Chapter 8
Edward Quan ·
The crimson bridal clothes lay at the head of the bed.
I watched them quietly for a while, then rose and put on each layer.
When the wedding attendant entered, I was already fully dressed on the edge of the bed, even the red veil in place.
“Oh, miss! Why have you dressed yourself?”
I didn’t answer.
She waited at the door, then withdrew when I remained silent.
I sat for a little under an hour.
Outside, voices and footsteps grew lively, mingling with firecrackers.
The door opened. Two people came in and helped me up, one on either side.
“It’s time, miss. Come perform the wedding bows.”
I followed obediently.
A red carpet led from the room to the center of the courtyard. Someone put a length of red silk into my hand. The other end was taken by someone who must have been Shen Zhiyan.
He led me into place.
The attendant announced loudly:
“First, bow to Heaven and Earth!”
I bent.
Dazed, I seemed to return to my previous life.
Another rural courtyard like this. He stood beside me, and we bowed three times.
We had nothing then, not even bridal clothes. Yet I had been content.
“Second, bow to your elders!”
I lifted my head. Everything before me was red.
The scene had changed. The man was the same, but this life no longer resembled the last.
“Husband and wife, bow to each other!”
The ceremony ended.
Someone helped me back.
The attendant followed, recited a long string of blessings, then closed the door and left.
Silence settled.
On the bed, I considered what to say when Shen Zhiyan lifted the veil and discovered I wasn’t Gu Qingyi. How could I beg him to let me go?
The door opened.
I went rigid.
Unhurried footsteps approached and stopped before me.
He didn’t lift the veil at once.
After a while, a hand reached beneath it and placed a warm pastry in mine.
I froze.
On our wedding night in my previous life, he had done the same. I had been hungry all day, and he took an osmanthus cake from his robe and gave it to me.
While I sat stunned, his voice came from above, carrying a smile I hadn’t heard for a long time.
“Zhenniang…”
My whole body stiffened.
The veil lifted. Lamplight flooded my eyes, stinging them.
Shen Zhiyan stood before me, looking down with a smile.
“At last, we’re married again.”
17
I sat frozen, unable to recover for a long time.
“How… did you know it was me?”
Smiling, he gently removed the hair ornaments from my head.
“I’m sorry I made you wait so long.”
He sighed softly.
“Everything outside is settled. No one can stop us anymore. I’ve wronged you by marrying you here today. Tomorrow, I’ll bring you into the Shen residence with all the honors of a lawful wife and hold a grand wedding for you.”
I listened silently.
Noticing something wrong, he stopped and frowned slightly.
“What are you thinking?”
I looked up, my voice so calm it surprised even me.
“The person you meant to marry was me?”
“Of course.”
He laughed, as though the question were strange.
“If not you, who else? My feelings never changed. Everything I planned was only to give you a secure, honorable future.”
“Then…” I stared at him. “Was helping Prince Xian take the throne your doing too?”
His smile froze. Avoiding the question, he hurried to change the subject.
“I helped the new emperor gain the throne. No one can suppress us anymore. Aren’t you happy?”
I didn’t answer. Word by word, I pressed:
“The Shen family’s decline involved you too, didn’t it?”
His face slowly darkened.
“They brought it on themselves.”
His voice was cold.
“At first, I only wanted to get you out. My men were clumsy, so they brought Gu Qingyi too.”
The room was utterly still.
Looking at him, I felt my heart grow cold, inch by inch, until all that remained was a strange, unfamiliar quiet.
My continuing silence frightened him. He stepped forward and held me tightly.
His chin rested on my shoulder. In a very gentle voice, he spoke of years of longing, repeated that his feelings had never changed, and insisted that everything he had done was for me.
I remained rigid. I didn’t move or speak.
He must have realized.
His arms gradually stiffened. His voice stopped.
Looking down, he finally showed panic.
“Zhenniang?”
18
Just then, a commotion erupted outside.
“Fire! The front courtyard’s on fire!”
Shen Zhiyan frowned, released me, and said quietly:
“Wait here. I’ll look.”
Then he strode out.