Chapter 66 Why should he have to kneel before her...?

This day is an auspicious day, suitable for marriage. Not long ago, Luoyang held an unprecedentedly grand imperial wedding ceremony, and today it welcomes the marriage of two top-tier wealthy families.

The dowry of the eldest daughter of the Lu family was a grand affair, carried by a hundred palanquins. It was said that the dowry was specially provided by the Empress Dowager and was escorted by guards all the way to the residence of Helan Wei, the young master of the Helan family.

The sky was gentle at dusk, with magnificent fiery clouds swirling around.

The front hall was already packed with people, with distinguished guests everywhere, making the huge room feel incredibly cramped.

The newlyweds are kneeling opposite each other on either side of a small table, about to perform the ritual of sharing a meal.

However, for such a grand occasion, two distinguished guests from the imperial family were still absent, and the wedding ceremony could not begin without their arrival.

Amidst laughter and conversation, the group offered their congratulations while waiting.

Lu Runlan held a round fan and knelt on a prayer mat. The sunlight of the setting sun shone through the fan, casting flower shadows on the bride's face. Her face was like a red plum blossom blooming in the snow, exquisitely beautiful.

She smiled at the person opposite her. The groom was dashing and spirited, and he was as handsome and extraordinary as ever.

until--

A woman emerged from the crowd behind him.

Miss Helan walked out in a purple floral patterned silk dress. She held a shawl in one hand, while the other sleeve was empty. Today, she had rolled up the sleeve and tied it behind her back. If you didn't look closely, you wouldn't notice anything unusual. It looked like a newly popular style of dress in Luoyang.

He Lanzhen met her gaze and said softly, "A bride should be this beautiful on her wedding day. As her younger sister, I am truly happy for my cousin and his wife."

Lu Runlan's smile remained unchanged as she nodded deeply, "Thank you, Miss Helan."

The major upheaval in the past had caused Helan Zhen's temperament to settle down, and her face suddenly became several years more composed, as if she had been reborn.

Originally, Helan Zhen came to the capital to marry Prince Anle, and the wedding date was set for autumn. Now, not only is the marriage canceled, but she has also lost an arm. Since returning from the hunting grounds, Prince Anle has stopped associating with her. In just a few days, the once noble lady has lost her former radiance and is now filled with a melancholy aura.

Lu Runlan looked up and met He Lanzhen's dark, unreadable eyes, and her brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

The other party still couldn't forget what happened in the hunting grounds and regarded himself as the culprit who caused her to lose her arm.

"Your Majesty, the Empress, and the Empress Dowager have arrived!"

The sudden announcement interrupted Lu Runlan's thoughts.

Soon, everyone around knelt down and bowed in unison in the direction from which the Emperor, Empress, and Empress Dowager had come.

The emperor and empress were led to sit at the head of the table, while the empress dowager sat to the left, looking down at the newlyweds.

Lu Runlan first expressed her gratitude to the emperor, and seeing that the emperor's expression was serene, she nodded in acknowledgment. The person sitting beside her...

The woman from the Yuan family, who had previously obstructed the Lu family's ascension to the throne, was now sitting close to the emperor, one arm linked with his, and casting a smiling glance at him.

Lu Runlan unconsciously clenched the fan in her hand, bowed deeply to the Empress, her whole body pressed against the ground, and then stood up, only to realize that the Empress had not spoken.

"Rise," the woman above chuckled.

Whether Lu Runlan was in a daze or not, it seemed that the Empress had intentionally neglected her for a moment.

However, the Empress remained calm and said, "Young Master Helan and Miss Lu are a perfect match, one skilled in both literature and martial arts, and the other virtuous and gentle."

After the newlyweds completed the ritual of sharing a cell and knelt before the emperor and empress, they rose together and walked towards the rear courtyard.

The Empress stepped forward and took His Majesty's hand, their fingers intertwined.

After the emperor and empress had gone far away, the crowd who had just witnessed the scene finally began to discuss it.

Lu Runlan was helped to her feet. Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at He Lanzhen and saw that she was pale and standing still.

After she brushed past him, she raised her fan to hide her smile.

**

Although Helan Wei was a concubine in the Helan family, the courtyard specially prepared for her wedding was no less magnificent than any other in the capital. This precious land, nestled against green mountains and containing a lake, would be priceless and unavailable to many outsiders. Yet, it fell into Helan Wei's hands.

Or rather, it fell to He Lanwei, chosen by the eldest daughter of the Lu family.

The joint appearance of the Emperor and Empress today adds even more splendor to this marriage.

At that moment, a beautiful woman leaned against the bridge, feeding the carp in the pond with fish food.

As the Empress gazed at the ripples on the pond, she entered the residence and temporarily separated from the Emperor. She was now leaning against the bridge alone, admiring the scenery of the Helan Mansion.

Behind her, the female official Qingheng followed.

Yesterday at Chanxu Temple, the female physician acted swiftly and performed exceptionally well, pleasing the Empress and thus being granted permission to remain by her side.

Before long, a palace maid came to report that Miss Helan had been invited to a side room.

Yuan Chaolu poured all the fish food in her hand into the pond, watched the carp fighting for it, and laughed, "Let's go."

The cheerful laughter of guests outside occasionally drifted into the pavilion, but the interior remained silent. The gradually dimming light climbed up to a kneeling figure inside.

In front of her, the Empress leaned against the chaise longue, one hand supporting her forehead, her magnificent golden skirt draped languidly down her back.

There were only two people in the warm pavilion. In the silence, the Empress finally spoke.

"Miss Helan, you've looked so haggard these past few days. Today is your cousin's wedding, you should be happy."

Helan Zhen slowly raised her head, her chin slightly tilted back, her eyes burning with passion as she stared directly at Yuan Chaolu.

This stubborn refusal brought a slight smile to the Empress's face.

“Back then, when I was in the Helan family, I was also tied up and pressed in the woodshed. I was unwilling to accept my fate. But back then, Miss Helan was high and mighty. Now, only a few months later, I have become the Empress, and Miss Helan is kneeling at my feet. Truly, life is unpredictable.”

He Lanzhen bit her lip, a metallic, bloody taste rising in her mouth.

The woman before him was enveloped in silk and satin, her skin polished smooth and lustrous like jade, her hair meticulously combed, and countless riches and honors piled up around her, making her the most noble woman in the world.

She was once the lowest of the Helan family's female slaves, like inferior livestock, wagging her tail and begging for mercy from the Helan family.

How could Helan Zhen possibly swallow this insult?

Her eyes were bloodshot and her cheeks were taut.

"I believe that if one obtains something that does not belong to them through unorthodox means, they will surely return it and will be punished by the gods and Buddhas."

The Empress smiled, her eyes crinkling: "So, becoming Empress is my retribution. What about Miss Helan now, who lost an arm to Lu Runlan and has to endure it while putting on a smile at the banquet? What does that mean?"

He Lanzhen's deepest wounds were thus exposed without warning, her face drained of color, and intense hatred surged into her heart.

The Empress seemed to find it rather boring and lazily got up from the chaise longue.

“Yuan Chaolu, are you still afraid of my brother?” she asked in a shrill voice.

The Empress, who was about to leave, turned around upon hearing this, looking at the last ray of light in the room, which cast a narrow path in front of the two of them.

Yuan Chaolu said softly, "What trouble can your brother possibly cause now? I am already the emperor's wife, how could he possibly oppose His Majesty?"

She opened the door a crack and asked, "You think the gods and Buddhas will punish me?"

"But I don't believe in gods or Buddhas."

Yuan Chaolu once said something like this in a temple in Longxi during a night of rain.

The only saint or god who can give you a way out is yourself.

She got to where she is today by climbing out of the icy river in Longxi and walking step by step through the mud.

Yuan Chaolu pushed open the palace door, and a flood of lantern light poured in, illuminating her face in a half-light, half-shadow.

"Miss Helan, please calm down here. I will take my leave first."

Only Helan Zhen remained in the warm pavilion. The last glimmer of light faded with Yuan Chaolu's departure.

She swept the items off the table and onto the floor, a cold smile quickly spreading across her face.

Yuan Chaolu had a good plan, thinking that once she sat on the throne of empress, she could rest easy.

But why would she believe that the emperor would tolerate his wife concealing her past and would ultimately stand by her side?

**

Yuan Chaolu didn't care about what Helan Zhen said, but she couldn't help but care about a letter that her elder brother Helan Yi had sent a few days earlier, in which he said that Yuan Chaolu's younger brother was in his hands.

The day after the wedding, she sent a trusted confidant to Longxi to investigate the truth.

It would be wonderful if she had another relative in the world besides her elder sister. Once she cleared all obstacles in her path, she would bring her younger brother and elder sister to Luoyang. Now that she was the Empress, she would certainly give her family the best of everything.

As she pondered whether to send someone to Longxi again, she and Qingheng rounded a corner of a long corridor and were greeted by two male figures.

Yuan Chaolu recognized one of them and asked, "Your Majesty?"

Standing beside the emperor, Lu Changli bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress."

Yuan Chaolu asked, "Your Majesty was just with Lord Lu?"

Lu Changli responded, "The Jingming Temple, which I was in charge of building, is nearing completion. I am reporting the progress to Your Majesty today."

Seeing the Empress holding the Emperor's arm as they spoke, Lu Changli smiled and tactfully moved aside to the artificial hill, then excused himself so as not to disturb the Emperor and Empress's time together.

He casually brushed past the empress's palace maid, and as he passed by, the woman suddenly turned her head and glanced at him.

That glance was like the surface of an autumn lake, rippling in circles.

Suddenly, a strange emotion welled up in his chest.

After a moment, Lu Changli stopped: "May I ask if this gentleman is the Imperial Physician Qingheng whom the Japanese official met when he was getting the hangover soup?"

Qingheng stopped: "It is your subject."

The evening breeze lifted her veil, revealing a woman with gentle eyes that shone with a clear luster in the warm light.

Lu Changli scrutinized her and said, "I wonder if I could trouble the imperial physician to examine my hand ailment?"

Qingheng asked, "The master's hand?"

"The newly appointed physicians of the Imperial Medical Bureau all need to come and examine me; it's a chronic ailment," Lu Changli said with a helpless smile. "Is Physician Qingheng available?"

Hearing this from afar, Yuan Chaolu subconsciously looked at Qingheng and saw that she was calm. She thought that Lu Changli was in extreme danger, and Qingheng had only just joined the Imperial Medical Bureau, so she might not be able to handle the situation.

Just as Yuan Chaolu was about to speak up to stop her, Qingheng replied gently, "Okay."

"Please lead the way, Lord Lu."