In the book, Zhao Shen was the elder brother of the male protagonist, Zhao Heng. He was the successor whom the Changxing Hou had devoted all his efforts to cultivate, and he was the youngest Tanhua Lang in Daxia.
He was a man of noble and bright character, possessing talent that was unrivaled in the world.
Before his accident, he was the most prestigious young noble in the capital.
Even later, when Zhao Heng’s career was smooth and he was basking in glory, a deep-seated jealousy for this early-deceased elder brother remained hidden in the depths of his heart.
Thinking of these regrets, Ji Yunshu sighed. “I know you are feeling aggrieved on my behalf, Mama, but the one who wronged me was the Second Young Master. I was the one who proposed marrying the Shizi, and the Shizi has done nothing wrong from beginning to end. In fact, under these circumstances, the fact that he is still willing to marry me shows that he is truly broad-minded.”
Back then, they had looked down on him for his broken legs and swapped the marriage. Now that trouble had arisen, they wanted to swap it back.
Zhao Shen was also a favored son of heaven; why should he be picked over and discarded like this?
Mama Li also realized she had misspoken. Moreover, everything was already a settled matter; a servant like her had no right to question her master’s decision.
Furthermore, she faintly felt that the Young Miss today seemed a bit different from usual. Although the Young Miss had always been headstrong, she had, after all, been pampered since childhood. Having never faced any real hardship, she had lacked this kind of calm steadiness in the face of crisis.
However, she figured that since the Young Miss was getting married, it was a good thing for her temperament to become more stable.
Seeing Ji Yunshu’s calm and composed manner, her heart also began to settle.
“It was my big mouth. You have had an engagement with the Shizi since you were small, Young Miss. Although there were some twists and turns, it has ultimately resulted in a marriage. It seems the two of you were truly destined to be husband and wife.”
Ji Yunshu smiled. “You are right, Mama.”
If one looked closely, wasn’t it a kind of fate that she had traveled into this book and chosen to marry Zhao Shen just to avoid a tragic death?
As they were talking, Lürü walked in carrying a food box. “The main kitchen has prepared a lot of food for the banquet. I had them use some ready-made chicken soup to cook some noodles, and I also picked out a few side dishes that you usually like, Young Miss.”
Ji Yunshu’s stomach had long been stuck to her back from hunger. she finished the bowl of noodles in one go, not even leaving a drop of soup, before she felt like she had come back to life.
Thinking that the people serving her had also been busy all day and were likely even more tired than she was, she said, “There’s nothing else for me here. You all go and rest.”
Mama Li hesitated for a moment but eventually voiced her concern. “This… the groom hasn’t come yet. Could it be that he has some objections to this marriage?”
Ji Yunshu had actually thought of this possibility. Even a clay man would have some temper; just because she said she would marry, did he have to agree to take her?
But she had already made up her mind—even if she had to be a nuisance, she would stick to Zhao Shen.
Anyway, he wouldn’t live much longer. What did it matter if he had one more wife?
So, she said righteously, “If there were any objections, the Marquis would have sent someone to notify us long ago. Is it possible that the Changxing Houfu could return me after tonight?”
Mama Li felt that she made sense and could only say, “Then something must have delayed him. Should we send someone to ask?”
Ji Yunshu shook her head. “Today wasn’t originally the Shizi’s wedding. To be suddenly pulled out to be the groom, he surely needs time to prepare. Don’t worry, you all go and get some good rest. We’ll talk about anything else tomorrow.”
Seeing that she was full of confidence and didn’t seem worried about any changes to the marriage, Mama Li could only follow her instructions and lead the others out.
Once everyone was gone, Ji Yunshu immediately stood up, took off her heavy wedding dress, and crawled straight into the blankets.
She didn’t care whether Zhao Shen came or not. As long as tonight passed, even if Zhao Shen was unwilling, he could forget about shaking her off.
The room fell silent, save for the occasional light crackle of the red candles.
In such silence, Ji Yunshu couldn’t sleep, so she began to ponder the man named Zhao Shen.
In the novel, Zhao Shen was a flawless fictional character, born of noble status and famous from a young age.
Because he died early, he became the “white moonlight” in the hearts of many.
But this was real life, after all.
A favored son of heaven falling from grace so suddenly to become a cripple in the eyes of the world… such a gap was enough to make a person’s temperament become despondent or even extreme.
It would be perfectly normal if Zhao Shen resented her for her previous breach of contract to marry Zhao Heng, or if he had a difficult temper.
As she was thinking this, there was a sudden movement outside the door.
Then, the sound of wheelchair wheels rolling from far to near stopped in front of the bed.
Clad in festive red robes, Zhao Shen appeared before Ji Yunshu.
There were very few men who could look good in red, but Zhao Shen clearly complemented the color perfectly.
The warm yellow candlelight fell upon him, making his refined, almost exquisite features appear as gentle as jade.
Looking at a beauty under the lamp—the more one looked, the more enchanting they became.
Ji Yunshu stared unblinkingly at that beautiful face.
In her heart, she secretly repented; she shouldn’t have cursed the Heavens just because she had transmigrated as cannon fodder.
To be able to sleep with such a top-tier specimen, the Heavens had truly treated her well.
“How much longer are you going to stare?”
Although Zhao Shen had been the center of attention since childhood due to his good looks, he had never had an experience like this. That gaze, which didn’t even try to hide its lustful appreciation, felt as if it were stripping him bare. It made him feel uneasy all over, so he had to cough twice before speaking first.
Even though she was caught staring so shamelessly, Ji Yunshu didn’t feel embarrassed. She sat up, blinked her large, innocent eyes, and said calmly, “I was too tired, so I went to sleep first. You won’t mind, will you?”
Looking at her harmless appearance, a flash of scrutiny passed through Zhao Shen’s eyes, and a gentle smile touched his lips. “Of course not.”
Ji Yunshu beamed. “I knew you wouldn’t mind. I remember you had a very good temperament when you were young, and it hasn’t changed. It’s so good to marry you.”
Her joyful appearance truly made her look like a simple young girl who had married her sweetheart.
But Zhao Shen would not forget because of this that on her wedding night, upon discovering Zhao Heng had a sweetheart, this young girl had immediately and decisively seized Zhao Heng’s weakness to threaten him, switching the groom to himself.
Such decisiveness… one could only say she was truly a girl raised at the Empress Dowager’s side.
But what was there to be happy about, marrying a cripple like him?
It wasn’t that he was belittling himself; it was simply the reality.
He knew very well that if the current him and Zhao Heng were placed together, no one would give up Zhao Heng to choose him.
Except for the young girl before him, whose thoughts were unfathomable.
Could it be that she truly liked him as much as she said?
Thinking of the words she had said to her brother Ji Yunlan, a strange emotion surged in Zhao Shen’s heart.
For a moment, he couldn’t tell if he hoped she truly married him because she liked him, or if she was just using him to get away from Zhao Heng.
As these thoughts turned in his mind, his tone inevitably cooled slightly. “Marrying a cripple like me, you will endure cold shoulders, ridicule, and mockery from others. I can never bring you any glory in this lifetime. What are you after?”
Ji Yunshu took a serious look at his handsome face and found that although he was saying self-deprecating words, no emotion could be seen on his face.
“Of course, I’m after your wealth, your power, and your good looks.” Ji Yunshu propped her chin on one hand and said with a beaming smile, “Did you really not know you had so much worth pursuing?”
Zhao Shen frowned at her obviously insincere answer. “Is the Wuan Houfu not wealthy or powerful enough?”
“Then just assume I’m after your good looks.”
Ji Yunshu replied even more insincerely.
After saying this, she saw a flicker of emotion on Zhao Shen’s face; he seemed a bit displeased.
Thinking about her perfunctory answer, Ji Yunshu felt a rare pang of guilt.