Chapter 32 I gave him a hug...
Huanxi didn't take it to heart: "Isn't that how Mother is? She's always been unrestrained. Naturally, she's unhappy when someone starts to control her. But no matter how much they make a fuss, you're not allowed to get involved. Stay home quietly for two years. After you get married, you have to behave yourself. You have to play dumb when you need to, and never be the one to stick your neck out."
Yang Qing smiled and said, "I know."
Huanxi then asked, "Does your third sister already have someone she likes?"
Yang Qing remained silent, while Huan Xi scoffed, "I know even if you don't say it. She's always been ambitious and proud; how could she possibly be led by the nose by Mother?"
Yang Qing said, "How could I know what Third Sister is thinking? But I guess it'll be within the next year or two. When that time comes, you must come back, Sister."
Huanxi said, "How could I not go back? I went back when Yanyan got married. If I didn't go back when she got married, wouldn't I be giving her leverage to talk behind my back for the rest of my life?"
Yang Qing smiled, and Huan Xi continued, "When I got married, you were about the same age as Chong'er. So many years have passed, and our A Xun has grown into a beautiful young lady. Mother is really overthinking things. Even if you married into the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince would definitely cherish you like a precious jewel and wouldn't let you suffer at all. But the palace isn't a good place either, with many rules. It's fine if you don't marry into it."
Yang Qing snorted. How could Li Shangxuan possibly fawn over her? He'd probably just bully her every day.
She still remembered that before they parted, he had mocked her for being fat. In fact, she wasn't fat at all; she clearly still had a defined waist and legs. This man was probably trying to belittle himself to achieve his despicable goal.
However, he has chosen the wrong person; Yang Qing will not grant his wish.
The next morning, Yangqing and Huanxi's family had breakfast before saying goodbye and getting into the carriage.
The journey was arduous, and the people who took her back were all carefully selected by her brother-in-law. He was indeed thoughtful, and fearing that Yangqing's beloved cat might get lost along the way, he even bought her a small wooden cage.
After thanking her, Yang Qing got into the carriage. After waiting for a while, she couldn't help but lift the carriage door and look back. Huanxi was holding Chong'er's hand, and her brother-in-law was holding Zhuzhu. They looked like a harmonious family of four.
But who could have imagined that even in such a harmonious family of four, Huanxi would feel wronged?
She sighed. The kitten was very easygoing and slept soundly even when it was locked in a cage. Yang Qing reached her finger through the gap and teased it for a while before pulling it back and staring blankly at the cage.
This time, she was taken home by her older sister's people, not Li Shangxuan. Hopefully, that will work.
Didn't this mean the Empress intended for her niece to become the Crown Princess? Unless it's like in the previous life, where it's delayed until Li Shangxuan ascends the throne, he probably can't make the decision.
Thinking of this, Yang Qing felt relieved, but also a little melancholy. She had already consummated her marriage with Li Shangxuan, so who else could she marry?
If she gets married and Li Shangxuan really does what he says and ruins her family, wouldn't that be harming her?
Yang Qing's mind was in a mess. She wished she could marry someone even more capable than him.
But after thinking it over, the only one more powerful than him was his father, the current emperor. But that was impossible. Putting aside the fact that Yang Qing didn't like the old man, he was going to die in three years. Once he died, wouldn't Yang Qing fall into Li Shangxuan's hands?
Ugh, Li Shangxuan is so annoying! This bastard is just determined to get back at her. He's shameless.
The closer Yang Qing got to the capital, the more worried she became, showing no joy at the prospect of returning home.
The maid Lili was specially assigned to her by Huanxi. She was not a servant born into the Xi family, but was bought from outside. She was the same age as Huanxi. Although she was not very reliable, she was very lively and could tell jokes. This was why Huanxi gave her to Yangqing, afraid that Yangqing would be bored in the Xi family. As the mistress of the house, Huanxi was very busy and could not accompany her younger sister all the time.
Lili knew quite a lot. Her father was originally a scholar who had studied at home. Later, his family went on business and traveled all over the country, so he had seen a lot of the world. If her parents hadn't died, she wouldn't have sold herself into servitude as a maid.
She has a clever appearance, with an oval face and big eyes. Her intelligence is written all over her face. She is good at writing and reading, and she is also very skilled at embroidery. Huanxi said that if she goes back with her this time, she won't have to come back, since her parents aren't here anyway.
Yang Qing was initially embarrassed, but later she understood her sister's intention. It turned out that the son of the Xi family steward wanted to marry Li Li.
The steward's son was truly useless and ugly, but they were hereditary servants of the Xi family and held a respectable position within the family. Although Huanxi looked down on him and felt that it would be a waste for Lili to marry him, she couldn't refuse him repeatedly. Just then, Yangqing arrived, so she took her directly to the capital, thus putting an end to any lingering thoughts.
Li tried his best to cheer her up, and Yang Qing managed a few forced smiles, but ultimately couldn't truly laugh.
So Lili joined her in her worry, "Is there some kind of monster or flood in the capital?"
Yang Qing thought that although Li Shangxuan's destructive power was not as great as that of floods and ferocious beasts, he was much more troublesome than floods and ferocious beasts.
After traveling for more than half a month, they finally arrived in the capital. Apart from Lili, several old women were all beaming with joy. Before they left, Huanxi had specifically instructed them to make sure Yangqing was safely escorted back to the capital and not to slack off on the journey.
Although they didn't understand why, they could only nod in agreement. They were on high alert on the way, afraid that something might go wrong. Fortunately, they arrived in the capital safely without any trouble, and they breathed a sigh of relief.
Lili didn't need to go back, but they were all elderly members of the Xi family. After receiving the reward money, they had to set off and didn't stay for more than a few days.
Yang Qing was somewhat afraid when she first met the Second Madam Jiang Xianyi, especially since Jiang Xianyi's complexion wasn't good. Fortunately, the Third Madam came out to crack a joke, familiarly taking her arm and leading her into the house, while flattering her, "Our Yang Qing is quite something, future Crown Princess, please come in quickly, be careful not to get heatstroke in the sun."
Yang Qing was stunned: "What Crown Princess?"
The third wife laughed and said, "But we were so busy that we forgot. The person in question doesn't even know about this yet."
Chu Ying, being her own daughter, immediately chimed in, "The Crown Prince just returned from southern Sichuan and has already requested an imperial decree to grant the marriage. It's a pity you weren't home and didn't receive the decree."
Yang Qing stood there, stunned. No, a marriage decree? The Emperor just agreed like that? Empress Ming agreed too?
This is too childish...
After standing there in a daze for a while, Chu Ying leaned closer and asked, "Where did you go this time? Even if you went to your older sister's house, you wouldn't just leave without saying a word, would you?"
Her gaze swept over Yang Qing's face, full of suspicion. "You didn't actually go to southern Sichuan after the Crown Prince, did you?"
She felt that her suspicions were quite reasonable; otherwise, why would she be so busy bestowing a marriage upon her return?
Chu Ying had read many stories of lovers eloping in storybooks, and her face was full of longing and yearning. The epic love stories were so beautiful.
Yang Qing said irritably, "What are you thinking about all day? Am I shameless or do you have a death wish? Chasing after him all the way to southern Sichuan?"
Chu Ying snorted, "So what? It's easy for a woman to pursue a man. As long as you win the heart of the beauty, what's wrong with being a little shameless?"
What does it mean to say that it's easy for a woman to pursue a man?
Yang Qing was furious and immediately refused to say another word to Chu Ying, that brainless guy.
After the not-so-grand welcoming banquet ended, Qingzhu, who was by the Second Madam's side, came over and asked Yangqing to come to her room to talk.
Yang Qing immediately looked to Rong Yue for help. Rong Yue understood and sighed before going with her.
When they arrived at the second madam's room, there wasn't a single maid or servant inside; they had all been sent away beforehand. She saw her third daughter, Rongyue, also enter. "What brings Rongyue here?"
Rongyue laughed and said, "Can't I even come into my mother's room?"
The second madam ignored her rare witty remark. Since they were all family, there was no need to hide it from Rongyue. She went straight to the point and asked Yangqing, "What's going on between you and the Crown Prince?"
Yang Qing said, "It's all Li Heyun's fault. I ran away halfway and happened to meet the Crown Prince. He saved me."
The second wife said, "Saving you and bringing you back is enough. Why do you still need to request an imperial decree for a marriage?"
Her gaze was piercing, as if she wanted to see through everything. "You two disliked each other before you left. What happened between you?"
Yang Qing stammered, "Well... I ran away when I was scared, and I just hugged him. He insisted on taking responsibility and said he wanted to marry me..."
The second wife was taken aback: "Why are you holding him?"
Yang Qing said, "I already told you I was too scared."
Seemingly recalling that scene, tears welled up, half-truthfully, half-jokingly. "Back then... there were so many of them, watching me every day. I finally managed to jump overboard and escape at night, but they caught up with me again. I was afraid the Crown Prince really wouldn't care about me..."
The second wife's expression softened slightly. She coughed once before continuing, "That's good. I thought it was..."
What did they think it was? Yang Qing wanted to ask, but the Second Madam wouldn't tell. She turned her attention from Li Shangxuan to Li Heyun, slamming her hand on the table. "What exactly does the Ning Prince's family want? Are they trying to make trouble for our family? Even a clay figure has some temper. Do they really think our Chi family is so easy to bully?"
Rongyue advised from the side, "Mother, don't say that. If this matter really gets out, how will Axun go out? Besides, she is now engaged to the Crown Prince. If others find out about these things, they will probably use her as a pretext."
The second wife only sneered, "I understand the reasoning, but I just can't swallow this insult."
Rongyue smiled and said, "Evil people will be punished by heaven. Hasn't the matter of Yunzhou's military pay been exposed? Why should your mother be upset behind your back?"
The second madam snorted coldly, but her expression was no longer as unpleasant as before. Her gaze turned to Yang Qing's face again, and eight or nine parts of her previous dislike for Yang Qing's lack of composure had disappeared. She felt that she was really amazing to have given birth to such a beautiful daughter, and it was only natural that the crown prince would ask for her hand in marriage.
The more she looked, the more smug she became, and then asked, "How was your eldest sister's time in Xuzhou? And how were Chong'er and Zhuzhu?"
Yang Qing hurriedly said, "My eldest sister and brother-in-law are very loving. Chong'er is very good at studying, and Zhuzhu is also very well-behaved. My eldest sister said that she will come back to see you when my third sister gets married."
The second wife simply said, "If she wanted to come back, why wait until Xu'er got married? She could have just come back with you."
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