Chapter 9

Qin Xiyi felt she should be happy, after all, looking across the entire Zhao Kingdom, it seemed only Qin Luoke’s status could better match Cheng Mozhi’s future prospects.

After all, her birth mother, Consort Liu, becoming Empress was only a matter of time.

Qin Xiyi would leave Great Zhao, hoping Cheng Mozhi’s future would be brilliant and that he would rise steadily. She had long known that hidden beneath Minister Cheng’s scholarly demeanor was a grand talent and strategy for governing the country and bringing peace.

Convincing herself this way, Qin Xiyi came to terms with it. Ignoring the hidden ache in her heart, she could once again smile carefree, as she used to.

But Qin Xiyi never went to the Western Capital Waterside Pavilion again. She even refused to hear any news about Cheng Mozhi.

Even when rumors spread that Minister Cheng had arrogantly bought the Western Capital Waterside Pavilion, living there day and night, with lights burning through the night.

Qin Xiyi never again entertained the thought of seeing him.

Until a month later, on the eve of her departure for the marriage alliance, the Western Capital Waterside Pavilion suddenly caught fire.

The raging inferno blazed, reddening half the sky.

Qin Xiyi rode a fast horse, rushing to the waterside pavilion like a madwoman. By the time she arrived, the fire had already been extinguished, but the pleasure garden, with its carved beams, painted rafters, small bridges, and flowing water, had now become a scene of ruins and desolation, too tragic to behold.

“Minister Cheng didn’t come out…” Xiao Si cried, collapsing to the ground.

Qin Xiyi stumbled, nearly falling. That fool was getting married tomorrow; what was he doing at this waterside pavilion at a time like this!

Qin Xiyi screamed inwardly, but her legs trembled violently. She pushed through the crowd and ran into the waterside pavilion like a madwoman.

It was pitch black and full of danger inside; her maids and attendants couldn’t stop her.

Just as Qin Xiyi was about to rush in, she was suddenly lifted by the waist and placed onto a fast horse. She didn’t even get a clear look at the person who came before she was abducted in front of everyone.

The whip cracked fiercely, and the horse galloped wildly.

She didn’t know how long they rode, Qin Xiyi only felt her internal organs being jostled into disarray, but her heart settled down.

The embrace holding her tightly from behind was all too familiar.

Finally, Cheng Mozhi helped her dismount. She turned to see that handsome face, a pair of dark, bright eyes in the moonlight, as if hiding a surging, world-shaking tidal wave.

“This past month, you’ve truly made me wait in agony.”

“Shouldn’t you give your humble servant an explanation?” He walked over, pulled the person in front of him into a fierce embrace, and declared with a resounding voice, “Princess Royal!”