Chapter 85: Wedding Blessings

The gates and windows of Changyang Palace were tightly closed, with an oppressive silence hanging in the air. A unfamiliar attendant, with a face unfamiliar to the court, placed a newly repaired golden Buddha with a large belly in the hall, directly in front of the Emperor’s dragon couch.

Though the Buddha’s eyes exuded compassion, standing tall in the dim light, it also revealed a somewhat eerie and sinister aura. The Emperor on the dragon couch had a twisted mouth and crooked eyes, his hands trembling, displaying signs of an impending stroke. Ning Yin, in a leisurely manner, pulled a chair and sat about a dozen feet away, enjoying the Emperor’s plight and helplessness.

Having ruled for two decades, surviving countless suspicions and killings, now the Emperor’s son, the one who endured till the end, was now left with only a fool, a child, and…

The Emperor’s cloudy eyes stared fixedly at a face that bore a striking resemblance to that of Lady Li. His eyes were filled with bloodshot red veins.

…and a madman.

“Kill… kill…”

The Emperor desperately moved his twisted mouth, his eyeballs bulging like a dying fish.

“Kill? No.”

Ning Yin hooked his lip line, his voice exceptionally gentle. “I won’t kill you, at least not now.”

If the Emperor died, it would cast a shadow over the whole realm, ruining his upcoming marriage to Yu Lingxi.

He intended to let the Emperor “enjoy” his last moments, gasping for breath until after his grand wedding.

Having seen enough of the Emperor’s disgrace, Ning Yin casually raised his hand, and immediately, two groups of heavily adorned women entered, kneeling on either side of the dragon couch.

Although these women were dressed as palace maids, they exuded an air of dust and filth. Each one had once been a seductress with a captivating charm, clearly not the cleanest of individuals.

“The Emperor likes beautiful women but is too embarrassed to admit it. You must serve him wholeheartedly. If anyone fails to serve attentively…”

Ning Yin leisurely scanned the group, and the women immediately quivered and said, “This servant will surely serve with all her heart!”

Ning Yin smiled with satisfaction, his gaze returning to the dragon bed as he stood up. “Enjoy your final happiness.”

His faint vermilion lips slightly parted, uttering two silent words.

The Emperor’s eyes widened abruptly, recognizing his mouth forming the words “Father, Emperor,” each word enunciated coldly and mockingly.

“Kill… kill!”

The Emperor struggled like a fish out of water, his drooling mouth spouting the word “kill,” his withered and twisted fingers trembling as they reached toward the deep purple figure.

The flamboyant women rushed forward, pushing him back onto the dragon couch.

The bright yellow curtains fluttered like an invisible giant beast, swallowing up every resentful and hoarse sob.

…

The Bureau of Apparel worked day and night, and as soon as the auspicious attire was cut and embroidered, it was swiftly sent to the residence of Prince Ning.

“So fast?”

Yu Lingxi was busy brewing tea following an ancient recipe when the palace maid from the Bureau of Apparel entered with a set of brand new wedding attire. She was quite surprised.

The palace maid smiled, “It’s just a preliminary cut and embroidery. Please, try it on, Miss. If there are no issues with size, the embroiderers at the Bureau of Apparel will add pearls and gemstones.”

Yu Lingxi got up and went to the inner room to try on the dress, examining herself in a bronze mirror.

Although the crimson wedding gown had not yet been adorned with jewels, it was already incredibly exquisite. The high-quality soft fabric cascaded down like a brilliant sunset.

The size was just right, not a bit too much or too little. Even the senior palace maid from the Bureau of Apparel, who was accustomed to making clothes for beauties and noble ladies, couldn’t help but marvel.

The mirror in Prince Ning’s residence was exceptionally smooth and clear. After trying on the wedding gown, Yu Lingxi couldn’t help but take a few more glances.

Turning around in the dress, she saw Ning Yin leisurely sitting behind a table, seemingly lost in thought for who knows how long.

Yu Lingxi quickly put on the outer garment hanging on her arm, covering her delicate shoulders, and smiled as she asked, “When did you come back?”

“Probably since Yu’er staring at one’s own chest, measuring size,” Ning Yin replied subtly, pausing for a moment before nodding, “It seems, it’s a bit too big.”

Ah, that annoying mouth!

“Nonsense,” Yu Lingxi retorted, walking over with the draped cloak and sitting beside Ning Yin. “Strange. The people from the Bureau of Apparel didn’t come for measurements. How do they know my size?”

Ning Yin’s dark eyes turned, and he asked, “Are my estimated measurements accurate?”

“…”

Yu Lingxi reacted, widening her eyes, “When did you estimate?”

“Since someone gifted Sui Sui as a present to this prince, naturally, this prince had to open and inspect it,” Ning Yin said matter-of-factly, looking at his own slender and powerful hand. “Inch by inch, I personally measured it for quite a while.”

Yu Lingxi took a deep breath, unable to imagine the scene of him using his hands as a ruler to measure her body.

“I wondered why in those days, when I slept, I always felt something tight around me… No, wait.”

Remembering something, Yu Lingxi asked, “You started preparing the wedding attire so early? Then why did you bully me at the beginning?”

Making her think that Ning Yin was holding a grudge and seeking revenge.

“Nonsense, clearly, it was to cherish Sui Sui,” Ning Yin seemed to see through her thoughts, chuckled softly, and said, “Whatever you do, I won’t hate you. Because, you are my precious Sui Sui.”

He was accustomed to speaking the truth in a joking tone, and the lighter the tone, the more genuine it was.

Yu Lingxi speculated that even if he felt deeply hurt, he would only transfer his resentment to others and destroy this world.

“Little madman.”

Suppressing the surging warmth in her heart, Yu Lingxi leaned her head on his shoulder and softly said, “Did Wang Lingqing know about your past as a servant in the Yu Mansion? Was it intentionally leaked by you? You, being so clever, if you wanted to hide your past, Wang Lingqing would never have found out.”

Ning Yin picked up the tea cup that Yu Lingxi had previously poured, took a sip, made a hoarse sound, and pretended, “Sui Sui is truly clever.”

“Playful.”

Smiling faintly, Yu Lingxi grabbed the cup from his hand and finished it in one gulp.

Ning Yin looked at his empty hand, raising an eyebrow slightly.

“There’s chili powder in this cup, and you can’t handle spicy,” Yu Lingxi huffed, pouring him a new cup.

Ning Yin didn’t take the new cup of tea. Instead, he reached out, pulled Yu Lingxi over, and raised a finger to press on her lower lip, giving it a slight pull.

Yu Lingxi opened her mouth to bite his finger, but he took advantage of the opportunity and kissed her lips.

After a while, Ning Yin calmly wiped the colorful lips and savored, “It’s a bit spicy, but the taste is excellent.”

Yu Lingxi, panting, pressed her rosy lips.

“Don’t drink proper tea; you spill it all.”

The new cup of tea in her hand had already been spilled, and the tea had trickled down her arm, wetting the sleeve.

She wanted to find a handkerchief to wipe it, but Ning Yin grabbed her wrist.

“Which mansion do you like to live in?” Ning Yin asked.

Yu Lingxi blinked her eyelashes and subconsciously answered, “This one.”

This mansion was the prototype of the Regent’s Mansion in her previous life, with familiar shadows of pavilions and towers. Living here, she felt it could make up for many shortcomings.

Ning Yin didn’t say anything, just lowered his eyes and bowed, meticulously cleaning the tea that had trickled along her fingers, kissing away the tea drops.

In the early spring sunlight, his handsome profile was bathed in a faint warmth, appearing serene and beautiful. Yu Lingxi curled her fingers, letting the tingling sensation spread through her limbs.

…

Recently, Ning Yin has become unexpectedly busy, leaving early and returning late. Yu Lingxi has had very few opportunities to meet him. Occasionally passing through the corridor, she would see officials and attendants carrying boxes of things into the mansion, seeming to prepare for something.

When is Ning Yin planning to marry her? Perhaps it would be in the fall.

Yu Lingxi speculated while pinching the days. The prince’s grand wedding should be prepared at least half a year in advance, and when all the formalities are complete, it should be the season of fragrant osmanthus blossoms.

Autumn is also good. In her previous life, she was sent to Ning Yin in early autumn.

On the seventeenth of the month, early in the morning, Yu Lingxi woke up in a daze, rolled over on the bed, and then rolled into a firm embrace.

She raised her hand to touch and, suddenly opening her eyes, she met a pair of ink-black clear eyes.

“Ning Yin?”

Yu Lingxi blinked, having not seen him for quite some time when waking up. For a moment, she thought she was still in a dream. Her drowsy appearance was somewhat charming, with the corners of her eyes like hooks.

Ning Yin’s eyes showed a dim and profound smile. He reached out and flicked the little hook at the corner of her eye, saying softly, “Get up, this prince will send you back to the Yu Mansion after the meal.”

“Back to the Yu Mansion?”

Did the little madman change his ways today?

After dressing and having the meal, Yu Lingxi, full of doubts, boarded Ning Yin’s carriage.

In front of the Prince’s Mansion, several attendants were taking down the old palace lanterns and replacing them with new red lanterns. The palace maids were orderly, carrying candlesticks, brocades, and other items back and forth.

Before Yu Lingxi could take a closer look, Ning Yin lowered the carriage curtain, gently turning her head until she could only see him in her eyes and heart.

Yu Lingxi missed her parents but couldn’t bear to part with the madman. She blinked and smiled, “Suddenly having a kind heart to send me home, aren’t you afraid you’ll miss me in the future?”

“Sui Sui, you’re overestimating yourself.”

Ning Yin bent a hint of a very shallow smile, meaningfully saying, “Just one day, I can still wait.”

“One day?”

Yu Lingxi always felt that his expression was unpredictable, not knowing what mischievous idea he was brewing.

However, when the carriage stopped in front of the Yu Mansion’s gate, Yu Lingxi finally understood the meaning of “one day.”

The Yu Mansion was bustling with excitement. Yu Xinyi personally directed the servants to hang red silk flowers on the plaque at the main entrance, occasionally stepping back to inspect and saying, “It’s crooked, move it a little to the left.”

Seeing her sister getting off the carriage from Prince Ning’s mansion, she smiled with her hands on her hips, “Sui Sui, you’re back? The Bureau of Apparel has sent the wedding attire and phoenix crown. Quickly go and see if it fits!”

“Sister, this is…”

Yu Lingxi looked at the lively red silk “喜” characters throughout the mansion and suddenly guessed something. She turned her head abruptly, looking at Ning Yin, who was smiling beside her.

“He didn’t tell you?” Yu Xinyi was shocked by her sister’s bewildered reaction. “No way, tomorrow is your wedding day, and His Highness didn’t really tell you?”

Although she had already guessed, Yu Lingxi couldn’t stop her heart from pounding. The excitement and surprise reached their peak, creating an illusion like a dream.

“You’ve been busy with all this lately?”

Yu Lingxi didn’t know whether to laugh or be annoyed for a moment. After holding back for a while, she hugged Ning Yin and said, “When did you set the date? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Damn, her eyes seemed to be a bit sour.

Yu Lingxi turned her head and rubbed all the sweet wetness on his clothes.

Yu Xinyi, who was watching with great interest, was driven away by Yu Huanchen.

Ning Yin gently stroked Yu Lingxi’s back, very satisfied with her overwhelming surprise and confusion at this moment. The sweetness simmered slowly like warm water, never as memorable as the instant excitement. He was inherently a bad guy, with little moral sense. Whether it was a marriage or not, it made no difference to him.

A marriage contract had no constraints on him. As long as it was someone he cared about, even if they didn’t get married, he would always cherish her. If it was someone he didn’t bother about, marrying her would be like having an inanimate object.

However, he wanted to make her happy.

He wanted to use all means, whether vile or normal, to forever imprint himself on Yu Lingxi’s heart. So that every time she thought of today, waves of emotion would surge, never-ending until death.

“As long as it’s Sui Sui’s wish, it should be fulfilled.”

Ning Yin pinched Yu Lingxi’s nape, lowered his eyes, and said in a tone almost gentle, “Wipe away your tears and save them for our wedding night.”

“I didn’t cry.”

Yu Lingxi took a deep breath and raised her head. In her slightly curved apricot eyes, there were scattered and shimmering lights.

Ning Yin raised his finger and wiped the slightly red corner of her eye, saying in a gentle tone, “Tomorrow, I will come to pick you up.”

This time, he would truly bring her back home.

Their home.

Yu Lingxi walked through the lively courtyard, filled with red silk and “喜” characters.

Returning to her boudoir, it was also newly decorated. There were paired joy candles on the table, large red window flowers with the character “喜” stuck on the window screens, and a pile of rich dowries.

On the central wooden frame hung a set of crimson embroidered golden auspicious attire, with phoenix crowns and hairpins arranged in a row. They were dazzling and much more luxurious than the hastily arranged wedding in the past. Each item was an exquisite treasure.

Yu Lingxi gently stroked the exquisite cloud pattern on the crimson dress, and a light smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.

This was the true bridal attire she had been waiting for for two lifetimes.

After having lunch, palace maids from the palace came to explain the wedding banquet procedures and precautions to Yu Lingxi. When everything was arranged, it was already dusk. Yu Lingxi was so tired that she couldn’t lift a finger, but she was still excited, wishing tomorrow would come sooner.

She sat on the couch for a short rest, gazing absentmindedly at the beautiful wedding dress in the room. Then, she saw Hutao coming quickly, hesitating as if wanting to speak but stopping. She said, “Miss…”

Yu Lingxi came to her senses and asked, “What is it?”

Hutao hesitated for a moment and replied, “Master Xue is here, he said… he has something to give you.”

Yu Lingxi paused, and the smile in her eyes faded slightly.

“Where is he?” Yu Lingxi asked.

“It’s crowded with people. I’m afraid if others see something and spread unfavorable rumors, so I asked him to sit in the waterside pavilion first.”

Hutao asked in a low voice, “Miss, should I send him away?”

Yu Lingxi lowered her long eyelashes, looked at the tea leaves floating in the cup, and pondered for a long time.

“No need,” she said.

She put down the cup and said, “Go tell my brother…”

After whispering a few words, Yu Lingxi stood up and walked towards the waterside pavilion.

The spring chill was piercing, and the setting sun cast a slanting light on the smooth surface of the pond, creating no ripples.

Yu Lingxi stood at the end of the plank bridge and immediately saw the figure of moonlight standing in the waterside pavilion.

There was also an unfamiliar servant boy in the pavilion.

On the stone table in the middle, there were a pair of delicately packaged glass wine cups and a pot of clear wine. Hearing the light footsteps approaching, Xue Cen paused for a moment before turning around.

Meeting each other’s eyes, he was noticeably thinner, and there was a lingering melancholy in his warm brows and eyes. It was somewhat similar to the last time they met in the previous life.

“Second sister…”

Realizing the inappropriate address, he cleared his throat, smiled, and changed his words, “Miss is getting married, and I brought a small gift to congratulate you.”

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