Chapter 71

For this wedding, Yan Yuanhua specifically requested an imperial decree, allowing the city to remain lit for three nights without a curfew.

The emperor granted the request.

With this event, everyone in the capital knew how much Prince Rui valued Lu Minghua.

The city’s streets were decorated with lanterns and streamers, brightly lit and bustling with activity.

Lu Minghua got up early, and all the nannies were busy applying makeup for her.

Madam Yuan, along with her daughters-in-law and daughters, watched from the side. Seeing the sky brighten from afar, she couldn’t help but smile. Such attention and care were truly enviable.

Lu Minghua didn’t pay attention to these things. Her heart was in a state of panic and confusion. She looked at the person in the mirror, unable to return to her senses. Was she really getting married?

The sound of drums and gongs could be heard from afar.

Lu Yaoxin and his brother, along with their friends and colleagues, were in the front yard, traditionally making things difficult for the groom. But since the groom was Prince Rui, who dared to be serious? They just went through the motions and let him in.

There were no elders in the Wen’an Earl Mansion, only the couple, Wen’an Earl and his wife.

With a round fan covering her face, Lu Minghua, led by Mama Li, arrived at the main hall. The surrounding noise was faint, and Yan Yuanhua was already waiting in the hall. As soon as she appeared, his eyes were fixed on her, but all he could see was the phoenix coronet on her cloud-like hair. He gazed at her longingly, his eyes only on the figure in the red wedding dress.

Seeing the groom so eager, everyone laughed.

The ceremonial officer announced that it was time for the bride to bid farewell to her parents. Lu Minghua stepped forward to bow, and Lu Chengwen nodded reluctantly. Madam Yuan gave her instructions, telling her to be considerate of her husband and filial to her in-laws. Lu Chengwen looked at Yan Yuanhua, implicitly entrusting him to take good care of Lu Minghua.

“Rest assured, Uncle. I will never let Minghua down in this life,” Yan Yuanhua said firmly, his eyes serious, leaving no room for doubt.

Lu Chengwen couldn’t be completely at ease, but he still smiled and said nothing more. He turned to Lu Minghua and said, “Minghua, don’t worry. The Earl Mansion will always be your home, and you can come back anytime.”

Everyone laughed, knowing that he was worried about Prince Rui. But every family had this moment when marrying off a daughter. They were just surprised that Wen’an Earl valued this adopted daughter so much.

Lu Minghua’s eyelashes trembled, and her eyes suddenly felt sore. She nodded lightly and responded with a soft “hmm.”

The beaded curtain made of red gems swayed gently. Yan Yuanhua glanced sideways and saw her reddened eyes. He moved his arm slightly, wanting to hold her hand, but then let it go.

After the instructions were given, the ceremonial officer announced again that it was time for the bride to leave.

According to tradition, her elder brother Lu Yaoxin should have carried her, but Yan Yuanhua personally stepped forward and bent down in front of her. Everyone was astonished, but seeing Yan Yuanhua, they couldn’t say anything to stop him.

Seeing the red figure bending down in front of her, Lu Minghua was momentarily at a loss. Hearing no one stopping him, she had no choice but to climb on.

Yan Yuanhua stood up, personally carrying his bride to the bridal sedan chair.

Seeing her sit steadily, he felt relieved, suddenly chuckled, and said, “Minghua, let’s go home.”

Lu Minghua’s heart trembled, and she instinctively lowered the round fan slightly to look at him.

“Our home,” Yan Yuanhua smiled at her.

Her eyes suddenly felt sore again, and Lu Minghua blinked, smiling with curved eyes, and softly said, “Okay.”

Yan Yuanhua also smiled at her, then lowered the curtain and mounted his horse.

Amidst the sound of drums and gongs, the bridal sedan chair was lifted and headed towards Prince Rui’s mansion.

According to tradition, they should have circled the city a few times to show respect, but Yan Yuanhua vetoed it. Sitting in a sedan chair was not comfortable, so why bother? The ceremonial officer was worried that this wouldn’t be respectful enough, so he exchanged several large baskets of copper coins and wedding candies, scattering them along the way.

The City Military Command had already been notified and guarded the roadsides. The copper coins barely touched the ground before being caught by the people, and the cheers of congratulations almost shook the sky.

“Congratulations to the prince and princess for a hundred years of harmony.”

“May you have many children soon.”

“May the couple be loving.”

“May you live in harmony.”

The sincere blessings, even knowing the reason for the money, still made Lu Minghua’s heart pound with joy, and she couldn’t help but feel elated.

These people were all blessing her. She would be happy in the future, right? She definitely would be.

The whole city was celebrating this wedding. Among the crowd, Lu Mingxi, dressed in rags, watched the sixteen-person bridal sedan chair slowly pass through the capital’s bustling streets. The once lively streets were now empty, making way for this joyous occasion. Unwilling, she weaved through the crowd, following the sedan chair from afar, all the way to the gate of Prince Rui’s mansion. Stumbling, she wanted to rush out and tell everyone about Lu Minghua’s cruelty, but a pain in her neck suddenly made her lose consciousness.

A beggar silently fell to the ground, unnoticed, and was quickly dragged away by the City Military Command, disappearing without a trace.

Half a month later, surnamed Lu, the concubine who killed Ning Yunchan, the eldest son of the Duke of Anguo, was captured and brought back to Xuanzhou, sentenced to death.

Soon, this news, along with Ning Yunchan’s death, spread back to the capital. Many still remember how Lu Mingxi framed her elder sister, stole her brother-in-law, and ruined her sister’s reputation. They didn’t expect her to end up like this; most laughed and said she deserved it. Her death was like a speck of dust falling to the ground, unnoticed by anyone.

The bridal sedan chair stopped, the ceremonial officer called out, and Yan Yuanhua shot the sedan door. The wedding matron was supposed to help the bride down, but he took the lead again. Lifting the sedan curtain, he didn’t use the wedding silk; he just extended his hand and said, “Minghua, come, let’s go down.”

His willful behavior left Lu Minghua helpless. She glared at him angrily but still placed her hand on his. Their sleeves fell together, the dragon and phoenix intertwined, and the two entered Prince Rui’s mansion hand in hand.

First, bow to heaven and earth.

Second, bow to the parents.

And the third, husband and wife bow to each other.

Lu Minghua stood up and saw Yan Yuanhua looking at her, causing her to smile lightly.

Yan Yuanhua also smiled and took her hand again. The guests all laughed, and the ceremonial officer hurriedly instructed them to be sent to the bridal chamber. The groom was too eager, and they had to hurry.

After drinking the nuptial wine and tying their hair together, the ceremonial officer and the wedding matron withdrew.

The red candles burned brightly, and the red curtains hung lightly, with the crystal beads below reflecting specks of starlight.

Yan Yuanhua pulled Lu Minghua to sit down, just smiling at her.

“Are you silly?” Lu Minghua couldn’t help but glare at him.

“Minghua, this is wonderful.” Yan Yuanhua leaned over and hugged her gently, whispering, “It feels like a dream. But this isn’t a dream; I finally brought you home.”

Lu Minghua’s heart trembled. Yes, she also felt like it was a dream.

“This isn’t a dream.” She leaned lightly on Yan Yuanhua’s shoulder, looking up at his profile and smiling.

Yan Yuanhua looked down at her; their eyes met, and they slowly leaned closer.

A gentle kiss, just lips touching.

Slowly, the kiss deepened. Yan Yuanhua gently parted her lips, entwining her tongue.

Entangled, unwilling to let go. Their collars loosened, the belt was untied, and the outer garments had already fallen to the ground. Just as they were about to continue, there was a knock on the door, and the nanny’s voice called out, “Your Highness, the Emperor has arrived.”

They were instantly startled awake. Lu Minghua, dazed, opened her eyes wide, her cheeks burning as she pushed Yan Yuanhua away. She glanced at his disheveled collar, realizing it was her doing, and her cheeks grew even hotter.

“You, you should go quickly.” She didn’t dare look at Yan Yuanhua, urging him.

Yan Yuanhua was momentarily frustrated, almost wanting to curse, but he held back, reluctantly leaving. Before he left, he stole another kiss.

After much urging and coaxing, he finally left. Lu Minghua sat in a daze for a long time. Only when Xiao Chun and a few maids came in to attend to her did she snap back to reality. Sitting at the dressing table, this mirror was shinier and smoother than the one she used before, almost reflecting every detail.

When Lu Minghua looked up, she clearly saw the blush on her face and the half-eaten red lipstick. Thinking about how she appeared in front of the maids like this, her face grew even hotter.

Unaware of her thoughts, the maids quickly removed her phoenix coronet and combed her hair. Three thousand strands of hair hung behind her, and the sandalwood comb gently passed through. This was the scene Yan Yuanhua saw when he returned. He stepped forward, took the comb from the maid’s hand, and began to comb Lu Minghua’s hair himself.

Lu Minghua, lost in thought, felt something was off. She looked up at him, first smiling, then puzzled, “Why did you come back so quickly?”

“The Emperor couldn’t stay long. He just said a few words and left. Zhao Shiyi and the others are entertaining the remaining guests. It doesn’t matter if I’m not there.”

“You’re being reckless again.” Lu Minghua turned, disapprovingly looking at him.

Those guests came for him, and he left, leaving a group of guards to entertain them. What kind of behavior is that?

Yan Yuanhua seemed distracted as he looked at her. He did not answer but instead leaned down to kiss her.

“Minghua, when I went out just now, I kept thinking…” He bent down, picked her up, and carried her to the bed.

Clothes fell to the ground piece by piece, and faint cries echoed in the room. The carved wooden bed shook, causing the crystal beads hanging from the curtains to sway gently.

The commotion in the front yard gradually subsided, and the large Prince Rui’s mansion quieted down.

The maids stood guard outside, blushing as they listened to the sounds inside.

At midnight, Yan Yuanhua called for water, dismissed the maids, and took a cloth himself, coaxing Lu Minghua to the inner room. Water splashed everywhere, but they still hadn’t finished washing.

Lu Minghua was exhausted. When she finally changed into clean clothes and lay on the comfortable, soft bed, she didn’t have time to feel embarrassed about the traces on the bedding. She barely managed to glare at Yan Yuanhua before falling into a deep sleep.

Yan Yuanhua, however, was still energetic. Propping himself up on his elbow, he stared at Lu Minghua for a long time. Seeing her curl up unconsciously in her sleep, he frowned slightly, showing some tenderness, and lay down to hold her in his arms.

At first, Lu Minghua was a bit uncomfortable and tried to move away, but Yan Yuanhua gently restrained her in his arms. After several attempts, she finally gave up, placing her hand on his waist and stopped moving.

Feeling the tightness around his waist and the warm breath on his chest, Yan Yuanhua felt a tingling sensation all over. Helplessly, he looked at the sleeping person in his arms, lowered his head to kiss her forehead, closed his eyes for a moment, and then fell asleep as well.