"Why doesn't Chu family want their daughter to marry Prince Ying (1)? What kind of person is Prince Ying? Could he be an old man who is seventy or eighty years old?" Chu Qing-Yan raised an eyebrow and asked.
"No, no!" Shan Cha immediately shook her head, then very carefully took a glance at her, not knowing if she should tell the truth.
"I want to hear the truth, otherwise, you know the consequences." Chu Qing-Yan said with a smile that was not quite a smile.
Shan Cha immediately pasted herself to the wall, and in a small voice, said, "This year, Prince Ying just turned twenty, the rumors outside said that when he was young, his face was disfigured by a huge fire. His appearance became ugly and disgusting. In addition, his methods are very cruel, he is cold-blooded and ruthless. In the Capital, no female dares to get near him. I heard that anyone who has seen his real appearance would have nightmares in the middle of the night!"
Shan Cha saw Ninth Miss's face, all of a sudden, seemed to be covered by a dense black cloud. Immediately, her neck shrank back, afraid that with one carelessness, that sharp wooden stick would injure her.
Chu Qing-Yan suddenly understood. Even if an ugly monster had the status of a majestic prince, with the Chu family being such sn.o.bbish people, they would rather push this marriage opportunity outside than catch it themselves. The reason was that, no matter which family's parents, how could they push their own daughter into a living h.e.l.l?
However now, the most important matter to Chu Qing-Yan was that the Chu family, in order to save their own daughter, would actually push her into a living h.e.l.l. Enough was enough, this was simply intolerable!
After having been enraged to the point of laughing, Chu Qing-Yan became even calmer.
"And also?" She didn't believe it was simply only this.
"And also, before, His Majesty had set up marriages for Prince Ying. However, every time, just before the marriage, the bride would die suddenly." Shan Cha's head dropped even lower, simply didn't dare to look at her.Chu Qing-Yan tightened her fingers, and coldly smiled. No wonder this Prince Ying was twenty years old and still a bachelor, so it was because of this. Normally, males in ancient times would start to get married at fifteen or sixteen years old.
Ugly appearance, a fiend and even kills off the wife.
Such a good Chu family! To be so demented as to pull along a ten-year-old child to send to her death!
To kill a wife, this version of events, she didn't believe it. It could only be said that people around this Prince Ying's side wasn't that simple. However, this was not the area she wanted to ponder over.
"Just now, who were the two people in the pavilion?" Chu Qing-Yan played with the wooden stick in her hand and continued to ask.
Shan Cha weakly replied, "It's Seventh Miss and Eighth Miss."
Seeing Ninth Miss looking at her with a frown, Shan Cha promptly clearly explained the state of affairs on the young master and misses in Chu family.
Chu family's second master Chu Zhi-Ming had two sons: Chu De-Chang and Chu Cun-An. They ranked number one and two in the grandchildren generation in Chu family. Third Master Chu Zhi-Hua had one son and two daughters: the son is called Chu Bao-Shi, the older daughter is called Chu Yun-Yu, the younger daughter is called Chu Ying-Yu, ranked in order of number three, number seven and number eight. And fourth master Chu Zhi-Zhi had one daughter and one son: the older daughter is called Chu Lan-Yu, the young son called Chu Song-Yi, ranked number four and number five. So the seventh and eighth miss Shan Cha was talking about pointed to Chu Yun-Yu and Chu Ying-Yu.
Chu Qing-Yan roughly sorted through these brothers and sisters in her head, she faintly had a idea of them in her heart. Obviously, the Chu family had three daughters, who were all older than her, and the family was unwilling to marry them out to be defiled. As a result, they pulled her over as the sacrificial lamb, really was seizing other people's daughter and not acting as if she was a person. Her finger stroked that wooden stick, a glimpse of fury appearing on Chu Qing-Yan's face.
Finished speaking more or less about Chu family's circ.u.mstances, afterwards, Shan Cha continuously paid careful attention to her expression. Seeing her brows knotted, with lingering fear, Shan Cha pursed her lips. Ninth Miss was clearly younger than her, why did her body give off pressure that made it hard for others to breath, Shan Cha muttered in her heart.
However, in the blink of an eye, Ninth Miss's face was once again sunny and without a cloud, she regained her faintly smiling facial expression. Shan Cha immediately felt that her back was full of a deep chill, as if a cold wind had blown by.
"Okay, I have strolled enough around the garden, accompany me to go see my parents!" Chu Qing-Yan nonchalantly took back that sharp wooden stick and took the lead to leave that corner.
Shan Cha's eyes opened wide as she looked at the back of the slowly strolling away Ninth Miss. She didn't understand how Ninth Miss could be this calm after hearing that she was about to be married off to Prince Ying? However, this was at least better than crying loudly and causing a havoc that would provoke Elder Madam to be unhappy.
Although Shan Cha felt that this kind of Ninth Miss was very strange, but she couldn't say why, in the end, she still obediently followed after her.
Chu Qing-Yan's memory had always been pretty good. As a result, after a couple of turns here and there, she found the room her mother was living in by herself. On the contrary, it was Shan Cha following behind who was gasping for breath.
Once she arrived at the gate, Chu Qing-Yan immediately ordered Shan Cha to stand guard outside. She alone directly entered the room.
Daddy Chu and Mother Chu were both very happy to see her and came up to welcome her while asking after her well-being. However, Chu Qing-Yan took a glance around, then pulled her parents to sit on the chair. With wrinkled brows, she thought of how to tell this matter to Mom.
Mother Chu nearly jumped in fright from daughter's serious facial expression, and immediately opened her mouth to ask, "Cai Cai, what's wrong?"
Chu Qing-Yan's face revealed a touch of indignation, following which, she lowered her voice, "Mother, do you want to know the real intention of Chu family for bringing us back?"
"Because they want to play with us." Daddy Chu immediately raised his hand to answer.
Chu Qing-Yan was angry and laughingly pulled down Daddy's hand, and met Mother's face that had become serious. Her tone was indignant as she said, "The reason why Chu family wanted us to return, is not because they miss us, rather, because the person above gave an imperial edict to marry a daughter from Chu family to the infamous Prince Ying. Chu family doesn't want their own daughter to suffer, so they thought of me."
"What!" Mother Chu stood up in a flash in shock, with her lips trembling, she said, "You are only ten years old, how could they do something like this!"
Daddy Chu stared blankly from listening at the side, mumbling to say, "Cai Cai, what is infamous ah?"
"Just very bad, very bad meaning!" Chu Qing-Yan gave a sigh and replied.
"That's not okay! Mother Dan, our family's Cai Cai won't be married to a bad person!" Daddy Chu clenched both hands into fists and said righteously.
"Of course it's not okay! How could our Cai Cai be ill-used like this by people! Although our day-to-day life in Mao Village wasn't good, at least we were happy and unlikely to be treated as sacrificial lamb by others. I really regret promising them to return to the Capital!"
Mother Chu was already angered to the point of trembling. Chu Qing-Yan immediately grasped her hand, placating her to say, "Mom, you shouldn't blame yourself. I think that even if we hadn't agreed, they also would have had ways to kidnap us back to the Capital. Therefore, the matter has already reached this stage, we ought to first think of a way to solve this matter!"
Mother Chu, who had never come across such a huge matter, now, was already rattled. In her mind, she simply didn't have any ideas. Tears rotated at the rim of her eyes and voice choked with sobs, she said, "But we are already in Chu family, what ways are there?"
"Mother, even though the imperial edict has already been sent down, however, right now, there still aren't news of activity. We can still stealthily slip away. As long as we are not discovered by Chu family, then all's good!" This was the first idea that popped into her head when she heard Shan Cha just now saying bestowing a marriage.
"Escape?" Mother Chu opened her eyes wide in astonishment.
"That's right, escape out of here! As long as Chu family can't find me, they will choose another daughter to marry out. Otherwise, they would be defying imperial decree. I think they wouldn't be unclear about what important matter to deal with first!" Chu Qing-Yan resolutely said.
"Good, good, then Cai Cai, you find an opportunity to escape from here, don't worry about me and your dad. As long as you escape from here, then mother will feel relieved!" Mother Chu immediately said.
Chu Qing-Yan shook her head, "No, Mom, if we go, we will go together. If we stay, we will stay together. If I was the only one to escape, the Chu family certainly will not let you and Daddy go."
Mother Chu couldn't bear it and wiped away the tears at the corner of her eyes. Choking with sobs, she said, "Okay, okay, okay, if we go, we will go together."
Although Daddy Chu didn't understand what this mother and daughter pair was talking about, however, he started to cry too, "We must be together, don't want to be separated."
"Mother, the matter of escaping Chu family, you can hand it over to this daughter, let daughter will arrange it!"
Chu Qing-Yan looked at her weak mom, confused and ignorant dad, suddenly, her heart had a powerful conviction. She must protect her mom and dad well, and not allow them to eat even a little bit more of suffering or to suffer a bit of grievances!
1) Prince Ying, this is the t.i.tle for inserted in backwards scallion. Ying is the Chinese character for Hero. All the princes have their own t.i.tles. The imperial last name for this dynasty is actually Xiao so sometime you will see me use Prince Xiao.