Chapter 31
As the auspicious hour neared, the sound of firecrackers and the beating of drums sounded from outside. Even from far away, one could still clearly hear them, and Ji Yunkai's courtyard also became very lively. The girls, who were originally surrounding Ji Lan, all ran over, chattering all the while, to watch the bride get married.
"Yunkai, congratulations! Congratulations!"
After all, there was no noble girl like Ji Yunkai, who was straightforward. She liked what she liked, and hated what she hated. She never bothered to read the atmosphere, and did not care about the subtle feelings of others.
"Incredible, incredible! Do you know who came to escort the bride today?" The young lady, who had been enjoying the show at the front yard, ran in with a joyous expression, as if she had heard some good news. Her tone was so excited that it sounded as if she was the one who was getting married.
"Who? Who? Who came to escort the bride? We were still guessing yesterday that Prince Yanbei could not personally escort the bride and he had no blood brother either. I wonder, who would welcome the bride in his place?"
"Yes, it's Xiao... Xiao…." The messenger was so excited and such in a hurry that she forgot his name. This made the ladies, who were waiting anxiously, ask, "Xiao what? Could it be that Infanta Shiqing came to escort the bride?"
"Infanta Shiqing, dressed in men's clothing and without a trace of femininity, would be heroic and elegant. If she were to come to escort the bride, even though it doesn't make sense, she would definitely look good."
The group of noble women immediately forgot about Ji Yunkai's existence and started to gossip happily. They did not care about the bride in the slightest.
"It's a pity that Prince Yanbei was poisoned and is unconscious. Otherwise, if Prince Yanbei wore a wedding robe, he would definitely look good." Prince Yanbei's beauty was the best in the world. It was unknown just how many women viewed him as their dream lover. It was normal for them to daydream about him.
"Don't even think about it. Prince Yanbei had said that if the Southern Wilderness was not destroyed, he won't ever marry. If it wasn't for something happening to him, we wouldn't even be here to congratulate the bride, and he wouldn't be getting married right now." Some girl, who was aware of the situation, splashed cold water on their conversation, causing the group's happiness to lessen a little.
But there was still one who was excited: "It's a pity that we can't see Prince Yanbei in his wedding clothes, but do you know that we can still feast our eyes today? The one who will be greeting the marriage for Prince Yanbei today is none other than Young Master Xiao Zirong, one of the Four Young Masters, Young Noble Rong!"
The Four Great Clans: the Feng, Qi, Xiao, and Wang, all had Four Young Masters that were around the same age. They were all extraordinarily handsome, talented, and elegant; yet, the most important thing, to these group of ladies, was that they were all unmarried. These four famous young men were known as the Four Young Masters of Revelation.
"It's actually Young Noble Rong? Oh my god, it's been a long time since Young Noble Rong has come out. He didn't attend the poetry gathering at the beginning of the year either. I heard that he went to the Fringe Pass, so I thought that Young Noble Rong wouldn't return to the capital for the next few years."
"Ji Yunkai is so lucky, although the life and death of the Prince Yanbei is unknown, the one, who would acknowledge her as his master, is Young Noble Rong! Others would never be able to have that in their entire lives."
"Yes, yes…" The group of young girls began to praise Xiao Zirong. From his family background to his appearance, to even the clothes he wore; for every word that was said, they all had envied her.
Ji Yunkai really wanted to say: 'What is there to be envious about? She was someone who had almost gotten married to the Emperor.'
From a quasi-empress to Princess Yanbei, who was about to be buried with her husband, from Revelation's number one beauty to an ugly girl, who could scare a child, what was there to be envious about? She really did not understand the logic behind these little girls, but if she could not figure it out, then so be it. She had no desire to talk to them at all.
Although she kept telling herself not to care and that she would accept it if she was unable to change the situation, she could not help but become nervous as the auspicious hour kept approaching.
With her current appearance, it was really easy for her to be pushed down. Living with the Ji Family was already so difficult, but if she was bullied in Prince Yanbei's Mansion, what should she do?
With her small arms and legs, she was not a match for those tough guys. Who knows, before she could even open her mouth, she would have been slapped to death.
Also, is Prince Yanbei really going to die soon? If Prince Yanbei suddenly died, what would she do? Would she really accept her fate and accompany him in death?
But what could she do if she refused to resign herself to her fate? With her own strength, could she change the rules of the Prince Yanbei's Mansion? With her small arms and legs, how could she escape Prince Yanbei's Mansion?
The more Ji Yunkai thought about it, the more worried she became. She felt that she had jumped from the wolf's den and into a tiger's den, but she had to jump even if she knew that Prince Yanbei's Mansion was a tiger's den because she had no other choice.
Just as Ji Yunkai was lost in thought, the clan brother who came to carry her on his back came. The wedding lady spoke a few auspicious words, then pulled at the hem of her clothes, reminding her to stand up so that she could carry him.
Ji Yunkai was stunned for a moment before regaining her senses. In that moment, her mind was completely blank, and she did not know what she had done. It was only when she was carried out of the courtyard that she knew that she had "married".
Her heart clenched and her nose stung. Ji Yunkai turned around and looked at the small courtyard behind her. Covered by the bridal veil, she could not see anything; just like how she could not see the road her future was going to take.
There was not a hint of happiness at all, only an unspeakable melancholy and uneasiness. Wishes and firecrackers could be heard, but Ji Yunkai could not hear them. She only felt that there was a buzzing in her ears, which was very annoying.
Very quickly, Ji Yunkai was put down, and the moment her feet touched the ground, she shuddered violently, and immediately became clear-headed.
She was truly confused. Confused about what? Uneased about what?
Without giving Ji Yunkai much time to think, the wedding lady stepped forward and reminded her to pay her respects one step at a time, and the first step was to pay her respects to her parents.
Xiao Zirong was only a substitute for the marriage, so naturally, Ji Yunkai was the only one to pay respects. Everyone was aware of the situation with Prince Yanbei, so naturally no one would be stupid enough to say anything.
Very quickly, the ceremony was over. The wedding lady helped Ji Yunkai to walk where Prince Yanbei's Mansion's wedding sedan was waiting right outside.
Ji Yunkai was no longer in the mood to let her thoughts run wild. Her entire body was stretched taut with tension, and she walked carefully with every step.
She was not sure if someone would harm her today, but based on the principle of caution, Ji Yunkai did not dare to relax at all. Neither did she have the mood to peek at Young Noble Rong, who had been praised to the skies by those noble women.
Not long after, Ji Yunkai was supported by the wedding lady to walk to the main entrance and the wedding lady whispered in her ear to remind her that there was a threshold in front of her, and that she had to lift her foot.
But, just as Ji Yunkai was about to lift her leg, her left leg seemed to have been hit by something, and became numb suddenly. Someone behind her seemed to have hit her again, causing her to lose her balance, and she fell forward uncontrollably.