Beiyuan
For some reason, Princess Lian'an felt her eyelids twitching violently, and a sense of unease gradually welled up in her heart. She kept glancing towards the doorway.
"Has the prince not returned yet?"
Su Jing shook her head.
The courtyard was quiet. If the prince returned, there would definitely be a commotion. Her biggest worry now was whether the princess's body could withstand the wedding tomorrow.
"Princess, how about we postpone the wedding?" Su Jing boldly suggested.
Princess Lian'an flatly refused: "No way!"
She had waited so long, and her wish could be fulfilled as long as tomorrow passed. She absolutely could not let anything go wrong. She even had a premonition that if she didn't get married soon, the marriage might not be possible.
From Zhao Zhiyan's attitude, she vaguely sensed a change in their feelings.
Zhao Zhiyan had absolutely no expectations for the marriage!
She couldn't wait any longer; every day she delayed would bring changes, just like how Song Yue almost married Zhao Zhiyan back then.
As a result, Song Kaifeng died.
Three years passed, and she missed out on the position of the Eighth Prince's consort.
Princess Lian'an touched her belly: "Even if this child cannot be saved, we must wait until after the wedding tomorrow!"
Su Jing was stunned by Princess Lian'an's words.
Did the princess already know that the child could not be saved?
Princess Lian'an saw Zhao Zhiyan again when it was already very dark. Seeing that Zhao Zhiyan looked unwell, she asked anxiously, "Brother Zhiyan, what's wrong?"
Zhao Zhiyan shook his head, knowing what she was worried about, and said, "Everything is ready outside. I will marry you after dawn."
Princess Lian'an breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.
Zhao Zhiyan stayed with Princess Lian'an until late at night. The guards urged him not to leave or they would miss the auspicious time, so Princess Lian'an shyly let him go.
"Brother Zhiyan, we'll see you later."
Zhao Zhiyan paused, then gave a faint "hmm".
The sky gradually brightened
The Eighth Prince's Mansion had already begun preparations. Zhao Zhiyan hurriedly returned to the mansion and changed into his wedding robes. Looking at the person in the mirror, he sighed almost imperceptibly.
"Your Highness! The Empress Dowager summons you to the palace immediately."
Zhao Zhiyan frowned.
"Your Highness, please go and return quickly; you should be able to make it in time."
He frowned: "Prepare the horses!"
…
As the auspicious hour approached, Princess Lian'an had already changed into her elaborate wedding dress and sat down in front of the bronze mirror, carefully examining her makeup.
“Princess, you are so beautiful!” Su Jing said.
Even the matchmaker smiled and replied, "The princess is indeed extremely beautiful."
Princess Lian'an smiled broadly upon hearing this, then suddenly looked at the matchmaker and asked, "How does she compare to Princess Guangjia?"
The matchmaker was taken aback.
She was the matchmaker when Song Yue got married, and she was amazed by her beauty. Compared to Princess Lian'an, the current Princess Lian'an was ultimately less beautiful.
But she couldn't say that directly, so she laughed and said, "Of course the bride is the most beautiful!"
Princess Lian'an smiled gently, clutching the jade ruyi in her hand, waiting expectantly for her husband to come and fetch her. Firecrackers were going off all around her, and the courtyard was bustling with activity.
All of these people came specifically to congratulate her on her marriage.
As time went by, Princess Lian'an's smile gradually faded. She winked at Su Jing, who quickly went outside to check, but the doorway remained empty.
Her brow furrowed slowly: "Why hasn't he arrived yet?"
The matchmaker said, "Perhaps there was a delay on the way. The Eighth Prince is coming to get married, and the onlookers will definitely want to share in the joy. It's been so many years since anyone has brought a wedding from outside the capital into the city. There will definitely be a lot of people watching the excitement, so Princess, don't be in a hurry."
With the comforting words of the matchmaker, Princess Lian'an's anxiety gradually subsided, and she shifted her position in the chair.
Leaning against the soft pillow, she felt a slight pain in her lower body, but she gritted her teeth and endured it.
Seeing that the auspicious time had passed, Princess Lian'an finally couldn't hold back any longer: "Hurry up and send someone to inquire!"
It only takes about half an hour to get from the capital to Beiyuan.
It shouldn't have taken this long.
Could it be that Zhao Zhiyan has regretted it?
No, impossible. He always keeps his promises and would never regret it.
…
Ning'an Palace
In her excitement, Empress Dowager Xu grabbed a teacup from the table and threw it at Zhao Zhiyan. She missed him by an inch, but the tea splashed onto his wedding robe, leaving tea stains.
"I warned you years ago that that peasant girl was of lowly status and not worthy of you at all. But you actually used tricks to send her away and turned her into some kind of princess for a political marriage!" Empress Dowager Xu was furious, and her palms were actually sweating slightly.
Zhao Zhiyan frowned.
Back then, Empress Dowager Xu was a Noble Consort. Emperor Bei Chu and Zhao Zhiyan were both raised under her care for a period of time. Empress Dowager Xu and Zhao Zhiyan were also related as cousins.
However, Zhao Zhiyan was not close to Empress Dowager Xu. Empress Dowager Xu wanted to give the eldest daughter of the Xu family to Emperor Bei Chu and Zhao Zhiyan, but Emperor Bei Chu refused decisively and made harsh remarks.
Helpless, Empress Dowager Xu could only turn her attention to Zhao Zhiyan.
The Xu family had already chosen their legitimate daughter, but Zhao Zhiyan brought back a peasant girl from somewhere, claiming that she had saved his life and that he would not marry anyone but her.
Empress Dowager Xu had no choice but to chat with the young peasant girl. However, the girl was very stubborn and struck a pillar after only a few words, thus narrowly escaping death.
Emperor Taizu, however, felt that Empress Dowager Xu was plotting something sinister and had almost driven someone to their death, so he forcibly took away the rank that Empress Dowager Xu had worked so hard to achieve.
She also entrusted the upbringing of the two princes to other concubines.
How could Empress Dowager Xu not hate her?
When the two princesses came to marry, Empress Dowager Xu was so preoccupied with Princess Jia Hua that she didn't even recognize Princess Lian An.
It wasn't until last night that I learned Princess Lian'an was actually the peasant girl Xu Lingqing.
Empress Dowager Xu knew she couldn't stop the process, but she could still annoy Princess Lian'an. So she issued an edict summoning her to the palace for a lecture, thus delaying the auspicious time past the appointed hour.
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