Chapter 56

"Your subject respectfully sees off the Fifth Prince."

The Fifth Prince was about to set off for the Western Regions, and the Emperor ordered the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to escort him all the way, fearing that he might try something funny on the road and cause some accidents.

With the Embroidered Uniform Guard around, the Fifth Prince will never be able to cause any more trouble.

The envoys from the Western Regions were surprised and delighted that the Emperor would marry his younger brother. This was a sign of the Emperor's high regard for the Western Regions. The Emperor forbade anyone to discuss the Fifth Prince's actions. The envoys from the Western Regions were unaware of his deeds and remained grateful for the Emperor's kindness.

The king of the Western Regions was overwhelmed with gratitude at being able to marry a prince from Fengman as his consort.

As long as the Fifth Prince is safely married into the Western Regions, the Western Regions will willingly submit to Fengman within a hundred years. From the emperor's perspective, Emperor Wei's decision is very wise.

The emperor did not intend to personally escort the prince to his wedding. Moreover, Jiang Wanyi was about to give birth, and Ji Weinian had already moved into the Chaohui Palace, ready to prepare for the delivery. Naturally, the emperor was unwilling to leave Jiang Wanyi at this time.

For the Fifth Prince, a marriage alliance was already a good outcome. If he had remained well-behaved, he would have continued to enjoy wealth and honor. However, on the eve of the marriage alliance, he made a scene, demanding to see Jiang He, or else he would have the Western Regions envoy take a corpse back with him.

With the Imperial Guards watching over him, the Fifth Prince had no chance of escape. He tried every means to see Jiang He and recklessly made a big fuss about it. Even the envoys from the Western Regions heard about it. To save face for the royal family, the Emperor had no choice but to secretly summon Jiang He to the palace.

Jiang He already knew the reason why the Emperor had summoned her to the palace. When she was led to the Emperor, she respectfully bowed and said, "Your subject Jiang He greets Your Majesty."

Emperor Wei, mindful of his relationship with Jiang Wanyi, treated Jiang He with great leniency, gently raising his hand and saying, "You are Wanyi's sister, there's no need for such formalities."

The palace servants who served in the imperial study were very good at reading people's expressions, and they quickly brought a stool for Jiang He.

After Jiang He sat down, she waited for the Emperor to speak.

The Empress frowned, and the palace servants around her buried their heads in their chests, afraid of accidentally angering her. It was clear that the Empress had been troubled by the matter of the Fifth Prince these past few days.

The woman in the phoenix robe exuded an air of nobility, her pampered demeanor natural and effortless. Yet, her tone was heavy as she sighed, "You surely know why I summoned you to the palace. I have been on the throne for many years, and even the most troublesome affairs of the previous dynasty have never been as difficult as those of my younger brother..."

Because of his infatuation with Jiang He, the Fifth Prince has done countless foolish things, frequently interfering in the Jiang family's affairs. Now, he has even caused the fate of Jiang He's beloved concubine to be unknown. Even the Emperor feels ashamed, but there is nothing he can do. She dares not tell Jiang Wanyi about this, for fear of upsetting him and causing him to miscarry.

If Jiang He didn't know that Xue Lingyu was still alive, she definitely wouldn't have wanted to see the Fifth Prince. But now that she's in a different mood, she feels that seeing him wouldn't be a problem.

"Your Majesty, I am willing to share your burdens and escort the Fifth Prince to his marriage on the day of the alliance."

When Su Yawan learned that Jiang He was going to escort the Fifth Prince to his wedding, she couldn't help but spit out the tea in her mouth. Fortunately, the people in the Jingzhao government office were all her people, otherwise, if someone saw her in such a disheveled state, it would be extremely embarrassing.

"Didn't the Fifth Prince harm Xue Lingyu? Why are you so kind as to send him off to get married? In my opinion, it's already a favor that you didn't poison him. Have you lost your mind from being too heartbroken?"

Su Yawan found it increasingly plausible. Jiang He had been depressed for a while and had even neglected the family business. How come she had not only managed to manage the business in the past few days but also looked radiant?

Is there something wrong with his brain?

"He harmed Xue Lingyu and even intended to leave me alone for the rest of my life, but fate had other plans." Jiang He was back to being the same Jiang He, even the smile on her lips was genuine.

Her words were like a riddle, but Su Yawan, a longtime friend, immediately grasped the meaning.

Su Yawan grabbed Jiang He's sleeve and tentatively asked, "Have you found Xue Lingyu?"

Jiang He nodded.

Su Yawan's eyes widened instantly. She clenched her fists, completely unable to believe it was true.

As the Prefect of Jingzhao, with so many subordinates, she had practically searched the entire capital, yet she couldn't find even a trace of Xue Lingyu. Jiang He, on the other hand, simply said that she had found him.

This made her wonder if the people under her command were just freeloaders.

She pestered Jiang He to tell her the whole story of how she found Xue Lingyu.

“You and Xue Lingyu are truly a match made in heaven. You’ve encountered such a destiny. Given his looks, if he were sold to another household, you probably would never see him again in your life.”

Su Yawan added, "Now that the people are back, I will recall my subordinates who are stationed in the suburbs. After working for so long, they can finally take a good rest."

Having searched the city for so long without any results, Su Yawan suspected that Xue Lingyu had already left the city, so he sent people to search the outskirts of the capital.

She felt from the beginning that Xue Lingyu's disappearance was suspicious, and couldn't help but wonder if Xue Lingyu had secretly escaped from the city under the guise of the Fifth Prince.

However, because Jiang He was too heartbroken, she didn't say anything.

Su Yawan put this guess out of her mind, and remembering that Jiang He had just come out of the palace, she casually asked, "Brother Wanyi's due date is next month. Will the Jiang family send someone to the palace then?"

"My father will probably go to the palace, but my mother and I are women, so we have to avoid suspicion on the day of the birth."

When Jiang Wanyi's childbirth was mentioned, Jiang He couldn't help but worry. The last time she saw her brother, his face was unusually pale. She wondered if he, being so weak, could safely get through the difficult process of childbirth.

The marriage of a prince to a foreign ruler was a cause for celebration throughout the country. In the end, the Emperor still gave the Fifth Prince face, allowing him to marry with the regalia of a prince, with the Imperial Guards providing close protection on both sides, and the people of the city lining the streets to see him off.

Jiang He held no official position; the only title she possessed was that of a royal merchant, which she used to enhance the dowry for the Fifth Prince.

The emperor hired someone to teach the fifth prince etiquette, but in reality, it was to monitor him. His days were bound to be difficult. The fifth prince was detained for so many days, but he managed to endure it by holding his breath. He had been making a fuss about seeing Jiang He, but when he finally got his wish, he was unusually calm.

The Fifth Prince was quite handsome; in terms of appearance alone, he was one of the most beautiful men in the capital. If it weren't for his eccentric and mean-spirited behavior, he would surely be sought after by young ladies from noble families, with countless suitors.

He was dressed in a bright red wedding gown, with a luxurious and exquisite phoenix hairpin in his hair. Several strong and muscular palace servants stood behind him to prevent him from having any thoughts of escaping.

When Jiang He saw the bright red wedding dress, her eyes darkened slightly.

She remembered that Xue Lingyu had a bright red wedding dress, which he had embroidered stitch by stitch. In the end, he entered the Jiang family as a concubine and could only wear a scarlet wedding dress. His wedding could not be as grand as the Fifth Prince's.

Although he was going to the Western Regions, he was still a royal consort, second only to the king and above all others.

She had fulfilled the Fifth Prince's wish to see him, and the task assigned by the Emperor was complete. Jiang He followed the others in bowing, her voice calm and composed, "Your subject respectfully sees off the Fifth Prince."

The wedding carriage was just ahead, and the palace servants were about to help the Fifth Prince up, but the Fifth Prince turned around unwillingly and sneered, "Jiang He, I can never return to the capital, just as you can never see Xue Lingyu again, so we are not at a loss."

Jiang He was too lazy to even lift her eyelids to look at him.

The Fifth Prince, his eyes red, stared intently at Jiang He and said, word by word, "I'll tell you the truth: I saw Xue Lingyu die right in front of me, her body slowly growing cold."

The Fifth Prince wanted to see Jiang He break down so that he could feel a little better, but Jiang He completely ignored what he said.

As the auspicious hour approached, the fifth prince was pushed and shoved into the wedding carriage by the palace servants. The envoy from the Western Regions was waiting outside the city, and there was no time to lose.

Jiang He spoke in a very light tone, loudly addressing the Fifth Prince's retreating figure: "Your subject respectfully sees off Your Highness the Fifth."

The Fifth Prince did not upset her; instead, he made himself furious.

As Jiang He left, she heard the palace servants who served the Fifth Prince anxiously calling out for him.

She guessed that the person must have fainted on the spot.

Thus, the envoy from the Western Regions could only take a comatose royal consort back with him.

Not only did ordinary people come out to watch the excitement, but the servants in the grand mansions also knew it was the day the prince was getting married. If they weren't busy serving their masters, they would also want to see the grand scene of the prince's wedding.

For ordinary men, a dowry of one or two loads is considered good. It is said that a prince had a hundred people carrying his dowry, which gives you an idea of ​​how much it was. Moreover, the prince's wedding dress was made by the best embroiderers in the palace, so it must have been extremely luxurious.

While the embroiderers in the manor were rushing to finish their work, they were all discussing the prince's wedding dress, and Xue Lingyu overheard them.

Although he had no memory of learning embroidery, his skills were like those of an experienced old man. Even the most seasoned embroiderers were amazed by his talent and entrusted him with the task of sewing young ladies' clothes.

The older embroiderers were discussing what kind of needlework might be used for the wedding dress, while the younger ones began to dream about what they would look like on their wedding day. After listening for a long time, Xue Lingyu couldn't help but ask, "Can all men wear bright red wedding dresses when they get married?"

Fang Xiulang, the most senior member, smiled and replied, "Of course not. Only the principal husband can wear a bright red wedding dress. Concubines can only wear rose red or scarlet, and they can't enter through the main gate; they can only be carried in through the side gate."

A young embroiderer chimed in, "Wasn't Miss's beloved concubine carried in through the side door?"

A person next to him tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "Don't talk too much, or the master will hear you and slap you."

Although many people in the mansion had never seen the young lady's beloved concubine, they had all heard how favored she was. The frequent selling of servants in the mansion was also due to this concubine, supposedly because the young lady disliked them for not serving her well and for neglecting her beloved concubine.

Fang Xiulang had a very kind face and had been treating Xue Lingyu very well these past few days. He asked gently, "Is the embroidery of Miss's clothes finished?"

Xue Lingyu handed the clothes in her hand to Fang Xiulang to see, "It's finished embroidering."

Logically speaking, such intimate clothing as undergarments should not be given to a newcomer who has only been there for a few days, but someone had spoken to Fang Xiulang, so the task could only fall to Xue Lingyu.

Fang Xiulang saw that the embroidered crabapple on the inner garment was very vivid and lifelike, and nodded in satisfaction.

"Then you can take her to the young lady's courtyard and ask her if she has any special instructions."

This was another opportunity to visit the young lady's courtyard. Finally, it came without any effort, and Xue Lingyu immediately perked up.

He can now openly and honestly go find his money.

A note from the author:

Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2022-02-06 23:38:47 and 2022-02-07 20:39:27!

Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: Liao Liao 1;

Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Only and War 5 bottles; gg 2 bottles;

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!

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