Lu Lin and Ye Shi welcomed Shen Youying and Xue Shen inside.
The two people present were of the highest status, and they should rightfully take their seats. Lu Lin gave up his and Ye Shi's seats. Shen Youying said, "Today is my cousin's wedding day. The prince and I are just here to observe the ceremony, so we will not take the place of the host. Uncle, you don't need to be so polite."
Seeing this, Lu Lin stopped insisting and added two more armchairs below the main seat.
The two had just sat down when Lu Minghe, who was entertaining guests, rushed over upon hearing the news. Today, he wore a golden crown and a bright red wedding robe, looking very dignified. Upon seeing Shen Youying and the Prince of Qin, he only paused for a moment before naturally stepping forward to bow and express his gratitude.
"Your Highness and Princess, we are sorry for not welcoming you properly."
Shen Youying nodded slightly to him politely, without saying anything more.
Instead, Xue Shen asked, "When are we going to fetch the bride?"
Lu Minghe glanced at the sky and said, "The auspicious time is almost here. We should go in a little while."
No sooner had the words been spoken than the matchmaker outside announced loudly, "The auspicious time has arrived."
Lu Minghe hurriedly bowed to the two men and strode out.
Outside the gates of the Lu residence, the wedding procession was already in formation. After the groom mounted his horse, drums and music cleared the way, and they went to the Ye family to fetch the bride.
The groom went to fetch the bride and wouldn't be back for a while. The guests, sipping tea and chatting, started talking about the bride.
Do you know which family this bride belongs to?
"Surname Lu? There are no families with the surname Lu in Tokyo, are there?" The woman who spoke glanced at Madam Ye, pursed her lips, and said, "After picking and choosing for so long, you ended up marrying someone from a humble family. No wonder even with all that makeup, Madam Ye can't hide the haggard look on your face today."
“Who says otherwise?” another person chimed in, lowering their voice mysteriously, “And have you heard? I heard that Lu Shi actually has no connection with the Ye family at all. The Lu family arranged for her to marry out of the Lu family to improve her status. Lu Shi originally came to the Lu family to seek refuge after her parents died, but somehow she ended up in Lu Minghe’s bed. That woman is also quite cunning, so the Lu family had no choice but to agree to the marriage. Otherwise, Ye Shi is too proud to let her son marry a woman from a humble family.”
The news she mentioned was something that no one else had heard before.
The Ye family's housekeeper, Yan, probably deliberately suppressed the news again. They only learned about Lu Minghe's marriage after receiving the invitation. As for the ins and outs in between, they naturally had no idea.
Upon hearing this news, everyone became very excited.
The most excited person was Lady Wuding, who had always been at odds with the Ye family. Hearing about this, she couldn't help but feel gloating and want to kick them while they were down.
Her eyes darted around and she spotted Shen Youying sitting not far away.
Previously, at Madam Xie's birthday banquet, she had helped Princess Qin to criticize Ye Shi. Now, seeing Princess Qin sitting upright, she felt that since they had a previous friendship, she could take this opportunity to get closer to Princess Qin.
So she smiled and turned the conversation to Shen Youying: "Has Your Highness heard of this new bride, Lady Lu?"
Shen Youying shook her head: "No."
Lady Wuding looked puzzled and said, "Even the Princess Consort has never heard of her. Then this Lady Lu must not have any family background. I heard that Lady Lu is not good-looking either. She comes from a humble family and must be petty." She flattered her quite obviously, "This Lady Ye is really something. She picked up a sesame seed and lost a watermelon."
Her original intention was to take the opportunity to flatter and ingratiate herself with Shen Youying, but Shen Youying was never the type to fawn over the powerful and belittle the weak, or to side with the powerful and praise the weak. She didn't know the details of the relationship between Lu Minghe and Madam Lu, so she never made any rash judgments.
Hearing the Lady of Wuding Marquis praising him by stepping on Lady Lu, he didn't feel proud at all; on the contrary, he felt somewhat uncomfortable.
Shen Youying frowned and said softly, "Although I haven't met my cousin's wife, since my cousin is willing to marry her, she must have some extraordinary qualities. You'll all see when she arrives, so why make wild guesses?"
Her tone was gentle and she did not criticize her much, but anyone could tell that the Princess of Qin was not pleased with the flattery of the Lady of Wuding.
Lady Wuding smiled awkwardly upon hearing this, and could only agree, saying, "The Princess is right."
The Ye family's residence wasn't far away; the wedding procession returned in just a quarter of an hour.
As the groom led the bride through the door, the guests couldn't sit still and rushed outside to see the bride.
Lu Yi was an orphan. After her parents died, her son inherited the family business. Her relationship with her son was not harmonious. Therefore, apart from a few elders of the clan, only the Ye family, whom the Lu family invited to support her, attended the wedding.
She held a round fan to cover her face and walked side by side with Lu Minghe towards the main hall.
Countless guests cast curious or scrutinizing glances at her along the way, and she was well aware of the speculation and contempt in their eyes. But she always had a clear goal; having chosen to use such means to climb up the social ladder to the Lu family, she knew she would face gossip and rumors.
She straightened her back even more, secretly memorizing the faces and expressions of each guest, lest she be unable to distinguish the good from the bad later and fall into a trap without even realizing it.
Lu Yi paused for a moment when his gaze swept over an extremely beautiful woman.
She was momentarily stunned before realizing that this woman must be the Princess Consort of Qin, whom she had seen from afar before. The Princess Consort of Qin was truly beautiful; even as a woman herself, seeing her so close up made her momentarily stunned.
Moreover, unlike the other guests, Princess Qin's eyes showed neither ill intent nor the contempt and arrogance that Princess Qin expected.
She simply watched her walk by with a smile, her expression serene, like a true guest observing the ceremony, showing a touch of curiosity about the bride but without any hostility. Among the guests with their varied expressions, the Princess Qin's composed and serene demeanor made her seem out of place.
Lu Yi withdrew her gaze, thinking to herself that it was no wonder Lu Minghe couldn't forget such a woman who was both beautiful and talented.
Even she, surrounded by the spectators' gazes, couldn't help but feel a little grateful to the other party.
The newlyweds arrived at the main hall surrounded by guests. Lu Lin and Madam Ye were already seated, and it was time for the newlyweds to pay homage to heaven and earth and serve tea.
After the ceremony was completed, Lu Minghe stayed behind to entertain the guests, while the bride was led to the bridal chamber.
The lively female relatives, curious about the bride, all followed her to the bridal chamber, where they could also chat with her.
Shen Youying didn't really want to join in the fun, but since everyone else was going and she wasn't, it would seem a bit deliberate, so she had no choice but to go along with the crowd.
She lagged behind, and when she entered the bridal chamber, she heard some of the women talking to the bride, but their words sounded sharp and grating.
"You have such a good temper. Your mother-in-law is very picky. So many noble ladies in the capital before failed to meet her standards, but I didn't expect you to be the one she likes."
Lu Yi is not one to be easily swayed, but today is her big day, and she doesn't want to cause any trouble, so she can only smile and say, "When I was born, a master did indeed predict my fate, saying that I will have extremely good fortune throughout my life."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
