CHAPTER 6

Lian Sheng knew that Yi Qiancheng had ulterior motives, but she couldn’t guess exactly what he intended to do.

The two of them, each with their own thoughts, sat in the sedan. Lian Sheng glanced at the man beside her a few times. When he wasn’t saying his twisted, perverse words, he actually appeared quite gallant.

Lian Sheng gritted her teeth and grabbed the man’s hand under her bridal gown.

Yi Qiancheng’s expression cracked a little. He tried to maintain his composure, lowering his voice, “What are you doing? Let go of me.” He struggled secretly to free himself.

“Husband, we should show a bit more affection,” Lian Sheng smiled, not letting go of his fingers. With so many eyes on them in the street, he couldn’t just shake her off. Since he used the wedding dress to torment her, she should at least do something to repay him. Anyway, the things to come were inevitable. Since Yi Qiancheng didn’t want her to have an easy time, even if she trembled in fear, she wouldn’t let him see any mercy.

“No need, let go.”

“I won’t. I’m cold. Husband, can you warm me up?” Lian Sheng lowered her voice, her hand inching its way into his palm.

She had been all warm when she left this morning, but after learning the origins of the wedding dress, her body turned cold, her hands frozen, nothing compared to the warmth of Yi Qiancheng’s hand.

Yi Qiancheng felt very uncomfortable. Her hand was small and soft, icy cold, gripping his hand tightly. It was hard to ignore. A strange malice surged within him, and he felt an impulse to squeeze her hard enough to make her jump, but at the moment, Lian Sheng didn’t seem like an easy target. If a commotion broke out in the city, it wouldn’t be just her reputation at stake.

Yi Qiancheng suppressed the urge to throw her off, grinding his teeth secretly.

Finally, they arrived at their destination.

Yi Qiancheng no longer maintained his friendly city lord demeanor. He brusquely shook off Lian Sheng’s hand as he stepped out of the sedan. Lian Sheng, seemingly unconcerned, flashed him a smile, her eyes squinting into crescent moons.

“Husband, can you help me?” she asked, struggling with the long skirt of her bridal gown, making it difficult to get out of the sedan. Without hesitation, Lian Sheng sought help from the man with the dark expression.

“Get down yourself.” He said this in a lowered voice.

“Alright.”

Lian Sheng obediently agreed, standing up, lifting the hem of her gown, and walking to the edge. She took a subtle glance at the petty man standing aside, waiting to watch the scene unfold.

In a swift motion, Lian Sheng threw herself toward Yi Qiancheng. Her actions were quick and fearless, and Yi Qiancheng reflexively reached out to catch her. Their eyes met suddenly, and the smile and trust in Lian Sheng’s eyes were crystal clear: “Thank you, husband.”

Yi Qiancheng nearly wanted to strangle her. He realized he had married a woman who would bring endless trouble. Secretly, he began to calculate when would be the right moment to quietly dispose of her once they reached Yingdong.

Since she couldn’t behave as a mere pawn in his game, she might as well become a dead pawn—quiet and obedient.

Lian Sheng climbed up the grand platform with Yi Qiancheng. The platform was extremely solemn, with eighteen steps. She was handed three incense sticks as part of the Shaji’s blessing ritual. Lian Sheng walked carefully, placing each foot securely before stepping further.

Yi Qiancheng sneered, clearly seeing through her cautious demeanor.

When they reached the top of the platform, Lian Sheng quietly sighed with relief. Mimicking Yi Qiancheng’s actions, she lit the three golden incense sticks. Standing beside her was a man dressed as a priest. After Lian Sheng inserted the incense, he loudly announced, “Please, Madam, remove your veil and bless Shaji.”

Beneath the platform, countless eyes immediately focused on Lian Sheng.

Lian Sheng looked at Yi Qiancheng. His gaze was leisurely, and his narrow eyes flashed with a glint of amusement. The petty look on his face irritated Lian Sheng.

She hadn’t known that a blessing was required, so she hadn’t prepared anything.

Under the scorching gaze of the citizens, Lian Sheng removed her veil as instructed.

The murmurs died down as she stood gracefully, offering a respectful bow. When she straightened up, she saw Yi Qiancheng’s gaze, much like the citizens’, filled with unmasked astonishment.

The last time he saw her, she hadn’t had time to groom herself, and just hastily put on the wedding dress. This time, she had been carefully prepared. Her beauty was exceptional, stunning beyond compare.

“I wasn’t aware of Shaji’s tradition of blessing, so I didn’t prepare anything,” Lian Sheng said earnestly. “But that doesn’t prevent me from wishing Shaji well. I hope the people of Shaji live in harmony, forever free from the ravages of war. The men will all have ambition, standing tall and protecting this city. The women will be virtuous and strong, and the children and elders will live in prosperity. I wish Shaji to be wealthy, with no theft at night.”

She looked at Yi Qiancheng: “May my husband forever be loved. I know he loves this city as his life, and so this city becomes my life. He loves the people as his children, so they are also my people. I was not born in Shaji, but from this moment on, I am willing to die for Shaji. I have vowed with my husband before heaven and earth, and from now on, I will stand by him and this city, never to part.”

Her voice was clear and steady, each word like pearls falling on a jade plate. Compared to a lengthy blessing, she seemed more like she was making a solemn vow, tying her fate to a strange city.

The emotion in her eyes was intense and sincere, like a blazing fire that scorched the heart. Yi Qiancheng, caught in such a gaze, looked away.

“Liars, don’t believe her,” Yi Qiancheng told himself. She was nothing but a liar, full of deceit.

Yet, her deceptive words seemed to captivate an entire city. He must have felt this way because of that. Something indescribable stirred within him.

Lian Sheng scanned the crowd below, feeling relieved. No matter when, sincerity would never be met with disdain. She felt some of the gazes soften, with a hint of surprise.

Finally, the blessing was done, and it was time for them to offer their respects to heaven and earth.

Actually, the proper place for such a ritual wasn’t here. The ritual of honoring heaven and earth, and then the parents, should be done at the family estate.

But after each generation of city lords passed, their rankings were placed in the ancestral hall. Now, Yi Qiancheng’s parents were there. Stepping down from the platform, they entered the ancestral hall, and Lian Sheng finally avoided the citizens’ gaze.

The Yi family ancestral hall was solemn and desolate, and Lian Sheng and Yi Qiancheng, both dressed in red, seemed completely out of place in the cold, austere atmosphere.

Lian Sheng lifted the hem of her gown as she stepped over the brazier at the door.

“Kneel down.” Yi Qiancheng’s voice was icy as he spoke to Lian Sheng.

“Kneel?” Lian Sheng was confused.

The chant officer beside them explained, “The custom of Shaji City is that the new wife must kneel at every step, facing the ancestral tablets, and bow her head every three steps.”

“Such a custom?” Lian Sheng frowned. She couldn’t believe it. The path from the door to the ancestral hall was winding, and at least two incense sticks long. If she walked like this, wouldn’t her knees be ruined?

“Please follow the custom, Madam,” the chant officer said, his tone rising and falling, filled with malice in Lian Sheng’s ears.

A large door separated them from the outside world’s gaze, but it also made it impossible for her to verify the authenticity of this strange custom.

“If you don’t want to marry, go back to Yingdong,” Yi Qiancheng sneered coldly, his tone full of condescension and contempt. He fiddled with the jade medallion at his waist, his emotions concealed deep within his eyes. Then he saw Lian Sheng kneeling down. Her face showed no humiliation, but rather, a detached calmness.

Compared to her earlier fiery emotions, she now appeared as solemn and still as a block of wood.

“I should pay respects to my husband’s elders,” Lian Sheng spoke flatly, the sincere and passionate emotion in her eyes completely gone.

She kneeled as Yi Qiancheng instructed, bowing her head. Her delicate skin turned red with each bow.

Lian Sheng was so obedient, yet Yi Qiancheng didn’t feel as pleased as he had imagined. He suppressed the inexplicable anger rising inside him as he watched Lian Sheng bowing mechanically.

Yi Qiancheng felt an impulse to grab her and shout at her. Wasn’t she the one who could make a scene and talk back? Why was she silent now?

She knelt and stood up again and again, her face cold but her posture respectful.

Yi Qiancheng followed her pace, silently watching as she moved slowly, almost painfully so.

Lian Sheng’s head hurt, and she could even smell the rusty scent of blood. She was certain that her forehead was bleeding. Her knees ached, and she trembled slightly when standing up.

But she knew she had to marry Yi Qiancheng.

That terrifying nightmare had not yet ended. Whenever she closed her eyes, she could still see her brother falling from his horse and the city falling, with the wailing of the people.

She wasn’t sure how many times she had knelt. In the end, her vision grew blurry, and finally, they reached the ancestral hall.

Lian Sheng suppressed the chaotic, wronged, and angry emotions inside her. When she saw the room filled with ancestral tablets, she froze.

She bent down and bowed to the tablets, silently whispering an apology in her heart. After all, the tragic situation in Shaji was something the Lian family could never say they had no responsibility for.

“Enough,” Yi Qiancheng’s voice rang in her ear, and Lian Sheng couldn’t discern his emotions.

The chant officer briefly stuttered, and as Yi Qiancheng’s cold gaze swept over, he quickly said, “Bow to heaven and earth.”

Lian Sheng did as instructed, and only when he raised his voice, calling for the husband and wife to bow to each other, did Lian Sheng pause for a moment before slowly bowing.

She knew her husband didn’t love her, even hated her. Yet, she had no choice but to tie her life to this city. There were regrets and melancholy, but she would try to change her circumstances in the future.

Yi Qiancheng sensed the brief hesitation in Lian Sheng, and the softened expression on his face turned cold again. He saw the red, swollen, and bloody marks on her forehead, and irritation surged in his heart.

If she was so unwilling to marry him, she shouldn’t have spoken those false, disgusting lies.

He thought angrily to himself, “What is this life together, this vow of never leaving? All of it can go to hell.”

After the ceremony, Lian Sheng felt a wave of relief. Her head throbbed painfully, and if the ritual had continued, she wouldn’t have been able to bear it. She looked up and saw Yi Qiancheng’s cold expression, and she was too lazy to speculate about it anymore.

Anyway, she couldn’t understand the thoughts of a madman.

But the upcoming wedding night was also a major problem. Lian Sheng grimaced, wondering if she would even be able to see the sun rise tomorrow.