Chapter 375: Chapter 375: So, You Like This Prince

“Prince Qing is getting married. Why can’t I go?”

Song Xilan, her eyes red and swollen, looked stubbornly at Zhou Junlin.

Zhou Junlin’s expression was impassive. “You are in mourning. It is inappropriate for you to go.”

He didn’t say another word, called for Gu Ha, and left.

Song Xilan stood dejectedly, swaying on her feet. Fortunately, Kong Qing was there to steady her.

“The Prince is treating you more and more coldly!” Kong Qing couldn’t help but protest on her behalf. “He was never like this before. Ever since that Song Lianhe appeared, he has no eyes for you anymore!”

Song Xilan froze. Then, hatred slowly bloomed in her eyes, spreading until it extinguished the last glimmer of light within them.

“Song Lianhe!”

She clenched her fists and said suddenly, “Kong Qing! Help me change my clothes!”

“Princess Consort, where are you going?”

Song Xilan sneered, “If he won’t let me go, I’ll go by myself!”

——

’Marrying the same person twice… what a surreal feeling.’

Song Lianhe was being married off from her own private courtyard. While this was against protocol, she had already argued her case. She and the Prince had already wed in Sui Ning. Furthermore, she was the granddaughter-in-law personally chosen by the Northwest Rong Lord, Heir North King Luo Fubang, and the Holy Emperor himself had bestowed this marriage. Therefore, today’s grand wedding was merely a formality, a matter of following royal procedure.

Song Lianhe still remembered her first wedding. She and Song Xilan had married on the same day. All the ministers of the Court had rushed to Ling Prince Mansion, while Prince Qing Mansion, in contrast, was practically deserted.

In the end, it was only the Old Marquis of Xuan Chang and a few of Zhou Cangyan’s closest friends who came to give them a lively wedding celebration.

But who could have imagined that on their wedding night, Zhou Cangyan would be dispatched by an imperial edict to Yu State to quell a rebellion!

’This second wedding should go smoothly, right?’

A coolness on the back of her hand made her look down. Little Lan had crawled down from the tree branch at some point and was slowly slithering onto the back of her hand.

Its ice-cold scales scraped lightly against her skin, a sensation still utterly foreign to Song Lianhe. What’s more, this was the King of Ten Thousand Gu. One bite, and it would be a matter of life or death.

Song Lianhe silently took a Detoxification Pill.

’Better safe than sorry.’

Seeing that Little Lan was relatively docile, and since she was bored anyway, she picked up a small piece of pastry to feed it.

To her surprise, after just one taste, the little snake began to squirm, eagerly raising its head for more.

“You like it?”

She couldn’t help but chuckle, then picked up a whole piece and fed it to the creature.

Before long, Little Lan was so stuffed it lay motionless on the table.

She poked Little Lan’s head. “Tell me, what exactly are you?”

The once-languid Little Lan suddenly lifted its head toward the door. Its tongue flicked out, and its entire demeanor changed.

Soon, footsteps approached.

The door opened to reveal Da Xi, Yin Huan, and Xuan Mei.

Seeing it was them, Little Lan lazily flopped back down.

“Princess Consort, the auspicious time has arrived.”

All three were beaming with joy. Even the usually stern and unsmiling Xuan Mei had a flower pinned in her hair, though no one knew by whom.

Song Lianhe put on the phoenix coronet, covered her face with a fan, and followed the three to the wedding hall.

But just as she stepped out the door, she saw Pang Jiliang rushing over in a panic. “Where is the Prince? Has any of you seen the Prince?”

Da Xi replied, “The Prince? Isn’t he in the front courtyard entertaining the guests? I heard the Holy Emperor ordered Prince Hang to attend in his stead, so the Prince would naturally not dare to be neglectful.”

Xuan Mei’s gaze sharpened. “The Prince is missing?”

Song Lianhe lowered the fan in her hand. “Where are Shadow and Xuan Qi?”

’If those two are also gone, then he shouldn’t be in any danger.’

“They’re gone too!”

Pang Jiliang paced back and forth in a panic. “The ceremony is about to start, but the Prince… Agh! This is a marriage bestowed by the Holy Emperor! When has the Prince ever been so reckless?”

He thought of all the high-ranking officials and nobles, not to mention Prince Hang attending on the Holy Emperor’s behalf. The slightest misstep, and these people would seize upon it as a pretext to submit a damning report to the throne!

Song Lianhe’s expression turned serious. “Find him.”

“Yes!”

Xuan Mei immediately used her Qinggong, leaping onto the roof to get a commanding, unobstructed view of the surroundings.

Yin Huan and Da Xi also split up to search.

Song Lianhe waited where she was. ’I’m the bride,’ she thought. ’If they can’t find him, at least I can stall for a while.’

However…

’Has Zhou Cangyan run into some kind of trouble?’

’He’s a man who understands priorities and knows the difference between what’s important and what isn’t. Since he went to such lengths to bring me back, it makes no sense that he would run away from his own wedding.’

Feeling uneasy, she sat on a bench under the eaves of the corridor, her mind heavy with worry.

“What are you doing sitting here?”

She looked up. “Prince Ling?”

Zhou Junlin was dressed in an elegant white robe, his hands clasped behind his back. He looked at her with a remarkably gentle gaze.

“I’m tired. Just resting for a bit.”

She casually made up a lie, not wanting to say too much to him.

But Zhou Junlin chuckled. “Looking for Imperial Uncle?”

Song Lianhe’s expression changed slightly. “You know?”

Zhou Junlin lowered his dark eyes, his expression turning somewhat cold. “Do you want to know where he is?”

Song Lianhe watched him warily. ’Who knows what he’s plotting!’

He gave a dry laugh. “I’m sure you know my ’dear’ brother, Prince Hang, is here as well, don’t you?”

Song Lianhe understood. With Prince Hang present, Zhou Junlin had to be extremely careful. He couldn’t afford to let Prince Hang find any fault with his actions.

Besides, this was Prince Qing Mansion, and she was Princess Qing. He wouldn’t be so audacious as to stir up trouble on a day like this.

“Where is he?” she asked immediately.

——

Beyond the arched gateway of the rear courtyard lay a bamboo grove.

The bamboo grew incredibly fast, especially after the plum rain season, when it seemed to shoot up overnight. The result was a dense, lush grove. This was where Zhou Cangyan usually practiced his swordsmanship, so it was rarely visited.

The moment Song Lianhe saw the bamboo grove, she had a faint, sinking feeling.

She stopped in her tracks, unwilling to go any further.

Zhou Junlin studied her expression and let out a low chuckle. “Afraid?”

Song Lianhe turned her face away.

“You’re afraid. Afraid of seeing what you don’t want to see and hearing what you don’t want to hear. In the end, you’re just lying to yourself.”

Song Lianhe frowned, raising her gaze to the man beside her. “And what about you, Prince Ling?” she retorted sharply. “Since you brought me here, you must know who is in that grove!”

A corner of Zhou Junlin’s mouth curled up, a trace of mockery appearing on his refined, handsome face. “Yes. Of course I know.”

Seeing the look on his face, whatever dissatisfaction she felt, the words caught in her throat.

Perhaps it was a case of misery loving company, but Zhou Junlin’s attitude toward her was much gentler, and he seemed to tolerate her pointed questions.

The more he acted this way, the guiltier Song Lianhe felt.

After a long moment, she said, “Let’s go in.”

She lifted the hem of her skirt and walked toward the grove.

Zhou Junlin followed behind her, step for step.

Though it was a grove within the mansion grounds, it was not small. It connected to a small hill on one side, with bamboo growing up the slope. The deeper they went, the more secluded it became.

“Wait.”

Zhou Junlin spoke suddenly. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into the shadows.

“Wha—”

“Don’t talk.”

“…Oh.”

Song Lianhe stopped talking and stood there quietly.

Whether from tension or the gravity of the moment, the man behind her also held his breath. Unseen by her, he lowered his gaze to the stunning woman in the phoenix coronet before him.

A gust of wind blew past, making the bamboo leaves rustle.

Song Lianhe’s expression faltered. She could faintly hear the sound of someone crying.

Soon, footsteps approached. She shrank back, bumping against Zhou Junlin’s chest. He immediately wrapped his arms around her waist. Song Lianhe stiffened and tried to struggle, but he leaned down and whispered in her ear, “This is the best hiding spot. As long as you don’t move, he won’t see you.”

Sure enough, Song Lianhe stopped moving.

She recognized the sound of Song Xilan’s sobs.

Along with the footsteps, Song Xilan’s voice also grew closer.

“Why are you marrying her? You know she’s a complete liar! She’s not some bride your grandfather chose for you—she’s a fraud! The one she loves isn’t you! It’s Junlin she loves!”

Song Lianhe was dumbfounded. ’Has Song Xilan gone mad?’

From behind her, a low chuckle sounded.

Then, the man moved closer.

“So, it turns out you’re in love with me~”

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