Chapter 58: Affectionate
Even Wei Assistant Secretary sighed repeatedly, “Heaven plays tricks on people! Fortunately, the Prince arrived in time, otherwise you two would have truly met in the Yellow Springs.”
After listening with her chin propped on her hand, Jinsui narrowed her eyes, devising a subsequent plan to deal with the Zheng family.
She first asked Cheng Yu, “Do you two still have your marriage certificate?”
As if taking out his heart, Cheng Yu solemnly took out a worn brocade pouch from his chest, and from within, retrieved a marriage certificate wrapped in three layers of oil paper.
Although the creases were extremely deep, the handwriting was still very clear, and it bore the seal of the matchmaker, confirming it was indeed their marriage certificate.
Chen Yunniang said softly, “This concubine still has the token of betrothal.”
She shyly lowered her head and took out a jade pendant shaped like half a silver fish from her belt.
Having been adrift for over a decade, and having nearly lost her life multiple times, she had still managed to hide the jade pendant.
Cheng Yu’s eyes instantly reddened. He tremblingly removed his belt and also took out a jade pendant from within.
The two jade pendants joined together, forming a single ornament.
Their eyes met, both filled with tears. Jinsui felt that if there weren’t so many people present and if they weren’t so reserved, they would have embraced long ago.
Jinsui asked the others to leave, keeping only Cheng Yu and Chen Yunniang, and first asked Cheng Yu:
“Do you intend to marry Chen Yunniang as your legal wife? To be together in life and death, never to abandon each other?”
Before Cheng Yu could answer, Chen Yunniang anxiously said:
“This concubine is a withered flower, how can I have the face to be your legal wife? I only wish to serve by your side, as a maid or a concubine.”
Jinsui waved her hand to interrupt Chen Yunniang and looked directly at Cheng Yu, asking, “Do you want to marry Lady Chen as your wife? Or as a concubine?”
Cheng Yu cupped his hands in a salute and said firmly, “In Cheng Yu’s heart, Yunniang is already my wife.
In this life and this world, Cheng Yu’s only legal wife will be Yunniang!”
Jinsui asked sternly, “Even if she was once another man’s wife? Even if from now on, for her sake, you must Become Enemies with the Zheng family?”
Cheng Yu’s tone remained unchanged, “Even if I have to Become Enemies with the entire world, Cheng Yu will still marry Yunniang!
Heh, if the world does not tolerate it, we will die together.”
He took Yunniang’s hand and gently asked, “Yunniang, are you willing to live and die with Yu?”
Chen Yunniang was already weeping uncontrollably, tears streaming down her thin cheeks, her entire being like a chrysanthemum in late autumn!
A branch proud of the frost, it would rather embrace fragrance and die on the branch than be blown away in the north wind!
“If my lord does not abandon me, Yun will surely follow you in life and death.”
Jinsui interrupted the lovers’ mutual declarations of affection once more and clapped her hands, saying:
“Then it’s settled. As long as you two are determined, this King will help you become husband and wife.”
“As for the Zheng family, this King will handle them.”
“Don’t think about dying and dying. Think about how to live afterwards, live well.
Make up for the more than ten years you were separated, live happily!”
Cheng Yu also began to cry, bowing deeply with cupped hands, “Cheng Yu will only obey the Prince’s commands in this life!”
Jinsui helped him up and joked, “It will surely spread throughout Yanzhou City that this King stole the Zheng family’s beautiful concubine, and Yunniang’s sale contract was not recovered.
Li Heng will definitely mediate. When he comes, we will accuse them first, saying the Zheng family kidnapped a wife, and we were merely rescuing our beloved wife.”
She called for Wei Assistant Secretary, “Haven’t you always wanted to write a memorial to the throne to the Imperial Court? Write about this matter: the Zheng family first abducted a married woman, and then intended human sacrifice for the living.
Their intention to subvert the Great Xia’s imperial law cannot be ignored by the Imperial Court!”
Wei Assistant Secretary hesitated slightly, “Your Highness, this will make things a big deal.”
Jinsui smiled, “We want to make it a big deal! If it’s not a big deal, how can we contend with the gentry of Yandi if they unite?”
“Send word to Yanzhou City that the Zheng family intends to rebel.
Whether the people of Yanzhou believe it or not, at this juncture, anyone who dares to ally with the Zheng family is an accomplice.”
At the same time, send people to secretly investigate the Zheng family’s violations of Xia Law in Yanzhou over the years.
This ‘rumor’ was to prevent the gentry from uniting against her too quickly. Although Yan Jiu had sent people to tell her to leave at the time,
given Yan Shiyi Lang’s attitude, the friendship between her and Yan Jiu, having only shared one meal, was too fragile.
If the Yan family got involved, things would become troublesome.
She instructed Wei Assistant Secretary to spread another ‘rumor’, no, a fact, this one mainly for the common people.
The Zheng family used human sacrifice, but they were saved by Li King.
Li King declared that the people of Yandi, even the tenant farmers and slaves of the gentry, if they encounter any violations of Xia Law, can seek protection from Li King.
In this era where the Imperial Court is plagued by factionalism, local gentry and powerful people are dominant, and there are external enemies harassing both north and south, the lives of the common people are like grass.
Those in power did not believe that the common people, united, would possess a powerful force.
Only Jinsui knew that a single spark could start a prairie fire!
The current Li King, unable to contend with timing from above, nor secure geographical advantages from below, the only thing that could be strived for was human harmony.
As long as she remained Li King, she would protect those under her command, starting with protecting this pair of lovers.
Even though she herself had been single in both her past and present lives, she did not disbelieve in love, nor did it prevent her from shipping others’ love!
In this era where even farmers who had three consecutive years of good harvests wanted to take a second wife, and the sons of gentry and powerful people had multiple wives and concubines, keeping singing and dancing girls.
Men like Cheng Yu, who are deeply affectionate and devoted, are truly rare.
She sincerely hoped that Cheng Yu and Chen Yunniang would have a good outcome.
Even if heaven did not permit it, she would defy heaven!
While Jinsui was discussing plans with her soldiers all night, the Zheng family was also not idle.
However, what the Zheng family needed to deal with currently was not seeking revenge on Li King, nor reclaiming Chen Yunniang, but rescuing Zheng Pengpeng from the tomb!
Hei Hu’s strength was too great, he had forcefully closed the tomb door, causing the mechanism to jam, making it extremely difficult to open from the outside.
After the anesthetic wore off, Zheng Pengpeng woke up in the dark tomb. When he fumbled around and touched the coffin and burial objects, he began to wail to the heavens.
His terrified screams, which had lost their souls, were nothing like the bravado he had shown when facing Li King.
The Taoist priests and monks outside were also desperately anxious, telling him not to shout loudly, otherwise, if the air inside ran out, he would easily suffocate.
The Zheng family members outside pulled oxen and horses to drag the stone tomb, only managing to create a small gap for ventilation.
Finally, they determined that to open the tomb door, they would have to resort to brute force to destroy the tomb.
But doing so would not only ruin the feng shui but also desecrate the Old Master’s tomb!
The Zheng family quickly split into two factions. One faction advocated for rescuing Zheng Pengpeng by any means necessary.
The other faction insisted that they absolutely must not desecrate the tomb!
In any case, a gap had been opened, allowing them to send food and drink to Zheng Pengpeng while they slowly devised a rescue plan.
At this time, the entire city was discussing how Li King had stolen the Zheng family’s beautiful concubine intended for burial and imprisoned the Zheng family head in a tomb.
Furthermore, they heard that the Zheng family had argued for two days without managing to rescue Zheng Pengpeng.
The common people were all watching the spectacle, saying that Li King was indeed an Imperial Prince, having once been the Crown Prince, and was imbued with imperial luck. Naturally, the doors he closed could not be opened by ordinary people.
The common people feared the Zheng family’s actions, and seeing the Zheng family suffer such misfortune, they dared not mock them to their faces but discussed it behind their backs.
As for the gentry families, they were initially waiting for the Zheng family to seek their help, so they could jointly seek justice from Li King.
This is Yandi, how could he, an Abandoned Crown Prince, be allowed to run rampant here!
