Chapter Seventy-Six: Making the Rice a Doomed Meal
Yuan Qing looked and saw that a large sedan chair carried by eight men was coming from the opposite direction, blocking the alley.
The matchmaker opposite her flicked her handkerchief and put her hands on her hips: "Put your sedan chair back a bit and let our young lady pass first."
The matchmaker on the other side wasn't going to back down either, and stepped forward, straightening her chest, saying, "Why should we back down? Why don't you back down?"
It's so unlucky for the bride's sedan chair to back up!
The other person rolled their eyes at her: "Because yours is a concubine's sedan chair, while this is the wife's sedan chair. Shouldn't a concubine give way to the wife?"
The matchmaker on Shen Qingnian's side pointed at the matchmaker, but couldn't utter a single word for a long time.
Just now, she thought this girl, who was a concubine, still had a stern face and didn't know what was good for her.
Now she regrets thinking that way; as a concubine, she is indeed inferior to the principal wife!
In the end, all he could do was stand with his hands on his hips and say, "We're not backing down!"
"We won't back down either!"
The two argued and grew closer, eventually pushing and shoving each other and wrestling.
Yuan Qing stepped forward to stop her, but the matchmaker scratched his face, making him wince in pain.
Before he could react, the matchmaker grabbed his hair again.
Both sides were afraid of suffering losses, so they all joined in.
The scene was chaotic.
Yuan Qing finally managed to pull his hair out of the matchmaker's hands. Seeing the chaos, he drew his sword and shouted, "If you don't get out of the way, don't blame the sword for being merciless!"
As he spoke, he brandished his sword at the matchmaker.
The sharp wind from the sword swept across her face, and the matchmaker froze in place in fright.
It was only because a few strands of her hair on the side had been cut off and floated to the ground.
Upon seeing this, both groups quieted down and returned to their respective bridal sedan chairs.
Startled by Yuan Qing's reaction, the matchmaker instructed the sedan chair bearers to step back and make way for Yuan Qing and his entourage, allowing their sedan chair to pass first.
Yuan Qing then sheathed his sword and looked back at the bridal sedan chair. He felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
Just in case, Yuan Qing approached the bridal sedan chair, bowed, and asked, "Miss Qing, are you alright?"
There was no answer from inside the bridal sedan chair. Yuan Qing's heart tightened. Had something happened?
Just as he was about to reach out and lift the curtain, a corner of the curtain was lifted, revealing a slender hand that waved at him before withdrawing it.
Yuan Qing immediately dispelled his doubts, waved his hand, and the sedan chair bearers carried the bridal sedan chair away again.
As the two bridal sedan chairs passed each other, Ling'er glanced at the one that was carrying the other and nervously tugged at her handkerchief.
The bridal sedan chair was carried into the Marquis's mansion through the back gate, and then arrived at Qianyue Residence.
After helping the bride into the house from the sedan chair, Ling'er peeked through the crack in the door.
Seeing Yuan Qing leave Qian Yue Residence, Ling'er quickly ran out and said to the two guards standing in the courtyard:
"I'll go to the kitchen and get some food for Miss."
The guard, seeing that she was just a lowly maid, didn't pay her any attention and let her leave Qianyue Residence.
Ling'er quickly ripped off the red ribbon from her head and slipped out the back door. She still had to hurry to meet up with her mistress!
As everyone waited in the courtyard until the lanterns were lit, Xie Yanzhi indeed returned.
Yuan Qing went to the door to greet him.
"Where is Shen Qingnian?" Xie Yanzhi asked.
"Miss Qing is at Qianyue Residence," Yuan Qing said in a low voice.
"I'll go lift the veil first." With that, she headed towards Qian Yue Ju.
Xie Yanzhi didn't know why, but he felt uneasy.
He came home so late today, I wonder if she'll be angry with him?
Thinking about it, he quickened his pace.
But he took such long strides that Yuan Qing almost had to jog to keep up. He muttered to himself, "Why is Master in such a hurry? We'll see him in a little while anyway."
Then he thought that perhaps it was because it was the first time he had held a wedding, and the grandfather was inevitably a little excited.
When Xie Yanzhi arrived outside Qianyue Residence, the matchmaker and maids were about to greet him when Xie Yanzhi waved his hand, wanting to go in and give Shen Qingnian a surprise.
He walked quietly to the door, and for the first time, he felt a little nervous.
After waiting for so long, Shen Qingnian is finally his.
Xie Yanzhi pushed the door open a crack.
At first glance, you can see a slender figure, covered with a red veil, with her hands folded together on her knees, sitting obediently on the edge of the bed.
He could imagine the shy beauty beneath the veil without even lifting it.
Then look at her fair wrist, where she wore the dragon and phoenix bracelets she had carefully chosen for their marriage, which made her wrist appear even fairer and more slender.
Those slender, delicate fingers...
The joy on Xie Yanzhi's face vanished instantly.
He scanned the room, inside and out, and his face suddenly darkened.
He closed the door and left the house.
The matchmaker and the maid looked puzzled. When the young master came over, he was clearly in high spirits and in a great mood.
Xie Yanzhi walked to the entrance of the courtyard and said to one of the guards, "The beauty in that room is yours."
The guard looked terrified and immediately knelt on the ground.
He knew that she was his master's concubine, and must be an important person.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have been made to guard the place day and night and keep an eye on people.
Yuan Qing stared in disbelief at what he had just heard.
Master has always cherished Miss Qing, so why is he giving her away now?
Seeing the guard kneel down in fear, Xie Yanzhi's face grew even more grim. He drew his sword from his waist, pointed it at the guard's brow, and said coldly, "Go in!"
The guard was sweating profusely and went inside tremblingly.
Yuan Qing cautiously asked, "Master, why did you give Miss Qing away?"
"The person in that room isn't Shen Qingnian!" Xie Yanzhi's cold voice rang out, sending a chill down Yuan Qing's spine.
He personally picked up the person, how could it not be him?
"Then...who's in that house?"
Xie Yanzhi stood with his hands behind his back and uttered three words: Gu Lingyu!
Yuan Qing was so frightened that he immediately knelt on the ground!
His mind kept racing, trying to figure out where the problem lay.
Everything has been normal from yesterday to today; nothing strange has happened.
If there is one, it's that eight-bearer sedan chair we encountered today!
But at that time, he clearly saw that when Miss Qing waved to him, she was wearing that dragon and phoenix bracelet on her wrist.
That's why he was able to confirm the identity of the person in the sedan chair.
Miss Qing, what exactly happened?
Yuan Qing really wanted to find Shen Qingnian and ask her for an explanation.
Gu Lingyu heard heavy footsteps coming from inside the house, which she recognized as belonging to a man.
It must be Cousin Yanzhi who's back!
She had been waiting for so long that she was already getting a little impatient.
Now, she was both excited and a little nervous.
She wondered if her cousin would be furious when he saw it was her.
At that moment, she felt her veil being gently lifted slightly.
Since Cousin Yan doesn't know it's her yet, let's make it a fait accompli. Then Cousin Yan will have no choice but to admit it!
The instant the veil was completely lifted, Gu Lingyu turned to the candlestick, extinguished the last pair of dragon and phoenix candles, then turned back and embraced Xie Yanzhi.
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