It rained a little in the early morning, and the weather was still gloomy after breakfast, feeling somewhat stuffy.
The guards who followed him mounted their horses, and Yonghe also got on his horse to see off his father. There were not a few people seeing them off, and Mrs. Ying only gave some simple instructions.
Meili walked up to the horse with some shyness and bowed to bid farewell to her future father-in-law, it was her first time meeting Yonghe's Ama Tuha.
Tuha scrutinized her for a while on horseback, lightly sighed and nodded. Since it was the old ancestor's intention, this girl didn't seem to have anything wrong with her, and he had no intention of opposing it either. "You need to pay more attention to your health," he said sternly but with concern, "you're too thin."
Mei was somewhat surprised that he would speak extra words to her and gratefully bowed again in response.
Yonghe quickly walked from his horse's side to hers, helped her stand up straight and felt heartache for her as she had been bowing and her legs were sore.
Because they were preparing to break camp and board the vehicle, everyone gathered at the entrance of the camp. In front of so many people, Yonghe's loving care made Meri blush and frown, gently pushing Yonghe away from her side. The sweetness of the young couple was met with a few snickers, and Xiaozhuang, supporting Yu'an, smiled and teased: "Tuhaha, your son is just like you when you were younger."
Tuhao and Yingru exchanged a awkward yet deeply emotional glance before bursting into laughter.
Tuha bowed his head on horseback and bid farewell to his ancestors.
"Tu Ha, you are experienced and knowledgeable, having seen a lot. This time, please take care of the Emperor for me. He is young and vigorous, but lacks experience in military campaigns." Empress Xiaozhuang instructed sincerely.
"I dare not, Your Majesty is young and wise, I will serve you with all my might."
With the old ancestor entrusting him so heavily, Tuha's position in everyone's mind is naturally different, and Ying Fu can't help but feel secretly proud. After seeing the old ancestor finish speaking, she looked at Yonghe and Meili with a profound gaze, and Ying Fu let out a light sigh. The Empress Dowager promoting Meili like this in public also counts as good fortune brought by Meili. Seeing the dense adoration in her son's eyes that couldn't be dispersed, as a mother, her heart felt both sour and sweet, unable to help it.
Yonghe looked at Mei Li a few more times, then said in a low voice: "I'll be back tonight." Only then did he mount his horse and follow his father to catch up with the Emperor's and the Eight Banners' troops.
Meili's face turned red as she gazed out at his distant figure riding away on horseback, and to her surprise, she had already begun to miss him.
"Everyone get on board!" Jingxuan suddenly shouted loudly behind her, startling her.
Before she could find her own vehicle, he had already grabbed her arm and dragged her all the way to a small car parked behind his ancestor's car, shoving her in like luggage.
Afraid of drawing everyone's attention, Meri frowned and didn't struggle hard.
After throwing her onto the carriage, he didn't let go of his hand, and his gloomy eyes were still staring at her. Mei Li turned away from him, not looking at him. She still understood him a bit, having been high above since childhood, calling the wind and rain. When she clung to him, he was annoyed, even if she died in front of him, he could still watch with cold eyes without moving. If she walked away quietly and was no longer noticed by others, when he saw her again, he would think complacently that this was a woman he had abandoned, and wouldn't look at her straight. But now that she had Yong He, she... could also be treated as a treasure. She smiled wryly, not having expected such good fortune herself. He became resentful, throwing a tantrum like a prince, looking for trouble everywhere.
"Jingxuan?" A puzzled voice sounded from outside the car, he had to straighten up and turn his head to look, Meili took advantage of the opportunity to shake off his grip with force, and quickly shrunk into the car, out of reach of his arm.
He was talking to Suying while coldly glancing at her with the corner of his eye. Suying didn't know what she said, he furrowed his brow, and somewhat apologetically pulled Suying's hand to walk away together. Meili let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, in just two more days of travel they would arrive at Chengde, he would marry Suying as soon as possible, the war was about to start, he would go on an expedition with Chengyi together, and some things from the past would leave no trace due to the passage of time.
She raised an eyebrow, and her annoyed heart calmed down.
The carriage started slowly, and she suddenly remembered that she hadn't seen Qiū Quán since last night... If she wasn't mistaken, this matter was also related to Jìng Xuān. She recalled the look on his face when he choked Jing Xian's neck last night, so cruel and ferocious, yet it didn't feel unfamiliar to her. Yes, he had always been like that, with two completely different appearances for what he liked and disliked. Suī Yíng might never see that side of him in her lifetime, but she... had already experienced it before, when he looked at her with such a ruthless and disgusted expression.
Lunch was served in portions sent up to the carriage by the eunuchs, and everyone ate simply. To save time, the procession only stopped for a short while.
Since she had been cooped up in the car all morning, Mei didn't feel particularly hungry. She finished her meal in a few bites and went for a walk around the area to stretch her limbs.
Jing Xian was also standing by the roadside, about four or five carriages away from her. When her icy gaze met Mei Li's, Mei Li felt very uncomfortable under her scrutiny. Jing Xian stared at her for a while before striding over, saying in a low, venomous tone: "You must be feeling triumphant now? Everyone is being nice to you!"
Meili knew she had a belly full of evil fire and didn't dare find Jingxuan, so she could only vent it on her.
"What's the use of having a man to protect you? Things are hard to predict, don't be too happy too early!" Jing Xian scolded incoherently, the hatred that had been suppressed in her heart seemed to have suddenly found its target.
"Enough." Mei Li interrupted her coldly, "Aren't you tired? Aren't you tired of clinging to things that have already passed?"
Jing Xian was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing: "It seems you're quite carefree! I'm not like you, able to settle for second best. If I couldn't climb up to Jing Xuan, I'd cling to Yong He."
"It's not true!" Mei Li finally lost her temper, others could make fun of her and she would tolerate it, but she wouldn't let them mock Yong He! "In my heart, Yong He is incomparable to anyone else!"
"Alright, alright!" Jingxian snorted coldly, "Jingxuan is the prince, and after fighting with Mongolia, he might even become a close relative of the emperor. What is Yonghe? Not even a Beile! He's just a young whippersnapper relying on his parents' and ancestors' influence! Are you kidding me?"
Meili smiled even colder than her, "Even if he's a vagabond, he's the best man in my heart!" What about Wang Ye? Wang Ye didn't even glance at her when she was most miserable and in pain. What about that young whelp? His heart, his hands... everything about him is so warm!
Her expression turned cold, "Are you showing off to me?" She wanted to continue speaking, but her whole body stiffened, staring straight at the back of Mei's head, her face pale and speechless.
Meili also felt the chill rising from behind, and before she could turn around, a hand wrapped in brutal force grabbed her upper arm, causing her to cry out in pain. The force didn't weaken because of her tears, but instead became even more violent, dragging her into the carriage.
"The best man, huh?!" The carriage was narrow, and he easily pushed her into a dead end. Afraid that he couldn't bear to hurt her, he tightly grasped the wooden frame on both sides of her body. Mei was startled by his sudden and abnormally fierce anger, and although she had intended to respond indifferently, her composure dissipated completely when he pinched her chin.
"Let...let go!" She wanted to say it with conviction, but the sharp pain in her jaw made her stutter.
"He just kissed a few times, touched a few times, and became the 'best man'?" He sneered sharply, releasing her chin, pressing down on her shoulders to pin her under him. Her desperate struggles were nothing but laughable efforts for him. The carriage was shaken back and forth, the horse pulling it whinnied softly and stepped in place.
"Don't... don't make me hate you!" Meri glared resentfully at the man who was tormenting her with his body weight, her ribs aching as if they were about to break. Her chest hurt even more, being pressed down by his iron-like pectorals in a humiliating manner.
"Aren't you already very angry with me?" He panted, coldly smiling. Not allowing her to say anything that would make him even angrier, he punished her by sealing her trembling and pale lips. His kiss was too intense and too overpowering, she couldn't breathe or swallow, and was violently coughing from his saliva and hers.
She cried, because of her cough and sobbing, he frowned and gasped, relaxing his suppression on her. She was so angry that she didn't think twice about taking advantage of the opportunity to knee him in the crotch, just hoping he would stop insulting her.
He let out a low growl, his face deathly pale, and beads of sweat instantly appeared on his forehead. His hands were stiff and trembling as he grasped her body on either side.
Meili was also a little scared... She slipped out from under him and shrank into the corner of the car, perhaps she had made a big mistake.
"You!" He endured this intense pain, staring at her with a murderous gaze.
Meili's whole body trembled, but as long as he didn't treat her like that again, she wasn't afraid of his fierce gaze. Killing her would be nothing to him, just like crushing an ant.
"Your Highness." Her voice trembled, but was no longer stuttering. "Don't do anything else that makes me resent you!" She repeated in a cold tone. "If you continue like this, I'd rather die!"
He glared at her with a stern face and continued to intimidate her, but she fearlessly stared back at him. She knew that he was not only insulting her, but also the honor of her family, and she wouldn't allow it!
Jing Xuan's personal guard roughly pushed Jing Wan out of the way, half respectfully and half coercively. She watched coldly as Jing Xuan pushed Mei Li into the carriage, which then swayed ambiguously, causing the horses to spin around in place, forcing the guards to grab the reins and shout to steady them.
She smiled eerily, good, a man who threatened her recklessly, a woman who showed off to her... She wanted to see what kind of ending they would have.