The seductive princess is no longer being pursued; the aloof prime minister is facing a crematorium.

Chapter 257 Uncle Wang, Shuang'er is getting married.

The wedding ceremony seemed to be proceeding smoothly.

Jiang Jinshuang, as the "bride," has recently had a rare period of leisure.

All the affairs, large and small, that should have been handled by the Ministry of Rites fell on the shoulders of the Grand Secretary, and Pei Du also took over her "duties".

Lin Qingyan seemed to be busy as well, so she was happy to have some free time.

Several old women came to the palace to teach Jiang Jinshuang how to serve her husband, the imperial son-in-law, and how to be a good wife and mother and establish proper conduct after marrying into his family.

They were all turned away.

Jiang Jinshuang felt quite sorry for it.

It's not that I can't be a good wife and mother, but that I can't learn those "bedroom arts".

The bedroom arts taught by the palace maids might be different from what she read in storybooks!

While it's said that I've had some free time, it's really only regarding my wedding.

Regarding Zhou Yuan, the personal bodyguard of Prince Changping Jiang Zeyi, who drowned, Jiang Jinshuang and the Dali Temple are secretly investigating the matter.

This matter involved a wide range of issues, and even the Dali Temple spent a considerable amount of time on it.

During the wedding preparations, Prince Wen Fengcang of Beihuai also came to see her once.

Jiang Jinshuang knew what Wen Fengcang wanted, but claimed she was too busy to meet him.

The current King of Beihuai is getting old and has begun to pursue the way of immortality. He is incompetent and foolish, and the people of Beihuai are full of complaints and curses.

Jiang Jinshuang knew that Wen Fengcang couldn't hold back any longer.

The king is ruthless, and he is of legitimate lineage. If he were to force the emperor to abdicate at this time, it would be in accordance with the will of the people and the opportune moment. Wen Fengcang wanted to help him.

—Or rather, Wen Fengcang didn't want Jiang Jinshuang to cause trouble.

Now that Jiang Jinshuang has something on Wen Fengcang, even if he has the guts, he wouldn't dare to really do anything to Jiang Jinshuang.

He even made demands of Jiang Jinshuang.

If she doesn't see him now, Wen Fengcang will become even more anxious and indecisive.

If she then makes some more demands, Wen Fengcang will be more likely to agree.

In short, Jiang Jinshuang will not see Wen Fengcang for the next few days.

The palace sent over wedding attire.

Jiang Jinshuang had the chest opened, and Chuntao and several other maids carried it together, displaying the wedding dress to Jiang Jinshuang.

"Huh? That's strange."

My gaze swept over the bright red wedding robe and landed on the gold-embroidered pattern in the center of the gown.

Chun Tao paused, followed Jiang Jinshuang's gaze to look at the wedding dress, and asked in confusion, "Your Highness, what's wrong?"

Jiang Jinshuang pursed her lips slightly: "Why are the gold patterns on this wedding dress phoenixes and cranes?"

"What does Your Highness mean by this?" Chun Tao scratched her head. "If it's not a phoenix, what else could it be?"

Princess Zhaoming is of noble birth, so it is only natural that her wedding dress should be decorated with dragons and phoenixes, with phoenixes sewn with gold thread.

Jiang Jinshuang shook her head: "I mean, this crane is a bit strange."

According to the Wan Jin etiquette, when a princess marries, her wedding dress can only be embroidered with gold phoenixes.

Lin Qingyan was only a seventh-rank civil official, so if he married her, she would naturally be considered to be marrying down.

There shouldn't be any other auspicious symbols on this wedding dress.

Jiang Jinshuang frowned slightly, a hint of wariness rising in her heart: "Chuntao, go to the Ministry of Rites and ask if they took the wrong one. We'll make a decision when you get back."

"Yes, slave, go right away."

Before long, Chun Tao returned from the palace.

Chun Tao looked pleased, her smile faint: "Your Highness, I've already asked the Vice Minister of Rites." "What did he say?"

"The Vice Minister said that this wedding dress was prepared for His Highness by His Highness Prince Ruiyang three years ago. Now it has only been modified to be more fashionable, and the gold patterns on it have not been added."

Jiang Jinshuang was stunned for a moment, a look of confusion flashing in her eyes: "Uncle...prepared for me?"

"Yes, the Vice Minister also provided the records from earlier years. If Your Highness does not believe it, you can take a look for yourself."

Jiang Jinshuang beckoned: "Let me see it."

Chuntao handed over the dossier in her hand.

The time recorded in the file is three years ago.

Three years ago, the Ministry of Rites received news that a new wedding dress would be made for Princess Zhaoming. The patterns and styles of the wedding dress, and even every stitch, were remembered with exceptional care.

After flipping through the file once, Jiang Jinshuang closed it.

Seeing this, Chun Tao stepped forward, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and smiled gently: "Your Highness, no matter what, His Highness Prince Ruiyang truly cares about Your Highness."

Look, they started preparing the wedding dress for His Highness three years ago. Judging from the records in this document, His Highness Prince Ruiyang has indeed put a lot of thought into it.

Although His Highness Prince Ruiyang's salary was considerable, most of it was used for the military expenses of the Black Armor Cavalry. The money he saved was all given to His Highness the Princess.

Jiang Jinshuang chuckled lightly, her gaze softening slightly, but her words were still sharp: "Such an old-fashioned style, with such ostentatious gold thread patterns, it's so tacky."

Despite saying this, Jiang Jinshuang's gaze fell on the wedding dress that was quietly placed in the box.

His eyes were gentle and kind.
-
For several days in a row, Jiang Jinshuang did not see Yan Jue.

When they went to his room to check, they found only a letter he had written in a crooked hand, saying that he was going to Baiyujing and would be back soon.

Jiang Jinshuang could roughly guess that Yan Jue had gone to prepare a wedding gift for her, but she couldn't guess exactly what it was.

She visited Si Ning these past few days.

Thanks to Mr. He Weijing's acupuncture treatment, Si Ning's condition has been greatly relieved. As long as she avoids overly strenuous activities and prevents her from getting too agitated, she is no different from an ordinary person.

Si Ning seems to be very busy lately. When I met him, he was always in a hurry, as if he had a lot of things to deal with.

It seems everyone has something to do.

Jiang Jinshuang, on the other hand, was actually a little unaccustomed to suddenly having so much free time.

Therefore, Jiang Jinshuang went to the Ruiyang Prince's Mansion.

After Prince Ruiyang re-entered the Imperial Ancestral Temple, his residence was no longer a forbidden area that no one could trespass on.

Jiang Jinshuang had been there a few times before, but it had been deserted for many years and was quite abandoned.

When the Prince was alive, he rarely spent time in the capital, so there are not many traces of his life in the Ruiyang Prince's Mansion.

Jiang Jinshuang was feeling a bit... bored.

Upon returning to the Prince Ruiyang's residence, the entire place remained desolate.

Compared to before, palace servants have come here to sweep and clean, clearing away the weeds and moss. From a distance, it looks quite clean, except for the lack of human presence.

Apart from Jiang Jinshuang, almost no one came to the Ruiyang Prince's Mansion.

Rumors circulate in the capital that the Prince Ruiyang's mansion is filled with malevolent energy. It is said that Prince Ruiyang killed countless people during his lifetime, and that his mansion must be haunted by countless vengeful spirits waiting to claim lives.

Jiang Jinshuang didn't believe in these things.

As she entered the Prince Ruiyang's residence, she spoke softly, her tone clear and normal.

"Uncle Wang, I've come to see you."

She walked through the long corridor of the Prince's Mansion and knelt alone before the main seat in the main hall.

The furnishings here haven't been moved, and the palace staff have already cleaned it, so there's not much dust.

Jiang Jinshuang knelt in the main hall, her voice gentle: "Uncle, Shuang'er is getting married."