Chapter 116: Sending You Off to Your Wedding
Chapter 116: Chapter 116: Sending You Off to Your Wedding
Cui Lingyao glanced at the unfamiliar surroundings and said, "Back to the Capital City."
After spending just half a day with them, she found the Pei Family’s ways petty and their manner overly fawning, completely lacking the dignity of a great clan. She had no desire to prolong her stay. For Chen Minrou’s sake alone, she had to return to the Capital City quickly.
Shen Tingyu was not surprised by her answer.
He slowly lifted his gaze, his eyes fixed on her as he said, "Once we are back in the Capital City and our engagement is canceled, I will personally see you married a year from now."
If they could be husband and wife, he would protect her for life. If not, he would gracefully step back into the role of a brother.
At the very least, as long as she was safe and sound, they would still have a connection in this life.
This was the first time he had said he would see her off to her wedding as a brother.
Cui Lingyao met his gaze. Her lips moved as if to say something, but in the end, she remained silent.
She picked up the teacup before her and drained it in one gulp.
She told herself, ’This is the right thing to do.’
She had come to this world for Xie Jinbai in the first place. Getting entangled with the man before her was all just a fluke.
Now that he was willing to step back, everything was getting back on track. Nothing could be more right.
Once Mrs. Shen’s funeral was over, she should focus on her mission: to ensure Xie Jinbai had an heir as soon as possible so she could go home.
The evening meal was a silent affair.
When Shen Tingyu left, he carefully inspected the courtyard and urged her to rest early.
Cui Lingyao agreed, but an imperious figure surfaced in her thoughts.
When they parted two days ago, he had said he would wait for her in Pingzhou.
Now that she had arrived, with his extensive resources, finding out which courtyard she was staying in would be a matter of minutes. He would most likely sneak over during the night.
With that in mind, Cui Lingyao propped her chin on her hand and waited for quite a while after her bath.
Finally, unable to fight off her drowsiness, she went to bed.
......
The next morning, Cui Lingyao opened her eyes but did not catch his familiar scent.
The door bolt was intact, and so were the window shutters.
Xie Jinbai hadn’t come.
For some reason, he hadn’t come.
She recalled what he had said when they parted—that he wasn’t hiding his tracks on this trip from the Capital City. He wanted to use the opportunity to probe the court’s situation and deal with the disloyal subordinates under his command...
Cui Lingyao’s brow furrowed slightly.
’That man is too arrogant. He completely disregards his opponents, using his own badly injured body as bait to lure out those hidden forces.’
’Among them are three Princes and the Empress.’
’Honestly...’
Cui Lingyao took a deep breath, unwilling to dwell on it. ’Xie Jinbai isn’t a fool. Since he dares to do this, he must be almost certain of his success. He won’t be in danger.’
’Instead of worrying about him, I should focus on my own affairs.’
Shaking off the gloom that had settled over her, Cui Lingyao called for Zhiqiu to come help her dress.
After breakfast, she went to the mourning hall, where the funeral rites had already begun.
Early this morning, at the crack of dawn, the second master of the Pei Family had gone to Lingyan Temple outside the city, while the third master had gone to White Cloud Temple.
They were making a great show of how much they valued their eldest sister-in-law’s funeral.
The Pei Family was large. The mourning hall was filled with kneeling filial sons and worthy grandsons. In terms of sheer spectacle, it was indeed much grander than it had been at the Shen Family’s residence.
Cui Lingyao knelt silently at the very front.
Shen Tingyu knelt with her for a while before leaving with the two masters of the Pei Family to visit the Pei ancestral tomb.
The funeral rites were to last for forty-nine days, and the gravesite had to be surveyed in advance. When Pei Shu died, he was already a high-ranking provincial official, and Mrs. Shen held a fourth-rank title. They were not commoners.
Their burial had to adhere to specific standards—it couldn’t overstep the rules, but it couldn’t be too simple either.
There were also burial goods and other things that needed to be prepared one by one.
As a young lady, it was not appropriate for Cui Lingyao to handle these matters, so Shen Tingyu took charge of everything.
For the next several days, the main gates of the Pei Family estate remained open as a continuous stream of guests came to offer their condolences.
Some of the ladies who had been close with Mrs. Shen cried sincerely and offered Cui Lingyao a few words of comfort.
Upon hearing that she was already engaged and seeing her outstanding poise and conduct, they couldn’t help but feel happy for the late Mrs. Shen.
Cui Lingyao rarely left the mourning hall, dutifully playing the part of a filial daughter every day, but her heart grew heavier and heavier.
The funeral proceedings were more than halfway through, yet Xie Jinbai still hadn’t appeared.
’This makes no sense.’
The worry on her face gradually deepened. The Pei family might not have noticed, but with Shen Tingyu’s understanding of her, he naturally saw the signs.
However, he was not in a position to investigate Xie Jinbai’s whereabouts.
While out and about these past few days, Shen Tingyu had keenly sensed the undercurrents in Pingzhou City.
Countless factions had gathered here for the struggle for the throne, and he, representing the Duke Shen Mansion, could not get involved easily.
Besides, if he were to act, he would indirectly expose her.
If people found out that Xie Jinbai had left the Capital City for her sake...
...then Cui Lingyao would become a ready-made point of attack.
Those who were powerless against Xie Jinbai would attack her like madmen.
She was his weakness.
Xie Jinbai was staying away to hide this weakness. For once, Shen Tingyu’s thoughts aligned with his.
The days passed one by one, and the late autumn chill grew more biting.
A few days before Mrs. Shen’s burial, a major event occurred in Pingzhou City.
The city gates were suddenly sealed.
People were only allowed in, not out, for an indefinite period.
The reason given was that traces of the Qiang people had been discovered within the city.
In recent years, the Alien Clans along several borders of the Great Yue Dynasty had been making frequent, unusual movements.
Pingzhou was in the northwest of Great Yue. It wasn’t too far from Jiayun Pass, but not exactly close either, and the Qiang Clan was based beyond the pass.
Several cities separated the two locations, so Pingzhou had never had to worry about invasions from other clans.
Now, with the sudden news of an Alien Clan appearing in the city, the citizens were naturally anxious and uneasy.
The sealing of the gates—allowing entry but no exit—especially plunged the city into a state of panic, with everyone fearing for their own safety.
For a time, even the air seemed to reek of gunpowder.
This atmosphere also affected the Pei Family. Not only did the number of guests coming to offer condolences decrease, but the main gates, which had been open for over a month, were also closed.
Fortunately, the tense atmosphere did not last long.
That afternoon, more news spread.
It was said that Prince Yu, who was supposed to be recuperating in the Capital City, had personally come to Pingzhou. He had dispatched over a thousand soldiers from the nearby Northwest Camp to thoroughly investigate the enemy presence in the city.
Xie Jinbai’s years of conquest had earned him a formidable reputation.
Throughout Great Yue, even the common folk knew of his invincible fame.
The moment this news broke, the sense of security among the city’s residents increased dramatically.
In particular, the appearance of armored soldiers deterred the local thugs who had been planning to take advantage of the chaos.
Public order in the city was quickly restored.
These past few days, Cui Lingyao had been keeping vigil in the mourning hall every day and was not well-informed about outside news.
The news that Xie Jinbai had appeared openly in the city with his troops was relayed to her by Shen Tingyu.
In that instant, she felt the heavy weight that had been pressing on her heart for days finally begin to lift.
Seeing her expression, Shen Tingyu sighed softly. "You were that worried about him?"
By now, dusk was falling. The two of them had left the mourning hall and were on their way back to her courtyard. A desolate autumn wind swirled fallen leaves around them, and there were no servants in sight.
Cui Lingyao did not deny it.
She was silent for a few moments before saying, "I never knew I could worry about someone this much."
’Then again, Xie Jinbai had never given me reason to worry before.’
’He’s too powerful, so powerful he seems invincible.’