Chapter 58. Ah Wu, you should also feel sorry for me.

As the sun sets, its afterglow, like blood, dyes the cobblestone path a crimson hue.

Song Yan and Ming Wu were surrounded by several matchmakers as they walked forward, but the procession, which should have been joyous, was filled with an eerie atmosphere.

The matchmakers were all pale-faced, unsteady on their feet, and kept glancing back in fear.

Lu Yuan followed behind, always keeping a distance of three to five steps, neither getting closer nor further away, like a silent shadow clinging to the twilight.

He walked at a leisurely pace, the rhythmic sound of his boots hitting the bluestone was unsettling.

The matchmakers trembled even more violently, as if they were being followed not by people, but by a ferocious beast that might suddenly leap up and tear them apart at any moment.

He did indeed follow.

Song Yan's heart sank, and his fingertips unconsciously tightened, clenching the red silk that connected him and Ming Wu, creating deep wrinkles.

He knew his cousin all too well.

Such an arrogant and haughty person actually lowered his head today because of Ming Wu's words. If it were before, he would definitely have been moved by Lu Yuan's concession.

But this was his wedding, and Mingwu was his wife; he couldn't let go.

But he was afraid that Mingwu would waver.

He knew that she still had feelings for Lu Yuan.

He had assumed that with the long years ahead of them, she would gradually forget that man. He believed that over time, she would be moved by his sincerity.

She was such a soft-hearted person.

But at this moment.

Lu Yuan didn't use force; instead, he followed silently behind.

This unusual occurrence made him even more uneasy than when the emperor had previously ordered the massacre of his entire Ning Prince's mansion in the hall.

Song Yan couldn't help but turn his head.

The afterglow of the setting sun bathed Mingwu's wedding dress in a warm gold, and the tassels along the edge of her bridal veil swayed gently with her steps, drawing delicate arcs of light in the twilight.

He couldn't see her expression clearly, but he could guess her mood from the rhythm of the swaying tassels.

Suddenly, a very slight tug came from my cuff.

A small, cool hand, hidden beneath his sleeve, gently hooked his fingers.

The touch was so light, like the first drop of melting snow in early spring falling on his heart, sending a shiver down Song Yan's spine. He immediately reached back and grasped the trembling hand firmly in his palm.

This subtle movement, like a ray of light, pulled him out of the mire of anxiety and back onto solid ground.

He straightened his back and quickened his pace.

Lu Yuan, who was following behind, naturally saw this scene. His already pale face turned even more ashen. He coughed violently.

A trickle of blood oozed from the corner of her lips.

Seeing this, Xu Ming, who was supporting him, moved his mouth a few times, but ultimately said nothing.

As the sun sets, the waning rays, barely visible behind the western mountains, dwindle in intensity, like a dying phoenix scattering its last few golden-red feathers across the sky.

Just as the newlyweds were about to step into their new home, Lu Yuan spoke.

"Wait a minute."

His voice wasn't loud, but it made everyone freeze in place.

It was as if the scene had suddenly frozen.

Lu Yuan had already planned everything along the way.

He should have waited outside the courtyard until Song Yan left to offer toasts, leaving her alone in the bridal chamber, before going in. He believed that as long as she believed in his sincerity, the misunderstanding would be cleared up.

She would go with him.

He was inappropriate in the hall earlier; he didn't consider her feelings.

Indeed, she was just a woman. His forceful attempt to abduct her meant nothing to him. But it was different for her; a woman values ​​her reputation above all else. Her fierce reaction wasn't because she didn't want to see him.

Rather, it is unacceptable according to etiquette and law.

But the next moment, when he saw with his own eyes the two bright red figures standing side by side in front of the door, and when the hem of her dress embroidered with mandarin ducks was about to disappear into the doorway.

The self-deceiving illusion that had been barely maintained collapsed in an instant.

Just imagining what it would look like after that door closed.

Another man lifted her bridal veil, the red candlelight illuminating her face. They looked at each other, and they drank from the same cup of nuptial wine…

He just couldn't accept it.

Then I thought back to their wedding. Because of me, he arrived late at night, and when he did, he only coldly left a warning.

He did not lift her veil, nor did he drink the nuptial wine with her.

Now, she's going to do these things with another man, things she's never done with him.

How could he accept this? How could he bear it?!

Jealousy was like a series of venomous snakes gnawing incessantly at his heart.

Song Yan gently pushed Ming Wu into the bridal chamber and closed the door behind him.

He turned around and met Lu Yuan's sharp gaze.

"Prime Minister Lu is seriously injured; it would be best for him to return to his residence for treatment as soon as possible."

Only after that beautiful figure completely disappeared inside the door did Lu Yuan frown unhappily and look at Song Yan.

"Get out of the way."

Song Yan stood with his hands behind his back, motionless.

"Cousin, let's stop here."

Is this the end?

How could that be!

Lu Yuan narrowed his phoenix eyes slightly: "Get lost!"

The noisy chirping of cicadas in the treetops came to an abrupt halt.

The matchmaker and her servants were so frightened they were practically out of their wits and held their breath.

Song Yan's expression darkened.

"Prime Minister Lu, this is the Prince Ning's residence."

Lu Yuan chuckled softly, his voice hoarse and carrying a chilling menace.

The tremor caused the wound on his chest to bleed again, spreading a larger patch of dark red across his black robe, but he paid no attention to it.

"The Prince Ning's residence?"

He repeated those three words in a slow, deliberate tone.

"There is no place under heaven where the true form cannot set foot."

After saying that, he ignored Song Yan's obstruction and took a step forward, trying to force his way into the bridal chamber.

"Lu Yuan!"

Song Yan shouted sternly and reached out to stop him.

The guards from the royal palace who were waiting outside the bridal chamber immediately stepped forward, their blades half-drawn, and the atmosphere instantly became tense.

Although the Xuanjia Guards brought by Lu Yuan did not draw their weapons, their murderous aura already permeated the air.

The conflict is about to reignite—

"Let him in."

A voice rang out from inside the house, carrying the gentle warmth unique to the water towns of Jiangnan.

It is Mingwu.

Song Yan's expression changed slightly. His gaze lingered on Lu Yuanshi's face for a moment before he finally gritted his teeth and stepped aside.

A barely perceptible curve appeared at the corner of Lu Yuan's lips, a smile that seemed both mocking and triumphant.

He flicked his sleeve, walked straight past Song Yan, and stepped into the newlywed room where red candles were burning brightly.

Inside the room, hearing familiar footsteps, Mingwu knew that he had come in.

She slowly raised her hand and lifted the bridal veil herself.

In the candlelight, her makeup was exquisite, and her face was stunningly beautiful.

Those almond-shaped eyes, which should have been shy and timid, were now clear and bright, as if they had been immersed in a cold pool, without the slightest ripple.

"Prime Minister, what is it that you want to see by disregarding etiquette and barging into someone else's bridal chamber?"

"Oh, is that so? Last time at the wedding, the Prime Minister was unable to enter the bridal chamber due to other matters, so he came to observe and learn, so that he can better prepare for marrying your Miss Qi Lan..."

"Qi Lan is not here."

Lu Yuan interrupted her, his voice low. He took a step forward, the candlelight flickering in his deep eyes.

"There has never been anyone else."

Mingwu suddenly chuckled softly.

"Why are you saying all this now, Prime Minister? Are you going to marry Qi Lan, Chen Lan, or some other Lan?"

Her tone suddenly changed.

"What does this have to do with me?"

"I just want to ask, what does the Prime Minister intend to do by barging in at this time?"

"Do you want to see how festively the bridal chamber is decorated? Or do you want to see it for yourself—"

"How did I become someone else's bride?"

These words were like a red-hot blade, stabbing fiercely into Lu Yuan's heart, then cruelly twisting and turning.

His body swayed violently, his face instantly turning ashen white, and the mother Gu that he had just forcibly suppressed became active again due to this intense emotion.

It surged wildly through his heart.

"puff!"

A mouthful of blood gushed out, leaving a dark stain on the bright red wedding carpet.

He staggered back a few steps, barely managing to steady himself by grabbing the door frame.

His dark clothes were soaked with blood, but his black eyes still stared at her stubbornly, as if trying to etch her image into the depths of his soul.

"A-Wu..."

He was breathing heavily, and bloody foam spilled from the corner of his lips with every word he spoke.

"She will always be...my wife. She can only be my wife."

Song Yan quickly followed into the new house and immediately saw Lu Yuan's seemingly deranged appearance, causing his heart to clench.

He feared that Lu Yuan might suddenly attack and hurt Ming Wu. He immediately stepped forward to stop him and protect her behind him.

Mingwu gently shook her head and gave him a reassuring look.

"Prime Minister Lu, please have some self-respect. I am now the Princess Consort of Ning..."

"Princess Ning?"

Lu Yuan chuckled softly, a laugh that seemed to be squeezed from a shattered chest, carrying a bloody and desolate quality.

The laughter aggravated the wound on his chest.

He groaned, his brows furrowed, but his dark phoenix eyes remained fixed on her, not moving an inch.

“Awu, look at me.”

His voice was terribly hoarse, as if it had been ground by sand and gravel, carrying an almost pleading stubbornness.

Mingwu stubbornly turned her face away, her long eyelashes drooping, unwilling to meet his gaze.

The next instant, her chin was gripped tightly by a cold hand.

The force was astonishing, carrying an undeniable dominance that forced her to raise her head and face the handsome face so close to hers.

The candlelight flickered, casting interplay of light and shadow on that face she once knew so well.

At that moment, his face displayed a pain and madness she had never seen before, two extreme emotions intertwined like fire and water, almost tearing him apart.

"Let her go!"

Song Yan was shocked and hurriedly stepped forward to stop him.

Without turning his head, Lu Yuan swung his palm out, his sleeves fluttering and creating a sharp gust of wind.

Although he was seriously injured, how could Song Yan, a weak scholar, withstand the force of that palm strike?

Song Yan was immediately jolted backward, his back slamming heavily against the screen behind him with a dull thud.

"Song Yan!"

Mingwu cried out in alarm and struggled to rush over, but Lu Yuan held her firmly in front of him.

"You feel sorry for him?"

His voice was low and hoarse, his eyes were bloodshot, and his tone was broken and trembling.

"And what about me... Ah Wu?"

Why can't you... feel sorry for me too?

"Do you know that after you left, I have been tormented by regret every day and night?"

"I thought you were dead, and my heart died with you... But now you're alive, yet you belong to someone else?"

He shook his head, his eyes momentarily unfocused, then quickly regained their obsessive light.

"No, that's impossible."

He pressed his forehead against hers, his breath hot.

"You can only be mine. You are mine in life, and you will be mine in death."

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly leaned down and pressed his blood-stained lips hard against hers.

"Ugh...!"

Mingwu opened her eyes wide in terror and struggled desperately. Her hands pressed against his firm chest, just touching the wet, sticky wound.

She scratched hard with her fingernails.

Lu Yuan's body stiffened abruptly, and he let out a muffled groan.

But he didn't let her go.

Instead, he took the opportunity to pry open her lips and teeth, and deepened the kiss, which carried a punitive connotation.

His arms tightened like iron hoops, as if he wanted to crush her in his embrace.

As salty tears slid down his lips, Lu Yuan's heart skipped a beat, and he froze abruptly.

He slowly raised his head and met her tear-filled eyes.

The fear and humiliation in his eyes were like a poisoned dagger, piercing the softest part of his heart.

"You really... hate me that much?"

Mingwu raised her hand and fiercely wiped her swollen lips, as if she were wiping away something dirty.

"Yes. Lu Yuan, I wish I had never met you."

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Author's Note: This is the last major plot point; the main story is almost over!