novelraw Chapter 918 - 872: Captured (First Update)
Chapter 918 - 872: Captured (First Update)
Thinking of Xie Feng, Song Qi was momentarily stunned.
Words she had spoken to him that day surfaced in her mind.
—— It’s just a joke, Mr. Xie, why take it so seriously?
—— Mr. Xie’s cheap affection is understood, it’s destined by heaven that the Song family is extraordinary, and that I’m meant to be a Princess Consort.
Princess Consort? She is now dismissed from the registry, without any candidacy, how could she be a Princess Consort?
The harsher the words spoken, the more it stung now.
Hua Mei continued speaking beside her, "Mr. Xie likes the second young lady the most, he’s a straightforward person, doesn’t hold grudges, he certainly won’t ignore the second young lady."
Yes, Brother Feng likes her the most.
Growing up together as childhood sweethearts, Song Qi couldn’t understand Xie Feng more.
Previously when Song Jiao died in childbirth, she hid away in the Xie Family out of fear. When Xie Feng came to see her, he said he wouldn’t ignore her, no matter what she became, he liked her.
Thinking of this, Song Qi immediately revived her spirit and instructed the house servant driving the carriage, "Turn left, take a detour to the Xie Mansion."
At this moment in the Xie Mansion, Eunuch Sanbao was proclaiming an imperial decree, followed by a group of eunuchs, each holding a tray covered with silk cloth, within the trays were the rewards the Emperor bestowed to Mr. Xie of the Xie Family, Xie Feng.
Xie Feng usually loved tinkering with gadgets and small contraptions, and unintentionally improved a mechanical beast toy that was bought for his cousin Xie You, greatly inspired by this, he applied the improvements to the Divine Soldier Mechanism Beast.
Xie Zheng informed Duke Lu about this, and Duke Lu mentioned it to Emperor Xuanjing during his audience, resulting in the Emperor’s deep appreciation for Xie Feng; besides the rewards, he was also ordered to be transferred to the Divine Soldier Bureau.
What place is the Divine Soldier Bureau?
It’s Chu Country’s most secretive Weapon Bureau, where even a small craftsman must be a carefully selected Mechanical Master, without an imperial decree from the Emperor, even a Prince and Queen cannot enter at will, countless people desire to work there but find no way in, Xie Feng having this opportunity, besides his capabilities, also means that the heavens have favored the Xie Family.
Aunt Xie smiled to the point of wrinkles, wanting to keep Eunuch Sanbao for tea.
Eunuch Sanbao, burdened with many affairs, did not plan to stay long, collecting the reward money given by the Xie Family, he was now speaking with Xie Zheng in the courtyard.
Aunt Xie gazed at the rewards filling the long table, looking at Xie Feng with immense gratification, "Feng, you’ve finally proven yourself, your father hasn’t wasted his years nurturing you. By the way, since you have a proper position now, your marriage should be prioritized, I’ll ask someone to choose an auspicious day soon, and finalize the arrangement with the Gu Family to put your father at ease."
Xie Feng chuckled, "Grandmother, you handle the arrangements, I’ll go see Eunuch Sanbao off."
Saying that, he stepped out of the hall.
After seeing Eunuch Sanbao off, Xie Feng was about to turn around when he spotted a grand carriage with vermilion wheels and a grand canopy parked under the horse chestnut tree nearby.
This carriage, he was very familiar with, having repaired it half a month ago.
Realizing who had come, Xie Feng’s heartbeat unconsciously quickened, just taking a step forward, then recalling something, he withdrew his foot, his eyes lowering in melancholy.
He decided not to look, intending to return inside.
From inside the carriage came Song Qi’s tender, soft voice, "Brother Feng."
Xie Feng’s steps paused, his back stiffened, turning around, he saw the carriage curtain lifted open, revealing Song Qi’s half face, she bit her lip in humiliation and distress, on the verge of tears.
This appearance was as pitiful as could be.
His fingers tightened then relaxed, Xie Feng still stepped forward, bowing with clasped hands, "Second young lady."
The way he addressed her was no longer the endearing "Sister Song Qi."
Xie Feng’s sense of distance made Song Qi feel even more uncomfortable, "Brother Feng, are you still holding a grudge against me for what I said that day? I was actually..."
She initially wanted to say that she was forced by her third uncle, her third uncle pressured her to marry the Princely Heir of Prince Cheng, she refused, so he erased her from the registry.
However, before she could speak, Xie Feng shook his head, "Those words, I won’t take them to heart."
Song Jiao felt elated inside, she knew that no matter when, Brother Feng would always wait for her.
"In the past, it was my unrealistic dream to aim too high." Xie Feng said: "I’ll soon be engaged, from now on, I won’t trouble the second young lady any longer."
Song Qi’s face froze, "Brother Feng, how can you..."
How can you say such a thing to her? How can you get engaged to another woman? What about her!
"Brother Feng, I, I actually..."
"I understand." Xie Feng never looked at her, his gaze fixed on the ground. "I cannot give you what you want. I hope you will be happy after entering the Prince Mansion."
He said, turning his head slightly, "Given our respective statuses, I won’t keep you. It’s getting late, you should head back."
Song Qi’s tears fell pattering down. She wanted to call him back and tell him she had changed her mind, but could only watch Xie Feng’s figure walking further away.
Song Qi leaned powerlessly against the carriage window, crying miserably.
Xique was anxious and angry, "How can Mr. Xie be like this? He clearly sees the young lady has nowhere to go, and yet he doesn’t offer to take her in. He just walks away--what on earth are we supposed to do now?"
Hua Mei pursed her lips. After all, her contract of servitude was still with the Song Family, recorded with the Shuntian Prefecture. She wasn’t the one without residence registration, so why should she worry?
The group could only temporarily stay at an inn.
At this critical moment, one should save whenever possible. However, those past two months had spoiled Song Qi, making her averse to ordinary inns, so she chose the somewhat reputable Four Seas Inn in the capital. Staying overnight with meals cost a large portion of their remaining silver taels.
Hua Mei remained composed, appearing unfazed and at ease.
Xique, however, was so anxious that sores appeared at the corner of her mouth. She paced back and forth muttering, "What to do, what to do--we truly have nowhere to go now. We barely have any money left. If Second Miss continues like this, we won’t even have enough for food in two days."
Hua Mei timely reminded, "What’s there to fear? If we can’t go to the Xie Mansion, isn’t there still the Changning Marquis Mansion?"
Xique’s eyes lit up, "Right, right, why didn’t I think of that? Although the Commandery Princess and the master are divorced, they were still one family with Second Miss. She wouldn’t stand by seeing Second Miss in such a state."
Xique, filled with excitement, was about to share her idea with Song Qi when there was a knock on the door.
The government was checking residence registrations.
No one knew what big case had occurred recently in the capital. At night, scarcely any civilians were seen outside, and the once bustling main streets were eerily deserted, with an especially tense atmosphere.
Song Qi, along with two maids and four house servants, was captured. After Shuntian Prefecture verified their identities, they found only Song Qi had no registration, so they released the other servants.
Hua Mei immediately went to Changning Marquis Mansion. She held Song Wei’s prized object, thus obtained an audience with Wen Wan and informed her about Song Qi’s capture.
Wen Wan’s expression was one of anticipated understanding.
Hua Mei was slightly taken aback. She had felt suspicious when the master tasked her with this job--the two were divorced, so why would they still interact privately?
Now she somewhat understood. If not for the divorce act, how would the Commandery Princess remain in the capital to join forces with the master to torment Song Qi?
However, for one Song Qi alone, was the divorce too great a price to pay?
Before Hua Mei could ponder longer, Wen Wan said, "Leave Song Qi to me. You take Xique and those servants back to Ningzhou as quickly as possible. The capital is unstable recently; staying too long invites trouble."
Hua Mei nodded, while Wen Wan added, "Since the master arranged for you to come, you must be tight-lipped. Weigh what you should or should not say yourself."
Hua Mei hurriedly said, "Rest assured, Commandery Princess, I certainly won’t breathe a word."
Wen Wan nodded, satisfied, and had Linglong fetch some silver taels for travel expenses.
Upon learning Song Qi was arrested for being unregistered, Yun Cai was overjoyed, her small face covered in a gleeful smile. "Well caught, well done! That little wretch deserves to squat in prison and eat prison food!"
Song Qi was no longer part of the Song Family. Yun Cai couldn’t help but voice her true thoughts.
Linglong chuckled, shaking her head, yet also felt waves of pleasure.
After harming her own sister and causing their grandmother’s death out of anger, could she be anything but a foul bird? Previously, they had no formal reason to arrest her--now it was fitting she suffer punishment inside.
Wen Wan did not immediately rush to free Song Qi. Estimating she had endured enough torment, she leisurely took her carriage to Shuntian Prefecture’s prison.
Last year, after her diplomatic mission to Bei Yan aiding Su Qing’s conquest of Yanjing, Wen Wan became a heroine of Chu Country. She herself was a living banner and needed no arrangements to be respectfully let through by the prison guards at the gate of Shuntian Prefecture.
The dungeon was dark, with many captives crammed inside. A musty stench overwhelmed the senses immediately upon entry.
Ignoring the cries for help and claims of injustice from prisoners in both rows of cells, Wen Wan followed the prison guard to Song Qi’s cell.
Song Qi, being unregistered, was not entitled to a single cell, so the cell housed several women apart from her.
Song Qi wore prison garb, her hair messy, her face dirty.
In recent times, she had genuinely experienced the plunge from heaven to hell. Bullied daily by both guards and fellow inmates, she longed to return and be whipped by her third uncle--it would surpass this by tenfold.
Hearing commotion outside, Song Qi raised her head and glimpsed a vivid red figure. Seeing clearly, her face froze, but soon her eyes erupted with overwhelming joy.