The bustling main hall fell silent instantly, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone looked at each other, their faces filled with disbelief.

Why has the Emperor come to Prince Ling's residence?!

On the day that Prince Jin and Prince Ling got married, all the civil and military officials and even the whole capital were convinced that the emperor would either not leave the palace and not drink the wedding wine for his two sons, or he would only go to Prince Jin's residence. Why would he come to Prince Ling's residence?

Wasn't Prince Ling the Emperor's most hated son? After Consort Chen's incident, the Emperor sent Prince Ling to guard the imperial mausoleum, where he almost died of illness.

The fact that two princes were getting married on the same day had truly put the civil and military officials in a difficult position. They couldn't be in two places at once; if they drank one prince's wine, they wouldn't be able to drink the other's. The Empress was deliberately suppressing Prince Ling and forcing them to choose sides.

How can the Prince of Ling, who has broken his leg, compare with the Prince of Jin? On such a joyous occasion, they don't attend the Prince of Jin's wedding banquet. If the Prince of Jin ascends to the throne in the future, what future will they have?

Almost all the civil and military officials chose to go to the Prince of Jin's residence for the wedding banquet, but they could not ignore the Prince of Ling's residence either. It was inconvenient for the couple to go to the wedding banquet separately, and it was also inappropriate for the banquet at the Prince of Ling's residence to be attended only by female relatives. So the civil and military officials sent their sons to the Prince of Ling's residence for the wedding banquet.

Today, all those who came to the Lingwang Mansion to offer their congratulations were young masters from aristocratic families, as well as a group of close friends brought by Old Master Yun. Not only were they separated by social status, but they were also separated by age. However, what surprised everyone the most was that the Emperor himself had also come.

Old Master Yun never imagined he would see the Emperor in his lifetime. His close friends were even more surprised that their trip to the capital, which included attending the wedding of Old Master Yun's granddaughter and grandson, would actually lead to an audience with the Emperor. This trip to the capital was truly worthwhile, thanks to Old Master Yun.

Shen Wan and Xie Jingyan were also taken aback by the Emperor's arrival and stood there stunned.

Shen Wan was overjoyed and silently apologized to the Emperor for his previous misunderstanding. The Empress suggested that the Emperor hold the wedding banquet of Prince Jin and Shen Ying on the same day as theirs, not only to embarrass Xie Jingyan, but also because of her. The Emperor followed the Empress's wishes. Shen Wan was convinced that the Emperor disregarded Xie Jingyan's feelings. She never expected the Emperor to come to Prince Ling's residence.

The Empress's attempt to steal a chicken backfired spectacularly, and she lost face badly. By now, the Empress and Prince Jin should have received news of the Emperor's visit to Prince Ling's residence. I wonder what they are feeling right now, and whether they are upset.

Anyway, Shen Wan was in a good mood and wondered if Xie Jingyan was happy. Just as she was thinking this, someone next to her spoke up, saying in an unhappy voice, "Who told you to take away my mother's memorial tablet? Put it down!"

In the quiet wedding hall, his voice was exceptionally loud, and exceptionally cold.

No one expected the Emperor to come. The memorial tablet of Consort Chen, Xie Jingyan's mother, was placed on the high seat. However, the Emperor had banished Consort Chen to the Cold Palace and was also taking his anger out on Xie Jingyan. No one dared to let the Emperor see Consort Chen's memorial tablet. The Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites quickly ordered his servants to take Consort Chen's memorial tablet away, but he did not expect that this would anger Xie Jingyan.

Xie Jingyan had no hope of the Emperor coming to the Lingwang Mansion. Whether the Emperor came or not, it didn't matter. But he hoped that his mother would see him get married. If the Emperor came and they had to remove his mother's memorial tablet, then it would be better if the Emperor didn't come at all.

The servant had already picked up the memorial tablet when Xie Jingyan suddenly became angry, startling the servant so much that his hand trembled and the tablet fell over. The servant hurriedly righted it.

As the Emperor stepped into the wedding hall, he overheard Xie Jingyan's words. His brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, but he said nothing. Everyone in the wedding hall knelt down to pay their respects to the Emperor.

Everyone was so focused on kneeling that they forgot to help Chen Wan. Xie Jingyan was already having trouble standing, let alone kneeling.

Neither of them knelt, and the Emperor said, "Get up, both of you."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

The Emperor walked past Xie Jingyan, his gaze falling on the memorial tablet. He paused for a few moments before sitting down and saying, "Let's begin the wedding ceremony."

The Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites shouted again:

"First bow to Heaven and Earth."

Shen Wan and Xie Jingyan each held one end of the red ribbon and bowed to heaven and earth.

After paying respects to Heaven and Earth, it is time for the elders.

Chen Feng helped Xie Jingyan turn around.

Xie Jingyan raised his hand to stop him. He turned around with difficulty, very slowly, and those who were close could clearly see that his forehead was trembling.

What others can do easily, he has to exert all his strength to do.

Shen Wan didn't understand why he stood up. Wasn't it the same to worship heaven and earth while sitting in a wheelchair? They were only having a fake marriage, not a real one, so there was no need for this.

After paying respects to the parents, the couple bows to each other.

The two stood facing each other, a little too close, and bumped heads while bowing.

It doesn't hurt.

But a strange feeling welled up in Shen Wan's heart again.

Shen Wan was thankful that her face was covered by a veil, so no one could see how red it was.

She looked at the boots Xie Jingyan was wearing, which were embroidered with unicorns. Her gaze traveled upwards from the boots, and when she saw the lotus jade pendant at Xie Jingyan's waist, Shen Wan froze.

That jade pendant...

It was a gift from his beloved, the one he clutched in his hand even after dying from being pierced by a thousand arrows in his previous life.

In her previous life, when this jade pendant was given to Xie Jingyin, the tassels on it were already stained red with blood. Xie Jingyin even asked her if she knew who had given this jade pendant to Prince Ling...

She asked Xie Jingyin, but he didn't say anything. He just casually tossed the jade pendant back into the tray. He didn't throw it properly, and the jade pendant flew out of the tray, fell to the ground, and shattered into pieces.

She knew Xie Jingyan had someone he loved, but should she wear the jade pendant given to her on their wedding day? Was this a reminder to herself to remain chaste?

Shen Wan was lost in thought and forgot to get up. The matchmaker smiled and said, "No need to bow for so long, get up quickly."

Shen Wan didn't get up, and neither did Xie Jingyan.

The two straightened up, but Xie Jingyan could no longer hold on and sat back in his wheelchair.

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