Within the territory of Weiguo State, two major river systems, Jishui River and Surabaya River, intersect.
The capital of the country is located on the shores of the vast Onozawa.
Therefore, everyone from the monarch to the common people has the custom of offering sacrifices to Goulong in the middle of spring in order to pray for good weather throughout the year and peace for the country and the people.
On this day, the sacrifice was over, and Wei Henggong Yao Hong hosted a banquet in honor of the ministers.
At the banquet, all the officials congratulated him in unison.
Cheng Qianye, Duke of Jin State, sat beside him, lowered his body, raised his glass frequently, and flattered him repeatedly.
Yao Hong felt complacent and was happy for a moment, so he drank more wine. He fell drunk on the table and was sent to the harem to rest.
Yao Tianxiang and Cheng Qianye left the table early and went inside to pay their respects to Mrs. Ji.
Mrs. Ji took Cheng Qianye's hand and said, "This child Tianxiang has been spoiled by me since she was a child. She is very arrogant and indulgent. I want my son-in-law to take care of her."
"No matter what my mother said, being able to marry Tianxiang as my wife is a blessing I gained from my previous life."
"I promise my mother that as long as I am here, I will keep her safe, happy and smooth."
Cheng Qianye replied with a smile on his face, but he had doubts in his heart.
This lady, including Yao Hong at today's banquet, was in the wrong mood.
When they faced Yao Tianxiang, they felt more or less guilty.
This emotion was not directed at Cheng Qianye, but they must have done something to Tianxiang, something that made them feel guilty.
Mrs. Ji couldn't help patting her hand: "Good boy, good boy, with your words, I feel relieved."
Then he scolded Yao Tianxiang with a heavy face: "When you get married, you must act like a wife. The husband is the guide of your wife. It is your duty to serve your husband. Give me all the little tempers you developed in your mother's family." stand up."
Yao Tianxiang said: "Mom, where did you go to hear the rumors? My relationship with the consort is very good, and I have never blushed since we got married."
She took Cheng Qianye's arm and said, "I was about to tell my mother that while it's still early today, I want to go to the river with my husband to put river lanterns to pray for my mother and brother."
"Okay, if you and your wife are harmonious, I will be blessed with everything. You can also put a light for me and pray that you and your wife will be harmonious and beautiful, so that I can hold my grandson as soon as possible."
Yao Tianxiang smiled lightly and said in a soft voice: "Mother, then, I'll leave."
She straightened her clothes, knelt down and kowtowed three times. He stood up, took Cheng Qianye's hand, and walked away without looking back.
Walk to the palace gate.
After getting into the carriage, the two of them were alone.
Cheng Qianye comforted her: "Are you okay? Are you reluctant to leave your mother?"
"I have to let go even if I don't want to. I have already been married, and it will only be a matter of time before I marry again. Only if I marry well and live a good life will it be the greatest comfort to my mother."
Holding back tears in her eyes, she stared at Cheng Qianye: "So, don't let me down."
Cheng Qianye held her hand and gave her confidence while silently caring about each other.
Yao Tianxiang wiped his face and said, "Brother is drunk. Without his will, his subordinates dare not do anything to me. The timing is perfect. We went back, changed clothes, and left immediately."
Cheng Qianye frowned. She always felt that something was wrong that she could not imagine.
She lifted the curtain and took a look. Mo Qiaosheng was riding a horse, with attendants at her side.
"By the way, why is there a different groom driving today? Isn't it the Sima Tu?" Cheng Qianye asked.
"For some reason today, my brother specially sent a driver to pick us up. So he didn't come out with us." Yao Tianxiang answered absentmindedly.
Cheng Qianye thought of Mrs. Ji's words that meant to knock her, and Yao Hong occasionally felt guilty when he looked at Tianxiang. A feeling of uneasiness arose in her heart.
"Qiaosheng." She lifted the car curtain, called Mo Qiaosheng forward, and whispered in his ear, "Go back first, find the princess's groom, and ensure his safety. Don't let anything happen to him."
Mo Qiaosheng nodded and rode away.
"What's wrong?" Yao Tianxiang asked.
"It's okay." Cheng Qianye looked out of the car, "I just have some doubts. I hope it's just my imagination."
Now that the arrow is on the string, everything is in place, and I hope nothing will happen again.
At the same time, she didn't want to see Yao Tianxiang face this kind of pain.
Mo Qiaosheng hurried back to the princess's house, started his Qinggong movement, and quietly sneaked into the backyard. After several searches, they found four or five guards putting the groom, Sima Tu, on the ground in the stable's hay room.
The leader was gesticulating and shouting: "Move quickly and keep your hands and feet clean. The princess will come back and find out later."
"A little groom actually worked as hard as grandpas. He almost ran away." The man's face was bruised and swollen. It was obvious that he had just experienced a fierce fight here.
He covered his face and grinned, "If such a trivial matter is messed up, your Majesty will blame you, but I can't afford it."
The remaining guards held down Sima Tu who was struggling on the ground. Sandbags were placed on him one after another, stacked three or four until the person under the sandbags could not move.
"Okay. Just wait like this for a quarter of an hour. Take off the sandbags and the person will be out of breath. The cause of death cannot be found in custody. Just treat it as a sudden death from a sudden illness. The princess can't blame anyone."
"Brother, don't blame me. You are a stable boy who dares to provoke the princess. You should have been prepared for this. This is called dying under the peonies. It is also romantic to be a ghost."
Several people gathered around the man who was pressed under the sandbag, talking in a flurry of words, and watched viciously as a life slowly succumbed to death in front of their eyes.
A black shadow flashed outside the window.
The leading guard heard two sounds breaking through the air, and before he could react, he saw his two companions falling softly in front of him.
A man in black appeared in the room. He moved his legs like the wind, kicked around, and knocked down another person in an instant. He looked at him with cold eyes.
The guard just shouted: "Who is it?"
An iron fist, carrying the sound of breaking through the air, hit him directly in the face with lightning speed. His eyes went dark and he lost consciousness.
…
Cheng Qianye and Yao Tianxiang returned to the house, leaving only a few confidants and retreating to the rest.
Mo Qiaosheng rushed into the house against a man and put the unconscious man on the ground.
Yao Tianxiang's face turned pale and she stood up.
"I'm fine, I passed out." Mo Qiaosheng knelt down and saluted, "Thanks to the master for finding out in time, if it had been a step later, I'm afraid..."
Yao Tianxiang took two steps forward and looked at the pale man on the ground with frowning eyebrows. She pursed her lips tightly and pulled her hands into fists by her side, trembling slightly.
Cheng Qianye inspected the person on the ground, stood up, and patted Yao Tianxiang on the shoulder: "Fortunately, he is okay."
"I fell in love with a groom," Yao Tianxiang raised an eyebrow, "He is handsome, good at work, and makes me happy. The most important thing is that he will always only have me in his eyes."
"My mother said he was a lowly person and not worthy of me, but I liked him and only him."
Sima Tu woke up leisurely, coughed, and looked up at Yao Tianxiang.
"When my brother found out about this, he was furious and wanted to execute him. I hugged my brother's legs and begged him hard." Yao Tianxiang's beautiful left eye shed a tear, "My brother finally agreed to let him go, but he asked me to marry him. Go to the State of Lu and marry a bad old man who is the same age as my father."
She straightened her neck and stretched out her hand to wipe away the tears: "So I got married. I was going to get married sooner or later anyway, so why would I let my beloved die in vain?"
"After marrying Duke Lu Zhuang, I pestered him every night and kept sending him singers and favors. Sure enough, within a year, I was free." Yao Tianxiang smiled widely, "I When I returned to my home, my brother seemed to be ashamed of me and no longer interfered with my personal affairs, and even sent him to my side. "
"I confused myself, thinking that finally, even for a short period of time, I could live happily with the one I loved."
She suddenly stopped smiling and stretched out her hand to the man, "Get up and follow me. We are leaving now, leaving here and never coming back."
Sima Tu did not take her hand, but just looked at her: "Princess, it is not a pity for a villain to die. How could you abandon your family and your loved ones for a villain..."
He turned his head and glanced at Cheng Qianye, his eyes full of distrust.
Yao Tianxiang's hand remained motionless, and she said coldly: "Sima Tu, I give you two choices. One is to follow me, and the other is to stand up now, get out of this door, and never see me again." I."
Sima Tu frowned and looked at her for a moment, then took the small, white but firm hand, stood up, and hugged Yao Tianxiang into his arms.
Yao Tianxiang took several close people with him, put on simple luggage, and walked out of the house with Cheng Qianye.
A lady in charge squatted down and saluted with a smile: "Where are the princess and the prince-in-law going in such a hurry?"
Yao Tianxiang snorted: "When will it be your turn to take care of my affairs? My mother ordered me to take my consort to put out river lanterns to pray for blessings. Do I have to report to you too?"
He left her and walked outside.
Liu Lu and Chunxin took Cheng Qianye's arms, "The prince-in-law is going to put out lanterns. Can he take us to have a look? I've just arrived in Weiguo, and I haven't seen river lanterns put out yet."
Cheng Qianye smiled and pinched Liu Lu's face: "Let's go, I'll take you with me."
The lady in charge was slightly relieved when she saw that Cheng Qianye looked calm and was willing to bring Liulu Chunxin with her. It wasn't until they were far away that they called over a confidant.
"Go and report to the lord, the prince-in-law and the princess have gone out."
The confidant said: "My father-in-law is drunk today, so I'm afraid he won't be easily disturbed. Besides, the wife has approved this matter. If the princess really just goes to put a river lantern..."
The lady in charge stamped her feet: "That's all, that's all. Tell Commander Shen about this, and send a few more agile people to follow from a distance to see where the princess's car is going. If there is anything wrong, report it immediately. "Return."
Yao Tianxiang's carriage was very spacious, and Liu Lu and Chunxin were waiting diligently on the carriage.
Liu Lu gradually noticed the strangeness of the atmosphere.
No matter how he teased her, Princess Tianxiang always kept her face straight and looked out the window thoughtfully.
The Prince Consort had a gentle smile on his face as usual, but today's smile did not reach his eyes.
The slave Mo Qiaosheng sat coldly on his knees in the corner without saying a word.
Liu Lu realized something was wrong, and gradually became frightened in her heart: "Prince-in-law, we have been walking for a long time, but why haven't we reached the river yet? Have we taken the wrong road?"
Cheng Qianye smiled and waved to Mo Qiaosheng: "Xiao Mo, deal with it. You've been holding on for a long time, now you can vent your anger."
When Mo Qiaosheng tied up the panicked two people, gagged their mouths, and dragged them out of the car. Cheng Qianye raised the car curtain again and said, "Hey, please show mercy and don't hurt your life."
Yao Tianxiang glanced at him: "Why should I show mercy? The king of a country has such a soft heart."
Cheng Qianye touched her nose: "She is a beauty after all."
The author has something to say: I simulated the plot of Liu Xuande marrying Sun Shangxiang in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", which will bring joy to everyone.