Xiao Jingnan turned his head and looked over with his eyes raised. A hint of complex tenderness bloomed in his expression, as if he was recalling the brightest sunshine in his life.
"I didn't tell my father and mother concubine, nor did I bring Lu Ping and Wu Yao. Instead, I packed a simple bookcase myself and planned to leave the capital. But I forgot that it was the day when the results of the spring imperial examination were announced, and the street in front of the Imperial College was jam-packed."
"There were simply too many people around. I squeezed for a long time but only moved a little. Then, suddenly, my vision went black, and I heard a maid beside me say, 'Miss, we've caught him!'"
He slightly lowered his eyes, with a gentle curve, revealing a gentle smile, as if hiding the most precious treasure in the world.
Li Wanming recalled the scene of that day and was momentarily speechless.
Actually, when it came to this matter, it seemed that she was in the wrong. It was she who had tied the man to the Li family without distinguishing right from wrong.
"Then you... you could have told me later!" Li Wanming said angrily, her face slightly flushed.
Even if she had tied him up, she had apologized immediately when she found out she had made a mistake. He clearly had the opportunity to explain the truth...
Why didn't he say anything?
He had deceived her for two whole years!
"Because you're too beautiful..."
Ugh...
This reason...
Li Wanming's breath caught in her throat, and her face felt burning hot.
But Xiao Jingnan's eyes were filled with tenderness, so thick that it couldn't be melted away.
He would never forget the moment when the red bridal veil fell from his head, revealing the unparalleledly beautiful face in front of him.
A pair of big, bright eyes, black and white as clear as water, were like a curious fawn's. Her eyebrows were slightly thick, like the newly sprouted grass in spring. The whole person was full of heroism, and the vibrant vitality in her seemed ready to burst out.
Actually, in terms of appearance alone, Li Wanming might not be the most beautiful.
But she was so special.
She didn't have the slightest bit of the delicacy of the capital's women. Instead, she exuded a wild and unruly vitality, like the wild grass on the wasteland that couldn't be burned out by the wildfire.
Fiery and vibrant, she shone brightly.
Xiao Jingnan couldn't take his eyes off her.
She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life.
Moreover, this girl had gone to catch a husband under his own banner in order to escape marriage, and she had caught the wrong person...
It was really interesting!
If he could really marry such a girl as his wife, the days to come would surely never be boring.
When Li Wanxin came down from the main hall anxiously and said that if the wedding couldn't be held today, Li Wanming would be betrothed to the Prince of Ning's heir, Xiao Jingnan's mind had already made a sudden turn. He immediately decided: It was her!
The girl his mother concubine wanted to ask the emperor to betroth him to had, by some strange twist of fate, already married him.
Who else could it be but her?
Xiao Jingnan secretly made up his mind. No matter whether her horoscope was really that inauspicious, he had already decided: It was her.
Since she had tied him back, she wouldn't be able to shake him off!
After that, things happened smoothly. With just a few words, he scared away her former fiancé and smoothly took his place. Then he entered the bridal chamber with his wife.
When Li Wanming heard him say "you're too beautiful", her face was already burning hot.
She turned her face away and spat, "Don't think you can get away with it just by saying some sweet words!"
Xiao Jingnan smiled gently and continued,
"Later, your third uncle said he wanted to meet the in - laws. I had no choice but to ask Lu Ping and Wu Yao to go back overnight to inform my father and ask them to pretend to be a pair of farmers from Langya."
"Langya is my mother concubine's hometown. When I introduced myself to you, I borrowed her surname and hometown."
"You're quite good at borrowing!" Li Wanming snorted and said, "What about the name? Where did you borrow the name from?"
Xiao Jingnan said, "My real name is Jingnan, which means to pacify the southern border. The characters 'Li Qing' are taken from the character 'Jing'."
After saying this, he clasped his fists and bowed deeply to Li Wanming. "Xiao Jingnan, the heir of the Prince of Ning, pays respects to Miss Li the Third."
This bow of his was very solemn, with a sincere attitude and a perfectly proper posture. Every movement was done meticulously.
Li Wanming felt a subtle stir in her heart.
Logically, she should return the courtesy.
But she didn't want to.
Because these should have been the words said when they first met.
After two years of marriage, her husband had suddenly become her fiancé again, and he was bowing to her so solemnly. It all seemed a bit absurd.
Li Wanming turned her head awkwardly. "Don't do these useless things. Hurry up and explain!"
Xiao Jingnan shook his head helplessly and had to continue.
"My father and mother concubine were overjoyed when they heard that I had already gotten married. They originally planned to go to the Li family immediately with the betrothal gifts to propose marriage."
"But that night, you told me that because of your two elder sisters, you had already decided never to marry into a noble family in this life. I was afraid that if I told you the truth, you would immediately kick me out of the house. So after much hesitation, I still didn't say anything."
"You know what happened later. My father and mother concubine pretended to be farmers who had come from afar from Langya to cooperate with me."
"They were afraid that if they had nowhere to stay in the capital, they would be invited to stay by your parents, which would easily expose their identities. So they specially rented a mansion in Pingkangfang. They also asked Uncle Zhong, the butler of the palace, and Nanny Yu, my mother concubine's head maid, to pretend to be distant relatives."
"No wonder..." Li Wanming bit her lips. "No wonder your whole family was so awkward. It turns out you've never farmed at all! By the way, what about Caiwei and Qinglan..."
"Caiwei, Qinglan, and Zifu are all my mother's maids." Xiao Jingnan said. "Lu Ping and Wu Yao are my attendants."
Now it all made sense!
Li Wanming suddenly realized.
Why couldn't these so - called generations of farmers carry things on their shoulders or use their hands?
Why, even though they were supposed to be vegetable farmers, did they not know the five grains and couldn't even plant a single cabbage?
Why, even though they were supposed to be daughters of poor families, were they so delicate and couldn't do a single bit of housework?
...
The reason was very simple. They simply weren't who they claimed to be!
The whole family was either the prince and princess or the butler and head maid.
Originally, they could walk around the capital with arrogance, but instead, they "lowered themselves" to come in front of her and pretend to be vegetable farmers...
Li Wanming said half - sarcastically and half - sentimentally, "It's not easy. You've really gone to a lot of trouble!"
Xiao Jingnan observed her expression and knew that she was still angry. He could only continue to act submissively. "We were wrong. We shouldn't have deceived you like this."
He knew that at this time, no amount of explanation would be useful. It was better to admit his mistakes sincerely and plead for her forgiveness.
Li Wanming held up two fingers in front of him. "Two years! Two whole years! You just watched me jumping around like a clown and didn't tell me anything! Your whole family treated me like a monkey..."
Just thinking about the way she had forced everyone in the palace to exercise, Li Wanming wished she could find a hole in the ground to crawl into.
Come on! Did they need to exercise?
They were all used to living in comfort... being delicate was their charm!
She, on the other hand, had really treated them like coolies.
She had even forced the whole family to run five kilometers every day... She had actually turned those delicate little beauties into powerful peasant women!
Li Wanming covered her face, feeling that she really didn't have the face to see Caiwei and Qinglan again.