Xue Xingyue stood up and walked to Meng Jiangming's side, saying coldly, "Does the驸马 have any questions about what this princess just said? If so, you may voice them."
Meng Jiangming was startled, his gaze slowly lowered. "No, I beg the Princess for your punishment."
"Since that is the case, the驸马 has committed the crime of deceiving the emperor. This princess does not wish to pursue it further. From today onwards, without this princess's permission, you are forbidden to enter this princess's gardens. If you disobey, you will be killed without mercy."
Duke Ning and Madam Jiang were stunned. They had thought Meng Jiangming would surely be punished, but they had not expected such a light penalty.
Yet, only Meng Jiangming knew that from this moment on, he and Princess Xingyue were truly estranged.
"As for you..." Xue Xingyue looked at Jiang Xiuyi, a slight smile forming at the corner of her lips. Jiang Xiuyi trembled, a sense of fear growing within her for reasons she could not fathom.
"A concubine is out of the question. How about a maid? What do you think, Duke Ning?" Xue Xingyue asked.
Duke Ning was greatly surprised. This was completely beyond his expectations, so how could he possibly disagree? He quickly offered his thanks, "Thank you, Your Highness, thank you, Your Highness."
"No... no..." Jiang Xiuyi shook her head. "I want to be Cousin's concubine, not a maid, not..."
But before Jiang Xiuyi could finish her words, she was silenced by a look from Madam Jiang, her mouth gagged, and she was dragged away.
"This princess is tired and will rest here for the night. All of you may withdraw!" Xue Xingyue waved her hand and left directly.
Watching Princess Xingyue's figure disappear, Madam Jiang collapsed onto the ground. She looked at Meng Jiangming, who remained kneeling, then stood up to help him. "Jiangming, you have truly disappointed me."
Meng Jiangming looked at the disappointment on his mother's face, a feeling he could not describe welling up inside him.
Duke Ning also came over and said, "Today, we are fortunate for Princess Xingyue's understanding. Jiangming, you are not young anymore. You should learn to understand certain things. Do you know what kind of devastating disaster your actions today would have brought upon the Duke Ning's manor if the Emperor had found out? Why can't you ever grow up? Why?"
"Father, I..."
"Forget it, no need to say more. Do not cause me trouble again in the future." With that, Duke Ning also left.
Seeing this, Madam Jiang said, "It's not just your father who is angry; I am also very angry. Look at how you've ruined your own wedding day. You truly... I don't want to say anything more. Think about it yourself. Thankfully, you encountered someone as magnanimous as Princess Xingyue. Otherwise, who knows what the consequences would have been."
Madam Jiang looked at him, then instructed a servant to fetch some medicine before telling Wu Yi and leaving the place.
"Young Master, let me apply some medicine for you!" Wu Yi approached Meng Jiangming with the medicine.
Meng Jiangming shook his head. "You may also go. I wish to be alone."
Wu Yi placed the medicine down and said, "Young Master, you may call for me if you need anything."
Meng Jiangming sat on the ground and suddenly saw a figure not far away. He chuckled, "Are you here to watch me make a fool of myself?"
"Make a fool of yourself? Meng Jiangming, have you still not realized where you went wrong?"
"Wrong? I am wrong, terribly wrong. Am I not?" Meng Jiangming tilted his head up and said each word deliberately.
"It's not that you are wrong; you are beyond saving."
"Ji Wuran, what right do you have to judge me?" Meng Jiangming asked coldly, looking at Ji Wuran.
Ji Wuran smiled faintly. "I indeed have no right, but if I hadn't brought Princess Xingyue back today, you, Meng Jiangming, would not be sitting here talking to me now. You'd be in prison."
Meng Jiangming was stunned. He had no words to refute, for Ji Wuran was not wrong.
"Meng Jiangming, think carefully about what you truly want. If you cannot figure it out, then do not try to touch anyone, because you cannot afford to." With that, Ji Wuran turned and left.
"Damn it, if I can't afford it, can you?" Meng Jiangming picked up an object and hurled it fiercely in the direction Ji Wuran had left.
Only after the sound of shattering reached him did he realize it was medicine for wounds.
Meng Jiangming felt like crying but had no tears.
Xue Xingyue returned to the room that should have been her bridal chamber. Looking at the vibrant red, her eyes narrowed. She said to Feng Jiu, who had entered, "Take it all down. These things give me a headache."
Feng Jiu quickly tore down the red fabric.
Seeing Feng Jiu's hesitant look, Xue Xingyue said, "If you have something to say, then say it!"
"Your Highness, why did you punish them so lightly? They committed such crimes and should have been thrown into prison." Feng Jiu was still very angry, so furious he wanted to run Meng Jiangming through with his sword.
Xue Xingyue smiled upon hearing this. "This princess also wants to kill them. After all, only these people from the Duke Ning's manor could make this princess this angry. But what happens after killing them? Will this princess marry someone else? Someone perhaps even worse than the Duke Ning's manor?"
Feng Jiu said, "Your Highness, if you don't want to marry, then don't. You are a jewel of heaven. If you don't marry, who can say anything?"
Xue Xingyue's gaze lowered slightly. "Brother Emperor's illness cannot hold on for much longer. He wishes to see this princess married. Must this princess not even fulfill this small wish for him?"
"Your Highness, but this is you sacrificing your lifelong happiness. Is it worth it?" Feng Jiu asked.
"Whether it is worth it or not, I don't know. But I know I want to make Brother Emperor happy. Feng Jiu, Brother Emperor is the most important person in this world to me. Therefore, whatever Brother Emperor wants, I will do. I want Brother Emperor to be happy, and I don't want to have regrets."
Feng Jiu was taken aback. "Your Highness, but your subordinate's heart aches for you, aches that you are exchanging your lifelong happiness for this. You could clearly have something better, a better person to cherish you."
"Feng Jiu, there are some things you wouldn't understand. Moreover, it's not necessarily that this princess was wronged today. After all, this princess never intended to live in harmony with the驸马. So, what he does, I truly don't pay much attention to. This is enough."
"Your Highness..."
"Alright, why are you being so effeminate? I've been hungry all day. Go fetch me something to eat." Xue Xingyue said.
Feng Jiu left.
Xue Xingyue poured herself a cup of tea and then said, "Since you're here, come out. Why hide?"
A figure appeared before Xue Xingyue. Xue Xingyue smiled faintly at the newcomer, "Young Marquis Ji, please have a seat!"
Ji Wuran sat down. Xue Xingyue personally poured him a cup of tea and said, "Today, this princess must thank Young Marquis Ji."