Fearing that Yao Youqing might also be in trouble, the King of Qin and his entourage stopped to rest for a while until she recovered before continuing their journey. They even slowed down their pace of travel and eventually arrived safely in Shangchuan.
After a moment's thought, Wei Chi realized that Yao Youqing had probably given the medicine to the maid in the first place. After the maid died, the King of Qin dared not take the simple motion sickness lightly anymore, so he stopped the car and let her rest, and then they would walk slowly.
Therefore, Yao Youqing may not have taken the medicine he gave her, but not because she discovered that the medicine was wrong, but because it was no longer necessary.
Wei Chi threw the secret letter into the charcoal fire and burned it, his brows furrowed in a deep sorrow.
If it weren't for that maid, Youqing would probably be dead by now.
But she didn't die; she's still alive and well...
If I live, I will marry the King of Qin.
The woman he loved was about to become another man's wife.
Wei Chi took a deep breath and suddenly kicked over the charcoal brazier, scattering the reddish charcoal mixed with the ashes from the burnt letter paper all over the ground.
Fearing he might get hurt, the eunuch quickly called someone in to clean up the mess on the ground.
While the group busily put the spilled charcoal back into the basin and cleaned up the ashes on the ground, Wei Chi sat back down on the couch.
He stared at the mess in the room with a grim face, still thinking about Yao Youqing. Lost in thought, he suddenly felt a burning sensation on his leg. Looking down, he saw that his robe had been burned through, and sparks were spreading along the hole, setting his trousers on fire as well.
It turned out that when he kicked over the charcoal brazier, a piece of unburnt letter drifted into his clothes and got stuck between his clothes and trousers, unknowingly burning through them.
Wei Chi hurriedly stood up, quickly took off his clothes and threw them aside.
Upon seeing this, the eunuchs disregarded the ashes and charcoal on the ground and rushed over to extinguish the fire. They then anxiously inquired whether he was injured.
Wei Chi subconsciously glanced down at his legs and realized that in his panic, he had used too much force, not only pulling off his outer pants but also his inner trousers. He was now standing naked in the room, and a cool breeze was blowing in through the door, which the eunuchs hadn't closed in their haste to collect charcoal, gusts of wind brushing against his bare buttocks...
A note from the author: I'd like to let you all know that this book is a marriage of convenience that blossoms into love—the romance develops slowly, but the author is a loving mother, so it will definitely be super sweet later on! Don't worry!
Chapter 11 Shopping
In the courtyard where Yao Youqing was temporarily staying, Ding Shou, who had already arrived with her dowry, quietly gathered with Zhou Mama and Qiongyu.
Qiongyu frowned as she watched the mouse struggling and swaying in the air with its tail being grabbed, and took a small step back.
"Manager Ding, even if we're going to test the medicine, do we really need to catch a mouse?"
Ding Shou scoffed, "What do you know, girl? It's only inconspicuous when catching mice! Otherwise, if a chicken or duck dies, its body is so big, where are we going to bury it? What if someone accidentally picks it up and eats it?"
Mice are the most suitable, as they are easy to bury and you don't have to worry about them being seen, dug up, or eaten.
Nobody eats this filthy stuff unless it's a famine year.
Zhou's mother nodded, indicating that Qiongyu should give him the pills that the rabbit hadn't eaten earlier.
Ding Shou took it, pinched off an even smaller pill from the already small pill, and forced it into the rat's mouth.
"I can't stay here any longer, so I'll be leaving now. Let me know when you get the results. If he's alive, that's fine, but if he's dead..."
As he spoke, his face darkened: "After Miss's wedding, I will personally set off back to the capital to tell Master about this!"
Although Madam Zhou was basically certain that there was something wrong with the pills, they still had a sliver of hope that they were just overthinking things, that the rats wouldn't die, and that His Majesty had never intended to kill their young lady.
Zhou's mother nodded, had someone send him out, and then tied the rat to a corner.
The yard isn't big, and there are too many people and eyes in the front yard. If the rats are left there, they'll probably be killed on the spot if someone sees them. So it's more suitable to keep them in the inner yard.
She and Qiongyu shared a room, and since there was no one else in the room, they wouldn't be discovered.
Knowing that Qiongyu was afraid of mice, she made her stand guard tonight so that she could stay in the outer room of the young lady's bedroom and not have to stay here with a mouse.
Upon hearing this, Qiongyu shook her head: "No! Mom, you go on night duty, I'll stay here! I want to keep an eye on this mouse with my own eyes!"
Witness the results with your own eyes!
Zhou's mother tried to persuade her a few more times, but seeing that she insisted, she finally gave up.
That night, Qiongyu didn't go to bed. Instead, she moved an embroidered stool and sat not far from the mouse, staring at it intently. Several times, she almost fell off the stool because she was sleepy, but she kept staring after regaining her balance.
The final result was as they predicted, but contrary to their expectations: the rats died.
Ding Shou stared at the rat's corpse, gritted his teeth in anger, and slammed his fist on the table.
"My lord has served the court faithfully his entire life, yet His Majesty treats him like this! Where is justice?!"
Mrs. Zhou was completely heartbroken. She twitched the corners of her mouth and gave a cold laugh.
"He felt that he was God, that he was reason, and that what he said was the law of heaven."
The throne of the emperor, the supreme position of the Son of Heaven.
It is in accordance with the will of Heaven above and governs all people below.
He commands life and death, and those who disobey are considered rebels.
Ding Shou was annoyed but helpless: "It's a good thing that Miss didn't marry him, otherwise I don't know what kind of life she would have to live in the future."
What good end can a person who is two-faced, saying one thing to your face and another behind your back, and who will destroy what they cannot have?
Madam Zhou nodded slowly: "Now it seems that the late emperor's bestowal of marriage may not necessarily be a bad thing. At least the young lady is far away from the capital, so His Majesty's reach can't be as far, and the young lady is safe for the time being."
If, in the end, the young lady did not marry into the palace or the Prince of Qin, but instead married someone else in the capital, given His Majesty's status and temperament, he might very well try to steal her away.
So, in a way, the young lady actually turned misfortune into a blessing.
Because, looking at the entire Liang Dynasty, the only place His Majesty cannot reach is the Prince of Qin.
Although the King of Qin had a grudge against his father, he did not seem to be the kind of person who would take his anger out on his children for no reason.
While pondering these matters, Madam Zhou instructed Ding Shou to bury the rat's carcass first, and to discuss the rest after the young lady and the prince were married.
...
Yao Youqing and Wei Hong's wedding date was set for the tenth day of the fourth month. She didn't need to worry about anything related to the wedding, as she had nothing to do after arriving in Shangchuan.
Logically, a bride-to-be should stay in her own family residence and prepare for her wedding. However, she came from the capital and was already married out of the Yao family from the day she left the capital. She was on her way to her husband's family.
She was really bored in the yard, and since she had already prepared everything she needed, she discussed it with Zhou's mother and decided to go for a walk in the street.
She had been in Hucheng for so long, and she had never been to the streets.
Since Zhou's mother was planning to live here permanently, it would be good for her to familiarize herself with the surroundings beforehand. So, she took Qiongyu and a few servants with her to go out on the street.
In the past, the Yao family in the capital had strict family discipline, and she was afraid that her words and actions might cause trouble for her father and brothers, so she always behaved properly and even when she went out on the street, she restrained herself and dared not be too unrestrained.
Now that she's far from the emperor and no one is watching her, and nobody around knows her, she can go wherever she wants and buy whatever she wants. This is when she truly experienced the joy of going out.
She went out for several days in a row, buying many foods and trinkets that she had never bought before, most of which were useless and considered low-class by the nobles of the capital.
For example, a few strands of colorful thread in a street vendor's carrying pole, delicious but unappealing snacks in a second-rate eatery, or even a few palm-leaf fans that are completely unnecessary nowadays.
Hu City is not large, but there are many merchants coming and going, and for some reason, there seems to be an increasing trend. Yao Youqing feels that there are more people on the street than usual almost every day when she goes out.
That day, she was shopping at her favorite pastry shop when she suddenly heard a commotion on the street. It sounded like people were chasing each other. Other pedestrians on the road, afraid of being hit, quickly made way to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
This was a rare occurrence in Hucheng, as it was the fiefdom of the King of Qin, guarded by the Jingyuan Army. Anyone who dared to cause trouble in the streets would be quickly subdued by the Jingyuan Army and might even receive a beating.
Yao Youqing was almost at the door when Zhou's mother, fearing she would be bumped into, quickly stopped her.
Several servants immediately stepped forward and blocked the doorway, separating the area.
But just as they were on guard against the crowd outside, a small white dog darted into the shop from under their feet. A person emerged from the chaotic crowd and hurried over.
They then realized that it wasn't people chasing each other, but rather that the man's dog had run away and he was chasing his own dog.
The man searching for his dog was perceptive; he immediately recognized their high status and said, "Don't worry, everyone, I only want my dog. I'll leave as soon as I find it!"
The group exchanged glances, then looked back at Madam Zhou. Seeing Madam Zhou walking out with the young lady, they stepped aside to let her pass.
The onlookers, who had gathered to watch the spectacle, saw servants make way for a delicate young woman who emerged, accompanied by a middle-aged woman.
The young woman had delicate features and wore a light blue dress. She held a small, snow-white dog in her arms, which was exactly the dog the man was looking for.
Upon seeing this, the man stepped forward and exclaimed, "Yes, yes, that's it!"
He wanted to take his dog back, but he knew he couldn't just take it from the young lady, so he waited for a servant to bring it to him.
Yao Youqing looked at the fluffy puppy in her arms and loved it very much, but a gentleman does not take what belongs to others. Since the dog was not hers, she should return it to someone else.
So she reluctantly handed the puppy to Zhou's mother. Zhou's mother took it and returned it to the person, but the puppy struggled violently just as the person was about to catch it. Zhou's mother was caught off guard and lost her grip, and the puppy jumped off her arms.
The man exclaimed and reached out to grab the puppy, but it ran back to Yao Youqing's side.
Fearing he might offend the young lady from an official's family, he dared not approach, and could only point at the dog and curse: "You little beast, get back here right now! Otherwise, I'll skin you alive when we get back!"
Seeing his fierce expression, Yao Youqing frowned slightly, then bent down and squatted down to pat the puppy's head.
The puppy seemed terrified of the person, cowering at her feet and refusing to come closer.
She hesitated for a moment, then picked it up again and asked the man, "Uncle, this dog doesn't look like it's for guarding the house. Is it something you're putting up for sale? If so, could you sell it to me? I really like it."
This puppy is pure white, and it looks very different from the usual guard dogs. It must have been kept as a pet by a wealthy family.
This middle-aged man didn't seem to be a servant of anyone, otherwise he wouldn't dare to be so rude to his master's dog.
So she assumed it was a merchant selling goods, but not other things, but live animals like cats, dogs, fish, and birds.
To everyone's surprise, the man shook his head: "That won't do! Miss, I bought this from someone else for twenty taels of silver. I'm going to present it to the Princess Consort of Qin as a wedding gift for their grand wedding. If I give it to you, what will I give to the Princess Consort?"
Yao Youqing was taken aback, and Zhou's mother and the others beside her exchanged bewildered glances.
The crowd of people behind the middle-aged man started to make a fuss, with someone shouting, "Sun Lao Er, look how poor you are! You only give a dog as a wedding gift to the prince? You really have nothing to offer!"
Sun Lao Er spat and retorted, "What do you know! I spent a fortune to find out! They said the princess likes rabbits. I originally wanted to prepare a rabbit, but I felt it wouldn't be presentable, so I changed it to a dog!"
Since you like rabbits, you must like live animals. And among live animals, cats and dogs are the most suitable, much better than rabbits, right?
But someone in the crowd immediately said, "What I heard is different from what you heard. I heard that the princess likes to eat roasted rabbit!"
Although they are both rabbits, there is a big difference between a raw and a cooked rabbit.
As everyone began to argue, Yao Youqing's voice was buried and no one heard her until Zhou Mama asked a servant to call out for her. Only then did Sun Lao Er turn his head back, and the crowd finally quieted down a bit.
Taking advantage of this moment, Yao Youqing quickly said, "Then...can I have this dog? I'll give you money."
Sun Lao Er became unhappy, and his face darkened.
"I've already told you this was prepared for the Princess Consort, it's not for sale! Even if you were royalty here, it's still not for sale!"
Shangchuan is no ordinary place. No matter how high your status is, you can't bully the common people here!