Unmarried - 10
The Kangwang Mansion, Dingxian Waterside Pavilion.
"Pfft!" Xu Zhihao spat out a mouthful of tea. "What did you say?"
"Yun family's fourth daughter wanted to secretly 'marry in place of another,' but Yun Wenyao discovered this, broke her leg, and locked her in the woodshed..."
Liang Qiu laughed as he spoke.
I've seen stupid people, but I've never seen anyone this stupid.
Let alone a royal marriage, even between families of equal social standing, if a virgin were to be married off to a married woman, the two families would become mortal enemies!
"Hehe!" Xue Ning chuckled sheepishly, "Yun Si Niang's wishful thinking is quite something!"
She married into the Qian family once, and then into the royal family twice... a true rise in status!
"Fortunately, Yun Wenyao is sensible!" Ma De said, fanning himself with a feather fan. "However, something not insignificant happened in his private quarters."
"What is it?"
Liang Qiu asked a question, while Xue Ning and Xu Zhihao stared at the strategist with curiosity.
"A concubine surnamed Zhao hanged herself in the backyard of the Yun residence."
Ma De hesitated, glancing at Zhao Yunkang. The rest of his words... it would be more appropriate to tell the general alone.
"Her biological mother?" Zhao Yunkang toyed with the teacup in his hand. "Uncle Ma, is there anything else...? Tell me all at once!"
"After Aunt Zhao hanged herself, Yun Wenyao was furious and ordered people to wrap her body in straw mats and throw it into a mass grave."
Interestingly, the funeral procession circled the mass grave once and then returned to the coffin shop.
They prepared Zhao Yiniang's remains, dressed her in her burial clothes, and at dawn transported her to the back mountain of Kaibao Temple for burial, filling the grave, and erecting a tombstone... the burial was conducted according to the regulations for the wife of a fourth-rank official.
Ma De smiled meaningfully and tapped his palm lightly with the handle of his fan.
"General, this Yun Yixia... is no simple woman!"
A young woman who had long lived in the backyard, mistreated by her mistress, and bullied by her siblings... did not have enough money to afford this funeral.
Putting everything else aside, that carved nanmu coffin alone costs a hundred taels of silver.
Even the eldest daughter of a high-ranking official might not be able to afford this price.
What was her reaction?
Zhao Yunkang became interested and asked what Yun Yixia had been doing these days.
"Reporting to the General, Lady Yun is embroidering her wedding dress in her boudoir..." The guard paused, "and spends no more than a quarter of an hour each day, spending most of the rest of her time reading in the courtyard."
"What book?"
"Books on strategy and tactics such as 'Six Secret Teachings and Three Strategies' and 'Zizhi Tongjian'."
After the guard finished speaking, the room fell silent. No one had expected that a young lady from a secluded family would read such profound books on strategy.
"General, have you considered breaking off the engagement?" Xue Ning scratched his head. "When we go to the Northern Frontier, will the young prince die at her hands?"
Several of their close associates had met the young prince a few times.
No wonder he's the son of a general; he has a round, chubby face but a black heart inside, and he loves to play tricks on adults.
No matter how clever a child is, they are nothing in the face of absolute power.
“She wouldn’t dare!” Ma De shook his head. “However, if the young master provokes him first, Yun San Niangzi’s counterattack will make him suffer a lot.”
"Great!" Zhao Yunkang chuckled. "Let that brat learn a lesson!"
He continued to ask about Yun Yixia's situation, unaware of the fleeting disappointment in Liang Qiu's eyes.
“Yun Wenyao felt that it was unlucky for such a thing to happen before the wedding, so he asked Yun San Niangzi to go to Kaibao Temple to worship Buddha and listen to sutras five days later.”
The guard reported the truth, but Zhao Yunkang frowned.
Her own mother hanged herself, her own father was cold-hearted, her mistress was harsh, and her sisters were at odds... Could a woman who survived in such an environment still have genuine feelings for a man?
"We'll go to Kaibao Temple in five days!"
Zhao Yunkang plans to meet Yun Yixia before the wedding to see what kind of woman he is about to marry.
Five days passed in the blink of an eye, and Yun Yixia was unaware that someone was eager to see her.
The carriage wheels rumbled on the bluestone slabs. Yun Yixia lifted a corner of the side curtain and looked at the lively scene outside.
When will she be able to truly walk in the sunlight and stop hiding herself?
"My wife, are you hungry?"
Bai Wei inquired with concern, explaining that her wife had only had a couple of sips of porridge in her haste to leave this morning.
"I'm not hungry!" Yun Yixia shook her head. "Hurry up and let the coachman go so we can get back as soon as possible!"
"promise!"
The carriage became a bit bumpy. Yun Yixia held onto the window frame, glanced at the paper money and ingots in the bundle, and then her gaze unconsciously drifted elsewhere.
She recalled the scene of seeing Zhao Zhuyu more than ten years ago... She couldn't describe the feeling in her heart.
"My wife, we've arrived!"
"good!"
The carriage curtain was lifted, the coachman placed the footstool and stepped back, and Bai Wei and Yun Yixia disembarked from the carriage one after the other.
At the end of the stone steps is the vermilion gate of Kaibao Temple, shrouded in morning mist. Many pilgrims climb the steps, and the air is filled with the moist scent of sandalwood.
Yun Yixia walked up step by step, her skirt swaying slightly, her demeanor graceful and poised. Her almond-shaped eyes were bright and moist, and a faint sorrow lingered on her face, making her seem pitiful.
Stepping through the temple gate, ancient cypress trees reach for the sky, obscuring the gradually brightening sky.
The main hall was dimly lit, and the Buddha looked down at all living beings.
Following Yun Wenyao's instructions, Yun Yixia offered incense and prayed to Buddha before going to the lecture hall to listen to the sutras. The sandalwood incense in the hall wafted around her nose and soaked her clothes.
After the morning prayers, the monks walked out one after another, while she looked up at the Buddha statue in the hall, remaining silent for a long time. Her expression seemed to be sorrowful, like crying, yet also contained a hint of hidden relief.
"My wife, you're ready!"
Bai Wei came in from outside, lowered her voice and whispered in her wife's ear, while glancing at the monk adding sesame oil.
"let's go!"
Yun Yixia walked out of the main hall and headed towards the back mountain of the temple.
Few people come here. They followed the trodden, winding path to a deep green bamboo forest, which contained graves of all sizes.
Even during the day, the scene looked somewhat eerie.
Bai Wei paused slightly, and Yun Yixia took her cold little hand and walked along the outer edge to the middle edge.
The fresh soil on the grave stands in stark contrast to the old graves overgrown with grass next to it.
The inscription on the tombstone was uncolored, giving it a somewhat desolate and austere appearance.
An unidentified little bird landed on a bamboo branch and chirped sweetly, its voice clear and carefree.
Bai Wei laid a soft mat on the ground to keep out the heat, and Yun Yixia knelt in front of the tombstone and kowtowed three times.
In any case... Zhao Zhuyu owed her a life!
Yun Yixia silently burned paper money for her mother, the flames churning in the basin, devouring each piece of paper money and each gold ingot.
The flames rose and fell, casting shadows on her face; the firelight danced in her eyes, yet could not illuminate the unfathomable darkness within them…
"My lord, are we lost?"
She wore her hair in a high bun, adorned with a gold and jade hairpin, a hibiscus flower hairpin, and her face was made up with lead powder, her eyebrows were painted, her lips were brightly colored, and she wore a brightly colored long-sleeved ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) and a pair of embroidered shoes.
She asked the man next to her, dissatisfied, and then linked arms with him as they walked forward.
"If you hadn't dressed so flamboyantly, would I have needed to take a detour down a secluded alley to avoid my classmates?"
The man, his face full of anger, saw a fire in the bamboo forest in the distance. Ignoring his concubine who had sprained her ankle, he strode towards that direction.
"Greetings, madam!"
"Excuse me……"
When he finally saw what was inside the bamboo forest, the rest of his words stuck in his throat and he couldn't say them.
Two women are burning paper money amidst a large cemetery... It looks exactly like something out of a ghost story.
"Qian Zhiping?" Yun Yixia raised an eyebrow slightly. "Fourth brother-in-law, what brings you here?"
Bai Wei moved a few steps to block the tombstone, her gaze quickly sweeping over the man and woman in front of her, then she lowered her head and pouted.
Favoring a concubine at the expense of the wife!
No matter how lecherous Yun Wenyao was, he would never let Jiang Xiumei interfere in matters of the inner quarters.
"I came here to offer incense... but I got lost!"
Qian Zhiping's Adam's apple bobbed, his fingers gripped his sleeve tightly, and he stammered nervously.
Why is he so nervous?
I've met this "former fiancée" before, does she really have such a strong presence?
“If you follow this path uphill, you’ll reach the back gate of Kaibao Temple.”
Yun Yixia's gaze subtly swept over the two of them.
Even Yunyi couldn't handle this kind of stuff... The real hard times are yet to come!
"Thank you for showing me the way, Third Sister!"
Qian Zhiping bowed respectfully and quickly left the bamboo forest with his cousin, Wu Chunmei.
"My lady, where are we...?"
Four people emerged from the bamboo forest. The man in the lead wore a dark blue round-necked robe, the robe's crispness outlining his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and upright, pine-like figure.
Her hair was styled in a bun, with a white jade hairpin inserted into it. Her eyebrows were thick but not wild, her nose was high and straight, and her lips were full and red.
The eyes are the most special feature!
Their eyes are long and narrow, with an air of aloofness and nobility; their spirit is like the shimmering beauty of peach blossoms, their eyes sparkling and captivating.
The man has a clean face, with well-proportioned features, appropriate use of negative space, and a refined and pleasing appearance.
The three men behind him each had their own unique qualities, and their eyes held a playful curiosity.
"This humble woman pays her respects to King Kang!"
Yun Yixia curtsied, and Bai Wei stepped back behind her to bow in return.
"Have you seen me before?"
Zhao Yunkang followed Yun Yixia here, wanting to hear what she would say to her deceased mother.
Unexpectedly, she kept her eyes down the whole time while burning paper money, without uttering a single word.
"After the flower banquet, your portrait will appear in Xijing City."
Yun Yixia kept her knees bent, adhering to royal rules, and began to think about how to get rid of this "arranged" marriage as soon as possible.
Modern people's souls simply cannot adapt to the complicated rules and regulations of ancient times.
"Get up!" Zhao Yunkang lifted her chin with a finger. "Did you buy some too?"
Pinghui is right!
She is indeed a beauty!
"No!"
When Yun Yixia met Zhao Yunkang's eyes, she knew that he had probably arrived long ago and was hiding in the shadows, harboring some kind of intention.
What a scoundrel!
"Why?" He stroked her rounded chin with his thumb. "Don't you like it?"
"I have no money!"
Yun Yixia glanced at the tombstone next to her, not believing that the dignified Prince Kang would flirt with her again after being explicitly asked.
"oh?"
Zhao Yun Kang let go, rubbed his fingers together, and smiled in an ambiguous way.
"We're getting married in a few days...Are you nervous?"
"nervous!"
...
No matter what Zhao Yunkang asked, Yun Yixia answered perfectly.
"The back mountain is not safe. You should go home and prepare for your wedding!"
"promise!"
Yun Yixia turned and left without looking back, her steps quick but not hurried.
From their first encounter, he knew that King Kang was not someone to be trifled with.
Fortunately, he will be leaving Xijing City soon, and according to the custom of military officers guarding the border, their families will stay behind.
If you then proceed with the "departure" operation, there will be fewer flaws and a higher success rate.
"General, this woman is cunning and scheming, definitely not a good match for you!"
Xu Zhihao didn't say that Yun Yixia's momentum when facing Qian Zhiping was no less than that of the general.
Despite being small and thin, she stood there like a towering mountain, inspiring awe.
This kind of attitude of having long held a high position is by no means that of an ordinary woman confined to the inner quarters.
"General, have you considered replacing her?" Xue Ning scratched his head. "The young master probably can't beat her!"
Liang Qiu remained silent, not believing that the general would make a last-minute substitution.
Just now, the general lifted Yun Yixia's chin, and her almond-shaped eyes cast beams of light through the bamboo forest, making her breathtakingly beautiful.
No man would refuse a woman like that as his wife.
No!
Including him!
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