537 Never be able to find her
“Why do you not want to marry Prince Qiu Mu?” Kang Xi asked his daughter. “What is wrong with you, Cha Ying? Don’t you want the Kang Family to grow better? Your brother already made things harder for us and now you are doing the same. How could you refuse to marry Prince Mu?” He blurted out his anger at her.
Cha Ying kept her head down and apologized. “It is the best decision for the Kang Family, Father,” Cha Ying said.
“I am the elder of this house! You are supposed to do what I would tell you. I have convinced His Majesty somehow and he still thinks that you are best for his second son,” Kang Xi asserted.
“Father, I will not marry the Second Prince,” Cha Ying said and gazed into her father’s eyes. Her mother asked her not to think irrationally.
“It is not an irrational decision, Mother. I have taken this decision after thinking a lot. After what my Father and my brother did, I cannot become a way for their selfish desires,” Cha Ying stated.
Kang Xi slapped Cha Ying hard.
“My Lord!” Lady Kang stood from her seat and told her husband not to be angry with their daughter. She assured him that she would make Cha Ying understand.
“I will not change my decision, Mother,” Cha Ying said. She didn’t let the tears fall from her eyes. This was the first time her father had raised his hand on her.
“Cha Ying, you cannot speak this way to your father. He is doing this for you. This is the second time your marriage will be broken. Do you know when the Crown Prince rejected you because of your behavior, how much humiliation your father has to face? The noble ladies blamed your stars for such a fate,” Lady Kang scolded her daughter. She told Cha Ying not to refuse the marriage.
.....
“Mother, I am not saying anything wrong. This marriage will benefit the Kang family. I don’t want my brother to come out of the prison,” Cha Ying affirmed and looked at her father again, “nor do I want my father to get any official position. I will not marry and that’s my final decision.” Cha Ying pronounced her decision.
Kang Huijuan’s wife voiced in anger, who just had entered the chamber.
“How can a sister be so cruel to her own brother? Your brother’s child will soon take birth,” Kang Huijuan’s wife, Xin Jue, shouted at Cha Ying and placed her hand on her big belly.
Lady Kang asked Xin Jue why she came there and asked the servant to take her back to the room.
Xin Jue shook her head and walked with slower steps toward Cha Ying. “Do you want me to kneel before you? Please marry Prince Mu. I want my husband back, Sister Cha Ying. Please do this favor on me,” she pleaded with her.
“Xin Jue, we are talking to her. You should leave,” Lady Kang said. “My son will surely be out of prison,” she assured her daughter-in-law.
Cha Ying chuckled to hear the words of her mother.
“I will not marry, Prince Mu. I don’t want Kang Huijuan to come out of prison. He is the reason why we have to suffer so much. How could you all wish for an evil person like him to roam freely again?” Cha Ying didn’t hide her anger this time. Indeed, Kang Huijuan was her elder brother, but he was not someone who should be benefited from her marriage.
“Don’t you care about this life?” Xin Jue asked her.
“I do. That is why I am saying this. This child must not suffer,” Cha Ying said.
“We are not here to listen to your ridiculous explanations,” Kang Xi finally spoke and ordered his loyal servants to lock Cha Ying in her room until the day of her marriage was fixed.
“Father, you cannot do this to me,” Cha Ying said while knitting her brows together.
“Take Cha Ying away from my sight!” Kang Xi screamed at the servants. Lady Kang averted her gaze from her daughter as she was dragged to her room.
Before she could run out, the two servants locked the door from outside. Cha Ying kept banging on the door, but no one responded from the outside.
Tears poured down her cheeks and she decided to run from the house. She recalled Lóng Wei’s words. Her family was the worst, especially her father. Earlier, she was concerned about her mother but now she didn’t care for her anymore.
She quickly went to the table and picked up the sword. She never knew her sword skills would come to use in such a way.
Cha Ying went towards the window to escape from there. She opened it and jumped out of it. She headed to the west and saw a bunch of soldiers, who were heading in that direction only.
‘Father must have sent them here,’ she thought and ran in the east. She prevented herself from getting into anyone’s eyes and went to the backyard of the house as fast as she could.
Cha Ying gasped for air and looked at the huge wall. She took several steps back and then ran toward the wall before leaping it.
She safely landed on the ground outside the residence and quickly stood up. Without waiting for another second, she ran as fast as she could.
After covering a certain distance, she stopped and hid behind a tree. She caught her breath and left the sword there.
She tied her hair first, and later ran to the market to buy a male outfit. In the market, she exchanged the gold ring in exchange for a male dress and changed into it. She also purchased a conical hat from the same shop.
After dressing in male attire, she walked out of the shop and decided to run to any nearby town or city so that her family would never be able to find her.