Marrying a villain

chapter 4

In the warm spring of Enyou Temple, a late-blooming white plum tree stands in front of the Mahavira Hall, with scattered flowers embellishing the twisted branches. Next to it is a cluster of early-blooming forsythias, with bright yellow stamens standing gracefully among the slender and lush branches. Although not in full bloom, they exude a vibrant vitality under the spring light.

The fragrance of incense wafts through the air in front of the hall, and a squirrel dashes by, shaking the withered leaves to fall.

Youtong has changed into a light spring dress, a Shu red thin shirt embroidered with double butterflies as delicate as a begonia, with a brocade belt lightly bound around her waist, hanging a Ruyi palace ribbon, and beneath it is a soft white crane long skirt, with intricate plum blossoms embroidered on the hem. As she moves, the crane seems to dance, and the brand-new colorful silk sways with a splendid luster, reflecting the spring light.

Xu Chaozong finished offering incense in the Buddha hall and, upon exiting, immediately noticed the familiar figure not far away.

He came to offer incense on his way and did not bring a retinue. The abbot, fearing that the mixed crowd around might collide with the two nobles, arranged for several knowledgeable monks to keep others at a distance of dozens of steps, only allowing them to pass after the Prince Rui moved to the hermitage. Youtong stood among the crowd, and compared with the other women, the girl's stature was not too tall, but because of her beautiful appearance and elegant demeanor, she stood out like a pearl and jade mixed with rubble.

Graceful and full of grace, with a gentle and charming smile, at that moment, Xu Chaozong's gaze was glued to her, unable to move away.

He was stunned for a moment, then immediately thought of the entangled past, and subconsciously took half a step back.

Fortunately, under the watchful eyes of many, he did not dodge, only pretending to adjust his clothes, lowering his eyebrows and eyes, with a dignified posture.

And Xu Shu, as if she couldn't avoid it, quickly averted her gaze, retreated to Prince Rui's side, and held his arm.

Dozens of steps away, Youtong saw the subtle reactions of the two people in her eyes, and a sarcastic smile appeared on her lips.

If it were the original owner who encountered this situation, being repeatedly avoided by Xu Chaozong, and seeing her former friend holding her beloved, she would be heartbroken. But at this moment, Youtong looked at the couple who were praised as harmonious as a phoenix and a crane, and her peripheral vision caught a glimpse of the Buddha statues and prayer flags in the hall, only feeling that it was not worth it for the original owner.

Calmly thinking, she could understand why Xu Chaozong made such a choice.

In the past, Xu Chaozong was the most favored grandson of Emperor Wenchang, and the current emperor favored someone else. If Xu Chaozong wanted to seize the throne, compared to the Wei family, which was known for its poetry and books and not good at power struggles, the Xu family, which enjoyed the emperor's favor and had considerable power in the court, was obviously a better help.

Now that the emperor is in poor health, he is in a hurry to marry and get married, which is probably for this reason.

Since Xu Chaozong has chosen power and looks down on emotions, even if Wei Youtong goes there hundreds of times, it will be of no avail.

But understanding does not mean acceptance.

Even though the original owner was indeed willful, she had given him a burning heart and had saved his life several times. Whether Xu Chaozong fell in love with someone else or forgot his principles for the sake of profit, it can be considered as being forced by the situation, and everyone has their own needs. But those rumors, like sharp swords, were inserted into the original owner's body, making her desperate and drowning in the cold and aching heart of the lake in the cold winter, and Xu Chaozong let it go and stood by, which is too cold-hearted.

Youtong looked at the brocade clothes and the mockery in her eyes became more and more intense.

Seeing the gaze of the Prince Rui coming again, she put her hands in front of her body, saluted the other side, and then walked with Zhen Shi to the knowledgeable monk, saying, "Little master, my mother wants to go to the pagoda forest on the back mountain to worship, I don't know if it is convenient?"

"The donor please this way." The knowledgeable monk clasped his hands and pointed the direction.

Youtong thanked him, and then left with Zhen Shi, surrounded by several servants.

The jade white skirt with red plum blossoms piled up like waves, her pace was neither slow nor fast, her posture was upright and exquisite, and her neck was slender, with cloudy hair and misty buns. Looking from the side, she felt very beautiful and elegant.

Such a posture was unexpected, completely different from the previous frequent visits with tears and complaints, which made Prince Rui surprised.

He was originally afraid that Youtong would entangle and not be clear, so he always avoided it. Now seeing her not looking sideways, he eliminated some concerns. Because the surrounding incense guests often peeked at this side, secretly watching the excitement, he had been familiar with the Wei family after all, and if he just stood stiffly, it would be embarrassing. So he moved a little and said, "Mrs. Wei."

Zhen Shi was surprised to stop and immediately saluted, "Does Your Highness have any orders?"

Prince Rui walked over, as if nothing had happened, and said, "I have been busy recently and have not visited your house. How are the old lady and Uncle Wei?"

"All are well, thank you for your concern."

The polite and respectful attitude was the same as usual.

Prince Rui's gaze then moved to Youtong, wanting to speak, but afraid of causing her willful entanglement and making a mess. He hesitated, but saw Youtong's eyebrows slightly raised, and said in a light voice, "I was ignorant before. Your Highness, I am no longer interested in you, and you don't have to hide in the future. If there are no other orders, I will leave now."

The voice was very low, but it was light as clouds and gentle as wind.

After speaking, she saluted and left, leaving Prince Rui standing in place, his brocade clothes and jade belt swaying in the wind, his face expressionless.

Putting aside the weighing and dodging of these months, the person in front of him was once the beloved, from the two childhood sweethearts to this point, it is inevitable that people feel mixed. More than ten years passed in a flash, and the oath of undivided love at that time is still in my ears, but now it has become a stranger, he married someone else, and she is also going to marry Qizhou, and there will be no future.

At that moment, Prince Rui realized in a trance that he might have really lost her.

He stuck his gaze on Youtong's back, and did not retract until she turned the corridor, his heart surging, and he was stunned for a moment.

Xu Shu, who was next to him, saw this, and secretly bit his silver teeth, almost crushing the brocade handkerchief in his hand.

She walked over, holding Prince Rui's arm and pulling it a few times, and the other party came back to his senses, as if his soul was out of his body.

Xu Shu had a guilty conscience, feeling that Xu Chaozong still had a lingering affection for his old love, fearing that the Wei family would be pointed out by others, deliberately showing a familiar posture, and the whispers of others must also be mocking her for taking love by force, and the couple was not in harmony.

Under the watchful eyes of the public, she felt extremely embarrassed, but she could only suppress her jealousy and said in a low voice, "Your Highness, it's time to go."

"Oh." Xu Chaozong was a bit dazed, gathered his sleeves to regain his senses, and walked away with her.

In the temple, the corridors are crisscrossed, and a little further away from the Buddha Hall, the mountain road winds upwards. Looking back, through the flying eaves and corners and the pine and cypress, the situation in the temple is clear. Youtong stopped to rest when she was tired, turned to look down, and vaguely saw the luxurious sedan chair outside the mountain gate, with a large number of followers, Prince Rui and Xu Shu got on the car hand in hand, as if nothing had happened.

She looked at it coldly for a while, playing with the bead string on her wrist, and a decisive look appeared in her eyes.

Today, the power is uneven, her future is uncertain, and she is unable to protect herself, so she cannot settle the old accounts. And the Xu family is on guard, and under the public's criticism, she can't even clean up those bad names - as long as the Wei family fights back, the Xu family will definitely stir up rumors all over the sky, and Xu Chaozong, who is related to the Xu family's interests, will still acquiesce, and with the strength of the Wei family, how can it compete?

But if there is an opportunity, she will return to the capital eventually .

The hot and sincere heart in the cold night lake, like falling into an ice cellar, and the rumors and slander all over the sky, there must be an explanation!

...

Youtong thought that her entanglement with Xu Chaozong would be temporarily cut off after the chance encounter in the temple. But a few days after returning home, she actually received a letter, with no signature, but the handwriting on it was extremely familiar.

It was from Xu Chaozong.

The letter was short, and judging from its hesitant handwriting, it seemed to be quite hesitant when writing. The main idea is to say that he had no choice but to make this choice, and he often felt guilty in his heart, only because he was afraid of being entangled, he repeatedly avoided it. He hopes that she can let go of her worries, protect herself, and don't do silly things again. He will always remember the old days in his heart and never forget them. If he achieves his wish in the future, he will make every effort to make up for it.

Youtong read it twice, shook her head, and burned it on the candle.

No matter whether Xu Chaozong had any difficulties at the time, and what kind of implicit thoughts were hidden in this letter, it was too late after all.

Rumors are like swords, and being unfeeling is like a knife. The person who loved him wholeheartedly has already died in the cold night ice lake and will never look back.

And she must plan for the future - although the Wei family holds several official positions in the court, their power and ability are limited, and with Youtong's bad reputation, she was originally not in the eyes of the nobles. The Fu family chose to propose marriage at that time, and also made up the words of "saving life," which is obviously strange.

The road ahead is long, and what awaits her is probably not a smooth road.

However, she has to go on slowly.

Youtong is open-minded, so she prepares the dowry and tailors the wedding dress with Zhen Shi. She is busy until the end of July, and the betrothal gift from Qizhou is delivered.