“A family of three reunited? The child in the di-daughter of the Xu family belongs to the shu-brother?” Pei Jingchuan’s body stiffened at these words, his heart churning like crashing waves, unable to calm for a long while.
“Young Lord, it’s time to go in.” At this moment, the attendant beside him, fearing they might miss the auspicious hour, could only urge him along.
Pei Jingchuan lowered his eyes, and only then, with a heavy heart, led the bride slowly toward the great hall.
The hall was filled with joyous atmosphere and lively bustle, with guests crowding the entire Duke’s Estate to the brim. Congratulations and blessings rang out without end.
The two couples entered the hall one after another and performed the wedding bows. After the master of ceremonies shouted “Escort the brides to the bridal chambers,” Pei Jingyuan’s expression visibly relaxed by several degrees.
And this subtle change in his expression happened to be caught by Pei Jingchuan, who had been secretly observing him all along. He lowered his eyelids, a murky darkness lurking beneath.
It seemed he would need to thoroughly investigate this matter of the swapped brides—to see what his shu-brother had done behind the scenes, and why he had done it.
As night fell, the guests of the Duke’s Estate dispersed one by one. Xu Qingyan’s heart was filled with trepidation as she waited in the bridal chamber for Pei Jingchuan to arrive.
[How should I let him know there’s been a mistake? Should I confess proactively, or pretend I don’t know and let him discover it himself? But if I confess, will the Young Lord immediately swap me back?]
Pei Jingchuan had just reached the door and was about to push it open when he heard the voice coming from inside. He stopped in his tracks, clasped his hands behind his back, and the corners of his lips curled up slightly.
[No, if I confess, what if the Young Lord is the straightforward type and thinks we can still swap as long as we haven’t consummated the marriage? What do I do then? Forget it, I’ll just consummate the marriage first, and then say I didn’t know either—after all, I’ve never met the Young Lord before.]
After wrestling with her thoughts, Xu Qingyan decided it was better to cook the rice first—that way, she’d have some security.
Pei Jingchuan simply couldn’t hold it in any longer. After laughing his fill at the doorway, he pushed the door open and entered.
“Put the things down and all of you may withdraw.” He first dismissed the maidservants attending the room, then picked up the jade ruyi from the wedding tray and lifted the red bridal veil embroidered with twin lotus blossoms from Xu Qingyan’s head.
[Oh my god! This… this short-lived Young Lord is way too handsome! His fair, tender skin looks like it could squeeze out water—he’s even more handsome than those male celebrities on TV! I… I… I’ve hit the jackpot!]
Xu Qingyan’s big, dark, glistening eyes stared at Pei Jingchuan without blinking, while her mind screamed wildly. She had no idea that her lovestruck expression at this very moment was being seen by him clearly and completely.
Pei Jingchuan pressed his thin lips together, a flicker of confusion passing through his eyes. He thought: “What is a television? What is a celebrity? Am I more handsome than a celebrity?”
Although he had long known he was handsome, and that many women were captivated by his looks upon first meeting him, for some reason, hearing her inner voice praise him stirred a subtly different kind of pleasure within him.
“Cough, cough…” Pei Jingchuan deliberately coughed a few times, covering his mouth with his hand.
Only then did Xu Qingyan snap back to her senses. She quickly lowered her head, a hint of embarrassment on her face. “Young Lord, I…”
What am I supposed to say right now? Xu Qingyan stammered for a long while, not knowing how to begin.
“You are not Xu Qingyue.” Pei Jingchuan spoke directly, his expression calm as he looked at her.
He couldn’t possibly consummate the marriage with her in a muddled state. Seeing that she had been agonizing over it just now, Pei Jingchuan decided he would be the one to break the truth.
“I’ve seen a portrait. This Xu Qingyue looks somewhat different from you.”
Pei Jingchuan’s cool, clear voice fell upon Xu Qingyan’s ears, and her heart suddenly leaped into her throat.
[It’s over—he knows. He’s not going to swap me back right now, is he? No, I don’t want that! I don’t want to be a stumbling block in the male and female leads’ love story! And besides, the male and female leads have probably already kissed by now. No way, I absolutely cannot be swapped back!]
Pei Jingchuan heard this—he hadn’t even said anything about swapping. They had already bowed to Heaven and Earth and to the elders; what was done was done, and there was certainly no swapping back now.
Seeing her so anxious, Pei Jingchuan spoke again: “What is your name? I’m not—”
Before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly felt his thigh being hugged by someone.
He slowly lowered his head to find a pitiful little face looking up at him, watery eyes desperately squeezing out tears.
“Young Lord, please don’t! You’ve already held my hand—my purity is gone! You can’t abandon me! Wuwuwu…”
“Get up quickly. I never said I was going to swap you back.” Pei Jingchuan rubbed his forehead helplessly.
“Not swapping?” Xu Qingyan’s face lit up with surprise, thinking she must have misheard just now.
“Mm.” Pei Jingchuan nodded lightly. “I’m asking what your name is. Since we’ve already performed the wedding ceremony, I suppose I shouldn’t remain ignorant of my bride’s name.”
“My name is Xu Qingyan!” Xu Qingyan wiped away the tears she had just forced out, her heart racing with relief.
As long as he didn’t send her back, she wouldn’t have to die a miserable death.
Given the magnitude of what had happened, Pei Jingchuan naturally knew he couldn’t simply proceed with the wedding night as if nothing was wrong. After calming Xu Qingyan down, he immediately went to see the Duke and Duchess of Guo.
When the Duke and Duchess heard that the bride had been mixed up, they were all astonished. They hastily sent someone to summon Pei Jingyuan, thinking that since no one had seen the bride’s face during the ceremony, perhaps they could pretend nothing had happened and simply swap the brides back.
But the news that came back was that Pei Jingyuan and his bride were already consummating their marriage!
“How did things come to this!” The Duchess of Guo was deeply frustrated, sighing with a worried frown.
The Duke of Guo’s expression was equally grave. After a moment of contemplation, he turned a complicated gaze toward Pei Jingchuan, who stood nearby.
He asked, “Jingchuan, what are your thoughts on this? A shu-daughter of a sixth-rank official is hardly a match for your status. I think, if you’re dissatisfied, you could demote her to the position of concubine.”
Since the shu-son had already consummated the marriage, Pei Jingchuan naturally could no longer take Xu Qingyue. But having him marry a shu-daughter was simply too great an injustice to his son.
“How could such a mix-up have happened? Was it a mistake on our side, or on the Xu family’s side? Could it be that this shu-daughter is scheming and cunning, trying to…”
The Duchess of Guo couldn’t help but begin spinning conspiracy theories, wondering if the Xu family had favored their concubine over the legitimate wife and deliberately helped the shu-daughter seize wealth and status.
Seeing his mother’s thoughts spiraling, Pei Jingchuan quickly interrupted: “Mother, she was unaware of this as well. I’ll have someone investigate the matter thoroughly when I return. Since I was able to spot the discrepancy, I find it strange that Second Brother noticed nothing and went straight to the wedding chamber. Didn’t Mother have the bride’s portrait shown to Second Brother?”
“Of course I sent him the portrait.” The moment Pei Jingchuan said this, the Duchess immediately caught on.
The Duke of Guo, seated nearby, also picked up on the key point. His expression grew complicated, and he realized this matter was likely not so simple.
“It’s late now. Since the mistake has already been made, let it be for the time being. I don’t wish to drag another young lady into this mess. Tomorrow, during the tea ceremony, we can question Second Brother properly.” Pei Jingchuan said decisively.
“Jingchuan, you’ve been wronged in this! Tomorrow, your father will see that justice is done for you.”
The Duke of Guo patted Pei Jingchuan’s shoulder and let out a somewhat guilty sigh.