On the tenth day of the first lunar month in the forty-third year after the Mo Dynasty was established, it was the wedding day of the second prince Mo Junwen and the daughter of the Shi family Shi Baojing.
Because Emperor Wen was critically ill and Shi Junfeng had passed away, the wedding conformed to the principle of simplicity.
Moreover, in order to make Shi Baojing get married with dignity, Shi Junhe chose some valuable gifts from the treasury of his mansion as her doweries and told the groom to pick her up in Duke Shi’s mansion.
Shi Junhe’s actions showed that even though Shi Baojing married into the royal family, Duke Shi’s mansion was her parents’ home and could support her.
After Shi Baojing knew it, she was moved.
In the morning on the wedding day, she specially came to Shi Junhe’s room in the East House to kowtow to him before everything started.
Shi Junhe hurriedly stretched out his hand to support Shi Baojing and rebuked her gently, “You are the bride today, and there is time for you to kneel and kowtow later, so you don’t need to do it now, in case that you are tired.”
Shi Baojing still insisted on kowtowing before getting up, and she stated in a deep and sincere voice, “My father passed away, so I will take you as my father. It’s an unquestionable moral truth that a daughter kowtows to her father. Uncle, I will always keep your favor to me in mind and don’t dare to forget it. I just hope that I can have a chance to repay you in the future.”
Shi Junhe was able neither to cry nor to laugh after hearing Shi Baojing’s serious words and sighed helplessly. “Kid, you think too much. Since you call me uncle, I should take care of you. Don’t need to mention the word ‘favor’. Live a good life in the future, and it’s more important than anything else.”
Every time Shi Junhe saw this petite girl, he thought of Shi Junfeng. Now the truth had been revealed, and that person who was silent with no sense of presence since childhood was his only brother. It was still difficult for him to forget that Shi Juncai had murdered his brother.
However, it was improper to talk about this matter on such a happy day.
Shi Junhe shook his head slightly and sighed. “Fine. You will be busy today. Just go back. I have talked with Shi Qingxue. She will go to your room and accompany you later. Don’t worry.”
Shi Baojing’s only worry was seen through.
She felt shy and warm at the same time.
She kowtowed to Shi Junhe once more. “Thanks a lot, Uncle.”
When Shi Baojing came back to her room, she saw that Shi Qingxue came under the first rays of the morning sun as expected.
Shi Qingxue congratulated her with a big smile. “It’s your wedding day today, so I specially came to join the fun. Hope that you won’t dislike me, Baojing.”
Shi Baojing hurriedly invited her into the room with a smile and then expressed, “You know that I have no other close sisters. I wish that you can come to accompany me. How would I dislike you?”
Shi Qingxue had a bigger smile and told Xia Mang to give the gift list to Shi Baojing. “These are my gifts to you as dowries.”
“How can I…” Shi Baojing was about to refuse her politely.
She had accepted too much kindness from the first master’s family, and she felt guilty, so she didn’t dare to accept more.
Shi Qingxue pressed Shi Baojing’s hand and stated in a gentle voice, “Those are given to you by Father, but I am your cousin, so I need to give you wedding gifts as dowries. Otherwise, it will be against the rules. Or don’t you like my worthless gifts?”
After saying that, she pouted and showed that she was getting unhappy.
“Of course not. I just…” As soon as Shi Baojing started to speak, she stopped.
Her eyes fell on the gift list, a pair of jade S-shaped ornamental objects, a jade tea set with misty rain and a green hill carved, a brocade coat of peacock pattern with pearls of sunglow, a skirt of cloud pattern with jadeite, a jacket of azure satin with flower pattern and buttons down the front, a cyan long dress, and a box of high-quality gold and silver jewelry…
Shi Baojing had seldom seen such things, let alone have them, and probably Shi Qingxue was the same.
However, Shi Qingxue gave them to her without hesitation. Even though money didn’t mean anything, it could be seen that she attached importance to their kinship.
Shi Baojing didn’t have the face to accept such valuable gifts, while Shi Qingxue didn’t give her a chance to refuse but told her maid Yan’er to go with Dong Shuang to receive gifts.
Shi Baojing said bitterly, “Thanks for your kindness, Qingxue. I will give you some gifts when you get married in the future.”
Shi Qingxue waved her hand, to show that Shi Baojing didn’t need to take it seriously.
Then Shi Qingxue told Shi Baojing some interesting news and strange things, which distracted the bride gradually, so she wouldn’t be absorbed in feeling guilty all the time.
Till the wedding planner arrived and somebody made up for Shi Baojing, she didn’t have extra energy to think about anything else.
All people did everything that should be prepared for the wedding day quickly in good order.
Shi Qingxue accompanied Shi Baojing all the time. Even though she didn’t need to do anything in person, her presence made Shi Baojing feel at ease.
Till Shi Baojing was sent into the bridal chamber and the wedding banquet started, Qingxue came to her seat.
Although the second prince Mo Junwen was not favored, he was a prince anyway, so he couldn’t live in the imperial palace after getting married.
Mo Xiangbin had prepared the second prince’s mansion for him earlier, whose location was not populous, yet it was near Shi Junfeng’s residence. They were in the western part of the city, and it wouldn’t take long to go back to Shi Baojing’s parents’ family or Duke Shi’s mansion in the future.
All people knew that Mo Junwen almost had no chance to take the throne, but because of this, he was the least threatening to all the factions, and with the fame of Duke Shi’s family, many people attended the wedding banquet.
Shi Qingxue’s seat happened to be near Wenren Chi’s. She hadn’t seen him for a long time. Meeting his warm eyes, she showed a sweet smile and called joyfully in surprise, “Brother!”
“Come and sit down.” Wenren Chi also smiled at Shi Qingxue gently and pulled the chair out for her considerately. Then he put some food that she liked in front of her.
Shi Qingxue accepted Wenren Chi’s care like before, showing a big smile at the same time.
Wenren Chi was nice to Shi Qingxue, and even now, he still took her as a child and looked after her meticulously.
Neither of them thought that there was something wrong, and in fact, it was how they stayed together at ordinary times.
However, in the eyes of some people with ulterior intentions, it meant something else.
In the beginning, Dong Hui was talking with Shi Junhe and didn’t notice that Shi Qingxue had come. As Mammy Zheng grabbed her clothes in secret, she looked at them conveniently.
She paid attention to Shi Baoning’s gloomy eyes first and then followed her eyes, to see the two young people who were so close that it would make people imagine.
Dong Hui’s face fell, and she involuntarily thought of Shi Baoning complaining to her tearfully after the wedding day, so she was alarmed and hurriedly shouted, “Qingxue.”
The conversation between Shi Qingxue and Wenren Chi was forced to stop, and they looked at Dong Hui, with their questioning eyes.
Even Shi Junhe also looked at her and asked in a low voice, “What’s wrong?”
Dong Hui was speechless and didn’t know what to say.
She couldn’t say directly that she was afraid that Shi Qingxue had an affair with her brother-in-law and would steal her sister’s husband, so she stopped the girl in word.
Not to mention that she just suspected, even if she had evidence, she couldn’t talk about something like this openly. Otherwise, the family would be disgraced.
Dong Hui looked embarrassed and said with difficultly, “No, nothing. I haven’t seen Qingxue for a whole day, so I want her to come and accompany me.”
Such a reason was almost the same as a lie, and it could be found easily.
However, none of them questioned because she was a pregnant woman.
Shi Qingxue was stunned for a moment and then got up obediently. Afterward, she came to Dong Hui and sat next to her. She refilled her mother’s teacup and grabbed food for her, taking care of her attentively. “Mother, you are carrying a baby. Please eat more food.”
“Okay, okay. Just stay with me today and don’t go anywhere.” Dong Hui knew that such a request was unreasonable, yet she couldn’t find another way to separate Shi Qingxue and Wenren Chi, so she had no choice.
Although Shi Qingxue was in doubt, she still nodded obediently and didn’t go anywhere later but accompanied her mother as Dong Hui hoped.
However, Dong Hui still felt dissatisfied.
It was because Shi Qingxue didn’t talk with Wenren Chi anymore, while he seemed to pay attention to her all the time and remembered to tell the servants to put some delicious food in front of her.
Dong Hui checked carefully and found that all of them were what Qingxue liked to eat.
As for some food, as her mother, even she didn’t know that Qingxue liked to eat, which made her seem to have a thorn stuck in her heart, and she couldn’t spit or swallow it.
Such a feeling didn’t disappear even after she came back to their mansion.
“Zheng, I thought that there was nothing wrong with them sometimes, but there seemed to be something wrong sometimes today. It is so confusing, and I am almost in a daze…” Dong Hui felt perturbed and told Mammy Zheng about her worry.
In the end, even she couldn’t be sure about her thought. “Do I think too much?”
Mammy Zheng advised gently, “Madam, your worry is reasonable. A girl and her brother-in-law should pay attention to their closeness, in case that others comment on them. In my opinion, Lady Qingxue…”
At the mention of Shi Qingxue, Mammy Zheng intentionally paused for a moment and looked at Dong Hui with hesitation, seeming to be uncertain whether she should continue.
Dong Hui waved her hand. “Only you and I are here. Just tell me what you want to say.”
Mammy Zheng finally got relieved and said, “Lady Qingxue is animated and lovely, which is good, but she will forget her manners easily sometimes when she gets along with men, and it will make people gossip. Especially she is unmarried and hasn’t been engaged officially, so it will arouse gossip more easily.”
Dong Hui frowned while listening, yet she had to admit that Mammy Zheng’s words made sense.
To be frank, compared with her first daughter who was dignified and inflexible, Dong Hui preferred her second daughter who is sweet and nimble, but at the thought of Shi Qingxue and Wenren Chi, she felt uncomfortable.
Since Kou Lian took an opportunity to sleep with Shi Junhe and gave birth to Shi Baoyan that year, Dong Hui took it to heart all the time, so she had complex feelings for Shi Qingxue.
“Zheng, what do you think we should do?”
She couldn’t bear to see that Shi Baoning spent her days in tears, while if she had to frankly tell Shi Qingxue to stay away from Wenren Chi, she couldn’t speak out such words.
It was nothing if it would ruin the relationship between the mother and daughter because of this, while if Shi Qingxue never had such a thought but she had feelings after her mother said that, Dong Hui would shed tears.
Mammy Zheng guessed what Dong Hui thought about and suddenly brought up something else. “Madam, it’s more inconvenient for you to move recently. Don’t you want Lady Baoning to come and accompany you in the mansion?”
Dong Hui nodded. “Yes, but what does it have to do with our talk?”
“Lady Baoning and her husband just got married lately, and Master Chi lived in our mansion in the past. If she comes back, won’t he come back with her?” Mammy Zheng reminded Dong Hui cautiously.
Even though Wenren Chi had to work, he should come back to sleep at night.
They lived in the same mansion and would meet each other frequently. Then Wenren Chi and Shi Qingxue would have more chances to meet.
Hearing that, Dong Hui turned pale. “Why didn’t I think of this?”
She grabbed Mammy Zheng’s hand and said anxiously, “No matter if there is something wrong with them, we have to separate them first just in case.
“Zheng, you are clever. Figure out a way for me.”
In fact, Mammy Zheng had a solution, yet she stuttered for a long time and then replied hesitantly, “I do have an idea, but it’s…”