Chapter 189 [VIP]
Upwards?
On the Double Ninth Festival, people look up.
The top of the display cabinet has about a dozen boxes of different sizes.
A slight noise came from behind him. Chong Jiu turned his head and saw that the opened floor tiles were slowly closing.
Among mechanisms, there is a type called a reactive mechanism, which means that after the mechanism is activated, it must be adjusted to a specific position, otherwise the mechanism will lock up.
The later-developing agencies are also the most difficult to judge.
Chongjiu faced the display cabinet, estimated its size in his mind, and decisively took down one of the long wooden boxes. As soon as he opened it, a bright yellow imperial edict came into view.
Found it!
Even though Chongjiu was usually quite reserved, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curve into a smile at this moment.
The surface of the imperial edict was covered with black bloodstains, scattered like stars.
He unfolded it, glanced at it, confirmed the contents, then stuffed it into his pocket and put the wooden box back as it was.
With most of the floor tiles closed, Chongjiu quickly scanned the area with the luminous pearl to make sure he hadn't left any trace. He then flashed up the stone steps and slipped out of the dark room the instant the floor tiles completely closed.
Chongjiu moved the mechanism back to its original position, cleared away all traces, and returned the way he came.
He put the bird flute to his lips and began to blow it rhythmically.
Like kingfishers in the forest, their calls echoing.
Xiangyang's ears twitched.
The birdsong and the sound of the wind blended together. Xie Jing used a handkerchief to bandage Ji Nanke's injured ankle. He touched it and felt that her bones were not broken, but the wound was quite deep and was still bleeding.
Ji Nanke leaned against him, looking weak and boneless.
Xie Jing sighed inwardly. It was good that she stopped making a fuss, but he still felt a little unwilling. The voice he had been desperately suppressing kept repeating that Ji Nanke didn't actually mind being a concubine. If he had insisted on not breaking off the engagement with Gu Zhizhuo back then, Ji Nanke would definitely have compromised.
He wouldn't be in this dilemma now.
The bamboo shed whistled and swayed from side to side in the wind.
Ji Nanke slightly raised her chin, her beautiful eyes filled with worry: "Your Highness, will this bamboo shed collapse?"
Xie Jing did not respond.
"Your Highness?"
Before he could speak, the steward immediately said, "Young master, you promised not to trespass."
Xie Jing didn't insist, since it was already agreed upon. He simply said, "Please find us a doctor, Uncle."
"Alright!" The manager's lips twitched. If he didn't get rid of the two of them, he wouldn't have a good day today.
The steward quickly sent the mute servant to fetch the doctor, while he himself stood by the side to watch over the two of them.
Xiangyang asked the steward for some hay, and when he heard it was for feeding the horses, his lips twitched again.
Xiangyang, his back hunched and his voice hoarse, grumbled, "You don't know, my horse won't run unless it's full. It just ran such a long way, it's definitely going to throw a tantrum. Sigh. If we don't feed it well, we can't get back..."
"Go get it!"
The mute servant agreed.
Xiangyang bowed repeatedly in thanks, then let out a loud, booming cry: "Come here quickly! There's food!"
The foreman's expression changed, and the chariot snorted, dragging its broken frame as it galloped towards them.
"Stop them!"
The manager shouted, but it was too late.
Xie Jing, his face pale, shouted, "Make it stop!"
Xiangyang was so surprised and at a loss that he cried out, "Stop! Stop! Your Highness, it won't listen to me!"
"You made it..."
Before he could speak, the horse knocked Xiangyang down.
Bang!
Immediately afterwards, the half-cart it was dragging crashed through the surrounding mute servants and then into the bamboo shed.
Click.
The bamboo supporting the bamboo shed snapped with a crack, and the shed collapsed in one direction.
"Your Highness! Your Highness!"
Xiangyang, standing below the horse, cried out in pain, "Your Highness is going to die!"
"Help!"
Boom!
The bamboo shed collapsed completely, kicking up clouds of dust.
The commotion was so loud that even Chongjiu, who was waiting for an opportunity inside the house, could hear it clearly.
The mute servants panicked and several rushed over from all directions, drawing everyone else's attention.
The sound of birdsong signaled to him that he could move. Chongjiu carefully pushed open the window and peeked out, then seized the opportunity to climb out. He first pressed himself against the wall, hiding his figure in the shadows, then quickly returned to the reeds.
The bird whistle is blown once again.
One long and three short means that you have left safely.
He glanced at the noisy village from afar, and could vaguely hear Xiangyang shouting. A faint smile appeared on Chongjiu's lips as he moved quickly through the reeds.
The wind was blowing fiercely, and the reeds were swaying incessantly in the wind.
Dark clouds, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, obscured the sunlight, turning the sky gloomy. Even the wind seemed to be blowing in gusts.
This evil wind blew away the "double happiness" character at the entrance of Prince Jin's mansion several times. The mansion's steward kept ordering people to re-paste it, but each time it was pasted up, it would be blown down again soon after.
This was highly unusual, and the onlookers whispered among themselves.
The entire household was overjoyed, and the main gate of the Prince of Jin's residence was opened wide.
However, with the screen wall blocking the view, it was still impossible to see what was happening inside.
All they knew was that the bridal sedan chair had been inside for almost two hours, but there had been no movement.
During the Great Qi Dynasty, weddings were held before noon, and funerals were held after noon.
It's already late afternoon, and it's really unlucky not to hold a wedding ceremony at this time. An old man couldn't help but mutter, "It's like a ghost marriage."
"Don't talk nonsense."
This is the Prince's residence. Saying such unlucky things on such a joyous occasion is bad luck. Be careful you don't get dragged away and beaten to death.
The "double happiness" character on the gate was blown off by the wind again, and the servant quickly grabbed a new one and pasted it on.
Someone muttered indignantly, "The fact that there aren't any 'double happiness' stickers means there's no more happiness."
"No joy, isn't that just sadness?"
"It's bad luck, it's bad luck."
They would have left long ago if they weren't waiting for the wedding money.
The Prince of Jin's mansion was exceptionally generous with their wedding gifts this time, all in silver ingots weighing one tael each. They scattered the ingots once when the bridal sedan chair entered the mansion, and again before and after the wedding ceremony. Each silver ingot was enough for them to use for several months; it was worth waiting even a few days, let alone a few extra hours.
As they were talking, several servants brought out a few bamboo baskets from inside. When they saw the silver light shimmering inside the baskets, their faces lit up with joy. They couldn't wait to each say a phrase they had prepared beforehand, such as "May the couple be harmonious," "May they have a son soon," and "May good things happen one after another," without repeating themselves.
He scattered handfuls of silver ingots.
"The wedding ceremony is about to begin! The wedding ceremony is about to begin!"
The sound of gongs finally rang out in the Prince of Jin's mansion, signifying that the wedding ceremony was about to begin.
Not only were the common people waiting for the celebratory money restless, but even the guests sitting in the main hall waiting to witness the ceremony were getting restless.
They had been sitting for two hours.
They heard that Xie Qiyun couldn't get up, so they could only wait patiently, and they waited and waited until now.
"The Crown Prince".
Duke Wei bent down and personally poured tea for Xie Yingchen: "The arrangements for today's wedding are quite strange."
It's common knowledge that Xie Qiyun is going to die; it's no secret. The fact that the Cheng'en Duke's Mansion dared to marry her off clearly means they tacitly agreed that their daughter would be forced to live a life of widowhood.
Even if Xie Qiyun really died suddenly, the bride could have held a rooster during the wedding ceremony instead of leaving all the guests waiting.
Xie Yingchen smiled slightly: "Let's take a look."
Seeing that he was paying attention to him, the Duke of Wei was delighted and made conversation by saying, "Are you hungry? I brought a bag of dried meat. Would you like to have some?"
Xie Yingchen, being of high status, sat in the honored seat, while the Duke of Wei was originally several ranks lower. However, he was shameless and lingered with Xie Yingchen from the moment he entered, refusing to leave.
Chief Minister Song rolled his eyes at him. He hadn't realized before that the Duke of Wei was such a competitive and ambitious man, always striving to surpass those who came later.
I can no longer rely on being the first to join the dragon and become complacent, otherwise I will be replaced by him sooner or later.
But asking him to be as shameless as the Duke of Wei is a bit of a stretch.
"They're here."
Someone reminded him, and Chief Minister Song looked towards the door.
Amidst the sound of gongs, two figures dressed in wedding attire walked over, one after the other.
One is thin and the other is fat.
The thinnest one was Xie Qiyun; he was practically skin and bones. The wedding robes he wore were too big on him, and Xie Sheng helped him walk in front. Every step he took was extremely difficult, as if he were walking barefoot on the tip of a knife.
His wedding robes had long sleeves, and he wore a red veiled hat with layers of red gauze hanging down, completely covering his face.
Duke Wei dared not look any longer.
"Grandson of the Crown Prince," the Duke of Wei continued, trying to strike up a conversation, "how come the daughter of the Duke of Cheng'en is so robust?"
The bride was plump, her wedding dress almost bursting out of her clothes, and she followed behind slowly.
Duke Wei continued, "You have a good memory, you must remember her figure. Doesn't it look a bit like her?"
Xie Yingchen glanced at him sideways: "Never seen him before, don't remember."
Upon seeing this, the Duke of Wei shuddered. He scratched his head, unsure of what he had said wrong, and chuckled dryly, "The Duke of Cheng'en is a dishonest man, marrying his own daughter to a dead man."
"Hey, why is Xie Qiyun walking so slowly?"
Xie Qiyun's steps were indeed very slow, almost inching forward, lifeless. (Under the Moon)
The Prince of Jin sat in the main seat, watching with trepidation.
Xie Sheng helped Xie Qiyun up and whispered a reminder: "The threshold."
Xie Qiyun tried to step over the threshold, but as soon as he lifted his foot, he felt a gentle push from behind. He was already weak and barely able to support himself, and this push caused him to lose his balance, trip over the threshold, and fall headfirst down.
"Yun'er".
The Prince of Jin and his wife both exclaimed in surprise.
Xie Qiyun's hands couldn't hold anything, so he had to tie the red silk to his wrist. As he fell, the other end of the red silk, "the bride," also staggered forward a few steps. As she fell, the veil flew up and then quickly fell back down.
The servants who were waiting nearby rushed over, pulling people away and blocking people from getting in their way.
The princess was so frightened that she fell off her chair and couldn't stand up.
Prince Jin quickly helped the princess up and called out, "Help the prince up! Let the wedding ceremony continue!"
Duke Wei rubbed his eyes and said blankly, "Old Song, did you see clearly... am I seeing things?"
"How could it be the Duke of Cheng'en under the veil?"
"No, no." He chuckled. "It must be that the Sun family's daughter looks too much like him. Like father, like daughter. Hehehe. Right, Old Song?"
Chief Minister Song rubbed his eyes, his mouth slightly open, as if he had swallowed a fly.
Do they look alike?
He asked, "Have you ever seen a daughter who resembles her father so much that he has a long beard?"
Duke of Wei: "..." That makes a lot of sense.
Xie Yingchen smiled but remained silent.
The Duke of Wei's neck looked rusty as he turned around extremely slowly: "Grandson, you saw it too?"
Although the veil was only lifted for a brief moment, and the servant was quick and timely in blocking it, who wouldn't recognize the Prince Cheng'en!
Inside the main hall, everyone had strange expressions and their lips twitched.
"Your Highness! The Sun family dared to break off the engagement and substitute a bride; such a despicable act shows they don't take you seriously..."
The Marquis of Anyang was filled with righteous indignation.
He thought it was a marriage scam by the Duke of Chengen's family, and was about to angrily denounce the Duke of Chengen's shameless behavior when he saw that the whole room was silent.
No one responded to him.
"absurd!"
Prince Li stood up angrily, slamming the armchair behind him with a loud thud, and stormed off.
The Prince of Jin is acting more and more recklessly. Marrying a man for the Crown Prince? He's disgracing the entire imperial clan. He wouldn't even want to stay in a place like this for another second!
Xie Yingchen also stood up and gently comforted her, "Grand Uncle, don't worry. Yaoyao said you can't rush it."
As soon as the two left, the Duke of Wei was the first to follow, followed by Chief Minister Song. The others looked at each other, bowed to the Prince of Jin in twos and threes, and hurried away.
The once bustling main hall was now nearly half empty, with no one left.
Xie Yingchen walked past the Duke of Chengen, sighing and shaking his head.
The Duke of Cheng'en collapsed to the ground, his face deathly pale. He cared deeply about his reputation, so he had repeatedly confirmed with the Prince of Jin that he would absolutely not show his face, nor would he let anyone else know. Who could have imagined that not only would his face be exposed, but it would be exposed in full view of everyone!
His heart sank, his scalp tingled, and his mind buzzed.
He saw Xie Yingchen's five-clawed dragon-patterned boots pause for a moment beside him.
That soft sigh lingered in his ears, then faded away, as if asking him—
Is it worth it?
Xie Jing is still chasing after that guy surnamed Ji everywhere, and even he doesn't care about the throne! Is it worth it for me to lose all my dignity for him?
boom.
A surge of hot blood rushed to my head.
He suddenly ripped off the veil, and everyone around him gasped.
"Thank you, Attorney Xie!"
The Duke of Cheng'en cursed, "Your son is almost dead, and you still want to coax my daughter into marrying you? Bah!"
"I'm here today to tell you, don't even think about it!"
Huh?
The group of people who had just stepped out of the door paused, whispering amongst themselves.
"Is the Prince of Jin forcing her into marriage because he has a marriage contract?"
"The Duke of Cheng'en is reluctant to marry off his daughter at the last minute, so he comes here to cause trouble? Is he deliberately trying to embarrass the Prince of Jin's mansion?!"
Why wear wedding clothes to cause trouble?
Others might not be able to do such a thing, but given Cheng'en Gong's scoundrel nature, once he starts acting recklessly, he won't give anyone any face.
Someone chuckled dryly: "The Duke of Cheng'en really dotes on his daughter."
That makes more sense than him marrying into the family himself...maybe.
The Prince of Jin's face turned ashen, and he said coldly, "The auspicious hour has arrived."
He spoke slowly and deliberately, his tone carrying a sense of coercion.
"What auspicious or inauspicious time? What's the auspicious time for your son's burial?"
The Duke of Cheng'en retorted sharply, quickly took off his wedding robes, pointed at the Prince of Jin, and cursed, "You still want my Sun family's daughter to marry your dead son? Dream on!"
"Since your son is going to die anyway, a ghost marriage will suffice."
All the old and new grudges surged up at once, and this pent-up frustration and anger had been weighing on his chest for days.
Prince Li stopped and looked back.
Upon seeing this, Duke Cheng'en felt much more at ease.
"Sun Xianyao." The Prince of Jin, supporting his princess, addressed him by his name, his tone filled with suppressed anger, "Here, in this hall, we must pay our respects."
"Otherwise, I will make sure you suffer."
"What are you yelling about?" Duke Cheng'en said, hands on his hips. "Don't you even know what kind of person your son is? How dare he come and marry my daughter? Come on over here, come on over!"
Duke Cheng'en pushed aside the servants surrounding Xie Qiyun and ripped off his veil.
"No!"
Xie Qiyun called out weakly, but he couldn't stop him at all.
Beneath the layers of veils and curtains was a bloody, mangled, and horribly grotesque face.
The surrounding guests all stepped back, covering their faces with their sleeves, not daring to look even once more.
The servants quickly blocked the people.
"Give it back to me. Don't, don't look." Xie Qiyun covered his face with his hands in embarrassment, feeling the gazes around him like sharp thorns piercing his body.
"Please."
He couldn't get up and could only be ridiculed like a monkey.
"What are you blocking? How can you have the nerve to get married when you're so shameful?"
The more he cursed, the smoother his words became. He hadn't "married in place of his daughter"! No, absolutely not, he had only come to scold the Prince of Jin for being unkind and for breaking off his daughter's engagement... He kept telling himself this, and even he believed it. He straightened his chest and went to pull at Xie Qiyun's wedding dress again.
"Don't...don't look anymore."
The Prince of Jin could no longer contain himself. He helped the Princess back to her chair and rushed over in a few quick steps.
"Take him down!"
Hiss—
The sleeves of the wedding dress were torn open, and the flesh on the arm was gone, leaving only bare bones.
"You, you..." Xie Qiyun pointed at Cheng En Gong in embarrassment, his chest heaving violently, "Even as a ghost... I will not let him go..."
His eyes were wide open, his grayish pupils almost popping out.
His last breath, which he had been holding on to, finally broke.
The servant cautiously checked his breath and cried out in utter grief, "Your Highness, Your Highness! The young master... he's dead."
A note from the author:
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