Chapter 32 - To Leave

"My lady, we have returned."

The people have yet to enter the room, but Qiao Er's voice had already floated into the room first. Only, they had not yet entered the room when they encountered a restless An Yu Zhi by the doorway.

An Yu Zhi's complexion was looking not so good. Just thinking about the fact that after seven days she will have to marry into the Fu palace, there was not a drop of joyous color on her face, only fear. "The matters that I asked you to inquire about, how goes it?"

Qiao Er did not notice and said happily, "Miss, the news of your marriage to Fu wang ye is circulating all throughout Jun Zi City. I heard that the emperor has also passed a decreed, not only is he allowing the marriage, but he also conferred many valuable things, just waiting for you when you marry into the Fu family."

An Yu Zhi's face suddenly turned white.

"Miss, what is wrong?" Xing Er was the first to notice her strangeness.

Qiao Er looked and also saw the white face of the young miss. "Miss, don't scare us. Are you feeling unwell somewhere?" As she said this she quickly poured a cup of hot water for her.

An Yu Zhi did not take the cup but instead seized Qiao Er's wrist. Her fingers turned white with the excessive force of her grip. "Tell me, if right now I say I will not marry… what will happen?"

"Miss, these words, you mustn't say them. Otherwise there will be big trouble for the An family." Xing Er was startled.

"That's right, Miss." Qiao Er also did not know that their young miss had such thoughts, and hurriedly took Xing Er's side. "Fu wang ye is a member of the imperial family. To be able to marry him, that is the kind of fortune that every women dream about. Not to mention, you're becoming the wang fei when you're marrying into their family."

Xing Er said earnestly, "Miss, the news of your and Fu wang ye's marriage is well known. Even the emperor is starting to take notice. If you say you won't marry, and the emperor gets angry, the entire An family will be charged with committing crime against the throne. You must not have such an idea."

An Yu Zhi put on a stiff smile. "The two of you needn't worry so much. It's just a sudden thought I had, so I just said it out loud. It’s not like I will necessarily do it."

The two maidservants breathed a sigh of relief.

Qiao Er resumed that smirking expression, "Miss, good thing you are only asking."

An Yu Zhi's eyes flashed.

Time flies quickly, in the blink of an eye another three days passed. Only four days away from the big wedding. Both sides were in full swing preparing for the wedding. Even An Zi Ran was busy to the point of not having time to practice his calligraphy. These past few days he'd been running back and forth between their courtyard and the Fu palace. Therefore he did not have time to pay attention to the situation with An Yu Zhi.

Before An Yu Zhi said she was just talking about it, but on that day when An Zi Ran went over to the Fu palace, she began to pack up. She sent away the more sensible Xing Er, and only Qiao Er was left. When she heard that the young miss wanted to escape from the marriage, she was shocked into a stupor.

"Miss, didn't you say…"

An Yu Zhi went back on her words. For the first time, her pretty face revealed her determination. "I don't want to marry. I've already figured it out. My life cannot be destroyed in Fu Wu Tian's hands. I want to pursue my own happiness."

These days she thought again and again, about the opera plays that she once saw with her father and mother. One scene had always impressed her. It was a woman who had always had a firm belief in bravely pursuing her own happiness. In the end, she obtained that happiness. She thought that she should also be like that woman in the opera play.

Qiao Er was shocked. "But Miss, if you just pack up and leave like this, what will happen to the young master and the An family?"

Seeing that the young miss had already packed her bags, she finally knew that the young miss was not kidding this time. She was overwhelmed. She felt that she must persuade the young miss. There may be some flaws with Fu wang ye, but his status was a noble. How many people wanted to marry him but would never have the chance. It was incredible that the lady wanted to escape the marriage!

An Yu Zhi raised her eyebrows. She knew she was making things difficult for her maidservant. She gnawed on her lower lip. "I believe Brother will find a way. Qiao Er, are you willing to go with me? If you don't want to, I can't let you tell my brother, so I'll tie you up."

[T/N: Damn~ where is all this steadfastness coming from. Not too long ago she was blushing and stammering things like "I'll leave it all up to Brother."]

"Miss…" Qiao Er's face revealed her inner conflict.

For the first time, she saw the young miss so determined, and it looked like she had made preparations way ahead of time.

"Qiao Er, if you come with me, I won't treat you poorly." An Yu Zhi actually wanted someone to leave with her. There was peace of mind in two people relying on each other. So between the two maidservants, she chose Qiao Er, the one who was comparatively more impulsive.

Qiao Er hesitated for a while and eventually nodded in agreement. She knew that the jun wang would definitely lay blame on them. When that happens no one in the An family would get away. If she stayed she might get implicated. It would be better to follow the young miss.

The master and servant pair who agreed on the idea soon slipped from the back door.

By the time An Zi Ran returned to the courtyard the sun was fast setting towards the horizon.

As soon as he entered the door, he was keenly aware that the atmosphere was somewhat strange and seemed to be repressed.

Eventually he found Xing Er pacing back and forth. When Xing Er saw him it was like she saw the holy savior himself. She immediately rushed over. She opened her mouth and the first sentence that left her lips was, "Young Master, it's not good, the young miss is gone."

Muse: Thank you to yinrin for the coffee~! =^-^=

I recently finished translating a portion of

as a teaser to increase reader interest in the story. It’s a Japanese light novel with a female protagonist. It’s another transmigration story and the premise is quite interesting. Take a look if you have time.