The eighteenth day of the first lunar month.
The Ji family’s wedding banquet.
The mansion was adorned everywhere with red silks and festive colors. Double happiness symbols were pasted on the windows, and crimson satin draped the beams.
Rouge-red gauze was tied every ten paces. When there was no wind, the gauze curtains hung quietly; when the breeze stirred, they swayed gently, resembling clusters of crimson clouds, adding an extra layer of jubilance.
In the main courtyard of Yongji Hall, guests gathered like clouds, their laughter and chatter unceasing. Some raised their cups in celebration, while others chatted and laughed heartily, creating a lively and extraordinary atmosphere.
Murong Jing arrived precisely on time.
She was as casual as ever, still dressed in men’s attire. Despite the cold weather, she held a folding fan in her hand.
Ji Ruyue stepped gracefully out of the covered corridor and came face-to-face with her.
Ji Ruyue looked unlike her usual plain self. Today, she was exceptionally beautiful. Her eyebrows were delicately arched, and a touch of rouge adorned her cheeks. Her fair, jade-like skin now glowed with a rosy hue, adding a layer of captivating charm.
She wore a brocade-green wedding robe embroidered with peony patterns. Her ink-black hair was styled into a phoenix-upward bun, adorned with an extravagantly luxurious phoenix six-pearl long hairpin. The eastern pearl in the phoenix’s beak shimmered brilliantly under the sunlight, cleverly complementing the embroidered cape.
Her face was like a lotus fan, her lips as red as cinnabar.
What a stunning beauty!
“Greetings, Changle Gongzhu,” Ji Ruyue said gracefully, performing a respectful bow.
As Ji Ruyue bowed, all the guests followed suit.
Murong Jing curled her lips into a faint smile. Instead of telling them to rise, she took a few steps forward and playfully lifted Ji Ruyue’s chin with her folding fan, moving it slightly from side to side as if teasing her. “What a pity for such a lovely face.”
After saying this, she tapped the fan lightly against Ji Ruyue’s cheek, let out a cold laugh, and casually found a seat for herself without caring whether it was appropriate or not.
With a casual wave of her hand, she said, “All rise.”
“Thank you, Gongzhu.”
Ji Ruyue took a light breath, suppressing the indignation in her heart. She exchanged a glance with her father, and no one dared to speak up to stop the proceedings.
Master Ji had always enjoyed an excellent reputation in Jizhou Cheng. He was known for his kindness and generosity, and the Ji family’s business was vast. Naturally, many guests attended the wedding of the Ji family’s young lady.
As soon as the Gongzhu arrived, the earlier clamor vanished completely. Everyone became as timid as quails, eyes fixed on their noses and hearts, not daring to utter a word.
Murong Jing paid no attention to these people. She chatted casually with her attendants, commenting openly and without restraint on Ji Ruyue’s attire for the day.
“The auspicious hour has arrived.”
At the wedding officiant’s announcement, Master Ji hurriedly straightened his posture.
“May you be like a pair of wings, vowing to stay together till your hair turns white.”
“The Ji family welcomes a husband, a bond sealed in this hall.”
“May this blessed union last forever, a match made in heaven.”
“Joining the wife’s surname in a joyous marriage, delighting in the sound of bells and drums.”
“May a hundred years of peace and harmony be pledged, and obedience be fitting.”
“This is the testimony…”
…
“First bow to heaven and earth.”
As the words were spoken, Ji Ruyue slowly took two steps forward, turned, and bowed to the heavens for the first ritual.
“Second bow to the parents.”
Ji Ruyue turned with a smile and bowed to her father.
Apart from the wedding officiant’s voice and the faint rustle of Ji Ruyue’s movements, the hall was unusually quiet—so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
“Third bow to the parents.”
“Wait!” Murong Jing interrupted.
Ji Ruyue completed the third bow with swift movements before rising gracefully with a smile.
“Gongzhu,” she said, her gaze calm and her tone still carrying a hint of amusement as she looked at Murong Jing.
Seeing that Ji Ruyue had finished all three bows before responding to her, Murong Jing felt an inexplicable sense of strangeness. “Where is the scholar? Why are you performing the wedding ceremony alone? This is simply absurd!”
Ji Ruyue’s expression turned troubled, but her tone remained gentle. “Shujin is unable to come out.”
Murong Jing narrowed her eyes, her voice sharp as she said, "Miss Ji, do you perhaps harbor dissatisfaction with the marriage I have bestowed upon you? If you are displeased, you may speak frankly. Why put on such airs? I detest the scheming ways of women like you the most."
With a wave of her hand, she swept the teacup beside her forcefully to the ground.
"Crash—" A crisp sound rang out as the fine blue-and-white porcelain cup shattered into pieces on the floor.
The matchmaker clutched her handkerchief tightly, inwardly lamenting her misfortune.
This was a wedding banquet! Breaking objects was terribly inauspicious!
"This humble woman dares not."
"I think you dare quite a lot!" Murong Jing glared at her coldly and immediately pressed the issue. "Do you know that this is defiance?"
As soon as she spoke these words, the guests in the room knelt in a dense, dark mass.
Thus, Ji Ruyue, standing tall and straight, became even more conspicuous.
Ji Ruyue sighed. "Such a grave accusation, this humble woman would never dare to accept. Nor would I dare deceive Your Highness. It truly is that he is unwilling! Yesterday, he cut the wedding attire to pieces. In such a situation, what could I possibly do? Moreover…"
"Moreover what?"
"Moreover, he is someone Your Highness has taken a liking to. This humble woman naturally dares not speak out of turn. Besides, the Ji family rules explicitly state that a live-in son-in-law need not attend the wedding banquet or be presented to outsiders."
Murong Jing: "…"
Murong Jing felt she was being deliberately difficult. Slapping the small table hard with her hand, she ordered, "Summon that scholar for me! You must repeat the wedding ceremony!"
Ji Ruyue, however, was unwilling. She stood with her head slightly bowed, her voice soft and gentle, yet each word carried a hidden sharpness. "Your Highness, although you are of royal status… interfering with the ancestral traditions of the Ji family is likely improper. Furthermore, Chen Shujin is the new groom. On this day of his grand wedding, for you to insist on seeing him like this… is somewhat inappropriate."
"You!"
Murong Jing pointed at Ji Ruyue. "You are the first to dare slander me so."
"This humble woman dares not."
Murong Jing wasted no more words on her. She beckoned to her attendant and said, "Go, bring that scholar out for me. Today, whether he wishes it or not, he will be seen."
Ji Ruyue raised an eyebrow slightly but did not attempt to stop her this time.
Since things had come to this point and she still insisted on seeing him, there was no need to intervene further.
Ji Ruyue walked over and stood beside her father.
As for the crowd kneeling on the ground, Murong Jing did not spare them a single glance. She sat there, consumed by her own anger, clearly indifferent to their presence.
Those present were furious but dared not speak out. They could only silently endure the princess's wrath, while inwardly harboring grievances against this Changle Gongzhu and the Ji family's live-in son-in-law.
Indeed, ever since the day of the embroidered ball toss, when the Ji family was properly seeking a marriage match, she had forcibly inserted this poor scholar. Although the Ji family were merchants, they could be considered half imperial merchants. How could they be treated so lightly?
And now, on this joyous wedding day, even if she was a princess, she was merely here to attend the banquet. Why would she make such a fuss to see a live-in son-in-law?
If the two of them were truly mere strangers, why would she protect him so fiercely?
Most of the guests present were businesspeople, their minds naturally more calculating and scheming than ordinary folk's, weighing every step.
Some things are best not pondered too deeply. Once you start thinking, it's easy to fall into conspiracy theories.
For instance… was Changle Gongzhu targeting the Ji family's immense wealth?
So what if they were merchants? What if those merchants possessed wealth rivaling that of a nation?
Several people kneeling at the front thought along the same lines and couldn't help but tremble slightly…
Just as Murong Jing's patience was wearing thin, Chen Shujin finally arrived, fashionably late.
He looked weak and gaunt, dressed only in an ordinary long robe that seemed exceptionally thin in the biting cold wind.
"Your humble servant pays respects to the princess," Chen Shujin bowed in greeting.
His entire face was deathly pale, like someone gravely ill, and his right hand hung limply in an extremely odd posture, as though it could not bend.
Seeing him in this state, Murong Jing's anger burned even fiercer!
She glared at Ji Ruyue and demanded, "Is this how you treat your own husband?"
Ji Ruyue replied with an innocent expression, "This commoner is deeply troubled. Food, clothing, and daily necessities were delivered to his courtyard at the earliest opportunity. I truly do not know… why he appears this way."
Murong Jing snorted coldly, then turned to Chen Shujin, her voice icy as she said, "Scholar, speak! What exactly is going on?"
Chen Shujin glanced at Ji Ruyue with difficulty, and that single glance nearly plunged him into a daze.
Everyone said that Ji Ruyue was the number one beauty of Anzhao Guo, her appearance surpassing the celestial moths of the heavenly palace…
Though he had long heard of her reputation, today she seemed even more extraordinary.
But what did it matter?
A venomous beauty, nothing more!
"Scholar?" Murong Jing urged again when he did not respond.
Chen Shujin hurriedly averted his gaze. "In reply to the princess, it is not that this humble servant was unwilling to attend the wedding ceremony, but rather that I was confined by the Ji family within Mulan Yuan, unable to take a single step outside."
Upon hearing this, Murong Jing slammed the small table again with a loud "crack" that echoed through the hall.
"Confined?" Murong Jing practically spat out the word through gritted teeth.
The blame was immediately directed at Ji Ruyue. "Ji Ruyue, how dare you!"
Seeing the princess press the issue, Chen Shujin quickly added, "Moreover, I—I was injured by the Ji family's guards. They sought to cripple my right hand. Knowing full well that I am a scholar, they acted with such malice—truly a vicious scheme!"