Chapter 56 So what if they get married? Can he stop them...?

The first day of the eighth lunar month is auspicious and suitable for marriage.

The Marquis's mansion was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, and red silk was hung all over the corridor pillars. The maids had all changed into light red dresses.

Guests offered their congratulations, and children sang and cheered incessantly, creating a lively and festive atmosphere.

Yu Tan stood before the dressing table, her makeup glamorous, making her already striking features even more striking. Yet, her beautiful eyes showed no joy, only indifference, as if she were not the one getting married today.

Beneath her bright red wedding dress, a section of her snow-white neck was revealed, making the magnificent phoenix crown merely a backdrop.

Although she was no longer a lady of the Marquis's household, the wedding banquet was grand and held according to the standards for a daughter's marriage in the Marquis's household. She knew that Old Madam Song was trying her best to make up for it.

“My lady, the auspicious time has arrived. It’s time to bid farewell to our relatives and leave the mansion.” Lanxin stood behind her beaming, pressing the pearls on her phoenix crown back. “My lady is so beautiful. Whoever marries her is truly blessed.”

"Okay." A red cloud descended, and she could only see half a meter below her feet.

Lanxin helped her up and went to bid farewell to Madam Song.

In the main hall, a serious illness had left the usually healthy Madam Song much weaker. Granny Liu helped Madam Song to her feet and walk to the newlyweds.

She held Yu Tan's hand tremblingly, gripping it tightly for a long while, before letting go with tears in her eyes.

Did she make the wrong choice or the right choice this time?

She was caught in another vortex. The child she had raised herself had always taught Yu Tan not to suffer injustice. Whenever she was upset, she would lead her to vent her anger.

In the end, he used his years of kindness in raising her to force her to endure injustice.

Old Madam Song sighed deeply: "I'm sorry to have wronged you, Yao Yao."

"Grandmother, take care of yourself." She squeezed the hand that had let go of hers. She remembered the kindness of being raised. Just as Zhao Qingwu had said, if it weren't for Old Madam Song, she might have died long ago.

Even though she had already decided to get married, Old Madam Song's brows were still furrowed, as if a huge rock was pressing down on her head. She would probably be able to breathe a sigh of relief after the ceremony.

"I will live a good life from now on and will often come back to the Marquis's mansion to visit my grandmother."

"Vast and distant."

Yu Tan bowed deeply to bid farewell to Madam Song, then turned to the side to bow again to Yu Zheng, who was in the main seat. Yu Zheng nodded, her expression unreadable through the red veil.

She turned and stepped over the threshold of the Marquis's mansion. Logically, her eldest brother should have been the one to see her off on her wedding day. She looked up and saw that the threshold was empty.

There was no possibility for them to meet again in the future.

I glanced at it once and then looked away; even the most attentive person couldn't capture that fleeting pause.

The matchmaker stood by and urged, "My lady, let's hurry up, lest we be late for getting into the bridal sedan chair."

*

Although she had agreed with He Sheng not to sign a marriage certificate, in order to put Madam Song at ease, all the wedding rituals should be observed.

After a busy day, she finally managed to get him into the new house at dusk, while He Sheng was still in the front yard entertaining guests.

She sat upright on the wedding bed, dressed in an elaborate and grand bright red wedding gown. The cinched waist with its epiphyllum pattern made it hard for her to breathe, and pearl and silver chains hung below. The long skirt spread out like flower petals. It was beautiful, but exhausting.

With no one around, the heavy phoenix crown pressed down on her neck, causing it to ache. She held her neck with both hands and turned it around to relieve the discomfort.

She peered through the red veil at everything around her; the wedding candles were burning brightly, and the scene overlapped with her dream.

She kept reassuring herself that it wouldn't happen again, that the things in her dream wouldn't happen again.

She wouldn't have been robbed on her wedding night if she hadn't married any of the three men.

Outside, the atmosphere was lively and noisy, with guests at the wedding banquet making a ruckus in the bridal chamber.

The matchmaker and the children sang in harmony:

"The bride and groom are deeply in love."

"A pair of mandarin ducks enter the bridal chamber, and their sons and grandsons fill the house with happiness."

Suddenly, the joyful singing and shouting stopped, turning into an eerie silence.

Her heart skipped a beat; everything made sense.

Who could it be?

Chu Minglang? Jiang Tingfeng?

Didn't we agree not to bother each other anymore?

She shrank back in fear, trapped in nightmares and imprisoned by misfortune, feeling as if a mountain was pressing down on her, making it hard to breathe.

She suddenly came to her senses and angrily said, "You can't come in! Where is He Lang? You can't ruin my marriage!"

This was the best way she could think of to maintain a peaceful life; it couldn't be destroyed again.

This was her place, and she finally found a sliver of confidence: "Get out. Whoever you are, get out."

A white robe caught her eye, its hem embroidered with cloud and crane patterns. She was frozen in place, unable to move.

How could it be him?

Impossible, there must be a mistake.

"You've only known him for a short time, He Lang, and you're already calling him so affectionately." His tone was already laced with undisguised sourness, and his tall figure cast a large shadow, enveloping her within it.

Her mind was a complete mess.

Was it a love potion? Or was it part of the plot? It changed them.

The man knelt down and pressed her into the bedchamber. The veil was lifted, and she saw that familiar face.

It's been almost three months since I last saw her. Her cheeks are thinner, her jawline has become sharper, and her demeanor is like a drawn dagger.

Her dark circles were obvious, as if she hadn't rested for many days. Her long hair was tied up with a golden crown, with ribbons hanging on both sides. The lone cranes at both ends were embroidered by her own hands.

She suppressed the urge to touch the side of her face.

With his long, slender fingers, he lifted her chin. The once refined man's cold eyes were now flushed with tears. His fingertips trembled as he stroked her lips, making a pitiful accusation.

"Even if Yao Yao wanted to get married, she should have come to me. Why didn't she come to me this time?"

His dry lips covered hers, gently caressing her lower lip, teasing her desire little by little.

This is incorrect.

She turned her head away, her lips pressed against the corner of her lips, and she licked the gap between her lips with a fascination, moistening her dry lips little by little.

"I didn't think things through. I shouldn't have left you alone in Bianjing. That was my first mistake."

Quzhou is too far, requiring a long journey over mountains and valleys; I was worried it would be too tiring for you.

Knowing full well that you were unsettled, I gave them the opportunity to force you. My second mistake was trying to make you face things together with me.

I'll handle the matters of the Marquis's residence, okay?

Giving other men the opportunity to get close to you is my third mistake.

There won't be another chance like this.

Yu He'an moved even closer, his hot breath spraying against her neck, like a coquettish gesture or a forceful attempt to claim territory.

"They forced you to marry, didn't they? Don't be afraid. The ceremony wasn't completed, and the marriage will be called off soon. None of this will count."

Yu He'an leaned against her, her black hair and ribbon hanging down her chest. She saw it; it was the ribbon she had embroidered herself.

Yu He'an said she wasn't wearing it, but she wore it to steal her wedding.

She screamed uncontrollably, "No!"

We can't destroy all of this.

"Why not?" Yu He'an took a step closer, his face almost buried in her neck, rubbing against her affectionately.

"No...no one forced me." She turned her head away, wanting to get further away, afraid of softening her heart.

"Yaoyao, you always lie." The voice turned cold, no longer the easygoing tone.

“I chose all of this myself. I chose He Lang. He treats me very well, loves me, and respects me. I also love him and sincerely want to marry him.”

As if afraid that Yu He'an might not hear her clearly, she repeated loudly, "I really want to marry him."

Yuhe An was consumed by jealousy.

Naturally, he knew that when he returned to Bianjing, everyone in the streets and alleys was saying that He Sheng had struck it lucky and had caught the eye of Yu Tan from the Marquis's mansion, who wanted to marry him.

He and Yu Tan had been together for so many years, but he had never won her even a single word of affection.

He liked to pressure her, making her seem to like him.

He couldn't suppress the urge to kill.

As long as Yu Tan's husband is killed, just like Ji Yushang and Chu Minglang are killed, Yu Tan will still belong entirely to him.

Yu Tan pleaded, "Brother, please grant my wish."

She wanted to run away; if she could get out of here, everything would go back to normal.

With a click, my wrist felt cold.

One end of the handcuffs was tied to her wrist, and the other end to Yu He'an's wrist, firmly locking the two together.

She stared wide-eyed at Yu He'an in disbelief, "Brother."

"Ji Yushang, Chu Minglang, He Sheng, let's see if more people like you, or if I can kill them faster."

Or did you discover that I killed all those admirers, and that's why you want to escape from me?

She simply couldn't believe that these were the words Yu He'an had said.

As if punishing her for being distracted, a kiss landed on her neck, the warm, wet touch sending shivers down her spine. "Is he really that good? You fell for him so quickly?"

"You can't kill him! Where is He Lang?"

He did nothing wrong; he's different from them.

"He's in the yard."

Yu Tan seemed to have found a glimmer of hope and struggled desperately, the iron chains clanging loudly, "Brother, let me go."

Does he know what we've done?

With a swift pull, the waist sash adorned with beaded curtains fell to the ground with a tinkling sound, and the crimson ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) spread out like a blood-red datura flower, dragging the two of them down into hell.

Her pretty face was full of panic.

"Looks like you didn't tell him?"

With a gentle tug of her slender fingers, the vermilion sash ripped open, revealing a large expanse of her fair skin. The thin red cord wrapped around her shoulders and tied around her slender waist.

"Brother, you can't do this." She hurriedly grabbed her collar.

“We’ve done even worse things, even more intimate things, Yao Yao, have you forgotten?”

He gently removed her hair crown and loosened her tightly bound hair, finally easing the tension on her scalp.

He gently pinched the tired neck, just like a newlywed couple deeply in love on their wedding night.

Half an hour later, the hand that had been pinching her neck turned into a gentle caress, and everything in the lively bridal chamber became ambiguous.

A blush crept onto her cheeks, and she frantically tried to explain, "That's my Gu worm acting up. Brother, you had no choice but to help me."

Yu He'an curled his lips and sneered, "What kind of brother helps his sister so much that it ends up in bed? Yao Yao, don't deceive yourself."

One hand gripped her waist, pulling her forcefully into his arms. Her earlobe was taken into his mouth and gently licked, the moisture creeping up her cheek.

She resisted with her lips tightly closed, but her slender fingers pinched her chin, and her nimble tongue slipped in, invading her territory little by little, sweeping and scratching every part of her mouth, meticulously leaving no spot untouched.

He entangled her, stealing her breath until she could no longer breathe, before releasing her and then licking and sucking her again.

She was like a piece of candied fruit, repeatedly licked and tasted until the last bit of sweetness was pecked away.

I had kissed her before when I helped her relieve her pain, but never with such intensity and passion, as if there was no tomorrow.

Their chests pressed tightly together, and the sound of someone's heartbeat boomed violently, though it was unclear whose.

Their intertwined breaths grew increasingly hot, and the surroundings became scorching.

The clanging of the chains from the movements sounded more like a carnival.

"Yaoyao and your brother are kissing, why is your heart beating so fast?"

Yu He'an took a step closer, determined to force Yu Tan to admit that she liked him.

Yu Tan felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over her, her whole body turning cold, and the passion she had been aroused vanished completely. How could she do this?

She protested, "That's not how it is. I'm already married. We can't continue like this."

"So what if we get married? Can he stop me? I might as well tell him tonight what kind of siblings we really are."

Author's Note: Thank you AQ, Jade Salt Pomelo Rice Cat Giraffe, and [Lop-eared Rabbit Head] for the nutrient solution.

If I don't post it by midnight tomorrow, then the day after tomorrow... remember, midnight.