Li Momo didn’t even spare a thought for Hua Miaomiao’s reaction.
She kept her eyes fixed on Xiao Jinyan’s face, afraid she might miss even the slightest change in expression.
However, after a careful look, she indeed saw no shift in the Third Prince’s expression. Relieved, she finally spoke to him and the princess: “Your Highness, Princess, don’t forget to drink the nuptial wine! This old servant will take her leave now.”
To be honest, when he first saw Hua Miaomiao’s face, Xiao Jinyan had been somewhat taken aback. After all, ugliness like hers was hard to find even in the capital.
Yet, today, with even a touch of makeup, she had somehow reached a whole new level of hideousness. Luckily, he controlled himself well, preventing Li Momo from noticing.
As soon as Li Momo left, Hua Miaomiao let out a long breath and whispered, “Your Highness, don’t mind that old woman—you can tell at a glance she’s not a good person.
If you don’t want to drink the nuptial wine with me, we won’t. But since neither of us can escape this arranged fate, my suggestion is that we try to get along.
Let’s consider these two cups of nuptial wine our promise: I’ll do my best to protect you, so don’t worry!”
Listening to her long speech, Xiao Jinyan felt neither annoyance nor impatience. In fact, he found it rather pleasant. Surprisingly, beneath her ugly exterior, her voice was unexpectedly sweet and melodious.
He played along, putting on a helpless, pitiful expression. “Then… I’ll be in your care, Princess!”
“Don’t worry! I’ve trained in martial arts with my father for years. Protecting you will be no problem!”
Hua Miaomiao patted her chest as she spoke, as if making a solemn vow.
Xiao Jinyan observed all this in silence. Although her voice clashed with her appearance, even more jarring was her combination of gestures and voice—it was completely mismatched.
Hua Miaomiao set the two cups of wine in front of him and said boldly, “The old woman is probably waiting outside tonight, so you won’t be leaving. Let’s just leave it here!
Don’t worry—I won’t do anything to you. Let’s finish this cup and cooperate happily!”
She shoved the cup into his hand and clinked it with hers. “Cheers!”
Xiao Jinyan watched her boldness and thought, Truly a daughter of a military family. Still, her voice, face, and actions together felt incredibly awkward.
She downed her cup in one gulp, then immediately ran to the table for water. Holding a teapot, she poured it straight into her mouth, complaining all the while, “So spicy! How can this wine be so strong?!”
Only after diluting the taste did she calm down slightly. Witnessing all this, Xiao Jinyan struggled to keep a straight face, fearing he’d burst out laughing otherwise. He pretended to sip his own wine, using the cup to hide the twitch at the corners of his mouth.
After putting down the teapot, Hua Miaomiao sat dazed, still processing what had happened. She had downed the cup in one gulp because, when watching archaeology programs before, experts had described ancient liquors as smooth and non-spicy. She had expected fragrant, gentle wine—but this was more like Beijing Erguotou: fiery, burning, and throat-scorching.
The wine made her question reality. Luckily, she usually handled alcohol well, or she might have been floored by it.
Then she looked at her prince.
From the moment she first saw him, she had felt he was divinely favored—a true masterpiece of creation.
She could remain calm because she had seen her true appearance yesterday. Standing beside him in her real face, they would truly have been a natural pair.
Hua Miaomiao thought happily to herself: I can’t believe I got married to someone so perfect. Judging by his height just now, he’s at least 188cm—those legs are ridiculous!
If she had to find a flaw, it was that this handsome prince was blind. Of course, she assumed the Empress had a hand in that.
As her thoughts wandered, the wine’s effect intensified. She felt hot, dizzy, and began to undress.
When she unfastened the first clasp of her wedding gown, she looked up and saw Xiao Jinyan sitting by the bed. Noticing his expressionless eyes, she thought, He can’t see anyway, and continued.
The more she undressed, the fuzzier her mind became.
Meanwhile, Xiao Jinyan felt awkward; to maintain his disguise, he had to keep pretending to be blind.
He watched his bride, eyes half-closed, frantically undressing. Only then did he notice how many layers she had on.
When she was finally down to her undergarments, he realized just how graceful her figure was—her slender waist, fair skin, and curves were strikingly incongruent with her supposed ugliness.
It felt strange to him, but before he could fully process it, Hua Miaomiao began undoing her hair.
She muttered, as she had with her clothes, “Why… so… many… hair ornaments… my head… hurts…”
Hearing her mumble and seeing her slowed movements, he knew the wine had taken full effect.
As she removed the last hairpin, she noticed a golden needle she hadn’t yet pulled out. She paused, muttering, “Hmm… this… this thing can’t… be removed…”
Xiao Jinyan watched as she climbed onto the bed and recalled what she had just said.
Something seemed amiss.
Looking closer, he saw her long, black, silky hair spilling over the pillow, and her left hand pressed against the back of her neck.
A strange gesture. Patiently, he waited until she fell asleep, then gently moved her hand—and discovered a golden object embedded deep in her neck.
Just as he was about to examine it, Hua Miaomiao instinctively covered it again.
Xiao Jinyan couldn’t make sense of it.
What was hidden there?
Curiosity drove him to touch her neck again. The unusual sensation made his heart race.
Could my bride have the ability to disguise her appearance?
He remembered his master saying that there was a long-lost martial technique in the world, where a golden needle could be inserted into specific acupoints to alter one’s appearance.
But such a method required exceptional internal power and precise knowledge of acupoints; otherwise, one needle could not achieve full transformation.
Could it be that his bride had mastered this technique?
Xiao Jinyan’s mind was now filled with questions.