Escaping the marriage was not as easy as they imagined.
Lu Xinyi shut up and sat in a corner of the room, racking her brain to find a way to escape.
The four walls of the house were filled with people. Some were guests, others were family, and mostly guards and servants. How could she evade the eyes of everyone to leave? It almost looked like an impossible task.
"Xiao Yue, do you have any good ideas?"
"..." Xiao Yue rolled her eyes at her master. The young lady suddenly spoke about cancelling the marriage and escaping, and now she wants her to find a way to do so. Isn't that asking for too much?
"I know I'm asking for a lot. But we need to find a way soon. It's almost noon, and the wedding procession will reach here soon." Almost reading the mind of her little maid, Lu Xinyi said.
"I don't think it's possible."
"Get me a ladder."
Both of them spoke simultaneously.
One wanted to think rationally, but the other wanted a ladder.
After all, ladders were the solution to all problems, right?
With a ladder, you can climb out of the deepest pit you jumped into, right?
"Why a ladder?"
"Why do you think? It's to climb over the walls. The west side of the courtyard, near the trees, would be relatively empty. If I can find a chance, I might be able to climb over the wall."
"In your wedding dress? The young lady!" Xiao Yue couldn't believe it.
"Yes, the wedding dress. The red hanfu is too eye-catching." Xinyi suddenly noticed this fact and rubbed her chin.
"Wait a minute, I have an idea. Xiao Yue, you go bring me your old clothes. Then, go slowly to the western wall and place a ladder on it. If someone asks, say that I ordered you to pluck a persimmon or something."
"Okay." Xiao Yue accepted the orders reluctantly.
The hurriedly put-together plan was soon executed flawlessly. Although Xinyi had no idea what she would do once she left her home, she knew she had to escape before tragedy struck.
"BOOM!"
"CRACK!"
Suddenly, the sound of firecrackers sounded.
The wedding procession, accompanied by the groom and musicians, was about to reach the gatehouse.
The sound of fireworks was the sign of their arrival.
"Why is the damned man so punctual?" Lu Xinyi said and dashed towards the western wall.
Meanwhile, Xiao Yue covered her mouth, exasperated by the words her young lady spoke. The beautiful and elegant young lady of her's was acting like a thug and cursing as she ran to the western wall.
What the hell happened to her?
Even Xiao Yue cursed in her mind unknowingly because of the absurdity of the situation.
"Xiao Yue, hurry up."
"Yes, young miss."
It only took a moment for them to reach the western wall.
For a second, Lu Xinyi paused, looking at the ladder. The other side of the wall is a busy street. Due to the marriage procession, the streets would be more crowded than usual. She had to escape and hide for a day or two before returning. Then, she might be able to find a way to cancel the marriage.
"Miss, are you second-guessing yourself?" Xiao Yue asked, noticing the round beads of tears slowly forming around her master's eyes.
"No, Xiao Yue. I am just so thrilled. These are tears of joy." Xinyi replied with a wide smile.
How she had wished for this day to come.
For the past years, this was the only dream she had.
To get a chance to change fate was a miracle; she didn't have to hesitate at all as she climbed the wall.
"Xiao Yue, sorry for leaving you behind. But it will cause more problems for you if you come with me." Xinyi sat on the wall and said.
"Don't worry about me, young miss."
"Hmm!" Xinyi nodded. Then she raised her hand heroically and waved to Xiao Yue. "I will come for you. So, don't do anything stupid. If someone asks, say that you saw me jumping over the wall."
"Yes."
"You have to…"
"Yes."
Like that, Xinyi's figure dropped to the other side of the wall.
The wall was too high for her to climb up, but she was able to jump down just fine.
Curious eyes from the streets began to scan her body.
Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice from the other side of the wall.
It was her aunt.
Aunt was screaming.
The voice, a shrill, deafening scream, echoed like a banshee. It was unmistakably her aunt.
Xinyi's blood boiled at the sound. Her aunt, Shi Hua, was one of the nastiest, most evil people she knew.
One of the main reasons that caused her life to turn out this way was this woman.
Lu Xinyi was the eldest daughter of her family. However, her parents passed away at a young age. Still, the aunt and uncle used to treat her nicely. But that was until her marriage.
Soon, she realised that their kindness was all but a ruse. The reason they treated her well was to get their hands on the wealth her father had earned with blood and sweat.
Initially, Lu Xinyi was supposed to marry the third young master of the Zhang family, Zhang Xinsheng.
The Zhang family was a prominent military family of the empire. They were a powerful noble family that made contributions in many wars. The first son of the family was a military commander serving the nation. The second son, a prominent scholar, turned businessman. By all means, they looked better on paper.
But there was a slight problem. The third son of the Zhang family was said to be a sickly child. There were rumours that he was so weak he couldn't even get his 'hmm' to stand up. Some say that because of his sickness, he spends money lavishly and lives a meaningless life.
By using these as reasons, her aunt and uncle broke off the engagement and married her to Gao Wei. No, it was better to say that she was sold off.
The marriage was a ploy for the Gao family and her uncle to split the wealth, which should have been hers, amongst themselves.
If she had married Zhang Xinsheng, it would never have happened.
'Even if the man was a loser, he would have been a lot better than Gao Wei.' Xinyi thought.
However, before she could think, she heard more noises from beside the wall.
'Aunt found out that I escaped.'
'They seemed to be coming towards me.'
She could hear footsteps behind the wall. They were climbing the ladder.
The shrill scream of her aunt had filled her with energy, and she dashed into the crowd of people walking through the streets.
The guards of the Lu family were right behind her. There was no time to think.
Surrounded by people, she was finding it difficult to escape.
"There." Suddenly, she heard a person scream.
Although she took a few large strides forward, they seemed to have recognised her.
'Is this the end?'
'The second chance…' Regret was piling up as she became emotional.
If only she had been a little faster. She thought as the hurried footsteps neared her.
Quickly, Xinyi scanned her surroundings, searching for a place to hide.
'Nowhere…'
She was in the middle of the road.
Before she could reach the shops on the other side of the street, they would catch up to her.
'Ah! I don't have time.'
Realising her predicament, Xinyi changed the plan.
She suddenly crouched down in the middle of the crowd to escape from their sight. Instead of running to the other side of the road, she moved into the crowd until she found a horse-drawn carriage that was moving slowly.
'There is hope.'
Without wasting a second, she went behind the carriage and climbed into it from the other side, away from the sight of the guards.
She didn't know whose carriage it was, nor did she care.
'Offending the emperor was better than marrying the Gao Wei again.' It was the only thought in her mind.