Chapter 1 A Wedding for Good Luck
The bridal sedan chair stopped, and the curtain was lifted.
Ye Xunyang took a deep breath, tore off his veil, and jumped off the sedan chair. His movements were so swift that they caught the surrounding wedding attendants and guards off guard.
"Young Master Ye! You can't lift this veil yourself! It's bad luck!" The matchmaker hurriedly tried to put the veil back on for him, but Ye Xunyang stopped her with a look.
"Granny, you know I'm the young master, huh?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, his voice full of energy.
The matchmaker was speechless for a moment.
"But the Imperial Advisor said that none of the rules for this marriage to bring good luck can be omitted, otherwise it will be detrimental to the prince's illness..." the matchmaker muttered softly.
Upon hearing her mention the prince's illness, Ye Xunyang relented. After all, she was the prince.
"Let's go, don't miss the auspicious time." Ye Xunyang put the veil back on and stepped into the Jinwang Mansion surrounded by the crowd.
The mansion was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, yet it inexplicably felt desolate.
There was no grand hall filled with guests, only a few expressionless guards and servants standing with their heads bowed.
This hardly resembles a prince's wedding; it's far more rudimentary than a wedding in an ordinary household. It's utterly perfunctory.
Ye Xunyang was led to the main hall, where the mechanical chanting of the master of ceremonies reached his ears.
Ye Xunyang turned around and bowed slightly to the sky outside the door.
There was no one around him except a guard holding a rooster tied with a red ribbon, standing symbolically beside him.
He turned around again and bowed to the empty main seat.
Neither the Emperor nor the Empress Dowager attended, and there wasn't even a member of the imperial clan representing the royal family.
Ye Xunyang bowed to the rooster for the third time, his lips twitching involuntarily.
He was the eldest son of the Grand General of the State, a martial arts prodigy among the younger generation in the capital. Although he wasn't exactly dashing, he was at least in the top ten of the most desirable men to marry in the capital. Yet, he ended up marrying a rooster.
After the ceremony, he was led into the bridal chamber.
The room was decorated extremely luxuriously, with red candles burning brightly, brocade quilts and embroidered pillows, and a strong medicinal fragrance permeating the air.
"His Highness is unwell and unable to personally escort the bride. Please forgive him, Your Highness," the old steward said, bowing respectfully but distantly.
"Princess? Me?" Hearing someone call him that for the first time, Ye Xunyang felt that there was nothing worse in the world.
"Yes, yes, Your Highness, according to the imperial decree, you are the Princess Consort of the Jin Prince's Mansion."
"Oh well, never mind."
Ye Xunyang waved his hand, not wanting to argue anymore. He pulled off his veil, looked around, and politely asked a question.
"How is the prince's condition?"
"It's been fluctuating, and today he developed a high fever again. The imperial physician is treating him," the steward replied, his eyes lowered.
Ye Xunyang nodded, feeling a pang of sympathy for the King of Ash whom he had never met before.
He had heard that Lou Jin was incredibly talented three years ago, skilled in both literature and martial arts, and incomparably handsome. He was the emperor's most beloved prince.
If it weren't for that sudden, strange illness, it's uncertain who would be the Crown Prince now.
"Shall I go see him?" Ye Xunyang got up to leave, but was stopped by the butler.
"Your Highness, please wait. The imperial physician has instructed that His Highness needs to rest. Please wait here, and His Highness will summon you if his condition improves."
Ye Xunyang frowned, but he didn't want to force the issue.
"Alright, you can go now."
After the butler left, he paced back and forth in the room, pondering what to do next.
Since we're here, let's make the best of it.
Since she's already married into the family, she might as well act as a lucky charm. Once he recovers, they can get a divorce, and he can remarry later.
Moreover, if we could befriend this prince who had once made great military achievements, and if he were to recover from his illness in the future, wouldn't it be wonderful to fight alongside him on the battlefield?
The more Ye Xunyang thought about it, the more brilliant the idea seemed.
The title of husband and wife is merely a temporary measure; brotherly affection is the way to last!
As night deepened, a sound finally came from outside the door.
Ye Xunyang immediately sat up straight, pondering how to discuss his plans with King Jin.
The door was pushed open, and several guards slowly pushed a wheelchair inside.
A man sat in a wheelchair, dressed in a bright red wedding robe, which made his face appear even paler.
He lowered his head, his long, dark hair cascading down like a waterfall, obscuring most of his face. Even so, his straight nose and beautifully shaped jawline still hinted at his extraordinary charm.
This is the Ash King Tower.
The guard pushed the wheelchair to the center of the room, then bowed and withdrew, gently closing the door behind him.
For a moment, only the two of them remained in the room.
The candlelight crackled, and the atmosphere became strangely tense.
Ye Xunyang took a deep breath, stepped forward, clasped his hands in a salute, and said, "This humble general, Ye Xunyang, greets Your Highness."
The person in the wheelchair slowly raised their head.
The moment Ye Xunyang saw the other person's face clearly, his breath hitched.
It was a face that was extremely pale yet breathtakingly beautiful.
Her eyebrows were like distant mountains, her eyes like cold stars, and her thin lips were bloodless, yet curved into a very beautiful arc.
Those eyes were as deep as an ancient well; though they should have been dimmed by illness, they were so sharp they seemed to pierce through one's heart.
"My dear consort, there's no need for such formalities," Lou Jin said, his voice low and husky, yet possessing an indescribable magnetism.
Ye Xunyang was taken aback by the words "beloved concubine," coughed once, and said seriously, "Your Highness, now that we are married, I will speak frankly."
Lou Jin raised an eyebrow slightly, signaling him to continue.
"I know this marriage is a temporary measure to bring good luck to Your Highness. Your Highness, rest assured, I, Ye Xunyang, am by no means a despicable person who takes advantage of others' misfortunes."
"I see that Your Highness has an extraordinary demeanor. I also heard about Your Highness's heroic deeds in my early years and admired you greatly."
"Why don't we take this opportunity to become sworn brothers? Once the prince recovers from his illness, we can get a divorce and then fight together on the battlefield to protect our country. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
After a passionate speech, Ye Xunyang looked at Lou Jin expectantly, only to see the other man lower his eyes, cover his mouth and cough violently, his thin body trembling uncontrollably, as if he might fall apart at any moment.
Ye Xunyang quickly stepped forward and gently patted his back: "Your Highness, are you alright?"
Lou Jin slowly stopped coughing, raised his pale face, and a barely perceptible smile flashed in his eyes, disappearing in an instant.
"I appreciate your kind intentions, my beloved consort."
His voice was weak, yet carried an undeniable firmness.
"However, the Imperial Advisor said that for a marriage to bring good fortune to be effective, it must be done in a way that is truly fitting. Let's discuss this matter another day."
Ye Xunyang wanted to say something more, but seeing Lou Jin's tired expression, he couldn't bear to continue: "Then Your Highness should rest well first, recuperating is the most important thing."
Lou Jin nodded, gesturing for Ye Xunyang to push him to the bedside.
Ye Xunyang then realized that the wedding bed was extremely large, more than enough to sleep four or five people.
"My beloved concubine, may you help me to bed?" Lou Jin stretched out his pale, slender hand, his tone as natural as if they were truly a loving couple.
Ye Chaoyang was taken aback for a moment, but still stepped forward to help him up.
The tentacled arm was much stronger than he had imagined, unlike the frailty one would expect from someone who had been ill for a long time. But then he thought about it again, Lou Jin had once been skilled in both literature and martial arts, so his physical condition was naturally much better than that of an ordinary person.
After settling Lou Jin on the bed, Ye Xunyang stood there, somewhat at a loss.
Logically speaking, since they are husband and wife, it is only natural for them to sleep in the same bed, but it just feels awkward for two grown men to squeeze into one bed.
"My beloved concubine, aren't you going to rest?" Lou Jin lay on his side on the bed, propping his head up with one hand. His dark hair was spread across the embroidered pillow, and his face was breathtakingly beautiful in the candlelight.
Ye Xunyang scratched his head, then had a sudden inspiration: "Your Highness is still recovering from your illness, and I'm afraid my sleeping posture might disturb you. How about I sleep on the floor instead?"
Lou Jin's eyes darkened, but his tone remained gentle: "The night is deep and the dew is heavy, and the ground is cold. If my beloved concubine catches a cold, how could I bear it?"
He patted the empty seat next to him.
"This bed is spacious enough, so we can each take one side."
Having said all that, it would seem pretentious for Ye Chaoyang to refuse again.
He gritted his teeth, lay down fully clothed on the other side of the bed, and tried to get as far away from Lou Jin as possible.
The red candles flickered, and the room was so quiet that you could hear each other breathing.
Ye Xunyang was stiff all over, staring at the embroidery on the top of the tent, feeling a mix of emotions. He should have been drinking and practicing swordsmanship with his soldiers at the border, but now he was trapped in this brocade cage, sharing a bed with a strange man.
Nothing could be more bizarre than this.
Just as he was lost in thought, he heard even breathing beside him.
Ye Xunyang turned his head and saw that Lou Jin seemed to have fallen asleep. Overwhelmed by sleepiness, he also closed his eyes and fell asleep after a long day.
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