Contract marriage
Yuanli was so frightened that she trembled in his arms, shaking her head repeatedly. Qi Heng frowned and said angrily, "To seduce an important official of the imperial court and cause a mistake, the punishment is, at the very least, exile and banishment of the entire clan, or, at the worst, execution on the spot. Your body must be mutilated. Which of these conditions do you think you meet?"
"Is there any way to avoid death?"
"Do you remember what you said last night?"
Yuanli followed his questioning and recalled her unbearable and coercive words. She felt uneasy and shook her head, saying, "Master, don't worry. I don't remember anything about what happened last night. You can kill me or cut me up, I will obey you..."
Qi Heng's face turned ashen and his eyes widened with anger. He became more and more displeased and angry, and the hand that was holding her loosened.
Yuanli suddenly felt something was wrong. Since she followed him, she had never seen him get so angry, even when facing Chi Xun's provocation.
This shows how angry he is at the moment.
Yuanli wrapped the quilt under her armpits and quickly knelt up and kowtowed, saying, "Sir, spare my life. I'm not married yet and I don't want to die. I'm willing to be your slave, even to die, as long as you don't exile my entire clan."
As she lowered her head, Yuanli felt him pull the quilt beside her. Just as she was about to look up, she heard him shout angrily, "Don't look up!"
Yuanli quickly buried her head back, blocking her vision, but she could feel the person next to her quickly stand up, followed by a rustling sound.
"Put on your own clothes and then reply."
"yes."
Yuanli got up nervously. All the fallen clothes were scattered around the bed, including the conspicuous mandarin duck bellyband, which was embroidered for her by Wen Yici.
In other words, he picked up all these things himself.
She looked up at Qi Heng again and saw that he was neatly dressed and standing in front of the bed with his back to her.
After putting on all her clothes, Yuanli quickly got off the bed and knelt behind him, saying, "Master, I'm done."
Qi Heng turned around and glanced at her, then sat down on the edge of the bed and threw a cushion next to her legs.
"If you want to kneel, kneel here. Don't hurt your knees. When your head and body are separated, others will think I tortured you to death, which will affect my reputation."
Yuanli quickly picked up the cushion and knelt on it, wanting to cry but unable to. From what he said, it sounded like he really wanted to kill her.
"Let me ask you one last time what happened last night and what we said. Do you remember? How much do you remember?"
Yuanli didn't dare to answer easily. According to the storybooks she read, the more you know, the faster you die.
The masters often regard this as a shame and do not want others to know about it. The most common question asked during interrogation is, "How much do you know?"
But those who try to answer what they remember often lose their heads as soon as they open their mouths.
But Qi Heng looked as if he wanted her to tell him what happened last night. This man was really hard to understand. Yuanli was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan and didn't know how to answer.
"Don't want to answer? Exile your entire clan, or behead them on the spot? You choose one."
Hearing this, Yuanli quickly gambled, "I don't remember, I don't remember anything."
Qi Heng did not speak immediately, but remained silent for a long time. Yuanli lowered her eyes and head, not daring to look up to see his mood.
"Since you and I lived and died together in Qingshui Town, I will give you a chance to redeem yourself. Are you willing to do it?"
"I'm willing, if you have any requests, just tell me. No matter what it is, I won't say no."
"You heard everything my mother said yesterday. I'm not young anymore, but I still haven't married or had children. My family is very worried and has come to urge me many times, but I don't want to marry someone I don't want to marry. I will arrange an auspicious date for my wedding as soon as possible to silence them."
Upon hearing this, Yuanli froze in place.
She originally thought it was something beyond her control. At that moment, she even imagined such a ridiculous thing as entering the palace to assassinate the emperor for him. She never expected that it would be to marry him.
I have been trying hard to find my husband for more than ten years, but I didn't expect this surprise to come so suddenly.
"Chi Li, I've thoroughly investigated your background, and I'll go to your Jiwang Valley to propose marriage. I'm also aware of Chi Xun's identity. You and him were engaged as children, so if you're attracted to him, I won't force you. But I can't tolerate any injustice. Even if it's a contract marriage, I can't bear to see my wife's heart set on another man. Do you understand me?"
Although she was extremely happy to be able to marry the reincarnation of her beloved and successfully complete her mission, she was still a little overwhelmed.
Not to mention Chi Xun, it would be difficult to get the stubborn father to accept Qi Heng.
To save her life, she agreed, "I understand. I will follow your arrangements. Although Chi Xun and I are engaged, he is just a brother to me. I have expressed my feelings to him many times and rejected him."
"From now on, you must stop calling me 'Young Master'. Come up with a more intimate name for me. My mother is very suspicious, so you must show your love for me in front of outsiders. If necessary, you must bear me a child. If you reveal your true colors and let others find out..."
"I must be careful and cautious. Even if I risk my life, I will not let others find out."
Hearing this, Qi Heng stood up and said, "Go back through the tunnel. Remember to keep this secret and don't let anyone else know."
"yes."
Yuanli's heart was pounding, and even after he returned to his room trembling through the tunnel, he still couldn't believe what had happened.
During breakfast, Qi Heng called her into the room to sit down and eat together.
Seeing her coming, Qi Heng had a faint smile on his face, and his eyebrows were curved into extremely gentle and beautiful arcs, as if the unpleasantness in the morning had never happened.
She didn't talk while eating and didn't talk while sleeping. Although Qi Heng didn't say a word, the chopsticks in his hand were very honest. He kept busy for her, silently serving porridge and picking up dishes.
This situation made Yuanli relax a lot, and the atmosphere between them was no longer so awkward.
"I've already written a marriage proposal to your father, and I'll personally visit him on a chosen date. I've also made a rough list of betrothal gifts. If you have anything you like in the storeroom, feel free to add it. If there's anything you're not satisfied with, feel free to tell me."
Yuanli was really surprised by Qi Heng's sudden sweet words. She almost choked on the porridge she had just swallowed. Qi Heng did not forget to pat her back considerately.
Even the servants who were serving beside them were shocked. They all paid close attention and eavesdropped on their masters' conversation.
"Are you dissatisfied with what I said?"
Even though the cough had not subsided yet, Yuanli was afraid that he would think too much, so she quickly shook her head.
Qi Heng's worries vanished, and he said with concern: "Does Ah Li have any letters to send home? It's a good opportunity to send them back together."
"Yes, I'll write it right away after I've had breakfast with you. Please ask the messenger to wait for me a little longer."
"It's okay. You should write a good letter home. Don't worry. Take your time."
Yuanli was a little overwhelmed by Qi Heng's gentleness at the moment, so she had to speed up her eating so as to escape earlier. However, Qi Heng, who usually ate fast, chewed his food slowly.
After waiting for a long time for Qi Heng to finish eating, Yuanli tidied his clothes before he left for the Dali Temple to handle a case. Qi Heng was in a good mood and his eyes followed her.
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, when she met his tender eyes, Yuan Li's heart always missed the beat. She had seen the ripples in those eyes in Wen Yici's eyes.
If the contract hadn't been signed that morning, she would have made a mistake.
The joy that should have been there was hidden away, and I felt a little sad that he could pretend to love so well.
The servant rushed in and reported: "The old lady has come with her cousin in anger and wants you to go to the main hall to see her immediately."
Qi Heng took her hand and said soothingly, "I wanted to tell Mother after I finished my official duties, but now Mother is here just in time. Do you want to go with me to see Mother? If you don't want to go, that's fine, I'll take care of it."
"go."
After getting a positive answer, Qi Heng placed her hand in his palm, clasped his fingers together, and walked out of the house. This action undoubtedly announced her identity to the entire mansion.
The moment she entered the door, the old lady saw her son holding her hand tightly, frowning, and her expression became even more displeased.
"How dare you seduce the master! Get down on your knees!"
Yuanli understood the old lady's anger and was about to kneel down when Qi Heng hugged her to prevent her from kneeling.
"I went to great lengths to seduce her. She did nothing wrong and need not kneel. I was just about to return home to tell my mother about the good news when she arrived, so it was a good omen."
"Qi Heng! How dare you!"
"A man who has a beloved woman in his heart and expresses his feelings, but dares not take her home to marry her, is he not a scumbag and a waste?"
"What is your status, and what is her status? Do they match?"
“It doesn’t match.”
As soon as he finished speaking, some people were happy and some were worried. Yuanli wanted to let go of his hand a little unconfidently, but he increased the strength in his hand and held it back.
"Since I know you're not a match, there's still hope."
The old lady's expression softened, and Qi Heng continued, "A'li is the only daughter of the Miao King of Jiwang Valley. I am just a minor official, and I am not worthy of her. Marrying me is marrying down. Fortunately, A'li doesn't despise me."
"What if I don't agree?"
"Mother, I grew up in your arms. You understand my character best."
"You and I, mother and son, should each take a step back. Chi Li will be the concubine, and Rui Er will be the principal wife."
Qi Heng shook his head and refused without thinking: "Chi Li can only be my wife, never my concubine."
Just as the old lady was about to explode in anger, Zhao Qingrui pulled her back to appease her. Seeing Qi Heng's resolute attitude, the old lady spoke in a calmer tone, "Rui'er is a sensible, kind, and understanding child. She's a good material for the mistress of the house. She will never bully Chi Li, and we can definitely get along peacefully. Heng'er, look, even though she's called a concubine, she's an equal in status in the mansion, okay? Chi Li, what do you think?"
"I truly adore Cousin Qi Heng, and I sincerely want to marry him. I'm willing to be on equal terms with him. In the future, I will never bully you, nor will I disturb you and Cousin Qi Heng, okay?"
Zhao Qingrui's eyes were full of grievance and her eyes were slightly red. The two women singing the same tune made her seem like she was forcing others to do something, which was actually moral kidnapping.
However, without morality, there can be no moral kidnapping!
Seeing that she was hesitant to speak, Qi Heng did not express his opinion either. He just looked at her silently, with a hint of expectation in his eyes.
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