Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuan Beichen moved his wheelchair forward and reached out to lift Mu Anran's bridal veil.
Mu Anran felt a wave of relief wash over her. Thank goodness, he hadn’t let his pride get in the way.
She stood up, walked to the table, poured two cups of wine, and returned to sit by the bed. Handing one cup to Xuan Yuan Beichen, she said, “Beichen, we should drink the wedding wine.”
Xuan Yuan Beichen frowned slightly but ultimately accepted the cup. “Mu Anran, do you know what this wedding wine signifies?”
Mu Anran leaned forward, her arm linking with his, and looked into his eyes with sincerity. “After drinking this cup, we become one as husband and wife, bound by love and trust, sharing joys and sorrows, walking hand in hand through life. I vow to hold your hand and grow old with you.”
Seeing the earnestness in her eyes, Xuan Yuan Beichen couldn’t tell whether her words were genuine or merely an act.
Mu Anran noticed the doubt in his gaze, but it didn’t matter. She would take it slow. In this lifetime, she would be the one to walk toward him—the man who had once been pierced by countless arrows for her sake.
She brought the cup to her lips and drank it in one go.
Seeing her drink the wedding wine, Xuan Yuan Beichen also raised his cup and drank.
Once the ritual was complete, Mu Anran glanced at the cold dishes on the table. “Shen Zhi, have someone reheat the food and bring it back.”
After rushing over, Mu Anran was famished.
Shen Zhi looked toward Xuan Yuan Beichen for confirmation.
Only after Xuan Yuan Beichen nodded did Shen Zhi step outside to call for someone to take the food away for reheating.
Mu Anran pretended not to notice their exchange.
She stood up and pushed Xuan Yuan Beichen’s wheelchair to the table. “Beichen, I don’t want to call you ‘Crown Prince’—it feels too distant. So, I’ll address you by your name instead. And you can call me Anran, okay? We’re husband and wife; we should be closer.”
Xuan Yuan Beichen remained silent. She had been betrothed to him as the Taizi Fei years ago.
But with the ongoing wars on the frontier, he had spent most of his time on the battlefield. His mother had taught him since childhood that a man must protect his wife, never letting others bully her or allowing her to suffer.
Moreover, her mother and his had been friends since their youth. When the marriage was arranged, he had already accepted her as his future wife.
Since childhood, he had witnessed the concubines in his father’s palace—outwardly respectful to the Empress but secretly scheming against her. His father had never trusted the Empress, often speaking coldly to her and punishing her with confinement.
If not for the military achievements he had earned on the battlefield, his father would likely have long ago deposed the Empress and elevated Consort Lan to the throne.
Thus, he had sworn that if he ever had a wife, he would never let her suffer the same fate as his mother. He would cherish and protect her.
For this reason, every time he returned from the battlefield, he would bring her gifts, hoping to make her happy. Yet she never spared them a glance. In fact, the entire capital knew that the future Taizi Fei was infatuated with the Third Prince, chasing after him at every opportunity.
He had expected her to flee the wedding today, but to his surprise, she had come and even completed the ceremony with him.
He just didn’t know what had caused this sudden change in her. Was she trying to obtain something for Xuan Yuan Haoyu?
The atmosphere grew heavy, and Mu Anran couldn’t help but break the silence. “Beichen, are you hungry?”
When he remained quiet, she continued speaking.
"But I'm hungry. I didn't know the bridal sedan was stopped on the road, so I ran all the way to the Crown Prince's residence. I'm so hungry now my stomach is sticking to my back!"
Seeing her pout and complain was actually somewhat adorable. Xuan Yuan Beichen said coldly, "The food will be up soon!"
Sure enough, Shen Zhi soon brought people carrying steaming hot dishes. Mu Anran noticed that this wasn't the same food that had been taken away earlier—it seemed the kitchen had kept it warm all along.
Waves of hunger rumbled in her stomach. Mu Anran couldn't care less and picked up her chopsticks to start eating first.
Watching her eat—though her movements weren't crude, she ate very quickly, constantly picking up more dishes as if the food were incredibly delicious—Xuan Yuan Beichen also picked up his chopsticks and ate a little.
Only after satisfying her hunger did Mu Anran remember her dowry. Since she had run all the way to the Crown Prince's residence, her dowry had probably been sent back.
She recalled that in her previous life, after she fled the wedding, her dowry had been returned to the Mu residence. Her father's second wife wasn't actually a bad person—she remembered that although her stepmother hadn't given her any dowry of her own, she had packed up both her deceased mother's dowry and the betrothal gifts sent by the Crown Prince's residence as her trousseau.
But in her past life, she had listened to Mu Anfu's instigations and constantly opposed Madam Mu.
"Beichen, my dowry has probably been carried back to the Chengxiangfu. After the return visit, let's go bring the dowry back!"
Hearing this, Xuan Yuan Beichen said, "The Crown Prince's residence isn't lacking your little dowry."
Mu Anran nodded upon hearing this. That was true—after all, the Crown Prince was once the God of War of the Xuanyuan Wangchao. How could he possibly lack money?
"But those are things my mother left for me, and the betrothal gifts you gave me. Still, since you say the Crown Prince's residence isn't lacking, I'll just keep them for myself."
"However, you'll have to assign me a courtyard where I can store my own things."
Xuan Yuan Beichen replied, "A courtyard? Didn't Miss Mu just say husband and wife are one? Where else does Miss Mu want to live? Could it be she wants to preserve her chastity for someone else?"
Seeing that Xuan Yuan Beichen had misunderstood again, Mu Anran hurriedly said, "You've misunderstood. I just need a courtyard to store things. Of course I'll live with you!"
Xuan Yuan Beichen signaled with his eyes for Shen Zhi to arrange for someone to clear the bowls and chopsticks from the table.
Then he looked at Mu Anran. "Miss Mu says she wants to live with me—don't regret it later!"
The servants quickly cleared everything from the table and cleaned up.
Mu Anran met Xuan Yuan Beichen's gaze. "Regret what? You're my husband! If I don't live with you, who would I live with?"
Xuan Yuan Beichen snorted coldly. "That's something only Miss Mu would know. Shen Zhi, have someone bring hot water for the Crown Princess to bathe!"
Having run all that way, she was covered in sweat. Having hot water for a bath would be perfect.
Soon, two efficient maids brought hot water and poured it into the bathtub.
Xuan Yuan Beichen also had Shen Zhi push him out.
The two maids came before Mu Anran, knelt, and bowed. "Your servants Yan Yu (Yan Xue) are here to serve the Crown Princess in her bath!"
Only then did Mu Anran remember—her dowry hadn't arrived, and she didn't even have a change of clothes. "Um, you two, it seems I don't have any clean clothes to change into."
Yan Yu smiled and bowed.
"Taizi Fei, you may simply call this servant Yan Yu. The residence has long prepared clothing for Taizi Fei, all made of the finest silk, embroidered by renowned seamstresses in the capital. His Highness the Crown Prince has been very thoughtful toward you!"
Mu Anran allowed the two attendants to assist her to the wooden tub behind the screen for bathing. She noticed a set of red undergarments placed beside the tub, clearly made of the finest fabric at a glance.