The chaos in the front courtyard came to an abrupt halt the moment the words “Imperial Decree has arrived!” rang through the estate.
Sang Deben, who had been roaring moments ago about breaking Sang Wanwan’s legs, instantly fell silent.
It was as if someone had grabbed him by the throat.
The face that had been twisted with rage and pain turned deathly pale.
“W-What’s going on?”
Sang Rourou forgot all about the pain in her neck.
Her eyes widened in terror as she stared at the flood of Imperial Guards pouring into the Marquis’s Manor.
These were no ordinary soldiers.
Each man wore heavy black armor and carried a long halberd.
A chilling aura of bloodshed and discipline surrounded them.
Their movements were perfectly synchronized.
Within moments, they had completely sealed off the entire front courtyard.
Not a single gap remained.
The nobles, royal relatives, and influential officials who had come to celebrate the wedding were all terrified into silence.
No one dared make a sound.
No one knew whether this sudden imperial decree would bring fortune or disaster.
With a thud, Sang Deben collapsed to his knees.
He no longer cared about his missing teeth.
Nor did he care about his swollen face.
Trembling violently, he lowered his head and kowtowed.
“This humble subject, Sang Deben, Marquis Zhen Guo’s State, receives the Imperial Decree!”
“Long live His Majesty! Long live the Emperor!”
Beside him, Sang Rourou also knelt down.
Her body shook like a leaf caught in a storm.
Only Sang Wanwan remained standing.
Not only did she show no intention of kneeling, she was casually examining the armor worn by the Imperial Guards.
She was actually calculating how much silver those suits of armor would fetch if sold.
“Impudent!”
An Imperial Guard commander stepped forward.
His face darkened.
Seeing a commoner refuse to kneel before an imperial decree was enough to warrant execution.
With a sharp metallic hiss, his saber slid halfway out of its scabbard.
The gleaming blade pointed directly at Sang Wanwan.
She didn’t move.
Didn’t flinch.
Didn’t even blink.
She merely looked back at him with an indifferent expression.
At that moment, a eunuch carrying a bright yellow scroll entered under heavy guard.
The man was pale and clean-shaven, with cold, calculating eyes.
A horsetail whisk rested in one hand.
His gaze swept briefly over Sang Wanwan.
He noticed that she was still standing.
Yet he made no attempt to force her to kneel.
In his eyes, she was as good as dead already.
The eunuch cleared his throat.
Then he slowly unfurled the imperial decree.
His sharp voice echoed through the silent manor.
“By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees!”
“Ninth Prince Zongzheng Zhan has betrayed imperial trust, secretly colluded with foreign enemies, and attempted rebellion against the throne. The evidence is conclusive. His crimes are unforgivable!”
“However, in consideration of his past military achievements, We shall spare his life.”
“Effective immediately, all titles and ranks belonging to the Ninth Prince are revoked!”
“His military authority is stripped!”
“All assets and properties belonging to the Ninth Prince’s Residence are hereby confiscated and transferred to the imperial treasury!”
“Zongzheng Zhan and all members of his household shall be exiled to Kuhan Province immediately!”
“They are forbidden from returning to the capital for the rest of their lives!”
“Thus decreed!”
Every sentence struck the crowd like a bolt of lightning.
Rebellion?!
Stripped of rank?
Confiscation of property?
Exile to Kuhan Province?
The entire courtyard gasped.
Kuhan Province.
Everyone knew what kind of place that was.
It was the most remote, barren, and deadly region in the entire Great Yin Dynasty.
Snowstorms raged year-round.
The land was frozen and infertile.
Savage tribes prowled the surrounding wilderness.
Being sent there was no different from receiving a slow death sentence.
No one ever came back alive.
More importantly—
The Ninth Prince had been accused of treason.
Treason!
One of the gravest crimes imaginable.
The Emperor had spared his life, but who knew how far the consequences might spread?
When Sang Deben heard the words “Kuhan Province,” darkness nearly swallowed his vision.
He almost fainted on the spot.
Finished.
Everything was finished.
He had thought marrying off the country girl to a fool would preserve the Marquis’s wealth and status.
He had even planned to swallow the enormous dowry afterward.
Who could have imagined that the fool prince would suddenly be convicted of treason?
This wasn’t a hot potato.
It was an explosive barrel.
And he had practically hugged it to his chest.
Sang Deben reacted with astonishing speed.
Instantly, tears and snot streamed down his face.
He crawled toward the eunuch.
“Eunuch! This is a misunderstanding!”
“This matter has absolutely nothing to do with the Marquis’s Manor!”
Pointing frantically at Sang Wanwan, he looked as though he were pointing at a plague spirit.
“She hasn’t even married yet!”
“The bridal sedan hasn’t left!”
“The wedding ceremony hasn’t happened!”
“She’s not the Ninth Princess Consort!”
“She grew up in the countryside! She has no connection to our family whatsoever!”
“Eunuch, please see clearly! The Marquis’s Manor has always been loyal to His Majesty!”
“We would never harbor rebellious intentions!”
Sang Rourou immediately joined in.
Crying pitifully, she threw responsibility away as fast as she could.
“That’s right, Eunuch!”
“My sister is unruly by nature!”
“She even struck Father just now!”
“How could such an unfilial woman possibly be worthy of becoming the Ninth Princess Consort?”
“Please investigate thoroughly! Don’t let our innocent household suffer because of her!”
The speed at which this father and daughter changed their tune was astonishing.
A moment ago, they had been forcing her into the marriage.
Talking endlessly about the Marquis’s kindness.
Calling it a blessing earned through multiple lifetimes.
Now that disaster had arrived?
They couldn’t wait to throw her away like garbage.
Disgusting.
Absolutely disgusting.
Sang Wanwan watched the farce unfold with a mocking smile.
The eunuch’s eyes filled with contempt as he looked at their ugly display.
With a cold snort, he rolled up the decree.
“Marquis Sang, I don’t quite understand what you’re trying to say.”
Slowly, he withdrew another document from his sleeve.
A document stamped with an official crimson seal.
A marriage contract.
“The Emperor’s decree is not a joke.”
He held up the document.
“The marriage agreement clearly bears Miss Sang’s birth details and thumbprint.”
“From the moment His Majesty issued the decree, she became the legitimate Ninth Princess Consort.”
His cold gaze settled upon Sang Deben.
“What?”
“Are you planning to defy the Imperial Decree?”
Sang Deben shuddered violently.
His forehead struck the ground again and again.
“I wouldn’t dare!”
“This humble subject wouldn’t dare!”
“Please calm your anger, Eunuch!”
At this point, he only wanted one thing.
To get Sang Wanwan out of the Marquis’s Manor as quickly as possible.
If the decree said she was the Ninth Princess Consort, then she was.
Let the disaster leave with her.
The eunuch ignored him.
Turning toward Sang Wanwan, his voice became icy.
“Sang Wanwan.”
“Receive the decree.”
“And come with us.”
Sang Wanwan remained silent.
She didn’t reach for the decree.
Didn’t bow her head.
Didn’t even spare the eunuch a glance.
Instead, she looked at Sang Deben and Sang Rourou.
The father and daughter were visibly relieved.
The joy of narrowly escaping disaster was written all over their faces.
Unable to contain herself, Sang Rourou leaned close and whispered where only the two of them could hear.
“Elder Sister, did you hear that?”
“You’re the wife of a traitor now.”
“Soon you’ll be sent to Kuhan Province to eat wild grass and freeze to death.”
“But don’t worry.”
“When you die there, I’ll burn extra paper money for you.”
Her eyes glittered with undisguised malice and excitement.
“As for Mother’s enormous fortune…”
“And everything in the Marquis’s Manor…”
“I’ll gladly enjoy it all in your place.”
Sang Wanwan tilted her head slightly.
She looked at the twisted expression of triumph on Sang Rourou’s face.
No anger.
No sadness.
Only calm.
An eerie calm.
The kind of calm one might feel while looking at a corpse.
“Is that so?”
Her red lips parted.
Two icy words slipped out.
“We’ll see.”
A chill ran down Sang Rourou’s spine.
Instinctively, she took a step backward.
Something about that gaze frightened her.
How had this country girl become so terrifying?
Before she could think further, the Imperial Guard commander lost his patience.
“What are you waiting for?”
“Take the criminal away!”
With a wave of his hand, two armored guards strode forward.
They grabbed Sang Wanwan roughly and shoved her toward the door.
This time, she didn’t resist.
Fighting the Imperial Guards now would mean confronting the authority of the entire empire.
That wasn’t a smart move.
So she allowed herself to be pushed forward.
As she passed the wreckage of the shattered display shelf, one of the guards shoved her particularly hard.
She stumbled.
Her left hand instinctively reached out for support.
Unfortunately—
Her palm landed on a sharp shard of broken porcelain.
“Hiss…”
A sting shot through her fingertip.
A droplet of bright red blood rolled down her slender finger.
Then it fell.
Directly onto the plain black wooden ring she had always worn on her left index finger.
The moment the blood touched the ring—
It vanished.
Completely absorbed.
As though the ring had swallowed it whole.
A faint blue glow flashed across the dark wooden surface.
So faint that only Sang Wanwan noticed it.
Then—
A crisp mechanical voice suddenly echoed inside her mind.
Ding!
System activation requirements fulfilled.
Binding process initiated…