Jiang Xuelin was unaware of what had happened at the Marquis's residence. When she heard Hongluo say that the mute nanny had personally witnessed Fu Hanlai disguise himself and slip away through the back gate of the Prince's residence, she naturally went home without a second thought.
Although she wasn't a conventional person, she understood that running away from an arranged marriage was a serious matter.
Even though she and Fu Hanlai had initially stopped their families from requesting an imperial decree from Emperor Xuande to arrange their marriage, just in case, it didn't mean that the marriage could be neglected without the imperial decree.
If you can avoid taking responsibility, then it's best not to take any responsibility at all.
Knowing this, Jiang Xuelin avoided passersby and hurried back to the Jing'an Marquis's residence.
When she left, she wanted to leave as quickly as possible; when she returned, she wanted to return as quickly as possible, hoping that her family wouldn't find out about her elopement.
Otherwise, her parents would definitely be furious, especially her mother.
In her heart, Jiang Xuelin was most afraid of her mother.
Upon arriving outside the Marquis's residence, Jiang Xuelin once again chose a secluded courtyard where few people would come. She first stood outside the courtyard wall and listened for a few moments to make sure there was no movement inside. Then, she jumped up, grabbed the wall, and with a twist of her waist, her movements as agile as an elegant cat, she leaped over the wall and into the residence.
She had noticed before she arrived that there was nothing unusual around the Marquis's residence. There was no noise or servants moving around anxiously. Presumably, her mother and the others had not yet realized that she had run away.
Now, as long as she returns to her courtyard, changes back into her wedding dress, puts on her phoenix crown, and covers her head with her veil, no one will notice anything amiss.
At this time, the bride's bridal chamber was still the same as when Jiang Xuelin left. People would come to visit the girl who was about to get married, but the bride's head was covered by a veil, so naturally they couldn't see clearly. Most of the elders would say a few auspicious blessings and then leave, without disturbing the shy bride.
Jiang Xuelin didn't hear any movement inside the room. She carefully pushed open the window and glanced around. The "bride" was still sitting on the bed, while Qingluo stood on the other side with her head down. Seeing this, she immediately felt relieved, opened the window wider, and climbed in.
"Quickly! Green Ivy, come help me change into my wedding dress! Green Ivy, go and stand guard at the door. If anyone comes, remind them!"
Qingluo didn't move.
Jiang Xuelin hadn't realized anything was wrong. She simply stuffed the straw hat and dusty cloak she was using to block her vision under the cabinet, and then prepared to take off her men's clothing.
"cough!"
Lady Jing'an sat by the window, a spot that was a blind spot, impossible to see from the outside. Jiang Xuelin naturally didn't notice her, and after entering, she went straight to the cabinet.
At this moment, Lady Jing'an, with a dark expression, couldn't help but clear her throat and cough, reminding Jiang Xuelin of her presence.
Upon hearing that familiar voice, Jiang Xuelin's hand froze. She abruptly turned to look at the window, almost jumping up like a startled cat. But when she saw Lady Jing'an sitting there, her voice immediately softened, "Mother, what are you doing here..."
At this moment, Green Luo, who had been sitting on the bed pretending to be the bride, also stood up and stood properly to the side. Green Luo had already knelt down. If Green Luo hadn't been wearing a wedding dress and a phoenix crown, she would have had to kneel down as well.
Silent as a cicada in winter.
Jiang Xuelin also wanted to kneel down, but after being so frightened, she broke out in a sweat.
Lady Jing'an wanted to give her troublesome daughter a good beating right now, but she also knew that there was no time to deal with Jiang Xuelin. Not only could she not deal with her, she also had to clean up her mess as soon as possible.
"Granny Cai, Qingluo, go and help the young lady change into her new wedding dress. Green Luo, change your clothes too." Too lazy to investigate further, Lady Jing'an gave the orders directly.
She knew she had to come back. Although Lady Jing'an thought she might have come back because she knew about the Prince of Ping's elopement, it was good that she was back.
At least there's still time. If people find out she ran away from the wedding, then everything will be over.
No matter what you have to say, now is not the right time.
Jiang Xuelin was uneasy, but in the end she didn't dare to say anything. She followed Granny Cai and Qingluo into the inner room to change into her new wedding dress. Only then did she realize that her mother had actually made two wedding dresses for her that day just in case.
She had been in a hurry when she slipped away, and the undergarment she was wearing was still red, so she didn't need to change. She just needed to change into her wedding dress. Afterwards, Granny Cai quickly cleaned her face and applied makeup.
With all this commotion, the wedding procession from Prince Ping's mansion will be arriving soon.
Green Ivy, who had already changed her clothes, rushed over and hurriedly helped tidy up. Finally, she put on the phoenix crown, covered the veil, and helped the person sit on the edge of the bed.
They had just sat down to catch their breath when they heard the voice of Granny Fang, who was guarding the door.
She is Jiang Xuelin's sister-in-law, Lady Lu, the wife of the heir apparent.
After arranging the search party for Jiang Xuelin, Lady Jing'an went to the front again and told Madam Lu that she would accompany the female guests. She was really reluctant to part with Jiang Xuelin and went to the back to check on her. Madam Lu was a little worried. Just then, the wedding procession from the Prince Ping's mansion arrived, so she came over to check.
"Mother, sister, the wedding procession has arrived. Song'er and Bai'er are currently blocking the gate to join in the fun. They'll probably be here soon."
Upon hearing this, Lady Jing'an's previous anger dissipated, replaced by reluctance.
However, both she and Jiang Xuelin had a question in their minds.
—Didn't they say that Prince Ping's heir had run away from his marriage? Then who came to fetch him?
Jiang Xuelin was the most puzzled. She was certain that Hongluo wouldn't lie to her about this matter, which was why she entrusted the task of keeping an eye on the Prince Ping's residence to Hongluo and her daughter.
Unfortunately, before she could figure out what was going on, Lady Jing'an Marquis took Madam Lu to the front, leaving behind her most trusted nanny, Fang, to keep an eye on things.
The entire Jing'an Marquis's mansion was bustling with activity because of the arrival of the wedding procession. The activity was not obvious in the backyard, but it was clearly crowded and noisy in the front.
Jiang Xuelin sat on the bed, anxious and eager to know what was going on ahead.
Could it be that it wasn't Fu Han who came, and then a commotion broke out? The Prince Ping's Mansion wouldn't be so foolish as to send someone else to replace the runaway Fu Han to fetch the bride, would they? If they did that, they would become enemies with the Marquis of Jing'an's Mansion.
In the front yard, Fu Hanlai, who was being stopped and embarrassed by two teenagers, was practically beaming with joy.
He had barely returned to the palace when he was dragged away, dressed in his wedding attire, and thrown onto a horse to be fetched for the bride. If it weren't for the auspicious day, he would definitely have been whipped by his father. As for what would happen after today...
His father will find out about the bride's elopement soon, and then he won't have time to bother him anymore.
For now, he pretended not to know that the two Jiang family boys were trying to stall for time and make things difficult for him.
Anyway, it wasn't him who ran away from the wedding.
He's completely innocent!
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