Chapter 121 Forced Marriage
Chapter 121 Forced Marriage
As dawn broke, the first rays of sunlight pierced through the sparse clouds and fell upon the ancient pine trees.
The dewdrops on the leaves, glistening in the sunlight, shimmered like pearls.
Qiu Ziyue and Qi Yuxuan remained sitting in the tree, enjoying the tranquility of the early morning.
Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps broke the silence.
Yun Feiyang came running over, panting, his face full of anxiety.
"Young Master, Miss Qiu is in trouble! Something has happened!"
Yun Feiyang shouted loudly.
Upon hearing Yun Feiyang's shout, Qiu Ziyue and Qi Yuxuan immediately leaped down from the tree, their movements swift and agile.
They landed on the ground, their eyes fixed nervously on Yun Feiyang.
"What happened?" Qi Yuxuan asked anxiously.
Yun Feiyang took a breath and said with a solemn expression, "Zhuifeng sent us a message by carrier pigeon, saying that Li Maozhen has led his troops to our mansion to demand an explanation. He insists that the young master marry Yushuang, or he will kill the young master!"
Upon hearing this, Qiu Ziyue and Qi Yuxuan's expressions immediately turned serious.
Qiu Ziyue gritted her teeth and said, "We must go back immediately; we can't let your father be in any danger."
Qi Yuxuan nodded, a resolute glint in his eyes: "Let's set off immediately."
Qiu Ziyue and Qi Yuxuan told everyone about this.
The group quickly packed their belongings, bid farewell to Du Rangneng and Du Xiao, and sped towards the Qi family mansion.
The sound of horses' hooves echoed through the silent forest, and the crowd's hearts were heavy, their eyes filled with anxiety.
Qiu Ziyue sat on horseback, lost in thought.
She knew that this crisis was not only about her personal marriage, but also about the safety of the entire Qi family mansion.
Seeing Qi Yuxuan's extreme anxiety, Qiu Ziyue spurred her horse forward and whispered to comfort him, "Yuxuan, don't worry, we will definitely be able to resolve this."
Qi Yuxuan nodded and looked at him gratefully: "Thank you, Ziyue. With you here, I feel much more at ease."
Qiu Ziyue smiled slightly and tightened her grip on the reins: "We said that no matter what difficulties we encounter, we will face them together."
Despite braving wind and rain and working day and night, everyone's mood did not relax; on the contrary, they became even more tense.
They all knew that time was of the essence and they had to get to the Qi family mansion as soon as possible.
Finally, after a long and arduous journey, the group spotted the familiar gates of the Qi family mansion in the distance.
Qi Yuxuan sped up and rushed forward first.
The crowd followed closely behind, their hearts filled with tension and anticipation.
As soon as Qiu Ziyue and Qi Yuxuan stepped into the gate of the Qi family mansion, they felt an unusually tense atmosphere.
The courtyard was in complete disarray, and the servants were running around in a panic.
Furniture was overturned, vases were shattered, and the once tidy courtyard was now a scene of devastation.
"Young Valley Master, you've finally arrived!"
Zhui Feng shouted loudly, his face showing obvious anxiety.
Qiu Ziyue and Qi Yuxuan walked quickly to the center of the courtyard, where they saw Li Maozhen leading a group of men, looking menacing.
At this moment, Li Maozhen appeared majestic and ruthless, his tall figure draped in a magnificent battle robe and armor, his brows exuding an air of unparalleled arrogance.
His gaze was as sharp as an eagle's, and a cold smile played on his lips, as if everything was under his control.
Li Maozhen's entourage, armed with weapons, rampaged through the mansion, smashing and destroying things with impunity.
The servants were powerless to resist and could only flee.
Qi Jiangfeng knelt on the ground, head bowed, silent, his eyes filled with helplessness and anger.
Seeing this, Qiu Ziyue felt as if her heart was being torn apart. She rushed forward and asked in a trembling voice, "Uncle, are you alright?"
Qi Jiangfeng raised his head, a trace of sadness flashing in his eyes, but then lowered his head again without saying a word.
“Uncle, please get up. Yu Xuan and I will handle this,” Qiu Ziyue said.
Qi Jiangfeng dared not get up, so Qiu Ziyue quickly pressed his acupoints to put him to sleep.
Qi Jiangfeng was drowsy, so Qiu Ziyue helped him up, and Yun Feiyang took him to his bedroom to rest.
Qi Yuxuan walked up to Li Maozhen and said in a deep voice, "Welcome, Prince Qi. I am here to greet you."
Li Maozhen sneered, his gaze sharp: "Yuxuan, I've come here to seek justice. If you obey, marry Yushuang immediately; otherwise, don't blame me for being impolite!"
Qiu Ziyue stepped forward and said firmly, "Your Highness Prince Qi, marriage is a matter of mutual consent. Why do you not respect Young Master Qi's opinion?"
Li Maozhen's face darkened, and his voice carried a threat: "Where did you come from, you wild girl, daring to meddle in the affairs of the Li and Qi families?"
Qiu Ziyue did not back down and said firmly, "Your Highness, I am Qiu Ziyue. Although I am an outsider, this matter involves my friends, and I cannot stand idly by."
"You, Qiu Ziyue, I was just looking for you. I didn't see you on the battlefield, but now you've come to me on your own initiative. Today I'm going to make you pay."
Some time ago, Li Maozhen suffered repeated defeats on the battlefield and even killed his adopted son to apologize to the emperor. This anger made Li Maozhen extremely uncomfortable.
After returning from the battlefield, he took the time to read Qi Yuxuan's letter announcing the engagement. He was furious and immediately led his troops to besiege the Qi family mansion.
Seeing Qiu Ziyue's unwavering resolve, Li Maozhen's eyes flashed with anger.
He said coldly, "Qiu Ziyue, I'll settle accounts with you later. Yushuang is my daughter, and she's good enough for you, Yuxuan. Yuxuan, as long as you agree to this marriage, everything can be resolved."
Qi Yuxuan shook his head and said firmly, "Your Highness, I appreciate your kindness, but I already have someone I love. A forced marriage will not be happy."
Li Maozhen's brows furrowed even more, and his tone became even sterner: "Yuxuan, don't be ungrateful. I'm giving you this chance only because of your father. If you continue to be stubborn, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
Upon hearing this, Qiu Ziyue knew that further arguing would be pointless.
So Qiu Ziyue said to King Qi, "King Qi, please immediately order your men to stop and not harm the innocent. Let's settle our score on the battlefield, or don't blame me for being impolite."
Just then, Qi Yushuang came out of the house. When she saw Qi Yuxuan return, she immediately went up to him and said, "Brother Xuan, you're back."
Qi Yushuang reached out her arms to hug Qi Yuxuan, but Qi Yuxuan dodged her.
Qi Yushuang thought he was angry because he saw Li Maozhen ordering his men to vandalize and destroy things, so she said to Li Maozhen, "Godfather, please stop making trouble. I will marry Yuxuan."
Upon hearing this, Li Maozhen ordered his men, "Stop."
“Yu Shuang, do you know that Yu Xuan doesn’t agree to marry you? You can ask him again. If he agrees, I will immediately officiate your wedding. If he doesn’t agree, I will raze the Qi family to the ground,” Li Maozhen said.
Qiu Ziyue was about to retort, but Qi Yuxuan stopped her.
Qi Yuxuan said, "Prince Qi, I have made it very clear in my letter that I am willing to fulfill the bet, marry Qiu Ziyue, and treat Yushuang as my sister for the rest of my life."
"What, Brother Xuan, you..."
Upon hearing this, Qi Yushuang felt as if she had been struck by lightning. Tears streamed down her face as she said, "Brother Xuan, what are you saying? Don't you know what you've done? We've already consummated our marriage. Why don't you want to marry me?"
"What? Qi the Ice Cube, how could you and Yu Shuang do this?"
Qiu Ziyue listened in a daze.
"No, Ziyue, you have to believe me, it's really not like that," Qi Yuxuan quickly explained.
"Haha, Yuxuan, it seems I misjudged you. I thought you were a gentleman. You and Yushuang have already gone through that, yet you still refuse to marry Yushuang and are still entangled with Qiu Ziyue. You must get married today, or I will raze the Qi family mansion to the ground," Li Maozhen said.
"This isn't real, it's not real," Qiu Ziyue was stunned.
Upon seeing this, the three senior brothers immediately came to comfort him.
"Junior sister, calm down."
Qi Yuxuan kept explaining, "Ziyue, you have to believe me."
As a result, the Qi family mansion courtyard was thrown into chaos, and the sounds of smashing and looting could be heard again.
Comfort, crying out, explaining...
The whole courtyard was in complete chaos.
Thank you sincerely for reading.
To be continued in the next chapter.
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