Chapter 1 The Wedding First Meeting, You Look Familiar.
In the winter of the eighteenth year of Shengde, in the capital of the Great Xia Dynasty.
Although the scenery was bleak in the winter month, the markets and streets of the summer capital were decorated with bright red wedding silks, starting from the four city gates and extending all the way to the palace, and the whole imperial city was filled with a festive atmosphere.
The reason is simple: their Crown Prince is finally going to marry the Crown Princess, a marriage that is more than a hundred years overdue.
In the past, the previous dynasty's imperial power was corrupt. Emperor Taizu led a group of his officials to raise an army in the south, and the blades of swords and spears pointed directly at the capital.
When the Xia army first marched north, it was unstoppable. In just one year, it captured half of the southern cities, and then completely occupied the south within three years. After occupying half of the territory, the Xia army completely broke away from the previous dynasty, and from then on, the north and south were divided.
During those years of war, the two sides fought constantly, and on several occasions, the Great Xia Emperor was almost killed. Fortunately, the Emperor had many heroes around him, among whom was a general named Shen Zhao, who saved the Emperor from danger many times, fighting his way out of the encirclement amidst the clash of swords. To the Emperor, Shen Zhao was more of a close friend than a subject.
Later, the Xia army entered the capital and stormed the imperial city. At that time, the officers of the previous dynasty were in a state of panic, and the people had been oppressed by the royal family. The Xia army easily broke through the city gates, and Taizu ascended the throne as emperor with the support of his subordinates.
When the Great Xia Dynasty was first established, Emperor Taizu wished to bestow titles and honors upon his many loyal subjects, with Shen Zhao being the most prominent among them. He offered Shen Zhao countless high-ranking official positions, titles, gold, silver, fertile land, and luxurious mansions, but Shen Zhao refused them all. Emperor Taizu was puzzled, and Shen Zhao explained:
Having fought for many years and gained fame and fortune, I have been unable to care for my parents in their old age and see them off in their final days. My father once admonished me, "Since ancient times, loyalty and filial piety have been difficult to reconcile; one must prioritize loyalty to the emperor and love for the country." Now that the Great Xia has established its rule, my father has also passed away, but my mother is still alive at home. My mother is now old and reluctant to leave her homeland. Therefore, I request permission to return to my hometown to serve her and fulfill my filial duties. I hope Your Majesty will grant my request.
After these words, the Great Xia Emperor had no room for rebuttal, so he bestowed upon Shen Zhao a hereditary title, granted him ten thousand acres of fertile land, and allowed him to return to his hometown.
Before Shen Zhao left the capital, a farewell banquet was held for him. At the banquet, Emperor Taizu said in person: If the Shen family has a daughter in the future, she will surely become the Empress of the Great Xia.
However, this statement only came true after six emperors of the Xia Dynasty.
Today, the Crown Prince of the Great Xia Dynasty is getting married. The scale of the wedding far exceeds that of the previous Eastern Palace weddings. The silk red carpet is over a thousand feet long, and the imperial guards line up from the palace to the city gate. The first stage of the ten-mile-long red bridal procession is a gift from the founding emperor. This is an unprecedentedly grand wedding in the Xia Dynasty.
After the people celebrated and the officials rejoiced, the noise in the Eastern Palace finally subsided. Crown Prince Chen, supported by the officials of the Eastern Palace, staggered toward the bridal chamber. Behind him were his brothers and princes. As they escorted him into the bridal chamber, they laughed, teased and joked with him.
Upon reaching the bridal chamber, Crown Prince Chen paused, then turned around and swayed as he bowed with his hands clasped in a gesture of respect: "That's enough. Tomorrow, I will bring the Crown Princess to the palace, and we will meet again then."
His words immediately drew ridicule from the princes:
"Fifth Brother, you haven't even entered the bridal chamber yet, and you're already protecting your bride?"
"Fifth brother, don't be so stingy. Let us go in and see the bride."
"Fifth Brother is so drunk, I'm afraid his sister-in-law will blame him!"
The princes made a ruckus at the entrance of the bridal chamber. Shen Yujiao sat on the wedding bed, closed her eyes tightly, her delicate eyebrows furrowed, and prayed in her heart that no prince would come in to make a scene.
Fortunately, it seemed that heaven heard her heart. Some prince stepped forward to stop her, and Crown Prince Chen smoothed things over. The laughter and commotion subsided, and the bridal chamber returned to tranquility.
Hearing the crowd outside disperse, Shen Yujiao let out a long breath, but the next moment, she was startled by the sound of the door being pushed open.
What was bound to happen has happened.
Some transmigrate with a built-in system, while others know the plot. Shen Yujiao transmigrated into a completely dark world, thinking she could deduce something with her high score in history, but unexpectedly transmigrated into a fictional dynasty.
Some people are reborn and gradually build their lives from scratch, while others inherit the original body's memories upon transmigrating and live a good life from then on. However, Shen Yujiao was stuffed into a bridal sedan chair the moment she opened her eyes after transmigrating.
When she heard that she was to be married into the palace, Shen Yujiao did consider jumping off the carriage.
Just kidding. Born under the red flag, raised in the spring breeze, and receiving the education of the new era, with parents who have been loving for decades, how could Shen Yujiao, who grew up in such an environment, be willing to spend the rest of her life fighting with other women for a husband?
Fortunately, her destination was the Eastern Palace, not the Imperial Palace, and the man she was to marry was not the Emperor, but the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince is good. Since ancient times, before most Crown Princes officially marry their Crown Princess, the inner palace of the Eastern Palace is relatively quiet.
Despite this, Shen Yujiao couldn't help but feel nervous.
How old is the crown prince? What is his personality like? What does he look like? Most importantly, will he respect his "imposter" wife?
"Princess?"
A voice, tinged with a cool and detached tone, rang out, instantly dispelling the tangled thoughts in Shen Yujiao's mind. That voice—
There was no mistake, she couldn't be more familiar with that voice!
Almost instinctively, Shen Yujiao reached out and ripped off the covering in front of her. The red veil, embroidered with intricate golden phoenix patterns, spun in the air before slowly falling to the ground between the two of them.
The two, dressed in red wedding attire, looked at each other with undisguised astonishment. Jiang Chen, seeing the shocked girl, was no less surprised than she was.
The two stared at each other in silence for a long time before Jiang Chen finally spoke first: "Jiaojiao—"
Before she could finish speaking, Shen Yujiao slowly lowered her head, the jeweled bells in her hair jingling, and her shoulders slumped down, shrugging slightly.
"Are you...crying?" Jiang Chen asked tentatively.
Shen Yujiao let out a long sigh, seemingly exhausted yet relieved. After a moment, she replied in a soft voice, "Stop crying."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Chen sat down opposite her and rolled his eyes. It really was Shen Yujiao, no doubt about it.
A moment of spring night is worth a thousand pieces of gold. The night was quiet and long. Midnight had passed, and most of the palace lanterns inside and outside the Eastern Palace had been extinguished. Only the bridal chamber of the Crown Prince's wedding was still flickering with candlelight, and a pair of dragon and phoenix candles seemed to be burning until dawn.
"So—that is to say, the Crown Prince was originally going to marry a girl from the Shen family as his Crown Princess, but for some reason, we ended up being the ones to witness it?"
After the childhood sweethearts recognized each other in the ancient times of another time, there was no scene of them hugging and crying. Instead, they spent most of the night sorting out the current situation.
Jiang Chen arrived a week earlier than Shen Yujiao, but even though he arrived earlier, he didn't know much more about her than she did. He managed to recognize most of his relatives, but he often had trouble recognizing faces. Fortunately, the Crown Prince was originally aloof, and he had a clever little eunuch by his side, which allowed him to keep it a secret for several days.
After hearing this, Shen Yujiao pondered for a long time. Seeing that she was engrossed in her thoughts, Jiang Chen did not disturb her. He simply sat quietly to the side, propping his head up with his right hand and looking at her.
The young woman was dressed in a magnificent phoenix coronet and wedding gown. Her bright eyes and white teeth, and her slightly furrowed brows, made her already exquisite features even more mature and charming with the help of makeup. She was radiant, beautiful, and unattainable.
As if she had thought of something, Shen Yujiao looked up at Jiang Chen. As soon as she looked up, she found that his eyes were lowered, his arm was supporting his temple, and his head was lowering down little by little.
The words that were about to come out were swallowed back down. Shen Yujiao looked at the sleeping boy with gentle eyes.
She transmigrated here early this morning, and was only tired after being helped by the female official all day. But Jiang Chen has been fighting alone these days, and given his special identity, the pressure he is under is unimaginable.
Having inexplicably arrived in this so-called Great Xia Dynasty, Shen Yujiao's mind was constantly on edge throughout the day. Her unknown identity, unfamiliar environment, and husband whom she knew nothing about kept her on guard at all times.
Just now, the moment she saw Jiang Chen, the taut bowstring around Shen Yujiao suddenly relaxed, and all her trepidation and unease vanished.
Even in a completely unfamiliar world, as long as Jiang Chen is there, she is not afraid.
Jiang Chen must have felt somewhat relieved, right? Otherwise, how could someone as alert as him sleep so soundly in an unfamiliar place?
Although she felt a pang of reluctance, Shen Yujiao patted Jiang Chen's shoulder and whispered, "Jiang Xiaochen, go to bed."
Jiang Chen was half asleep when he heard Shen Yujiao calling him. He thought he was at his grandfather's house, so he mumbled a couple of times and started walking in the direction he remembered. Before Shen Yujiao could remind him, he bumped into a pillar of the wedding bed.
Seeing him rubbing his forehead in pain, Shen Yujiao couldn't help but burst out laughing, showing Jiang Chen no mercy whatsoever.
Well, even if there are huge challenges waiting for them tomorrow, as long as they are together, there's nothing to be afraid of.
The more resolute Shen Yujiao's resolve was at that moment, the more regretful she would feel a few hours later.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, Your Highness the Crown Princess——"
Separated by a door, outside the door, the Crown Princess's personal maid, Mu Jin, called softly, while inside, the newlywed Crown Prince and his wife slept soundly on the wedding bed.
The two had slept in the same bed since they were little, and even though they slept in an unfamiliar place last night, they slept very soundly because of each other.
"Your Highness, it's time to get up. Mother Liu has been urging you for a long time."
Mu Jin's voice was soft and gentle, but it sounded extremely noisy to the sleeping person. Shen Yujiao reached out and nudged the person next to her, then closed her eyes, frowned, and turned over.
Jiang Chen clicked his tongue, took her hand off his face, wiped his face with his hand, got up, grabbed a robe and put it on, strode to the door and flung it open.
"What's up?"
When Mu Jin saw the Crown Prince emerge with a gloomy face and his words filled with anger, she was instantly startled.
She hurriedly led a group of palace maids and eunuchs to kneel and pay their respects, then braced herself and replied, "Your Highness, the Crown Princess should get up and dress. She is going to the palace today to serve tea to His Majesty and His Majesty. It would be bad if she missed the appointed time."
Jiang Chen's tightly furrowed brows relaxed. He turned to look at Shen Yujiao, who was fast asleep, and sighed softly, "Alright, you may get up. I—I will personally wake the Crown Princess."
Seeing the door close again, Mu Jin and the others breathed a sigh of relief.
Rumor has it that His Highness the Crown Prince is an extremely aloof person. He is not interested in worldly affairs, and even in the inner palace of the Eastern Palace, there is not a single maid who is close to him. But now, judging from His Highness's attitude towards their young lady, he must value her very much.
After Mu Jin calmed down, she felt as if she had been given a reassurance. This was good; it was the best thing for the young lady and the crown prince.
A note from the author:
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Thank you to everyone who has added this to their favorites and subscribed! I hope you enjoy the story of Jiang Xiaochen and Shen Jiaojiao~
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Princess Yuanzhen considered the experience of time travel a reward for her.
In her previous life, Pei Jing spent her days scheming and fighting to protect her family's legacy. She spent half her life working tirelessly, only to wake up one day to find herself a princess who had no worries about food or clothing and could enjoy herself all day long.
Pei Jing can even laugh out loud in her sleep.
As the late emperor's most beloved youngest daughter and the current emperor's only younger sister raised in the palace, Pei Jing's position is unshakeable. Even princesses of noble birth have to be mindful of their aunt's feelings.
The unique advantages gave Pei Jing complete confidence, and with a "what's done is done" attitude, she completely gave up.
To everyone's astonishment, the eldest princess, who had been pampered by the emperor in the deep palace, was not a dignified, virtuous, and well-educated noblewoman, but a playboy who only knew how to tease cats and dogs and was greedy for pleasure.
Even more surprisingly, the first thing Princess Yuanzhen did after establishing her residence was to select male concubines!
Despite the disdain and contempt in everyone's eyes, Pei Jing not only didn't care, but even brought her beloved male concubine to the palace banquet. Such a lavish and extravagant behavior clearly showed that she didn't respect anyone.
On their wedding night, the prince consort, with a gloomy face, questioned her: "Does the princess want me, or that lecherous man?"
As the wedding candles flickered, Pei Jing's sarcasm grew even more piercing: "Naturally, it is the obedient and beautiful woman who wins my heart more."
*
Having won the favor of Princess Yuanzhen, Shi Yun spent every day by the princess's side, and what she saw most often were expressions of jealousy and disdain.
Shi Yun felt nothing at all; he only found it ironic.
The world regarded him as a brothel owner who used his looks to please men, and no one recognized him as Xie Jiulang, the most prominent young man among the aristocratic families back then.
A wrongful conviction plunged Shi Yun's life into despair. To clear his family's name, he lay low for years, abandoning his identity. After returning to the capital, he went to great lengths to create opportunities to meet Princess Yuanzhen.
He stood tall and elegant, his smile as bright as the moon in one's arms. Unlike any man Pei Jing had ever met, Shi Yun was not only handsome and refined, but also possessed a graceful and unassuming air, as if he were a celestial being descended to earth but born into a poor family, making him truly endearing.
He planned and schemed step by step, and finally succeeded in becoming Princess Yuanzhen's most favored male consort.
According to Shi Yun's original plan, the next step was to use Princess Yuanzhen's identity to pave the way for him and use her as a tool to kill someone. Pei Jing was a perfect sharp blade.
But the one wielding the knife does not wish for the blade to be stained with blood because of him.
Pei Jing's blatant favoritism made Shi Yun hesitate. Before he could commit the heinous crime of killing gods, the gods first bent down and embraced him.
To prevent Pei Jing from suffering undeserved misfortune because of him, Shi Yun decided to escape on his wedding night at the princess's residence. However, before he could even step out of the room, he saw the princess in her wedding dress.
"Where do you think you can run to? It's just marriage, do you think I'd abandon you?"
Shi Yun watched as Princess Yuanzhen searched his clothes and found the dagger hidden in his bosom with one hand, and handed him a long sword with a sharp glint in its eye with the other. He heard her teasingly whisper in his ear, "Isn't it just that court? I'll help you overturn it, how about it?"
A bridal veil embroidered with dragons and phoenixes in gold was placed on Shi Yun's head, and he heard himself reply, "Please forgive me, Princess."
"What crime have my people committed?"
[A flamboyant and unrestrained princess X a beautiful, strong, tragic, and cunning little dog]
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