Young Prime Minister, a Hermit

Chapter 52

As I drifted away from the noise and bloodshed, I closed my eyes wearily and leaned against Yihan's chest. Suddenly, a cool finger gently brushed against my lips, and a bloody taste immediately seeped into my mouth, along with a slight pain.

I opened my eyes and met Yi Han's slightly deep-set face, a fleeting glint of dark green light in his eyes. He said in a low voice, "Young Master, you've hurt yourself." His lips were cut by a shard of the jade flute, and only now did blood seep out.

I turned my face away, avoiding his hand, because my once icy lips had softened and warmed at his touch. The green eyes that had appeared a few months ago, the face so close to mine, and the warm, cool kiss—it all seemed so vivid. My thoughts drifted back to that day when red silk was laid out on the ground and drums resounded, the moonlit night when Yihan and I truly escaped the devilish Tarakan Desert.

Xiao Yi

2007.9.4 18:20

Chapter 35 Snow Shadows and Golden Spears.

Um, I'm really scared of getting hit by bricks... XD! Please be gentle, everyone! I'll listen to your opinions, but please stop throwing bricks at me just because the female lead is an idiot, thank you!

Volume Two can be considered a retrospective volume, where you will gradually learn about what happened to Lin Yu back then.

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Chapter 35 The Flickering Red Candle

Chapter 35 The Flickering Red Candle

"You...you...how dare you..." The voice, filled with boundless resentment, jealousy, and unwillingness, slowly faded away. Her rosy cheeks were accentuated by the red wedding dress, making her truly resemble a bride-to-be, breathtakingly beautiful.

I reached out my slightly cool hand and patted her burning cheek until I was sure she was truly unconscious, then I grimaced as I pulled my hand away from her clutches. Looking at the deep five-finger marks on my wrist and the blood trickling from her fingernails, I couldn't help but sigh, "Charlene, don't blame me for ruining your marriage. Marriage must be based on mutual consent, otherwise it will only end in tragedy."

The drug that poisoned her was rosemary, a potent sedative. It was one of the drugs Yunyan had hidden in my belt before I left Luonan.

Zi Mo reminded him, "Galan, stop daydreaming. The matchmaker might come in soon."

I nodded and quickly took off her wedding dress and put it on myself. For the past two weeks, in order to dispel the suspicions of the people in the mountain stronghold, I hadn't left that cage even once. I silently and obediently submitted until today, on the eve of Xia Lin and Yi Han's wedding, when I had my maid inform Xia Lin that I wanted to talk to her, and she finally reluctantly agreed.

When we first met, she was haughty, guarded, and insecure. It wasn't until I told her that I was also Yihan's master, their elder, and that it was a local custom to do her makeup and draw her eyebrows before she married Yihan that she readily agreed. As I did her makeup, she happily told me about Yihan's preferences and the customs of their hometown. She said she would treat Yihan very well and have many children with him. She said she believed that one day Yihan would truly love her…

I ignored the strange pain that welled up inside me. Looking at her, I felt as if I were seeing myself from two weeks ago—loving someone, infatuated with someone, willing to devote my entire life and energy to him, even neglecting myself. So, until the moment I applied rosemary to her lips, she was still happily talking, while I was still indifferently reminiscing.

I had just tucked Xia Lin's delicate body under the bed and put the red veil on her head when I heard the door creak open. A sweet, delicate voice asked, "Miss, has that Miss Qin left?"

I mumbled a reply and nodded. The maid, unsuspecting, chuckled, "Miss, have you been waiting anxiously? Xiao Cui will go and call the matchmaker in to take you to the wedding ceremony." A moment later, the door opened and closed, and a woman with a voice that sent chills down my spine helped me up, reeking of cheap, pungent rouge, and kept babbling in my ear. "What a blessing for you, Miss! The groom is so handsome! They look like a couple destined for many children and grandchildren..."

After a long and arduous journey, I finally arrived at the simple hall I remembered. Stepping onto the red carpet, I was helped by the matchmaker to the front of the hall. His drooping eyes reflected a pair of black cloth boots, and his long blue robe almost reached the ground, adorned with a tassel. I knew it was a white jade pendant from his Qing Shuang sword.

I couldn't help but find it amusing. Yi Han was indeed Yi Han; even for his wedding, he wore a blue dress instead of a bright red wedding gown. Lost in thought, I heard someone loudly proclaim, "First bow to heaven and earth!" I knelt down obediently, but the hall suddenly fell silent, followed by whispers of varying volume. Turning my head, I saw that Yi Han was still standing, his posture unchanged.

Sitting at the head of the table, Xia Hu coldly said, "Don't you want your master's life anymore?"

Then, a gentle breeze rustled the red veil before my eyes, and I saw the hem of his green robe lifted slightly. The cushion sank, and Yihan knelt beside me. A warm, damp pain welled up in my chest. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, who were all pretending to be at peace but harboring their own secrets, we kowtowed and performed the ancient wedding ceremony for husband and wife.

"The ceremony is over, lead them to the bridal chamber—" I tugged at the red silk ribbon, letting Yihan lead me forward. The road was long and noisy, and utterly bored, I could only ask myself: 'Zimo, Yihan's martial arts haven't recovered yet. What if we get caught halfway through our escape?'

After a long silence, I called out a few more times, almost thinking he had gone off to wander off somewhere again. But then I heard his calm, double voice: "I've said it before, the safest thing to do is to wait until Feng Yihan and Xia Lin get married before you leave. At that time, regardless of whether he still wants to follow you, you will be safe, both personally and professionally."

I sighed, but my emotions remained calm: 'You yourself said it would be after we're married. How can I trade Yihan's lifelong happiness for my own peace?'

Zi Mo chuckled softly, his tone unreadable: "Is it that he doesn't want to marry Xia Lin, or that you don't want him to marry another woman?" I just smiled wryly and didn't answer.

And the person who had melted into the air was now completely silent.

The newly decorated bridal chamber was still noisy upon entering, with several people shouting that they couldn't leave without causing a ruckus since it was the young lady's wedding. But for some reason, the lively atmosphere gradually cooled. A few people were still forcing smiles, while others were already sneering. Finally, Xia Hu angrily shouted, "Alright, all of you, get out!"

The doorbell slammed shut, then the window. Realizing that only Yihan should be inside now, there was no need to pretend anymore. Just then, a pair of hands moved faster than I could, lifting… well, to be precise, tearing off the red veil, while still speaking in that faint, cold voice: “Excuse me…” The cool voice, the composed expression, the deep eyes, the hand reaching for my neck—all stopped abruptly when it saw my face.

He remained motionless, still clutching the red veil, his dark eyes fixed on my face. Shock, amazement, disbelief—all these emotions were clearly displayed on his face for the first time, allowing me to understand them without having to search for them.

"Young...Young Master?" He still stared at my face in disbelief. "How...how could you?"

"Ahem..." I felt a little embarrassed by his gaze, so I turned my head away, coughed a few times, and my face flushed. "I think... I think you might not really want to marry Xia Lin... so I thought of using this method to switch places so we can escape... Of course... if you really want to marry her... I'll tell you she's..."

"Someone's here!" Yi Han exclaimed softly, abruptly pulling me down onto the soft red pillows. A click sounded from outside the door, and Cui'er's voice came through: "Miss, the head of the household really doesn't know anything, he didn't even drink the nuptial wine... Ah—"

"Miss...you've already...Cui'er...Cui'er deserves to die..." she said, turning around and rushing out in a panic.

Yi Han's entire weight was on me. His cool, refreshing aura seeped into every cell of my body. A few strands of his silver hair fell onto me, gently brushing against my bare collarbone beneath the bridal gown. His warm breath was on my face, and the dark green light in his pure black eyes surged and swept across my skin...

My breathing quickened, my heart pounded—the heart I thought was long since cold and lifeless. Then I heard the sound of the lock clicking shut again, but I felt weak all over and couldn't move an inch.

"Young Master..." Yi Han's voice sounded so deep and hoarse for the first time, like a dark blue flame that could ignite at any moment. He placed one hand on my waist, and with the other hand under my neck, he gently brushed the hair from my face. His cool fingertips, slightly rough and slightly intimate, caressed my skin.

"Is it you who's going to have our wedding ceremony?" he asked in the same voice, his dark green gleaming. I suddenly felt his unusual stiffness pressing against me from below, my face flushed bright red, and my whole body felt hot, but I still nodded.

"You're the one who led me into the bridal chamber?" he asked.

I dared not look into those eyes, which had turned completely dark green. I turned my head away and felt as if he had become a different person. He was not Yi Han at all, yet he was Yi Han nonetheless.

Suddenly, a warm, cool sensation touched my lips. My eyes widened in shock as I stared at those green eyes so close to mine. A kiss? Was Yi Han kissing me?

But when I came to my senses, I found myself still lying stiffly on the bed, my expression blank. Yi Han had already circled back, his dark eyes looking at me, and he said in his icy voice, "Young Master, when shall we depart?" Was everything just now an illusion? But why did that cool touch on my lips feel so real?

"When...when?" I lay in bed, blushing as I looked at his slightly smiling face. It took me a while to realize what he was asking, so I quickly sat up and straightened my clothes, saying, "After...after midnight! Everyone will probably be asleep then, and the guards will be relaxed, making it a good time for us to escape. By the way, Yihan, has your martial arts recovered?"

Yi Han shook his head: "Not yet, but young master need not worry. I believe it will be within the next day or two."

He turned around and pulled a set of men's clothing out of the closet and gave it to me: "The bride's dress is too conspicuous. It would be easier for you to escape if you changed into men's clothing."

I nodded and was about to change my clothes when I noticed he was still staring at me intently. My face flushed slightly. "How can I change if you're looking at me like that?"

A fleeting smile crossed Yi Han's eyes: "Young master looks very handsome in red." After saying that, a hint of embarrassment crossed his face, and he turned away.

I stared blankly back at his words, and while changing my clothes, I couldn't help but look at my blurry reflection in the bronze mirror. A smile appeared on my face: Really, am I pretty?