To everyone's surprise, Li Chang, who had died yesterday, was standing alive in front of them!
The bride, Xu Yunzhi, lifted her veil, her eyes red and swollen, staring at Li Chang in shock, her voice already hoarse from crying: "You...you're not dead?!"
Yesterday, she clearly saw him die with her own eyes.
Dead, utterly dead!
But how did he come back to life?
On the chair, Xu Wanzhi covered her lips with a handkerchief, concealing her surprise. She glanced at the matchmaker and gave her a meaningful look.
The matchmaker realized what was happening and quickly pulled down Xu Yunzhi's veil.
Old Master Li, holding onto the armrest of his chair, stood up and stared at Li Chang in disbelief, swaying slightly: "Chang'er, is it really you? You're still alive?"
Li Chang helped the old man Li to his feet, then knelt down and kowtowed three times: "Grandpa, I'm sorry I'm late and have frightened you!"
"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back..." Old Master Li shed two more lines of joyful tears.
Li Chang wiped away his grandfather's tears, walked up to the Ninth Prince, knelt on one knee, and said in a deep voice, "I have verified the flood in Sishui City. The people have indeed suffered greatly. I have come back to report to Your Highness."
The Ninth Prince replied calmly, "I already know. You've worked hard."
Li Chang stood up, helped his grandfather up, and his gaze fell on Xu Yunzhi, who was dressed in a wedding gown.
The guests were astonished.
Complete...the task?
Did Li Chang go to Sishui City?
Who was the person who died yesterday?
The wedding hall erupted in an uproar.
Yesterday, outside the capital, Li Chang's body was carried onto a carriage in front of everyone...
Although the corpse was covered in wounds, the face was definitely Li Chang's!
Xu Changze wasn't stupid; he immediately realized what was happening and pointed at Li Chang: "You faked your death? You dare to scheme against the Xu family?"
To everyone's surprise, Li Chang was still alive!
Not only did he not die, he also created a decoy to mislead the Xu family!
"Fake death? Scheme?" A hint of resentment appeared on Li Chang's dark and resolute face: "Sishui City has been experiencing torrential rains for days. Local officials have urgently reported that many farmlands and farmhouses have been flooded, and there is an urgent need to allocate 100,000 taels of silver to appease the affected people."
At that time, His Majesty was still in the imperial palace and it was inconvenient to send someone to investigate. So he ordered me to take a few cavalrymen and rush to Sishui City overnight to find out if the news was true.
Since the Emperor was still in the temporary palace, if the Iron Cavalry Guard Captain suddenly left his post, it would be easy for the Emperor to be in danger. Therefore, I had my men disguise themselves as me and stay in the temporary palace.
Unexpectedly, this morning, as soon as I arrived in the capital, I heard that I and a group of my brothers were all dead, and that I was supposed to hold my wedding today…
As he spoke, Li Chang's eyes reddened.
His words were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake.
This Li Chang is real!
He was sent on a mission by the Ninth Prince, which is how he escaped with his life!
But... what about rabies?
What a coincidence!
At this moment, Li Chang's eyes were red and his voice choked with emotion: "After I arrived in the capital, I heard that my brothers died of rabies..."
I've known them for years and understand them very well. They've never been bitten by a rabid dog, so there's absolutely no way they could have contracted this disease!
Yuan Yao glanced at the whispering guests, leaned against the Ninth Prince's chest, and asked softly, "Father, is there any medicine in this world that can make a person's symptoms resemble rabies after being poisoned?"
The Ninth Prince's lips twitched slightly: "A kind of poisonous herb called Soul-Shattering Grass."
Soul-Shattering Grass?
The Ninth Prince's gaze turned slightly cold: "The Soul-Shattering Grass looks extremely like fennel. It can be mixed into seasonings and added to the Imperial Guards' meals."
Once ingested, this poisonous herb will take effect within three hours, causing madness and hallucinations.
That's why those Imperial Guards attacked others like madmen yesterday.
This grass is terrifying!
Yuan Yao was shocked to realize that it was truly remarkable that she had lived to be this old!
Here, life and death hang in the balance in a single night...
Li Chang's side.
Li Deshan said tactfully, "Guard Chief Li, the auspicious time for the wedding is almost over."
"I'm here on His Majesty's orders to officiate your wedding. After the ceremony, I must return to the palace to report back."
This marriage must take place today.
If one has to blame someone, it's only the Xu family's greed and Xu Yunzhi's scheming against the Ninth Prince.
To scheme against the Emperor is to provoke his wrath...
Li Chang glanced at the row of coffins, gritted his teeth, walked to the first coffin, and removed the human skin mask covering the corpse's face.
He threw away the human skin mask, revealing a lifeless, dull face.
Li Chang's voice trembled as he loudly proclaimed, "My brothers have been through thick and thin with me. Today, on my wedding day, I have specially invited them to be my witnesses..."
A group of living people attending a wedding banquet alongside several corpses?
Everyone turned their attention to the Ninth Prince.
The Ninth Prince glanced at Consort Wan with indifference.
Consort Wan gripped her handkerchief tightly, not daring to speak.
The Ninth Prince waved his sleeve and said, "Let's begin."
Li Deshan draped his whisk over his arm and shouted, "Today, the Xu and Li families, honored by the Emperor's grace, have entered into a covenant, sealing our eternal union..."
Li Chang, with a somber face, pulled the red silk ribbon. On one side of the ribbon, the cuff of Xu Yunzhi's wedding dress was gradually soaked with tears.
The matchmaker guided Xu Yunzhi to bow to heaven and earth and to her parents.
When it came time for the couple to bow to each other, Xu Yunzhi violently resisted, shouting, "Let me go! Let me go!"
Pushing aside the matchmaker, Xu Yunzhi lifted her veil.
Her eyes were swollen like walnuts from crying, and she looked at the Ninth Prince and Yuan Yao in his arms with teary eyes.
Yuan Yao and she looked at each other.
Xu Yunzhi reached out her hand, trembling: "It's you, it's you..."
Yuan Yao: "?"
Xu Yunzhi cried out, "The person behind the artificial hill that day was you!"
Yuan Yao pretended not to understand and asked in a childish voice, "Daddy, what is Madam Li saying?"
The word "Mrs. Li" really provoked Xu Yunzhi.
Xu Yunzhi said excitedly, "You're the one who ruined me like this! You can see the little demon inside Consort Ruan, and you can make a tiger obey you..."
That day, you were the person behind the rockery; yesterday, you were the person in the hot spring courtyard!
Yuan Yao, you're not human! You monster!
"You must be afraid that I'll marry into Qianhua Palace and steal His Highness's favor from you, so you framed me like this, forcing me to marry a lowly Imperial Guard and ensuring I'll never rise again!"
The guests were all bewildered.
Bride, have you gone mad?!
Yuan Yao also looked surprised.
Unexpectedly, Xu Yunzhi is quite clever.
But... a setup?
Was Xu Wanzhi framed to this point?
She clearly brought this on herself!
Yuan Yao didn't need to do anything; she just opened her eyes wide and her mouth slightly open, looking both bewildered and frightened.
She nestled into the arms of the Ninth Prince.
The Ninth Prince held her tightly, patting her back gently, then looked at Xu Wanzhi with murderous intent in his eyes: "Insolence!"
Deeply shocked, Xu Yunzhi raised her hand and pulled a gold hairpin from her hair.
"Watch out!"
Someone in the crowd exclaimed in surprise.
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