Chapter 96: Refusal of Marriage Fails

  Thank you so much, Yanyan, for the flying pink votes...

  "No, the mandarin duck hasn't gone to the kitchen yet. On the way, she met a little maid who handed over a note. The slave saw that it was signed by Master Shuijingchen and hastily brought it to you, miss." She said, handing over the note with both hands.

  Qing Jin heard Yuanyang's words, her expression turned solemn, she took the letter from Yuanyang's hand, glanced at it, stood up and said to Yuanyang: "Let's go, we'll head to Banruo Temple right away." As she spoke, she got up and stepped over Yuanyang.

  Yuanyang saw Qingjin walking out and immediately followed, the two of them rode in a carriage to the entrance of Banruo Temple, got off the carriage, and Qingjin led Yuanyang into the temple.

  Just as Qing Jin led the swan into the Banruo Temple, malicious rumors about Qing Jin in the capital were reversed under the guidance and suppression of a deliberate person.

  Not long after Qing Jin walked into the Banruo Temple, a young monk came up to greet Qing Jin and Yuanyang, saying that Master Shuijing Chen was in the back mountain and asked him to bring the two female donors there.

  Qing Jin and Yuanyang followed Xia Shami to the back mountain of Banruo Temple, and then Xia Shami left without a trace.

  Discovering that Xiaoyu had left without a trace, Qingjin's gaze swept around, but instead of seeing Shuijingchen who had posted the message for her, she saw a white-clad young man. Qingjin instinctively became vigilant and wanted to turn around and leave, but the figure with his back to her seemed somehow familiar.

  As they exchanged a glance, Qing Jin was hesitant when the white-clad young master turned around, wearing a plain white long shirt with only a few sprigs of green bamboo embroidered at the hem. His familiar face was handsome and elegant as bamboo. He was the one who smiled lightly in the dim lantern light, saying: "The mountain has wood, the wood has branches; my heart delights in you, and you also delight in me." He was the one who stood tall in his long robe amidst the fireworks-filled sky, promising her a lifetime of togetherness as a couple. A gentleman's promise is worth a city.

  Promised to give her a perfect, inimitable, fairy-tale-like beauty belonging to Gu Qingjin. Like poetry and painting, it can withstand scrutiny, and the love wrapped in sweet words is actually based on deception.

  Looking at the person in front of her, she is still noble and elegant. However, Qing Jin knows that it's ultimately different. Who would have thought that the person who used to be with her day and night, saying those words to her, was actually a fake?

  The past flashed through her mind, Qing Jin didn't know what identity or tone to use when speaking to the person in front of her. When that strange imperial edict from Emperor Ming came down, her first reaction was to have the maid by her side find this person. At that time, she was full of hope. However, everything changed completely on that day. The person who had once promised her under the twinkling lights and amidst the fireworks in the sky was fake.

  That day, when she heard the news at Bōrě Temple, she was shocked. It was unbelievable. If she had seen this person then, she would have had a lot to say and many questions to ask. But she had sent out so many people to look for him, yet none of them could find him. She thought that she would never see him again, but he appeared at this moment. Qing Jin's emotions were complex, but her face was calm as she looked at the person in front of her and asked: "Is it you?"

  "It's me!" Shui Wuqing looked at Qing Jin opposite him and replied calmly.

  "Should I call you Young Master or Brother-in-law?" Qing Jin heard his equally calm response, and couldn't help but mock him. This person, she really treated as family, as her brother-in-law.

  "Sorry!" Shui Wuqing heard Qing Jin's sarcastic words and sincerely apologized.

  Sorry, sorry, if there's anything else, what do the police have to do? Qingjin wanted to shout this sentence at the person opposite her, but for some reason, she didn't say anything in the end, just looking at the person opposite her faintly.

  Water has no emotion Originally thought that the girl opposite would scold him severely, but unexpectedly the person opposite didn't say anything, only stubbornly and lightly looked at him.

  He walked in front of the person opposite, raised his head and stroked her hair with a pampered hand as usual. He thought that according to Qingjin's personality, she would definitely dodge away, but saw Qingjin motionless, looking at him with complex eyes.

  Seeing Qingjin didn't dodge, Shuiwuqing's hand landed on Qingjin's hair, and he gave a warm, elegant smile: "I am Shuiwuqing, the young tribe leader of the Nanjiang Wu Tribe. Of course, you can also call me... older cousin."

  "Taboo?" Qing Jin sneered, with a hint of coldness in the corners of her eyes. "I wouldn't dare to claim the young master of Nanjiang as my brother-in-law."

  "I knew you'd say that. I'm really your older cousin." Shui Wuqing heard Qing Jin's words, and with a bitter smile, he spoke to her.

  "Yuan Yang, let's go!" Qing Jin said to Yuan Yang beside her, not looking at Shui Wuqing again as she turned around and left.

  "Your aunt is my cousin's aunt, so you can also call me 'cousin brother'." Seeing Qingjin preparing to leave, Shui Wujing stopped pretending and said it directly.

  Upon hearing Shui Wuqing's words, Qingjin's footsteps paused for a moment before she turned around and spoke to him: "Your Excellency has many aunts."

  "I have two aunts, one of whom you must already know is the empress dowager of Shuijingchen, and the other is your aunt. My aunt and cousin are a pair of very similar-looking sisters, but unfortunately my own aunt was deceived by the previous emperor of Da Jing many years ago, entered the palace as a concubine, and died young..."

  "I remember you called my mother Auntie too..." Qing Jin interrupted Shui Wuqing's words.

  Shui Wuqing turned around and smiled at Qingjin, knowing that she was trying to comfort him. His eyes were warm for a moment before his expression turned serious again. "Something happened in the clan recently, I went back for a while, didn't expect... what I said to you that day... it's all true." These were Shui Wuqing's last words to Qingjin.

  Qing Jin looked up at Shui Wu Qing, and in his sincere gaze, she understood what he meant. She was a little surprised and stunned, and her voice trembled as she asked: "When? What else is true?"

  "On the day of Shangyuan Festival, I told my cousin that in our southern Xinjiang, we have always been monogamous. What I said was true." Shui Wuqing spoke directly to Qingjin without beating around the bush.

  Upon hearing Shi Wuqing's blunt words, Qing Jin stared straight at her: "You should know, the Emperor has betrothed me to Jing Wang!"

  "I know, but isn't it true that your cousin doesn't want to marry Jing Wang as his concubine?"

  When Qing Jin heard Shui Wuqing's words, her eyes lit up and she asked him, "What do you want to do, Brother?"

  "I will propose to the Emperor of Da Jing on behalf of Nanjiang, what does my cousin think?"

  Imperial Palace, Imperial Study

  The emperor looked at Gu Qingjin, who was kneeling in a green robe, with an oppressive gaze. His face was cold and solemn, his eyes slightly narrowed, and he spoke in a low, thick voice to the bowing Qingjin: "Do you dare defy the imperial edict and refuse the marriage?"

  "I dare not, Your Majesty. However, I am already betrothed and cannot be matched with the King of Jing." Qing Jin resisted Emperor Ming's imperial aura with all her might, bowing her head and speaking to him in a measured tone.

  After saying these words, the grand hall was unexpectedly quiet. Qing Jin felt the emperor's majesty weighing down on her even more heavily, but she knew this was her only chance and couldn't retreat. So she quietly knelt on the ground, waiting for Ming Emperor's next move.

  Just as Qing Jin felt the emperor's majesty becoming increasingly overwhelming, to the point where she was about to be crushed, Ming Emperor withdrew his imperial aura and stood up from behind the imperial desk.

  The Emperor gazed at Gu Qingjin, who was kneeling with his head bowed in respect. He spoke in a light tone: "In the past, the previous emperor was stranded outside due to certain circumstances and suffered severe injuries. During that time, he met a woman who took him in and found a doctor from her tribe to treat his wounds. As the previous emperor recovered, he and the woman developed feelings for each other. When he wanted to leave with her after recovering, he discovered that she was the daughter of the local tribal chief. The place where the previous emperor had been recuperating was in the southern border, specifically among the South Border Witch Tribe, a mysterious group known for avoiding contact with the outside world and adhering to monogamy..."

  The former emperor brought that woman back to Da Jing, and only then did the woman discover that the former emperor already had three thousand concubines in his harem. She was heartbroken and wanted to leave... However, the former emperor ultimately did not let her go, and the woman lived a melancholy life in the harem... Later, news of the woman's situation spread back to Nan Jiang, and Nan Jiang sent someone to try to bring the woman back to their tribe. The former emperor was enraged, and from then on, Nan Jiang and Da Jing became enemies...

  Qing Jin heard Ming Emperor tell this story to her, at first she didn't quite understand what Ming Emperor meant, until Ming Emperor finished speaking, Qing Jin finally understood the meaning that Ming Emperor wanted to express.

  However, she pretended not to understand and bit her lip, speaking to Ming Emperor: "Your Majesty's words are unclear to this humble daughter."

  "Gu Qingjin, don't tell me you didn't know that the true identity of 'Junmu X' who was very close to Anji Houfu recently is actually someone from Lingnan. News has come from Lingnan that Junmu X never left Lingnan and is already engaged."

  Upon hearing Ming Emperor's words, Qing Jin lifted her head and gazed directly at him, trying to discern something from his face. In fact, she already knew in her heart that the emperor was wary of the Jun family and would never allow her to marry into the Southern Territory.

  "What? Are you still thinking of refusing the marriage, is it that you think my third imperial son is not worthy of you? Or do you think I dare not punish your family and the Anji Marquis's household?"

  "My daughter dare not." Upon hearing Emperor Ming's words, Qing Jin bowed her head.

  Seeing Gu Qingjin bow his head, Emperor Ming nodded in satisfaction, "Good, you may withdraw!"

  "I bid you farewell!"

  Qing Jin wore a cyan dress, walking out of the imperial study, couldn't help but sigh. She had finally reached this point, turning and turning, since fate was like this, pushing her onto this path, she could only move forward. She had thought about running away from marriage, but where could she escape to? Under the sky, there is no land that doesn't belong to the king, by the borders of the land, there are no people who aren't the king's subjects. In this feudal monarchy era, what was most important was that she couldn't let down her family behind her. Her past life had already owed a debt to her loved ones, in this life, how could she bear to implicate these people she wanted to make amends with and owe again?