The Grand Princess’s grand wedding was naturally magnificent. Firecrackers boomed and suonas wailed. The two of them held the red silk ribbon, walking slowly across a red carpet strewn with flower petals. The surrounding crowd was boisterous, filled with guests of high status. Beneath the extreme clamor and liveliness lay a hollow hypocrisy.
Everyone here wore a mask, and the truth and falsehood, smiles and malice hidden beneath those masks were known to no one.
Shen Yu was completely unbothered by this, though a heavy, dark hostility was hidden beneath her brow.
That gaze, it was here again!
No one liked being watched, especially being watched like a prisoner. She held her head straight, lifting her chin slightly while her peripheral vision began scanning the surrounding guests, searching the unobservable, minute, and hidden places.
All of it was exposed completely under Shen Yu’s gaze!
Her obscure gaze swept across everyone present, taking in every subtle expression. The more she looked, the heavier her brow furrowed. This wasn’t right!
Yet she couldn’t see it, she couldn’t see any abnormality at all.
Not far from her, a man in black with dark hair also seemed to notice something unusual. The outer corners of his eyebrows lifted slightly, and his gaze locked onto Shen Yu’s spot.
Was there something a bit strange over there?
Shen Yu, whose five senses were already superior, immediately felt another highly threatening gaze lingering on her.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Good grief, what on earth was going on today?
Why were there so many bizarre things?
Her expression remained unchanged, but she quietly reined in her aura, muttering to herself in her heart:
I couldn’t possibly have been exposed on the very first day, could I!
Fortunately, the dark-haired man seemed to have merely glanced over casually and did not linger for long. As for that other gaze, the very first one, for some unknown reason, it quietly faded into concealment.
However, Shen Yu knew it was still there. There was definitely still another gaze watching her, observing her in silence.
Shen Yu’s heart sank slightly.
Today really is a lively day, huh!
Heh!
If she hadn’t gotten married, she never would have known that this Great Xia was also a place where crouching tigers and hidden dragons resided!
And what about her past life?
Was it like this in her past life too?
If it had been this overwhelming back then, would she have been so lucky as to escape alive!
And if not, then what was the reason for it this time?
Could someone have discovered her abnormality?
No! That’s not right!
A cold glint flashed across Shen Yu’s eyes.
No, there must be something she hadn’t noticed.
She couldn’t help tightening her grip on the red silk ribbon in her hand, a flash of clarity crossing her eyes.
Shen Yu, calm down. Now is not the time to think about this.
She shifted her gaze toward the increasingly close seat of honor.
The Shen family was there, and the Emperor was there!
That was the real main event tonight!
She quieted her mind, taking it step by step.
Accompanied by the suona, firecrackers, commotion, and the matchmaker’s high-pitched chanting, they grew closer and closer.
In the hall of honor, absolute silence reigned. The young man dressed in lavish brocade robes was solemn and dignified, his gaze as cold as an unsheathed blade, adding an oppressive air to this joyous day. If people hadn’t known of the deep devotion and seriousness he held for the Grand Princess, they might have thought he was here to cause trouble.
Shen Shen sat rigidly off to one side, looking as though he desperately wanted to shrink into a crack in the floor, yet forced by the public eye to maintain a facade of dignity and a stiff smile.
Shen Yu looked respectful on the outside, but inwardly she sneered with disdain.
Who would have thought that this Shen family was also so good at putting on a front!
First bow to Heaven and Earth.
Second bow to the high hall.
As her body and gaze shifted up and down, she feigned casualness and caught sight of the dark warning in Shen Shen’s eyes.
Beneath the red bridal veil, Song Shiwei’s silhouette was visible, and she faintly caught sight of Song Shixing on the high platform, his gaze rippling with emotion.
My younger brother has grown up too!
Song Shixing’s gaze was also filled with reluctance, carrying a mix of sorrow and complexity.
At that instant, the four central protagonists of the main hall wore the parting sorrow of newlyweds on the surface, while secretly harboring different intentions, harboring various schemes, and moving with turbulent undercurrents.
Bow to each other.
The matchmaker’s soaring pitch acted like an invisible thread, controlling and directing the two newlyweds. They went through the motions step by step like actors in a grand play, and their sole purpose was to please the high hall above!
The red robes shifted, gold and jade chimed, and the hairpins on her head swayed, making Song Shiwei feel dizzy as well.
With the loud cry of sending them to the bridal chamber, Song Shiwei felt herself being crowded and escorted into what felt like an unseen tiger’s jaw with bared fangs.
As the Imperial son-in-law and the groom, Shen Yu was naturally left behind. She had to represent the bride and put on a facade with everyone here.
Congratulations! Master Shen, oh, no, I should call you Prince Consort now!
A stranger walked up to her, the smile on his face rather deliberate.
Shen Yu twitched the corner of her mouth, and before she could speak, Father Shen suddenly pushed through the crowd, walking up to Shen Yu with the demeanor of an affectionate father!
Official Cheng is too polite!
As he spoke, he returned a toast with a cup of wine.
Hey! Brother Shen, what you’re doing isn’t right! Today is Prince Consort Shen’s day of great joy, how can you have someone else drink for him?
Another unfamiliar person walked over swaying, a malicious look on his face, holding a wine cup in his hand.
With that, he poured a cup of wine and offered it to Shen Yu.
Come! Prince Consort, a toast to you!
Shen Shen forced the corners of his mouth to stretch into a stiff smile, though his fingertips gripping the rim of the cup turned white.
He seemed to want to say something more, but was quickly overwhelmed and pushed down by the surging crowd.
Three layers deep on the inside and three layers deep on the outside, and if you asked about the Emperor?
The Emperor had long since left with the Grand Princess!
Shen Yu was surrounded so tightly not even water could leak through. Feeling around for a cup from goodness knows where, she drank cup after cup, the smile on her face seemingly welded onto her features.
Compliment after compliment, congratulation after congratulation, hidden needles in gentle words here, quiet probings there, the obsequious sycophants, the sneering mockers, the detached onlookers emerged in an endless stream.
Shen Yu could only deal with each challenge as it came, building bridges wherever she met a river, overwhelmed and exhausted.
Meanwhile, Father Shen had long since been squeezed out to the very edge of the crowd!
Watching Shen Yu being mobbed by the crowd, Shen Shen twirled the wine cup in his hand, a meaningful smile curling his lips.
So glorious, is it?
Red candle tears dripped, a crescent moon hung in the night sky, and the noisy crowd did not begin to disperse until the Hour of Hai. Normally, this would be the time for teasing the bridal chamber, but who would dare tease the Grand Princess’s wedding chamber! If anyone frightened that person, who could bear the responsibility.
Shen Yu was also feeling rather listless. She frowned, massaging her brow and letting out an exhausted sigh.
Sigh!
It wasn’t quite drunkenness, but her head felt truly dizzy and heavy.
However, this wedding was not yet over! There was one final step.
She looked toward a nearby maid, who understood immediately.
The construction of the Prince Consort’s mansion had also been done with care, featuring surrounding painted beams and carved rafters, fine silks, pavilions, winding corridors, sparkling ripples, and hazy moonlight.
After a whole day of clamor, it had finally grown quiet.
Involuntarily, she let her mind go blank.
The bedchamber was in the Yikun Pavilion. She walked all the way to the door without a second thought, knocked directly, and stepped in wide strides following a refined enter.
Everything happened so naturally.
So much so that when Shen Yu stood before Song Shiwei, she was completely dazed and at a loss.
Her chaotic brain worked laboriously.
How on earth did she just walk right in here!
Counting on the fact that the Grand Princess couldn’t see, Shen Yu blinked her eyes wide, her innocence and bewilderment magnified and laid bare, while alcohol fumes churned in her brain.
After a long while, looking at the Grand Princess sitting motionless on the bed, Shen Yu finally spoke hesitatingly.
Your Highness, would you like to eat something?
No need. The Prince Consort had better get straight to business.
Song Shiwei’s voice was flat, seeming to maintain that exact tone all day long.
Shen Yu pouted, the alcohol surge hitting her all at once and bringing out a childish streak.
Business? What business?
For a moment, Shen Yu couldn’t quite turn her thoughts around!
She racked her brains, her pretty face wrinkling almost into a flower.
Song Shiwei frowned with slight displeasure, but fortunately her mind was quick. After turning the thought over once, she roughly guessed that Shen Yu must have had too much to drink and was currently not quite sober.
Her first internal reaction was tension, fearing that the other person might do something reckless under the influence of alcohol. Then, seeing her remain motionless for a long time, she pondered for a moment before speaking cautiously:
You are not going to lift the veil?
Her words were soft, as if draped in a layer of temptation, like someone guiding a three- or four-year-old child on how to dress.
Shen Yu was suddenly enlightened, giving her own head a fierce slap as understanding dawned on her face.
Right! I’m going to lift the veil!
With that, she began searching for the Ruyi scepter. True to its name, the Ruyi scepter was made of top-quality mutton-fat jade, its whole body crystal-clear, smooth, and white. In the dim candlelight, it was naturally quite conspicuous, and it didn’t take her much effort to spot it.
With somewhat unsteady steps, she stood before the Grand Princess, holding the Ruyi scepter and measuring for a long time with a conflicted expression, until finally, as if making a firm decision, she put the Ruyi scepter down.
Song Shiwei furrowed her brows, asking with confusion: What is the Prince Consort doing?
Shen Yu tilted her head and mumbled:
I’m shaking too badly, I’m afraid of poking you!
Upon hearing this, Song Shiwei was left momentarily speechless between laughter and tears, genuinely unable to imagine that even lifting a veil could involve so much trouble.
Though she had waited here for half a day and her body was terribly fatigued, she also knew that trying to reason with a drunkard at this moment was pointless.
Therefore, she could only muster her patience, much like coaxing her younger brother when he was little:
Then what does the Prince Consort plan to do?
She opened her mouth, preparing to continue guiding her, but before she could finish, she felt a wave of rich alcohol odor accompanied by a scorching temperature. Just catching a whiff made her feel dizzy, and she couldn’t imagine what state the person herself must be in.
Her heart felt as though it had been tightly clenched by a hand, sparking an inexplicable panic.
She opened her mouth to say something, but seemed to have been robbed of her voice, falling mute.
Her head spun, she was terribly nervous, and she subconsciously tightened her grip on the golden hairpin, one she had prepared early on.
Shen Yu seemed to sense the Grand Princess’s panic as well, and spoke gently to comfort her:
Your Highness, do not be afraid, this subject will not do anything to you, this subject merely wants to…
As she spoke, Song Shiwei’s vision brightened as a face magnified countless times abruptly appeared before her, causing everything else to lose its color.
How truly beautiful!
The two of them thought this simultaneously, staring blankly at each other’s faces in a daze.
Unlike that distant, admiring glance from afar, this kind of close-range, direct view, where one could see the fine downy hair on the other’s face, where their breathing intertwined, and where everything around them seemed to freeze, was entirely different.
Song Shiwei stared at Shen Yu, taking quite a while to find her voice.
Prince Consort…
Barely having finished calling out those two words, her ears grew burning hot, flushing all the way down to her neck, her heart beating wildly.
Your Highness, would you like to eat something? I’ll have the kitchens prepare it.
Shen Yu quickly widened the distance between them, straightening her posture as her voice turned gentle and submissive.
The sudden loss of warmth left Song Shiwei feeling somewhat desolate for a moment. She couldn’t quite describe the sensation, but she didn’t pursue the previous topic either, saying with waning interest:
Some pastries will do, I have no particular dietary restrictions.
Alright, then Your Highness go ahead and bathe first, and I will go instruct the kitchens.
With that, Shen Yu executed a bow and practically fled from the room.
After Shen Yu left, the attendants who had been waiting for a long time filed in to begin serving the Grand Princess with her bath and changing her clothes.
Shen Yu walked briskly down the corridor, feeling utterly mortified in her heart!
How disgraceful!
Clearly, she had already used spiritual energy to dispel the alcohol, so why was she still making such a fool of herself!
Someone who had lived three lifetimes totaling two hundred years, yet still got drunk like a child, Shen Yu felt a wave of embarrassment, her face burning like a fiery cloud.
Fortunately, she hadn’t forgotten the purpose of her outing. Sweeping the area casually with her spiritual vision, she locked onto a direction and strode forward.
And what about the Grand Princess in the other room?
Amidst billowing mist, her slender figure, as white as the brilliant moon in the sky, exuded a cold, distant aura. She had removed her heavy makeup, leaving a hint of sickly pallor. In the oversized bath pool, besides herself, there were only two maids massaging her shoulders and back.
Her body, tense for the entire day, finally relaxed a little at this moment.
Her aching muscles caused her to frown in discomfort. The heat washing over her face, however, failed to taint her otherworldly visage.
It was dead quiet, making the occasional splashing sound of water appear exceptionally vast.
She was thinking, thinking about many things. Thinking of her younger brother, thinking of the Emperor, thinking of the late Emperor, and thinking of the Prince Consort. The exhortations of the past remained vivid before her eyes.
The Prince Consort, Shen Lan, Shen Lan?