The decree said that the royal family girl who had been engaged to Xiao Jingyue suddenly died, so the empress dowager arranged another marriage for Xiao Jingyue. The woman assigned to Xiao Jingyue was Yan Ningshuang, the eldest daughter of the Yan family.
This decree was public, for the world to see. Secretly, the Queen Mother also sent a secret decree to the Yanbei Palace. The content of this secret decree was not very polite. The Queen Mother expressed her utter indignation at Xiao Jingyue's audacity to molest the Yan family girl. She harshly criticized the Yanbei King and Princess, blaming them for not properly restraining the Xiao family members and allowing such a thing to happen in the Yanbei Palace.
The Empress Dowager stated in her decree that marrying Yan Ningshuang to Xiao Jingyue was a move of helplessness, one she and the Yan family were unwilling to accept. However, at this point, there was no other option but to marry Yan Ningshuang to Xiao Jingyue. After all, Yan Ningshuang's status was somewhat special, and the Empress Dowager could not bear to watch her niece's innocence be taken advantage of. The customs in Kyoto and Jiangnan were not as open as those in Yanbei. For someone like Yan Ningshuang, who had been taken advantage of by a man and witnessed by so many people, there was no way she would ever find a good husband again.
Finally, the Queen Mother stated in the secret decree that Yan Ningshuang was wronged by marrying into the Xiao family. She hoped that the Yanbei Palace would treat her niece-granddaughter well, otherwise neither she nor the Yan family would let it go.
Yan Ningshuang will soon be escorted back to Yanbei to marry Xiao Jingyue.
Upon receiving this decree, Xiao Jingyue merely scoffed. He didn't care who his legal wife was, whether it was Yan Ningshuang or someone from the Zhao family. Xiao Jingyue's father, Xiao Heng, lectured him harshly, nearly invoking family discipline. In the end, Su Shi dissuaded him.
August came in a blink of an eye. This period of time was both peaceful and busy for Ren Yaoqi.
The ladies from the capital have been staying obediently in the villa of the Yanbei Palace since their arranged marriages. Perhaps they know that they are not welcome among the many noble families in Yanbei, so they have not even left the villa for a while. Naturally, no one can go out to cause trouble.
Ren Yaoqi's wedding was in September, so she had rarely left the house since the Qianjin Banquet. Although there wasn't much she needed to do herself, there were still many things she needed to personally participate in or make decisions on. She always felt like she was busy every day, yet it seemed like she wasn't doing anything. But it just passed like that.
On this day, Ren Yaoqi was in her room trying on the wedding gown and formal dress that the princess had sent her. The dresses that Ren Yaoqi and Xiao Jingxi wore for their wedding were custom-made by the Yanbei Palace. The layers of fabric looked very complicated and heavy, and her crown was also much heavier than that of an average bride.
Although it wasn't midsummer anymore, Yanbei was still very hot. Ren Yaoqi had only just tried on the second dress when beads of sweat began to form on her face. However, she never complained of being tired, nor did she ask for a break. Finally, Nanny Xin, sent by the princess, said, "Miss Ren, why don't you rest before trying on another dress? We still have two more dresses, and it's still early, so we can return home later."
Ren Yaoqi nodded and asked the maids to help her take off the crown. She smiled and said, "I don't usually keep an ice basin in my room, so I'm asking you to stay here with me and endure the heat. Why don't you go to the flower hall in front and rest for a while? I'll have someone prepare some iced sour plum soup."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com