The Empress, feeling relieved, wiped her moist eyes with a handkerchief and watched as Luoyan descended the steps.
Luoyan’s wedding dress, like a blood-red Manjusaka, bloomed on the long steps. Her skirt fluttered as she walked, sweeping over the snow on the ground. She looked straight ahead, with Liu Yan accompanying her.
As Luoyan descended the steps and reached the wide palace path, the ministers bowed and saluted, saying in unison, “We respectfully send off the princess.”
Xie Wenqiao stood in the middle.
Seeing him, Zhi Mo instinctively looked at his princess. Luoyan, with her straight posture, headed towards the palace gate.
A red skirt hem passed right under Xie Wenqiao’s eyes. He knew it was Luoyan and, adhering to his duty as a minister, he bowed his head in salute.
Luoyan had feelings for him; Xie Wenqiao knew this from before. But he couldn’t respond, nor could he accept her feelings, because shortly after arriving in Chang’an, he had already fallen for someone else.
The one he loved was the first female general of the Great Zhou, who was also Luoyan’s deceased sister-in-law.
Love can arise unknowingly and deepen without bounds.
Loving a married woman was Xie Wenqiao’s mistake. He vowed never to marry to punish himself. He was good to Luoyan out of guilt, feeling that liking her sister-in-law was a desecration.
Thus, it had nothing to do with love.
Xie Wenqiao bowed even more respectfully.
Amidst the ministers’ respectful send-off, Luoyan walked towards the carriage parked in front of the palace gate.
The Nanliang prince, Tuoba Wu, extended his hand to assist her. Luoyan’s gaze met his over the golden hairpin on her forehead. Surprisingly, she felt an unusual calm. With a smile, she placed her hand in his broad palm.
He Sui’an, hiding near the palace gate with a silk ribbon covering her eyes, held onto Qi Buyan. Seeing Luoyan get into the carriage, Qi Buyan took out an item with his other hand and sent a signal into the air.
“Bang!” First, there was a flash of light, followed by a series of fireworks.
The court had already prepared fireworks to celebrate the princess’s wedding. The moment they went off, no one paid much attention. Qi Buyan, holding He Sui’an’s hand, led her away from the palace gate. Their next destination was the city gate.
The streets were bustling with people as they navigated through, snowflakes falling and brushing against He Sui’an’s cheek, feeling cold. A few snowflakes landed on her neck and quickly melted into water, feeling even colder.
Her right eyelid twitched inexplicably. She stopped. “Do you really want me to stay by your side?”
“Yes.”
Qi Buyan affirmed.
He Sui’an hesitated, her throat feeling dry as she “looked” at him through the silk ribbon. Listening to the sound of the silver bells, she gradually let go of his hand. “But I’m really afraid that I might, might hurt you.”
Qi Buyan, however, laughed.
He adjusted the silk ribbon that had been blown askew by the wind and snow. “What are you afraid of? You promised me you would go back to Miaojiang’s Tianshui Village with me. If you can do that, I will never let myself die, no matter what.”
She lowered her head, saying nothing.
He asked back, “What about you?”
He Sui’an was a bit confused and looked up. “What about me?”
Qi Buyan softly said, “Didn’t you promise to come back to Miaojiang’s Tianshui Village with me? You won’t break your promise, right, He Sui’an?”
He Sui’an didn’t speak and shook her head.
She didn’t want to break her promise either.
He took her hand again, easily enveloping it in his warmth, driving away the cold. She also held onto Qi Buyan tightly, their fingers interlocked.
*
When the bridal procession reached the main street of Chang’an, there was a sudden commotion, forcing it to stop.
A vendor, unaware of the situation, had pulled a cartload of fruits across the path of the procession, and the cart had overturned, scattering fruits all over the ground. They couldn’t just trample over them.
The fruits were red, and stepping on them would crush them, splattering red juice everywhere, like blood. This was inauspicious for the Great Zhou, sending off a princess, and equally inauspicious for the Nanliang Kingdom, welcoming her.
They couldn’t take a detour either.
A princess’s bridal procession must move forward, never backtracking.
Tuoba Wu, who was on horseback, waited for a moment. Seeing that they were still not allowed to pass, he pinched the bridge of his nose and sent someone to find out what was going on. He then turned his horse around and rode to the carriage at the back.
The person in the carriage was, after all, his bride, a princess of the Great Zhou. It was only appropriate for Tuoba Wu to personally explain the unexpected delay to her.
Tuoba Wu, facing the carriage, briefly explained the situation.
He found that the person inside the carriage did not respond to him at all. He reached out to lift the curtain. “Is the princess feeling unwell? Why don’t you speak?”
“I am fine.”
Luoyan’s voice came from inside the carriage, stopping Tuoba Wu’s hand from lifting the curtain.
Tuoba Wu laughed.
He had just thought something had gone wrong.
He hadn’t left yet: “It’s good that the princess is fine. I’ve sent someone to clear away the fruits. It should be done in less than half an hour.”
Inside the spacious carriage, Luoyan’s eyes were on Jiang Xuewan, who had barged in, but she spoke to Tuoba Wu outside: “Hmm, this princess understands. You don’t need to worry about me. I’m fine.”
Only then did Tuoba Wu return to the front.
Jiang Xuewan let out a sigh of relief.
Luoyan didn’t lower the hairpin pressed against Jiang Xuewan’s neck, nor did Jiang Xuewan lower the dagger at Luoyan’s throat. Luoyan calmly asked, “Who are you, and why have you entered my carriage?”
Jiang Xuewan lowered her voice and spoke quickly: “Princess, you will understand the reason in the future. For now, you just need to know that I won’t harm you. I have come under orders to take you away.”
Luoyan asked, “Under orders?”
“Yes.”
To show her sincerity, Jiang Xuewan first lowered her dagger. She hadn’t intended to resort to this, but Luoyan had attacked the moment she entered, not giving her a chance to speak, making her instinctively defensive.
Luoyan seemed skeptical: “Why should I believe you?”
Jiang Xuewan respectfully handed Luoyan a piece of paper given to her by Su Yang: “Princess, you should recognize the emperor’s handwriting. This is a message from the emperor for you.”
Luoyan took it and looked.
The paper contained a brief message: “Ah Yan, listen to the person before you.”
No explanation was given.
Luoyan removed the hairpin from Jiang Xuewan’s neck: “What does the emperor want you to do today? Isn’t he too ill to personally send me off?”
Jiang Xuewan lowered her eyes, adhering to the emperor’s command to keep this secret from too many people: “Please do not make things difficult for me, princess. If you want to know, you can ask the emperor when you return to the palace.”
Luoyan crumpled the paper: “Fine.”
Working in tandem with Jiang Songwei, who had infiltrated the bridal procession, Jiang Xuewan managed to smoothly get Luoyan out of the carriage. Jiang Xuewan stayed behind.
Once dressed in the attire of an ordinary maid, Luoyan left the carriage and stood in a corner of the street, watching the bridal procession move further away. Jiang Songwei looked at her and said, “Princess, please follow me back to the palace.”
Luoyan suddenly threw a handful of powder at Jiang Songwei: “I’m sorry.”
Unprepared, he felt dizzy and disoriented.
“Princess, you…”
*
Meanwhile, Qi Buyan, following the arrangement with Su Yang and the others, arrived outside the city gate.
Shen Jianhe, upon seeing He Sui’an, leaned against the wall with feigned ease and said, “Miss He, what brings you here?”
He Sui’an mumbled in response.
Qi Buyan, idly twirling his bone flute, replied, “I brought her.”
Shen Jianhe understood.
To be honest, Shen Jianhe could tell that Qi Buyan insisted on keeping He Sui’an by his side, though he couldn’t fathom why. After all, bringing He Sui’an, who had no martial skills, was disadvantageous for both of them. However, Shen Jianhe had no right to interfere with their decisions; young people would do as they wished.
Su Yang, however, had a few words to say.
She frowned, “It’s dangerous.”
As she spoke, Su Yang vigilantly scanned the surroundings of the city gate, alert to any unusual movements, her hand quietly gripping the hilt of her long sword at her waist. “She shouldn’t be here. Aren’t you afraid she’ll get hurt?”
Qi Buyan smiled faintly, stopped twirling the bone flute, and reinserted it at his waist, the indigo tassel swaying. “There’s no need for you to worry.”
“I’m not afraid.”
He Sui’an, not wanting to cause any discord among them, interjected.
In truth, she wasn’t afraid of getting hurt. While He Sui’an was very afraid of death, today she was more afraid of hurting Qi Buyan.
Su Yang glanced back at them, knowing their minds were made up. She didn’t try to persuade them further. At this point, they had to take it one step at a time, hoping the plan would go smoothly and they could successfully capture Liu Yan.
He Sui’an, unable to see, focused entirely on listening. She heard the sound of music.
The bridal procession had arrived.
The long street leading to the city gate had been deliberately cleared of snow, looking very clean. Tuoba Wu rode at the front on horseback, while the citizens stood orderly on both sides of the street, watching and discussing.
At this moment, the city gate was not allowing anyone in or out.
The procession, with Great Zhou guards and Nanliang envoys, was quite long, nearly occupying the entire street, creating a grand spectacle.
Liu Yan was not with the bridal procession; he was in a separate carriage and had arrived earlier, standing atop the city gate to see them off. He looked down at the procession that was almost out of the gate.
“Prepare to act,” Liu Yan said, rubbing the archer’s ring on his finger, and looked at his trusted aide.
“Yes.”
The aide retreated after receiving the order.
As soon as the bridal procession exited the city gate, the guards swiftly shut the gate. Tuoba Wu noticed the commotion, reined in his horse, and looked back at the closed gate, then at Liu Yan standing above.
Tuoba Wu sneered, his Great Zhou not very fluent but clear enough, “Prince, what is the meaning of this?”
Liu Yan did not respond to Tuoba Wu.
Instead, he raised his voice and uttered the word “kill.”
At his command, the Spirit Gu warriors, who had been lying in wait outside the city, surged forward, surrounding the bridal procession. These warriors moved swiftly, their expressions blank, and their skin had an eerie pallor.
As soon as Liu Yan’s Spirit Gu warriors appeared, Su Yang, who had been hiding outside the city gate, also sprang into action.
He Sui’an wanted to pull down the silk ribbon covering her eyes.
Qi Buyan stopped her.
He retied the ribbon that she had loosened slightly. “Don’t take it off, and don’t look at the snow. Wait here for me.”
This spot was where Qi Buyan could sense He Sui’an through the Love Gu at any time. If she moved too far, he would lose the ability to sense her location directly through the Gu.
He Sui’an held Qi Buyan’s hand. “Okay, I’ll wait here for you to come back.”
Qi Buyan stroked her long braid.
He had braided her hair today, too, tying a silver ornament engraved with his name at the end. His fingers brushed the small bell, producing a soft, pleasant chime.
He Sui’an hugged Qi Buyan around the waist for a moment before letting go, not wanting to delay him.
Qi Buyan left a red snake with her and departed.
The red snake climbed onto He Sui’an’s body. This time, she didn’t feel scared and let it slither up her legs and coil around her shoulder.
He Sui’an slowly crouched down, facing the direction Qi Buyan had left. Following his instructions, she didn’t remove the silk ribbon. The red snake, which usually stayed aloof, affectionately rubbed its flat head against her cheek.
The snake’s body was still as cold as ever.