Chapter 49

Chapter 49: A Bride with a Stunning Visage? "Master, it's the eldest miss!" Hu Ba quickly reminded Pei Wuliang that Jia Qingcheng had arrived, wanting him to put away the marriage certificate first. After all, if Jia Qingcheng saw it, she would get jealous again. And when this woman got jealous, it was no small matter—she would make a fuss for a month or more before calming down. Pei Wuliang knew why Jia Qingcheng had come. In his past life, she had crafted a golden peace amulet for him—she must be here to make something for him now. She was indeed good to him. But! This time, he wanted her to know that her days of sulking and quarreling with him had already made him very angry. "No matter. She knows she has no standing." Pei Wuliang strode forward with the marriage certificate and stopped before Jia Qingcheng. "Qingcheng, have you come to forge a peace amulet for me?" Jia Qingcheng found him utterly ridiculous. For him? Where did he get the nerve? "Don't envy me. This is something I once promised Jiaojiao—only one marriage certificate exists, and ordinarily only a lawful wife is entitled to one. You are but a concubine, so there's no need to covet it." After saying this, he felt he had been a bit harsh, so his tone softened. "Even though you have no certificate, I will still look after you. Tomorrow at the wedding, I must attend to Jiaojiao first—take care of yourself!" Jia Qingcheng only found him laughable. "Are you done?" Pei Wuliang: "..." Why was she still angry? "Enough. Tomorrow is my wedding day. Don't provoke me further, or else I won't send a bridal sedan to fetch you—you'll have to find your own carriage to enter the manor." Pei Wuliang didn't want to treat her this way, but Jia Qingcheng always wore that aggrieved expression, which infuriated him. He had said he would look after her, yet she kept comparing herself to Jiaojiao—that was simply overestimating herself. She ought to take a good look in the mirror. With that ugly appearance of hers, was she even worthy? "Chunyan, let's go!" Jia Qingcheng completely ignored Pei Wuliang, while he assumed she was still throwing a tantrum. Fine—if he said more, she would only get bolder. "Hu Ba, let's go!" "Master, Miss Jia seems truly angry this time!" "Angry?" Pei Wuliang sneered. Once she married into Chu Wangfu tomorrow and saw that Prince Chu was dead, she would no longer have the nerve to be angry. "Pay her no mind. Ugly and bad-tempered—I don't know where she gets her confidence!" Jia Qingcheng overheard every word but paid him no attention, heading straight for the goldsmith's shop. As Pei Wuliang boarded his carriage, a thought suddenly struck him! "Qingcheng, make the peace amulet heavier—I don't like things that are too light." What? Jia Qingcheng simply thought he was raving and ignored him. When she entered the goldsmith's shop, the shopkeeper hurried over. "Miss, you've arrived." "Shopkeeper, is my item ready?" "It's ready, but..." "What's wrong?" The shopkeeper said hastily, "Miss, that gentleman outside just now ordered a golden marriage certificate, and the bill was charged to your account." What? That Pei Wuliang really had some nerve. "Shopkeeper, I know nothing about this, and I'm no fool to be taken advantage of. You know what to do, don't you?" With that, Jia Qingcheng had Chunyan bring out the silver for her own item. "I'll pay for my own things. As for others—you should know how to handle it." The shopkeeper understood instantly. "I see, old man understands." "By the way, tomorrow is that Master Pei's wedding. That would be the best time to collect the debt." The shopkeeper caught on immediately. "Thank you for the tip, miss." After receiving her peace plaque, Jia Qingcheng quickly left the shop and returned home. She had Chunyan send all her dowry to Chu Wangfu ahead of time, and by dawn, barely anything of her dowry remained at the Jia residence. Madam Jia's scheme had been thoroughly crushed. Inside the room, a single lamp flickered like a bean. Outside, music and drums played with great fanfare, yet she had not even washed or dressed. Today, she too would do something momentous—wash away the ugly marks on her face and reveal her true self. It had been many years since she had last seen her real appearance. Before the blurry bronze mirror, she wore her bridal gown with her hair loose. She asked Chunyan to prepare two eggs. Chunyan didn't understand what she intended but obeyed nonetheless. "Miss, please hurry—the bridal sedan from Chu Wangfu has already arrived at the door." The sedan had arrived. She had guessed correctly—Prince Chu had not come in person. But that was fine; she would meet him eventually. There was no rush. "Go outside. I'll be done soon." ... After about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, she removed every scar she had deliberately used to disfigure her face. When the last patch of scarred skin was peeled away, a breathtakingly beautiful face was revealed beneath the bronze mirror. As the dark, scorched scars melted away like spring snow, the jade-carved, ice-sculpted contours beneath were exposed. The woman in the mirror had fair, luminous skin, exquisitely beautiful features, and a pair of eyes like autumn waters rippling—alluring enough to enchant the world. She seemed to see her mother. Her face bore a striking resemblance to her late mother. She took a deep breath. Today, it was time for her transformation. "Qingcheng, why are you still dawdling?" From outside came Pei Wuliang's voice urging her to hurry, and sensing that he was about to enter, she immediately picked up the bridal veil and covered her face. When Pei Wuliang came in, he saw her with the veil already in place... At that moment, he found himself staring somewhat absentmindedly. After all, setting aside Jia Qingcheng's face, her figure was still quite graceful. But if the veil were lifted, then... It would ruin the view. "Chu Wangfu has sent someone to fetch you. You should be on your way." In response to Pei Wuliang's words, Jia Qingcheng ignored him, merely extending a jade-like hand and saying lightly, "Chunyan." "Miss, let us go. The bridal sedan has arrived at the door." Jia Qingcheng had Chunyan help her out of the residence, and Pei Wuliang noticed she hadn't even said a word to him. Somehow, when he saw her step into Chu Wangfu's bridal sedan, he felt a hollow emptiness in his heart, as if something important had been instantly ripped away from him... It left him feeling deeply unsettled. Strange. He had married his beloved Jiaojiao, so why did his heart feel so uneasy? "Master, why are you still standing here? We need to go!" "I know!" Hu Ba came to remind him it was time to leave, and Pei Wuliang quickly hurried after his wedding procession. As luck would have it, the road to Chu Wangfu was the same as the one to the Pei residence—both passed through Tonghui Gate. Out of deference to Chu Wangfu's authority, the Pei family yielded and let Chu Wangfu's procession go first. Thus, Song Jiaojiao, who had originally seized the auspicious hour to depart, was left behind once again. Pei Wuliang, dressed in his wedding robes and seated atop his tall horse, could clearly see Jia Qingcheng's bridal sedan. But soon, because several other wedding processions were also on the street, the procession became tangled and disordered. The bridal sedans were all identical, and even the wedding processions wore the same clothes. In an instant, no one could tell whose was whose. The sedan swayed and jolted back and forth, and Jia Qingcheng sensed trouble inside. "Chunyan!" Chunyan was nowhere to be found. There were too many wedding parties, causing congestion on the road, and Jia Qingcheng's sedan was suddenly jostled and tipped over. She stumbled and stepped out of the sedan in a hurry, but moving too quickly, the veil on her head slipped off in an instant, revealing that peerlessly beautiful face. And this scene happened to be witnessed by Pei Wuliang, who was right behind her...