Too high to reach

Chapter 396 A New Peak
Before they knew it, the day of the princess's wedding arrived.

The Niu family doesn't own a house in the capital, at least not openly.

If this wedding were held at the princess's residence, it would raise suspicions of the groom marrying into the bride's family.

It would certainly be inappropriate to face General Niu, who is tall, strong, powerful, and wealthy.

There are several famous gardens in the capital that can be rented, but it would not be good for the emperor's legitimate daughter to get married.

The Niu family is wealthy, so buying a nice garden would be quite easy for them, but they don't want to attract too much attention and believe in keeping their wealth hidden.

Therefore, holding this wedding in the palace is the most appropriate option.

Neither of them was getting married for the first time, and each had their own motives. The time between the arranged marriage and the actual wedding was extremely tight. Furthermore, the Empress was preoccupied with other matters and had no time for such formalities. Therefore, while the entire ceremony appeared grand and elaborate, a closer look revealed it to be quite perfunctory.

But no matter what, it's still the imperial palace!

The Niu family was also very happy, and the betrothal gifts were not perfunctory at all.

By now, the items had been carried into the palace and were displayed in two large rows along the central path in the courtyard where the ceremony was being held. They all looked to be of high quality!

Mo Yi really wanted to come today, but Li Jing wouldn't allow it. "It's fine on ordinary days, but the way you are now... you regret it the moment something happens. Why bother?"

“But I want to see that scene with my own eyes.” Mo Yi felt she could.

"Don't worry, when your husband comes back, he'll tell you every single detail. Stay home and don't go anywhere. I've left someone for you..." Li Jing patted her head and took a deep breath: "If everything goes well, when your husband comes back... things will change!"

A long red carpet was laid out in the passageway in front of the main hall. The betrothal gifts from the Niu family stretched out in two long rows, each tied with red silk. The Niu family's servants stood beside the gifts, dressed in short black clothes with red belts around their waists and red leggings, looking very smart.

Inside the hall, Consort Xiao Dong, Consort De, Consort Liang, and others had already arrived.

The princes, princesses, and their husbands all came.

The Emperor, Empress, Empress Dowager, and Crown Prince have all been seated, but they haven't come out yet.

Several people from the Niu family came, including an uncle who looked somewhat nervous and remained seated.

The atmosphere was relaxed and lively, with people strolling around and chatting.

Prince Yong'an and Consort Xiao Dong soon found themselves together.

"Didn't I tell you not to come today?" Prince Yong'an asked anxiously.

"I just wanted to come and see what the fuss was about..." Consort Dong said nonchalantly.

"But I have a bad feeling. You must be careful. Don't eat or drink anything. If anything seems wrong, have Hongying protect you and go back home quickly."

"Okay, okay, got it."

"What about the fifteenth?"

"Didn't you tell him to pretend to be sick today? He's in my palace, and people are watching."

Prince Yong'an breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good. Be good too..."

Dongfang Dexiang has arrived and is smiling in the crowd.

She wore a light beige silk dress with wide sleeves and a cloak, revealing a jade belt at her waist.

Her movements were graceful and ethereal, so beautiful they seemed unreal...

Her once dark skin has been lightened by proper care, becoming even smoother than a young woman's. Her eyes are like dark grapes. Although wrinkles appear at the corners of her eyes when she smiles, she doesn't look old; instead, they add a certain charm.

Every woman present, ranging from sixty to six years old, loved him.

Behind him, his father followed closely, and behind his father were several other people.

One of them wore a large cloak and a veil. Although his appearance was somewhat strange, no one gave him a second glance. They were all trying to exchange a few polite words with Dongfang.

Princess Yu'an's infatuation with him was common knowledge. Some of her close friends even teased her about it in secret.

"Dongfang, I really didn't expect you to come. Will you only feel completely at ease after you've seen everything?"

"Of course, of course!" Dongfang grinned, his beautiful lips curving upwards to reveal a set of white teeth as sharp as if carved by a knife.

Li Jing entered slowly, dressed in all black, his expression unusually solemn. He stood out starkly from the laughing crowd. Even Li Chang, who was beside him, was rather serious today.

After a gong sounded, the Emperor, Empress, Empress Dowager, and Crown Prince emerged, surrounded by numerous eunuchs and palace maids.

The emperor wore a bright yellow dragon robe and a golden crown.

The Empress wore a phoenix robe and slits, her expression solemn and serious, lacking her usual gentleness.

After everyone was seated, the emcee began chanting, and everyone knelt and kowtowed.

After the ceremony, he rose...

The Emperor glanced at the people below, then gave Li Jing a special look, and for some reason, felt a vague unease in his heart.

Actually, he regretted arranging the marriage, having forgotten his original intentions. He felt it was all utterly pointless, a waste of time creating trouble for himself. He wasn't feeling well and was very tired…

"As the saying goes, 'There's no need for formalities in the first three days of marriage,' so please don't be shy..." the Emperor said, sounding slightly tired. General Niu, dressed in a red groom's suit, rode his silver Akhal-Teke horse to the princess's residence and fetched his bride in a grand sedan chair carried by eight men.

This groom's attire is truly exquisite.

That horse is even rarer than any other in the world.

On the contrary, it reflects the groom's vulgarity, roughness, wildness, and crudeness... in short, he is characterized by his crudeness.

Moreover, he's not young, and he's ugly.

People along the way who saw it all felt speechless.

Princess Yu'an wore a red silk wedding dress. Actually, it wasn't really a wedding dress; she had no interest in making one.

Even when the female official in charge of etiquette came to discuss the matter, she had her dragged out and beaten.

If it weren't for the necessity of making this trip to the palace, she wouldn't have planned to hold any "wedding" at all; it would be too much of a nuisance.

She usually likes to wear red, and she has quite a few red clothes.

This kesi (silk tapestry) is made of extremely rare material; it's no exaggeration to say that every inch of silk is worth its weight in gold. It was finished a long time ago, but I never had the chance or the inclination to wear it.

She had someone bring it out to try on just two days ago... Due to physical discomfort and a bad mood, she had lost weight. She thought the clothes would definitely fit, but when she tried them on, everything else seemed loose, except for her waist and abdomen... It was much tighter, not only did she lose her waistline, but it also accentuated a bulging belly.

When I looked in the mirror, I could hardly believe it.

I...I'm not even showing yet! ? How did it get like this?

They quickly had the embroiderers alter it overnight. After three days of work, it was finally wearable.

General Niu handed over a red silk ribbon, which Princess Yu'an pulled up, took a deep breath, and then exhaled.

A noble and elegant princess alighted from her sedan chair!

Someone entered the hall and reported, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, Your Highness the Crown Prince, the newlyweds have arrived at the gate and are alighting from their sedan chairs!"

That's good... Let's finish this quickly! The Emperor was getting a little impatient.

A newlywed couple appeared at the other end of the red carpet.

Princess Yu'an walked slowly and gracefully, yet seemed so nonchalant, as if each step she took was on someone's palm!
To be honest, General Niu has seen far too many beautiful women!
Almost everyone fawned over him, going to great lengths to flatter and please him. Occasionally, there were those who were arrogant, aloof, and otherworldly, who needed him to coax and pamper them with silver and jewels.

But I've never seen a princess like this before!

He felt he was only fit to grovel at her feet. And she would trample over him without hesitation... just to keep her feet from getting muddy.

I have no idea what it feels like to share a bed with her.

Will she fall in love? Can I bring her pleasure?
These waves of thoughts were driving General Niu crazy; he wished he had an iron brush to scrub away all the thoughts in his mind and heart before he could feel truly satisfied.

It was originally a political marriage, with each party getting what they wanted.

Her elder brother, the crown prince, used her influence to ascend to the throne.

He also used this marriage to increase his authority and expand his sphere of influence, achieving true power and influence, and becoming someone who could command the winds and rains...

But at this moment, the princess brought him both pain and pleasure; he wanted to be bullied by her, yet he also wanted to conquer her!

I've never felt this way before in my life!
Walking in the empty square, facing the magnificent palace with its glazed tile and golden roof... and surrounded by noblemen and ladies...

I was short-sighted before!

To marry a wife like this, to walk in such a place, and to have people hold their breath and stare at you—that is the pinnacle of life!
He enjoyed the process, walking slowly, step by step, across the long carpet.

His idea was good, and it was quite imposing and dignified...

But this is Beijing, who cares?
The people standing by the roadside looked them up and down as if they were watching a play.

We're about to go up the steps.

General Niu turned around and said gently, "Your Highness, it's time to go up the steps."

Even through the bridal veil, Princess Yu'an could smell the fresh and strong stench of the bad breath.

It almost made her vomit...

If it were someone close to her, they would have dragged them away and beaten to death long ago; her heart was filled with sorrow.

"Okay." After a while, she managed to give that reply.

After climbing nine steps, I reached a platform. Then I climbed another nine steps and reached another platform.

Suddenly, in the crowd on the upper level, the person behind Dongfang took off his cloak, revealing a red outfit.

"Princess! Your Highness...don't you want your beloved anymore?"

(End of this chapter)