Chapter 5 The Grand Wedding, The Bridal Chamber

Ye Mingzhu was naturally prepared to stop Sheng Yunche.

She remained calm and said softly, "This medicine needs to be cultivated daily before it can be harvested once a month, and currently only I can do it. Your Excellency is of noble birth, so please allow me to serve you with such a small matter."

Seeing that Sheng Yunche remained unmoved, she curtsied gracefully and said, "My heart is with my family, and I will certainly do my best for the Duke and dare not be perfunctory."

“Of course…” she added, “If the Duke really is unwilling, then just pretend I was never here today.”

Sheng Yunche raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued: "What do you intend to do?"

Ye Mingzhu smiled gently: "I have no comment."

Sheng Yunche: "..."

Their eyes met, and he, pale-faced, coughed lightly, then chuckled softly.

When he is aloof and indifferent, he is as cold as the first snow of the Tianshan Mountains.

When he smiles, his brows are sparse and his eyes are bright, he is like a gentle breeze sweeping across the wilderness, unrestrained and carefree.

Ye Mingzhu simply had no interest in appreciating it.

Seeing that the backyard was already in chaos, and fearing that her family would worry too much, she gave a curtsy and turned to leave.

Suddenly, Sheng Yunche's cold voice came from behind.

“I remember what you said,” he said. “Go back and wait to be married.”

Ye Mingzhu looked back in surprise, only to see his tall and straight back.

"...Does this mean she agrees?" she murmured to herself.

...

Inside Chaoyun Pavilion, Madam Zhen was extremely anxious.

As soon as Ye Mingzhu appeared, she was grabbed by the anxious woman who was pacing around in circles, and she was slapped hard.

"You child, you're driving your mother crazy with worry!" She pushed Ye Mingzhu as she changed into her wedding dress. "I couldn't find you for so long, so I had no choice but to tell the Duke about it and try to postpone your departure. If they make things difficult for you later, you must be patient and not act recklessly."

"After marriage, things are different from when you're at your parents' home. You have to think things through before you act... Alas! Everyone says that the Duke is capricious and difficult to deal with. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have been so impulsive and ruined things for you, Zhuzhu..."

As she spoke, Madam Zhen turned her face away and wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

She was very reluctant to leave and also regretted it.

She wished she could keep her daughter by her side forever, but a woman must eventually marry and have children, so she couldn't keep her; otherwise, she would be harming her daughter.

"Mother, don't worry." Ye Mingzhu smiled and hugged her. "I will make a good life for you."

On the way back, she thought it through and realized that it didn't matter if Sheng Yunche didn't agree to cooperate with her.

For her, the only thing was that spending so much time with Sheng Huai'an made her feel a little disgusted.

She can't remarry, but she can marry someone else; she can even marry a widow.

Of course, she will make the scumbags and bitches pay a heavy price before letting them die a miserable death!

We will absolutely not let them off easily!

...

The auspicious time has arrived.

Joy arises.

Ye Mingzhu put on a bright red veil and sat in a wedding sedan chair adorned with red silk.

The wedding procession proceeded as usual, and her last hope for Sheng Yunche was dashed. She sighed softly to herself.

However, if needed in the future, she will still use the Longevity Gu to negotiate with Sheng Yunche.

Without external interference, Sheng Yunche will die of illness in three months. His body is probably already at its limit, he just doesn't trust her.

If she were to provide him with a small Gu worm for medicinal use, and wait until his health improves somewhat...

Sitting in the swaying bridal sedan chair, Ye Mingzhu's mind was filled with thoughts of the future.

Before they knew it, the wedding procession stopped.

We must have arrived at the Duke of Wei's residence.

Ye Mingzhu was sitting quietly when a sudden commotion caught her attention.

The curtain of the bridal sedan chair was lifted, and Baozan was sweating profusely. "Miss, the Duke refuses to let the bridal sedan chair into the West Mansion. He says he will carry it to the East Mansion and that you belong to him! What, what should we do?"

She stammered, her voice trembling with tears.

Ye Mingzhu's eyes lit up, and she lifted the veil in surprise, asking, "Really?"

Meeting her gaze, Baozan paused in her sobs: "Miss, why do you seem so unconcerned?"

Ye Mingzhu smiled and said, "Don't worry, and don't ask around. Just wait."

Baozan, recalling what had happened before, asked incredulously in a low voice, "You said you had something to do before, did you go to see the Duke? This, this whole wedding kidnapping drama, was it all planned by you two?"

"Mm," Ye Mingzhu replied, not wanting to worry her.

Baozan was frantic: "Miss! The Duke has a terrible reputation. Many people say he's even more terrifying than Ghost Face. You really are, really..."

Ghost Face is Wei Ji, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Because he always wore a black iron mask and never showed his true face, Ghost Face became his nickname, and his thousands of elite guards were also known as the "Ghost Face Army".

"I'll tell you later." Ye Mingzhu smiled and lowered the curtain of the bridal sedan chair.

She ignored everything outside.

Now all she needs to do is be a quiet bride and wait for the final result.

Finally, the chaotic noise subsided.

She was helped down from the bridal sedan chair.

As she approached the East Gate, a slender, jade-like hand reached out to her. Just by looking at the hand, one could imagine how noble and extraordinary its owner must be, completely different from her previous life.

She reached out and grasped it without hesitation.

Step over the brazier, step over the saddle.

She felt very calm.

She finally embarked on a path different from her previous life.

...

The red candles flickered.

The bright red veil was lifted by a translucent and lustrous jade ruyi. Ye Mingzhu squinted to adjust to the sudden light, and when she looked up again, she met Sheng Yunche's dark and deep phoenix eyes.

Like her, he was wearing a bright red wedding robe... except that the robe seemed a bit ill-fitting, as if it had been taken off someone else.

...and it was indeed taken from someone else.

But the color of his wedding robe accentuated his already handsome features, making his phoenix eyes sparkle and his thin lips tinged with blood, appear even more dashing and captivating.

Even Ye Mingzhu was taken aback by his outstanding appearance.

It's unclear how Sheng Yunche handled it, but although the groom was changed, the servants were respectful and courteous, and none of the wedding rituals were omitted.

Amidst the blessings, Ye Mingzhu and he drank the nuptial wine together.

As the sweet and refreshing liquor went down her throat, her heart gradually settled down, and she felt a sense of reality.

Afterwards, Sheng Yunche went out to entertain guests, and she called Baozan and the others to serve her. She took a bath and changed into clean and refreshing clothes.

Her hair was almost dry, so she didn't just wait around. She got into bed, leaned against the pillows, and started reading.

At the end of the Xu hour, Sheng Yunche returned to his room.

He was surrounded by a faint scent of wine. He didn't need anyone to serve him. After taking a bath, he walked to the bedside and sat down, his calm and aloof phoenix eyes looking at her.

Ye Mingzhu quickly put down the book in her hand, dismissed the servants, and looked at him softly, asking, "Lord Duke, is there something you want to tell me?"

Perhaps, we should let her sleep in the bed?

Sheng Yunche gave her a deep look, then nodded and said, "Yes."

Ye Mingzhu's eyes softened, and she adopted a listening posture.

Sheng Yunche said calmly, "There are three points."

"First, you need to do everything you can to treat me and not delay with any excuses, or don't blame me for being ruthless."

"Secondly, my mother is currently in charge of the household affairs, but she doesn't like chores, so you will need to manage the household in the future. You can spend the money as you like, but you must do your job well."

"Third, until I am fully recovered, you need to drink a contraceptive soup after each time we have sex. Once I am fully recovered, I will give you a child."

After stating his three requirements, Sheng Yunche looked at Ye Mingzhu with his dark phoenix eyes, waiting for her reply.

But Ye Mingzhu was dumbfounded.

She could agree to the first two points, but the third point...

"Unwilling to consummate the marriage with me?" Sheng Yunche keenly sensed something was wrong and immediately pinpointed the root of the problem.

Before Ye Mingzhu could speak, he narrowed his phoenix eyes dangerously, raised his hand to hold her slender waist, and said forcefully, word by word, "I thought that your beauty was one of the bargaining chips you used. You were prepared."

Ye Mingzhu: "..."

How should she deal with this?