Priceless: A widow with a baby asks the prince to marry again

It was dimming, and a group of horses stopped on a deserted path. Next to it was a piece of open space that was obviously newly opened. Dozens of young men sat around a campfire eating sesame cakes and buns bought from the city.

The more Sun Zhizhao thought about it, the more he felt that it was wrong. Why did he have to repay a favor like he was taking revenge? Although the things the prince mentioned were all good things, if the benefactor didn't want to, he could just repay the favor in another way!

Suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind. Thinking of the iron cage and the beautiful jade, and then looking at the benefactor's beautiful face, Sun Zhizhao suddenly realized! The prince was not repaying his kindness! He was obviously moved by the benefactor. If soft tactics didn't work, he had to use hard tactics!

Sun Zhizhao was in a state of confusion. Needless to say, he was on the side of the prince... But this was not a good idea. He hadn't even repaid the life-saving favor yet, but he was already threatening his benefactor...

It is one thing to be tempted to take the beauty home, and repaying the favor should be another. The matter of coercion is a foregone conclusion, but the repayment of the favor still needs to be reminded to the prince not to ignore it, and Sun Zhizhao nodded secretly.

As he was thinking, he saw his prince walking out of the village alone. When he saw them, he said, "Early tomorrow morning, the three men and the carriage will go in to pick up the people. Remember, if anyone asks, just say you are hired."

"The rest of you will leave here at dawn and wait on the country road outside the trail."

Sun Zhizhao immediately stood up to object: "Your Highness! It's not enough to leave only three of us in this remote place!"

Prince Duan just glanced at him and then said, "I will stay in the village tonight, and you are not allowed to enter the village."

After saying that, Chu Shiyu turned around and went back to the village. In fact, Liu Rusi had already said bluntly that she would not let him stay at home tonight.

But he had too many emotions in his heart, guilt, expectation, and worry all mixed together. If he was a little further away from Liu Rusi, he would feel uneasy...even if he just waited quietly outside for a night.

As the night fell, the moon was half hidden behind the thin clouds, and it was difficult to see any trace of the stars.

The light was too dim. Unless one was a cat with night vision, one could not see the outline of things clearly... Chu Shiyu found a tree on the hillside outside the Qin family's courtyard, leaned against a branch, and looked in the direction of the Qin family's courtyard based on his memory of when it was still daylight.

Why do I like her so much?

He understood that everything about her was what he liked, and he would always like her.

But he didn't understand why it happened so quickly. He didn't even have the slightest chance to struggle. He just fell in love with her without any other choice.

As I was daydreaming, suddenly a fire appeared in the direction I was looking.

Chu Shiyu immediately sat up straight and was about to jump off the tree when he saw clearly that the firelight reflected the graceful figure of Liu Rusi.

Holding a torch, she gently closed the door and walked out of the yard, then walked towards him...

His heart tightened, but then he felt disappointed and relieved. She was not here to see him.

He turned around and looked at the unclear mountains behind him. The night concealed the envy in his eyes.

Liu Rusi held the torch and looked carefully at the road ahead.

Qin Lie taught her how to make torches. She used a wooden stick as long as an arm, wrapped one end with rags and soaked it in grease, and then lit it. But she had only watched Qin Lie make it before, and this was her first time making it herself, and it was quite successful.

She had walked this mountain road many times, but this was her first time coming up here late at night. It was pitch black outside the firelight and looked a little unfamiliar, but Liu Rusi did not feel the slightest bit of fear... She was not a very brave person, so why wasn't she afraid?

She looked up at the mountain and smiled, probably because she knew he was there.

The mountain was not high, and she quickly reached the halfway point, where several graves stood as usual.

Liu Rusi walked to Qin Lie's grave, stuck the torch into the ground on one side, and sat down next to the tombstone. She tilted her head back and leaned on the somewhat cold inscription, looking at the misty crescent moon in the sky.

"I'm leaving tomorrow..."

"I'm going to the capital, I don't know when I can come back..."

"If it were just me, I would never leave, but Qin Hao's future has many possibilities, and the future in the capital will obviously be brighter, so... I compromised."

Liu Rusi spoke slowly, tears welling up in her eyes uncontrollably. She raised her hand to wipe them away, and said with tears and laughter: "I thought I wouldn't cry this time."

She looked at the moon quietly for a long time, only her crystal tears reflected by the firelight kept wetting her clothes.

"Qin Lie...even though you are lying here, I always feel like we have never been apart...it's just that I can't see you."

"You know, I don't belong to this world... This proves that the soul exists..."

"I don't know where your soul is..."

"Here is where you are most likely to be..."

Liu Rusi's tears became turbulent and heavy. She was weighed down by the weight and buried her face in her knees.

"But I have to go..."

"Maybe I really will have to separate from you..."

There was a low whimpering sound in the silent cemetery.

After an unknown amount of time, she gradually stopped crying and sat quietly again.

When a faint light appeared in the sky, she stood up. Her eyes were red but her tears had dried. She smiled and said, "We've already said goodbye. Without me, you won't be lonely in the other world. Your parents and grandparents are all here, right?"

"It's a pity that I haven't met them. Please tell them too that I'm leaving."

Liu Rusi turned around and went down the mountain. The torch had gone out, but the faint light in the sky allowed her to vaguely see the road under her feet.

The tall figure followed her from a distance until he saw her enter the Qin family's courtyard.

Looking up at the pale sky, Chu Shiyu's eyes turned slightly red. She let out a sigh and turned to look at the tombstone in front of her with the words "My husband Qin Lie's spirit" written on it.

Usually it should be written as the late husband or the first husband, she...

Chu Shiyu took a deep breath and stared at the inscription with a determined and unflinching gaze.

"Qin Lie, I don't know why you brought me here, but you should have anticipated the consequences now!"

"You know she's so good."

After a few moments of silence, Chu Shiyu turned and left.

"I will take good care of her and Qin Hao. You don't need to worry about me."

The sky was bright, the sounds of cocks crowing and dogs barking continued, and the luxurious carriage stopped at the gate of the Qin family's courtyard again.

Liu Rusi took out the last bit of rice, flour, oil and salt, glanced at the people around her, and finally handed it to her scumbag father with a sigh.

"Just take care of yourself."

The scumbag dad accepted it happily, and Liu Rusi felt no more disturbance. Some people are just heartless and live their whole lives in ignorance. Anything can make them degenerate like evil spirits, and they cannot be saved.

Ignoring their scumbag father no longer, Liu Rusi and Caiyun handed their luggage to the coachman and put it on the carriage, then walked out of the village.

On the way, Liu Rusi and her uncle chatted about how it was cold in the north in winter and she needed to wear more clothes, and how she could send a letter back. It was like they had talked about everything, but it also seemed like there was still a lot left to say...

When they reached the entrance of the village, Liu Rusi stopped with little Qin Hao, looked at her uncle with tears in her eyes and said with a smile: "Uncle, just send me here."

"Hmm..." Liu Ronggui rubbed his eyes, squinting with a look of sand, and he also smiled: "Uncle will send you here. You and Qin...Qin Yi, you must be good in the future. When little Qin Hao becomes a talent, come back to visit if you have the chance."

"Okay, uncle, take care of yourself, do less heavy work and take good care of your body. You are the support of many people!" Tears fell from Liu Rusi's eyes. She pulled Xiao Qin Hao and let her uncle carry him into the carriage.

The uncle laughed until tears came out of his eyes and held little Qin Hao up. After little Qin Hao stood firm, he said with tears in his eyes: "Grandpa, you must live a hundred years! I will come back to see you!"

"Okay, okay, uncle, work hard and live a long life." Liu Ronggui smiled as he watched Qin Yi insist on helping Liu Rusi get into the carriage.

Huang Caiyun also wanted to get on the carriage, but Chu Shiyu obviously didn't want to help her. Sun Zhizhao saw this and stepped forward to help her. The carriage was still a bit high...

However, Huang Dashi stepped forward and helped his daughter. He smiled and said, "Don't forget your family when you have a good life in the future. Occasionally, follow your sister Liu to write a letter back."

Huang Caiyun felt complicated, but still nodded.

The horse-drawn carriage was much faster than the ox-drawn cart. The wheels turned the corner quickly and disappeared.

Everyone else turned around and went back, only my uncle and my aunt's family seemed to walk a little further away unintentionally.

"Hey, when did there become an open space here?" asked my uncle in surprise.

Zhao Chunfang wiped her tears, glared at him and said, "Why do you care about these things? Liu Cui is like a half-daughter to us. I feel very sad when she leaves!"

The horse-drawn carriage went along the mountain village path. Although it was faster than the ox-drawn cart, it was not actually traveling at high speed.

Chu Shiyu sat outside with the guard driving the carriage, while another guard and Sun Zhizhao were jogging beside them. The guard was strong and had no difficulty at all, but Sun Zhizhao was out of breath and extremely tired.

Liu Rusi lifted the curtain and saw him like that, so she said with some laughter: "Your Majesty, why don't you let them wait first and send someone back on horseback to pick them up later?"

Chu Shiyu did not object to her proposal. He tilted his head towards Sun Zhizhao and asked him to stop and wait, but he frowned and said unhappily: "Don't call me Prince, just call me by my name."

It would be best if she called him Shi Yu, but for now it would be good enough if she could call him by his full name. But no matter what, I don't want to hear her call him "Prince", as it makes me feel that he is much farther away from her. Even calling him "Hey" is better than calling him "Prince".

Liu Rusi did not answer. This question was a bit embarrassing for her. With his status, if outsiders saw her being disrespectful, they would definitely think she was special, but she did not want to be a special person...

After a while, Liu Rusi looked at little Qin Hao who was curious about the carriage, and then she came up with an idea and let the matter go.

"Mom, can I eat this?" Little Qin Hao set his eyes on the snacks in the car that he had never seen before.

Before Liu Rusi could answer, Chu Shiyu outside said first: "Okay, the food inside is prepared for you to eat."

Liu Rusi picked up the snack and sniffed it carefully, then handed it to Xiao Qinhao and said, "Then eat one. Don't eat too much, or you'll get indigestion."

Little Qinhao happily took the snack and nibbled on it. Liu Rusi looked at Caiyun with amusement, who looked greedy, and took one and handed it to her, saying, "You can only eat one."

The carriage quickly drove out of the mountain village path, and at the intersection of the country road, a large number of guards on horseback were waiting on the roadside.

Without Chu Shiyu saying anything, the guard driving the carriage ordered someone to go back and pick up Sun Zhizhao and the other person. Another guard led a shiny black horse with only snow-white hooves. When Chu Shiyu got off the carriage, the reins were handed to him just right.

Chu Shiyu mounted the horse quickly and neatly. His tall and straight body carried the aura of a powerful person. Sitting upright on the majestic horse, he looked extremely majestic.

The carriage seemed to have stopped for only a few moments before it continued on its way along the country road.

Seeing Chu Shiyu riding his horse parallel to the carriage, Liu Rusi lowered the curtain as if nothing had happened...

She leaned back on the cushion as if she was tired and wanted to take a nap. She closed her eyes and felt heavy in her heart. Her fate was out of her control.

Chu Shiyu, or Prince Duan, is not the gentle and soft Qin Yi in Dongshan Village. He has his own innate strength.

He intentionally maintained a gentle attitude towards herself and Xiao Qinhao, and it was only on the surface. He was still tough in his bones, and she only had choices within the scope he set.

For example, as for the matter of taking them away, he would take her away whether she agreed or not. Her only choice was to delay a little and whether to leave in a decent way.

So, does she have a choice about his love for her? Does she have the right to choose not to accept it?

There were some foreseeable futures that she didn't want to accept... All she wanted in this life was to raise Qin Hao to adulthood, and the rest of her body and mind she wanted to keep for Qin Lie.

"Mom? What's wrong with you?" Little Qin Hao called out in a low voice with some concern.

Chu Shiyu, who was very close to the carriage, heard it immediately and anxiously lifted the curtain from outside the carriage.

Liu Rusi opened her eyes and found that she had shed tears unconsciously. She secretly blamed herself for her incontinence. She forced a smile and said, "I still can't bear to leave my uncle."

Little Qinhao nodded in understanding, and said with reluctance: "I miss my uncle very much, but I also want to go to the capital. It would be great if I could take my uncle with me."

Liu Rusi glanced at Chu Shiyu outside the window with a sharp look, dispelling the idea that had not yet arisen, and then said to Xiao Qinhao seriously and gently: "My uncle also has family and friends that he can't bear to leave, and my uncle's family and friends also have people they can't bear to leave. You can't take away all the people you can't bear to leave."

"It's hard to let go of some people and things, but you have to say goodbye to them eventually, especially people. If you take them away by force without regard for their wishes, I'm afraid they will be hurt and sad."

Xiao Qinhao nodded thoughtfully, and the big hand that was lifting the car curtain was quickly withdrawn.

The snow-white horse hooves sped up a bit, and the dark horse body staggered a little with the carriage. Chu Shiyu snorted in frustration. Wasn't it just educating his son to point a finger at him... But this was different!

If he was just reluctant to let her go, he could have said goodbye properly, but she was not someone he was just reluctant to let go of. She was someone he was willing to give up everything else for but was unwilling to let go of.