Chapter 2

Chapter 2

As the door closed again, Jiang Mo's forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat. She had only been putting on a brave face, truly afraid that one wrong word would bring disaster to her father and younger brother.

For now, this hurdle had been cleared, but marrying into the prince's residence in the future would be the real danger, and life would be like walking on thin ice, not daring to make a single misstep.

Suddenly, the crackling sound of firecrackers came from outside, startling her so much her heart nearly leaped out of her chest. Before she could steady her breath, she saw Hui Qing walk in.

"Miss, the auspicious hour has arrived." As she spoke, she picked up the bridal veil from the side and covered Jiang Mo's head, then supported her forearm.

Instantly, Jiang Mo could only see the red silk and the small area beneath her bowed head. She stepped out of the room in a daze, able to hear the clamor of voices and bursts of firecrackers, but unable to see how magnificent Duke Qingguo's mansion was or what kinds of guests were coming and going.

Amid the sound of gongs and drums, the bridal sedan chair moved slowly forward. She lifted the veil and cautiously parted the curtain a crack, seeing maids on both sides scattering flower petals. Pedestrians stopped in their tracks, whispering among themselves in twos and threes, all expressing admiration and envy.

She looked further back and saw a procession of servants carrying dozens of rosewood chests of dowry. The sound of gongs and drums was incessant, and the ground was covered with flowers—truly a dowry stretching ten miles.

Suddenly, she spotted her father and younger brother hiding among the crowd. Having not seen them for a month, her father seemed to have aged greatly, and her brother was foolishly picking up falling petals, his behavior no different from the children around him.

Her eyes instantly stung, her heart tightened, and a flood of tears welled up, blurring her vision. How she wished she could lift the curtain and shout out loud, but she could only grip a corner of the curtain and steal glances, not daring to open it an inch more.

As she watched her father and brother's figures grow farther and farther away, the hand gripping the curtain began to tremble, and tears streamed like a flood. Even though she tried her utmost to control herself, she could not stop them from falling.

Afraid of ruining her makeup and breaching etiquette, Jiang Mo opened her eyes wide, lifted her head, took a deep breath, and carefully wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with her sleeve.

Though the heartache was unbearable, seeing her father and brother safe and well gave her some comfort.

The bridal sedan chair swayed along Vermilion Bird Street for about an hour, and it was not until dusk that it was set down.

The woman who helped her out of the sedan chair was a matron. Lowering her head, Jiang Mo noticed the matron's embroidered shoes were exquisite, the hem of her skirt was made of fine silk, and at her waist hung a jade plaque engraved with the characters "Kunning" (the name of the Empress's palace).

Jiang Mo knew that Wei Yalan was a noblewoman who had attended palace banquets, so she naturally had to be familiar with the people and affairs of the palace. She guessed that this matron was a nanny from the Empress's side. Looking at the people standing on both sides, the styles of their skirts and shoes clearly identified them as palace maids and eunuchs.

From what she had known before and seen today, Jiang Mo understood something of the current situation.

The Ninth Prince, Chen Yingchou, was born to Consort Rong. Unfortunately, Consort Rong was ill-fated; she passed away when the Ninth Prince was three years old. From then on, the Ninth Prince was raised under the care of the Empress.

The Empress had suffered a miscarriage with her first child and had no children for many years, so she treated the Ninth Prince as her own, diligently teaching him. The Ninth Prince did not disappoint the Empress's hopes. He gradually grew into a gentle, modest, upright, and courteous gentleman, surpassing all the other princes in both literary and martial arts.

From the Ninth Prince's birth, the Emperor intended to make him the Crown Prince, teaching him carefully and holding him in high regard. He had planned to designate the Ninth Prince as the Crown Prince upon his return from the campaign, install him in the Eastern Palace, and then have him marry the legitimate daughter of Duke Qingguo as the Crown Princess, to stabilize the court and secure the state.

Unexpectedly, the Ninth Prince returned from the campaign severely wounded and blind. The matter of appointing an heir was shelved, and the political situation changed drastically overnight.

However, the imperial edict granting the marriage was issued before the campaign, and the three letters and six rites had already been completed, so this marriage was irrevocable.

The wedding ceremony, which should have been held in the imperial palace with the Emperor and Empress personally witnessing it, was reportedly held at the prince's mansion outside the palace at the Ninth Prince's own request.

But outsiders, unaware of the reason, only thought that the Ninth Prince had lost the Emperor's favor, and there was much gossip.

Presumably, the Empress did not want the Ninth Prince to suffer any grievance, so she sent palace maids from Kunning Palace to handle the wedding ceremony.

At this moment, the nanny serving the Empress personally helped her out of the sedan chair, not only giving Duke Qingguo face but also making it known to everyone that no matter what happened to the Ninth Prince, he was still the Empress's beloved son, with an incomparable place in her heart, and must never be looked down upon.

Facing the old matron from Kunning Palace, Jiang Mo was afraid of any impropriety in her behavior. She concentrated, following the rules, carefully stepping over the brazier, crossing the saddle, bowing to Heaven and Earth, and finally entering the bridal chamber.

"Princess Consort, please wait a moment. His Highness should arrive in about the time it takes to burn one incense stick," the old matron said respectfully, with a gentle tone, which eased Jiang Mo's tension a little.

She sat on the bridal bed, loosened her tightly clutched dress, and nodded slightly. The jade beads hanging from the bridal veil swayed, making a soft clinking sound.

When the jade beads stopped moving, the room fell silent. The old matron and the palace maids standing beside her said nothing.

Suddenly, someone hurried in, speaking urgently, "Matron, someone from the palace has come to announce an imperial edict!"

Hearing the commotion, the old matron glanced at Jiang Mo, said nothing, and went around the screen to the outer room.

Jiang Mo's heart inevitably tightened, and an unknown fear enveloped her.

When she heard the old matron's voice again, it was only the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, but it felt like several hours had passed.

"Congratulations, Princess Consort. His Majesty has just issued an edict, conferring upon His Highness the title of Prince Yu."

She should have thought of it earlier. According to the dynasty's practice, princes were granted the title of prince and given their own residence after coming of age. The Ninth Prince had come of age before the campaign, but on that day, the Emperor did not issue an edict to grant him a princely title; he only allowed him to establish a residence outside the palace. The meaning was clear: he was only waiting for the Ninth Prince to return triumphantly to appoint him Crown Prince.

Now, with the position of Crown Prince far out of reach, and the Ninth Prince about to marry a principal wife to produce legitimate heirs for the imperial family, according to ancestral tradition, it was time that he had to be made a prince.

"Princess Consort, I imagine the prince will inevitably need to linger a while longer in the front hall. Please wait a bit longer."

"Alright."

Jiang Mo remained motionless under the bridal veil, not daring to move. She didn't know how long had passed until her body was nearly stiff. Then came the voice of a maid at the door: "Prince."

It was Prince Yu who had arrived. Jiang Mo's heart pounded wildly. She clutched her dress tightly, listening to the sound of the door opening and closing.

The footsteps grew closer, one light and one heavy, one ahead and one behind. It seemed someone was supporting Prince Yu as he moved.

Her grip on the dress tightened further.

The old matron said, "Prince, please use the joy stick to lift the princess consort's red veil. From now on, all wishes shall be fulfilled."

Through the red silk, Jiang Mo could vaguely see a lifting rod coming before her. The next moment, the veil was lifted, and the red in her eyes became brighter.

Her downcast eyes could see the black cloud-pattern boots she had seen during the wedding ceremony, and the edge of a red brocade robe embroidered with gold-thread python patterns.

"Prince, Princess Consort, please drink the nuptial wine, and from now on live in harmony." The old matron then said.

She dared not lift her head. Even though she had been taught for a month and had rehearsed this night countless times in her mind, when faced with the reality, she was still timid.

The bed beside her sank slightly. In her peripheral vision, she saw a eunuch handing a wine cup to Prince Yu. According to the ritual, she should also pick up the wine cup from the tray.

She had no choice but to lift her head and face it.

As she looked up, a fleeting vision entered her sight.

Under the red candles, a man with an upright and dignified posture, his eyes covered by a red veil, came into view. His face was pale and gaunt, the shadows under the red veil just right, like mountain reflections or thin clouds lightly shining. His lips were thin and pale red, full.

Leisurely like mountain water, fair like the moon among clouds. His entire being seemed sheathed in a layer of thin ice—cold and elegant, aloof and noble, unfamiliar and distant.

"Princess Consort, it's time to pick up the wine cup," the matron reminded quietly. Only then did Jiang Mo realize her impropriety and quickly picked up the cup.

"Drink the nuptial wine together," the matron continued.

Prince Yu's expression was calm, without any emotion, like a puppet on strings. He leaned forward slightly and extended his arm a little, ready to drink the nuptial wine.

She also leaned forward, bringing her wine cup around Prince Yu's arm.

When her sleeve brushed against Prince Yu's hand, she felt his hand holding the cup shrink back slightly—almost imperceptibly—as if feeling it improper, then he extended it forward again, brought the cup to his lips, paused for a moment, and drained it in one gulp.

Jiang Mo was puzzled. Wasn't it said that Prince Yu loved Wei Yalan? Why, on this wedding night, was there no joy, but instead a sense of distance?

She had no time to dwell. According to custom, Jiang Mo drank the nuptial wine as well.

While drinking, she could sense Prince Yu's presence. Since she had never been this close to a man before, she felt a bit awkward, but she knew that since she was now Wei Yalan, this man was her husband, and after the nuptial wine, closer contact was inevitable. For the sake of her own and her family's lives, she had to play the part of Princess Yu well.

Before the serving eunuch could take the cups from them, she took the cup from Prince Yu's hand and placed it together with her own on the tray.

Seeing this, Nanny Wang nodded at her with satisfaction.

At this point, the ceremony was complete. Prince Yu, Chen Yingchou, said, "Nanny Wang, you have worked hard today. Take the palace maids and eunuchs back to the palace. Tomorrow morning, I will bring the princess to the palace to pay respects to the Emperor and Empress."

His tone was steady, calm yet authoritative.

Nanny Wang nodded in acknowledgment and withdrew with the palace attendants.

The winter wind could not penetrate the warm windows, and the hustle and bustle of the day could not reach the quiet night.

The red candles flickered, the charcoal fire crackled, incense smoke rose from the burner, and the wedding dress shimmered.

The room was silent; Jiang Mo could only hear her own racing heartbeat.

The wedding night, of course, involved the consummation. Hui Qing had also taught her how to attend to her husband. At that moment, she was supposed to undress Prince Yu, but her body seemed frozen, her mouth sewn shut; she could neither lift her hand nor speak.

No matter how reluctant, she could not fail in etiquette.

She gritted her teeth, clenched her fists, and blushed, mustering the courage to say, "I, your humble wife, will attend to you, Your Highness, and help you rest."

Chen Yingchou did not respond. Instead, he supported himself against the bed and slowly stood up, took two steps forward, turned around, and said in a flat, straightforward tone, "My injuries haven't healed yet. I'm not in a position to consummate the marriage."

Jiang Mo was taken aback. She had thought she couldn't avoid it tonight, but unexpectedly there was this turn of events.

As she breathed a sigh of relief, she also realized the rumors were wrong. Prince Yu had returned from the campaign three months ago, and except for his eyes, his other injuries had fully recovered. Using this as an excuse showed that he simply didn't want to be intimate with her.

Moreover, Prince Yu's attitude toward her was cold. Even when drinking the nuptial wine, he had cooperated mechanically. If he were reluctant to face his beloved while blind, his emotions shouldn't be so calm and peaceful; there should be some turmoil. Even if he wanted to hide his feelings, he had concealed them too well.

Could it be that Prince Yu had never actually loved Wei Yalan?

"I shall follow Your Highness's wishes," Jiang Mo said, her tone revealing relief from the tension.

Chen Yingchou's brow furrowed slightly. The red silk covering his eyes moved a little, and his lips parted as if swallowing some words. His Adam's apple bobbed, but he made no sound.

After a moment of silence, he summoned, "Qiao Yun."

A eunuch entered the room.

Hearing the footsteps, Chen Yingchou said, "Help me back to the main courtyard."

Qiao Yun glanced at Jiang Mo, bowed in greeting, and stepped forward to support Chen Yingchou.

Hui Qing, who had been waiting outside, stepped in after Chen Yingchou left and closed the door.

"What just happened? Why did His Highness leave?"

After a month of dealing with Hui Qing, Jiang Mo had grown accustomed to her questioning in this manner—seemingly respectful yet actually contemptuous.

Taking off the heavy crown and placing it on the side table, Jiang Mo poured herself a cup of tea.

She did not want to engage with Hui Qing, but reason told her that she not only had to engage but also answer properly.

The tea had already cooled. She took a small sip and smiled at Hui Qing. "After the ceremony was complete, His Highness called for someone. I don't know the reason either."

Hui Qing frowned and thought for a moment. She had been waiting outside the room; the palace attendants had been out for less than a cup of tea's time before Prince Yu called for someone, and the room had been quiet. So she supposed it was the truth.

Jiang Mo glanced at the faint figure silhouetted in the doorway and said loudly in the direction of the door, "Hui Qing, you are tired today. Go and rest."

Hui Qing looked back and understood Jiang Mo's intention.

The princess needed attendants to help her rest. But she served the noble legitimate daughter of the marquis's manor, not this impostor.

She hadn't served during the instruction period before, and she wouldn't do so afterward either.

Hui Qing turned and opened the door. She looked at the four maids waiting outside and casually pointed at two of them. "You two, go in and help Her Highness prepare for bed."

Author's note:

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