3 The Bride and Groom (I)

Was this hell?

Hui Lan who had been laying on the floor slowly supported herself to get up and sit down. Her entire body felt so heavy and why was she so weak? Slowly she raised her hand up to cover her eyes from the fuming flames. However, her clothes...they weren't hers...well not the same with the ones she wore this morning.

Just like the burning flames, the clothes that were on her were just as burning red as the fire around her. She lifted her arms higher to see the long sleeves that were dropping down from her fair arms. From the sleaves to her skirt, it was all red. What kind of dress was this...it looked similar to an old traditional Chinese dress with all of it being made of silk, but also very different.

It looked even more extravagant than any usual dresses, with gold silk sewed onto it. Hui Lan's observation skills began to kick in and all her historical research of eastern history were all slowly filling her thoughts.

She leaned over to see a clearer view of her skirt. As she slowly unfolded her skirt, a familiar pattern appeared in front of her. Her eyes grew slightly wider as she did not expect to see what she was seeing. A phoenix? If it's a phoenix, then…

"Niang Niang!" An anxious voice called from outside.

Hui Lan took her eyes off from her clothes to a space that should have been the door. She wanted to call out that she was inside, but her throat was unusually dry. Having felt the discomfort in her throat, Hui Lan gently touched her throat.

Then, a wet feeling was on her exposed arm. She turned to look at what it was when another fell on her arm.

Tears?

She tapped the corners of her eyes slightly only to find more tears flowing down from her eyes. As if a lock had been unlocked, pictures and pictures flashed past her mind one after the other. Memories of the past of the owner of this body were being shown to her.

While the memories reappeared, her heart grew in pain that had lingered in this body before...before this person passed on…

Hui Lan clenched on to her heart tightly as she experienced the linger heartbreak and tears did not stop flowing as she recalled of what had happened to this person…

...What has become of you, hm?

.

.

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A year ago...

Xin Li Kingdom

The time was right and the people were celebrating for it has been more than 7 years since the emperor had not appointed a phoenix beside him. Today was where it would make the change when the eldest miss of the famous Feng military, Feng Hui Lan was to be married to the Emperor Shen Yang Long.

The entire Kingdom was to be decorated with the auspicious colour red for an entire week starting from the wedding ceremony. Red lanterns were placed along the streets and the people were all waiting to welcome or even have a glimpse of the bride's procession.

General Feng Hong Yi who had been sent to guard the 9 boarders off the kingdom 7 years ago was called back to join his eldest daughter's wedding along with Feng furen and the young master Feng Lin.

Despite the festive atmosphere, deep down, the Feng family were slightly wary of this marriage. They had never been called from the border ever since they were sent away 7 years ago by this very same emperor who had taken the throne after the late emperor. Only until a few months ago that an Imperial edict from the Emperor that had arrived on their door. They had nothing against the Imperial family, but they only feared for his daughter who had never been in the capital and was raised rather freely in the border.

Nevertheless, they could do nothing about this either since it was an order from the emperor and his subjects were to only comply to it.

The wedding procession had gone to the four symbols of the kingdom until being led to the main gates of the palace.

In the middle of the wedding procession, there was a grand phoenix sedan made out of dark redwood and was decorated with gold and the figure of the legendary phoenix.

Behind all the luxurious and grand decoration, underneath the curtain, a young lady in her early twenties was sitting nervously in her bright red dress. Her hands were held tightly in each other as she thought of her marriage.

This capital city, she had never even taken a step in before in her entire lifetime. All she could hear was the songs and the people's cheers seeping in through the holes of the sedan.

There was a long drape of red clothing over her head which made her hardly see anything. All she felt was the nervousness that was making her small heart tremble. Behind her, her mother, father and brother would be behind her right?

This nervousness somehow also made her heart flutter of what she was taught before entering the palace. After the ceremony, then it would be that time would it?

...However, was the king nice?

She had seen him visiting the boarders from time to time and from the praise and words from the merchants, but all she saw was his strong sturdy back that walked with such a bearing that made her want to know him more. She had heard that he was very brave and had uprooted all the traitors and was kind to the citizens. Was he like that?

….But how did he even look like…? If you count this year, then he would be 27 while she was 20. Being 20 was already too old to get married, wondered why he chose her…

Without knowing, Hui Lan's face underneath the red drape was slightly flushing as she thought of the Emperor. If he was nice like that then that would be good.

...How nice would it be if she and him could grow old together, just the two of us, like her father who had stayed loyal to her mother and had no concubines...

Nevertheless, as the bride thought away, the procession was already entering the palace walls and the thick gate of the palace welcomed their new Empress.

Further within the palace walls, the groom to be was waiting inside his chambers. He still had yet to put on his outer robes that were prepared for him for his special day.

Sounds of wine cups being poured and then being placed down on the table were heard over and over again.

"Ha, a marriage!? What nonsense!" His deep voice mocked over his thoughts.

...Never.