Chapter 9: A Radiant Bridal Procession Stretching Ten Miles

Chu Hanxiao almost laughed in anger! But when he looked up, intending to retort, Xia Qiqi had already vanished without a trace. That maid had impressive skills!

“Your Highness!” A shadow darted out from the darkness. “Lord Liu is coming toward the study!”

“Hm, stay here and listen closely to what Liu Yuanqing is planning.”

“Yes.”

Chu Hanxiao’s expression turned icy. Clearly, it wasn’t Ning City’s fault, so why was he being forced to take the blame?

When Xia Qiqi returned to the Peony Pavilion, Xiao Ai followed closely behind into the bedchamber.

“Miss, where have you been?” Chun Tao’s eyes were filled with worry as she handed Xia Qiqi a cup of hot tea. “You should put on your makeup and wear your veil.”

The thought of Xia Qiqi wandering around the Prime Minister’s residence without concealing her true identity made Chun Tao’s heart race with fear. She was terrified that she might suddenly end up like Dong Mei and the other maids—cold corpses.

“I went to see a live spring palace show,” Xia Qiqi said with a slight frown as she took the tea and sipped it. Then, as if recalling something, she suddenly asked seriously, “Chun Tao, if I wanted to run away during the bridal procession, what would you do?”

Though deep down she longed to open a pet clinic in Shengjing City with Chun Tao and Xiao Ai, she still needed to hear Chun Tao’s thoughts.

“Miss, what is a live spring palace?” Chun Tao hadn’t yet grasped the meaning of Xia Qiqi’s previous words and was shocked to hear talk of running away.

Chun Tao’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably as she blurted out, “Even if it means death, your servant will follow you!”

Xia Qiqi’s heart warmed, and she smiled. “I value my life the most; how could I possibly be willing to die?”

[Xia Qiqi! Why didn’t you ask for my opinion?!]

“Oh, right, and you!” Xia Qiqi looked affectionately at the little figure curled at her feet and asked, “Do you want to run away with me?”

[Run away? That’s impossible!]

“So you’re a cat who craves wealth and glory,” Xia Qiqi teased as she scooped Xiao Ai up into the air. “How do you know I won’t pamper you until you’re plump?”

[Xia Qiqi! Liu Yuanqing has prepared one hundred and twenty sedan chairs of dowry for you. Do you know what’s in the last twenty chairs?]

Xiao Ai had just gone out to sneak a peek at the dowry Liu Yuanqing had arranged.

One hundred and twenty sedan chairs! Enough to stretch from one end of the street to the other!

No wonder Xia Qiqi looked so exhausted earlier.

When she was thinking about running away, she wanted to take some of the dowry with her, so Xiao Ai went ahead to check it out.

Such a devoted little pet!

Xia Qiqi stroked Xiao Ai’s head and joked, “It can’t be that they’re all filled with big stones, right?”

[Meow! Almost! They’re all packed with various hidden traps and weapons!]

[And Liu Yuanqing specially instructed his son that after leaving Shengjing City, all the escorting soldiers must be replaced with covert guards!]

“Covert guards?” Xia Qiqi was puzzled. “What does Liu Yuanqing mean by that?”

[You can’t figure that out? Xia Qiqi, you’re not always so clever, meow!]

[Liu Yuanqing knows his political enemies in court will do everything to sabotage the alliance between the Prime Minister’s mansion and the Prince Jin’s mansion, so he’s using you as bait!]

So it was true!

Liu Yuanqing was a wolf in fox’s clothing!

He was using Xia Qiqi as bait, the bridal procession as the trap, intending to lure out those hidden political enemies.

If the plan failed, it would only sacrifice a substitute for Liu Mingyu.

He could then delay the marriage with the Prince Jin’s mansion until Liu Mingyu had “recovered,” and then the wedding would proceed.

If the plan succeeded, Liu Yuanqing could monopolize power in court, becoming the true second-in-command under the emperor!

“Miss, is something wrong?” Chun Tao had grown accustomed to Xia Qiqi always talking to Xiao Ai like a human, but now she saw her clutching the little cat with a growing grave expression.

“Nothing, just need to prepare some things in advance.”

Xia Qiqi steadied her emotions slightly and softly instructed Chun Tao, “Tomorrow, go to the market and buy some flexible rattan armor and a few slightly larger round copper mirrors.”

She only had twenty taels of silver left—the money that Steward Yan had given her for cosmetics—and nothing else.

She would have to make do with this silver to quietly craft three sets of soft armor to wear underneath.

Thinking of her current predicament only strengthened Xia Qiqi’s resolve to sneak away some of the dowry!

No matter the world, without money, one could get nowhere!

The three days passed swiftly.

In what seemed like a blink, Xia Qiqi was adorned in phoenix coronet and embroidered gown, holding a round fan, and under the guidance of Aunt Wu, completed the farewell ceremony to Liu Yuanqing and her stepmother.

Aunt Wu had watched Liu Mingyu grow up since childhood and naturally accompanied Xia Qiqi to the wedding.

When Aunt Wu arrived at the Peony Pavilion late at night and saw Xia Qiqi, she looked at her for the length of a tea cup and finally knelt down, “Your servant pays respects, Miss.”

Xia Qiqi knew Aunt Wu was aware of the truth, but what Aunt Wu likely didn’t realize was that the carefully selected bride substitute, whom Steward Yan had sent, was none other than the rough servant maid Xia Qiqi, whom she used to casually scold and strike!

Xia Qiqi naturally had no intention of exposing the secret.

Besides Aunt Wu, Steward Yan had also sent four dowry maids: Feng Ying, Hua Wu, Yue Ya, and Xue Jian.

These maids were newly purchased from the old woman in charge and were completely unaware, believing Xia Qiqi to be the genuine daughter of the Prime Minister’s family.

When Xia Qiqi bade farewell to Liu Yuanqing, he even shed a few tears.

Her stepmother, Lady Wang, appeared indifferent, maintaining a social distance from Xia Qiqi as if she were unrelated.

Xia Qiqi preferred Lady Wang’s honesty.

After the ceremony, the bridal procession followed behind the Prince Jin’s wedding party, traveling west along the official road toward Shengjing.

Xia Qiqi sat in the carriage, placing the round fan she used to conceal her face beside her.

Her eyes gently closed as if drowsy, but in truth, she was listening intently to the sounds outside.

“Chun Tao, who was assigned to escort the bride today?” The carriage jolted slightly, and Xia Qiqi suddenly opened her eyes to ask.

“Aunt Wu said it was the young master of the mansion, Liu Yichen, who was responsible for the escort.”

Hearing this, Xia Qiqi snorted coldly in her heart. Just as expected!

Liu Yuanqing’s first wife left him only one legitimate daughter, Liu Mingyu, but his second wife, Lady Wang, bore him two sons.

Thus, the Prime Minister’s mansion had only two legitimate sons and one legitimate daughter.

Liu Yichen was only an illegitimate son of the Prime Minister’s mansion. His biological mother died in childbirth, and though he was raised under Lady Wang, Liu Yuanqing never gave him the status of a legitimate son.

Having an illegitimate son escort the bride meant that if anything went wrong during the journey, the loss wouldn’t be too heartbreaking.

However, Xia Qiqi had a good impression of this illegitimate son of the Prime Minister’s mansion.

He loved all kinds of small animals and often helped Xia Qiqi feed the cats and dogs in the mansion...

“Bang!”

With a deafening crash, Xia Qiqi felt the world spin wildly around her!