The ninth day of the eleventh month is very auspicious, suitable for traveling and getting married.
Even though Emperor Zhaokang had some reservations about Pei Lingbi's marriage, she was his daughter after all, and the empress's legitimate princess was getting married to the youngest son of the left prime minister. If the bride price was shabby, it would not only bring shame to the Zhou family, but also to the dignity of the royal family.
Pei Lingbi's wedding was not grand and splendid, but the basic standards for a princess's wedding were still met.
As the Crown Princess of the Eastern Palace and Pei Lingbi's nominal sister-in-law, Tao Ti naturally had to attend the wedding banquet.
Inside Ganlu Palace, Tao Tian sat quietly on the side, feeling bored and wanting to eat some melon seeds, as she watched Queen Zhou and a group of ladies and matchmakers surrounding Pei Lingbi, helping her to dress up and saying all kinds of auspicious words.
Linglong saw her Crown Princess secretly yawning again, and whispered, "Princess, please hold on a little longer. The sedan chair will be here to pick you up in half an hour. Wait until the Second Princess gets on the sedan chair, and you can go back and take a nap."
Tao Ti's dark eyes were a little wet from sleepiness, and she nodded, "Yeah, I understand."
Compared to Pei Yan, she was still lucky. After sending Pei Lingbi to the sedan chair, she had nothing to do.
But Pei Yan is different. After all, he is Pei Lingbi's royal brother. Later, he and Pei Changzhou will accompany Pei Lingbi to marry her. Later, he will have to stay at the Zhou family to attend the wedding banquet on behalf of the royal family.
When Pei Yan went out this morning, he said hello to Tao Ti and told her that he might return to the palace late today, so he asked her not to wait for him and to rest early.
Thinking of this, Tao Ti felt even more sorry for her husband.
At this moment, I heard a burst of crying sounds that were sometimes high and sometimes low.
Tao Ti looked up and saw Pei Lingbi, who was wearing a gorgeous red wedding dress, holding Queen Zhou's hand and crying. Queen Zhou's usually dignified and gentle face also showed deep reluctance.
The mother and daughter held palms and looked at each other with tears in their eyes. One of them begged with her eyes: Mother, I don't want to get married.
One of them responded with his eyes: Just bear with it for a while.
If someone who didn't know the inside story saw this scene of mother and daughter bidding farewell, they would definitely be moved by their deep love. But most people in the palace knew how Pei Lingbi got married, and naturally knew that she was unwilling to marry, not unwilling to let go.
Pei Lingbi felt hatred and resentment in her heart!
But now that things have come to this, even if she doesn't want to get married anymore, she has no choice but to get on the sedan chair.
When walking out of the hall, Pei Lingbi caught a glimpse of Tao Ti who was trying to keep a low profile, and a sinister hatred appeared in her eyes.
If looks could kill, Tao Ti would have been chopped into pieces by her.
To be honest, Pei Lingbi was still quite beautiful when she was dressed up. Unfortunately, there wasn't a trace of joy of a newlywed between her eyebrows and eyes, only unconcealable hostility and resentment.
Tao Ti let out a click of the tongue and met Pei Lingbi's gaze fearlessly, with an expression that said "what can you do to me?"
Pei Lingbi was indeed irritated by her appearance and clenched her teeth.
The matchmaker who didn't understand what was going on thought that the Second Princess was still reluctant to leave, so she took her hand and urged her, "Second Princess, it's time to go out. Don't delay the auspicious time."
Pei Lingbi then withdrew his gaze angrily and walked slowly out of the hall.
A long procession of princesses' ceremonial books and processions had already been waiting outside Ganlu Palace. The sedan chair carried by sixteen people was very gorgeous. In front of the gorgeous sedan chair were Pei Yan and Pei Changzhou, who were accompanying the bride, both riding white horses.
Today, Pei Yan was wearing a moon-white brocade robe with cloud patterns. He was riding a white horse. The bright and abundant afternoon sunlight shone on his tall figure, making him look even taller and more handsome.
He is always the most dazzling one in the crowd, as if he was born to be looked up to.
With his presence, everything around him becomes a foil.
At this moment, the one who suffered the most was Pei Changzhou——
They were both wearing gorgeous clothes and riding white horses, but when Pei Changzhou was with Pei Yan, he was outshined in terms of aura.
Not to mention Tao Ti who was wearing a "love filter", even other people looking at the two princes in front of the sedan chair couldn't help but compare them in their hearts.
Normally, the Third Prince seems to be handsome and well-mannered, but why is it that when compared with the Crown Prince, the difference is so obvious, like the difference between a rooster and a phoenix?
Tao Ti was admiring Pei Yan's beauty with a smile, and Pei Yan seemed to respond and looked in her direction.
Their eyes met, and both of them curled up their lips.
Sometimes, a look is worth thousands of love words.
Soon, the matchmaker shouted for the sedan chair to be lifted, and a long procession walked towards the outer palace gate amid the sound of festive music.
Before leaving the palace, Pei Lingbi went to the Zichen Palace to bid farewell to Emperor Zhaokang.
Looking at her tear-stained face, Emperor Zhao Kang frowned with mixed emotions.
In his impression, although Pei Lingbi was a little bit coquettish when she was young, she was still cute and well-behaved. He just didn't know why she became so cunning after growing up.
He couldn't say anything to comfort her, so he just said coldly, "You've married into the Zhou family, and from now on you're a Zhou family woman. You'd better take care of yourself."
He turned his head and waved his hand, "Go ahead."
Pei Lingbi cried even harder, tears falling like broken strings.
The maidservant beside her was horrified and quickly advised, "Princess, don't cry. Today is your big day. It will not be beautiful if your beautiful makeup is ruined by crying."
Pei Lingbi didn't care about that. She hated Zhou Shaohui and this marriage. How could she have the mood to consider whether it was beautiful or not?
Emperor Zhaokang ignored her.
The eunuch chief, Li Gui, forced a smile and made a "please" gesture, "Second Princess, the consort is waiting for you outside."
Pei Lingbi couldn't stay any longer, so she bowed and walked out of the hall with the help of the palace maids.
The prince consort Zhou Shaohui had been waiting outside the palace early. He was not willing to marry this arrogant princess cousin, but now that things had come to a point, he had to marry her whether he wanted to or not. At most, he could comfort himself in his heart that at least his cousin was pretty and charming, and he would not suffer a loss.
…
The sounds of music gradually faded away, and the huge palace returned to silence.
However, the scene outside Chang'an began to boil. People were jostling each other and craning their necks to watch the princess get married.
When the wedding procession came out of Suzaku Gate, the people's eyes were unconsciously attracted to the man who was sending off the bride.
"Who is that gentleman in the moon-white brocade robe? He has such an extraordinary bearing!"
"This is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"
"Ah? Your Highness the Crown Prince? Isn't it said that the Crown Prince is in poor health? Why do I see that he looks rosy and full of energy?"
Someone who was well-informed raised his chin and said proudly, "You didn't know this, did you? His Majesty found the miracle doctor Xu Wenhe a while ago, and this miracle doctor has been treating the prince."
The person asking the question suddenly realized, "So that's why! No wonder."
The people were chattering, first talking about the prince's appearance, then the wedding ceremony. As for the groom? He looked ordinary, who would pay too much attention to him?
This is the reality of a world where appearance matters.
…
Outside the palace, Pei Yan escorted her to Zhou's house; inside the East Palace, Tao Ti and Qing He each held a cup of rose milk tea and clinked their glasses with smiles on their faces.
"She's finally married, that's great." Qing He let out a long sigh, a hint of happiness in her clear eyes, "Evil will always be punished by evil, she has bad intentions, and Zhou Shaohui is not a good person either, they just make a good match."
Although it was several months ago that the incident at Zhuyuan Villa happened, every time Qinghe thought of it, she felt as disgusted as if she had swallowed a fly alive.
Tao Ti narrowed her eyes and smiled, "I heard that your majesty meant that after Pei Lingbi returns home after three days of court service, Zhou Shaohui will take Pei Lingbi to Dazhou to take up her post. Although Dazhou is not particularly far away, it is mountainous and the road is difficult. After this trip, the palace will be quiet for several years."
Qinghe nodded, "Uncle is still fair."
Tao Ti didn't say much about Pei Lingbi. She changed the subject and talked about going to Mount Li to soak in the hot springs in December.
Qing He smiled and said, "It's most comfortable to soak in hot springs in winter. I'll ask my brother in a couple of days if he wants to go with me."
Tao Ti took a sip of the fragrant and warm milk tea and winked at Qing He, "If Ah Chan goes, the young master will definitely go with him."
Speaking of this, Qing He frowned, "I don't know what Ah Chan is thinking... If she really doesn't like my brother, I will also persuade my brother to stop pestering her, so as to avoid embarrassment when we meet in the future."
Tao Ti remained silent and did not respond, thinking that she would find an opportunity next time to have a good chat with A Chan.
A relaxing and pleasant afternoon passed while petting cats and drinking tea.
Thinking that Pei Yan would be attending a wedding banquet at Zhou's residence in the evening, Tao Ti invited Qinghe to stay for dinner before leaving.
After dinner, she took a bath, practiced calligraphy, and read for a while. Most of the candle was burned out, but Pei Yan had not returned yet.
Linglong gently advised, "Crown Princess, it's already 12:00 p.m., why don't you go to bed first?"
Tao Ti put the book aside, raised her hand and gently touched her eyelids, frowning and said, "I don't know what's going on. Since nightfall, my eyelids have been twitching non-stop, and my heart has been inexplicably panicking."
Linglong pouts and asks worriedly, "Should we ask a female doctor to take a look?"
Tao Ti shook her head, supporting her head with one hand, and said softly, "No, it's not a big deal."
Her body was tired, but her mind was extremely clear. This contradiction made her not want to sleep at all.
"I'll wait a moment, go and warm me a glass of milk." Tao Ti ordered.
"Yes." Linglong replied, and stepped back with her hands hanging down.
Tao Ti raised her hand and gently covered her chest, turned her head to look at the dark sky, and pursed her lips.
Logically speaking, the palace gates are locked by now, so he should be back.
After another cup of tea, Tao Ti finished her milk, rinsed her mouth, and prepared to rest.
But just as she lay down, she heard some noise coming from outside the palace gate.
Tao Ti's eyelids jumped suddenly, and she sat up and called out, "Linglong?"
After waiting for a while, Linglong walked in quickly. In the dim light of the bedroom, her pretty face was a little pale, and her eyebrows were furrowed. "Crown Princess."
Tao Ti poked his head out from the curtain. Seeing her expression, his heart skipped a beat and he asked in a low voice, "What's wrong? Who's outside?"
Linglong soothed, "Don't worry, Crown Princess. The person outside is Fu Bao, the eunuch who serves Eunuch Fu. He is here to bring a message for His Highness."
Tao Ti was stunned for a moment, then asked anxiously, "What did the message say?"
Linglong's face turned serious, "Something happened in the Left Prime Minister's Mansion. Your Highness cannot return to the East Palace tonight..."
Taoti, "!!!"
Her face turned pale. "Something happened? Isn't there a wedding in the Prime Minister's Mansion today? What could have happened?"
Linglong said, "Don't worry, Crown Princess. His Highness is fine. It's only the Left Prime Minister's Mansion that has an accident."
Hearing this, Tao Ti heaved a sigh of relief, but at this moment, she was no longer sleepy at all. She just stared at Linglong tightly, "Tell me quickly, what happened in the Zuo Xiang Mansion?"
Linglong's voice was filled with tension and fear. "The eunuch who delivered the message said that the left prime minister was suspected of rebellion, and the soldiers stationed in the city have surrounded the prime minister's residence like a bucket."
Tao Ti stared in disbelief, and gasped, "The left prime minister rebelled? On the day of his niece and son's wedding?"
Why does it sound wrong?
Is the left prime minister crazy to do such a terrible thing on such a happy day?
Linglong explained, "It turned out that at today's wedding banquet, some assassins somehow sneaked into the Prime Minister's Mansion, and they started hacking people with knives. The scene was very chaotic and many people died. In order to protect the safety of the nobles at the scene, the officers and soldiers entered the mansion to search, but they didn't find the assassins, but found a secret passage in the Prime Minister's Mansion. Going down from the secret passage, it turned out to be a huge secret room! There were many boxes of weapons and armor in it, as well as a complete set of emperor's ceremonial clothes, such as court crowns, imperial robes, crowns, court beads, fasting rings, etc., everything was included..."
Tao Ti smacked her lips, not knowing how to react for a moment.
This matter was too sudden and without any signs. Not only was there an assassin, but also evidence of rebellion was found.
Her expression also became solemn. After a long while, she asked calmly, "Where is His Highness staying tonight?"
Linglong said, "Because it took a lot of effort to take the Left Prime Minister back to the Ministry of Justice, Your Highness will stay at Uncle Gu's house tonight. Your Highness can rest assured that the Crown Princess will return to the palace tomorrow."
Hearing that Pei Yan would live in Gu's house, Tao Ti felt relieved and her expression softened a lot.
The changes in the Left Prime Minister's Mansion had nothing to do with her. She just wanted to know that Pei Yan was safe.
However...
Tao Ti suddenly remembered something and raised her eyes to ask, "Such an incident happened in the Prime Minister's Residence today, how is the Second Princess?"
With such an unexpected change happening on her wedding day, Pei Lingbi must have been so angry that her three souls left her body and her seven souls ascended to heaven.
At this point, Linglong hesitated for a moment, with an indescribable expression on her face, "The Second Princess was so shocked that she fainted on the spot. I heard that when she woke up again, her mind was a little fuzzy, and she was crying and screaming, which was quite scary."
Tao Ti was stunned. Was Pei Lingbi scared crazy?