The Emperor’s Beloved Ugly Girl

8. The Arrival in NingGuTa

Translator: Iris Guo

Instantly, the guard with dark skin nodded: “You are right, bro. Even if the deposed Crown Prince is still alive, as a half-dead paralytic, he wouldn’t make a difference. There’s no chance that he could return to the capital alive. To say the least, he finds out that we sent him a fake bride, so what? There’s no one he could complain to!”

Therefore, the guards stopped talking and rapidly removed the dress from Miss Duan’s body. Then, they put the dress on A’Chou aggressively despite her begging.

They set off again, and there was only A’Chou sitting in the carriage. Without Miss Duan, the place was unexpectedly no longer cramped. With disheveled hair and a dirty face, A’Chou sat in the carriage stiffly in an unsuitable red gown, and her mind was whirling.

A’Chou recalled Miss Duan’s sobs, desperate eyes, her usual nobility and dignity, as well as the bleak grave where she was buried hastily.

On the Qingming Festival this year, Duan Rulan, who was the same age as A’Chou, died among the strangers and would stay in Tongliao forever, while A’Chou, her dowry maid, had to replace her to marry the half-dead paralytic in her wedding dress.

How badly was that man paralyzed?

Was he like the Mammy Xiang from the Imperial Washhouse, who could only stagger against the wall with legs broken by the fallen beam?

Or worse?

…

A’Chou’s mind was a real mess, uneasy and anxious. She lifted the curtains and looked at the deserted wilderness. Then, she remembered what the pale guard said in the hostel earlier and couldn’t help drawing a deep sigh.

He said: “From now on, the lives of us three will be tied together. If the Emperor wants to kill us, we would definitely kill you first. You’d better figure out what to do next and whether you want to live!”

…

Day: The first day of the fifth lunar month, the 32nd year of Jiasheng Reign

Location: NingGuTa

A’Chou finally arrived at NingGuTa. She had witnessed the changes of scenery, from the urban prosperity, to the country lane, then to the desolation in front of her. Although she was prepared for the changes, she sighed subconsciously. NingGuTa wasn’t as barren as what the Imperial Servants said, nevertheless, the vast expanse of wasteland seemed extremely run-down. Since it rained the day before, the bridleway got so muddy that the wheels of the carriage were bound to get stuck. During a whole day of bumpy journey on the wasteland, from time to time, the guards had to stop to push the carriage out of the mud. Fortunately, A’Chou didn’t need to help them in case the wedding dress was stained. The carriage moved forward unsteadily, and arrived at the destination before it got dark at last.

“The bride is here?” As soon as the carriage pulled over, A’Chou heard a greeting with undisguised sarcasm, “Let me check her out! Is she a beauty or not? I’ve never seen a girl from a rich and powerful family!”

“Lao Jiang, cut the crap!” said the guard with dark skin. “Is the courtyard neat yet?”

“I never do the freaking cleaning! I’ve done all I can, cooking for that paralytic every day. Now I have to clean up for him? Are you kidding me? His room is full of shit, and I don’t even want to get in there! I’ve been waiting for you to send a helper soon,” said Lao Jiang with a snort of contempt, sneering at the carriage, “Since the bride is here, she will take care of her groom, so that my time won’t be wasted here!”