"Dongling!" Shangguan Yun interrupted her, his voice trembling. "Now you have nothing to do with the young lady of the Qi family. You don't need to take her into account at all!"
Shangguan Yun looked at her with burning eyes, which made Wei Dongling feel nervous. She actually wanted to say that General Qi would soon return to the capital and then ask the emperor to bestow the marriage of Miss Qi to him. So, why did he come to say such things and make them both embarrassed?
After thinking for a while, Wei Dongling plucked up her courage and said, "Prince Yun, I'm very glad to have a loyal and affectionate friend like you by my side. But we can only be friends. There's no other possibility. If the brocade pouch I embroidered for you at that time made you misunderstand, I sincerely apologize here. I whole - heartedly want to be with Zixi till the end. If it can't be, there's nothing I can do. But your Prince's Mansion is beyond my reach! Moreover, I'm not willing. Please, Prince Yun, for the sake of our friendship, respect my decision."
She was not willing!
Shangguan Yun's heart ached violently. Thinking of the lingering night, there was a look of pain in his eyes.
Wei Dongling sighed silently in her heart. Seeing Shangguan Yun's fingertips turning white from clenching, she felt a bit sorry. She stood up, bowed solemnly, bent down to pick up her shoes and socks, and ran away bare - footed.
A pair of delicate and cute footprints were left on the stone path. Shangguan Yun looked at them silently with his head down, thinking of all the past events.
The way she played the zither and sang "The Fireworks Fade Quickly" was both clumsy and cute;
The initial ambiguity arose when he applied medicine to her on Nanfeng Ridge. Every time he thought of it, it was both sweet and astringent;
When they were fighting in Baoqing Tower and fell from the third - floor into the lake, he was so panicked that he thought he was doomed. Unexpectedly, she jumped down without hesitation and grabbed him tightly.
From then on, Shangguan Yun knew that there would never be any other woman in his heart except her.
However, Wei Dongling said that she was not willing!
She said that she whole - heartedly wanted to be with Zixi till the end.
Looking at the shallow footprints on the ground, Shangguan Yun felt heart - ache. He sighed silently in his heart. For a moment, he envied Yu Zixi immensely. Yu Zixi seemed to have nothing, but it seemed that he had everything.
Wei Dongling returned to her boudoir bare - footed. Looking at her thinner figure in the bronze mirror recently, she felt timid.
Even if Yu Zixi had feelings for her and refused He Yao for her, it couldn't stop the County Mistress Rong'an from being persistent. She pestered the Empress Dowager to arrange the marriage.
If Yu Zixi defied the imperial order, it would be a capital crime! Even if Lord Yu wanted to stop it, he was powerless.
Moreover, as He Yao said, Yu Zixi had been living under others' roofs since childhood and grew up under the surveillance of various forces. If he married He Yao, at least with the title of a county mistress covering him, he wouldn't have to live so cautiously.
The more Wei Dongling thought about it, the more uncomfortable she felt. She went to the bedside, took out the money box and rummaged through it. After selling the house, there was only the silver note that she had desperately hidden in her cuff that night left in the box. She couldn't help pouting. Even the pleasure of counting silver was gone.
There was also a fine jade pendant in the box. It was the token of love that Yu Zixi had given her on the Qixi Festival. Wei Dongling picked it up, touched it again and again, and then reluctantly put it back.
At the very bottom of the box, there was a gold hairpin lying quietly. It was the latest style of gold hairpin from Baocui Workshop that Qi Jinxuan had given her before. Later, Qi Jinxuan threw away the hairpin and said that she would break off all relations with her. And then it was retrieved by Luo Xunlong and the others who went into the water several times.
Wei Dongling once said that she wanted to sell it for silver, but in the end, she couldn't bear to. This hairpin was the only memory of her eight - year stay in the General's Mansion.
Wei Dongling touched the hairpin and quietly put it back in its original place.
The next day, when it was broad daylight, Wei Dongling was strolling in the courtyard, teasing the koi. Looking up, she saw Ah Cheng, the milk - tea vendor, rushing back. As soon as he saw her, he ran towards her quickly.
He said that the Second Master Qi from the General's Mansion had just gone to the Listening - to - the - Wind Tower to look for her. Since she wasn't there, he had to leave.
So, Wei Dongling and Cuihuan got on the carriage and took some gifts to the General Qi's Mansion.
When the carriage was approaching the main gate of the General's Mansion, from afar, they saw two familiar figures. It was Lvkou helping Qi Jinxuan get into the carriage carefully.
Qi Jinxuan was still dressed in a dignified and elegant manner. With just a touch of powder on her face, she was so beautiful that people would never forget her.
Wei Dongling stared without blinking as the Qi family's carriage drove away. Her heart was filled with bitterness.
Cuihuan reached out to help her get off the carriage and couldn't help muttering, "The carriage is long gone. What are you still looking at! Hey, there are so many people in our own family to care about. Do you still have time to look at others?"
Wei Dongling grabbed Cuihuan's hand and said with a smile, "I just think that it's only been a short time since we last met, but Miss Qi has gained some weight on her face. She seems even more beautiful than before."
Cuihuan was speechless.
The guard at the gate went in to announce. After a while, the Second Master Qi came out to greet them. He grabbed Wei Dongling's wrist and asked her to go in and sit down.
Wei Dongling shook her head with a smile and asked Cuihuan to go to the carriage to get the gifts.
The Second Master Qi looked up at Wei Dongling and said with concern, "Dongling, why have you lost some weight again?"
Wei Dongling waved her hand and said with a smile, "It's okay, Uncle. Don't worry about me. Uncle, did you come to find me for something today?"
The Second Master Qi looked a bit embarrassed. After hesitating for a long time, he said softly, "Yesterday, someone from the Yu Mansion came."
Wei Dongling wasn't surprised. Forcing a smile, she said, "Lord Yu wants to break off the marriage between our two families, right?"
The Second Master Qi felt quite uncomfortable seeing Wei Dongling like this. He said in a low voice, "The Yu family means that since the Empress Dowager has arranged the marriage, they can't go against it. They can only offer to take you as a concubine. But as compensation, the betrothal gifts will only be more, not less. I didn't say anything. I only said that I had to ask for your opinion."
Wei Dongling lowered her head and said with a faint smile, "Uncle, I'm not willing."
The Second Master Qi was silent for a moment and hesitated, "Well, then we'll decline it. But that incident back then damaged your reputation. I'm worried..."
Wei Dongling said seriously, "Uncle, don't worry. My father once said that he didn't ask for the family to be wealthy, but only for them to treat me well. I have no great ambitions. I don't want to marry into a noble family as a concubine reluctantly. I just want to find an ordinary family and live a stable life."
The Second Master Qi was stunned for a while after hearing this and then nodded vigorously.
Wei Dongling grabbed his wrist and said with a smile, "Currently, the business of the Listening - to - the - Wind Tower is going smoothly. My father's former master, Lord Su, has been cleared of his false charges recently. Now he has even bought a house. Our life is quite comfortable."
The Second Master Qi's frowning eyebrows finally relaxed. He nodded repeatedly and said with a smile, "That's good, that's good!"
Wei Dongling waved to Cuihuan behind her, presented a pile of gifts, and gave a lot of detailed instructions. Then she left reluctantly.
On the way back, Wei Dongling raised her eyebrows and asked Cuihuan, "Did you hear everything?"
"Yeah."
"What do you think?"
Cuihuan snorted and said, "If he dares to marry someone else, you should just go up and break his legs. I'll even go up and kick him a few times!"
Hearing this, Wei Dongling laughed from ear to ear.