The night was utterly serene.
A hurried group of people and horses appeared to bear a bridal sedan chair, bustling about within the royal manor.
“The bride has arrived?” A man, appearing as a steward, questioned.
"She has arrived," the bridal chair bearer settled the dowry, lifting the sedan curtain and urged, “Miss, please step out of the sedan chair.”
Inside the flamboyant vermilion sedan chair, Luo Mingyue wore a wedding garment gilded with dazzling gold, festooned with flowers of rich colors intermingling in a spectacle of dancing phoenix and dragons. Beside her sat an elegantly handsome gentleman, with a serious and deadly aura, seemingly unhappy about something.
Luo Mingyue coughed, and asked with frustration, “If you still refuse to unblock my acupoints, you'll have to carry me into the bridal chamber.”
Lu Lian could not afford to be lax, having painstakingly brought this troublesome young lady into the royal manor, he did not want to encounter any mistakes.
“Rest assured, I won't cause any more trouble,” Luo Mingyue said to Lu Lian, the man who “kidnapped" her, with a wry smile. “I've suffered so much at your hands. Now that I'm in the manor, I've resigned to my fate. Treat me well today, and even if I become a ghost tomorrow, I will not trouble you.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Lian looked even more embarrassed.
With a couple of “thumps,” Lu Lian finally unblocked Luo Mingyue’s acupoints using a stone. It was strange indeed, Lu Lian had had no issues revealing himself to be her assailant in her home, but now he had become reserved, reluctant to touch her.
"Princess, please follow me to the Cool Pavilion where your husband will join you shortly," a matronly old woman approached, attempting to take Luo Mingyue by the hand.
"Get away!" With a flick of her sleeve, Luo Mingyue lifted her red bridal veil. Everyone in the yard dropped their heads in fright as though they had just seen a ghost.
Beneath the veil was a petite, delicate face. A pair of radiant eyes shone brightly, fluttering lashes reminiscent of a bird's tail feathers, a sultry charm flitting under her gaze. Her alabaster nose slightly upturned, the playful dots added to her cherry blossom lips curled into a soul-stealing smile.
"You still haven’t performed the formal wedding rites. How can you remove your wedding veil? This is not appropriate..." The old woman frowned.
"Oh my," Luo Mingyue spat back with a laugh, her face flushed with anger. "As dignified as he is, King Xiang kidnaps his bride in the middle of the night, is that appropriate? Not setting off fireworks, no wedding banquet, is that appropriate? Sharing the wedding sedan with a guard and new bride, is that appropriate?"
"If it weren't for your majesty, the queen, stirring all the commotion, Lu Li wouldn't have resorted to such measures."
Commotion? Luo Mingyue gave a wry smile. Clearly, it was her sister Luo Bingxin who had caused all the chaos, crying, causing trouble, and even threatening suicide to resist the marriage to King Xiang. But now it was all blamed on her.
What was more annoying was the fact that it was initially Luo Bingxin who fell in love with King Xiang at first sight and insisted on marrying no one but him. She even begged their father to ask the Emperor for an arranged marriage. However, knowing that King Xiang was suffering from a strange disease, she and her own mother forced the just-transferred Luo Mingyue to take the blame.
What's that saying again? One cannot blame the government for their misfortune.
The misfortune of Luo Mingyue, who had just arrived through the dimensional gate and had to sacrifice her own life in a few days, was even greater.
Thinking of this, Luo Mingyue got annoyed. Unfortunately, for each step she took, she had four or five followers, especially that Lu Li.
"I want to walk around King Xiang's mansion on my own, you guys don't follow me." Luo Mingyue said, putting her hands on her hips.
The servants were taken by surprise. They had heard that Miss Luo of Xiang Mansion was as gentle as water and as beautiful as a flower; they didn't expect her to be a shrew.
Seeing this, Lu Li waved his hand and said, "All of you, back off."
Luo Mingyue's nostrils fumed with anger. She knew what Lu Li meant -- he was going to follow her himself.
"Go ahead and follow!" Luo Mingyue walked briskly, and Lu Li followed her unhurriedly. When they reached a pseudo-mountainscape, Luo Mingyue suddenly disappeared. Lu Li panicked and hastily drew his sword to shred the red bridal veil that was flying towards him. Yet, he could no longer spot Luo Mingyue.
As the saying goes, to catch thieves first catch the leader, to catch adulterers catch both. At this moment, if she wanted to survive, she had to attack the one who threatened her life - King Xiang! Then she would go back to Xiang Mansion for revenge against Luo Bingxin!
After a few twists and turns, Luo Mingyue entered a nameless courtyard. The courtyard was large, but there was only one room with lights on. Mustering up her courage, Luo Mingyue ran towards the lit area.
"Ah! Ah! King, no, no stop!" Within the room, a woman's soft and coquettish plea flowed out, giving Luo Mingyue goosebumps. She rolled on the ground to the window, made a peep hole and peeked into the room like a thief.
In the room on a rosewood table, a man and a woman were making love, oblivious to the world. Ringlets of black hair framed the woman's face, and her lips and neck were all marked with blood. The man behind her wore layers of white robes, light and flowing, his long black hair secured with a silk band. His skin was slightly dark, his expression melancholic, his sword-like eyebrows laid horizontally, with eyes veiled by dense fog. His nose had a natural curve, thin lips tightly pursed. His whole body had an aura of immortality and an impressive demeanor.
"This man must be a divine being," mused the dumbstruck Luo Mingyue.