056

056

Wherever the wedding procession passed, flower petals were scattered everywhere.

For some reason, the moment Jiang Chaoyu saw Zeng Chenhua, her nervousness turned into anticipation, and she even seemed a little excited.

Hold the crown with your hand to minimize the pressure on your head.

Looking at the onlookers, Zeng Chenhua had a hint of pride, as if he were proving to the world that he had married the woman he loved.

This time, Zeng Chenhua took a different route home. This route was longer and farther, which was intentional on his part. He wanted more people to see him marry his beloved into the family.

A smile crept onto his lips without him noticing, and the sunlight shone perfectly on Zeng Chenhua, making him look like a young man in his red robes, full of youthful vigor.

Looking back, though he could only see outside the sedan chair, his gaze seemed to penetrate the red curtain and see the beautiful young woman.

As if noticing a gaze directed at her, Jiang Chaoyu looked up but could only catch a glimpse of Zeng Chenhua's blurry figure.

What should have been a half-hour journey took a full hour.

As dusk fell, red silk was laid out on the ground inside the mansion gate, and red silk flowers were hung on the high eaves. At a glance, everything was a vibrant red.

According to custom, the groom should lead the bride out of the sedan chair, and the two will live happily ever after.

The people standing nearby all craned their necks, trying to catch a glimpse of the bride's face.

Zeng Chenhua dismounted and walked to the red sedan chair, saying, "My lady, we have arrived."

A jade-like hand brushed past the red curtain and reached out from the sedan chair. Zeng Chenhua gently took the hand and then slowly pulled the person out of the sedan chair. The slanting sunlight shone on the newlyweds, making them look like a match made in heaven.

Jiang Chaoyu stood in front of him, holding a fan in one hand, and let Zeng Chenhua lead her across the fire basin.

The bride and groom must step over this brazier together, symbolizing that they will share both good and bad fortune in the future, ward off evil and disaster, and have a prosperous and thriving life together.

The touch in her palm felt so real, and she let Zeng Chenhua hold her hand tightly as they walked into the mansion.

She scattered petals all over the sky, which landed on her headdress, and she never forgot to use a fan to cover her face.

The people standing nearby couldn't see her face clearly because she was blocked, but judging from her demeanor, she must be a beauty.

When Jiang Chaoyu lowered her eyes, she saw herself walking on the red silk. She looked at Zeng Chenhua beside her, and he seemed to sense her presence, turning his head to look at her as well, giving her a slight smile, as if to soothe her nervous heart.

Zeng Chenhua sensed the tension in Jiang Chaoyu's palm and gripped her hand even tighter as if to soothe her heart.

To outsiders, Zeng Chenhua appears to be limping, but he seems to be pretending to walk like a normal person.

They walked step by step to the wedding hall, the road short but solemn.

Unbeknownst to them, their own thoughts were just as tense yet joyful as those of the person beside them.

The eldest prince sat to the side, witnessing the moment as one of the few relatives.

"I bow to Heaven and Earth!"

"Bowing to the parents twice!"

"Husband and wife bow to each other!"

When that moment arrived, Jiang Chaoyu's heart was pounding. No matter how noisy the surroundings were, they couldn't drown out her heartbeat. If she hadn't tried so hard to hold her fan to calm herself down, others might have heard her heartbeat.

Jiang Chaoyu finally relaxed after the ceremony, letting the matchmaker lead her to the bridal chamber, with Cui Cui following behind. Only after the mistress and servant entered the bridal chamber together did Jiang Chaoyu truly breathe a sigh of relief.

I relaxed completely and leaned against the bed.

"Cui Cui, help me take off this crown."

Seeing that there was no one else in the room, the master and servant began to remove the heavy headdress. Jiang Chaoyu couldn't imagine how relaxed her head would feel when the headdress was removed.

With her hand already on her headdress, Jiang Chaoyu sensed someone approaching the bridal chamber. She quickly told Cuicui not to move, while she sat upright on the bed, holding a wedding fan to shield her face.

As expected, the door opened in no time. The wedding fan blocked Jiang Chaoyu's view, preventing her from seeing who was coming. Just as Cui Cui was about to bow, she said, "Greetings..."

With a wave of his hand, the man dismissed Cuicui, who then closed the door behind her.

There were only the two of them in the entire room.

Through blurry vision, she saw the person approaching. She moved the wedding fan aside and looked up, only to be met with a pair of admiring eyes and a smile playing on his lips.

"My wife is so beautiful!"

Seeing him sitting beside her, he easily took off his headdress in no time and said, "It must be very heavy."

Zeng Chenhua's action instantly relieved Jiang Chaoyu's neck pain. But wasn't the groom supposed to be out for a wedding banquet? Why was he in the room? "Thank you, Your Highness! Why did you come to the room so quickly?!"

Jiang Chaoyu realized that she had spoken too quickly and that it was wrong after she finished speaking, as if the other party had come to take advantage of her.

Seeing her frustrated expression, Zeng Chenhua laughed heartily, "I was thinking that my wife must be having trouble with the crown right now, so I came to help."

After saying that, he didn't forget to tap Jiang Chaoyu's nose with his finger.

Jiang Chaoyu's eyes flickered; he hadn't expected that the man would still remember what had happened before. "Thank you, Your Highness."

After saying that, Jiang Chaoyu didn't know what to say next, so she looked away. Zeng Chenhua then took her hand and led her to the round table in front of them.

He pulled her to sit on a chair, picked up some pastries from the table, and brought them to Jiang Chaoyu's lips.

"I imagine you must be hungry, so I ordered these snacks to be prepared. Eat whatever you like."

Jiang Chaoyu was a little embarrassed to take a bite of the pastry in front of her, but her stomach growled, so she took a bite. To avoid any embarrassment, she took a very small bite, because she would be embarrassed if she bit her finger.

She was still thinking about this, but the moment the pastry entered her mouth, it melted instantly with a hint of floral fragrance. The fragrance became even stronger as she savored it, and Jiang Chaoyu's eyes lit up as she looked at the plates on the table, which were almost overflowing with beautiful pastries.

"tasty."

Seeing her happy expression, Zeng Chenhua felt that all the pastries he made were worthwhile. "Eat more if you like them. They were all made for you."

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

Since that's what she's said, Jiang Chaoyu didn't hold back.

Looking at the various kinds of pastries on the round table, and recalling the taste from earlier, they were truly tempting. Releasing Zeng Chenhua's hand, she picked up the chopsticks beside her and savored the pastries. As she ate, she thought to herself how wonderful it would be if Cui Cui were here, so she could share some with her.

Although hungry, she still had to maintain the demeanor of a well-bred lady, eating slowly and gracefully. When she ate something she liked, she would close her eyes to savor the flavor, her eyes as beautiful as crescent moons.

Zeng Chenhua looked at his empty hands, then got up and went to get some sweet rice wine soup with glutinous rice balls. Seeing that there was no place to put it on the table, he picked up the plate next to Jiang Chaoyu and tried to put it there, but he met Jiang Chaoyu's questioning gaze.

There was a pitiful look in her eyes, because she had almost finished eating the plate, so it was taken away. Jiang Chaoyu thought that she had eaten too much and was not allowed to eat anymore, so she looked a little aggrieved.

Seeing that Jiang Chaoyu had misunderstood, Zeng Chenhua explained, "I made room for you to put your drink; you might choke if you eat too fast."

He then placed the plate of pastries on the plate in front of Jiang Chaoyu, and then took out a cup and poured in some sweet soup for her to drink. "How is your drinking behavior?"

Although it's a sweet soup, it still contains a little alcohol. This is the first time I've made it. I've heard her say she loves it, but I've never had the chance to make it. If Jiang Chaoyu can't drink it, I'll make something else.

Upon seeing that it was his favorite drink in the mortal world, Jiang Chaoyu patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, I have excellent drinking manners, this is no problem."

Upon hearing this, Zeng Chenhua felt relieved and handed it to Jiang Chaoyu. He had been in the room for a while and it was time for him to go out. There were still many guests outside, and he couldn't be impolite.

"If that's the case, then drink less."

Don't worry.

Watching Zeng Chenhua leave, Jiang Chaoyu poured herself a full glass. She hadn't tasted this flavor in a long time, and she missed it so much. It felt like coming home. This was something she couldn't find here.

It tastes a little sweet, which makes Jiang Chaoyu think it tastes even better.

After a while, realizing that Zeng Chenhua had gone far away, she called out to Cuicui through the door.

"Cuicui, Cuicui, come in quickly."

As soon as Cui Cui came in, he stuffed the pastries into her mouth, saying, "Eat quickly, eat quickly, you haven't eaten in a long time."

He took out a cup and poured one for Cuicui as well, saying, "Drink, this is delicious."

Cui Cui enjoyed the pastries, but she didn't like the sweet soup and didn't drink much of it. "Miss is so kind to take care of Cui Cui."

Jiang Chaoyu interrupted Cuicui to continue her sentimental talk, "Stop talking. Now that your young lady has recovered from her illness, life is a little easier, and so will yours from now on."

The two, master and servant, had been hungry all day, and the pastries on the table were almost all gone.

The sweet soup on the table was almost gone, but Jiang Chaoyu's rouge was even heavier. Cui Cui asked curiously, "Miss, when did you put on rouge again?"

Jiang Chaoyu touched her face, puzzled. "What rouge?" She looked at her hand and saw nothing there, which only deepened her confusion.

After finding nothing when she touched Jiang Chaoyu's forehead, Cui Cui touched it and found no burn marks, suggesting that he was somewhat drunk.

Looking at the sweet soup drink in my hand, I noticed that it tasted a bit like wine when I drank it. Could this be it?

"Miss, how much of this did you drink?"

Seeing Cui Cui talking about this, Jiang Chaoyu picked up the bottle that was exposed to the light and said, "This? I drank it all, hehe." Finally, seeing her somewhat silly grin, Cui Cui realized that her mistress was really drunk on this.

"Miss, you're drunk!"

Hearing Cui Cui say she was drunk, Jiang Chaoyu refused to admit it, saying, "What do you mean, drunk? How could that be?"

Cui Cui is no longer listening to her young mistress's explanations; she's only thinking about how to explain things to the Second Prince later.

Zeng Chenhua was still entertaining guests outside, completely unaware that the sweet soup he made had made Jiang Chaoyu drunk.

“I didn’t expect you to still marry her,” Zeng Yiyang said, downing his drink in one gulp.

Upon hearing this, Zeng Chenhua simply raised the corners of his mouth and said, "Thank you for your support, Your Majesty."

Zeng Yiyang had just been watching from the side and thought the woman was quite charming. He also saw the sincerity in his younger brother's eyes. He hadn't expected her to be so secretive. "I didn't expect you to be so good at hiding things. I thought it was for power, but I didn't expect it to be true love."

Upon hearing these words, Zeng Chenhua stopped drinking and lowered his eyes, saying, "I only wish for her to be happy; I ask for nothing more."

Hearing this, Zeng Yiyang burst into laughter. "It seems that the rumors from outsiders are not to be believed. They used to say that you have no women around you because you like men."

Seeing that her elder brother was teasing her, she was not annoyed, but slowly said, "Your brother said it was just a rumor, so it's not true."

The two were quite far from the banquet guests, so to onlookers it was just the eldest prince laughing heartily. Xie Yunyin, sitting at the farthest point, unconsciously tightened his grip on his wine cup upon seeing this; the scene he had just witnessed had made him green with envy.

The spot beside her should have been his. If he hadn't hurt her so deeply before, perhaps Xiaoyu wouldn't have left. Just wait, Xiaoyu will come back to him. Xie Yunyin's bloodshot eyes were filled with resentment, and since he hadn't fully recovered, otherwise he would definitely have tried to steal the bride.

To outsiders, his identity remained undiscovered, and he still appeared to be holding an official position bestowed by the emperor.

Zeng Chenhua noticed the uncomfortable gaze and felt a sense of pleasure. He deliberately arranged for him to sit in a seat where he could see the wedding ceremony most clearly, which would surely make the other person envious.

"It's getting late, so I won't bother you any longer." As dusk settled, a crescent moon hung low in the sky.

Zeng Yiyang joked about himself, and Zeng Chenhua simply said, "Okay."

With all the guests gone, the once lively atmosphere became somewhat quiet. He had his servants tidy up the courtyard, and he quickened his pace, somewhat excitedly walking back to his room.

The moment the door opened, Jiang Chaoyu was seen leaning against Cuicui, murmuring something.

When Cui Cui saw the Second Prince return, she didn't feel comfortable getting up. "Greetings, Second Prince."

Seeing Jiang Chaoyu's face flushed and her muttering to herself, Zeng Chenhua carefully pulled her into his arms.

"What's wrong, Madam?"

"Miss..." Realizing something was wrong, Cui Cui quickly changed her address, "Madam finished the sweet soup and then got drunk."

Zeng Chenhua glanced at the nearly empty sweet soup on the side and thought to himself, "Little liar, I know, go down now."

"Yes!" Seeing that Zeng Chenhua's aura was too intimidating, Cui Cui quickly slipped out of the room.

"How did you get so drunk?" Although he complained, his eyes were filled with tenderness. Just as he was thinking about how to wash Jiang Chaoyu, Jiang Chaoyu opened her eyes and looked at Zeng Chenhua in front of her.

Her hand was already pinching Zeng Chenhua's face. "Why is the Second Prince in front of me?"

He increased the pressure, frowning slightly. "Strange, why doesn't it hurt? It seems to be fake."

Zeng Chenhua, who was pinched in pain by Jiang Chaoyu, gently pulled Jiang Chaoyu's hand away, "Because you pinched my face."

"Oh." These words were spoken to Jiang Chaoyu, and Jiang Chaoyu seemed to understand.

She was still in Zeng Chenhua's arms. Pointing to the pastries on the table, she said, "These pastries are really delicious, and this sweet soup is also very tasty, just like the taste of home."

Upon hearing this, Zeng Chenhua lowered his eyes, realizing that this was the first time Jiang Chaoyu had said such a thing.

Where do you live?

At this point, Jiang Chaoyu, who was somewhat drunk, disregarded everything else and said directly, "Psst, I'm only telling you this, my home is in a very, very far place, I'm not from here."

Jiang Chaoyu had said the same thing in her previous life, so he continued to coax her, "How far is it?"

“It’s very far, and I can’t go back, but I’ve found a way.” After saying this, the man’s eyes lit up, and he looked at Zeng Chenhua with delight.

“As long as…” Jiang Chaoyu trailed off, pointing to Zeng Chenhua’s chest, implying the blood there. Zeng Chenhua was somewhat confused by Jiang Chaoyu’s meaning.

"Just what?"

As if she had regained her senses, Jiang Chaoyu changed the subject, saying, "I don't want anything, I'm tired, I need to rest."

She stood up from Zeng Chenhua's arms, but she stood up too suddenly and was a little unsteady, so Zeng Chenhua quickly helped her up.

"careful!"