*
At the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), at the Shi residence.
Jun Beichen rode a snow-white steed, a far cry from his usual sickly appearance. He wore a bright red robe embroidered with gold pythons, a jade belt around his waist, and his black hair was tied up with a golden crown. His eyebrows and eyes were exquisite, and his noble demeanor was so dignified that people dared not look him in the eye.
Behind him was a gilded sedan chair carried by sixteen men. The chair was made of redwood, with red gold bells hanging at the four corners and pearl curtains hanging all around. When a breeze blew, the bells jingled and the pearl curtains shone like a starry river.
Eight lantern-bearing maids were at the front and back of the bridal sedan chair, while thirty-six musicians in red robes played "The Phoenix Seeks Its Mate" all the way around. Further back, two squads of black-armored soldiers followed, their black armor and cold faces exuding an extraordinary aura.
The people of the remote Lingnan region were unaware that such a ceremony was only held when the crown prince married his principal wife.
For a prince who had been exiled to Lingnan to marry his princess with such grandeur was quite extraordinary!
But ordinary people knew nothing of this; they only heard that the prince of Lingnan was going to marry a princess.
Who wouldn't want to join in the excitement? Especially since the royal wedding procession was scattering lucky money along the way. Many people opened the envelopes and found that what was inside, wrapped in red paper, wasn't copper coins, but rather snow-white silver coins!
So when Jun Beichen arrived at the Shi residence with his grand wedding procession on time, the area was surrounded by Lingnan locals who wanted to join in the fun.
Jun Beichen dismounted and personally knocked on the gate of the Shi residence. No one noticed that his hand trembled slightly as he raised it to knock.
Indeed, he barely slept a wink last night, and a sense of unreality lingered in his mind.
It wasn't until 3:45 AM today, when he set off from the Prince's residence to embark on the journey to fetch his young Crown Princess, that he finally snapped out of that dazed and dreamlike state.
The gates of the Shi residence slowly opened, and Nan Qing appeared, dressed in a bright red nine-layered brocade wedding gown and a phoenix crown. A pearl curtain on the crown veiled her face. Today, she looked different from her usual natural, spirited self. She was radiant with her makeup, her skin was like jade, and her red lips were luscious.
Half-hidden, her exquisite features and bright eyes amazed the crowd of onlookers. Everyone had heard that the prince was marrying a princess, but no one knew which family's daughter the prince had married.
Just now, many people were still thinking to themselves, "The prince has the appearance of a celestial being, and he is also the prince of Great Yan. I wonder which family's daughter is so lucky."
But when everyone saw the princess in her red robe, they exclaimed that they were indeed a perfect match, truly a couple like immortals!
Even the gossipy crowd was amazed by Nan Qing, let alone Jun Beichen, who kept saying that Nan Qing was his little crown princess. But he was amazed not because of Nan Qing's beauty.
He had always known of Nan Qing's beauty, whether it was her heroic spirit when she was without makeup or her radiant beauty when she was dressed up, he loved her to the extreme.
But looking into those clear, star-like eyes, eyes that shone brighter than pearls in a crown, Jun Beichen opened his mouth, only to find his heart pounding so fast he could barely speak.
At this moment, Qingbai, who was also dressed in festive clothes, approached and said:
"Your Highness, the auspicious time has arrived. Quickly carry the Princess to the sedan chair."
As soon as he finished speaking, Jun Beichen suddenly bent down, put one hand under her knees and the other around Nan Qing's waist, and lifted her into his arms.
Nan Qing also subconsciously hugged Jun Beichen's neck, her big eyes staring straight at this unpredictable chosen one.
Regardless of what others whispered about how it was against the rules, Jun Beichen held his bride steadily in his arms and walked step by step toward the magnificent bridal sedan chair.
Jun Beichen gently placed Nan Qing into the sedan chair. Before leaving, he lightly hooked his fingertips in her palm. When Nan Qing looked at him, he pretended to be calm and smiled, but the tips of her ears were already red.
The bridal sedan chair set off, accompanied by a thousand people.
Jun Beichen sat high on his horse with a smile on his lips, looking triumphant, and occasionally glanced back at the bridal sedan chair behind him.
With the Xuanjia Guards leading the way, the wedding procession once again marched in a grand procession toward the Prince's Mansion. Countless people followed along both sides of the long street. This grand wedding was still talked about with great interest by the people of Lingnan many years later.
Red candles burned brightly in the wedding hall, and the guests stood solemnly.
Jun Beichen had indeed made preparations for a long time. There weren't many irrelevant people in the hall. There were Grand Tutor Xie, Minister Liu, and others who had come to Lingnan from the capital, as well as several generals from the northern border. They were all people who had watched Nanqing grow up and were former subordinates of General Shi.
And sitting at the head of the table were General Shi and his wife.
In fact, when Jun Beichen first suggested that the two of them sit on a high platform to receive the bow of the elders, it terrified General Shi and his wife.
Although Jun Beichen's position as crown prince has been revoked, he remains the emperor's only legitimate son and one of the two most honorable people in Great Yan!
How could they dare sit on the high platform and have the Prince of Xian bow to them?!
No matter how many times he tried to persuade them, General Shi and his wife refused, but in the end, Jun Beichen managed to win them over with just one sentence.
"Qingqing would certainly hope that on her wedding day she would bow to the two of you."
The Shi couple, who were extremely doting on their daughter, thought to themselves, "Anyway, we're no longer generals, and we've been exiled to Lingnan, thousands of miles away. Besides, we're living quite comfortably in Lingnan. If they were to investigate, it would probably be enough to get us beheaded!"
So, it seems... they're not afraid of adding another charge that could lead to execution?
Besides, the emperor really does want to kill him; there have been quite a few assassins sent from the capital recently.
How about... we take a bolder approach?
So General Shi and his wife, who should have been very sad and heartbroken about their daughter's marriage, were now beaming with pride and sitting upright in the high hall.
Look, his daughter! His!
When his daughter got married, she bowed to the couple.
What's the difference between this and a daughter not getting married?
There's no difference~ That's why I'm so proud~
General Shi's former subordinates were brought over by Jun Beichen's people, so Shi Yuanhuai only learned about it last night after they arrived in Lingnan.
Aside from the initial sentimental reunions, General Shi, who was about to marry off his daughter, spent the rest of his time showing off, clinging to his friends of several decades and refusing to let them go.
Jun Beichen was so excited about getting married today that he couldn't sleep all night.
General Shi was so happy that he couldn't sleep half the night because he would be sitting in the hall tomorrow and his daughter would be the one to pay homage to him at her wedding!
Several former colleagues and friends: "........."
(Not only is his daughter-in-law, whom he watched grow up, gone, but this guy has to flaunt her like this. What are they even doing here?!?)
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