Chapter Twenty-Eight
Lucheng.
In the bridal chamber, candlelight flickered, the crimson wax dripping like tears of blood with soft crackles.
Feng Xiyang sat with her head bowed, wringing her hands, her palms damp with sweat.
Who could have imagined that fate would favor her so? A single, accidental glance had revealed to her the existence of Xia Jingshi in this world. And against all odds, she had won her father’s support.
But—her arrival seemed to have wounded another woman, one who was deeply important to him, a woman even she couldn’t help but admire.
Though she longed for Xia Jingshi’s gaze to rest solely upon her, could she truly ask for more when she already had such a towering man as her husband? No. To demand more would invite the heavens’ scorn.
Yet Fu Yixiao had chosen to remain in Su Sha.
That day, she had suddenly heard Xueying’s cry—"Yixiao, Yixiao!" When the carriage halted, she saw Xia Jingshi. Yes, it was him—the ever-composed Xia Jingshi, the man who seemed unshaken by anything—leaping from the carriage ahead and sprinting back in desperation.
Xiyang smiled bitterly. It seemed only that name could stir his soul.
Not just him. Ning Fei, Xiao Weiran, Ling Xueying, even the Brocade Guards in their retinue—though impeccably polite, their words and gestures carried a faint hostility, a cold detachment. Perhaps she was overly sensitive, but even at the Brocade wedding banquet, the military generals and civil officials who toasted her seemed to regard her with scrutinizing eyes.
Adjusting the heavy phoenix crown on her head, she sighed. Being a bride was exhausting. Why hadn’t he returned yet? But she would wait. They would walk side by side through this life together... At the thought, she pressed her lips together, secretly smiling.
First watch... second watch... The water clock marked the passing hours. The celebratory music faded, the bright lanterns were extinguished one by one, leaving only the pair of crimson wedding candles and a few luminous pearls in the corner. The room suddenly felt hollow, and so did her heart. A chill crept in—the cold bed, the cold palace, the cold man.
Feng Xiyang rose and removed her phoenix crown. Perhaps her husband lay drunk in some pavilion, waiting for her to find him. She would tease him mercilessly when he woke tomorrow.
Following the path from memory, she stepped outside. Before she had gone far, she encountered a patrolling guard.
The guard seemed startled at the sight of her, stammering, "G-Greetings, Your Highness. Do you require anything?" She nodded with a gentle smile. "Did you come from the front? Have the guests not yet dispersed?"
The guard hesitated. "Your Highness should rest. The banquet should be ending soon." Xiyang paused briefly before moving forward. "It’s fine. I’ll check on him—he might have drunk too much."
The guard swiftly stepped into her path. Meeting her questioning gaze, he finally spoke the truth. "The banquet ended two hours ago. His Highness went to his study afterward... Your Highness should return and rest." With that, he bowed and hurried away.
For a long moment, she stood frozen. Then, two silent tears slipped from the corners of her eyes, splashing onto the scarlet phoenix robes, staining them dark. She fought desperately to swallow the tears, but the more she tried, the more they refused to stop.Is this what marriage feels like? She was already his princess consort, yet how could her wedding night turn out like this? Why did it have to be this way? It was so unfair—after waiting all these years, all she got was humiliation.
A room filled with solitude, a sleepless night.
As dawn broke, the faint sounds of palace servants sweeping and moving about could be heard outside. Feng Xiyang sat before the mirror, her reflection revealing swollen, tear-stained eyes. Removing her heavy makeup and wedding dress, she resolved to find Xia Jingshi—she needed to talk to him properly.
She skirted past the flower pavilion and crossed the waterside gallery, but just as she was about to pass a corridor junction, an abrupt voice made her halt. "...flaunting her status to bully others and drive Captain Fu away!"
Feng Xiyang frowned slightly. Judging by the tone and manner of speech, these were likely palace attendants from the Royal City. But the person they were discussing...
"Captain Fu is truly pitiable, left all alone in Vermilion Sand Country. Who knows how she’s faring? Ah, I still remember her incredible archery—I only saw it once at the Martial Arts Tournament. Who knows when we’ll ever see it again," another sighed.
"Blame fate for being unfair. If only she hadn’t been born into a lowly family. Had she been a princess, how could the princess of Vermilion Sand ever take the position of His Highness’s principal consort?" a new voice chimed in.
"Exactly! When Captain Fu was risking her life alongside His Highness on the battlefield, who knows where this one was indulging in wine and pleasure? After all these years of war with Vermilion Sand, to suddenly make peace and even marry their princess—how will we face our fallen brothers during the grand sacrifices?" the first speaker lamented.
"His Highness probably left her last night and slept in the study because of this. But the brothers who served in the army all say that in this world, only Captain Fu is worthy of standing beside His Highness in battle. Wherever her arrows pointed, the Vermilion Sand soldiers would flee wailing..." Before the speaker could finish, the group burst into laughter.
After the laughter died down, someone interjected, "Alright, alright, it’s almost time. Everyone, get to your duties. Keep your ears sharp—if there’s any movement from the chambers, hurry to the kitchen to prepare the meal. If she gets hungry and can’t find food, her princess temper might flare up, and she’ll have you flayed rather than beheaded. Go on, hurry..."
The group dispersed with murmurs of agreement. One of them muttered resentfully as he walked away, "I thought princesses didn’t eat mortal food—only gold bars." From a distance, someone even replied, "Maybe she ate so much gold that Vermilion Sand’s treasury was emptied, forcing their Lord of the Nation to marry her off to Brocade..."
The man turned the corner with a lingering smirk, yawning as he trudged past, completely unaware of Feng Xiyang crouched in the bushes by the corridor, stifling her sobs with a hand over her mouth.
"Miss..." Xiumu poked his head in through the door. Ling Xueying, busy packing her things, snapped impatiently, "What? What is it? You—ah—!!" Xueying suddenly shrieked, pointing at Xiumu as if she’d seen a ghost. "Y-you—how are you here? Didn’t I tell you to go back to Caocheng and tell Father I’d be returning later than planned?"Ning Fei had been standing by watching her pack when he suddenly asked in surprise, "You didn't see her last night?" "Last night?" Xueying tilted her head in thought. Last night had been Xia Jingshi and Feng Xiyang's wedding banquet. "No, I didn't see her last night."
A strange expression immediately appeared on Ning Fei's face. "Didn't you hear what His Highness told her when we departed for Su Sha?" Xueying looked puzzled. "What did Xia Jingshi say?"
Xiumu hopped over the threshold, grinning as he said, "His Highness the King Who Pacifies the South had Xiumu return to Caocheng to inform the Master to come to Lucheng for his wedding banquet—" "Ah!" Xueying shrieked. "You mean..." She abruptly stopped speaking, glancing left and right. "Ning Fei, is there a back door here?"
"Where do you think you're going!" A deep, powerful voice rang out as a tall, imposing middle-aged man strode in majestically—none other than Xueying's father, Ling Yuguang. "You leave home and forget to return, chasing after every novelty while ignoring your father! Ling Xueying! Tell me yourself how many books you should copy as punishment!"
"I'm not feeling well, I'm really not feeling well," Xueying groaned, hiding behind Ning Fei. "I'm dizzy, my ears are ringing, and I can't see anymore. Ning Fei, take me to see a doctor quickly."
After meeting Ling Yuguang's fierce gaze for a moment, Ning Fei suddenly knelt down properly and kowtowed. "Father-in-law, please accept this son-in-law's respects!"
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