The abstinent and powerful minister is cold and aloof during the day, but he adores her in his dream

Chapter 314 The Big Wedding
Lu Zhan held Zhi Wan's hand until they reached the door of a house before letting go. "Let's go in."

Zhiwan looked at him with suspicion, but still went in as instructed.

When she saw the person lying on the bed, she exclaimed in surprise, "Uncle?"

The person on the bed was Zhiye.

He was stabbed by Shen Congrong inside the imperial tent.

Although the sword missed his heart by a hair's breadth, he lost too much blood and was in critical condition because he did not receive timely medical attention.

Even after doctors were consulted, it was too late for any treatment.

Hearing Zhiwan's voice, he opened his eyes with difficulty.

"My little...niece..." Her voice was filled with guilt.

Seeing this, Zhiwan sat down by the bedside. "Uncle, are you alright?"

"You...don't blame me?" Zhiye asked with difficulty.

Of course, Zhiwan found it strange.

The other party was her own uncle, her only relative in the world, yet he was plotting to kidnap her and threaten her cousin.

Moreover, because of her uncle's actions, she was almost sold into a brothel by Zeng Jiayi.

How could she not be angry?
Although her cousin didn't say it, she could tell that her uncle was dying.

So, faced with her uncle's expectant gaze, she finally shook her head against her will, "I don't blame you."

Whether it was because of the intense pain from her injuries or because she was thinking about the things she had done in her life, a tear rolled down Zhiye's cheek.

"Uncle... I'm sorry... I'll go to the underworld to apologize to your parents..." After saying this in fits and starts, Zhiye closed his eyes.

"Uncle!" Zhiwan exclaimed in surprise.

But Zhiye had already stopped breathing, though her eyes were closed, clearly indicating that she had left without regrets.

Lu Zhan heard the sound and came in.

“Cousin, Uncle… he’s gone.” Zhiwan threw herself into his arms, her voice choked with sobs.

Even though her uncle had done many wrong things, he was still her family. At the moment he died, Zhiwan still felt a pang of heartache.

"For him, this might be a relief." Lu Zhan gently patted his cousin's back.

With the help of Lu Zhan and Chen Jiu, Zhi Wan arranged Zhi Ye's funeral and chose a quiet place for his burial.

Looking at her uncle's lonely grave, Zhiwan felt a pang of emotion.

No matter how much a person struggles in life, whether rich or poor, in the end, all that remains is a handful of dust.

Thinking of the regret in her uncle's eyes before his death, Zhiwan sighed.

If only my uncle had realized his mistake sooner.

On the way back, Zhiwan voiced her doubts, "Uncle...who hurt him?"

Lu Zhan leaned against the car wall, closing his eyes to rest.

So much has happened these past few days that he hasn't had a moment to rest.

Upon hearing this, he opened his eyes and said calmly, "I was injured by Shen Congrong, the commander of the Imperial Guards."

“Shen Congrong?” Zhiwan was taken aback.

She had never heard of this name before.

“Yes.” Lu Zhan nodded. “According to your uncle, Shen Congrong is also the son of the Prince of Jin, but he was born to a concubine. He only found out about it later.”

Zhiwan was shocked. "So the upheaval at the hunting grounds was all his doing?"

"Yes. For so many years, he has been using the pretense of avenging the Prince of Jin to infiltrate the Emperor's side. With the money and grain that your uncle sent from Jiangnan, he secretly trained troops in the hunting grounds, waiting for the day when he could seize the Emperor's power. Your uncle never knew he had such ambitions and trusted him completely."

He lost his life this time because he fell into Shen Congrong's trap.

Zhiwan was terrified.

Her cousin spoke lightly of what happened on the hunting grounds, but the dangers involved were probably more severe than she imagined.

Fortunately, my cousin returned safely.

Lu Zhan was resting with his eyes closed when he noticed the girl's gaze. He opened his eyes and asked with a smile, "What are you looking at?"

Zhiwan shook her head, leaned into his arms, and fiddled with his clothes with her fingers, asking, "So now, is everything settled?"

"Yes." Lu Zhan responded, put his arm around her shoulder, and said gently, "From now on, you should prepare well for your marriage and wait for me to come and marry you." Thinking that the two of them would be getting married in just a few days, Zhi Wan blushed slightly.

"Mmm." She nodded gently.

A smile flickered in Lu Zhan's eyes as he pulled her closer.

……

The wedding day was sunny and peaceful.

Zhiwan was urged by Chen, the wet nurse, to get up, bathe, and change clothes very early.

After all the commotion, the auspicious time arrived quickly.

Hearing the firecrackers outside celebrating the wedding, Zhiwan suddenly felt a little nervous.

Although she grew up in the Duke's mansion, she is now re-entering the mansion as a daughter-in-law and wife.

The change in identity made her feel somewhat uncomfortable and at a loss.

Last night, she had a lot of wild thoughts.

Will her future be satisfactory and worry-free?
She couldn't find the answer.

Although her aunt and cousin treat her very well, her future is still long and full of uncertainties.

But regardless, this is the path she chose, and she should face it bravely.

"Wanwan, I have something fun to tell you," Ouyang Zhenzhu suddenly whispered mysteriously in Zhiwan's ear.

"What fun thing is it?" Before Zhiwan could ask, Princess Changle asked first.

"Hehe!" Ouyang Zhenzhu covered her mouth and chuckled twice, deliberately keeping everyone in suspense, "You'll find out when you see the sedan chair bearers."

Zhiwan looked at her suspiciously, "Is there anything wrong with the sedan chair bearers? It can't be Ouyang Shaoqing and Duan Shaoqing, can it?"

Ouyang Zhenzhu's smile vanished, and she frowned, asking, "How did you know?"

Princess Chang Le scoffed, "You've made it so obvious."

Ouyang Zhenzhu twisted her handkerchief with some boredom. "I should have kept quiet. Now there's no surprise at all."

Zhiwan took her hand and said solemnly, "Thank you, Pearl."

"Why are you thanking me?" Ouyang Zhenzhu asked, puzzled.

Zhiwan smiled but remained silent.

Princess Chang Le glanced at her and immediately understood what was going on.

This girl must be nervous, right?

But Ouyang Zhenzhu's meddling actually made her feel a little more relaxed?
"Thank you as well, Your Highness," Zhiwan said sincerely, turning her gaze to Princess Changle.

She was an orphan, but on her wedding day, she was not lonely at all.

The lively atmosphere in the room was all brought by them.

"Don't be nervous. If Lu Zhan ever dares to betray you in the future, just come to me, and I will stand up for you." Princess Chang Le sat down next to her, put her arm around her shoulder, and said firmly.

“Then I’ll consider Your Highness my protector.” Zhiwan blinked.

“I thought I already was,” Princess Chang Le said, raising an eyebrow.

"The groom has come to fetch the bride. Quickly, put the veil on." At this moment, the matchmaker walked in with a happy face, picked up the bright red wedding veil, and covered Zhiwan's head.

When the time came to leave, Chen Daniu, acting as the elder brother, carried Zhiwan onto the bridal sedan chair.

After the sedan curtain fell, the bridal sedan chair was lifted up at the wedding attendant's command of "Lift the sedan chair!"

As Zhiwan sat in the bridal sedan chair, she could vaguely hear bursts of laughter outside.

"Aren't those two in front Duan Shaoqing and Ouyang Shaoqing? Why are they the ones carrying the bridal sedan chair?"

"Two vice ministers of the Court of Judicial Review carrying the bridal sedan chair—this is probably a one-of-a-kind event!"

Amidst the laughter, someone exclaimed, "The groom is really handsome!"

"The bride is so lucky!" someone said enviously.

Hearing this, Zhiwan felt a sweet warmth in her heart.

She seemed to see her cousin, dressed in a fiery red auspicious robe, riding a fine horse, looking handsome and dashing, through the sedan curtain.