Chapter 1: The sixth day of the sixth lunar month is an auspicious day for marriage.
The sixth day of the sixth lunar month is an auspicious day for marriage.
Red ribbons fluttered in the breeze, drums and gongs resounded, and the wedding procession moved in a long, winding manner.
Crowds lined both sides of the long street to watch, their discussions drowned out by the noise, only audible to those nearby.
"Wasn't it said that Miss Yun was to marry the third young master of Prince Zhao's mansion? How come she is marrying His Highness the Crown Prince today?"
"Who knows? The marriage between the Yun family and the Prince Zhao's mansion was arranged before the new year. Perhaps the person who relayed the message misunderstood?"
"If that's the case, how could the Third Young Master's name have just appeared out of nowhere? The Yun family's daughter is a beautiful woman. Could it be that the brothers are fighting over her?"
“That makes sense. How could the Third Young Master, as the younger brother, possibly win over His Highness the Crown Prince? That’s why this marriage has ended up like this.”
"The Yun family's daughter is quite fortunate. If she doesn't marry the Third Young Master, she'll marry the Crown Prince. Her marriages are getting better and better."
Inside the bridal sedan chair carried by eight people, Yun Sheng was dressed in a bright red wedding gown, with a pheasant crown on her head and a red shawl draped over her shoulders. The red silk obscured her view, but she could still see her hands clasped together in nervousness and the unfamiliar embroidery on her wedding gown.
She only saw the wedding dress for the first time this morning. It wasn't the mandarin ducks playing in the water that she had initially seen in the design; instead, it had been changed to a more grand and imposing pheasant carrying a pearl.
Just like her marriage, everything changed overnight.
This morning, on the eve of her wedding, she learned that she was no longer marrying the Third Young Master Xiao Ling, but his elder brother, the heir of the Zhao Prince's Mansion, Xiao Xu.
Xiao Ling ran away from her wedding.
Thinking of this, Yun Sheng felt a lump in her throat and wanted to cry.
The kind of plot she had only read about in storybooks actually happened to her.
She felt it was absurd, yet she had to accept the fact that she was sitting in a wedding sedan chair to marry someone else.
Although the marriage with Xiao Ling was only officially set before the end of the year, the two families had been discussing it privately for more than a year.
Therefore, since she came of age, Yun Sheng had always known and hoped that she would marry Xiao Ling. Now that this had changed overnight, how could she possibly adapt?
The sedan chair swayed slightly, just like her chaotic thoughts. Before she could sort out her thoughts, the bridal sedan chair landed steadily.
The sedan curtain was lifted slightly, letting in the sunlight. Looking up, all that could be seen was a blinding red veil.
A large hand reached into her vision beneath the veil.
Her fingers were long and slender with distinct knuckles. The skin on her palms was not as delicate as a young woman's, but it was clean and fair. It was an extremely beautiful hand, exuding a pampered and noble air.
The person who should have greeted her as she stepped off the sedan chair was her brother-in-law, but now he was about to become her husband, with whom she would be married. A sense of absurdity welled up in her heart.
Yun Sheng tensed up and sat stiffly in the sedan chair, motionless.
"Yun Sheng." A deep, steady voice came from outside the sedan chair.
Xiao Xu called her name amidst the noisy crowd.
This wasn't the first time Yun Sheng had heard his voice, yet it still felt unfamiliar.
Six months ago, at the spring banquet, Princess Zhao summoned her to the backyard for a chat. While she was waiting in the side hall, Xiao Xu happened to walk in.
Their eyes met, and she only realized the visitor's identity from the way the servants inside greeted her. She quickly looked away, curtsied, and returned the greeting.
Xiao Xu ignored him. It seemed that he had come here to see Princess Zhao. Seeing that the princess was not there and there were other people in the room, he only said a few words to the servants and then turned and left.
That was the first time Yun Sheng heard his voice; it was deep, but she couldn't quite remember it.
"Yun Sheng, get out of the sedan chair." The voice called out again from nearby, this time clearly audible.
Yun Sheng suddenly came to her senses, pursed her lips, and finally placed her hand in his palm.
That hand was warm and strong, easily enveloping her fingertips, making her heart pound even harder.
Before the auspicious time arrived, they stood hand in hand in front of the mansion gate, waiting.
Even with her head covered by a veil, Yun Sheng could tell that the man beside her was tall and imposing, much taller than her.
She lowered her eyes and saw the hems of their wedding gowns lightly touching, as if foreshadowing that from now on, they would be as intimate as the hem of their gowns touching.
The surrounding area was filled with the sounds of people cheering and shouting.
Yun Sheng felt a little embarrassed. She wanted to ask when the auspicious time would arrive, but she was too shy to ask the man beside her, whom she didn't know very well.
She thought again that Xiao Xu should be more embarrassed than her. She still had a veil to cover her face, but he was facing everyone's gaze with his face exposed.
Yun Sheng carefully recalled Xiao Xu's appearance.
Rumor has it that he is handsome and has an unparalleled appearance, making him the dream lover of many young ladies in the capital. However, all Yun Sheng could see were his spotless black boots, and she could no longer recall what he looked like.
At that moment, she was holding hands with a man whose face she couldn't even remember.
While I was lost in thought, my fingers were suddenly pinched lightly.
Yun Sheng blushed instantly, as if her thoughts had been seen through, and a sense of shame washed over her for being so intimate with the man in public.
"The auspicious time has arrived," Xiao Xu said.
This means it's time for them to take the first step.
Yun Sheng hummed softly, and their hands finally parted, leaving only a faint tingling sensation in her fingers from where they had been pinched.
The two of them each held one end of a silk ribbon tied with a red flower, and together they stepped over the threshold.
Despite her many emotions, Yun Sheng stood tall and gracefully completed all the wedding ceremonies.
Yun Sheng only breathed a slight sigh of relief after being led to the bridal chamber, where the noise of the wedding banquet was shut out.
Only a few maids who had come with her from the Yun family remained in the bridal chamber, while the servants of the Prince Zhao's mansion waited outside the door for the ceremony of changing their address after she lifted her veil and drank the wedding wine.
From this day forward, she will not only be the second young lady of the Yun family, but also the heir apparent's wife of Prince Zhao.
"Miss, are you tired? Let me help you to sit on the wedding bed."
Beside her was Yun Sheng's closest maid, Cui Zhu.
Yun Sheng nodded and placed her hand on the bed. Judging from the way the bridal chamber moved, she could tell that it was spacious. It took her more than twenty steps to reach the bedside.
Turning around and sitting down, Cuizhu asked again, "Miss, are you thirsty? I'll pour you a glass of water. Are you hungry? I've prepared some fruit here; you can eat some to tide you over."
Yun Sheng said, "Cui Zhu, these are all against the rules. I'm fine, don't worry about me."
She knew that Cuizhu was worried that she had been rushed into the bridal sedan chair this morning because she had heard about the sudden change and had no time to process her emotions.
However, Yun Sheng herself agreed to the change of this marriage.
No one forced her. Apart from blaming the irresponsible third young master, she had no one to blame but herself and had to face the decision she had made.
Xiao Ling escaped last night. The Prince Zhao's mansion searched all night without success, and it wasn't until the hour of Yin (3-5 AM) that they had to inform the Yun family of this terrible news and proposed that the heir Xiao Xu take his place in the marriage.
It was a coincidence that Princess Zhao had prepared wedding clothes for Xiao Xu earlier, originally intending to urge him to get married as soon as possible after Xiao Lingcheng's marriage. Who knew that these wedding clothes would come in handy in this way.
As the heir of the Prince Zhao's mansion, Xiao Xu was already in a high position in the court at a young age, and he would inherit the title of prince in the future. On the surface, this was even a better marriage.
But her parents protected her, saying that if she didn't want the marriage, they would immediately refuse the Zhao Prince's mansion.
Yun Sheng only pondered for a moment in that short time before realizing that if she did not marry, the wedding would be canceled today, and she would be forced to hide in her room and cry. Her parents and even her brother would have to deal with the rumors and gossip brought about by the marriage and explain her reputation in every possible way. Her relationship with the Prince Zhao's mansion would also be strained and embarrassing, causing suspicion in the court.
She didn't want her parents and brothers to be in such a predicament, nor did she want to tarnish her own reputation.
Without time to think further, she gritted her teeth and agreed.
Cuizhu's worries were not unfounded. With all the random thoughts that had crossed her mind along the way, such a hasty decision would surely leave her feeling uneasy and regretful, though she didn't know whether she should have felt any regret.
Yun Sheng sat on the wedding bed, head down, and asked in a muffled voice, "Cui Zhu, was it too reckless of me to agree to this this morning?"
"Miss……"
Cuizhu stood aside, unable to answer this question.
When Yun Sheng came of age, her mother asked her if she had a man she admired. She blushed and shook her head. Her mother then smiled and mentioned the young master of the Prince Zhao's mansion.
Of the three sons of Prince Zhao's mansion, the second son, Xiao Min, is already engaged to the girl he loves, while the third son, Xiao Ling, is a perfect match for Yun Sheng in terms of status and age.
Yun Sheng never even considered that prince; she assumed her mother was referring to the Third Young Master, Xiao Ling.
She had heard stories about Xiao Ling from others, but had never seen his face. So she mustered her courage and hid behind the artificial hill, and saw the handsome young man from afar.
Whether it could be considered love at first sight or not, she was satisfied, and that's how the marriage began.
Unexpectedly, after nearly two years of smooth sailing, such a change occurred on the eve of their wedding.
Yun Sheng thought to herself sullenly, "Is there something wrong with her?"
They had never met or interacted. Could it be that Xiao Ling, like she had in the past, had secretly observed her but harbored resentment towards her?
When her mood turned to indignation, Yun Sheng no longer felt that she was wrong.
Although her family background was not the best in the capital, it was still quite important. She was born with a beautiful and delicate appearance and was praised by many people since childhood. She was gentle but not weak, bright but not dignified. Although she was slightly inferior in the arts of music, chess, calligraphy and painting, she was excellent at needlework.
In short, no one is perfect, and Yun Sheng never dislikes herself for this.
But why did Xiao Ling run away from the wedding?
And her new husband, who married his brother's wife, probably didn't do it willingly. Will he treat her well in the future?
The room was silent, and Yun Sheng's thoughts were in turmoil. The more she thought about it, the more upset she became, and she felt so wronged that she wanted to cry.
But tears would ruin the makeup she had spent so much time carefully applying this morning, so she could only keep a straight face and try her best to hold back her tears.
Suddenly, the matchmaker's loud voice rang out from outside the door: "The groom enters the bridal chamber—"
Yun Sheng's heart tightened. Hearing the sound of a door opening not far away, tears welled up suddenly, and tears streamed down her face, which was hidden behind red silk.
The sounds around me became chaotic, with footsteps mingling as people entered and left.
The room fell silent once the door closed again.
Through her tear-blurred eyes, Yun Sheng saw those black boots again from under her veil, and Xiao Xu stood in front of her.
Before the tears had even stopped, Xicheng had already lifted a corner of her wedding veil.
As light flooded in, Yun Sheng subconsciously looked up and inevitably met his calm eyes.
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The story is now open! This time it's a sweet romance novel about marriage before love, with a lighthearted tone, no palace intrigue but plenty of rivalry, and the male and female leads are each other's only love.
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Arranged marriage to fall in love | A bittersweet experience | Pursuing your wife during marriage | Lighthearted and sweet romance
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A storm is brewing in the court. The Duke of Yan's family has become too powerful and is the target of everyone's criticism. The Yun family is guilty of possessing a valuable treasure and also needs strong support.
Yun Jincan accepted the marriage arranged by her family and will marry Yan Sui, the heir of the Duke of Yan's mansion, on a chosen date.
This marriage is clearly a transaction of interests, but they still have to put on a good show.
Yun Jincan had already planned this out and had even prepared the contract in advance, just waiting to present it to that person for review.
Who knew that on the wedding day...
The veil was lifted, revealing a refined and aloof face that seemed very familiar.
Their eyes met.
Yun Jincan's face froze, her heart pounding.
The man she is about to marry is none other than the noble young man she had previously humiliated in the countryside when she was infatuated with him.
*
Yan Sui also never expected that the woman who had taken liberties with him in the countryside and then disappeared would now be sitting on the wedding bed as his wife.
She was frivolous and absurd, disregarding conventions, openly admiring him, shamelessly seducing him, and even taking advantage of his injury and inability to resist to force herself on him, which was utterly despicable.
As he watched her forcefully produce the detailed contract, he felt a chill of disgust.
At first, Yan Sui thought this forced marriage would be unbearable.
But later he took the initiative to tear up the contract they signed on their wedding night.
Just when he thought they would continue to be entangled like this.
But then she saw her standing shyly opposite the newly appointed third-ranked scholar.
She accepted the peach blossoms he gave her, her eyes crinkling with a smile he had never seen before.
He had only recently learned that the newly appointed third-ranked scholar bore a striking resemblance to him, had studied in Xixiang for several years, and had finally made a name for himself.
Xixiang is the place where Yun Jincan found him back then.
*
Yan Sui never imagined that one day he would willingly submit to her.
Just like those lonely, resentful men he once looked down upon, he tossed and turned, feeling jealous and envious.
He confined her within the curtained curtains and accused her through gritted teeth.
"Yun Jincan, you still dare to think about that pretty boy?"
"Is he as strong as me, as powerful as me, or as pleasing to you as I am?"
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