Chapter 6.2

“Miss, it’s bad news! Some officials have come to the front courtyard, claiming they need to arrest bandits! They say your friend is a fugitive from the capital, and they’re here to capture her!”

“How could this happen?” Du Bingyan was stunned. “Who accused her? What evidence is there?”

Before the doorman could answer, Qiu Shi and He Shi, leading a group of officials, came rushing towards them.

“Hurry! Surround them! Don’t let them escape!”

It seemed they were taking advantage of the head of the Du family being away to stir up trouble. Du Bingyan wondered when her two sisters-in-law had become so bold.

Madame Du and the two concubines arrived quickly.

“What is going on?”

“Mother-in-law! Second and Third Mothers, you don’t know? Little Aunt’s friend is a bandit from the capital, involved in murder and robbery. It’s terrifying! My elder brother received the news and immediately sent people to arrest her to prevent harm to our Du family!” Qiu Shi spoke with a mix of drama and sincerity.

“Eldest Sister-in-Law, such things cannot be said recklessly. What evidence do you have?” Du Bingyan’s face darkened.

“How dare you disregard the law? My elder brother is the county magistrate. His orders cannot be wrong! What kind of people would a woman like you associate with? Do you think you deserve to ask for evidence?” Qiu Shi sneered at her.

“Enough!” Madame Du scolded angrily. “Don’t think you can act recklessly just because your husband isn’t here! Send these people away immediately! And you can go back to the Qiu family! Our Du family cannot afford a daughter-in-law like you!”

Qiu Shi was unafraid. “Mother-in-law! Harboring criminals is punishable by law! Men, take them back to the county office!”

As the officials moved to arrest the people, Li Cuiyu signaled her subordinates not to act rashly. Just as she was about to say something, another urgent voice came from the front—a steward ran up.

“Old Madam! Old Madam… The Yangzhou Governor, Lord Lei, and the county officials from eight counties have arrived! They say—they say—they are here to meet Princess Changping—everyone is kneeling in the front hall!” The steward, pale and terrified, had already knelt down.

“Which princess?” Qiu Shi’s sharp laugh was cut off by Zhang Zhong and Shi Jing, who reprimanded her, “Bold! Princess Changping is here, and you’re not kneeling?”

Everyone present immediately fell to their knees, prostrating themselves on the ground.

Li Cuiyu, still holding Bingyan’s hand, had an air of regal authority on her face but said nothing more. She helped Madame Du up and said, “I believe it’s necessary to clear the premises. Zhang Zhong, lead the way!”

“Yes!”

After turning a corner, Bingyan was still in shock, while Li Cuiyu mischievously winked. “Sister Du, don’t go the way of those people and distance yourself from me!” She sighed, “Who leaked that I was here? Shi Jing?”

Shi Jing immediately responded, “It wasn’t me.”

“Then who? It’s so annoying! I’ll have to return to the palace and endure another boring life!”

Her lively and playful demeanor made it hard for Du Bingyan to see her as an unreachable princess. This little girl was the one the emperor wanted for Yuan Buqu; if they became sisters, it would be quite wonderful…

In the front hall, after a series of lengthy bowing and prostrations, Li Cuiyu was the first to confront County Magistrate Qiu Chaoxing. “Am I a bandit?”

Qiu Chaoxing, drenched in sweat and prostrated in the corner, dared not speak, trembling as he said, “I—I am at fault!”

“Lord Lei!” she called out.

“I am here!” The Yangzhou Governor quickly knelt again.

“You, as a governor, have failed to supervise and allowed local officials to misuse their power and falsely accuse people. How do you explain this dereliction of duty?”

“I admit my guilt!”

It was all empty official rhetoric and self-reproach. Li Cuiyu lost interest in being a righteous judge. She decided to leave it to the other officials to handle or report directly to the Emperor that future examinations of local officials should be stricter.

“Who said I was at the Du residence?”

“This morning, a confidential letter from Lord Zhou, the inspector of Jiangnan, informed us. I came immediately to see the princess, and Lord Zhou went to greet General Yuan Buqu and General Sha Pingwei.”

“Ah!” Li Cuiyu was taken aback, her face flushed with embarrassment as she recalled her own letter. She waved her hand and said, “Everyone, leave! Qiu Chaoxing, Qiu Shi, and He Shi are to be detained in the prison for now. Handle it as you see fit and then leave!”

After dismissing the crowd, Li Cuiyu paced anxiously, exclaiming, “It’s a mess! What should we do, Sister Du?”

“Princess, what are you worried about?”

Li Cuiyu covered her face and collapsed back into her chair.

“I left a letter for my father, saying that I wanted to marry Sha Pingwei! I wrote it in a moment of impulse, and now they’ve come looking for me. What should I do? He will definitely think I have no shame!”

Du Bingyan looked at her in surprise. So the little princess had her eyes set on Pingwei?

“You’ve… met him before?”

“Yes! He saved me the first time I tried to escape and failed that night. I only succeeded the second time! My father is being stubborn, insisting on marrying me off to your husband! But you know, I’m really afraid of him! I don’t want to marry someone who scares me, and I’m still just fifteen! I don’t want to be married off right away. If I’m going to marry, I want to marry someone who will play with me and take care of me.”

Just then, voices were heard from outside—the main figures had arrived! All of them. Li Cuiyu wished she could dig a hole to hide in or at least shrink behind Bingyan! But as a princess, a dignified Princess Changping, she had to maintain the regal demeanor of the royal family, even at fifteen. She couldn’t hide and had to show an air of grace and dignity. She took her place at the head of the room, waiting for people to come and pay their respects.

Top military officers did not need to bow. Yuan Buqu and Sha Pingwei both knelt on one knee and clasped their hands in greeting. Inspector Zhou Zhen also knelt.

“Your humble servant greets the princess with peace.”

“Rise.” Li Cuiyu rested one hand on her cheek and half-covered her face with the other, sneaking glances at Sha Pingwei, waiting to see his reaction.

After rising, Sha Pingwei looked up at the princess and immediately retreated three big steps, pointing at her. “You—you—you—”

After sending Zhou Zhen away, Li Cuiyu stepped in front of him, hands on her hips, and asked, “What about me?”

“You’re actually a princess?” Sha Pingwei had forgotten her noble status, only recalling their previous arguments. With his usual disregard for formality, it was easy for him to forget her identity!

“Yes! So what? How did you find me?” She shook his hand, asking how they had tracked her down, completely unaware that Yuan Buqu had already taken his wife through a side door and disappeared.

Bingyan led him into her private room and, closing the door, was immediately held tightly in his embrace. For a long time, neither of them could speak, letting only their hearts and every sense absorb all the longing and soothe each other’s yearning!

“How dare you run away from me! Did you have no confidence in me? Do you know I’ve almost gone mad over these ten days?” He buried his face in her hair and growled, not giving her a chance to explain before capturing her lips. He poured out his anger and affection passionately.

Bingyan softly allowed him to kiss her, her eyes glistening with joyful tears. He was here! She had finally received her love!

“What about those rumors hurting you outside?” During their ride to Yangzhou, he had heard various harmful rumors about Bingyan while resting in Pengchun County. The rumors were extremely unpleasant! If Sha Pingwei hadn’t reminded him of pressing matters, he would have overturned tables and fought people!

“The matchmaker didn’t want to take responsibility for bringing the wrong bridal sedan, so she put all the blame on me,” she said with a carefree smile, hugging his neck. “How did you know the princess was here? Did you just happen to pass by?”

“The Emperor showed me the princess’s portrait, and I immediately remembered seeing that girl in Luoyang! I figured she would definitely come looking for you. After returning home, Uncle Li showed me your letter, so I brought Pingwei along! Regardless of whether the princess is here or not, I had to find you first. I sent a confidential letter to Lady Zhou, who immediately informed the Yangzhou Governor to investigate. It turned out you had friends from Chang’an; who else but the princess? Her leaving made the Emperor stop insisting on marrying me to her,” he sighed. “Heavens! She’s still just a child! Pingwei is a better match for her! Bingyan, I never had the desire for multiple wives or concubines! No princess, no other beautiful concubines! I only want you!”

Du Bingyan nodded. His feelings were clear enough! For this love, she was willing to endure any hardship or suffering.

“What if the princess hadn’t left and the Emperor had insisted? What would you have done?”

“Resigned from office,” he said casually.

She shook her head and sighed, “I’ve never met anyone more foolish than you! Someone like you is really not fit to be an official.”

He tightened his embrace, gazing adoringly at her gentle smile; she had grown somewhat thinner, and her slim waist felt so light in his arms.

“Uncle Li said your father scolded you severely! Did he really believe those nasty rumors and blame everything on you? Did he say he would arrange for you to be a concubine? Doesn’t he understand that you are my wife? No matter if there is a princess or not, you are still my legitimate wife, yet he has labeled you a courtesan!” Yuan Buqu was quite upset with his father-in-law.

“Ziren,” she explained softly, “Father meant well, but he was anxious and spoke without thinking. Because no one in the capital knew that you had married, he assumed you were deliberately toying with me and had no intention of giving me a proper status. He—he has high expectations of me, and if he thought I had lost face for him, he couldn’t bear it; he also feared that I would suffer in the capital and insisted I return. I thought, as long as you came, all the rumors would be debunked, and my father would see that you genuinely care for me. That’s why I came back.”

Yuan Buqu was not as forgiving as Du Bingyan; he would not let the rumors go unchallenged! Rumors would only become more insidious! With so many high officials arriving at the Du residence, and the gossip swirling outside, it was the perfect opportunity to clear Bingyan’s grievances.

“And your father?”

“He went to the Qi family in Quanzhou.” She suddenly smiled happily.

Yuan Buqu’s brows furrowed in displeasure, and with jealousy in his voice, he asked, “What’s he doing at the Qi family? Why are you so happy?” He pinched her delicate chin, his eyes flashing with dangerous light.

She should have been frightened, but instead, she smiled even more brightly! She tried to get up to pour him a cup of tea to soothe his jealousy, but he picked her up and held her high.

“Ziren—” she exclaimed, as he pressed her onto the bed, pinning her down.

“Speak!” he ordered forcefully.

Du Bingyan wrapped her small hands loosely around his neck, looking up at her impatient lover and husband. Ah, the man she was to spend her life with.

“Li Yuhu is pregnant.”

“Huh?” He couldn’t immediately recall who Li Yuhu was, and in fact, he had almost forgotten about her. His blank expression showed that the name was unfamiliar to him.

Bingyan bit her red lip and softly said, “The wife of Qi San Gongzi, the woman who was supposed to be your wife.”

He remembered.

“So what? Did Qi Gongzi die?”

“Not at all! They’ve been happily married for over half a year, and not only is she pregnant, but Qi San Gongzi has fully recovered as well.”

Yuan Buqu’s eyes lit up.

“Then you shouldn’t worry anymore! They are living well, just like us!” He then grew serious. “In that case, what is your father doing at the Qi family?”

“I heard that two months ago, my father went to the Qi family looking for me but found that Yuhu was impersonating me as the Third Young Master’s wife. He thought she had a plot, even suspecting she had replaced me and married into the Qi family, so he yelled at her on sight. This scared Yuhu so much that she fell and had a miscarriage, causing the two families to fall out and their business dealings to halt. After my father returned, the matchmaker told him what happened and exaggerated the situation. My father, realizing he had wronged Yuhu and the Qi family, decided to come to the capital to apologize. He also mentioned wanting to discuss something, probably business matters.” She smiled lightly, gently teasing his face. “Do you still think my father has any ulterior motives? Planning to marry me off to the Qi family? Regardless, I am married to you! To marry a second time would be a sin.”

He gently lay down on the inner side, holding her close with her head resting on his chest, and sighed. He lightly stroked her hair.

“You’ll have to remarry! This time, I want to make a grand show of bringing you back to Chang’an, making it known to everyone.”

She shook her head, her hands gently tracing along his rough contours, filled with endless affection. Her heart was brimming with a mysterious joy, just waiting for him to share it. As long as he loved her, that was enough; she asked for nothing more.

“I don’t care about formal declarations; we can just go ahead with the original plan, holding a wedding and a feast for friends and family! You’re not someone who is bound by societal constraints; why bother with these details now?”

“I can overlook everything, except for major life events like this! I’ll wait for your father to come back and show him my sincerity! I want him to know that you are my wife! He must be blind to think I’m toying with you!”

“Thank you!” She was a lucky woman, fortunate to receive his wholehearted affection, without even a hint of grievance!

He held her soft hands in his, kissing them repeatedly. His new stubble tickled and hurt her, making her giggle and try to pull her hands away. He seemed to enjoy himself and rubbed his stubbly chin against her delicate neck! They played on the bed like two big children.

This was his pure heart and affection displayed just for her! And her heart, bound by the constraints of etiquette, was liberated only in front of him.

They were two lonely stars destined to be together, cherishing their deep and sincere feelings even more.

“It’s so itchy, stop it!” Bingyan pleaded, trying to pull his hands away from her waist. He always loved holding her waist with both hands, making her very ticklish, and now he was attacking her neck with his stubbly chin. She called out repeatedly until their playful antics turned into a passionate kiss, and the room finally fell silent.

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