Chapter 274 Extra Jingtang Chapter 1

The princess's mansion in the imperial capital was decorated with lights and there was an atmosphere of joy and peace. The guests were toasting each other, and while they were drinking, Xiao Yi was already so drunk that he could hardly walk steadily.

He was wearing a bright red wedding gown, with his hair tied up with a golden crown. His beautiful, narrow eyes were full of confusion. He was supported by several servants and went to the bridal chamber, staggering.

He was drunk, stepped over the threshold into the room, and waved his hand to send his attendants away.

After everyone left the room, the drunkenness on his face disappeared in an instant. His back, which had been slightly bent in order to pretend to be drunk, straightened up. His thin lips were tightly pursed, and he looked quite serious and indifferent.

Xiao Yi walked slowly to the table, sat down, looked at the slim woman with a red veil not far away, picked up the wine pot on the table, poured a glass of wine, and drank it.

"Xiao Yi?" After not seeing him coming to lift the veil for a long time, Xia Jingtang called his name softly.

"Yeah." He responded, then finally stood up, straightened his clothes, and walked over.

He lifted the veil according to the formality, and looked at the woman with peach-like and creamy skin illuminated by the candlelight. Her eyes were as clear as a pool, and his figure was reflected in them.

He looked away unnaturally, put the wedding scale aside, and sat next to her, sighing slightly: "Princess, why are you doing this?"

The smile on Xia Jingtang's face froze, and then slowly disappeared. She turned her head to look at Xiao Yi, frowned, and asked, "What do you mean?"

"You know that I already have someone in my heart. Besides, there is such a big age gap between you and me. If you marry me, I am afraid it will only delay the rest of your life."

"But she is already married..."

Xiao Yi interrupted her coldly before she finished speaking: "But I don't love you, Princess. The person I love has never been you!"

She was stunned for a moment, lowered her eyelids, and her voice became a little choked: "Xiao Yi, can't you try to love me?"

Xiao Yi only felt an unspeakable bitterness rising in his throat. After a moment, he stood up and said with his back to her, "It's getting late. The ceremony is over now that the veil has been removed. You should go to bed early."

She quickly grabbed his sleeve, looked up and asked, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to sleep in the study."

Xia Jingtang's face turned pale in an instant, and she tightened her hands around the edge of her clothes. She didn't even notice that her exquisite wedding dress was wrinkled. "You want to stay pure for her? Xiao Yi, are you doing me justice?"

Xiao Yi gently brushed her hand away and said, "It would be truly unfair to you if I slept with another woman in my heart."

Having said that, he bowed and politely performed the ceremony before walking out of the bridal chamber.

Xia Jingtang looked at his resolute back as he left, and a dense pain spread in her heart. She covered her chest and her tears fell like beads from a broken string, soaking her bright red wedding dress.

Only then did she notice the wrinkles on the dress. She wanted to smooth them out, but she couldn't. The gold thread on the dress was actually coming off. As she looked at it, her tears flowed even more.

This was the wedding dress that the Queen Mother drew herself, revised it many times before finalizing it, and supervised the work herself, having twelve embroiderers sew it stitch by stitch for two months straight. It was delivered to her palace half a month before her wedding. She had always regarded it as a treasure, hanging it in her room and looking at it every day. Every gold thread on it seemed to carry her hope for future happiness.

However, on her wedding day, her wedding dress had wrinkles that couldn't be smoothed out. How could she not be sad?

Xia Jingtang cried for a while, and as if she thought of something, she called her personal maid Yun Niao in.

This Yun Niao was not the same Yun Niao who had accompanied her in the Prince Rui's Palace in the capital. She just had the same name, but she was also two years older than Xia Jingtang and had always been loyal.

She walked in and saw Xia Jingtang's red eyes from crying. She felt distressed and said, "My princess, what happened? I saw the prince consort leave the room just now, but did he wrong you?"

Xia Jingtang hugged Yun Niao's waist and rested her head in front of her. Just like when she encountered sad things in the past in the palace, she always hugged Yun Niao like this for comfort.

"Yun Niao, do you think I was wrong? Shouldn't I have asked my brother to grant me a marriage? Shouldn't I have insisted on keeping him by my side?"

Yun Niao gently stroked her soft hair and comforted her, "What's wrong with the princess loving someone? Besides, you are doing this just to protect him. He will understand sooner or later."

Yes, she just wanted to be his wife and keep him by her side because she loved him. What was wrong with her?

Xiao Yi had been a hostage in Xuan Cang for three years, but he had never suffered any hardship. It was not because of his status as the crown prince, but because Xia Jingtang openly placed him under her wing.

But he was totally unaware of it and secretly got married to the hostage of Dongxu Kingdom.

Xia Jingtang felt uncomfortable whenever he thought of Luo Wanjun. That woman had known Xiao Yi before him and had completely occupied the place in his heart.

Luo Wanjun was the princess of the Dongxu Kingdom. She was seventeen years old and a real beauty.

Xia Jingtang first met her in Qinyuan in the south of the city.

At that time, she made an appointment with Xiao Yi to go to appreciate the chrysanthemums together, and happened to meet Luo Wanjun who was also there for the trip.

She walked towards me gracefully, her figure slender and graceful, like a willow swaying in the wind, her black hair like lacquer, her skin like jade, her eyes full of longing, and an indescribable charm revealed when she raised her head and glanced at me. She was like a peach blossom in bud on a branch, beautiful without being delicate, charming without being vulgar.

Of course, she did not come alone, she was accompanied by several noble ladies from the imperial capital, and she was also treated as a servant. But even though she was wearing outdated and slightly worn clothes, her temperament was still eye-catching.

Somehow, Xia Jingtang felt an inexplicable panic in his heart when he saw her for the first time. He subconsciously looked at Xiao Yi, but found that his eyes were also on the woman.

She didn't take it seriously at the time, until the noble ladies deliberately bullied the woman and Xiao Yi stepped forward to protect her behind him, then she realized it.

It turns out that the way Xiao Yi looks at Luo Wanyun is different from the way he looks at other people.

She asked Xiao Yi and found out that they met on the day they were sent to Xuan Cang together, which was also the day she and he first met in the palace. However, Luo Wanyun arrived a few hours earlier than her.

It's only been a few hours, why does it seem like it's so long late?

Xia Jingtang still hasn't figured this out.

She cried for a long time and finally got tired. Yun Niao helped her change clothes, remove her makeup, wash her, and then helped her go to bed.

Yun Niao sat on a small stool beside the bed and told her a bedtime story in a soft voice.

Xia Jingtang's voice was a little hoarse from crying. He took her hand and said coquettishly, "Yun Niao, tell me the story of the tortoise and the hare race again."

"Princess, you have heard this story thousands of times."

"This is the first bedtime story my mother told me when I was little. I like it. Please tell it to me again."

"Okay." Yun Niao smiled helplessly, tucked the corner of the quilt for her, and said softly: "Princess, close your eyes first, and I will tell you."

"Yeah." She rubbed Yun Niao's hand and closed her eyes obediently as she was told.