bookrandom Chapter 245 They finally got married.
Chapter 245 They finally got married.
Although she already knew, the thought of watching her man marry another woman still made her heart clench painfully.
She raised her hand and patted each of the three children on the head in turn.
"There's a wedding banquet at noon today, so you should all go back to Jingxiang Garden and wait there!"
Although the three children were still angry, they had no choice but to do as she said.
After Lan Zhi left, the three of them huddled together, whispering and discussing something.
When Lan Zhi arrived at the main hall, all the guests were waiting there. When they saw her come in, they all looked at her with pity. Among the crowd, Lin Yuwei looked the most smug, and Madam Lin also had a faint smile on her face.
After entering the hall, she bowed to the Emperor, Empress, and Consort Liang, who were seated in the main seats, and then sat down in her own place.
She looked around and found that most of the important officials and their families had come, even more than when she and Wei Jianning got married. This showed how much importance everyone attached to this wedding.
Yes, without her, their marriage would have been a union of equals.
She laughed inwardly at herself.
She could clearly sense that Consort Liang looked at her with a mocking gaze, while the Empress looked at her with a sarcastic one. They seemed to be waiting to see a show, a show where she would disrupt the wedding.
At this moment, the matchmaker called out:
"Please invite the bride and groom into the hall to perform the ceremony."
As soon as she finished speaking, Wei Jianning, dressed in the wedding robes she had personally draped over him, walked into the hall with a livid face, holding the red silk ribbon.
Beneath the veil behind her was a petite figure, but her gait was not as demure as those of ladies from noble families; instead, she walked swiftly and gracefully.
It's unclear whether she was eager to enter the palace to pay her respects or eager to marry Wei Jianning; in any case, her steps were hurried, with a playful and adorable urgency.
On the way from the entrance to the hall, Wei Jianning's gaze remained fixed on Lan Zhi's face. He longed to put down the red silk in his hand, go over and take her hand to leave this place.
She seemed to know what he was thinking, and kept shaking her head at him, signaling him to prioritize the bigger picture and not to act recklessly.
He obeyed and did as he was told. He kept reminding himself that this was just a formality and that he had not betrayed the promise he had made to Lan Zhi.
"First bow to Heaven and Earth, second bow to the parents, husband and wife bow to each other!"
The matchmaker called out the common wedding phrases one by one. Wei Jianning did it reluctantly, while Zhu Fangfei looked delighted.
"Sent into the bridal chamber..."
The matchmaker's voice rang out again, and Wei Jianning looked at Lan Zhi with a sigh of relief, giving her a bitter smile.
The bride was escorted to the bridal chamber by a maid, and only then did the Emperor raise his hand with a smile.
"Lord Zhu, now you have a weight lifted off your shoulders. Congratulations!"
Zhu Kui's face did not show any relief; instead, it was solemn.
He sighed heavily, looked up at Wei Jianning, and reminded him in a serious yet threatening tone:
"From now on, I hope Your Highness and Princess will take good care of my daughter."
After saying this, he stood up from his chair, came before the Emperor, and bowed, saying:
"Your Majesty, I have been so busy these past few days with my daughter's wedding that I will have to skip the banquet. I will take my leave now."
The Emperor raised his hand in greeting.
"Lord Zhu, you should go back and rest early!"
Before leaving, Zhu Kui glanced at Lan Zhi with a sharp look that made her furrow her brow instantly.
After Zhu Kui left, the Emperor and Empress also left, leaving only Consort Liang behind.
After all the guests had taken their seats, Consort Liang blocked Lan Zhi's path, dismissed the servants, and then looked at her with sharp eyes.
"Although Miss Zhu is a concubine, she entered the Crown Prince's residence with the etiquette of a principal wife. You should be more polite to her on a daily basis."
At this moment, Lan Zhi suddenly remembered a sentence she had heard in her previous life: Mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are natural enemies.
At this moment, Consort Liang was like her nemesis, doing all sorts of things that annoyed her.
"Lan Zhi, let me remind you, Zhu Fangfei's family background is thousands of times better than yours. Don't act like a matriarch in front of her. If you upset her and she runs home crying, you can't bear the blame."
Lan Zhi's lips curved slightly, revealing a faint smile.
"Your Highness Liang, you are overthinking it. If I didn't agree, do you think Wei Jianning would have agreed to let her marry into the Crown Prince's residence smoothly?"
"The Emperor has issued a decree of marriage; how dare you refuse?"
“There’s nothing I wouldn’t dare to do. As you said, I have no family background, so I have no worries. Even if I disobey the imperial decree, at worst I’ll lose my head. I’m just worried that Wei Jianning will stay with me through thick and thin. I just want him to be alright.”
"Hahaha! That sounds nice, but you're just trying to keep your position as the Crown Princess. I've stayed here today specifically to tell you that Miss Zhu was married into the household with the rites of a principal wife. Her status in the Crown Prince's residence is the same as yours, equal."
Upon hearing this, Lan Zhi's expression immediately turned ugly.
Although she didn't want to argue about who was superior or inferior, she still felt very uncomfortable hearing these words from Consort Liang.
"I am the mistress of the Crown Prince's residence, and no one can be my equal. Also, there's no need for Consort Liang to worry about the affairs of the Crown Prince's residence. If you have nothing else to say, I won't keep you company any longer."
As she spoke, she put one hand on her waist and stood up. Just as she was about to leave, Consort Liang reminded her again:
"Lord Zhu is a first-rank Grand Commandant with military power. Even if Ning'er is the Crown Prince, without his support, the position of Crown Prince would not be very stable. Therefore, you would be better off not provoking Miss Zhu."
Lan Zhi simply turned her back to her, listened to her finish speaking, and then walked away without looking back.
Consort Liang gave a soft snort at her retreating figure and muttered under her breath.
"How long you can remain the Crown Princess depends on your fate."
Jingyi Garden
Zhu Fangfei sat on the wedding bed, imagining Wei Jianning lifting her veil later. Her face flushed with excitement, and her heart pounded wildly.
Ever since she met Wei Jianning that day, she has lost her appetite and even dreams about him.
It's just a pity that she hasn't had the chance to meet him face to face yet.
Fortunately, after causing a scene at home for three days, she finally got what she wanted.
So at this moment, her palms were sweating with excitement, and her whole body was trembling.
She kept rubbing her hands together, imagining the scene when she would meet Wei Jianning face to face later.
Suddenly, she felt something spring up on the top of her foot; it seemed to be a fleshy thing.
Startled, she lifted her veil and looked down, only to see a green frog, about the size of a palm, lying on her feet.
She bent down, picked up the frog's leg, and examined it closely. Suddenly, her gaze fell towards the doorway, and she realized that someone was watching her from there.
A slight smile played on her lips as she guessed that someone must have deliberately put the frog in the house to give her a hard time.
Who is Zhu Fangfei? She grew up in the mountains and has never been afraid of frogs, let alone poisonous snakes or wild beasts.
Carrying the frog, she strode to the door and, without a word, opened it. The three children who had been peeking through the door were about to run away when she caught them red-handed.
"Whose brat dares to cause trouble at my place?"