Several pairs of eyes fell on Yun Xi in unison. Sensing the expectant looks from the old lady and Yun Qi, Yun Xi felt as if she had thorns on her back.
There seemed to be a thorn stuck in her throat, neither going up nor down. The words she originally wanted to refuse somehow changed when they came out of her mouth:
"I won't make things difficult either."
Just because of this "won't make things difficult", the old lady was overjoyed to the point of tears, and Yun Qi couldn't hide his happiness as he walked up to Shi Qian. A hint of childishness showed on his face:
"Brother Shi, from now on, you're my elder brother!"
Shi Qian smiled but said nothing. He reached out and patted Yun Qi on the shoulder, but his eyes were fixed on Yun Xi, his gaze deep.
After Yun Xi agreed, her heart felt empty and filled with mixed emotions. Even the smile on her face seemed forced.
Meeting Shi Qian's gentle gaze, she knew in her heart that he would surely be a good husband in the future and wouldn't let her be wronged.
However, the more she tried to convince herself like this, the more a wild and cold - looking face kept flashing in her mind. She tried hard to drive it away, but the presence of that person was like wild grass, instantly filling her heart and almost devouring her whole!
Jiangdu was adjacent to Jiangcheng, but it was thousands of miles away from the capital. In order to get married as soon as possible, they decided to keep everything simple. After Shi Qian reported and apologized to his parents in a letter, they chose to hold their wedding ceremony in the Prime Minister's Mansion in the capital.
Afterwards, after all the matters in the Prime Minister's Mansion were resolved, they would return to Jiangdu to hold another wedding banquet.
Yun Xi didn't sleep a wink all night. Early the next morning, the wedding maid called her to the dressing table. Looking at Yun Xi's listless eyes in the mirror, Yu Zhu couldn't help but worry:
"Miss, have you really thought this through? Before the ceremony, if you want to back out, it's still not too late!"
Yu Zhu had asked this question more than a thousand times in the past two days.
Except when Yun Xi was sleeping, whenever she was awake, whether during meals or while walking, Yu Zhu couldn't help but ask again and again.
Even though she got a definite answer from Yun Xi every time, Yu Zhu still felt uneasy and on tenterhooks.
Hearing Yu Zhu's words, Yun Xi wanted to act as calm as usual and give a definite answer.
However, this time, looking at the face in the mirror wearing a red wedding dress and delicate makeup but still showing no trace of joy, Yun Xi opened her mouth but said nothing.
It was as if a gap had been suddenly chiseled out of her heart, and cold wind kept pouring in, making her shiver involuntarily.
She continued a habit she had developed many years ago when she felt uneasy. Subconsciously, she reached for her neck, but it was empty. The jade pendant her mother had given her back then was no longer there.
Only then did she suddenly remember that on a certain day in the past, the jade pendant she had regarded as a treasure had long been deceitfully taken away by that person and then domineeringly claimed by him.
Now she was so flustered, and there was no longer anything to soothe her uneasiness.
"Miss, are you already regretting it?"
Seeing Yun Xi staring blankly and remaining silent for a long time, Yu Zhu quickly asked, and a hint of relieved smile even appeared on her face involuntarily.
Yun Xi was the treasure Yu Zhu had watched grow up. Even though she had become more and more unable to guess Yun Xi's thoughts in the past two years, she still clearly knew that there was someone living in her miss's heart.
That person was not the gentle and polite Shi Qian, nor the refined Crown Prince Qi Yu, but the "Jade - faced Yama", Prince Xian Qi Rong, whom everyone in the capital feared!
Although everyone was afraid of Prince Xian, her miss could always be her most real self in front of him and smile the happiest.
So, no matter how good Shi Qian and the Crown Prince were, they couldn't give her miss happiness!
Precisely because she saw this clearly, Yu Zhu didn't want Yun Xi to do something that she would regret for the rest of her life. She kept asking and dissuading her, urging Yun Xi to think more.
"Miss, as long as you've thought it through, that's good. Now I'll help you decline Master Shi. Even if I have to kowtow and apologize to him, I'll make him call off this wedding."
Saying this, Yu Zhu excitedly walked towards the door, but Yun Xi grabbed her sleeve:
"Yu Zhu, who said I won't marry?"
Noticing the looks of the wedding maid and the maids in the room, who were staring at Yu Zhu as if she were a monster, Yun Xi couldn't help but shake her head and smile bitterly.
"People say it's better to tear down a temple than to ruin a marriage. People who don't know might think you have a deep - seated hatred for me."
Hearing Yun Xi's words, Yu Zhu quickly defended herself:
"No, miss. As long as you can be happy, I don't care what others think."
Since the death of the master, she had devoted all the missions of her later life to Yun Xi. When Yun Xi smiled, she smiled; when Yun Xi cried, she cried.
It could be said that Yun Xi controlled her mood.
If Yun Xi was unhappy one day, her life would surely fall into darkness!
"I know, I know it all."
Yun Xi held Yu Zhu's hand, stopping her explanation, and said to her with a smile:
"This marriage was personally chosen for me by my father, and I also promised it myself. If I back out at this time, wouldn't I be going back on my word and making fun of everyone?"
"Yu Zhu, how could your miss do such a stupid thing that harms others and doesn't benefit herself?"
Yun Xi was comforting Yu Zhu, but actually her heart was full of doubts.
Would she regret doing this? Was it extremely stupid?
But now they had come this far. Almost everyone in the capital knew that she was going to get married, and even the Zhen family had sent wedding gifts. She couldn't back out now!
"Master Shi is a good person. I believe he will surely be a good husband in the future. Moreover, Jiangdu is so close to Jiangcheng. If I want to visit my grandmother in the future, I can set off at any time. What a wonderful thing!"
"Also, I heard that the Shi family is a famous and prestigious family in Jiangdu. Since it's a big family, their family must be well - off. Maybe they even have one or two good cooks. Your miss won't suffer at all!"
Yun Xi said a lot, but left out her true feelings.
The purpose of her words was to comfort Yu Zhu, but after hearing them, Yu Zhu only felt a pang of sadness.
"Elder sister, are you ready?"
At this moment, Yun Qi's clear voice suddenly came from outside the door. Hearing this, the wedding maid quickly replied:
"The princess will be ready soon!"
After saying that, the wedding maid quickly urged the little maids to speed up their actions so as not to miss the auspicious time.
Seeing that all the procedures were almost ready and the red - cloud - like veil was about to be placed on Yun Xi's head, Yu Zhu suddenly went crazy. She grabbed a chair in the room and waved it to drive out all the wedding maids and maids in the room.
"Get out! All of you get out!"
"Yu Zhu, what are you doing? Stop making trouble. Put the chair down quickly, or you'll hurt yourself!"
Seeing the wedding maid and the maids rushing out in panic, Yun Xi couldn't help but stand up, grab Yu Zhu's wrist, and take the chair from her hand.
But Yu Zhu ignored Yun Xi's stop and directly turned around to lock the door from the inside.
"Miss, today unless you step over me, otherwise, you won't be able to get married!"