Chapter 17: The Grand Wedding

Wu Rui’an, feeling dejected, sought out Di Jiang. At this moment, Di Jiang was sitting leisurely in the camp of the Xuanwu army outside the city, sipping on milk tea.

“You seem to be in a good mood?” Wu Rui’an slammed his sword onto the table with a ‘bang,’ startling Di Jiang.

Di Jiang glanced at him and said irritably, “Half an hour ago, Wen Yao asked me the same question. Guess how I replied?”

“How did you reply?” Wu Rui’an frowned, sensing she wouldn’t say anything pleasant.

Sure enough, the next moment she said, “The mountains and rivers remain, the rivers flow as usual, the sun, moon, and stars still hang high in the sky. What reason do I have to feel bad?”

Wu Rui’an stared at her blankly for a while before saying, “What do the mountains, rivers, sun, moon, and stars have to do with you?”

“Even if the river flows backward, it’s not as big a deal as Jingyi’s situation! Now she has to marry Khan Jiexun, that cruel and tyrannical despot—it’s simply a waste!” Wu Rui’an was furious, unable to swallow this bitter pill.

“Isn’t the marriage already a foregone conclusion?” Di Jiang calmly sipped her tea, “Did you just find out about Khan Jiexun’s cruelty? Or did you just realize Princess Zhaohe would marry him?”

“I’ve known about Jiexun’s temperament from the beginning, but I didn’t expect him to be so barbaric! He didn’t even blink when he executed the Rouran princess a few days ago. Who knows if he’ll treat Jingyi the same way in the future?”

“If even someone of your high position can’t save the princess from her plight, what can a mere woman like me do? Thinking too much is only self-inflicted trouble.” Di Jiang smiled faintly, handing him a cup of milk tea, “Life is short. Do what you want without regret. For things beyond your control, don’t waste time pondering them. Your Highness, the grassland butter tea is quite tasty—why don’t you try some?”

Wu Rui’an realized he couldn’t refute her and could only silently gaze into Di Jiang’s clear, calm eyes.

Slowly, he found that his previously agitated and restless mood gradually calmed down along with Di Jiang’s soothing gaze.

But he didn’t take the tea Di Jiang offered. Instead, he called out loudly for soldiers to bring two large jars of wine, drinking one gulp after another as if no one else was around.

Di Jiang smiled faintly, remaining silent but occasionally glancing at him from the corner of her eye.

The two remained silent until the sun set.

...

Meanwhile, after Liu Zhi followed Long Ming back to the room, they sat in silence for a long time.

Long Ming sat by the table, clenching his fists tightly.

Liu Zhi sat on the bed, crying softly. From time to time, her eyes gazed at Long Ming, filled with sorrow, resentment, and deep admiration.

“What more do you want from me to let me go?” Long Ming became angrier upon seeing her like this, shouting, “I’ve given you the wealth and status you wanted. What more do you want?”

“I love you! Not your status, don’t you understand?” Liu Zhi cried, “If I only wanted your money and status, why would I chase you to the Turks thousands of miles away?”

“Dare you say you liked me not because of my status?” Long Ming stood up, walking closer to Liu Zhi step by step, leaning down to stare into her eyes, coldly saying, “When we first met at the lantern festival, I was nothing. Did you fall in love with me then?”

Liu Zhi was frightened by his gaze, unable to speak for a long time, beads of sweat dripping down her cheeks.

He had never been so straightforward with her before. She knew she couldn’t lie anymore...

“I admit that when the princess fell in love with the unknown you, I didn’t love you. I even thought you were wasting her youth,” Liu Zhi gritted her teeth, admitting frankly, “Every time she wrote to you, I advised her not to associate too much with you. Only later, when you joined the army and gained recognition from the generals, being promoted step by step to become a general, did I realize my feelings for you had become uncontrollable through your countless exchanges of letters with the princess!”

“Hmph... Is that so?” Long Ming sneered, chilling to the bone.

“I admit that if you hadn’t achieved what you did afterward, I wouldn’t have loved you. But now I love you deeply! You were once so fond of me—how did everything change overnight?” Liu Zhi sobbed, crying out, “All the letters between the princess and you passed through my hands. I know every detail of your relationship. My understanding of you is no less than hers! If you like, I can become anyone! Even pretending to be Wu Jingyi, I would gladly do it!”

“But you’re not her.”

Long Ming closed his eyes, exhaling deeply. Then he took out a piece of paper from his chest and placed it on the table, saying, “I’ve made up my mind. What I plan to do next might provoke war between our two countries and anger Empress Chen. From now on, all the wealth and status you desire will vanish, and you might even face collective punishment.”

“But even so, I still intend to do it. Otherwise, I’d live with unease for the rest of my life. Staying with me will only end in decapitation, becoming a despised rat everyone wants to kill. I drafted this letter the day I met you. Today, I give it to you. Take it and leave. Otherwise, when disaster strikes, don’t blame me.”

Liu Zhi looked up, stunned. On the paper on the table were two large characters written in wild cursive: Divorce Paper.

Soon, Long Ming stopped looking at her and turned to leave.

“Don’t you dare go!” Liu Zhi grabbed him, “You want to take Wu Jingyi away, right? I won’t let you! You’re still my husband. How dare you risk your life for another woman! I won’t let you go—!”

“If you don’t let go, I’ll cut off your hands.” Long Ming’s eyes turned icy, emitting a chilling aura. Liu Zhi, upon meeting his gaze, knew he wasn’t joking.

Liu Zhi released her hands, and Long Ming took a step forward.

But in the next moment, Liu Zhi suddenly found strength from somewhere and instinctively picked up the vase on the table, smashing it against the back of his head.

With a ‘bang,’ Long Ming, unprepared, collapsed without a sound.

Liu Zhi stared at Long Ming lying motionless on the ground, tears frozen in her eyes. At this moment, she was so scared she didn’t even know how to cry.

But one voice kept echoing in her mind: “No matter what, Long Ming can’t go!”

Though Liu Zhi appeared frail, her inner strength was never weak. Born in the inner palace, her heart was incredibly resilient.

She looked at the divorce paper on the table, sneering twice. The next moment, she walked over, tearing it apart, and hardened her resolve, coming up with a plan.

...

In the evening, before the maids and nannies entered the room, Wu Jingyi had already dressed herself neatly, sitting quietly in front of the dressing table.

Under her veil, her brows were fearful, her face showed fear, but blocked by the red silk, no one could see her tension.

“Princess, how did you get up yourself? Can your body handle it?” Gui Nanny came in, seeing Wu Jingyi, who was still ill, wearing her wedding gown alone. Her heart ached even more, and the maids around her also teared up.

Previously, Wu Jingyi treated them very well, always speaking gently and not fussing over small matters. Coupled with her bold character and humor, serving her was very comfortable and joyful, envied by many palace people.

The shock and grievances she endured now were probably more than the sum of her entire previous life. Being rejected by Long Ming seemed trivial in comparison.

Wu Jingyi remained silent, and others’ endless comfort became pale words. Together, they fell into silence.

Red silk hung everywhere in the room, which should have been a joyous atmosphere but instead felt extremely heavy. Everyone wore a look of deep sorrow, appearing more like attending a funeral than a wedding celebration.

After the Hour of You, Gui Nanny said, “Princess, it’s time. Let’s go.”

Wu Jingyi didn’t speak, only nodded, then was helped out of the room by others.

Led by Turkic maids, they slowly entered the main hall of the palace through the royal city avenue.

The Turkic palace was built on the hillside by Lake Beiming. Compared to Daming Palace, it wasn’t large, but it had a strong exotic flavor. The entire palace was supported by sixty-four round columns, each requiring eight people to encircle. From afar, it exuded a unique majesty that struck awe into people.

Only a few envoys from Xuanwu were invited, led by Wu Rui’an, sitting to the right of the Khan, next to the four princes of the Turks. Di Jiang stood behind Wu Rui’an with her head bowed, posing as his maid.

The Turks knew that according to Xuanwu military discipline, there couldn’t be women in the camp during long military campaigns. Wu Rui’an keeping her close at all times meant she must be a concubine or a personal maid, so their gazes toward Di Jiang were somewhat ambiguous.

Di Jiang paid no attention to the questioning looks from others, only smiling slightly, seemingly waiting for a good show.

Soon, a long horn sounded, signaling the start of the grand wedding ceremony.

At this moment, a figure clad in fiery red slowly appeared outside the great hall, exceptionally bright and dazzling.

Following Central Plains customs, Wu Jingyi wore a phoenix crown and red veil, trembling as she walked from the entrance of the great hall to the queen’s throne.

Her frail figure and slightly shaking shoulders indicated the difficulty of each step. Without the support of the maids, she nearly stumbled several times.

Everyone could see that she had just recovered from a serious illness and her body was still weak, her hesitant steps revealing a hint of fear.

But no one cared about her fright and fear.

As the peace-bringing princess of Xuanwu, her responsibilities extended far beyond a woman’s romantic sentiments. Born into an imperial family, she should have long prepared to sacrifice her individuality.

Khan Jiexun had beheaded his former queen, the Rouran princess, and bestowed all honors on the succeeding queen.

Whether she liked such ‘honors’ or not, she had to accept them—it was her mission and duty as a peace-bringing princess.

In Jiexun Khan’s lifetime, he had married four women, and Wu Jingyi was the fifth. This was the first time he held a foreign-style wedding ceremony. To make Princess Zhaohe comfortable, he tried to conduct all the wedding rituals according to Xuanwu customs.

Jiexun Khan and Wu Jingyi sat together, drank the ceremonial wine, ate the wedding rice, accepted the homage of nobility, and then, following Xuanwu traditions, were escorted to the bridal chamber.