Bride kidnapping
The moonlight came in through the window and shone on the face of the woman sitting on the ground.
The woman tilted her head back, staring blankly outside. There was struggle in her eyes, but her expression and movements were stiff and rigid.
Su Fangli felt that her consciousness was very light and floating slowly, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't make any progress.
She seemed trapped in her body, able to think but unable to move.
Is it because of the bloody jade plate before?
What did the Imperial Master do to her?
The room was empty and unlit, and she sat there from dusk until sunrise.
After an unknown amount of time, the door creaked open.
Su Fangli looked over and saw that it was Cen Xiaying. How could he be here?
"Why are you sitting on the ground?" Cen Xiaying pushed the door open and immediately saw Su Fangli sitting there, staring blankly with her head tilted back. He thought it was funny, so he squatted in front of Su Fangli.
As he got closer, a cool fragrance filled his face, and Su Fangli's eyes reflected his image. Cen Xiaying suddenly felt that something was wrong with the woman opposite him.
Her face was paler than snow, her eyelids and nose tip were red from the cold, her pupils were as black as dead water, she was trembling in a daze, and she didn't speak.
"Huh? Why do you look like that?" Cen Xiaying felt strange. He felt the temperature in the room and asked, "Aren't you cold?"
The apricot-colored jacket and skirt were beautiful, but a little too thin. Cen Xiaying reached out to help her: "It's so cold, and there's no charcoal fire, why are you sitting on the ground like this? Are you sleepy?"
As soon as his hand touched Su Fangli's shoulder, he raised his eyebrows at the warmth.
Cen Xiaying didn't care about the strict rules between men and women. She raised her hand and touched Su Fangli's cheek with the back of her fingertips. It felt like her hand was immersed in ice, and she could even feel the dampness of the water vapor.
Wouldn't she just sit there like this all night?
Cen Xiaying stretched out his long arms, picked up Su Fangli, and strode into the inner room.
He placed her on the bed, spread out the quilt to wrap her up, then turned around and called out, "Where's she? Why don't you light the charcoal fire?"
The young eunuch guarding outside then brought in the charcoal brazier.
Cen Xiaying frowned tightly as she watched: "Where's the food?"
"I'll get it right away." The young eunuch was frightened by his expression and dared not say anything. He was afraid that he would make things difficult for him, so he put down the charcoal brazier and turned around and ran away.
"What's going on?" Cen Xiaying muttered with a gloomy expression.
He had come here to watch over Su Fangli on orders from the Imperial Master. He had come into contact with Su Fangli quite a few times, but this was the first time he had seen her so distracted.
Cen Xiaying looked back.
After he settled the other person, he didn't move at all. There was no life on his face. His long black hair was slightly messy, with a few strands stuck to the sides of his face.
It's like he has lost his soul.
He was shocked by his own guess.
The eunuch who went to get the food box came back quickly. Cen Xiaying took it and brought it into the inner room.
The warm soup in the lunch box was still steaming. "Here, let's have breakfast first."
Su Fangli didn't move, her eyes fixed on him.
"Why, you want me to feed you?" Cen Xiaying joked. After he finished speaking, he waited for a long time, but Su Fangli didn't move. Suspicion grew in his heart, but he said calmly, "Okay, then I'll feed you."
He didn't even think about calling a palace maid to feed her. He picked up the bowl, scooped a spoonful, blew it until it wasn't so hot, and then held the spoon close to Su Fangli's lips.
The small spoon looked even smaller when held in his big hand.
"Ah—" The spoon touched her lips, staining them with some color.
After a long time, Su Fangli opened her mouth.
The teeth touched the spoon, making a slight sound. Cen Xiaying was stunned for a moment, almost losing his grip. He chuckled, and when he was no longer so surprised, he said, "Be careful, this is hard to chew."
Su Fangli finished the bowl of soup bit by bit. Her stomach felt warm, but her heart felt colder.
She was truly trapped.
How can I get out of this situation?
"Master Cen, we are here to deliver wedding clothes to Master Xingguan." The palace maid's voice was cautious outside the door.
Cen Xiaying put down what she was holding, stood up and walked out. The room was already filled with wooden boxes, unopened, but it was obvious that they were the things Su Fangli would need for her wedding in a few days.
"Put it there." Cen Xiaying didn't look at it any more. He pointed to a few palace maids and said, "You guys take good care of the Star Official here. Light a few more charcoal basins."
The palace maid bowed in response, and Cen Xiaying strode away.
Su Fangli sat like this from day to night, but fortunately she didn't have to sit on the floor with her eyes open until dawn tonight.
Cen Xiaying came back on time in the evening. Seeing that she was still sitting there, she asked the palace maid to help her wash and then helped her lie down.
There was a warm charcoal brazier burning in the room, and Su Fangli felt a little sleepy for a rare time.
"You are so quiet now, as if you have changed your heart." Cen Xiaying suddenly said in the dim light.
You are right. Su Fangli couldn't help but blink, save me quickly.
After an effort that was barely noticeable to her naked eyes, she was now able to control her blinking. Unfortunately, in the dim light, no one could see.
"You are the only one left in your family now." Cen Xiaying murmured, "The same goes for me."
"Do you miss our daughter? She was still asking for you when I entered the palace." After a while, Cen Xiaying said again.
His voice was soft, like talking in a dream. Su Fangli didn't react at all, but he didn't care at all. He just leaned against the bedpost and occasionally blurted out some incomprehensible words.
Cen Xiaying had excellent night vision and could clearly see Su Fangli's eyes flickering in the night.
He felt something in his heart and suddenly moved closer.
"On the wedding day, will your servants come to snatch the bride?" If the deposed crown prince came, would he be able to escape? He paused, swallowing the rest of his words.
The two of them stared into space in silence, and the atmosphere was surprisingly harmonious.
Su Fangli was unconscious and didn't know that a strand of her long hair was entangled in Cen Xiaying's fingertips, and was contaminated with her breath and temperature.
A few more days passed like this, and before Su Fangli could break free from the shackles of her "shell", her wedding day had already arrived.
Unlike what she had imagined, the emperor's first wedding was even simpler than she had imagined, even shabby.
Su Fangli was surrounded and served by more than a dozen palace maids in the morning. She washed, dressed, and put on her wedding dress. The heavy phoenix crown blocked her vision.
She took this opportunity to look above her head through the bronze mirror. The star chart was blurry, but she could barely make out the direction of the stars.
Saturn in the first house, Neptune in opposition to Mars...
Su Fangli's pupils trembled slightly. As she had suspected, the Imperial Preceptor could alter a person's physical condition by modifying their horoscope.
The first house governs the body, the sixth house governs health, Saturn represents restraint and bones, and Neptune represents weakness and nerves. These two positions combined to hinder her ability to move, lose her coordination, and make her subject to others' control.
She didn't waste too much time. After looking at the astronomical chart clearly, she memorized the image firmly.
"Are you ready?" Cen Xiaying saw her being helped out of the house and into the sedan chair.
The palace maids followed obediently. Cen Xiaying walked beside the sedan chair and tilted her head inadvertently.
Su Fangli, dressed in red, sat quietly, long tassels dangling from her head. As the sedan swayed, they gently brushed against the side of her face. A faint light cast a speck of light on her fair face, and Cen Xia's vision was inexplicably carried away, following the sway of a round red coral bead. He seemed to have become that bead, gently touching the corner of her lips, then playfully dancing away.
Cen Xiaying stopped breathing and looked away in embarrassment.
There was no congratulation from any officials, and Su Fangli was escorted all the way to the Qinzheng Palace.
"Look, the star official is naturally fine." Seeing her coming, He Xuanli glanced at He Hongli.
He Hongli had been making a fuss for several days, but he was fooled by the Imperial Master. Seeing that Su Fangli was fine, he felt a little relieved.
"How are you?" He took a few steps forward, took Su Fangli's arm from the palace maid, and supported her carefully.
He didn't hear Su Fangli's response, so he asked again: "Where have you been these days?"
Su Fangli naturally couldn't speak. Just as He Hongli was about to become suspicious, He Xuanli came over and said, "The auspicious time has arrived."
Hearing this, He Hongli could only keep it to himself for the time being. He held Su Fangli's hand tightly and brought her to the tribute platform.
The ceremony was presided over by He Xuanli, who lowered his eyelashes and uttered obscure sentences.
Following his gesture, the two of them got married in the same way as ordinary people do.
As Su Fangli turned and bowed, he took in his surroundings. Everywhere were armored and sword-wielding guards, their expressions wary. What were they wary of?
"The ceremony is over." The Imperial Master wrote something on some scroll, then left in a hurry after saying this.
Su Fangli was supported by He Hongli, and vaguely heard him whisper something like "East Gate" and "Leave".
"Can I call you A'li?" He Hongli got what he wanted, with an excited smile still on his face, and asked with a smile.
"No." Outside the hall, a cold and hard voice spoke first.
Several people in the hall looked over when they heard the sound.
"Bang!" The palace door was suddenly pushed open by a great force, hitting the wall with a dull sound.
The smoke and dust cleared, and a tall figure walked towards them against the light. The sword at his side made a mesmerizing clash with the armor on his body. It was He Chenghuan.
"It's you?!" He Hongli frowned and stared for a long time, his expression suddenly changing as he finally recognized the person in front of him: "My Royal Highness, are you... planning a rebellion?"
No one paid attention to his question. He Chenghuan strode closer, staring at Su Fangli with his sword-like eyes.
Everyone was shocked by his murderous aura, and no one knew that his heart had just settled down.
The woman in front of him stood quietly in a red wedding dress embroidered with gold. The phoenix crown on her head covered most of her face, revealing only her bright red lips and slender neck.
Despite the loud noise just now, the woman didn't move at all, and remained indifferent when she saw him coming. He Chenghuan let out a light breath, trying his best to suppress the violence in his heart.
"Ali." He Chenghuan called again, his tone deliberately gentle and flattering.
He looked carefully at the person in front of him, his gaze falling on the sleeve where she was connected to the person next to her. His eyes became even colder, and he raised his hand to draw the long sword at his side.
"Someone come! Protect the emperor!" He Hongli blocked Su Fangli behind him and shouted loudly.
He shouted a few times, his face slightly gloomy.
"What did you do with the Imperial Master?" He Hongli asked in a deep voice.
"Me and the Imperial Master?" He Chenghuan snorted coldly, "I'd like to ask you, Second Prince, about this."
He was fully prepared for entering the palace this time. He would not escape from the secret passage in a panic like he did that year, not even daring to look back.
"What an eyesore." He squeezed out these words from between his teeth, strode forward, pulled He Hongli away, and threw him to the ground.
He was so angry that his eyes turned red. He didn't dare to look at the expression of Su Fangli next to him. He was determined to snatch the wedding gown from behind He Hongli.
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