Chapter 4
She disliked bullying others and couldn't stand the old-fashioned practice of kowtowing and kneeling all day long. As a child, she was a "coward," enduring bullying until her father told her that if someone bullied her, she should retaliate tenfold.
Just like the male protagonist in male-oriented novels, he thinks, "The humiliation I suffer today will be repaid a hundredfold in the future."
It's not about "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth".
Shen Yao understood and would do as she was told, but after each time she finished, she would feel a little guilty, thinking things like "everyone has it tough too"... So on the surface, she stopped there and didn't continue to torment Zhou Xiaowei any further, remaining cold and indifferent without saying anything more.
Princess Jing and Shen Zan remained silent. Upon seeing the garment, which was clearly a men's outer robe, and hearing about the princess's late return this morning, they couldn't help but show some unusual expressions. However, neither of them dared to speak. Princess Jing sighed indifferently at the pile of jewelry.
After seeing the guests off, the various boxes of dowry inside the house were loaded onto the carts one by one. Shen Yao had Xia Guo disassemble another pearl necklace and divide it up privately, so her subordinates worked even harder, and the Jingwang Mansion was filled with a joyous atmosphere.
Xia Guo helped her pack the last few pieces of luggage. In addition to the original facilities, there was a small gold Buddhist shrine in the corner of the room.
Buddhism flourished during the prosperous dynasty, and Emperor Taizu greatly promoted Buddhist studies. The original owner of the body, being a son of the royal family, was also a devout believer. However, Shen Yao herself did not believe in Buddhism, but she could not easily shatter the original owner's persona, so she allowed Xia Guo to bring the Buddhist shrine back into the carriage.
Shen Yao bit her lipstick. Xia Guo walked in and whispered in her ear, "Princess, it's time."
Shen Yao nodded, putting aside all the unimportant matters, and let the maids help her cover her head with the huge veil. Then, she was helped out of the bedroom by Xia Guo.
As she stepped out of the room, the courtyard fell silent for a moment. But someone started it up with a greeting of "Long live the princess!" and then a string of blessings followed, such as "happiness and good health" and "a long and happy marriage," all simple and sincere.
Along the way, fresh flowers were sprinkled on me, their fragrance filling the air, like roses.
Xia Guo whispered, "This morning I heard from Captain Zhou that this flower is priceless. It was specially prepared for the princess by the general on a whim, so that the whole city could see that the princess is as beautiful as a golden branch and jade leaf, more beautiful than the flower."
Shen Yao remained silent, but the corners of her mouth under the veil couldn't help but curl up slightly.
After leaving the Prince Jing's residence, a gaunt man dressed in fine clothes and the Princess Jing and others were already waiting in front of the sedan chair. Upon seeing Shen Yao, they were about to bow.
Shen Yao suddenly remembered what happened last night, recalling that the minor official beside Lan Yunyi had mentioned "Prince Jing".
It's not hard to guess that the fact that the original owner eloped with the adjutant was revealed to Lan Yunyi by Prince Jing.
The original book describes Prince Jing as a person who disregards the big picture for short-term gains, who has long been at odds with Lan Yunyi, and who has deep grievances against the current emperor.
Therefore, he naturally wouldn't have any genuine feelings for Shen Yao.
Shen Yao was too lazy to argue and didn't plan to pursue the matter for the time being. She helped the other person up halfway through their bow.
Shen Yao said, "There's no need for formalities today."
Prince Jing cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you, Princess."
Shen Yao expressed her gratitude again: "I am very grateful for Uncle Jing's care these days. I will definitely write to my father in the future to mention this matter more often."
Prince Jing was overjoyed upon hearing this and repeatedly bowed in thanks. He then pulled his daughter to his side and said, "Quick, didn't you say you prepared a wedding congratulatory message for your cousin? Hurry up and wish her well."
Shen Yao tilted her head and looked in the direction of her cousin Shen Zan.
Under the veil, she saw Shen Zan's fingers intertwined tightly, and heard her stammering as if she were a little embarrassed. Shen Yao smiled and said, "Tell me about it."
Shen Zan paused for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "May the princess and her husband be happily married. May they live a long and happy life together, their hearts forever united."
Shen Yao smiled, took Shen Zan's hand and patted it.
This is a local saying from her hometown: on the day of her wedding, the bride is radiant with joy, and touching her hand is to share in that joy.
She didn't know what would become of Shen Zan, but she hoped that she would have a good life after marriage.
Thinking this, Shen Yao said to Xia Guo, "Take out the contents of that blue cloud-patterned bundle and give it to my cousin."
Prince Jing hurriedly laughed and said, "That's perfect, Zan'er, hurry up and thank your cousin!"
Shen Zan: "Thank you...cousin."
Shen Yao raised her hand again and groped to pat her shoulder.
At this moment, Xia Guo returned and took out the bundle from the sedan chair in front. From the outside, it looked square.
Xia Guo handed the bundle to Chen Zan. At this moment, the nanny urged, "Princess, the auspicious time has arrived. Hurry up and get into the sedan chair."
Shen Yao smiled, bowed slightly to Prince Jing and the others, and then got into the sedan chair.
As he was getting into the sedan chair, he heard Prince Jing say urgently in a low voice, "Quickly open it and take a look..."
After saying that, there was no further movement. They were probably quite disappointed to see that there were only some brand-new books inside, nothing particularly valuable.
The sedan chair came to a steady stop, followed by a burst of loud gongs and drums, with cheerful and melodious music. Shen Yao had prepared herself to listen to some rustic music the whole way, but she found that the music was much more sophisticated than she had imagined, resembling a grand and magnificent Chinese symphony.
Xia Guo and the other servants handed out candy to the children along the street, and the people crowded around, blocking the road completely. It is said that in the end, the Lan family had to send troops to clear the traffic.
These were things that Shen Yao, sitting in the sedan chair, was not aware of. After getting into the sedan chair, she felt more confused than happy. Especially when she thought about the woman in Lan Yunyi's harem who had no official status, she felt extremely overwhelmed.
She was terrified that the day after she entered the house, Lan Yunyi would pull that woman in front of her and tell her that she "wanted to take a concubine" or something like that.
With a soft "thump," the sedan chair lurched slightly before settling into solid ground.
Shen Yao's mind returned to normal in an instant. She saw a bright red scene in front of her, and soon after, she heard the voice of the young man from last night.
“…I’ll do it.” As soon as he finished speaking, the servants beside him made way and said, “General, please.” Then the curtain of the sedan chair was lifted.
A rough hand emerged from beneath the veil, a large and gruesome scar on its palm. Shen Yao stared at the hand, momentarily stunned. Had she not heard the distinctive young voice, she would have found it difficult to connect this hand with the delicate-skinned youth from the previous night.
But Lan Yunyi, who comes from a humble background and schemes relentlessly for power in the book, certainly deserves such a hand.
Shen Yao thought for a moment, then reached out and poked the scar in the middle of his palm.
The fingers of that hand suddenly curled up, and the rough fingertips scraped across her palm, tickling her heart.
It's a little embarrassing to admit, but Shen Yao had spent the first half of her life studying and working, and had never had this kind of contact with a man before. This time-traveling experience immediately puts her in a marriage and requires her to touch a man's hand, which she finds a bit overwhelming.
She didn't know how long she had been standing there in the sedan chair when she suddenly heard a questioning voice from outside: "Oh dear, what's wrong with the princess..." Before she could finish speaking, she was abruptly interrupted by a soft "Shh!" from the side.
Without thinking twice, Shen Yao hurriedly placed her hand on top. She really didn't intend to embarrass Lan Yunyi in front of everyone, but her momentary lapse in concentration had indeed made Lan Yunyi a little unhappy. The moment her hand touched Lan Yunyi, Lan Yunyi's hand grabbed her fiercely, but then immediately loosened its grip, as if it had been an accident.
Then, Shen Yao slowly stepped out of the sedan chair. The tall man beside her gently put his arm around her shoulder and helped her down with utmost tenderness, saying, "Princess, be careful."
The headmistress in charge of etiquette shouted loudly, "Step over the fire basin—!"
Shen Yao took a deep breath.
Just then, a male voice came from an unknown direction, clearly calling out "Princess!" The guests were stunned, and Shen Yao's heart nearly jumped out of her chest upon hearing the voice. Immediately afterwards, a gust of wind suddenly blew up, abruptly lifting Shen Yao's veil, revealing her chin and bright red lips to the guests.
The master of ceremonies was horrified, thinking that it was a great taboo for the bride's veil to be lifted, but before she could say anything, the young man next to the bride, dressed in a bright red wedding dress, pressed the veil down hard.
Before Shen Yao could react, he put his arm around her shoulder and took a step forward. When they reached the brazier, he jumped in without saying a word.
That's over.
The master of ceremonies was still standing there in a daze when the evil wind intensified. The veil covering the back of Shen Yao's head had already been lifted, but fortunately, a mechanism had been installed on the veil and hairpins this morning, so the veil on her head was tightly fastened and did not fall off.
The red cloth in front of them was pulled down hard by Lan Yunyi, even smoothing out the slight folds in the fabric.
He grinned through gritted teeth and said, "The fire pit has been burned, and the evil spirits have been exorcised."
After a long moment of stunned silence, the master of ceremonies quickly recovered and announced, "The fire has been burned, the evil spirits have been exorcised, congratulations to the princess and her consort!"
After saying that, Lan Yunyi and Shen Yao stepped across the threshold.
Firecrackers exploded in unison behind them, and after the invited guests entered the house one after another, the gate of the Lan residence slammed shut.
With lingering fear, Shen Yao and Lan Yunyi bowed to heaven and earth, then to the imperial edict from the Consort and the Emperor, and finally to each other as husband and wife.
After the prayers, Lan Yunyi extended his hands to her. Having learned from experience this time, Shen Yao no longer resisted physical contact and calmly placed her palms on top of his.
After the couple bowed their heads in prayer, Lan Yunyi released her hand.
Then he took a few steps back, turned to face forward, knelt down on both knees to pay respects to the Emperor and the Imperial Concubine, then stood up again and knelt down straight in front of Shen Yao, saying with utmost respect, "Your subject Lan Yunyi pays respects to Princess Yao."
Shen Yao sighed and bent down to help the person up.
"Thank you, Princess." Lan Yunyi smiled slightly.
Shen Yao ignored him. After completing the final step of lifting the veil, she heard the emcee shout, "The ceremony is complete!" Shen Yao breathed a sigh of relief, then, feeling utterly exhausted, returned to her room with Xia Guo's help.
Lan Yunyi did not come along.
The book describes him as vindictive and even more petty than the male protagonist, showing no mercy when it comes to killing enemies or insignificant people.
Perhaps the original owner was left to rot in the wilderness because he was insignificant in Xiliang City and because the rumors of their elopement had severely embarrassed Lan Yunyi.
According to the rules of the Sheng Dynasty, a high-ranking official like him was not required to kneel before the princess. However, from then on, he not only had to kneel and pay his respects to the princess every day, but also had to publicly recite the thousand-word letter of gratitude he had written for the dog emperor.
Add to that the rumors circulating in the city about the princess eloping and that inexplicable "princess" just now.
Furthermore, when he asked the princess to get out of the sedan chair, she hesitated inexplicably...
Shen Yao felt even more troubled.
Just then, Xia Guo walked over and asked softly, "Princess, would you like something to eat?"
Shen Yao shook her head: "Go eat if you're hungry. I'll stay here by myself for a while."
Xia Guo paused for a moment, then said, "I will stay in the courtyard and watch over the princess."
Shen Yao smiled: "Whatever. Oh, by the way, put that Buddhist shrine up there."
The original owner would offer prayers before and after every important and trivial matter. Shen Yao didn't want anyone to notice anything amiss, and she also wanted to find something to do for her current self.
Xia Guo nodded hurriedly, and after setting up the Buddhist shrine, she said, "I recently learned that there is a sacred mountain in the west of Xiliang City, and on the mountain is a temple called Dajue Temple. There is a monk named Chengxin in the temple, who is said to be quite accomplished in Buddhism. However, he is a strange person. I heard that General Lan once brought ten thousand taels of gold but could not even get a glimpse of him."
Shen Yao was helped to walk to the Buddha, where she gently knelt down on the cushion and said, "Ten thousand taels of gold are easy to obtain, and a person who has left home will not care about such worldly things."
What was Lan Yun doing with the monk, and why was he carrying ten thousand taels of gold?
Shen Yao didn't think about it any further. Right now, her most urgent task was probably to find a way to familiarize herself with every blade of grass and tree in Shengchao as soon as possible, so that she could grow up quickly, find a place in Xiliang City, and break free from the constraints of this backyard.
The moment she closed her eyes, she seemed to see the original owner praying to the heavens for blessings before the Buddha again. Then, the memories that had flashed through her dream the night before resurfaced, only this time they were much clearer.
The emperor, with his foolish and ruthless eyes, looked at her and said, "...wait until he drinks this cup of nuptial wine..."
Shen Yao suddenly opened her eyes.
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