See, men just can’t be relied on!
Ju Yue was heartbroken. “We just got married, and you’ve already cost me half my family fortune!”
Lou Buqi’s arrogance shrank by three parts. “…Huh?!”
“Then… then I’ll make it up to you later!”
He didn’t add that he’d take it from the Yun Family to compensate her.
Ju Yue waved her hand. “Forget it. What’s done is done.”
Lou Buqi turned and yelled at his subordinates, “What are you standing around for? Get to work!”
The members of the procession band, who were still feasting, hurriedly wiped their mouths and took their positions.
They began blowing their instruments with a “wuli wuli” sound.
The groom should wear a large red flower on his chest, so Lou Buqi’s gaze fell on Yun Feiyang.
Yun Feiyang was horrified. He covered his chest and took two steps back.
Lou Buqi curled his lip in disdain—he didn’t want a flower Yun Feiyang had worn!
He leaped up, showing off his martial arts skills in front of Ju Yue.
He tore off the flower from the Yun Family’s door plaque and hung it on himself with satisfaction.
As the suona horn blew, the sedan chair was lifted, and they took to the streets!
It was already past noon. If the wedding procession circled the capital three more times, they wouldn’t return to the manor until dusk, which happened to align with ancient customs.
The Yun Family’s guests wanted to watch the Lou Family’s wedding but couldn’t bear to leave the feast they were enjoying.
Someone—no one knew who started it—began carrying tables and stools toward Prince Su’s Manor.
It was April, late spring, and the weather was neither too hot nor too cold. The two households weren’t far apart, so the food wouldn’t get cold on the way—perfect for continuing the feast.
After all, the manor likely couldn’t prepare a decent feast on such short notice, so everyone brought their own!
One couldn’t help but marvel at how polite people were these days. As they carried tables, stools, dishes, and bowls, they politely said to the Yun Family, “No need to see us off, no need to see us off!”
Thus, people on the streets were astonished to see guests happily carrying tables and stools, flowing like a river toward the manor.
A young bride who had just married into a family came with her mother-in-law to attend the feast.
Holding a bowl of food in one hand, she walked in the long procession, feeling a bit embarrassed. Blushing, she whispered to her mother-in-law, “Isn’t this a bit inappropriate…?”
Her mother-in-law replied, “What’s inappropriate about it? We paid our share of the gift money, so what’s there to fear? The feast is ours anyway—what difference does it make where we eat it?!”
The young bride thought about it and realized, Ah, that’s true.
So she straightened her back and followed her mother-in-law with pride.
The Yun Family: …
How outrageous.
But also… how reasonable!
By the time the sedan chair had moved several steps forward, Ju Yue suddenly snapped out of her daze. “Wait! Wait! Turn back, turn back!”
Lou Buqi, seated on his tall horse, directed the traffic. “Turn around, turn around! Stop!”
Ju Yue’s sedan chair finally stopped in front of Bai Yanling.
She lifted the curtain and sighed with regret and pity toward Bai Yanling. “Ah, what a shame. If Heir Yun had married me first, you would’ve been the one marrying into Prince Su’s Manor as the heir’s consort today!”
Clutching her chest, she added sarcastically, “Miss Bai, as pure and unassuming as a chrysanthemum, spent half her life without contention or struggle. Finally, you seized the opportunity this once! Who would’ve thought you’d miss out on such an excellent marriage. What a pity.”
The surrounding crowd burst into snickers.
Bai Yanling’s face flushed and paled in turns. She had never been insulted like this before, and her chest heaved with rage.
Unable to hold back any longer, she shouted at the already distant wedding procession: "Ju Yue, do you think you're something special just because you can marry into Prince Su's Manor? Let me tell you, your young master has someone in his heart!"
"Everyone in the capital knows his childhood sweetheart is the seventh young lady of the Xue Family! Don't get too cocky, you'll be crying later!"
Huh? What? Lou Buqi has a childhood sweetheart?
Ju Yue couldn't help but glance toward Lou Buqi on horseback.
Was she interfering in someone else's relationship?
She dug deep into the original body's memories and pulled out that seventh young lady of the Xue Family.
The Xue Family was a military lineage, especially the current generation's mighty general Xue Rong, whose lifetime of military achievements was illustrious and deeply admired by the nation.
But this also raised suspicions of overshadowing the sovereign.
The Xue Family had an abundance of males and a scarcity of females. After Madame Xue gave birth to six sons in a row, rumors spread that if the Xue Family had another son, forming a "Seven Stars Align," the Da Ye Dynasty would change its surname to Xue!
Thus, when Madame Xue was about to give birth to her seventh child, the entire capital was on edge.
Fortunately, the child was a girl, dispelling the absurd rumor of the "Seven Stars Align."
Because the seventh young lady was the only girl in the family, the Xue Family doted on her immensely, giving her the moon if she asked for the stars.
Lou Buqi's childhood sweetheart was actually that seventh young lady?!
Ju Yue's gaze went blank again.
Lou Buqi jumped off his horse and slipped into the wedding sedan. "I can explain this."
He squeezed in next to Ju Yue and sat down.
Leaning close to Ju Yue's ear, he whispered, "Xue Wugou is a man! Back then, the Xue Family lied and disguised him as a girl, and it's been that way ever since."
To avoid having their family exterminated, Xue Wugou could sacrifice his gender dignity and everything else.
Wasn't it just about a man being strong and applying makeup in front of the mirror?
Compared to the lives of over three hundred members of the Xue Family, personal gender was truly insignificant.
Gasp!
Ju Yue was shocked, her hairs standing on end as she turned her head abruptly.
She wanted to ask, old man, are you out of your mind?
Are you really out of your mind? Why tell her such a deadly secret?
She didn't want to know!
The more you know, the faster you die!
The sedan was too small, and with Lou Buqi squeezed beside her, his handsome face was less than half an inch away from Ju Yue.
When Ju Yue turned her head, her lips landed on Lou Buqi's cheek.
"Smack!"
An extremely loud sound, clearly heard both inside and outside the sedan.
The onlookers outside: "Oh…"
Young Master Lou moves fast! Already kissing so soon!
Inside the sedan, Ju Yue instinctively placed a hand over her chest.
A heavy hammer seemed to pound wildly against her chest.
This is deadly, deadly!
Inside the sedan, before Ju Yue could gather her thoughts, the seat beneath her suddenly gave way, and she began to fall.
Oh no! The sedan broke!
That idiot Lou Buqi insisted on squeezing in to explain the misunderstanding.
Now look, the wedding sedan couldn't handle the weight of two people.
It!
Broke!
Like using a laxative, it was about to expel her and Lou Buqi smoothly…
Out!
In the entire history of weddings in the Da Ye Dynasty, this was also quite, quite, quite explosive.
But it's fine. Life is unpredictable, and bad luck often lasts longer than good luck.
Fortunately, Lou Buqi reacted swiftly, spreading his legs to steady himself and grabbing Ju Yue's waist.
This prevented both of them from tumbling to the ground and causing an even bigger spectacle.
Perhaps after being embarrassed so many times, one gets used to it.
Ju Yue actually felt nothing anymore.
Snow and wind have weighed on me for two or three years, adding up to five years in total,
Ten years of life and death, vast and obscure; five years of life and death, equally vast and obscure.
Now, losing face was no longer the main concern—the important thing was how to handle the aftermath.
Should the wedding continue?
Should the procession still parade through the streets?
The answer was yes.
The wedding must go on, and the procession must continue, but…
The sedan chair was already broken, and replacing it with a new one was impractical.
The place where they rented the sedan was quite far, and changing sedan chairs midway was also considered inauspicious.
What to do?
Lou Buqi’s mind worked quickly. He immediately grabbed Ju Yue by the waist and lifted her onto the horse he had been riding.
“It’s fine. You ride the horse, and I’ll lead it.”
Wasn’t it common for commoners to have a donkey carry the bride home? He would simply follow that example.
The master of ceremonies frowned so deeply his eyebrows and beard seemed to knot together.
Lou Buqi as a horse handler?!
How utterly improper!
If Prince Su’s Manor held him accountable, he wouldn’t be able to bear the blame!
Stammering in protest, he said, “N-no, that won’t do! Young Mistress, come down. How can you sit up there while the Young Master leads the horse?”
“A woman must be considerate of her husband! Come down, you lead the horse, and let the Young Master ride!”
The matchmaker anxiously added, “But it’s unheard of for a bride to lead the horse for the groom—what kind of spectacle would that be?!”
Lou Buqi’s palms still tingled with the sensation of that slender waist.
So slim! So soft! Ahh!
“Enough arguing. We’ll ride together.”
With that, he prepared to mount the horse and sit behind Ju Yue.
Just imagining holding a beautiful bride in his arms while circling the city three times…
Wouldn’t that be heavenly?!
“No, no!”
Before Lou Buqi could even climb onto the horse, the onlookers widened their eyes in shock and exclaimed, “Two people riding one horse? How much harm would that cause the horse?!”
Lou Buqi paused mid-motion.
If this wouldn’t do and that wouldn’t do, what then?
Now, the only reasonable solution was for him and Ju Yue to carry the horse as they walked.
Ju Yue quickly calculated in her mind.
The horse weighed about five hundred catties. She and Lou Buqi would each carry two hundred and fifty catties.
Perfect.
Ahhh!
On that day, all the citizens of the capital witnessed the spectacular sight of the Little Tyrant, Lou Buqi, carrying Ju Yue on his shoulders as they circled the city three times.
Ju Yue sat atop Lou Buqi’s shoulders, her body racing ahead while her soul struggled to keep up.
With one hand, she held down her fluttering red veil to keep it from blowing away.
With the other, she wrapped her arm tightly around Lou Buqi’s head, gripping his ear tightly, afraid she might be thrown off.
This bridal abduction was nothing short of exhilarating.