Chapter 72: Accidental Encounter
My hand paused for a moment.
Then slowly lowered.
Perhaps the bandits had their own rules.
It was also possible that One-Eyed Dragon, to avoid attention, wanted to place me elsewhere first.
Since he promised me and accepted this business, and now he’s sent people to fulfill his end, I shouldn’t overthink it. If I trust him, why doubt him? I should just follow their arrangements.
I said, “Thank you for your hard work, brave men.”
Silence fell outside the sedan chair again.
The sedan bearers ran faster and faster.
The sound of wind brushed past my ears.
For some reason, I faintly smelled the scent of autumn wild tea.
This scent was familiar yet strange.
It felt very close, yet also very far away. In the faintness, I caught a hint of an elusive aroma.
Reflecting on the past, it’s all just empty traces.
I am merely someone standing by the green water, sighing, “Once, a stunning reflection came into view.”
Even if there were autumn wild tea, it would have nothing to do with him.
Disappearing without a trace is the most decisive farewell. He is gone. Away from me. He will never appear again. The sudden downpour that day extinguished the fire at Peach Blossom Nunnery, saving his life but not his heart.
Leaning back in the sedan chair, I couldn’t help but recite, “The most heartless are the willows of Taicheng, still shrouded in mist along the ten-mile embankment.”
The sedan chair suddenly swayed.
“Sang Yu! Sang Yu!”
A familiar shout, approaching from afar, pulled me back from my boundless thoughts.
It was Qin Mingxu’s voice.
He had returned from the Capital City and was chasing after the sedan chair!
The sedan bearers heard the shouts.
Suddenly.
With a “bang.”
The sedan chair landed on the ground.
That hoarse voice spoke again, “Let’s go!”
The men carrying the sedan chair let go.
The group sprinted away.
By the time I lifted the sedan curtain, they were already far away. I could only vaguely see their retreating figures.
It was too strange.
If Qin Mingxu had arrived, why would the bandits run?
Could it be that they thought I was playing a trick, having them come to snatch the bride while secretly colluding with the government office to capture them?
That shouldn’t be the case.
The bandits were well aware of the wealthy households in Yangzhou; they would know that Qin Mingxu was the owner of Tiansheng Tower, and he and his men were not from the government office.
In a moment, Qin Mingxu had rushed to my sedan chair.
“Sang Yu, don’t be afraid, I’m here.”
I looked around. In just a short while, the sedan chair had stopped in Chongde Alley.
Qin Mingxu was travel-worn, his face etched with fatigue, clearly having traveled a long way. Sweat beaded on his forehead from anxiety.
The men he brought with him lifted the sedan chair.
“Returning from the Capital City, I encountered a royal tribute ship from the south halfway. The patrols on the Grand Canal were extremely strict, and all passenger boats had to yield. I rushed as fast as I could, but I was still late. As soon as I arrived in Yangzhou, I went to the Zhu Residence to find you. After hearing from Xifeng about Maternal Uncle Zheng’s forced marriage, I immediately brought my men to pursue you. Sang Yu, I apologize for frightening you.” His eyes were full of self-reproach as he explained frantically.
“Mingxu, it’s good that you’ve returned safely.”
I asked, “Was the letter delivered?”
He nodded.
Feeling a slight relief, I asked again, “Has Director Feng been released from the Imperial Prison?”
Before he could answer me, I heard the sound of weapons.
One-Eyed Dragon, leading a group of bandits, charged over.
One-Eyed Dragon saw me and shouted to his subordinates, “Brothers, charge! Take the sedan chair back to the mountain stronghold!”
I was stunned.
How did they appear here?
And who were the people who snatched the bride at Yijiang Gate just now?
Seeing the bandits attempting to snatch the bride, Qin Mingxu quickly ordered his house guards, “Carry the sedan chair back to the Qin Manor!”
The two groups clashed.
Chaos.
Chaos.
Complete chaos.
I shouted, “Mingxu, stop! The Great Chieftain is someone I asked to come!”
Unfortunately, my voice was drowned out by the fierce sounds of fighting.
One-Eyed Dragon assumed Qin Mingxu was the one marrying me. He took the money and did his best to fulfill his promise.
Qin Mingxu believed One-Eyed Dragon was hired by Maternal Uncle Zheng and fought desperately to rescue me, drive away the bandits, and ensure my safety.
Much later, I would learn the reason for this entire misunderstanding.
One-Eyed Dragon was cautious. He would always fulfill his promises. However, the bandits were wary, fearing a trap. They did not appear at the “Yijiang Gate” I had specified, but instead waited in the nearby Chongde Alley, ready to act.
At the time, however, I was unaware of this. After pondering for a while in the sedan chair, I guessed that the people who appeared at Yijiang Gate were in league with One-Eyed Dragon. I thought there was some trickery involved in the bandits returning.
The bandits were skilled fighters, and Qin Mingxu’s group was quickly at a disadvantage.
Qin Mingxu had come prepared. He exchanged a look with a short, sturdy house guard.
The house guard quickly took something from his pocket, struck a flint, and lit it.
Smoke billowed out.
Qin Mingxu led a group, continuing to engage the bandits, while the short, sturdy house guard, with another person, lifted the sedan chair and ran amidst the smoke.
My heart sank.
It felt as if I were caught in a vortex, spiraling deeper and deeper with no escape.
I turned to look at Qin Mingxu.
He happened to look at me as well.
Through the smoke, his face seemed both familiar and unfamiliar.
His right hand, which had been poisoned by wolf poison before, hung limply. He resisted with his only remaining, intact left hand. His figure was tall and fearless.
The distance grew.
I thought I saw someone enter the smoke to help him. However, I could no longer see who it was.
The sedan chair was carried to the Qin Manor.
All the servants in the Qin Manor stood with their hands at their sides, treating me with great respect.
The short, sturdy house guard said, “Pay respects to the new Madam!”
The servants knelt on the ground and said in unison, “We pay respects to the new Madam!”
The house guard’s words, the wedding attire I was wearing, and the sedan chair I was sitting in all gave the people of the Qin Manor the wrong impression: that I was the new wife of Qin Mingxu, the master of the Qin Manor.
I hesitated, unsure whether to get out of the sedan chair. If I entered the Qin Manor like this now, it would be difficult to explain.
I said to the house guard, “Don’t talk nonsense, there’s no such thing.”
The short, sturdy house guard bowed and respectfully said, “This humble one will obey the new Madam and not speak carelessly.”
This…
I simply closed my mouth and said nothing.
About half an hour later, Qin Mingxu returned.
“Sang Yu, Sang Yu—”
He rushed to the side of the sedan chair, looking me over, “Are you injured?”
I shook my head, “I’m fine. And you? Are you hurt? Where did the bandits go?”
He said with surprise, “At that moment, several righteous individuals suddenly rushed to help, and somehow, all the bandits retreated. I wanted to thank them, but they vanished without a trace. It was chaotic in Chongde Alley, they were all masked, and I couldn’t find anyone, nor did I know who they were. There was no one to thank.
Qin Mingxu was generous and kind-hearted. It was plausible that someone in the city had secretly intervened at a critical moment.
At this moment, I had no time to delve into who these “righteous individuals” were, who appeared and disappeared so suddenly.
I was about to tell him about hiring the bandits that night and the strangeness of today’s situation when I heard the sound of horses’ hooves approaching from not far away—
A person wearing golden official robes sat on the horse, a shining golden waist token hanging from his belt.
I recognized the face of the approaching person, and tears instantly welled up.
I got out of the sedan chair and stumbled towards him, “Dou Ya—”
The horse drew closer.
He dismounted and took my hand, “Elder Sister.”
A thousand words were contained within those two words.
Qin Mingxu returned by water. Although Feng Gao departed a few days later, he traveled by land on horseback, so he arrived shortly after Qin Mingxu.
I looked at him. His thin, exceptionally beautiful face bore several new scars that had not yet scabbed over. The raw flesh peeked out, like scattered, messy crimson ink stains on an exquisite letter. Beautiful yet desolate.
I reached out and touched his face, “Dou Ya, you’ve suffered again.”
He smiled, “It’s nothing. It doesn’t hurt at all. Elder Sister, don’t be alarmed by these injuries. I’m just putting on a show for others to see.”
“Did the Empress Dowager and His Majesty pardon you?”
“Mm.”
“Did Consort Zheng…” I asked.
He shook his head, “Consort Zheng is fine. But His Majesty has already issued an edict, establishing the eldest prince as the Crown Prince. The affairs of the imperial family cannot be simply explained by ‘right’ or ‘wrong’.”
Indeed, the imperial family has no “right” or “wrong,” only “benefits” and “drawbacks.”
The Empress Dowager perhaps never presented the evidence to His Majesty, but merely used it to strike a deal with Consort Zheng.
What is a deal? To exchange one’s own possessions for another’s, each taking what they need.
The Empress Dowager got what she wanted.
Consort Zheng also knew how to seize the opportunity.
Everything involves calculation.
In any case, Dou Ya is out of the Imperial Prison, and my wish has been fulfilled. What do those matters have to do with me?
“The Zheng Family lost the letter, and Consort Zheng will surely punish Zheng Tai. Elder Sister, he probably won’t bother you again. With the Crown Prince established, Consort Zheng and the Zheng Family will likely be more restrained from now on,” Feng Gao said.
“I hope so.”
“Elder Sister, I did a favor for the Empress Dowager, and she promised me…”
Feng Gao paused, then thought for a moment and asked, “By the way, about the letter, did you have someone do it, Elder Sister? It was too risky.”
I said, “Mingxu went to deliver it.”
“Oh?” Feng Gao seemed surprised.
Just then, Zhu Xifeng came bouncing over.
Upon seeing Qin Mingxu, he joyfully shouted, “Brother-in-law!”
Feng Gao paused upon hearing this address.
He noticed the wedding attire I was wearing, Qin Mingxu standing not far away, and the ardent gaze in Qin Mingxu’s eyes.
Zhu Xifeng said to Qin Mingxu, “Brother-in-law, thank you so much! In my opinion, you are truly sincere towards Elder Sister, much better than that Maternal Uncle Zheng. Elder Sister should marry you!”
Feng Gao looked at the sedan chair, then at Qin Mingxu.
The rain last night had washed the sky crystal clear.
In early May, Jiangnan was lush with green and dotted with red, trees winding around houses, vegetation flourishing. Birds found joy in the jungle.
After a long pause, Feng Gao said faintly, “Young Master Qin, if you wish to marry Elder Sister like this, it’s too simple, isn’t it?”
Qin Mingxu was taken aback for a moment, then, understanding the implication of Feng Gao’s words, he was overjoyed.
He quickly clasped his hands and said, “If I marry Sang Yu, it will be with a grand dowry of ten miles, and a phoenix coronet and ceremonial robes.”
