Chapter 580: 665 Confession, Picking up the Bride
"Sister, are you going to keep it from me too? That Glazed Bracelet engraved with the name of Mo Lang, wasn’t it given to you by the Prince?" Quan Qiyang bluntly asked.
"What Glazed Bracelet?" Qi Nichang was still somewhat unresponsive.
Quan Qiyang recounted how he found that Glazed Bracelet on the ground in Nanyang and said to Qi Nichang, "Sister, weren’t the words Mo Lang engraved on the Glazed Bead by you?"
Hearing this, Qi Nichang’s mind was suddenly pulled back far away, and she belatedly realized, "That bracelet isn’t mine, it’s Consort Jing’s. She accidentally left it in my room when she visited.
Brother... why didn’t you tell me earlier?"
Qi Nichang finally understood why such a thing happened tonight. It was all a huge misunderstanding, caused by her brother’s mistake.
Hearing this, Quan Qiyang’s face turned pale, realizing that it wasn’t his sister who was infatuated with the Prince, but rather his own misinterpretation, and he had dragged his sister into a "fiery pit."
"But I tested you back then, asked you to whom you gave your perfume sachet, and you said it was given to the most important person in your heart..." At this point, Quan Qiyang’s expression froze, pointing at himself in surprise as he looked at Qi Nichang.
"Who else would it be?" Qi Nichang was on the verge of tears. Her parents were no longer around, and the most important person in her heart was naturally this brother. It turned out that this matter had nothing to do with him and was all caused by her brother.
For a moment, she didn’t know who to be angry with.
"Then this... this matter." Saying this, Quan Qiyang gave himself a hard slap and turned to leave, "Sister, I will go tell the Prince immediately that this was all a misunderstanding."
Qi Nichang pulled him back, with a hint of shame and annoyance, "Everything has already happened, is there any point in saying this now? Forget it, let it be."
"Sister, what do you mean?"
"Since it’s a misunderstanding, let it continue. He saved you twice, brother, consider it repaying his life-saving grace." Qi Nichang said.
"No." Quan Qiyang shook his head, "Sister, if you don’t like him, brother would never allow you to sacrifice your own happiness to repay him for what he did for me."
"I don’t entirely dislike him either." Seeing her brother’s determination to explain the situation, Qi Nichang shouted out loud.
Quan Qiyang: "..."
"He is handsome, of high status and power, a rare young talent. Which woman in this world wouldn’t like him? I’m no different." These were Qi Nichang’s true feelings, the reason she resisted Chen Mo was partly because he always took advantage of her, never explained himself, and even scolded her. She also couldn’t feel any affection from him towards her.
But now, since he was willing to marry her, and everything had already happened, she could only put this grudge behind her.
...
The story divides into two.
After Chen Mo returned to the Prince Zhen Nan’s Mansion, he immediately took with him the things that Xin’Er had prepared for him and left Bianliang with some people.
He was heading to Qingshan Town, where there was a port. Ships from Jiangnan would stop there, and according to Xin’Er’s plan, Chen Mo needed to pick up Cao Xiyue there with a carriage.
As he had been delayed at the Qi Mansion, Chen Mo needed to hurry to keep up.
"Gao Zheng, pass the order to speed up." Chen Mo swung his horsewhip, striking it against the horse, which neighed loudly and galloped forward.
"Keep up, hurry up." Gao Zheng urged.
...
This merchant ship was specifically prepared by the Wu Family for the Cao Family to receive the bride, and the entire ship was decorated very festively. The ship has three layers, with two layers packed with the dowry for Cao Xiyue.
In order to marry off his daughter, Cao Benyuan had almost sold off all of the Cao Family’s property in Jianghe County.
On the third deck of the ship, Cao Xiyue wore a blue long dress with a thin silk shawl over her shoulders. She leaned against the window, looking at the river outside. Her eyes, which once held a curved smile, now carried much sadness, thinking about marrying far away from her parents, and wondering if she would be favored after the marriage, tears welled up in her clear eyes almost ready to fall.
Her close maid, Qing’Er, saw her master’s state and curiously asked, "Miss, you’re about to become a bride, and not just any bride but the bride of the most powerful Prince Zhen Nan in the world. Why the long face?"
"I just miss my parents a little." Cao Xiyue wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes, turning back as she spoke.
Qing’Er, upon hearing, gained some insight, then said, "Once Miss enters the Prince Zhen Nan’s Mansion, you can ask the Prince to bring the master to the Capital to be an official, then Miss can always see the Master and Madam. For the Prince Zhen Nan, this should be an easy task."
Upon hearing this, Cao Xiyue’s eyes lit up, but then her face fell again, "I’ve just entered the door and already making requests? What would he think? That’s not appropriate, not appropriate at all."
Qing’Er didn’t understand, "It’s just a simple matter, how can it be considered a request? Is Miss overthinking it?"
"You don’t understand. Marrying him is a blessing that many women would wish for but can’t obtain, it’s actually a reach above my station. There was so much gossip when I was in Jianghe County, and with the Prince Zhen Nan’s high status, surely many eyes are watching. Even the smallest matter could be magnified..."
Qing’Er jested slightly, "Miss hasn’t even married over yet, and you’re already considering your future husband’s thoughts."
"Oh, you cheeky Qing’Er, looking to be punished, aren’t you?" With that, Cao Xiyue stood up to catch Qing’Er.
At that moment, the merchant ship suddenly stopped, causing Cao Xiyue to almost fall, and she quickly asked, "What’s happening?"
Qing’Er hurried to the window and looked out before saying, "Miss, the merchant ship is docking."
"We’ve reached the Capital?"
Just as Cao Xiyue was speaking, there came a commotion from outside, and Liu Xuan, with joy on his face, knocked on the door, "Xiyue, come out quickly, the Prince Zhen Nan himself has come to receive you."
"Ah." Cao Xiyue exclaimed in surprise, "We’ve really reached the Capital?"
"No, this is the port at Qingshan Town. The Prince Zhen Nan came early to receive you, it seems he values you a lot, Xiyue." Liu Xuan said.
Hearing this, Cao Xiyue’s heart leaped with excitement, her cheeks blushing slightly, as she hurriedly said, "Uncle, please wait..."
Saying that, Cao Xiyue quickly turned to sit at the dressing table, "Qing’Er, come quickly and help me with my makeup."
The master and servant started bustling around.
...
...
At the port, the entire area was surrounded by the Imperial Guard. The procession was grand, with Chen Mo on horseback at the front, a large red silk flower pinned to him, while behind him was a festively dressed wedding procession. The large sedan chair was particularly eye-catching, drawing the attention of many onlookers, who inwardly wondered which lucky maiden was the object of this wedding reception.
Once the merchant ship docked and the gangplank was laid down, Chen Mo led his people onto the ship, and it wasn’t long before he disembarked.
Dressed in festive attire, Chen Mo carried a stunningly beautiful young maiden off the ship and into the bright red sedan chair. After he mounted his horse, Gao Zheng, face beaming with joy, loudly proclaimed, "Set off!"
