Great Yan Dynasty, the 23rd year of Yongning, June 16th
It was nearly dusk, and the Dingyang Marquis's residence was decorated with lanterns and colorful lights. Accompanied by the cheerful sounds of music and instruments, Wan Xueying, covered with a bright red veil, arrived at the main hall, supported by her maid.
When the matchmaker shouted, "The bride bids farewell to the elders!", she knelt down and formally said goodbye to her parents.
Then he stood up and bowed slightly to his three brothers and his sister who had occupied the identity of the eldest daughter of the Bo family for more than ten years and who had stayed behind as a twin after being found from the northern border.
Because her eldest brother was frail and wheelchair-bound, she lay on his back and was carried to the bridal sedan by him. This was the first time in so many years that she had been so close to her family.
It's a joke. Shen Yu, another protagonist of today's wedding, was originally engaged to her elder sister who was loved by everyone. However, because she was favored by the royal family and was married to the prince, she, the real daughter who was found only a few years ago, continued to fulfill the marriage contract between the two families made many years ago.
Of course, if the engagement hadn't been swapped, the contract would have belonged to her. But Shen Yu disagreed. He believed that if the goods weren't what they said, they should be returned! Unexpectedly, someone else had orchestrated this marriage, waiting for the two to call off the engagement so she could marry Shen Yu.
That person was none other than Princess Mingxia, the only legitimate princess of this dynasty, born to the current queen.
Goodness me, marrying that unruly and ruthless princess would be worse than marrying this person who is not noble and easy to control and just a decoration. Not only did Shen Yu not break off the engagement, he proposed to hold the wedding early before Wan Xueying even reached the age of marriage.
Shen Yu was the second legitimate son of the Duke of Ping. Although he wouldn't inherit the title, he was the Third Prince's study companion and right-hand man. Fearing the marriage would be scuppered, the Duke's family immediately agreed. They had recently been repeatedly indoctrinating Wan Xueying with the message that after marrying Shen Yu, she must strive to please him and bear a son quickly, so that she could leverage the Third Prince's influence to secure her sister's position as Crown Princess. Thus, she arrived in the bridal sedan with a respectable dowry.
If she could just sit back and wait for the two to get married, it would be totally inconsistent with Princess Mingxia's character. When the wedding procession reached Pingshun Street, a group of masked men in black suddenly appeared and blocked the procession's path.
"Who is it?" Seeing this scene, Shen Yu, who was wearing a bright red wedding dress and riding on a tall horse, and had a cold face, looked even uglier, but it still couldn't hide his outstanding elegance.
"We are bandits from Crow Mountain. We want to steal the bride to be our eldest brother's wife!" The leader of the other group answered loudly so that the people watching the fun could hear clearly.
"Bandits?" Shen Yu sneered. "Now bandits are wearing Southern Brocade?" He clearly didn't believe the other party's nonsense. You know, while Southern Brocade wasn't a top-tier fabric, it was tribute. Aside from the eunuchs and maids of honor in the palace, only the Imperial Guards and Dark Guards were allowed to wear it.
"Nonsense! We are not wearing any southern brocade!" The leader remained calm and tried his best to deny it, but several of his men subconsciously checked whether the inner garment was exposed, confirming Shen Yu's guess.
"You actually know Nan Jin?" Shen Yu's smile widened as he said meaningfully, "I'm sure you all are extraordinary! Why don't you take off your veils and show yourself openly, then accompany me to the Duke's Mansion to drink a glass of wedding wine and share in the joyous atmosphere?"
"I've already told you we are bandits! Stop talking nonsense! Brothers, grab it!" Afraid of saying more and making more mistakes, the leader of the other side rushed towards the sedan chair first.
Shen Yu was a man who cared a lot about his reputation. If his bride was snatched away in broad daylight, how would he survive in the capital? The main reason was that the majority of the wedding procession consisted of guards from the Duke's Mansion, and several of the buddies accompanying him were also quite skilled in martial arts. A mere dozen or so Dark Forest Guards were no match for him.
"Kill them! Leave no one alive!" He ordered coldly, not sparing the killing just for the sake of good luck! Anyway, today's wedding was just that important to him. Even if he killed the Dark Forest Guards, he would treat them as bandits.
The two sides immediately engaged in a battle.
At this moment, the bride, Wan Xueying, who had always seemed insignificant to outsiders, sat in her bridal sedan with remarkable composure. The bride robbery was merely a pretext; the other party's real motive was probably to take her life.
She didn't know if her guess was right, but she had already taken off her red veil and became highly alert.
When a sharp arrow pierced through the fighting crowd and shot towards the sedan chair with incredible accuracy, Wan Xueying narrowed her eyes and said inwardly: Here it comes!
Just when everyone thought Wan Xueying was either dead or injured, a shocking scene occurred inside the sedan chair. The sharp arrow pierced through the curtain, not only did it not hurt her at all, but it also stopped less than half an foot away from her forehead.
She raised her right hand and gently picked up the sharp arrow hanging in the air. Seeing the faint blue light on the tip of the arrow, she smiled with a hint of playfulness, as if she was afraid that she would not die completely!
After a long time, Shen Yu and his men killed the last man in black, and then he slowly walked towards the lonely sedan chair in the middle of the venue with a bloody sword.
Many people waited with bated breath for Shen Yu's final verdict on Wan Xueying. The most nervous among them was Princess Mingxia, who was closely watching the proceedings from a private room on the second floor of the Ruyi Restaurant. She didn't care about the lives of the Dark Forest Guards; she only wanted one outcome: today's bride, that country girl from the frontier, must die!
But Princess Mingxia was destined to be disappointed! The country girl she mentioned coming from the border was not dead, but was now staring at her lover.
"You..." Shen Yu was prepared to see a dead body before he lifted the curtain of the sedan chair, but he didn't expect to see a beautiful and smiling face.
"What?" Wan Xueying raised an eyebrow and curled her lips. "Are you disappointed that I didn't die?" She toyed with the arrow in her hand as she spoke. "If I died, would you pretend to be deeply devoted to me and not marry me for many years?" Until you were free of Princess Mingxia's entanglement or found your true love. Was this also why he ignored her danger even though he knew she was in danger, and why he didn't come to the sedan chair until he killed the last man in black?
"You actually know martial arts?" Shen Yu asked instead of answering, feeling guilty.
"I know a little bit," Wan Xueying explained. "But that's not surprising. In a place like Northern Xinjiang where wars are frequent, it's inevitable for men and women to learn some self-defense skills in order to survive longer."
Shen Yu nodded, "I see!" Then he said coldly, "Since you're okay, then the wedding can continue!"
"Stop!" Wan Xueying made a move to stand up, and Shen Yu wisely withdrew the half of his head that had been sticking in.
Just as everyone was holding their breath, the woman who was rumored to be a country bumpkin, plain-looking, and had just been shot by a fatal arrow slowly walked out of the sedan chair.
When the woman, whose beauty was beyond words, as radiant as spring flowers and as bright as the autumn moon, looked at everyone with a charming smile, many people could not help but exclaim in amazement.
"Oh my god! This is so beautiful!"
"Yes! She seems even more beautiful than Wan Qingling, the most beautiful woman in the capital!"
"Wan Qingling? Isn't she the bride's sister?"
"That's right! They say they are twins. How can one be as beautiful as a fairy and the other as plain as salt? It was really a rumor!"
Wan Xueying knew that her appearance in this life was extremely beautiful, but she also knew that this was the result of first suppressing her before praising her. Despite being praised so highly by everyone, she remained calm and composed. As for the other person mentioned by everyone, she never denied that Wan Qingling was extremely beautiful and indeed excellent in all aspects, worthy of the title of the most beautiful woman in the capital.
"Second Master Shen is so lucky to have married such a beautiful woman. I heard that he was not happy about this marriage before." Someone else continued to gossip.
"I'm afraid I'll have to be secretly happy now!"
Even the several noblemen who came with Shen Yu to marry her couldn't help but envy Shen Yu for marrying a treasure.
One should marry a virtuous woman, but Shen Yu disagreed. He even felt that it was immoral for her to appear in public. He asked unhappily, "Why didn't you stay in the sedan chair?"
Wan Xueying first glanced in the direction of Princess Mingxia, and then replied quietly, "Come out for some fresh air."
"Just to take a breath?" Shen Yu raised his handsome eyebrows slightly.
"I mainly want to see what the person who wants to kill me looks like." After saying that, he glanced in the direction of Princess Mingxia as if unintentionally.
Shen Yu hadn't expected that the unknown Princess Mingxia could guess who had done the attack so quickly, and pinpoint the attacker so precisely. The moment he and Wan Xueying looked over, Princess Mingxia quickly withdrew her head, a move that was merely an attempt to cover up her mistake.
Shen Yu narrowed his eyes slightly, a cold gleam in his eyes, and murderous intent instantly emerged. But it was only a brief moment before he regained his composure. Looking up at the sky, he urged impatiently, "If you return to the bridal sedan after watching it, it will be bad if you miss the auspicious time."
Wan Xueying seemed to think that Shen Yu had told a huge joke. She couldn't suppress the smile on her face and sneered, "Second Master Shen, do you still care about this?"
"I don't really care, but the guests at home are waiting."
"Then let them wait. We have to resolve this matter first."
Shen Yu glanced at the bodies lying around, unattended, and frowned. "Hasn't the current matter already been resolved? We'll discuss the rest after the wedding ceremony." Princess Mingxia was the emperor's only legitimate daughter, and naturally, he loved her dearly. He couldn't confront her openly. However, given the current situation, he didn't intend to discuss it further with Wan Xueying.
But then Wan Xueying said, "I'm afraid that if I insist on marrying you, I'll end up living too long. So, I feel it's necessary to cancel this marriage in front of everyone."
"Cancel the engagement?" Shen Yu's eyes widened in disbelief. "We're about to get married, and you're telling me to cancel the engagement. Are you kidding me?"
"Of course I'm not joking," Wan Xueying said seriously, "Why did I almost lose my life just now? I think you know better than anyone else."
Shortly after getting into the bridal sedan, she completely awakened her memories and innate abilities from her previous life. Furthermore, after meeting Shen Yu, some words flooded into her mind.
Shen Yu, the man before us, would become the future Prime Minister, wielding immense power. However, he would soon be exiled, and his first wife, Lady Wan, would die on the same route, becoming the eternal, indelible white moonlight in his heart.
Wan? You're not talking about her, are you? Bullshit Bai Yueguang, she's already lost her life, everything else is just bullshit!
Break off the engagement! You must break off the engagement!
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