...
Yao Youqing fell asleep in the carriage and was carried off by Wei Hong.
She was in a daze and didn't know how long she had slept. She seemed to have woken up once, and when she saw Wei Hong lying next to her, she felt at ease and fell asleep again.
It was a day later when she was fully awake. Wei Hong was wiping her face with a handkerchief when he saw her open her eyes and quickly stopped, saying, "Did I wake you up?"
Yao Youqing slowly shook her head, looked around blankly, and propped herself up to sit up.
Did I sleep for a long time?
"Not long ago, I had just woken up myself."
Wei Hong said.
Yao Youqing nodded and leaned listlessly into his arms, seemingly still unable to recover from her previous experience. She needed the warmth of his body to reassure herself that the nightmare was over and that she was safe.
Wei Hong tossed the handkerchief aside, gently patted her back, and said, "If you're tired, sleep some more. I'll stay with you; we won't go anywhere."
The person in his arms did not fall asleep again. She stayed in his arms for a long time before telling him what she had wanted to say but had not had the time to say.
After hearing this, Wei Hong frowned slightly: "You mean... Cheng Lan bought you time so that we could come to rescue you?"
"Yes, I didn't quite believe it at first, but... I couldn't bear to part with the prince, so I gave it a try, and thankfully the prince really came."
Wei Hong's arms around her stiffened slightly, then tightened, holding her close in his embrace.
Yes, thankfully we finally got there, and thankfully he arrived in time that day.
If it had been a day or a step later, who knows what his Ning'er would have faced.
Although some time has passed, he still feels as if it were yesterday when he recalls that day.
Brightly lit red candles, a bright red wedding dress, a bride with her head covered by a veil...
That was his wife, but she almost "married" someone else.
"That Cheng Lan, all she knows how to do is come up with these terrible ideas!"
Wei Hong said in a low voice, his voice filled with resentment.
After saying that, she realized that she was taking her anger out on others. She remained silent for a long time, then exhaled a breath of stale air and blamed herself, saying, "It's my fault, Ning'er, it's my fault."
"If I had trusted you from the beginning, I would have come to you immediately. Why would I have made you wait until then? To be honest... it's because I didn't trust you in my heart, and I felt that you... really would leave me."
Yao Youqing shook her head: "It's not the prince's fault. If I were you... I would have done the same."
Who can fully trust the daughter of someone who killed their mother?
Looking back now, it was already quite remarkable that he was able to put aside his resentment and treat her kindly.
Everyone says we shouldn't take our anger out on others, but how many people can truly do that?
Wei Hong gently kissed the top of her head and hugged her even tighter: "Ning'er, you are my life. Promise me you'll never do this kind of thing again, okay? No matter what, never do this kind of thing again."
"Besides you, I have no other relatives left."
Those royal relatives were not his true family; only his father, mother, and Ning'er were his family.
His father and mother are both gone; he only has Ning'er left.
Yao Youqing knew he was thinking of the Imperial Concubine, so she reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist, deliberately speaking softly, "Of course there won't be a next time. I'm not that brave. I was scared this time, and I won't dare to do it again next time."
Wei Hong knew she was trying to cheer him up, so he smiled and kissed her on the lips before telling her something else.
"Your father is well, but they left the palace late, and the pursuers are close behind. If they catch up and travel with us, there will be too many people and they will be too conspicuous to escape. So we parted ways."
“Now that Feng Mu has taken him directly to Cangcheng, I know you must be eager to see him, but… I may need to stay in this area for a while. After I finish my business, I’ll take you back to find him, okay?”
The imperial court will definitely take a series of actions next, and he needs to arrange everything here properly and make sure there are no problems before leaving.
But given their natural father-daughter bond, and Yao Youqing's filial piety, she would certainly want to see her father as soon as possible.
He could send someone to take her back first, but he... didn't want to.
Wei Hong had separated from Yao Youqing before, sometimes for even longer periods than this time, but never before had he felt as if he was about to lose her completely as he had this time.
Even now, he still occasionally feels uneasy unless he can touch her and see that she is right beside him.
He was reluctant to send her back to Cangcheng now, knowing he wouldn't see her again for a long time.
Upon hearing this, Yao Youqing didn't say much, only asking, "Is Father truly safe and sound?"
"Don't worry, he's fine. I wouldn't lie to you."
Yao Youqing nodded: "That's good."
She snuggled closer to him and said, "Then I'll wait for Your Highness to finish his business and we'll go back together."
She was obedient and gentle, nestled quietly in his arms as always in Shangchuan.
Wei Hong's heart softened, and he lowered his head to kiss her lips. After kissing her for a while, they ate together and took a bath. He personally dried her hair.
The girl's hair was fine and long. He wiped it carefully, but he noticed that she seemed uncomfortable and kept twisting her body. The movements were small, but he still noticed it.
"What's wrong? Did I hurt you?"
He loosened his grip a little more.
Yao Youqing shook her head: "No, I... this dress doesn't fit me very well."
It doesn't fit?
Wei Hong peeked out and asked, "Is it too big or too small?"
Yao Youqing blushed slightly: "The close-fitting... undergarment is a bit tight."
When she escaped from the capital, she only had one set of auspicious clothes on her, nothing else.
Wei Hong disliked seeing her in that auspicious attire. On the first rest day after their escape, he threw away the clothes, leaving her only her undergarment, and then covered her with his own wide outer robe.
I just took a bath and changed clothes. The new clothes I'm wearing are ready-made clothes that the servants found for me. Although they are brand new and no one has ever worn them, the size may not be completely right.
Wei Hong suddenly realized, and got up to leave: "I'll have someone change your clothes."
"Oh, no need."
Yao Youqing quickly stopped her.
"Just wear these for now, no need to change them."
This wasn't Shangchuan, and none of the servants around her were people she knew. She didn't want to make people change her undergarment just because of a piece of clothing, and even if the servants wouldn't spread rumors, she would still feel embarrassed.
Wei Hong could tell she was shy, but then he suddenly remembered something and laughed, "I have a way!"
Then she walked to the dressing table, picked up a small box, opened it, and pulled out a bellyband.
"Look, it's all yours!"
Chapter 112 A 55.5% Mistake
Yao Youqing recognized those undergarments as the ones Wei Hong had taken from her before. Her almond-shaped eyes widened: "Your Highness, you... why did you bring these with you?"
Could it be that he carries it with him every time he goes out?
Wei Hong smiled and took the small box: "You won't need these clothes anymore after I take them. I couldn't bear to throw them away, and I was afraid others would see them if I left them outside, so I locked them all in a box. I only have one key, and I'll keep it myself."
"Later, you detoured from the border of Shangchuan to Dajin and rushed to the capital. I thought... you had abandoned me. When I missed you, I had nothing else with me, so I took out these clothes and looked at them."
"That day, when I was looking at these clothes, I learned of your true plans and rushed to save you. In my haste, I forgot to lock them back and just put them on my person."
He left in a hurry, and later, when he passed through a town, he bought a small box and locked the undergarment back in. He then continued on his way until he was about to leave Shuozhou. Only then did he temporarily entrust the box to Guo Sheng for safekeeping, instructing him not to give it to anyone else and not to open it.
If he doesn't make it back from the capital alive, then burn this box, or bury it next to him as his funerary offering.
Guo Sheng had always seen him carrying a small locked box with him. Now, seeing that he was still carrying it even on such an urgent trip to the capital to rescue Yao Youqing, and that he had instructed that it be used as a burial item, Guo Sheng felt that it was an extremely important object. He brought it along when he came to welcome him this time, and unexpectedly, it came in handy.
Upon hearing Wei Hong's words, Yao Youqing seemed to realize something, and her face flushed red.
"You...you were seen looking at these clothes of mine by someone?"
Wei Hong hummed in agreement, knowing that she was worried about others seeing her personal belongings, and said, "Don't worry, it's your own maid, Qiongyu."
Although Yao Youqing breathed a sigh of relief, she still felt extremely embarrassed and punched him on the shoulder.
"Even if it's just to reminisce about someone, I wouldn't look at these things. How am I supposed to go back and see Qiongyu?"
Wei Hong chuckled and took her small fist into his own hand.
"I was at the border at the time, and there was nothing else to see but these."
"Besides, she's your maid. I didn't feel ashamed at all, so what are you afraid of?"
After saying that, he laid out all the bellybands in a row: "Come on, pick one, which one do you want to wear?"
Yao Youqing was both angry and annoyed. She covered her face and said, "Who knows what you did with my undergarment? I don't want to wear it!"
She'd rather wear this ill-fitting outfit.
Wei Hong laughed even louder and leaned closer to her ear.
"Ning'er, what do you think I did with your undergarment?"
Yao Youqing blushed and even closed her slightly parted fingers, pursing her lips and remaining silent.
Wei Hong really liked her shy and charming appearance. He pulled her hands away, pressed her down on the bed, and kissed her fiercely. By the time Yao Youqing came to her senses, her clothes were already half undone, and her close-fitting bodice had been torn off by him.
The man, panting, left some marks on her body, but did not continue. After stroking her smooth skin a few times, he pulled her up again and chose a bellyband for her to wear.
Yao Youqing shook her head: "No, no, I won't wear it!"
Wei Hong smiled and lightly pecked her lips a few more times: "I washed it clean, I washed it by hand, you can smell it if you don't believe me."
He then proceeded to put the undergarment to her nose so she could smell it.
Yao Youqing quickly backed away, saying, "I don't want it, I don't want it. This is your undergarment now, I don't want it."
Wei Hong laughed and pulled her over, pestering her relentlessly until he got her to change into the new clothes.
The two laughed and joked, temporarily putting aside their previous unpleasant experience. They rested in the city for three days before preparing to set off for Shuozhou on the fourth day.
Before leaving, Wei Hong said he wanted Yao Youqing to meet someone, so he helped her sit down and had someone bring that person in.
The curtain was lifted, and a woman in her thirties entered. She was thinner than usual, but looked to be in good spirits.