, and asked Yangqing if she wanted to come along.
Yang Qing refused. Although Xin Wanyou was not around, Li Shangxuan would definitely come over, but she still didn't want to move.
She's starting to see threats everywhere.
After Xin Wanyou left, Li Shangxuan indeed came over. Huo Lu and the others were very sensible and made excuses to leave in twos and threes, leaving only the two of them.
Since it wasn't a private space, Li Shangxuan simply sat down next to her, maintaining a distance that was both intimate and respectful, and asked in a low voice, "Why do you seem unhappy?"
Yang Qing played with the ribbons on her clothes in silence for a moment before asking, "You said you wanted to marry me last night, was that true?"
Li Shangxuan said, "I have always said that I would marry you, and it has always been true."
Yang Qing asked again, "Why do you want to marry me?"
Li Shangxuan was stunned for a moment, so she changed her question, "So, do you like me? And what do you like about me?"
Li Shangxuan said, "Isn't it only natural for me to marry you? Have you forgotten that you said you would marry me when we were little?"
Yang Qing felt like she was talking to a dog, but in reality, Xiao Bai could understand human speech, which made her a little exasperated. "What? You said it yourself, it was when we were little. How can a child's words be taken seriously?"
Li Shangxuan pinched her cheek, then restrained himself and pulled away. "Why don't children's words count?"
Yang Qing turned her face away: "Is that why you want to marry me? Well, let me tell you, you don't need to. Anyway, I've forgotten everything that happened when I was a child."
Li Shangxuan felt that he had been abrupt with her last night, which was why he kept saying things in anger. He did not believe the "forgotten everything" statement and only explained, "It's not just a promise from when we were little. I have always liked A-Xun."
The words had barely left his mouth when his face flushed red, but seeing the girl still bowing her head in silence, he tried again to persuade her, "Are you still angry about what happened last night? I was just momentarily out of my mind..."
Seeing Yang Qing's face flush red and her glare at him, Li Shangxuan felt a surge of pleasure and teased her deliberately, "But weren't you very happy last night too?"
Yang Qing immediately bristled, staring at him in disbelief and demanding, "Which eye of yours saw me happy?"
That was just physical pleasure, Yang Qing secretly made excuses for herself; she actually despised his behavior.
Li Shangxuan said in a low voice, "If you don't like it, you won't do it again."
Yang Qing then gave a soft "hmm". Li Shangxuan was slightly taken aback. Seeing her bright eyes and rosy lips, he really wanted to lean in and kiss her, but before he could act on his idea, Yang Qing saw through him.
She warned, "You are not allowed to kiss me without my permission."
Li Shangxuan withdrew his gaze and hummed in agreement. Silence fell between them for a moment until Xin Wanyou returned with Xiaobai, at which point human voices finally broke the silence.
Xin Wanyou didn't immediately rush over to Yang Qing and start chattering. Li Shangxuan was sitting not far from Yang Qing. She was still very afraid of this noble young master who wanted to chop off her head. Only after he left did she eagerly stick close to him, patting her chest as if she had survived a disaster. Her expression was very exaggerated. "My God, Ah Xun, I really admire you. You actually dared to talk to him... I'm scared as soon as I see him."
In his past life, many people were afraid of him, but now Li Shangxuan is still very beloved. Yang Qing said, "You have no idea how many women in the capital want to marry him."
Xin Wanyou stuck out her tongue: "Of course I could guess that. You young ladies from noble families may look delicate and weak, but you can endure a lot of hardship for money and wealth. But I, for one, am unwilling to marry someone who could take my life at any moment. The thought is terrifying."
Yang Qing's heart stirred, and she realized that Xin Wanyou was right; they were not a good match.
No matter how sweet-talking Li Shangxuan was, he couldn't fool her. She might as well marry into an ordinary family. Even if they were as respectful as parents, she wouldn't have to worry about losing her head.
Yang Qing said, "Actually, he's not that scary. If it weren't for you... you'll know once you spend more time with him."
Xin Wanyou said, "I don't want to associate with him."
Yang Qing had other ideas behind giving her these instructions. They would arrive in Xuzhou in two days. Her brother-in-law was serving as the prefect of Xuzhou, and her older sister was also in office with him.
If she obediently went back with Li Shangxuan, her parents would definitely force her to marry him without any explanation, and she didn't want to.
If I were to first find the older sister Chi Huanxi, stay here for a few days, and then have them send someone to take me back, wouldn't that be much more legitimate?
However, Yang Qing did not intend to tell anyone about this. He was just waiting to sneak out to seek refuge once he reached Xuzhou. He always felt that Li Shangxuan would most likely disagree.
A few days later, they arrived in Xuzhou. Yang Qing began to plan. During these days, she had hidden a few taels of silver and some dry food on her.
Whenever Li Shangxuan arrived in a new place, he would always disembark and stay for two or three days, and Xuzhou was no exception.
This was the perfect opportunity for Yang Qing to slip away, but the inn she was staying at this time was too remote, quite far from Xuzhou City, and it would probably be a long walk. Yang Qing was a little worried, but after looking at her travel permit and dry rations, she decided to walk back anyway; she had to give it a try.
Who does Li Shangxuan think he is? So what if he's the future emperor? Does that give him the right to make decisions for her at will? Don't even think about it.
That night, Yang Qing secretly slipped out, intending to steal a horse. In her previous life, Li Shangxuan had taught her how to ride a horse, and she rode it quite well. However, the horses here were very temperamental and not docile at all. As soon as Yang Qing got close, they would kick her. Afraid of causing a commotion, she could only slink away quickly.
As dusk fell, it was the hottest time of the day. Yang Qing felt hot and itchy, and was being harassed by mosquitoes.
Surrounded by few people, she felt at ease; at this moment, being alone was better than being surrounded by people.
As for mountain spirits and monsters, she didn't feel she had done anything wrong in this life or the previous one, so naturally she wasn't afraid. A clear conscience fears no accusation.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, perhaps half an hour or two, Yang Qing suddenly heard the sound of horses neighing behind her. Her first reaction was that something was wrong. Whether it was a passerby or Li Shangxuan and his group, they were all hostile to her. However, there was nowhere to hide, so she could only crouch down in the roadside bushes, feeling extremely scared. She hoped that there wouldn't be any snakes or anything hiding there.
The moonlight was bright tonight, and by its light, she saw the faces of the men on horseback. Sure enough, it was Li Shangxuan and Huo Lu.
Huo Lu said, "Your Highness, don't worry. It's probably in this area. Miss Chi can't walk very far."
Li Shangxuan didn't say anything. The group split up and stood in different places. Several times they walked back and forth in front of the bushes where she was hiding, but they still couldn't find her.
Yang Qing was initially terrified, but later she couldn't help but feel smug. She had hidden herself very well; these people had come and gone several times without noticing her.
But after a while, her legs became terribly numb. Finally, when the group of people left, she stood up to move around a bit. When she lifted one foot and stepped down, she experienced excruciating pain.
Chi Yangqing endured the pain without crying out, and looked at it by the moonlight, only to find that it was a piece of wood with nails stuck in it.
Damn it, who put this kind of thing here?
Her foot was in excruciating pain and bleeding profusely. Yang Qing knew she was doomed. The only option she had this time was to ask Li Shangxuan for help and obediently go back with him.
She had finally managed to escape, and the other party hadn't even noticed her yet. What a great opportunity! If she went back with him, he would definitely fly into a rage again. Would he chop off her head too?
In his past life, Li Shangxuan had indeed beheaded many people. Even if he didn't behead her, what if he married her and deliberately tortured her?
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