Spoiled Eldest Miss x Two-faced Madman

CHAPTER 96: Like Someone Stole His Wife

　　It was the height of summer. The sun blazed overhead, and waves of heat rolled across the streets, making people sweat through their clothes.

　　At this time of year, especially around noon, you rarely saw anyone out. Most folks were hiding somewhere cool, taking naps or just trying to survive the heat.

　　Even in a bustling place like the capital, the streets were nearly deserted.

　　So when a group of four strolled right into a teahouse under the scorching midday sun, they instantly drew attention.

　　“Waiter, bring us a pot of iced tea and two plates of cold dishes,” the beautiful young woman among them called out.

　　The waiter lazily responded, “Got it.”

　　The four of them sat down in a corner of the teahouse’s main hall. In the center of the room, a storyteller was performing on a small platform.

　　He wasn’t just telling stories either. This guy often mixed in street gossip or tales about famous figures in the royal court or martial world. He was basically an ancient version of a gossip channel, perfectly suited to satisfy people’s curiosity and craving for drama.

　　At the moment, the storyteller had just wrapped up a story. After sipping some tea to wet his throat, he stroked his beard and asked the audience, “So, what do you all want to hear next? I've got stories from all over the world, whether it's gods and fairies or current officials and nobles. Just name it.”

　　There were quite a few people listening today. Laughter broke out among the crowd, and someone teased, “Old sir, if you're bold enough to talk about the emperor, do you dare talk about that famous Minister An?”

　　“Uh…” The storyteller paused, speechless.

　　Talking about the emperor was fine, since the emperor was still young and hadn’t fully taken control of the government yet. He couldn’t do much even if he heard it.

　　But that Minister An? He was a true power player. If the storyteller said something off today, he was sure Minister An would hear about it by tomorrow. And who knows what would happen to him then?

　　“What, losing your nerve already?” someone in the crowd joked.

　　The storyteller, riled up by the teasing, thought for a moment. Then he set down his tea bowl and chuckled, “Since everyone’s so curious about the affairs of the Shangsu Mansion, I suppose I’ll share a thing or two.”

　　“If we’re talking about recent news from the Shangsu Mansion it has to be this—his daughter is getting married!”

　　“They say the Minister’s daughter is a real beauty. Of course, a humble old man like me has never laid eyes on someone so noble. She just turned eighteen this year. Minister An dotes on her dearly and kept her at home all this time, only now arranging her marriage. And guess what? The groom isn’t just anyone. Take a guess, folks—who do you think it is?”

　　“Oh, come on, who doesn’t know? It’s Ming Wang, right?”

　　“Yeah, I heard the same. That war god of a prince!”

　　“Everyone’s already heard that one, old man. Don’t tell me you’ve run out of stories and are pulling out stale gossip from months ago.”

　　The storyteller just smiled and shook his head calmly. “Now, now, listen up. This marriage is not as straightforward as it seems.”

　　“Turns out this match was arranged right after the New Year, but the news didn’t spread at the time. Miss An, being young and beautiful, wasn’t exactly thrilled about marrying a man nearly twice her age. So, what did she do? She ran away!”

　　“Whoa, is that for real?” The crowd erupted in surprise.

　　“Of course it’s true. Everything I say comes straight from the source. After I finish today’s story, I won’t be back tomorrow. Just look at how rushed this wedding is. Word has it the bride will enter the groom’s home the day after tomorrow, and Ming Wang isn’t even back in the capital yet!”

　　“Seems a little too rushed, doesn’t it? And if that’s true, Miss An doesn’t sound like a proper young lady at all. Running away from a marriage… tsk tsk.” One of the guests sighed as he picked up his teacup, only to suddenly feel unbearably thirsty. Even after downing the whole cup, his throat still felt dry.

　　He kept asking for refills and ended up drinking so much his stomach was about to burst. After that, he didn’t feel like badmouthing Miss An anymore.

　　But that was just a minor moment, unnoticed by the rest of the crowd. Even the guest himself chalked it up to the sweltering weather. What he didn’t realize was that, in the corner of the hall, a pale young man in white robes had given him a glance, and a faint silver gleam had flickered across his long, slender fingers before vanishing.

　　The storyteller, seeing that everyone was hooked, went on. “So after running away, Miss An happened to meet a handsome young gentleman. Neither of them used their real names, of course. It was just a brief encounter. But who would’ve guessed—the young man fell for her at first sight. When he returned home, he couldn’t eat or sleep, constantly thinking about her, but try as he might, he couldn’t find her again.”

　　“Now that the Minister had the palace guards track her down and bring her back, Miss An herself said that she’d gone through a lot out there. It made her realize how good she had it at home. The day she returned, she told her parents she agreed to the marriage.”

　　“And just like that, the old engagement was suddenly back on. As you all know, Ming Wang lives in his fief and isn’t allowed to return to the capital without cause. But his son is already here, so he’s having the heir stand in for him to complete the wedding ceremony on time…”　　

　　“I’ve never heard of a son marrying on behalf of his father. That’s a strange one for the books.” The crowd broke into murmurs again.

　　The storyteller nodded. “Exactly. It’s the first I’ve ever heard of it too. And you haven’t even heard the juiciest part yet!”

　　“On the day they exchanged birth details, Miss An was sitting behind a screen. When she heard the heir speak, she was so overjoyed she ran out on the spot. Turns out, Ming Wang’s heir is the same handsome man she met while she was away. They even traveled together for a while. Now, isn’t that a touching reunion?”

　　“Wait… so are you saying Miss An and the prince’s heir were romantically involved?”

　　“No, but if you look at it that way, isn’t it a great thing? It’s a double blessing! The son standing in for his father to marry his own sweetheart. What if they end up fighting over her later?” someone joked with a laugh.

　　The storyteller quickly waved his hand. “Now, now, I didn’t say that. Don’t go twisting my words. I’m just sharing a fateful little story.”

　　The teahouse burst into chatter and laughter. The mood was lively and bright.

　　Only one table in the corner remained silent. The four people sitting there all had different expressions, but not a single one looked happy.

　　A young girl in green sneaked a look at the pale man in white across from her and whispered carefully, “Pei Ji, don’t listen to those people. They’re just making things up. That storyteller’s full of nonsense. Let’s go find An Jiu and ask her ourselves. She must’ve been forced...”

　　“No need,” Pei Ji said as he suddenly set down his teacup with a crisp clink.

　　His face was unusually pale, the lack of color making his dark eyes and brows seem even more striking, like polished obsidian.

　　“Isn’t her wedding three days from now? We’ll go attend the ceremony.” His eyes lifted as he spoke, and the depth in those black pupils seemed bottomless.

　　Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

　　Early in the morning, An Jiu was dragged out of bed. One maid washed her up, another did her hair, another helped her dress. While she still had her eyes shut, they had already finished preparing her from head to toe.

　　When she finally blinked awake, she was greeted by a full-length mirror. Reflected inside was a stunningly radiant young woman. She rarely wore full makeup in this era — who knew how safe these cosmetics were? At most, she’d usually just dab on some rouge.

　　But today, her face was fully made up. Her skin looked smooth and porcelain fair, a soft pink blush warmed her cheeks, and her delicate brows and eyes were carefully outlined. Her naturally seductive peach blossom eyes shimmered with light, making her look as if she was gazing affectionately at anyone who met her gaze.

　　At the center of her forehead sat a small red floral mark that added a touch of allure. What caught the eye even more were her vivid red lips, painted with a bold scarlet. Her small, full mouth looked soft and glossy, like ripe cherries begging to be tasted.

　　Looking at that lovely face in the mirror, even An Jiu couldn’t stop herself from staring again and again.

　　And on top of it all, she was dressed in a flaming red wedding robe, with an ornate and heavy golden crown resting on her head.

　　Today was her wedding day.

　　By the time she was fully dressed, the sky still hadn’t brightened, which showed just how early she had been woken up.

　　Once again, it was Ming Yi standing in as the groom. Ming Wang had sent a letter earlier saying he’d definitely make it in time, but then reportedly got injured in a bandit attack on the road and had to slow down.

　　When An Jiu heard that news, the first thought in her head was, “Fake bandits, real villain.”

　　“System, where’s Pei Ji right now?”

　　【He’s less than five hundred meters from you.】

　　Oh hell.

　　An Jiu looked around the room in a panic. Seeing that it was still full of maidservants, she finally relaxed and let out a breath.

　　At least on a day like this, he probably wouldn’t storm in and try to snatch the bride.

　　There was still plenty of time. The groom’s side had to parade through the streets before coming to pick her up. An Jiu sat by the bed, bored out of her mind. Slowly, drowsiness crept in again, and her head started nodding.

　　The Shangsu Mansion was buzzing with people coming and going, full of guests and lively chatter.

　　An Jiu didn’t even know when she fell asleep. By the time she woke up again, it was because a maid had gently shaken her awake. Outside, daylight had already filled the sky.

　　Still at her side was Ji Xiang. Back in Jiufang City, An Jiu had left her a letter. After that, Ji Xiang was brought back to the Shangsu Mansion without any punishment and resumed her role as An Jiu’s personal maid.

　　“Miss, the heir is already waiting outside. It’s time to go.” Ji Xiang picked up the red bridal veil and gently placed it over An Jiu’s head.

　　Suddenly, Ji Xiang paused and asked curiously, “Miss, what happened to your ear? Did a mosquito bite you?”

　　An Jiu instinctively reached up and touched her earlobe, only to feel a bit of swelling.

　　“…?”

　　Something clicked in her mind. She stretched out her hand and saw faint reddish marks around the red mole on her ring finger. It looked like something had bitten her, then sucked hard a few times, leaving behind those bruise-like imprints under the skin that didn’t hurt or itch.

　　That guy’s a dog, isn’t he?

　　If she didn’t have the system and a god’s-eye view of everything, she would’ve been scared out of her mind.

　　She’d think she had escaped and was finally free, only to find that the demon, like some ghost, had silently crept up again. He could’ve captured her directly, but instead chose to appear without a sound during her wedding, leaving a personal mark on her body to declare ownership.

　　It was his way of saying: you’ll never get away.

　　He wanted her to live in constant fear, under the shadow of a blade that never left her head, with no peace.

　　Just thinking about it made her numb. God, he was such a psycho!

　　“There’s a mark on your hand too! What kind of mosquito leaves such a big bump?” Ji Xiang followed An Jiu’s movements and spotted the bruise on her finger. She gasped in shock.

　　An Jiu thought, Yeah. The mosquito’s about the size of a grown man.

　　“Forget it. It’s nothing. Let’s not miss the lucky hour,” An Jiu said as she lowered her hand. The crimson sleeve of her robe draped over her fingers, hiding them from view.

　　Out of sight, out of mind.

　　The red bridal veil was placed over her head, and her vision instantly narrowed. All she could see now were the tips of her own shoes.

　　She was led to the main hall, where the matchmaker handed her one end of a red silk ribbon. She reached out and held it. On the other end stood Ming Yi, dressed in deep red formal robes, looking elegant and handsome.

　　“What a perfect match they are…” a clueless guest murmured softly.

　　Someone quickly nudged them and whispered, “Watch what you say! That’s the heir. Miss An is marrying his father!”

　　“What? I thought those two were the couple. They look so good together!”

　　No sooner had the words left their mouth than they felt a sudden chill. Despite it being the hottest part of summer, a shiver ran down their spine.

　　Turning their head, they accidentally locked eyes with a young man not far away.

　　He was also dressed in red, and though he was good-looking and refined, his face was pale with a sickly look.

　　Those dark, unreadable eyes stared straight at them, unblinking and intense. The kind of look someone gives when their wife just got stolen.

________________

Author’s Note:

Pei Ji: I’m here!

…..

T/N: Kyaaaa, unhinged Pei Ji is the best! Ahem, only in novels, okay? In real life, let’s camp inside the police station until he ends up in prison. Haha. 😆

　　

　

　　　　 

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