Two people get married on Qixi Festival, each with their own secrets.
Just as the marriage of Zhao Jingyi and Qin Yuti, the "enemies" of the city, was causing quite a stir, another imperial decree was issued: the marriage of the fourth prince, Prince Rui, Zhao Jingming, and Su Wanqing, the eldest daughter of the Duke of Anguo, was also set for the Qixi Festival.
The capital was in an uproar. The Qixi Festival was originally a festival for young women to pray for skill and good fortune and to look forward to a happy marriage. Now, two princes were getting married at the same time, and one of them was a highly anticipated "bickering couple." This undoubtedly added countless topics of conversation to the festival.
However, beneath this double celebration, the parties involved in both marriages harbored unspeakable secrets.
Prince Rui's Mansion, Study.
Zhao Jingming stood with his hands behind his back by the window, gazing at a magnolia tree in full bloom in the courtyard, his eyes somewhat unfocused. He was handsome and refined, the most scholarly of the princes. Yet, at this moment, his face showed no joy of impending marriage, only a faint trace of melancholy.
His proposal to Su Wanqing was not a spur-of-the-moment decision. The Duke of Anguo's mansion was powerful and influential, and Su Wanqing herself was beautiful and graceful, making her a suitable candidate for the principal wife. But only he knew that at the Hundred Flowers Banquet, the first person he saw was that aloof and elegant figure under the magnolia tree—Qin Yuti.
Su Wanqing's profile, especially her lowered head and the way she looked, bore a subtle resemblance to Qin Yuti. It was this resemblance that led him to subconsciously choose her as his primary wife. It was a compromise, a way of settling for second best, and also a reflection of his resentment at not being able to have the one he truly loved.
“Yu Ti…” he murmured the name silently, a bitter feeling rising in his heart. He knew that Zhao Jingyi, the sixth brother, was being ridiculous in his proposal to marry Yu Ti, but as the elder brother and already a prince, he could not compete with his younger brother for a woman, especially since the emperor's will had already been made.
Marrying Su Wanqing was the best solution under the compromise of practical interests and emotions. But he knew full well that it wasn't fair to Su Wanqing. But how could there be absolute fairness in a royal marriage? He could only bury his secret admiration even deeper.
The embroidered tower of the Duke of Anguo's mansion.
Unlike the silence of the Prince Rui's mansion, suppressed sobs could be faintly heard coming from Su Wanqing's boudoir.
Su Wanqing sat in front of the dressing mirror. Her eyebrows and eyes were like a painting, and her makeup was exquisite. She was originally a very beautiful and charming woman, but now her eyes were red and tears kept rolling down, wetting the bright red wedding dress she had just tried on.
She did not love Prince Rui.
A figure had already taken root in her heart: Lu Beichen, the young general who had once ridden through the outskirts of Beijing with a smile as bright as the rising sun. That year at the polo tournament, he, in his sharp attire, emerged victorious amidst the adoring gaze of the crowd; his radiant spirit had captivated her. She collected all the news about the war in the northern frontier, just so she could occasionally hear his name.
But she also knew in her heart that Lu Beichen was stationed at the border year-round and might not even remember who she was. And she was the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Anguo's family; her marriage was destined to bring benefits to her family. Prince Rui was a popular prince, and marrying him and becoming his consort was an honor countless noble ladies coveted.
However, beneath the glory lay a cold reality. She keenly sensed that when Prince Rui looked at her, his gaze often went through her, as if he were looking at someone else. Later, she vaguely heard that Prince Rui's heart belonged to the exceptionally talented Miss Qin... Perhaps she herself was only chosen because she resembled her in some way.
This realization was like a thorn, deeply embedded in her heart.
"Why...why did this happen..." she sobbed softly, her heart filled with fear of her unknown fate and sorrow for her unrequited love that had ended without fruition. The man she married already had someone else in his heart; the person she loved was far away. This marriage, which was envied by outsiders, felt to her like a magnificent cage.
The maidservant comforted her with concern, "Miss, please don't cry, you'll hurt your eyes. His Highness Prince Rui is gentle and refined, he will surely treat you well in the future."
Su Wanqing raised her tearful eyes, looked at herself in her wedding dress in the mirror, and smiled bitterly: "Treat her well? Perhaps. But what I want is never just to be treated well..." What she wants is mutual love, like in the stories, where each other has only deep affection in their eyes.
But she knew it was ultimately just wishful thinking. On the Qixi Festival, the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl could still meet on the Magpie Bridge, but she and the person in her heart would probably never cross paths again in this life. She and Prince Rui were merely two people who loved each other but could not be together, bound together by fate and politics, staging a drama of "marrying each other in perfect harmony."
Two marriages, both scheduled for the Qixi Festival, were arranged. One couple was destined to be enemies, with conflict about to erupt; the other was a marriage in name only, with undercurrents of tension simmering beneath the surface.
The skies over the capital were even more bustling and unpredictable because of the upcoming grand wedding. Meanwhile, Lu Beichen, far away in the northern frontier, and Shen Anci, attending to the ailing Shen Anci in Jiangnan, were unaware that this imperial selection in the capital had already altered the course of their destined relationship. The loom of fate was weaving a tapestry of unpredictable patterns with intricate threads.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
