She is the woman who will marry the emperor and become his empress in the future.
Thus, the Su family, despite holding the title of maternal relatives, were unable to hold official positions.
Meanwhile, Maggie's brother from her maternal family continued to rise in rank, amass wealth, and enjoy high favor.
Su Wanwan was so frustrated she was about to go crazy.
It felt like someone had schemed against me to the bone.
That bastard, how dare he take advantage of her and the Su family like this!
Lu Xingjian's so-called "marriage proposal" was actually a ploy by Xiang Zhuang to target Liu Bang!
This firmly pinned the Su family to the position of maternal relatives, preventing them from ever rising again.
From beginning to end, all he wanted was Maggie and her capable brother from her maternal family!
On the contrary, she was foolishly used by him, fell out with her father, and ended up doing all the work for someone else.
In the days that followed, Su Wanwan had a "what's the use" attitude and didn't care about anything anymore.
I no longer want to care about what's happening outside.
The house was becoming more and more lively, with many people coming and going, all of whom were received by Su Nan and Su Wanying.
Su Wanwan locked herself in her room and refused to see anyone.
Su Wanying had spoken to her a few times, and said with a smile, "I've come today to ask for your name and betrothal."
Nacai is the process where the groom's family sends a matchmaker to the bride's family to propose marriage. After the bride's family agrees to discuss marriage, the groom's family prepares gifts and goes to propose.
Asking the name is when the groom's family asks the matchmaker to inquire about the bride's name and date of birth.
Next comes the "Naji" ceremony, where the man retrieves the woman's name and birth date and time, and then performs divination at the ancestral temple.
Su Wanwan turned over to face the inside of the bed and covered her ears to indicate that she was not going to listen.
Su Wanying covered her mouth and laughed: "Let's see how the gossip will spread now."
Once Najib's name is chosen, the choice of queen is set and there's no escaping it. Let's see how Maggie can continue to spread rumors.
Su Wanwan, however, held no hope whatsoever.
What kind of evil things wouldn't Lu Xingjian, that black-hearted bastard, do?
In the past few months, who in the imperial court and the harem has dared to oppose him?
What's so strange about a "substitution"?
When Madam Yu came to see Su Wanwan, she was a little upset to see her indifferent attitude.
Try to say nice things.
"The Ministry of Justice has been very busy lately. They say there will be a general amnesty for the Emperor's wedding, so many long-delayed cases are being expedited. The families of convicted officials are spending money like crazy to get their cases tried ahead of schedule."
Su Wanwan's ears twitched slightly.
Oh.
Lu Xingjian has added another way to make money.
He's such a clever little devil.
They probably won't risk being criticized again by demanding money from the Imperial Treasury and the Imperial Stud.
Seeing that Su Wanwan had no female elders to help her, and that the Su family was quiet and deserted, not at all like a wedding celebration, Madam Yu couldn't help but offer some advice.
"After getting married, things are different from living in your parents' home. You still have to be careful in everything you do. But now you're married into a different family than the Duke of Wei's mansion back then. You can't even get a divorce now."
"Yes, I know."
Su Wanwan forced a smile as she dealt with the situation.
I thought to myself, it's still uncertain how this marriage will ultimately turn out.
Before long, it was early February. Su Wanwan's stepmother, Yang, also came from her hometown of Luoyang, bringing Su Wanwan's half-brother, Su Chengsi.
The betrothal gifts were delivered on the third day of the lunar new year, and the wedding date was set hastily for the sixth day.
Yang's temples twitched as she watched that no one except Wan Ying seemed to care about the marriage.
However, after inquiring around, it seemed there was nothing she could do.
There's not even a need to prepare a wedding dress or veil.
The wedding gown and the nine-dragon, four-phoenix crown worn on the wedding day were delivered by palace ladies-in-waiting.
All other items were included in the betrothal gifts.
Many people came to add to the box, but Su Wanwan didn't see any of them; they were all received by Madam Yang and Wanying.
On the morning of the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, the streets around Sujia were packed with people, yet everything was orderly.
Since the wedding was held in the evening, there was plenty of time.
Su Wanwan slept in as usual.
He completely ignored the cautious looks on his family's faces.
She had actually been awake for a while, but didn't want to get out of bed.
Just as I was closing my eyes and letting my mind wander, someone pinched my nose, making it hard for me to breathe.
Su Wanwan had no choice but to open her eyes.
Sitting by the bed was Lu Xingjian, whom I hadn't seen for some time.
He was dressed very formally, wearing a dark robe embroidered with the twelve symbols and a crown with twelve tassels.
His expression was cold and serious, without a trace of a smile.
"get up."
Su Wan sat up, her face stern, and asked, "What is it?"
They hadn't been in contact since their last falling out, and this was their first meeting.
"Take a bath and change clothes."
Lu Xingjian's voice was a little cold.
Su Wanwan simply said, "Aren't you going to marry Maggie?"
Lu Xingjian glanced at her: "I can't marry her."
"The book and its treasures are all in your name."
Su Wanwan looked at him with a serious expression.
Lu Xingjian met her gaze, his eyes calm and unfathomable.
There's no going back or room for maneuver now that things have come to this point.
Su Wanwan had no choice but to get up, take a bath, and get dressed.
In reality, from the moment the imperial edict was issued, there was no room for maneuver.
The eyes of the masses are discerning.
Su Nan has only one daughter, Su Wanwan; this is an undeniable fact.
She was just gambling.
They bet he would break free of constraints for Maggie, subvert public opinion, and suppress the overwhelming public outcry.
That shows he truly loves Maggie.
The current situation is disheartening.
They went through with this marriage that neither of them wanted, neither of them was willing to go through with it.
The nanny who did her hair and makeup was a female official from the palace. The whole process was dignified, solemn, and quiet.
The empress's robe was first decorated with twelve-tiered pheasant patterns, originating in the Northern Zhou Dynasty, corresponding to the arrangement of the twelve symbols on the emperor's crown robe.
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