Chapter 173 - The Consequences of Putting on an Act (1/2)

Nangong Shu reached Qingxin Tavern. Sure enough, the people of the Dragon Conqueror Gang were all there, along with Prince Rui as expected.

Everyone immediately greeted him when they saw him arrive. Suddenly, the place was a burst of hustle and bustle.

Just as they were talking and laughing, Princess Yu Long came along as well!

Chang Huan’s relaxed smile suddenly disappeared. He turned slightly and looked out the window.

Yu Long noticed Chang Huan’s evasive look. Her eyes dimmed slightly, and then she smiled and walked towards Su Jiu. “Mr. Su, I heard that it is very lively here, so I took the liberty to come! I hope I didn’t disturb anything!”

Why did Yu Long come here? Only Su Jiu, Xiao Lie, and Chang Huan knew. Su Jiu hurriedly replied, “No, you didn’t disturb us! Princess, if you want to come, we are more than welcome!”

Yu Long smiled faintly, saw Xiao Lie and Nangong Shu, and paid her respects. “His Royal Highness Rui! General Nangong!”

“Greetings to you, Princess Yu Long!” Nangong Shu politely replied, albeit with several qualms. He thought that Yu Long came to find Prince Rui, and he did not expect her to know Su Jiu.

“The weather is excellent today, and the spring flowers are blooming. Why don’t we go on a cruise?” Yu Long suggested.

Behind Qingxin Tavern was the famous Huanhua River in Shengjing. The banks of the river willows were smokey and green. It was an ethereal display of nature’s glory.

“Sounds good! We do nothing else other than drinking when we get together. Why don’t we go on a cruise together this time around?” Xiao Lie wore a black-colored brocade embroidered with cloud patterns, along with purple and gold thread on the cuffs. The cloak lined the man’s prosperous posture, and he looked graceful as he spoke.

Since His Royal Highness Rui agreed to the suggestion, everyone else naturally had no objections. Thus, they went downstairs together and walked towards the river bank.

Facing the river breeze, there was a touch of rouge fragrance, coupled with the flamboyant laughter of the women in the shipyard. The extravagance of drunk reminiscing also lingered in the air.

There was a three-story boathouse with carved beams on the banks of the river. Everyone went up. The young noblemen and women were wearing colorful thin shirts. They gathered in groups of three and five, laughing and enjoying the joy of spring together.

Su Jiu and her party sat down by a set of tables and chairs at the ship’s bow. As soon as they sat down, they heard the boatman shouting, “We are setting sail!”

His loud and thunderous voice spread far across the river, echoing with the breeze.

The windows swayed gently, slowly leaving the river bank and heading towards the center of the river. The breeze carried with it a moist atmosphere, which was refreshing and pleasant.

A woman’s soft and sweet singing came floating by, and it was gentle and melodious. The songs sung were of a girl pining for love. It made one feel soft as they listened to her voice.

The waiter came over to pour tea for them, and served melon and fruit snacks.

At this time, the door of the cabin opened, and a group of three came to the bow. A man smiled and asked, “Eldest Young Master, why don’t we sit by the bow and listen to the music as we enjoy the wind?”

Su Jiu abruptly looked up. She looked into the dull eyes of Ji Yuxian.

The person who spoke was Young Royal Highness Liang, and there was another person with them. It was Big Golden Teeth.

Ji Yuxian stepped aside and seemed to want to walk away. However, he stopped in his steps when he saw Su Jiu. His lips pursed, and he nodded. “Alright!”

As they walked towards her, the faces of the women around flushed excitedly, and they whispered amongst themselves.

“Is that Eldest Young Master Ji? It is him!”

“The Eldest Young Master has come to this cruise?”

“The Eldest Young Master is so beautiful!”

…

Su Jiu and her group had an empty table next to them. The three of them sat down, with Ji Yuxian sitting behind Su Jiu.

Xiao Lie’s eyes were deep. All of a sudden, he held Su Jiu’s hand under the table.

Su Jiu subconsciously tried to shake him off, but the man merely tightened his grip. Despite that, his handsome face showed no sense of panic. He lightly held his cup of tea and sipped away.

The people from the Dragon Conqueror Gang were aware of the entanglement between Su Jiu and Ji Yuxian, and it was best not to say hello to Ji Yuxian at this moment. The atmosphere suddenly became silent and tense.

At this time, the waiter came, nodded, and smiled. “My distinguished guests, what do you want to eat and drink?”

Su Jiu looked towards Yu Long. “What do you like to eat, Princess?”

Yu Long grinned. “No need to be polite, you can do whatever you want. You can just order anything. I have always been an easy-going person!”

Su Jiu nodded with a chuckle. She then casually ordered a few special dishes on this ship and asked for their best wine.

“Wherever we go, we are still inseparable from wine!” Xiao Lie sat beside Su Jiu, his thin lips lightly pursed as he saw her give a weak smile.

“In the past two months in Youzhou, our Chief has been heavily deprived of wine!” Qiao An sipped his tea and smiled faintly.

“Says who?” Hu Dapao blurted out. “Didn’t you all buy wine at the market that day, even though that wine had to be mixed with water?”

Ah Shu and Chang Huan glanced at each other, and their faces immediately changed. It was too late to stop Hu Dapao from mentioning it.

Su Jiu looked at them and sneered, “That’s great. I was killing enemies in the village. To think that you all even bought wine and secretly drank without me!”

“Boss, I’m wrong! I acknowledge my mistake, and please punish me!” Chang Huan first admitted his guilt.

Ah Shu decided to defend himself. “At that time, you were living in the big tent of His Royal Highness Rui, Chief! We would never have dared to let you drink!”

As he leaned back against Su Jiu, Ji Yuxian’s body suddenly stiffened. His enchanting phoenix eyes were frosty, and his long fingers holding the teacup turned white!

They had slept together in the same tent. No wonder they became so close.

The man’s lips pursed with a self-deprecating sneer. What did he do? Why did he have to come here to experience this?

He knew she was there, but there was nothing else he could do!

“Eldest Young Master, please drink some tea!” Big Golden Teeth saw that Ji Yuxian’s face had turned ugly, but did not know what made him unhappy. He hurriedly got up and poured him some tea.

Young Royal Highness Liang was very interested in looking at the woman next to him. He squinted gently at her, and the woman shyly avoided his gaze.

Ah Shu and Hu Dapao then talked about the situation in Youzhou, and it became an endless talk. Yu Long listened with fright and frowned at Chang Huan.

It turned out that they had encountered so many dangers in Northern Xinjiang!

“In the end, it was fortunate that our Chief was desperately trying to pull the sheepskin over that wooden coffin. That truly saved our lives. Otherwise, we would probably be buried in the Coiling Dragon Ridge right now!”

Ji Yuxian’s hand trembled. The clear wine reflected the man’s deep and dark phoenix eyes.

She had entered the Coiling Dragon Ridge and encountered such dangerous matters. Why didn’t Wei Tan’s letter to him mention all these?

And at that time, it was Xiao Lie who was beside her.

The man’s chest felt dull and unbearable. He regretted his decision. Why didn’t he follow them? Perhaps then, things wouldn’t be like how it was now.

“Maybe it was the owner of the tomb who intended to let us live!” Su Jiu half-joked.

Chang Huan raised his eyebrows and whispered, “Maybe you don’t believe me, but I think I saw something firmly grabbing onto Hage at that time!”

As soon as his voice fell, everyone remembered the tragic situation where Hage chopped off his feet. They could not help but shudder.

Was Hage perhaps inseparable from that coffin? Was there something holding onto him?

Nangong Shu said, “At that time, it was Hage who had led the people into the tomb first, and it was also them who had forced the door of the main hall open!”

Everyone heard this, and they felt even more miserable. Did the tomb owner despise Hage for disturbing his tranquility, and refused to let him go?

However, the truth of the matter was that Hage has been buried with the tomb owner, and he would stay there forever. What was he stuck to the coffin by? What was he stuck with? No one would ever know.

Xiao Lie chuckled. “Why would there be a ghost? The tomb owner must have set up a trap so that no one can steal from the tomb!”

Everyone followed with a grin. Afterward, they no longer mentioned the things that happened in the tomb.

Young Royal Highness Liang was teasing the beautiful woman in front of his father-in-law. Then, he turned back to toast Ji Yuxian. “I will first make a toast to you, Eldest Young Master! Thank you for your willingness to be here for my sake today!”

“Your Highness is polite!” Ji Yuxian replied. Dressed in crimson, he had a beautiful face and a graceful posture. He sat there, and the women on the ship abruptly lost their composure.

That crimson color became another gorgeous scenery, set along the river with flowers.

“Eldest Young Master, I invited you to come out today because I want to be a matchmaker for you.” Young Royal Highness Liang glanced at Big Golden Teeth next to him and smiled. “Eldest Young Master, you should know that Shopkeeper Li’s precious daughter is my concubine. But he also has a third daughter. She has a flower-like appearance and has just reached the age to marry. Therefore, I want to help build a bridge between you and Shopkeeper Li. How about we make this happen?”

“Yes, yes!” Big Golden Teeth bobbed his head with a smile.

Ji Yuxian’s face was faint, and he took a sip of his drink slowly. His voice remained pleasant as he replied, “Thank you for the kind gesture, Young Royal Highness Liang and Shopkeeper Li. However, I have promised my wife that I will never have another concubine again, so I can only waste your efforts!”

Su Jiu’s hand, which was carrying a wine bottle, slightly quivered.

Xiao Lie glanced over, took Su Jiu’s hand, and smiled lightly. “Don’t drink anymore. This wine is strong, so it’s easy to get intoxicated!”

Everyone else was joking around and merry-making. Yu Long noticed Xiao Lie’s closeness to Su Jiu and was puzzled. She felt that the way Xiao Lie looked at Su Jiu’s expression was unlike how ordinary friends would behave.

Su Jiu put down her wine, changed to tea, raised her eyebrows. She smiled and exclaimed, “Okay!”

Behind her, Young Royal Highness Liang continued persuading Ji Yuxian. “Eldest Young Master, you shouldn’t say that. Men should have three wives and four concubines. If they only marry one wife, it will be rather shameful if the news spreads! They will say that you are afraid of your wife!”

Ji Yuxian nodded. “I’m scared of my wife indeed!”

She frowned. He could not bear to give her up, but he promised everything to her instead!

Young Royal Highness Liang said with a chuckle, “The Eldest Young Master is kidding!”

Ji Yuxian smiled, but he did not deny.

Big Golden Teeth grinned. “It is better to have Shopkeeper Li send his third daughter to your house and serve you, Eldest Young Master. If you like her, then we will send her to your room for more. How about that?”

Ji Yuxian shook his head. “My wife has not been in the manor recently. Before she left, she had told me that she would be so angry she might not even return! I do not dare to do this!”

Young Royal Highness Liang fell silent. “…”

For someone to readily admit that he feared his wife so frankly, only the Ji Manor’s Eldest Young Master was capable of this.

He wanted to see how beautiful this Young Mistress in Ji Manor was, such that the Eldest Young Master became so obsessed with her.

He heard that it was Miss Su from the Su Family, but he also heard that the marriage between the two was going to be renounced.

Big Golden Teeth was even more embarrassed, and he had to laugh. “It’s very admirable to care for your wife like this! Truly admirable! Although my marriage is not as successful yet, I have been friends with you for many years, Eldest Young Master. Once the spring tea from the Ji Manor soon enters the capital, please take care of me!”

Ji Yuxian smiled lightly. “You’re welcome, Shopkeeper Li!”

Su Jiu suddenly got up. “I’m going to the latrine!”

“I’ll go with you!” Xiao Lie took her hand.

Yu Long looked up, and her eyes landed on the hands that were holding onto each other. She gave a deep gaze.

“You don’t need to!” Su Jiu snorted. “The ship isn’t so big. I can surely find the latrine. I’ll be back soon!”

Su Jiu said her goodbyes, turned and walked out.

A neatly dressed young male servant immediately stepped forward and asked, “What’s the matter, sir?”

“Where’s the cottage?” Su Jiu asked.

“At the stern!” the male servant pointed back with his hand. “Go to the end and turn left!”

“Thank you!” Su Jiu nodded. She walked across the dazzling array of women and headed towards the stern.

She pushed the door open, and the interior was very elegant. The mahogany floor was set with two tables and chairs for guests to rest. The incense was lit on the table, and the fragrance was faint, without any trace of a smell.

There were two screens behind, with a wooden door in the middle. Su Jiu walked in and closed the door.

After a moment, Su Jiu washed her hands and left. When she lifted her head, she was stunned for a moment.

The man leaned obliquely on the desk case, looking captivating in red. He slowly looked up.

Su Jiu rolled her eyes and asked, “…Isn’t this the latrine for women?”

Ji Yuxian stared at her bitterly, got up, and took her arm. He turned her around and suddenly trapped her in his arms. He gritted his teeth fiercely and asked, “Su Jiu, are you done?”

Su Jiu’s face was pale, and she did not speak.

“Do you truly like him? Or do you want to be Princess Rui?” The man’s phoenix eyes were cold as he asked, pinching her chin.

Su Jiu’s eyes were equally cold as well. She looked up and said, “I like him!”

Ji Yuxian’s eyes shook fiercely. His thin lips rolled into a line, and he looked at her with pain. “You like him? When did this happen? Is it because both of you spent two months together? Is it because he was by your side when you were in danger?”

Su Jiu said nothing.

“Speak!” The man’s eyes were deeper in pain, and he bowed his head heavily on her lips. He swallowed her lips ferociously and angrily. He had conquered her and kissed her however he wanted.

Su Jiu struggled hard, but couldn’t withstand his strength. The heat on her lips pained her, but in her mind, it was ever chaotic.

The man tasted blood and slowed down. He thought of her for so long. How could he be willing to hurt her?

“Su Jiu, other than my identity and status, where else do I not match up with him? So why?”

“I missed you so much over these two months that I have exhausted all my mental strength. Tell me, how can I live my life without you in the future?”

“I’m aware of your feelings towards the Su Family, so I dare not force them to divorce me immediately. I decided to plan out a step-by-step procedure and let them take the initiative to divorce instead. This is so that you can be relieved and not feel guilty! However, now that I have managed to do it, why did you go and like other people instead? You promised me that you will wait for me!”

“You promised to stay with me forever!”

The man questioned with agony and kissed her resentfully. He wished to rub her into his body and never be separated from her, ever again.

Su Jiu closed her eyes as she struggled hard in her heart. She grasped her hands tightly and wanted to stay awake. She said that she was no longer going to be involved with Ji Yuxian. She did not like him! She disliked him!

He could kiss Lan Zhihui or marry Miss Su from the Su family. It had nothing to do with her!

She would never suffer that kind of suffering again!

Knock! Knock! Suddenly a knock came from the door, and Xiao Lie’s dull voice rang outside, “Ah Jiu, are you inside?”

“Ah Jiu?”

Ji Yuxian glanced at the wooden door and kissed harder.

“Ah Jiu?”

The voice outside the door started to panic.

“You wrote a letter and told me not to come and find you. I thought you needed to be calm, but why did you come back like this?” The man bit her lips unwillingly and grunted.

“What letter?”

Su Jiu’s lips were sealed, and a vague voice was heard. She extended her arms to push Ji Yuxian away, and the door suddenly was being kicked open. Xiao Lie looked at them coldly, his eyes sharp as needles.

“Ah Jiu, come with me!” Xiao Lie took Su Jiu’s wrist and raised his hands to wipe the blood on her lips. Then, with a cool spirit emitting from his body, he left with her.

Ji Yuxian reached out and grabbed Su Jiu. “She won’t go with you!”

Xiao Lie looked back. His handsome face was cold, and his presence overwhelming. “Su Jiu has promised to be with me, and she hopes that the Eldest Young Master will no longer be entangled with her. If you make it difficult for her, I won’t let you go easily!”

Ji Yuxian’s eyes were clear as he remarked, “How will Your Highness kill your humble servant?”

“I know how much power you have, and my father, the Emperor, dare not easily move against you, Eldest Young Master. I will not do anything to suppress you in that matter, but, in addition to having the rights of the prince, I also have the right to be a man. I will not allow you to touch Ah Jiu!”

“It would be better to try and find out who is ever more determined!”

“Are both of you done?!” Su Jiu suddenly screamed and flung her hands violently, freeing herself from both of them.

She pulled out a silver ticket from her arms and threw it on the boat, then glanced coldly at the two. “No one shall follow me, or I’ll sever all ties! I will do it!”

The girl looked pale and turned to walk past the screen. She kicked the cabin with one foot and jumped down.

Plop! Then, they heard a woman screaming from the other end, “Someone has fallen into the water! No, no, someone has fallen into the water!”

Ji Yuxian and Xiao Lie both changed their faces and rushed forward, only to see that the girl had gone very quickly towards the shore. Once she landed, she hurriedly left and disappeared.

Ah Shu and Hu Dapao also heard the sound, got up, and looked. They saw Su Jiu’s figure on the shore. Shocked, they ran to the stern.

Looking at the entire wooden wall where the cabin was kicked, Chang Huan and Ah Shu stood up, got into the water, and chased after Su Jiu.

“What’s going on?” Princess Yu Long asked in surprise.

Qiao An’s eyes fell on Ji Yuxian and Xiao Lie with coldness, and he said softly, “Please, both of you, stop forcing our Chief!”

Nangong Shu walked from behind and looked at the two equally distinguished and upright men. The deep tide flowed through his eyes. He slowly squinted and turned to look in the direction where Su Jiu headed towards.

Young Royal Highness Liang and Big Golden Teeth also heard the sound. At this time, they saw Xiao Lie and stepped forward to greet him. “We didn’t know you’re here, Your Highness! How rude of us!”

Xiao Lie coldly glanced at Young Royal Highness Liang, turned around, and strode away. He then ordered the boatman to go ashore.

…

“Ah!” Su Jiu sat around the fire, covered in a quilt with a depressed look.

The water in March was still frigid. The consequences of putting on an act were to wear drenched clothes and catch a cold. With a cold, one would get a headache and fever and would be in bed for at least two days.

Su Jiu was in good health and rarely got sick. However, when she would get sick, it would come violently, and medicine would not work.

The nanny walked in, carrying a medicine bowl. Worried, she anxiously muttered, “Miss, you were already uncomfortable yesterday, why didn’t you mention it? You simply laid in bed for a whole day, and now your condition is getting more and more serious!”

It was a cool March, but Su Jiu still shivered despite having a fire in the house. She frowned and replied, “I thought I would be better after I lay down for one day!”