"Please rest assured, Empress. A Ru and I are truly in love. I've long promised A Ru that she'll be the only woman in my life. If I fail to keep this promise, you can send someone to Qin Dynasty to kill me and then take A Ru back," Yuan Yuhan said earnestly.
The Emperor and Empress felt much better seeing Yuan Yuhan's sincerity. "Very well, we'll remember your words today. If you let A Ru down, we'll surely get justice for her."
"Thank you, Father Emperor, for your blessing."
"Here comes the bride!"
Mu Fengqie wore a human - skin mask, so no one recognized her. She supported A Ru and walked out to the main hall.
Yuan Yuhan stared at A Ru in the red wedding dress and was instantly captivated. Although A Ru's head was covered with a red veil, he could still sense how beautiful she was today.
"Daughter is getting married today. From now on, I won't be able to serve you, Father Emperor and Mother Empress. Please take good care of yourselves."
"Good child, get up quickly. You should live well with the Fifth Prince from now on. Once you're married, you can't throw tantrums casually anymore."
"Yes, A Ru understands."
Supported by Mu Fengqie, A Ru served tea to the Emperor and Empress one by one, and then bid farewell with Yuan Yuhan.
Both of them had red - rimmed eyes as they watched A Ru and Yuan Yuhan leave. Standing on the wall of Tianlin Palace, they watched the procession getting farther and farther away and sighed. "Our daughter has grown up."
Mu Fengqie left after sending A Ru to the border between the two countries. Along the way, Yuan Yuhan took good care of A Ru and did everything himself. She couldn't even find an opportunity to help.
But seeing how he treated A Ru, she was relieved. Yuan Yuhan truly loved A Ru. She hoped they could grow old together and live a happy life.
The wedding procession walked for seven days and finally arrived at the capital of Qin Dynasty. There was a large crowd in front of the Fifth Prince's mansion, all coming to offer their congratulations.
"First, bow to Heaven and Earth!"
"Second, bow to the elders!" Since the Emperor was busy with state affairs in the palace, he didn't come out. But they still had to perform this ritual. After all, the Emperor was still alive. If they didn't do it, others might seize this as a weakness.
"Husband and wife, bow to each other!"
"The ceremony is completed!"
"Escort the bride to the bridal chamber!"
After Yuan Yuhan supported A Ru into the bridal chamber, he was called out to drink with others.
A Ru was clearly fidgety and nervous sitting on the bed. "Nanny, I'm a bit nervous." This nanny was brought by her from Tianlin Kingdom. She was trained by A Ru's mother and had watched A Ru grow up.
"Don't be afraid, Princess. Everyone gets nervous on their wedding day. Maybe the Fifth Prince is even more nervous than you."
In the front yard, Yuan Yuhan was dragged by others to drink. Just after a few cups, an imperial edict from the palace arrived.
"By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The Fifth Prince is both civilly and militarily talented. He has helped me solve many difficult matters. Now, he has married the Princess of Tianlin, bringing permanent friendship between the two countries. I'm very pleased. I hereby confer the title of Prince on my son, Yuan Yuhan, with the character 'Jing' in his title. The Princess of Tianlin shall be the Princess of Jing. So it is decreed!"
"We congratulate the Prince and the Princess."
"Your servant thanks Father Emperor."
"Then this humble servant won't disturb the Prince's happy event. I take my leave."
"Eunuch, please wait. Why did Father Emperor issue such an imperial edict?" Yuan Yuhan quietly slipped a bag of silver to him.
"Your Highness needn't worry. It's because Tianlin Kingdom has sent a peace document."
"But this alone shouldn't be enough for me to be conferred the title of Prince."
"Your Highness may not know. The King of Nanqing Kingdom has also sent a peace document, saying that he's congratulating on the wedding of the Princess of Tianlin."
Yuan Yuhan understood. It was because of A Ru that he was conferred the title of Prince. "Thank you, Eunuch, for telling me."
Yuan Yuhan was so drunk that he didn't know north from south. He was supported back to the room by a group of people.
Yuan Yuhan staggered and picked up the rod - shaped weighing scale to lift the veil on A Ru's head. At the moment he saw A Ru, Yuan Yuhan was truly captivated. A Ru was even more beautiful than he had imagined.
"A Ru, you're so beautiful."
This sentence made A Ru blush.
The next day, the two of them went to the palace to express their gratitude. The Emperor rewarded them with many things.
Yuan Yuhan's being conferred the title of Prince yesterday made many people jealous, especially the Crown Prince.
"Father Emperor, when I left, Mother Empress and you warned me to be filial to you after I came here. But I haven't seen Mother Empress yet."
"Your mother has committed a mistake. She's now under house arrest for self - reflection. Wait until she comes out and then you can visit her." The Emperor still had a good attitude towards A Ru. After all, she had brought the peace documents from two countries.
"Father Emperor, Mother Empress mustn't have done it on purpose. Please release her. Otherwise, if outsiders know, they may think that Mother Empress doesn't like me and that's why she won't see me."
The Emperor hesitated for a moment after hearing A Ru's words. A Ru knew there was hope when she saw the Emperor's hesitation. Her elder sister had told her to find a way to make the Emperor go and pick up the Empress himself.
"Your servant thinks that Mother Empress must have done something wrong in order to get your attention, Father Emperor. After all, Mother Empress is the mother of the country. She loves you, but she must be too shy to say it."
The Emperor remembered the Empress when she was young. He had liked her very much then. Now, the Empress still looked well - maintained and had the charm of a mature woman.
"Well, you're right. I understand. I'll call your mother out tomorrow."
"Yes, your servant takes her leave." A Ru and Yuan Yuhan walked out.
Although Yuan Yuhan didn't ask A Ru why she wanted to release the Empress just now, he believed that A Ru must have her reasons.
After the two of them got into the carriage after walking out of the palace, A Ru said, "I've got the news that the Empress is having an affair in the palace."
"So you want Father Emperor to catch them in the act?"
"Yes. She plotted against me so much. How could I let her go?"
"Do you think I've become very vicious?" A Ru looked at Yuan Yuhan nervously. She used to be very innocent, but after so many things, she had grown up a lot.
"No. In my heart, A Ru is the best. I'll never dislike you."
"You're so good."
The two of them leaned on each other in the carriage.
...In the Palace...
Since the Empress was put under house arrest, she had been staying in her own palace obediently and hadn't gone out.
However...
"Stop it... Be gentle～" The two people in the room were having sex. The woman on the bed was the Empress.
The eunuchs and maids outside the palace were standing nervously outside the door, afraid that someone would suddenly come and discover the Empress's secret.
But as the saying goes, what you fear most will come. Soon, someone came to the Empress's palace. It was none other than the Emperor.
The maid standing outside was about to go and inform the two people inside, but the Emperor stopped her.
"Don't announce my arrival. I'll go in myself. By the way, from today on, the Empress doesn't need to be under house arrest anymore."
"...Yes, yes."