Chapter 75
Although Mu Qinhan was talking to Mu Yugang, he kept a close eye on Mu Yulu. Seeing her staring blankly in one direction, he followed her gaze and asked, "What are you looking at?"
Mu Yulu did not answer, but looked away and silently shook her head.
At this moment, the chief steward of the Prince's residence stepped forward and announced in a booming voice, "The auspicious time has arrived! Please, Princess, get into your sedan chair!"
Mu Qinhan smiled and led Mu Yulu forward, heading towards the eight-bearer sedan chair with its tassels and gold embroidery that stood quietly in front of the Mu residence.
From the ten-mile-long red bridal procession to the end of the main street, Mu Qinhan's black boots stepped over the brocade-covered ground. He personally lifted the sedan curtain and escorted Mu Yulu into the sedan, never letting anyone else hold her hand throughout the entire process.
After Mu Yulu was settled in the sedan chair, he nimbly mounted his horse, took the reins, and slowly rode towards the Prince's mansion with Mu Yulu in the sedan chair.
The royal procession for the wedding was like a long, crimson river, flowing slowly along the main street of the capital. The ten-mile-long street was bustling with people, but all the noise subsided before the majestic procession of the royal family, turning into a murmur of whispers.
People were talking about it, mostly marveling at the grand procession of the royal wedding, or envying the woman in the sedan chair for having a blessing that others could only dream of.
The world inside the sedan chair was completely different from the outside world.
The heavy, luxurious, crimson sedan curtains blocked out the noise of the outside world, leaving only a muffled, dull sound, as if surging in through a thick tide.
The comments, whether they were filled with amazement, envy, or awe, sounded to Mu Yulu like they came from another distant and unfamiliar world, carrying an empty echo.
At this moment, she couldn't even feel her own heartbeat; only a deep and cold numbness spread from her limbs and bones, permeating her very marrow.
She sat numbly in the sedan chair, the elaborate and heavy phoenix coronet and wedding gown tightly enveloping her, making her feel suffocated. The narrow sedan chair left her with almost no room to breathe.
Even a red dress embroidered with gold and silver threads would lose its luster in this enclosed and dark sedan chair.
Besides, it's her.
She was meticulously dressed and stuffed into this incredibly ornate yet incredibly cramped cage. The sedan chair swayed slightly, each bump like an invisible hand pushing her further away, towards a fate she knew the end of but was powerless to resist.
Outside was a magnificent road paved with ten miles of red bridal processions, but she felt as if she had been thrown into a cold sea and was about to drown.
Just then, the sedan chair stopped, the body of the sedan chair lowered, and as the curtain was lifted, a hand reached out in front of her.
We've arrived at the Prince's Mansion.
She placed her hand on Mu Qinhan's hand once again, truly like a puppet on a string, letting him lead her out of the sedan chair.
Stepping out of that cramped space, the blinding light and countless gazes focused on her instantly rushed towards her. She looked up at the majestic gate of the Prince's Mansion, took a deep breath, and followed Mu Qinhan into the mansion.
Upon entering the gate, one is greeted by a blinding expanse of red, and the air is filled with the deafening sounds of gongs and drums.
Crimson silk wrapped around vermilion-lacquered pillars, stretching from one end to the other, and extending straight into the brightly lit main hall.
Inside the hall, red candles burned brightly, their wax dripping silently. The candlelight flickered and swayed in the breeze that swept into the hall, casting deep shadows on the faces of the guests, whether their smiles were genuine or feigned.
Gazing at everything before her, Mu Yulu felt as if she were still in a dream.
In her previous life, as Mu Qinhan's concubine, she was neither allowed to wear a bright red wedding dress nor enter the palace through the main gate.
On her wedding day, there wasn't even a proper bridal sedan chair. She was simply carried into the palace through a side gate by a small sedan chair covered with a red cloth.
In comparison, Mu Qinhan in this life has indeed given her everything he could.
Whether it's the noble status of a princess, the grandeur of a ten-mile-long red bridal procession, or even the magnificent wedding dress she's wearing, these are all things she wouldn't have dared to dream of in her previous life.
She possessed everything she had dreamed of in her past life, but all of it had become heavy shackles for her now.
It was so heavy that she could barely walk.
Mu Qinhan noticed her slowed pace and walked with her for a while before stopping and whispering in her ear, "Are you tired of sitting in the sedan chair?"
He raised his hand and stroked her waist. "If you don't want to walk, I'll carry you inside."
Mu Yulu was startled by his words and instantly straightened her back, her whole body stiffening.
Seeing this, Mu Qinhan chuckled softly: "Don't want me to carry you inside in front of everyone? Then walk properly by yourself."
His voice was low, and his tone could even be described as doting, but to Mu Yulu it sounded like a real threat.
Filled with grief and indignation, she had no choice but to grit her teeth and continue forward with Mu Qinhan's support.
Suddenly, an unexpected change occurred.
Suddenly, without warning, a fierce fight broke out from the guards behind them, followed by gasps from the guests.
Mu Yulu and Mu Qinhan turned around at the same time.
One gaze was sharp and cold, like a dagger, while the other's eyes were full of surprise, their previously dim eyes brightened by the scene before them.
The Prince's mansion courtyard was planted with many flowering trees, and the flowers were in full bloom at this time of year. Just then, a strong wind blew up, and the delicate petals fell like pink snow, adorning the vermilion and gold landscape. This made Sanzhou Jinse's figure, moving among the guards, appear even more graceful and elegant.
He wasn't wearing his usual pink clothes today, but rather a rare white outfit. He looked as desolate as a handful of snow in winter, yet he shone brightly in the sunlight.
The light was so dazzling that it stung Mu Yulu's eyes, and she burst into tears almost the instant she saw Sanzhou Jinse.
Seeing that even the hundred or so guards of the royal palace were no match for the white-clad swordsman, he drew his sword like a shooting star and easily slipped out of the encirclement, heading straight for Mu Yulu. The guests in the hall, fearing that they would be implicated, scattered like birds and beasts.
Sanzhou Jinse looked up from among the countless figures moving about, gazing across the crowd at Mu Yulu, who was dressed in a bright red wedding gown.
At this moment, the sunlight was at its peak, the bright sun hanging above the glazed tile roof of the Prince's Mansion, illuminating the deep courtyard and also the eyes of the two people gazing at each other from afar.
In the courtyard, various flowers and trees were in full bloom, and fallen petals floated in the breeze. Some landed on Mu Yulu's red wedding dress, while others fell on the tip of Sanzhou Jinse's sword, only to be instantly shattered by the sharp sword energy.
He cleared a path for her under the trees in full bloom, and reached out his hand to her in the dazzling sunlight.
The instant he leaped toward Mu Yulu, Mu Qinhan gripped Mu Yulu's hand even tighter, but unexpectedly she swiftly pulled out a dagger from her sleeve and, taking advantage of his momentary lapse in concentration, swiftly and accurately stabbed her wrist.
He quickly released his grip on her hand, watching helplessly as she turned and rushed towards Sanzhou Jinse, throwing herself into his arms as if fleeing for her life.
As she threw herself into his arms, she casually removed the heavy phoenix crown from her head. Her black hair cascaded down her shoulders, intertwining with San Zhou Jinse's long hair, a sight that was incredibly glaring to Mu Qinhan.
He raised his hand and waved it gently, and another group of guards from the Prince's Palace rushed out of the courtyard, forming a line to surround San Zhou Jinse and Mu Yulu.
Feeling the person in his arms trembling slightly, Sanzhou Jinse lowered his head slightly amidst the flashing swords, only to find Mu Yulu looking up at him with a bright smile.
It turned out she wasn't afraid, but rather overjoyed, so much so that she was trembling with happiness.
Looking at her smiling face, Sanzhou Jinse couldn't help but curl the corners of his lips as well, and then hugged her even tighter in his arms.
"Hold me tight," he whispered in her ear.
This was the third time he had said those words to her.
Mu Yulu didn't say anything, but buried her head in his chest, entrusting herself to him with complete peace of mind.
Sanzhou Jinse led her through lush flowering trees and amidst a rain of swords and blades. The surging sword energy sliced off a large cluster of blooming flowers from a branch, tearing off delicate petals that carried a strong stench of blood to Mu Yulu's nose.
She buried her head even closer to Sanzhou Jinse's chest.
The endless fighting and constant maneuvering caused his chest to heave violently, and his hot breath brushed against Mu Yulu's ear, sending a shiver down her spine.
Is it possible to escape?
She didn't know.
But she had already entrusted her life to him, and at this moment she had no choice but to trust him.
The flashing blades, like the fangs of venomous snakes, came biting from all directions, their chilling sharpness illuminating the murderous intent that had settled between San Zhou Jinse's brows.
He hadn't intended to kill before, but now he showed no mercy. His sword strikes were continuous, each flash of silver light precisely tearing through flesh and blood, sending up a string of splattering blood droplets.
Under the bright sunlight and candlelight, the blood droplets traced fleeting arcs before shattering and falling amidst the chaos of the wedding hall and the falling blossoms.
San Zhou Jinse's pure white robes fluttered and danced amidst the blood-stained petals, intertwining with Mu Yulu's bright red attire, both stained mottled and fragmented by the blood rain.
The flowers and trees in the courtyard were still rustling and falling. The late-blooming flowers and newly opened buds were swept away by the frenzied sword energy, mixed with dust and blood, covering the red carpet, and falling all over Mu Yulu's head and shoulders.
San Zhou Jinse fought and retreated, his only goal being to get Mu Yulu away safely. Therefore, he did not linger in battle, and whenever he had a slight advantage, he seized the opportunity to break through the encirclement and head out of the mansion with Mu Yulu.
Mu Qinhan remained standing, his gaze dark as he watched the scene unfold. When he saw Sanzhou Jinse leading Mu Yulu toward the palace gate, he frowned, his gaze hardening again. He then ordered the head guard who had rushed to his side, "Fire the arrows."
"Fire arrows! Don't let them escape!" The captain of the guards' roar echoed in the front hall, and at the same time, several people rushed up and worked together to close the gate of the Prince's Mansion tightly.
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