This was a marriage bestowed by Emperor Jing, and one that the master had tacitly approved at the time. But now, it's clear that the appearance of this ugly girl has completely disrupted the master's usual calm and rationality.
Left with no other choice, Cheng Liang turned to Xuan Yuan Yue for help, asking her to try and persuade her.
"Uncle Qin, the auspicious time has arrived, hurry up and change your clothes." Soon, Xuan Yuan Yue entered the main hall and advised.
Seeing that he remained unmoved, the young woman shook her head slightly, sighed softly, and after a moment's thought, continued, "Uncle Qin, Yue'er and Yun'er met our future aunt at the post station yesterday. She is a woman of unparalleled beauty, dignified and virtuous. She is a frail woman who has traveled thousands of miles away from her homeland and family. She fell ill as soon as she arrived in our Western Qin. Since you have already agreed to the marriage, now that the time has come, you should not disappoint her good intentions."
Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuanhan's brows and eyes flickered slightly, and he took a deep breath, as if he had just woken from a dream. He then turned and went into the side hall, where Cheng Liang hurriedly picked up his wedding attire and followed closely behind.
As Xuan Yuan Yue watched Xuan Yuan Han's departing figure, her heart grew heavier. She murmured to herself, "Who says that kings have always been heartless? Yun'er has clearly become Qin Huang Shu's Achilles' heel."
A few days before the wedding, Lin Yuexuan, the bedroom of Xuanyuan Han, which was to be used as the bridal chamber, had been completely decorated. However, according to the rules passed down from the ancestors, he could not stay in the bridal chamber alone until the bride entered the bridal chamber. So, he moved to the side hall of Chenghua Palace for the past few days.
Just as Cheng Liang was reaching out to help Xuan Yuanhan undress and change into his wedding attire, a maid's urgent scream suddenly rang out from outside the window: "Ah, there's an assassin!"
Xuan Yuanhan, who was listless and lost in thought, quickly looked up and stared at Cheng Liang in surprise. Cheng Liang was also taken aback. After their eyes met, Xuan Yuanhan rushed out the door with lightning speed.
In the backyard of the side hall, as soon as Xuan Yuanhan appeared, a tall, handsome, and alluring masked man in black was seen carrying the still unconscious Yi Shangyun in his arms. The masked man glared at Xuan Yuanhan, then swiftly leaped onto the roof of Chenghua Hall with superb lightness skills, and hurriedly fled the Qin Prince's mansion.
Xuan Yuan Yue heard the maid's shouts outside the door and hurriedly stepped out, only to see Xuan Yuan Han's figure flash by and disappear into the air along with the masked man.
"Uncle Qin..." Xuan Yuan Yue was about to speak hurriedly, but it was too late. She looked angrily at the maid who had just shouted and said, "You daring servant, what happened to make you so flustered?"
Upon seeing Xuan Yuan Yue's fury, the maidservant snapped out of her daze and immediately knelt heavily on both knees with a thud, though she still seemed to be in a daze.
She lowered her head timidly and reported, "Your Highness, just now I was about to deliver medicine to Yi Yao Nu when I saw a masked man in black sitting beside her bed. I immediately came back out to call for help. The man seemed startled when he saw me calling, and he picked Yi Yao Nu up and kidnapped her. Then His Highness the Prince of Qin rushed out, and then the two of them..."
Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuan Yue was extremely anxious. She looked up at the sky and thought, "Who kidnapped Yun'er? The auspicious time is almost here, and the bridal sedan chair is about to arrive. What should we do?"
Xuan Yuan Yue paced anxiously back and forth in the hall. After a moment, she suddenly stopped, her eyes clearly showing that she had a plan. She immediately summoned someone. She turned to the person and whispered for a moment before saying, "Go quickly and inform the ministers who are welcoming the bride. Remember not to disturb the Princess Consort."
The servant on the side hurriedly left after receiving the order.
Today is the King of Qin's wedding day, yet it is a scene of universal celebration. Merchants in the nearby streets had already hung large red lanterns high in front of their shops several days in advance to show their congratulations. Today, at this auspicious hour, the sound of firecrackers resounding continuously from all directions fills the air.
The main streets surrounding the Prince of Qin's mansion were already deserted, with men, women, and children flocking to the area to witness this grand imperial marriage.
A large crowd gathered in front of the Qin Prince's mansion, discussing the wedding.
Meanwhile, in the equally bustling and festive inn, Suiyuxuan, Zhao Mama, who was part of the dowry, was doing Mei Xiyuan's final dressing and grooming before her wedding.
On the dressing table sat an exquisite bronze mirror. The woman in the mirror smiled charmingly, her beautiful eyes sparkling, her beauty captivating, her figure budding, her reflection serene, and her charm breathtaking.
Granny Zhao held a comb in her hand, combing her long, shiny black hair strand by strand, muttering to herself:
"One comb to the end, and wealth and prosperity will be yours for the taking."
"Combing your hair twice will bring you health and peace of mind."
"Combing your hair three times will bring you many children and a long life."
"Comb it again until it's all combed, and you'll be as harmonious as ever."
"Combing twice to the end, they fly wing to wing."
"Combing three times to the end, may our hearts be forever bound together."
"With a beginning and an end, we'll share wealth and honor in this life."
Granny Zhao was Mei Xiyuan's wet nurse. At this moment, her eyes were filled with kindness, love, and reluctance, and she couldn't help but shed tears of emotion.
"Don't be sad, Granny. You'll always be with me, won't you?" Mei Xiyuan turned around and took her hand, saying this. Granny Zhao could only nod and remained silent.
"The auspicious time has arrived."
Just then, a hurried voice came from outside the door.
Granny Zhao quickly wiped away her tears and then gently covered her head with a large red veil embroidered with dragons and phoenixes.
Then she said, "Princess, the auspicious time has arrived. It's time to get into the bridal sedan chair." Granny Zhao handed a colorful peacock fan to Mei Xiyuan, who nodded and extended her jade hand to accept it.
At this moment, her brother, Mei Zhixuan, the third prince of Dongning Kingdom, stepped forward and carried her to the bridal sedan chair.
At this point, the Dongning Kingdom's wedding procession had successfully completed its mission and handed over the bride to the Western Qin's welcoming ministers. They were now preparing to return to Dongning.
With the matchmaker's cry of "Lift the sedan chair!", the grand and magnificent wedding procession began its grand departure from the post station to the Prince of Qin's residence.
Two "lions" leaped and frolicked, guided by a vermilion dragon pearl, while the sounds of bells and drums resounded, and firecrackers crackled and popped everywhere they went, creating a lively and festive atmosphere.
On the eight-bearer sedan chair, beneath a large red veil embroidered with dragons and phoenixes, Mei Xiyuan, adorned with a phoenix coronet and a red wedding gown, exuded joy and happiness. She wore an exquisitely luxurious phoenix-tail dress, with a fine red satin purse on the lapel symbolizing many children and blessings, bearing the inscription "Gourd for Generations." She was filled with anticipation for the most noble man in the world who would bring her the most blissful marriage.
At that moment, the minister in charge of welcoming the bride suddenly panicked and asked, "What? What should we do about kicking the sedan chair door and the wedding procession?" Clearly, the person had reported to him that His Highness the Prince of Qin was no longer at the Prince of Qin's residence and had disappeared without a trace.
"Please calm down, Your Highness. Her Highness has already taken care of it," the messenger replied hastily.
"This is utterly absurd! This King of Qin is being incredibly reckless. At this critical juncture, how can this be treated so lightly? She is the princess of Dongning Kingdom, sent for a marriage alliance!" The minister in charge of welcoming the bride shook his head angrily and helplessly, sighing deeply.
Suddenly, a woman in the crowd whispered to someone next to her, "The weather was fine just a few days ago, how come it started snowing last night?"
"What's wrong with the snow?" someone asked curiously.
"Haven't you heard the saying: couples in the rain shed tears, couples in the snow never stay together?"
"Shh, keep your voice down, don't talk nonsense. This is a golden marriage bestowed by His Majesty the Emperor!" Everyone was frightened by the woman's words, and they all nodded frantically at the person who was trying to persuade them.
Zhao Mama, who was passing by with the bridal sedan chair, heard this and glared fiercely at the crowd, afraid that Mei Xiyuan in the sedan chair would hear it.
After a long while, the bridal sedan chair finally arrived. The main gate of the Prince of Qin's mansion opened wide, but for a long time, no one saw His Highness the Prince of Qin come out to greet them.
Just as everyone was discussing the matter, a voice suddenly announced, "The Empress has arrived!"
Upon hearing this, everyone bowed and knelt, saying, "Welcome, Your Majesty the Empress! Long live the Empress!"
Xuanyuan Yue, with her hands supporting the dignified and noble Queen Mother of Western Qin, slowly walked out of the Qin King's mansion.
Upon reaching the main gate of the Qin Prince's residence, the Empress solemnly and dignifiedly said, "Rise, all of you. Today is the day of the Qin Prince's wedding, but an urgent matter of state has suddenly arisen. As a prince, you should naturally prioritize the affairs of state. Therefore, I have come personally today to welcome the Princess Consort of Qin into the palace, to show the boundless grace of the Emperor of Western Qin."
The kneeling crowd was stunned, deeply impressed by the King of Qin's true stature as a pillar of the state. Even on this joyous occasion, he prioritized national affairs. Having such a responsible and compassionate king was a blessing for the people and for Western Qin. The crowd then applauded and cheered.
At this moment, the two matchmakers hurriedly stepped forward and carefully helped the bride down from the sedan chair. She slowly walked up the stone steps, step by step, across the threshold of the main gate of the Qin Prince's Mansion, and after crossing the brazier, she was sent to the bridal chamber.
Along the way, people sprinkled various grains on him to drive away evil spirits.
After much trouble, Mei Xiyuan finally entered Xuan Yuanhan's bedroom, Mingyue Pavilion, the bridal chamber for their wedding.
At this point, Xuan Yuan Yue's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.
"What exactly happened? Where did the King of Qin go?" Only then did the Empress ask Xuan Yuan Yue with a serious expression and a hint of anger.
Seeing that she could not handle the matter herself, Xuan Yuan Yue hurriedly ordered someone to invite her mother, the Empress, to leave the palace and arrange for her to travel to the Prince of Qin's residence to take charge. The Empress was very surprised when she heard the news and rushed over.
Seeing the Empress's angry expression, Xuan Yuan Yue dared not say that the Prince of Qin had missed the auspicious time because he was chasing after a young girl. In the end, she could only mumble a vague excuse, "Your Majesty, my uncle was already changing into his wedding clothes when an assassin appeared, and he chased after the assassin."
After speaking with her head down, Xuan Yuan Yue secretly glanced at the Empress, who was also quite puzzled by the King of Qin's actions.
The Empress pondered, "The King of Qin is always calm and collected. Why is he behaving so unusually today? This is a momentous event—the marriage alliance with the Princess of Dongning—that concerns the fate of the nation and the friendship between the two countries. Although I, as the Empress, have personally come to lie for him and silence the gossip, if the Princess of Dongning were to investigate later, it would be no laughing matter."
"Alas...this King Qin," the Queen sighed with worry, her voice trembling with helplessness. That was all she could do; the rest was up to fate.
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