Chapter 36 He wanted to force her into a hug and pull her tightly into his arms.
Fangru looked up in astonishment, almost unable to believe her ears.
"General...do you know what you're saying? I'm a wanted criminal, you're just asking for trouble!"
"What do I have to fear?" Yan De's lips curled into a bitter yet proud smile. "My Yan family was full of loyal martyrs, but now only I remain, a broken body. Wealth and glory are but fleeting clouds to me; to carry on the family line is nothing but a pipe dream."
He spoke frankly about his own imperfections, yet his eyes grew ever clearer. “That’s why I want to live for myself this time. Fangru, it was love at first sight for me. I don’t ask for the same affection in return, I only hope to protect you and give you a legitimate place to live. After marriage, I will never dare to overstep my bounds, I only ask to see you every day, and that will be enough for me.”
He paused, his tone becoming even more resolute: "As for the crime of deceiving the emperor... do not be afraid. My Yan family has rendered service to the country, and the imperial pardon bestowed upon us by the late emperor is still intact. Even if Your Majesty is angry, you must consider our past relationship and this pardon. I am willing to exchange it for your freedom!"
Fangru's heart was violently shaken.
Yen-te's confession was frank and tragic, laying all her concerns on the table and offering seemingly feasible solutions.
She racked her brains. Escape from the city seemed unlikely, and the clues to the Buddhist prayer beads she sought—the ones that could solve her predicament—were all in the capital. If she wanted to stay, Yan De's protection was indeed her only option at the moment.
Marriage, though a constraint, might be a temporary measure, as he claims.
"good."
After a long while, Fangru raised her eyes, her gaze now filled with calm and decisiveness.
"I agree," she said clearly, "but on two conditions. First, the wedding must be arranged as soon as possible, ideally today. Second, the wedding must be extremely grand, with many guests invited, especially the several highly respected ministers who are known for their adherence to etiquette and rules; they must personally send invitations to attend. In addition, the wedding procession must circle half of the city, the gates of the mansion must be wide open, allowing the people to watch and offer their congratulations, and enough money must be scattered to let the whole city know that you, General Yan, have married a principal wife."
Upon hearing this, Yan De's eyes flashed with surprise.
Although he was gentle in nature, he was not stupid. After a little thought, he understood Fangru's intention: she wanted to turn this marriage, which was originally an expedient measure, into a grand public event that attracted everyone's attention as quickly as possible.
Inviting the Grand Secretary leverages the prestige of a high-ranking official, while announcing it to the world relies on the voice of the common people.
Once the wedding becomes a well-known fact, even His Majesty would have to consider the pressure of public opinion and the reaction of the court if he wanted to openly challenge it.
This is tantamount to using a grand ceremony to build a temporary talisman for herself.
Having figured this out, Yan De couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for Fang Ru's quick wit and courage. He suppressed his complicated emotions and solemnly agreed: "Very well! As you say, Madam, I will immediately order people to make arrangements and ensure that this wedding is a grand and spectacular affair."
The entire Yan household was thrown into a frenzy of activity.
Although everything was rushed, with Yan De's full support and Fang Ru's secret guidance, the preparations were surprisingly well-organized and extremely luxurious.
Invitations were quickly delivered to the residences of the high-ranking officials, and the wedding route and the distribution of celebratory money were also arranged perfectly.
On the day of the wedding, the scene was indeed as grand as Fangru had expected.
The wedding procession, with its fluttering banners and resounding drums, circled the city, drawing crowds of onlookers who, while discussing General Yan's mysterious bride, also remembered this rare spectacle.
However, just as the newlyweds were about to perform the wedding ceremony, a sudden sound of clashing armor and shouts came from outside the mansion!
The Imperial Guards arrived as expected, with the captain in charge holding a command arrow, claiming to be on imperial orders to search for the wanted criminal, and attempting to force their way in.
The festive atmosphere froze instantly.
The guests looked at each other in surprise and disbelief.
At this critical moment, the invited elders exchanged glances. Among them, the most senior, Elder Li, was the first to rise, holding a wine cup, and strolled to the front of the mansion. He was not angry, but calmly looked at the captain, his voice not loud but carrying an inherent authority:
"Today is General Yan's joyous day. His Majesty is known for his benevolence and compassion for meritorious officials. How could he possibly do something that would disrupt a marriage and dishonor the dignity of the court? Have you all misunderstood the imperial decree? Or... has someone forged an imperial edict to frame His Majesty in an unjust manner?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the other Grand Secretaries echoed him. Although they did not directly defy the imperial decree, they slapped down a series of grand accusations, such as "the dignity of the court," "the favor of meritorious officials," and "the benevolence of His Majesty," making their stance clear and unyielding.
Seeing this, the Imperial Guard captain knew the weight these senior officials carried in the court. If he forced his way in, the consequences would be unimaginable. He was caught in a dilemma and stood frozen at the door.
Inside the mansion, the sounds of string and wind instruments, after a brief pause, resumed their melodious melody, seemingly masking the turmoil outside.
Fangru stood gracefully in front of the hall, her head covered by a red veil. No one could see her tightly pursed lips and slightly trembling fingers beneath the veil.
She won the first gamble, using the rules and people's hearts to temporarily block the direct crushing force of imperial power.
However, just as the guests and hosts had gathered and the newlyweds were about to perform the wedding ceremony, a lazy yet undeniably authoritative voice extinguished the joyous atmosphere like ice water:
"Why is it that on the wedding day of Minister Yan, you won't even offer me a cup of wine to thank the matchmaker?"
Everyone turned around in shock, only to see Zhou Ling, dressed in a black casual suit, strolling in leisurely like the darkness itself.
The several high-ranking officials who had been so righteous and stern just moments before now hung their heads and lowered their eyes like quails, not daring to meet anyone's gaze.
Zhou Ling's gaze, as if it were tangible, swept over the guests in the hall, finally fixing precisely on the figure in that dazzling wedding dress, a smile playing on his lips.
He walked straight to the head of the table, his robes brushing the ground, silent yet exuding a powerful sense of oppression.
After taking his seat, he did not look at Yan De, but instead focused all his attention on Fang Ru, his eyes deep and unfathomable, as if trying to pierce through the heavy veil and burn her skin.
“Shen Fangru,” he began, his voice low and carrying a hint of playful warning, his gaze still fixed on Fangru, “this wedding dress… looks particularly jarring on you. Have you thought this through? Some clothes, once worn, can never be taken off.”
The implied meaning in the words, like an invisible hand, ambiguously caressed the bride's neck, causing many of the women present to blush with embarrassment and lower their heads in fear.
Yan De's face turned deathly pale: "Your Majesty!" He tried to defend his dignity, "Your subject..."
Zhou Ling finally gave him a stingy glance, her eyes as cold as knives, instantly freezing Yan De's unfinished words in his throat.
"I'm asking about your bride," he interrupted slowly, his tone heavy with authority, "when did it become your place to interrupt?"
Then, he turned to Fangru again, leaning forward slightly. His voice was even lower, carrying an intimacy akin to a lover's whisper, yet filled with a dangerous possessiveness:
"Shen Fangru, tell me, is it this red silk that makes your skin look even whiter, or... is the mark I left on your neck when you begged me to let you go home that day more striking?"
These words were like the most blatant flirting, or the most vicious curse, tearing open a hidden past in public.
Fangru trembled all over, her cheeks under the veil instantly drained of color, then flushed red with extreme shame and indignation.
She could feel his gaze lingering over her, as if he had already stripped her bare.
In the suffocating silence, Fangru suddenly raised her hand and ripped off the veil that was in the way!
The bright red headscarf fell to the ground, revealing her pale yet exceptionally resolute face.
Without even looking, she grabbed the nuptial wine pot from the table next to her and smashed it hard on the ground!
"Bang!" The jade pot shattered, shards and wine splashing everywhere.
Amidst the horrified gazes of the crowd, Fangru swiftly bent down, picked up the sharpest piece of jade, and pressed it against her fair wrist without hesitation.
The sharp blade instantly sliced through the skin, and a streak of bright red blood meandered down her fair wrist, blending into the color of her wedding dress.
She raised her eyes and met Zhou Ling's unfathomable gaze directly. There was no pleading in her eyes, only a desperate, almost defiant flame.
"If Your Majesty finds this attire offensive, or wishes to see a more vibrant red..."
A resolute, almost eerie look appeared on her pale face. With a slight twist of her wrist, the sharp porcelain shards embedded themselves deeper into her skin, and beads of blood formed a thin stream, staining her bright red wedding dress in a shocking and jarring way.
"Your subject can dye it thoroughly for you now! But I'm afraid we won't be able to drink this cup of wedding wine!"
How dare she!
How dare she use such a resolute method of self-destruction to provoke him in front of him, for the sake of another man!
Zhou Ling's pupils suddenly contracted, his gaze fixed on the mixture of despair, hatred, and a hint of stubbornness in her eyes that ignited a violent flame in his heart.
Her chest heaved violently, a torrent of anger intertwined with a sharp, piercing pain. She would rather shatter than submit to him in the slightest!
This realization made him want to snap her slender neck immediately, yet he also wanted to pull her tightly into his arms and make her remember in a more direct way who could truly control her life and death and dominate her emotions.
He took a sudden step forward, and a powerful sense of oppression instantly enveloped Fangru. The two were so close that they could feel each other's hot breath.
He practically gritted his teeth, forcing out the words in a low, dangerous voice: "Shen Fangru, do you really want to die? Or do you think... your blood can erase your crime of deceiving the emperor?"
His gaze was tangible, burning her skin, as if trying to leave his mark through that unsightly wedding dress.
Fangru trembled under his gaze. The aggressiveness in his eyes instilled fear in her instinctively, but she stubbornly met his gaze, refusing to back down even slightly.
After a long pause, Zhou Ling suddenly turned his head, his gaze shooting like a sharp arrow towards Yan De, whose face was deathly pale. His tone was icy cold, each word like a hammer blow: "Treate her injuries properly! If anything happens to her again..."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over Fangru's stubborn face again, and he raised his voice with an ambiguous tone, "I will hold you responsible!"
After saying that, he abruptly turned around, carrying with him unvented anger and a chilling aura, and strode away, leaving behind the deathly silence of the room and the woman who had sworn to prove her innocence with blood.
The storm has temporarily subsided in such a tragic yet ambiguous manner.
After leaving the Yan residence, Zhou Ling's pent-up frustration not only failed to dissipate but intensified.
Upon returning to the palace, he smashed half of the furnishings in the imperial study, terrifying the eunuchs and palace servants into kneeling on the ground, utterly silent.
How dare she! She actually went to such lengths for another man!
That glaring red not only fueled his anger but also strangely etched a deeper mark on his heart.
After calming down, a deeper obsession took over.
Since she chose to build a high wall with marriage, he was determined to carve cracks in that wall.
A secret decree was quietly issued, promoting Gu Zhou and Yan De.
This seemingly gracious gesture actually drew a more violent storm towards the two of them. He wanted Fangru to understand that her "stability" was nothing more than a castle built on the beach, which only required a gentle push from him.
The following day at the court assembly, this sudden promotion indeed sparked much discussion.
Yan De, despite his disability, was suddenly given an important position, while Gu Zhou, with little experience, was promoted several ranks. Anyone with discerning eyes could sense something unusual about this situation.
The experienced and prudent Grand Secretaries exchanged glances, secretly wondering if His Majesty's actions were not what they seemed, yet they dared not speculate on his intentions and could only suppress their doubts.
A subtle undercurrent was stirring in the imperial court.
However, Zhou Ling did not feel any pleasure after the decree was issued.
The imperial study was empty and quiet, and even the ambergris could not dispel the inexplicable restlessness.
Fangru's hateful yet stubborn eyes, and the glaring red mark on her wrist, kept flashing before my eyes.
He tried to numb himself with official duties, but the handwriting on the memorials blurred into her image.
In just two or three days, the urge to see her, to confirm her well-being, and to regain control of her grew wildly like weeds, overpowering the initial anger.
He told himself that he was just going to check on the "prisoner's" condition, or perhaps to watch her struggle under his pressure. In any case, he needed an excuse to see her again.
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