In the Imperial City, a wedding procession of more than three hundred people played horns and drums.
An eight-bearer bridal sedan, draped in bright red, was slowly advancing in one direction.
Many onlookers around were discussing it.
“Look, is that the Crown Prince’s wedding procession? General Gu’s daughter, Gu Qingcheng, is really lucky. She’s actually going to become the Crown Princess!”
“Hah, Gu Qingcheng may come from a general’s family, but she’s a complete simpleton.”
“If the Gu family hadn’t won military honors for three generations, why would the Emperor let a foolish girl like Gu Qingcheng become the Crown Princess?”
“Her glory will be short-lived. In a couple of years, the Crown Prince may take a new Crown Princess. Marrying him doesn’t guarantee happiness!”
It was clearly a joyous occasion, yet these murmurs turned the happy event into something mournful.
Inside the bridal sedan, Gu Qingcheng, dressed all in red, wore a bright red veil over her head and a face full of smiles.
When she was seven, the Crown Prince, who was out hunting, rescued her. Later, when the Emperor learned she was Gu Haoran’s daughter and a descendant of a military family, he betrothed her to the Crown Prince.
When a woman marries, her own kin ought to be by her side.
But a month ago, an urgent report suddenly came from the border: Gu Qingcheng’s father and two elder brothers had already led troops into battle.
Her wedding date with the Crown Prince had long been announced. When the date arrived, her father and brothers had not been able to return in time.
But to avoid defying the imperial will, she still stepped into the bridal sedan.
Even though her father and brothers were absent, being able to marry the man she liked was still something to be happy about.
No matter how much outsiders gossiped, she did not care. After all, she liked the Crown Prince!
But just as the bridal sedan reached the upper reaches of the Wei Pool, a dozen or so figures suddenly appeared in front of the wedding procession.
At the head of this group was a youth dressed in red.
Seeing the man at the head, the wedding procession hurriedly stopped and bowed.
“Greetings, Your Highness.”
“Rise, all of you.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
“Is Your Highness here to fetch the Crown Princess?” the old butler of the general’s manor asked respectfully.
It seemed His Highness the Crown Prince still valued this marriage highly, enough to come meet her halfway.
“I am indeed here to fetch my Crown Princess!” Bei Hanyu smiled, but the more one looked at that smile, the stranger it seemed.
Yet as he smiled, his gaze was not on Gu Qingcheng’s bridal sedan but in another direction.
“Since Your Highness has come for our young lady, this old servant can entrust her to you with peace of mind!” The old butler smiled.
Earlier he had worried that after the young lady married, the Crown Prince would treat her poorly. Now that the Crown Prince had come out in person to meet her, he supposed the Crown Prince liked her. With that, he felt at ease handing the young lady over.
“Wait, Butler Gu. It is true that I have come to fetch my Crown Princess, but the one I am here for is not your young lady.”
“Not our young lady? Your Highness jests. Your marriage to our young lady was bestowed by the Emperor himself. If you do not marry our young lady, then are you marrying someone else?”
“The one I am to marry is Li Sisi, daughter of Grand Tutor Li.”
“Ah, this… how is this possible!” The old butler was stunned, and everyone present was stunned.
The wedding procession was already halfway there. Who changes their mind midway? What was His Highness the Crown Prince trying to do?
Just as everyone was wondering what Crown Prince Bei Hanyu intended to do, another wedding procession came toward them, horns and drums playing.
At the sight of that procession, Crown Prince Bei Hanyu immediately smiled. He strode toward the newly arrived group without even glancing at Gu Qingcheng.
The wedding procession suddenly stopped, and Gu Qingcheng inside the bridal sedan was startled.
“Butler, what’s going on? Why has the sedan stopped?”
“It’s His Highness the Crown Prince, young lady.”
“His Highness? His Highness has come to fetch me?” Gu Qingcheng could not hide the excitement in her voice.
“Young lady, His Highness is not here for you. He has come for Li Sisi, daughter of Grand Tutor Li.” The old butler looked bewildered and helpless.
If the Crown Prince had not come for their young lady, then how were they supposed to handle her affairs today?
The bridal sedan was already halfway there. Were they supposed to carry it back to the general’s manor?
If that happened, the general’s manor would lose all face!
“Fetch Li Sisi? His Highness is going to marry Li Sisi? Impossible. The Crown Prince is betrothed to me. How could he marry another woman?” Gu Qingcheng was stunned.
“Young lady, that is indeed what His Highness means. He has already walked toward the Li family’s bridal sedan.” The old butler looked bitter.
With such a thing happening so suddenly, he had no idea how to handle it.
When she heard that the Crown Prince was going to marry another woman, Gu Qingcheng could not sit still any longer. She threw off her veil and rushed out of the bridal sedan, charging toward Crown Prince Bei Hanyu not far away.
“Your Highness, what is the meaning of this? I am your Crown Princess! How can you marry another woman?”
“Gu Qingcheng, do you really think I want to marry you?”
“I was betrothed to you only because of your father. Now your father and your eldest brother have died in battle at the front, and your second brother has colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country. What right do you have now to be the Crown Princess?”
“Father and eldest brother died in battle, and second brother colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country? Impossible. That can’t be.” The sudden news left Gu Qingcheng dazed.
“This news came back from the front. How could it be false? Gu Qingcheng, I will never marry you as my Crown Princess in this lifetime. This is the imperial edict annulling our betrothal. I will not read it aloud in public. Take the edict and get lost. From now on, you have nothing to do with me.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Bei Hanyu tossed the edict to Gu Qingcheng as if throwing away something utterly loathsome.
Looking at the edict of annulment the Crown Prince had thrown to her, grief washed over Gu Qingcheng’s face. But she loved him too much. Even though the betrothal was annulled, she still hoped to marry the Crown Prince. Even if she could not be the Crown Princess, she would settle for secondary consort.
“Your Highness, I… I don’t have to be the Crown Princess. I can be a secondary consort. Please, I beg you, don’t annul the betrothal!”
But Gu Qingcheng’s desperate pleading met only with Bei Hanyu’s cold indifference.
To avoid any disruption to his wedding to Li Sisi, Bei Hanyu ordered his men to drag Gu Qingcheng away.
Gu Qingcheng could only watch helplessly as the Crown Prince she loved most left with Li Sisi’s bridal sedan.
Her father and eldest brother had died in battle, and her second brother had colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country.
Now the Crown Prince she loved most was marrying another woman. At that moment, Gu Qingcheng felt there was no place left for her in this world, so she turned and jumped straight into the Wei River.
By all rights, someone jumping into the river should have drawn concern, but by then Gu Qingcheng was nothing but a clown, and no one cared whether she lived or died.
The current in the upper reaches of the Wei River ran swift. By the time the Gu family’s people reacted, Gu Qingcheng had already been swept away by the river.