Now that she had left the Lin Yue Palace, there was no need to endure anything anymore.
“You should address me as Princess Consort. You don’t even understand such basic rules? It seems the Empress taught you poorly—looks like I’ll have to discipline you myself.”
A trace of panic rose in Cui’er’s heart.
Why did the Third Princess suddenly seem like a completely different person?
She used to be easy to bully—now she was impossible to control.
Wen Jinhe turned to Murong Nie and commanded coldly,
“Drag her out and give her fifty strokes of the rod. Tie her behind a horse and let her follow the caravan. There’s no need for her to serve me anymore.”
Whatever irritation Murong Nie had been harboring vanished the moment Wen Jinhe lashed out at Cui’er.
He stared at Wen Jinhe in surprise.
With just a few words, she severely punished her personal maid.
This Third Princess’s temperament was far more unpredictable than he had imagined.
That night, everyone in the bridal escort heard Cui’er’s screams—including the guards escorting the dowry.
They were all people arranged by the Emperor and the Empress.
The next day, as they resumed their journey, Wen Jinhe lifted the carriage curtain and glanced at Cui’er, whose hair was messy, whose body was tied with ropes, forced to walk behind the carriage.
None of these people from Lin Yue could remain.
There were many spies among them—each one a potential threat.
Riding beside the carriage, Murong Nie felt uneasy as he watched Wen Jinhe’s face full of murderous intent.
According to the information they had gathered, this Princess Consort was extremely unloved in Lin Yue—raised in the Cold Palace since childhood.
She was only taken out to be “used” because of the political marriage.
They had assumed she would be a timid, sheltered girl who had seen nothing of the world.
But now… it seemed she had merely been hiding her strength.
Her decisiveness and ruthlessness surpassed even that of men.
Wen Jinhe looked at Murong Nie and asked,
“What is your name? What position do you hold in the Beidi Kingdom?”
In her dream, the vision stopped after she was shoved into the bridal sedan.
Until now, she still didn’t know whom she was marrying.
Murong Nie replied,
“This humble one is called Murong Nie, a Du Wei (Captain) under the command of His Highness the Second Prince, Li Juntche.”
Wen Jinhe nodded.
So the one she was marrying was Li Juntche.
Traveling by carriage from Lin Yue to Beidi required an entire month.
Wen Jinhe took out anti-motion-sickness medicine from her space and swallowed it—otherwise she would vomit the entire way.
After entering the borders of Beidi, Murong Nie spoke:
“That maid named Cui’er… she won’t last much longer.”
Wen Jinhe lifted the curtain, looked directly at him, and said calmly,
“The journey for a diplomatic bride is long. It’s normal for one or two people to die along the way. Once we enter the Prince’s Manor, it’s not as if we’ll lack maids.”
Her meaning was perfectly clear:
If Cui’er dies, so be it. No need to care.
Murong Nie bowed his head.
“It was presumptuous of me to speak.”
At noon the next day, Cui’er stumbled, fell, and after being dragged by horseback for two full li, she stopped breathing.
Murong Nie ordered her corpse thrown by the roadside to be eaten by wild beasts.
Half a month later, the escort team arrived at the Beidi capital.
Wearing a bright red wedding gown, Wen Jinhe was led by Li Juntche across the main gate of the Prince’s Manor.
After completing the wedding rites, she was sent into the bridal chamber.
An hour later, loud chatter erupted outside.
Then, the bridal chamber door was pushed open from the outside.
“Second Brother, I heard that the women of Lin Yue are all peerless beauties. I wonder what our new sister-in-law looks like? Hurry up and lift the red veil so we can take a look,” the speaker said with a teasing, slightly frivolous tone.
Li Juntche did not reply. He simply picked up the scale rod and lifted the bridal veil.
Wen Jinhe raised her head—her eyes flickering with a trace of admiration.
She hadn’t expected Li Juntche to be this handsome.
His eyes were deep black, his brows sharp like blades, his nose tall, his lips pale and thin, his shoulders broad and waist narrow…
Just looking at him was a pleasure to the eyes.
Everyone present stared at Wen Jinhe—her lips curved ever so slightly as she sent a flirtatious glance toward Li Juntche—and they were inwardly shaken.
She truly possessed beauty capable of toppling a kingdom.
Standing beside Li Juntche, the two were an exceptionally stunning pair.
Li Juntche turned around and said to the crowd,
“You’ve all seen the bride. Leave.”
Li Zhilin stared at Wen Jinhe’s delicate, lotus-like face.
His heart stirred restlessly.
Had he known the diplomatic princess was this beautiful, he would have petitioned to take her as his own concubine instead.
Once everyone left, the bridal chamber grew completely silent.
The two of them looked at one another without speaking.
After a long moment, Li Juntche finally said,
“For all matters within the Prince’s Manor, you may consult Butler Li. As long as you behave, this prince will not make things difficult for you.”
Wen Jinhe smiled, her eyes curved as she adjusted her wide sleeves.
She stood and leaned in close to Li Juntche, lips tilted upward:
“And matters of consummation—can I look for Butler Li for those as well?”
A legitimate husband this handsome, yet out of reach—what a waste.
A flicker of surprise appeared in Li Juntche’s dark eyes.
He lifted Wen Jinhe’s small chin with his finger, lips curving faintly:
“You are beautiful, indeed… but not to this prince’s taste.”
Watching him open the door and leave, Wen Jinhe let out a soft laugh.
All the banquet guests had already departed from the manor.
In the study, Li Juntche sat upright in his chair.
A cup of bitter tea rested on his desk.
“Did the Princess Consort behave unusually on the way here?”
Murong Nie reported,
“The Princess Consort is not easy to provoke. The personal maid given to her by Lin Yue’s Empress was punished with fifty strokes on the very first night. She was tied and made to walk barefoot behind the caravan for fifteen days and eventually died of exhaustion.”
Li Juntche sipped his bitter tea.
The image of those smiling eyes from earlier surfaced in his mind.
“A political marriage is merely a temporary measure. Naturally, Lin Yue would never send a favored princess. But this Third Princess’s nature… is rather different from what this prince expected.”
Wen Jinhe removed her phoenix coronet, opened the door, and said to the guard outside,
“Have Butler Li arrange two maids for this Princess Consort.”
“Yes.”
The guard bowed and hurried off.
Not long after, an elderly man with white hair arrived at the bridal chamber with two maids. He knocked.
“Come in,” Wen Jinhe’s voice called from inside.
Butler Li pushed the door open, glanced at her, then bowed.
“Princess Consort, these are Manqiu and Mandong.”
Wen Jinhe, still draped in red silk and with her makeup yet to be removed, said,
“Thank you, Butler Li. Leave the girls and you may go.”
The women of Beidi were indeed sturdier in appearance.
“Come—help me remove my makeup.”
After washing and bathing, Wen Jinhe lay on the bridal bed covered with red brocade.
After a month of traveling through wind and rain, the moment her head touched the pillow, she fell asleep in an instant.
By the time the sky was beginning to lighten the next morning, at half past the Mao hour, Manqiu and Mandong entered carrying washing supplies.
They lifted the bed curtain and called,
“Princess Consort, it is time to rise. Today you must enter the palace to greet the Emperor and Empress. Please don’t miss the appointed time.”
Wen Jinhe opened her eyes and sat up, letting them serve her.
The sky outside was only beginning to brighten. Her stomach growled slightly.
“Bring breakfast.”
Mandong quietly reminded,
“Princess Consort, the palace will serve breakfast.”
Wen Jinhe frowned at the hazy reflection in the mirror, unable to see clearly.
“What is there to eat in the palace? Likely just lectures. Tell the kitchen to bring breakfast—I need something to fill my stomach first.”
Mandong curtsied.
“Yes.”
After her hair and makeup were finished, Wen Jinhe frowned at the plain hairstyle reflected in the mirror.