"Miss Yuan, this is the wedding dress that the Madam sent for you. Please try it on quickly. If it doesn't fit, we'll have the embroiderers make adjustments right away."
Yuan Wanru looked at the stunningly beautiful wedding dress before her and remained silent.
Two days prior, with Lu Song's final word, she and Lu Jiangnian had no choice but to reluctantly agree to the marriage, bound by their parents' command and the matchmaker's word.
With her father Yuan Chuan's dying wish, Yuan Wanru couldn't refuse this marriage no matter how strong her reasons might be.
Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that this so-called betrothal was rather strange.
Why had the Lu family never once mentioned over all these years that she and Lu Jiangnian were betrothed?
"The young lady is simply dazzled. The Madam truly is remarkable—she managed to have such a beautiful wedding dress made in just two days. I've never seen such a lovely gown before. Young lady, why don't you go try it on?"
Nanny Pang noticed Yuan Wanru staring blankly at the dress and couldn't help but remind her.
Yuan Wanru snapped back to attention and looked seriously at the radiant wedding dress before her, letting out an involuntary sigh of admiration. It was indeed extraordinarily beautiful.
Against the vivid vermilion fabric, distinct golden threads wove through the material. Even just lying there quietly, it seemed to shimmer with flowing gold light. Once worn, it would be even more dazzling and brilliant.
The dress was adorned with over a hundred pearls—round, lustrous, and perfectly matched. The collar was embroidered with intricate patterns in multicolored silk thread, while the hem featured auspicious cloud motifs outlined in gold and silver thread, accented with inlaid rubies. It sparkled and gleamed with resplendent radiance.
Yuan Wanru couldn't help but reach out to touch it. The fabric was silky and smooth, with an excellent feel.
However, she recalled a plot point from the book concerning this wedding dress.
This gown had been made when Wang Min brought out her prized Jiaoyun silk—her most treasured fabric—and spent a fortune hiring over a hundred embroiderers from the capital, who worked day and night to complete it.
Wang Min truly doted on Yuan Wanru.
Unfortunately, this wedding dress would be destroyed by someone.
The book didn't even reveal who the culprit was.
Such a beautiful dress—what a pity if it were ruined…
After trying on the wedding dress, Yuan Wanru had it placed in the eastern chamber of Momei Pavilion, then set out with Liuyan.
Since Wang Min had gone to such trouble to prepare the wedding dress for her, she ought to go express her gratitude.
In the blazing summer heat, the flora of the Lu estate thrived with vitality. Not far away, the lotus pond rippled with green waves, crimson lotuses blooming brilliantly, their fragrance wafting through the air. Walking along the covered corridor was a pleasant and leisurely experience.
Turning a corner, she came upon an octagonal pavilion where the Second Miss Lu Yun and Third Miss Lu Miao were seated.
Lu Miao greeted her politely: "Sister Yuan, where are you off to?"
Lu Yun, contrary to her usual behavior, tossed her head arrogantly and ignored Yuan Wanru entirely.
"I'm bringing some pastries to Aunt Min."
Yuan Wanru paid no mind to Lu Yun's attitude.
Hearing this, Lu Yun looked over with a sneer: "You still have the nerve to show your face. If I were you, I'd be so ashamed I'd shut myself indoors and never see anyone again."
"What have I done that I should be ashamed to show my face?"
Yuan Wanru smiled sweetly, looking at Lu Yun with genuine curiosity.
Lu Yun had a quick temper and a straightforward nature—she couldn't hold back a single word. Despite Lu Miao tugging at her and shaking her head desperately, Lu Yun still demanded loudly: "Do you think no one knows that you jumped into the water to force Big Brother into marrying you?"
"The Lu family has raised you for so many years, and this is how you repay us!"
"Mother treats you better than she treats us, and yet you scheme against her most cherished son. Yuan Wanru, you're nothing but an ungrateful wolf!"
Yuan Wanru's smiling face remained completely unchanged as she calmly spoke:
"Yun'er, what makes you say such a thing? Your eldest brother and I have been betrothed for a long time—Uncle Lu himself told me so. How can you speak of forcing a marriage?"
Lu Yun gritted her teeth in anger: "You still won't admit it?"
"This matter has spread all over the household—even outsiders know about it. How dare you deny it?"
"Using such tactics to become the eldest daughter-in-law of the Lu family is utterly disgraceful. I was wrong about you all this time."
Yuan Wanru's face turned serious, and she was about to speak when she noticed a figure approaching from ahead.
The man was tall and slender, with an upright bearing and steady footsteps. His lips were pressed tightly together, carrying an air of stern resolve. Clad in black robes with a jade belt, he exuded an aura of cool elegance.
His sharp eyes swept over Yuan Wanru, his steps faltering briefly before resuming their unhurried pace.
As he drew nearer, he gave a simple nod to Lu Yun and Lu Miao, clearly intending neither to speak nor to stop.
Yuan Wanru, who had been completely ignored by him, blocked his path.
In his memory, this young woman had always been quiet and unassuming, with little presence. Now she stood beneath the hibiscus tree, gazing up at him.
Today she wore a dark-patterned purple gauze gown, the silk sash at her waist cinching it to reveal a slender figure. Her face bore not a trace of powder—clean and smooth as if it might break at a touch. Her bright, limpid eyes seemed capable of speech.
"Move aside."
The cold words carried an unyielding command.
Lu Yun shrank back slightly. Though she admired her eldest brother, she also held him in great awe.
Her brother was clearly in a bad mood—how dare Yuan Wanru block his way?
Yuan Wanru was polite and courteous, meeting his intimidating gaze: "Brother Lu, I only just heard from Yun'er that there are rumors outside claiming you agreed to marry me only because I fell into the water and forced you into it."
Lu Jiangnian stared at her without blinking, obvious mockery in his eyes—wasn't that the case?
"How ridiculous. Brother Lu is a young hero with a fearsome reputation—how could I possibly coerce you?"
"The reason we married is simply because my father and Uncle Lu had already arranged a betrothal between us long ago."
Yuan Wanru wanted to nip this slander in the bud early, so that this lifetime might not follow the same path as her predecessor's.
"Oh, what does that have to do with me?"
Their eyes met, and in his handsome, cool features was the snow of deep winter, carrying an unthawable chill.
He suddenly leaned close to Yuan Wanru, murmuring by her ear: "I will marry you out of obedience to my father, but I will never acknowledge you as my wife."
"Yuan Wanru, if you scheme against me, you must bear the consequences."
Yuan Wanru was Yuan Chuan's orphaned daughter, and they had been seen in an intimate situation in front of everyone. Given his father's temperament, forcing him to marry her was hardly surprising.
As for the betrothal—it was merely a lie his parents had concocted to save Yuan Wanru's face.
His tone was cold and sinister, sending an involuntary chill through Yuan Wanru.
But what did it matter whether he acknowledged her or not?
She had never intended to become his true wife anyway. Once he fell for the female lead, he would naturally go to great lengths to dissolve this marriage.
When that time came, he would be the one at fault, and she would simply take the divorce agreement and live her life in peace.
With her thoughts settled, Yuan Wanru calmed down.
Yuan Wanru broke into a radiant smile, her eyes shimmering with light, and rose on her tiptoes to whisper by his ear: "It's fine if Brother Lu doesn't clarify things—I'm not the only one who'll be troubled."
"Brother Lu is a dragon among men; countless women wish to get close to you."
"So it turns out that the Young Marquis, rumored to be indifferent to women with a heart of iron, would also compromise and marry to save someone."
"Where there's a first, there's a second. From now on, whenever you go out, you'll likely encounter a young woman falling into the water within a few steps. Brother Lu will have plenty to keep him busy."
At the thought of the scene she described, Lu Jiangnian's face immediately darkened.
But Yuan Wanru wasn't done: "I imagine I'll soon have several new sisters—how lively that will be."