Upon hearing his words and seeing his calm demeanor, Emperor Cheng'an felt a sudden chill run down his spine. He lowered his voice and said, "What do you intend to do? Countless people live in the city. If the peace talks with the Northern Rong are disrupted and they attack the city, you will be a sinner for all time!"
Xue Shen's expression was mocking, and he lowered his voice, saying, "So Your Majesty also knows that one cannot be a 'sinner for all time'? Your Majesty, rest assured, I will not become that sinner for all time."
Emperor Cheng'an hadn't expected him to break the fragile peace at this moment. His cheek twitched, but he couldn't show it in front of everyone. He could only look at the official who was delivering the decree and say, "Let's depart."
Upon seeing this, the official delivering the imperial edict quickly finished reading it and signaled the wedding procession to depart.
This time, Xue Shen, Princess Xuanci, and the noble ladies who accompanied them on their dowry would not be able to return. However, in order to prevent any mishaps on the way, Emperor Cheng'an arranged for his trusted confidants and a large number of imperial guards to accompany and escort them under the guise of protection.
As the minister escorting the bride and a prince, Xue Shen naturally walked ahead of everyone else.
He lifted his robes, mounted his horse, and respectfully bid farewell to Emperor Cheng'an before leading his troops out of the city.
The noble ladies, forced to become part of the dowry, saw that even the King of Qin had resigned himself to his fate, and their last remaining hope was shattered. They could only bid farewell to their families in tears and follow behind Princess Xuanci's carriage under the watchful eyes of the imperial guards.
Xuan Ci felt the carriage move forward, and then he saw that everyone else was silent, as if they had resigned themselves to their fate.
The immense fear and hatred she had been suppressing for days surged into her heart. She suddenly turned around, intending to jump out of the carriage, but was grabbed back by the strong old woman and forcibly pressed back onto the carriage.
Xuan Ci had never been a good-natured person, and now she was filled with fear and apprehension. Her sharp fingernails scratched the old woman's face, and the old woman, in pain, let go, allowing Xuan Ci to break free.
Xuan Ci, dragging the heavy hem of her clothes, jumped off the carriage and ran desperately outside.
But with the wedding procession surrounded by layers upon layers of people, she had no chance of escape. She could only plead and throw herself before Emperor Cheng'an, clinging to his legs and crying, "Father, I won't marry! Aren't you the one who loves me the most? How can you bear to let your daughter be defiled by the Northern Rong people?"
Pointing at the group of noble ladies who were accompanying her as dowry, she blurted out, "The Northern Rong people only said they wanted a princess, but they didn't specify which princess they wanted. Why don't Father Emperor choose one of them to be named a princess and let them go in my place?"
She collapsed to the ground, clinging to Emperor Cheng'an's leg and weeping uncontrollably, all traces of her former princess dignity gone: "Father, please save me! I won't survive if I marry into the Northern Rong!"
Emperor Cheng'an's face turned ashen, and he snapped, "Shut up!" He then looked at the hesitant imperial guards around him and ordered, "What are you standing there for? Take the princess back!"
Only after receiving orders did the Imperial Guards dare to arrest people.
Princess Xuanci, seeing that Emperor Cheng'an ignored her, turned to Empress Zhou for help. Empress Zhou still loved her daughter, but she knew that Emperor Cheng'an was determined to use Xuanci as a bride in exchange for Prince Qin as a hostage. For now, she could only turn her head and listen to Xuanci's increasingly mournful cries.
Xuan Ci was eventually sent back to the carriage, where four new old women boarded together. Two of them held her down tightly, while the other two redid her hair and makeup.
Influenced by her, the noble ladies who had been relatively quiet and resigned to their fate, as well as the girls and children captured from the city, all began to weep softly.
The suppressed cries were not as noticeable as Xuan Ci's, but when hundreds or thousands of cries converged, the sound became shrill and piercing.
Seeing this, many girls' parents knelt on the ground and begged the emperor to release their children. The parents of noble ladies, though not daring to say anything, also knelt down.
However, this desolate scene did not catch Emperor Cheng'an's eye. His eyes were fixed on Xue Shen, who was sitting on his horse at the front of the procession and looking back at him.
Xue Shen's lips moved as if he were saying something, but the two were too far apart for Emperor Cheng'an to hear or understand his lip movements.
I just had a gut feeling that Xue Shen was provoking me.
He was filled with rage and panic, and shouted sharply, "Set off!"
The marriage procession, which had been stalled due to the farce, started moving again.
Xue Shen turned back on his horse and looked at Emperor Cheng'an, who was now as weak as a candle in the wind, with a mocking expression.
He slowly opened his mouth and silently said to Emperor Cheng'an: You must live and wait for me to return.
*
As the marriage procession slowly left the city, Shen Youying also received the news.
At this time, Wang Deshun certainly wouldn't dare let her leave the mansion. She herself knew the importance of the matter, but she was really worried about Xue Shen. Every quarter of an hour, she would summon the guards outside to inquire about the situation.
Xie Qinglan stayed by her side, knowing she was worried but unable to comfort her. Finally, she had a sudden inspiration and said, "Have a guard bring a ladder, let's go up to the roof and take a look. We should be able to see the city from the roof of the Prince of Qin's mansion."
When she mentioned it, Shen Youying was also tempted, but when she looked at her lower abdomen, she hesitated again.
Xie Qinglan said, "If you don't take a look yourself, you probably won't be able to sleep well tonight. Have a few more guards protect you, and be careful, there won't be any problems."
Upon hearing this, Shen Youying immediately nodded and summoned a guard to bring a ladder.
The guards dared not make the decision themselves and reported it to Wang Deshun. Wang Deshun rushed over upon hearing the news, but seeing that she looked unwell, he had no choice but to abandon his attempt to persuade her and instead ordered the guards to carry it out.
In no time, the guards had set up the ladder and found a flat spot on the roof where they could see the city. They then escorted Shen Youying and Xie Qinglan up.
Shen Youying, supported by the guard's arm, stood on the roof and looked into the distance. She happened to see a wedding procession that looked like a long dragon winding its way out of the city.
Her eyes scanned the group of leaders with eager anticipation, and she soon found Xue Shen.
However, being so far away, she could only recognize people by their figures and couldn't see whether Xue Shen had gained or lost weight, or what his expression was like.
Seeing this, Wang Deshun gently comforted her, "His Highness has his own plans, Your Highness, please rest assured, there will be good news."
What the King of Qin is about to do is far too dangerous. If Shen Youying were to hear about it, she would probably be even more worried than she is now.
But Wang Deshun had served the Prince of Qin for so many years and knew his abilities. Although this journey was perilous, the chances of success were not small. If it succeeded, the situation in the capital would be completely different when the Prince of Qin returned.
Shen Youying responded softly and watched the procession leave the city.
Only after the wedding procession had completely disappeared from sight did she reluctantly turn her gaze away and prepare to leave.
The moment she moved, she frowned, clutched her stomach, and let out a gasp.
Xie Qinglan was startled and quickly helped her up: "What's wrong? Are you hurt somewhere?"
Wang Deshun and his accompanying guards were also quite frightened and quickly surrounded him.
After catching her breath, Shen Youying slowly straightened up, a smile on her face: "It just kicked me."
She gently stroked her belly, her gaze fixed on the city gate, and murmured, "It's a pity Yuan Jin isn't here."
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