The man was tall and slender, wearing a white robe with gold trim. He was handsome and had a gentle demeanor.

His voice was as gentle as water, and his eyes were full of laughter, as if they could drown a person in them.

"Brother Wen."

Luo Jiu's muscles seemed to have a built-in memory, and she naturally curtsied to the man, a faint smile appearing on her fair face.

A memory that didn't belong to her suddenly surged up and took over her brain; the memories that belonged to Luo Jiu seemed to be just her imagination.

She was Yunshan, the eldest daughter of the Marquis's family, and the man in front of her was her fiancé, Wen Zhaobai.

They lived across the street from each other and grew up together as childhood sweethearts. Not long ago, Wen Zhaobai became the second-highest scorer in the imperial examination, and then the Wen family sent someone to propose marriage. In two months, she would be marrying into the Wen family.

Wen Zhaobai gazed at the graceful Yunshan before him, his heart filled with love. Even though they had grown up together, he was still captivated by Yunshan's beauty and figure.

He couldn't wait a moment longer and reached out to help her up.

When he met those two clear, phoenix eyes, his ears immediately turned bright red, and the soft touch on his hand made him hurriedly take two steps back.

"Excuse me."

Yunshan sat on the stone bench, resting her chin on one hand, and couldn't help but chuckle softly, her phoenix eyes filled with starlight.

So silly, yet so cute.

This sentence slowly surfaced in Yunshan's mind, and then she was taken aback.

What's wrong with me? Why would I have such a thought?

Wen Zhaobai sat down with her ears red, completely unaware of Yunshan's unusual behavior.

He reached into his sleeve, pulled out a brocade box, and handed it to her.

"Sister Yun, this is from my mother."

Yunshan opened it and found it was a jade bracelet of excellent quality. She looked at Wen Zhaobai with a puzzled expression.

"Your mother originally wanted to give it to you herself, but I thought..."

"I haven't seen you in a long time, so I specially asked my mother for this job."

At this point, Wen Zhaobai's face had turned completely red. According to the books he had been taught, his actions were utterly frivolous.

Even so, under Yunshan's surprised gaze, he gently took Yunshan's soft arm and put the bracelet on.

"What a nice view!"

"On the day of the wedding, Sister Shan will definitely be the most beautiful bride."

Looking into Wen Zhaobai's deeply affectionate eyes, Yunshan felt a surge of indescribable emotions in addition to joy.

...

The life of a young woman confined to her chambers is extremely simple. In her spare time, she embroiders and drinks tea, and chats privately with a few close friends; and just like that, the day passes by.

Yunshan, who is about to become a bride, is quite busy. There is a custom here that the bride must embroider her wedding dress by hand, symbolizing happiness and a blissful marriage.

Yunshan was a little troubled by this, as she didn't seem to be very good at embroidery.

That day, her good friend Yueniang came to visit and cheer her up. Seeing Yunshan's furrowed brows, as if she harbored a deep grudge against the embroidery needle, she couldn't help but chuckle softly.

"Can't you pay a little more attention? Your phoenix has feathers all over the ground!"

Hearing her friend's teasing, Spruce puffed up her cheeks, looking like an angry pufferfish.

Even so, it only adds a touch of cuteness to her beautiful appearance; she can't be fierce.

"I did my best."

"My Shanshan, do you really like Wen-gege? It's your wedding, after all, you should take it seriously."

After saying that, as if he could no longer resist, he reached out and snatched her wedding dress, and started embroidering on it.

Yunshan was stunned by those words and couldn't quite process them for a long time.

Do you really like it?

Seeing that her friend hadn't responded for a long time, Yue Niang paused, turned her head and looked at Yun Shan incredulously:

"No way, you don't like Brother Wen?"

"no."

Yunshan turned her head, a radiant smile instantly spreading across her lips. She grabbed her friend's shoulder, comforting her:

"How could that be? Of course I like it."

The two laughed and joked for a while longer, their voices as melodious and pleasant as orioles singing in the morning.

"Miss, Miss, someone from the palace has arrived. The master wants you to go and greet him."

Upon hearing the maid's words, Yunshan frowned, smiled apologetically at Yueniang, and ran out while lifting her skirt.

When Yunshan ran over, she was covered in sweat. Seeing her father and mother sitting safely in their chairs, she slowed down.

"This must be Miss Yun. She truly is the most beautiful woman in the world."

The sharp voice drew Yunshan's attention. She saw that the person was holding a whisk and wearing the palace uniform. Presumably, this was the eunuch who was delivering the imperial decree.

"Now that everyone is here, Your Excellency, please accept the imperial decree."

The eunuch opened the bright yellow imperial edict, and at the mother's instruction, the three of them knelt on the ground.

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Yunshan, daughter of the Marquis of Zhongwu, is virtuous, gentle, kind, and of outstanding character and appearance. The Empress Dowager and I are delighted to hear of her. Now that the Crown Prince has come of age and is of marriageable age, Yunshan shall be betrothed to the Crown Prince as his Princess Consort, and the wedding shall be held on an auspicious day. So be it."

Upon hearing this, Madam Wen, who had been keeping her head down, looked up in disbelief.

“Father-in-law, my daughter was engaged to the young master of the Wen family a few days ago.”

"So...they're not officially married yet, are they?"

His eyes narrowed, and his words became even more ruthless:

"This is a marriage bestowed by the Emperor himself. Are you trying to defy the imperial decree?"

Her husband tugged at her sleeve, and the woman immediately came to her senses, her eyes dimming.

Disobeying an imperial edict could result in dismissal, confiscation of property, and even the extermination of nine generations of one's family.

“Father-in-law, you see, my daughter is already engaged to the Minister’s family, and the wedding date has been arranged. His Majesty probably doesn’t know about this.”

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