Eternal Night - Chapter 191
He had a righteous air about him, but his eyes kept darting up and down at me, which annoyed me: "Who are you? How dare you be so rude?"
"I have only just offered my betrothal, and Miss Fourth is already so eager to come to my door. Is she that eager to marry me?"
My face flushed crimson. It turned out he was Li Tianxiang. I wanted to leave the city and return to Qi, but the soldiers blocked my way. I was both angry and anxious. I said, "Who came to my door? I just came to have some fun. You're shameless. I've decided not to marry you."
Li Tianxiang simply smiled and said, "Send the Fourth Miss to the General's Mansion and inform the An family, so that the Old Madam and the Eldest Young Master won't worry."
What do you mean? I jumped up and down, shouting, "I want to go home! Who wants to go to your general's mansion!"
He turned and left, letting the soldiers escort me into the general's mansion.
I cursed and shouted all the way, but the soldiers remained polite and escorted me into the general's mansion. A few maids came to invite me, but it was more like they were pulling me into the inner courtyard. As soon as I entered, the courtyard gate was locked.
I was so angry that I smashed everything in the room to pieces, cursing until my voice was hoarse and it hurt to speak. I didn't understand why Li Tianxiang had placed me under house arrest, nor how he knew as soon as I entered the city. In short, I had an extremely bad impression of him.
I refused to eat out of spite, and one of the maids actually said, "The general said that if he had known that Miss would use this trick, he would have done as Miss wished, and waited until Miss was too hungry to do anything to him."
I was so scared my hair stood on end. I obediently ate my food.
That night, I quietly got up, went to the wall, and with great effort moved a stone vat. I then carried a stool from inside the house, set it up, and planned to climb over the wall and escape.
I carefully climbed up, gave a strong push, and the stool crashed down. I sat on the top of the wall, looking down, not knowing how to get down. I saw a tree not far away, so I slowly moved over, hugged the tree trunk, and tried to slide down.
"So high, aren't you afraid?" The sudden voice startled me so much that I let go of my hand, screamed, and fell.
I wasn't hurt when I fell. I looked closely and realized I was back sitting on the wall. Li Tianxiang was sitting about three feet away from me, watching me with a grin.
What are you doing in the middle of the night?
He easily jumped off the wall, looked at me and smiled: "Nothing much, just watching the stray cats climb over the wall, then I'll go back to sleep."
He really left. I watched him walk away, then slowly moved back to the tree, reaching out to move the tree, when his voice suddenly came from behind me: "There's a caterpillar on this tree, didn't you see it, Miss?"
I was startled, my hand slipped, and I fell down with a scream. This time I really fell to the ground, or rather, I fell on him. His hand was around my waist, his eyes full of laughter: "Throwing yourself into my arms? And several times at that. Fourth Miss, you really have deep feelings for Tianxiang."
I was furious and slapped him, but I missed.
He had already stood up, looked up at the sky and said, "The moonlight is delightful. Miss Fourth's invitation to Tianxiang to view the moon is truly elegant. She is indeed a lady from a distinguished family."
I was so angry that my lips turned white, and I pointed at him, my voice trembling, "What are you trying to do by detaining me in the General's Mansion?"
"Huh? Didn't the Fourth Miss come to see Tianxiang herself? How did it turn into Tianxiang keeping the Fourth Miss under house arrest?"
I got up from the ground, dusted myself off, raised my chin, and said, "What you said, I've seen it. It's not very good. I'm leaving now."
I took a few steps, but he always blocked my way. I couldn't beat him, and thinking about how he had forcibly confined me to his mansion for the past two days, I couldn't help but cry.
He panicked instantly, as if he wanted to wipe my tears but didn't dare. After a long while, he said, "Something has happened in the city. I'm keeping you here because I'm afraid something might happen to you. Don't cry."
I stared at him with wide eyes, unsure whether it was true or not.
He took my hand and escorted me back to the inner courtyard. I didn't pull away. Once we were inside, he said, "Tomorrow I'm going to invite General Luo to a banquet. After the banquet, I'll take you back to the An family. Is that alright?"
I didn't quite understand, but I nodded when I heard that I could leave after the banquet tomorrow.
"Get some rest," he said softly, releasing my hand.
My hands still felt his warmth. I touched my burning face in confusion. Didn't I hate him?
The general's mansion was bustling with activity, and the maidservant dressed me up very carefully. She changed me into Anguo's clothing, and the hairpins and jewelry she used were all exceptionally exquisite.
"Miss is so beautiful."
I looked at myself in the mirror and felt something was off. My eyelids kept twitching, and I had a feeling that something was going to happen today.
Not long after, the Third Prince came to pick me up. He glanced at me and said with a smile, "Not bad, it would be better if you were a little more shy."
My face turned red again.
He took my hand, but I felt embarrassed in front of the maid, so I shook him off and said, "Your Highness, please have some self-respect."
He laughed loudly: "Anyway, he's mine now. Let's go see General Luo!"
General Luo Yining is Empress Anguo's elder brother and has been guarding Qin Chuan for a long time. I've heard he's exceptionally powerful. I really wanted to see for myself, so I followed the Third Prince to the front hall.
"Haha, so this is the future Third Imperial Consort of my An Kingdom? This old man greets you." A hearty laugh rang out.
I gave a generous bow.
General Luo must have been a very handsome man in his youth, perhaps even more so than the Third Prince. Although he is now older, he still exudes the air of a learned general.
The Third Prince smiled gently and invited General Luo and several lieutenants to take their seats, saying, "Xiao Si will return to Qi tomorrow, and I will also return to the capital to wait for her marriage. Thanks to the General's care, Tianxiang has benefited greatly in Qin Chuan. Since Xiao Si is here today, Tianxiang and Xiao Si will toast everyone with a cup of wine as a prelude to our wedding."
He then handed me a flask of wine. I was stunned; why was he addressing me so intimately? The group of generals burst into laughter.
"Is Xiao Si really that timid? Where did his energy for climbing walls go?"
He whispered in my ear, his eyes seemingly full of provocation. My courage suddenly surged, and I picked up the pot and poured a cup of wine for everyone. I also raised a cup for myself and said, "This humble servant toasts everyone." I finished the wine, glanced at the bottom of the cup, curtsied, and said, "This humble servant cannot hold her liquor, so I shall take my leave now."
This was originally a men's banquet, so I offered him a toast to fulfill the proper etiquette and give him face. Tomorrow I will return to the State of Qi.
As I reached the hall entrance, I glanced back at the Third Prince. He was a truly imposing man, and... quite handsome. My face flushed, and I was about to leave when suddenly the world spun before my eyes, and my legs gave way, causing me to collapse to the ground.
A shouting and cursing came from the hall, sounding like the clash of weapons, which gradually faded into the distance.
When I woke up, I was already lying on the bed in the inner room. The Third Prince was staring intently at me. I was startled and sat up: "You drugged the wine?"
He smiled and said, "The Empress is plotting a rebellion, and I am acting on the Emperor's orders. I was just worried about not having an excuse to invite them to a banquet, but the arrival of the Fourth Miss has saved me some trouble."