This hand was as pure as refined jade, with evenly proportioned joints, beautifully formed like its owner. At this moment, the palm faced upward, with slender fingers naturally and slightly extended, stopping before Jiang Hanyuan, patiently awaiting her response.

Jiang Hanyuan slowly straightened her body, withdrawing her gaze from this hand and turning toward the person outside the carriage.

He had been watching her all along, and when their eyes met again, a slight smile appeared on his face as he nodded once in greeting.

Jiang Hanyuan did not return his smile, but neither did she make him wait too long.

Under the watchful gaze from outside the carriage, she slowly extended her hand—the same hand that had just released the dagger—toward him.

He then closed his five fingers, gently grasping the hand she offered in response, holding it and helping her down from the ceremonial carriage.

Jiang Hanyuan’s hand was rough, calloused on palm and fingers. But as he held it, their palms and fingers inevitably touching, she seemed to feel the warmth from this man’s palm. This made her uncomfortable.

Once her feet touched the ground, she unobtrusively leaned slightly to one side, and their hands, which had been only loosely clasped beneath their sleeves, naturally separated from each other.

Everything was so natural. He also withdrew his hand, then slightly turned his face toward her, quietly reminding her of the steps ahead, and thus led her across the threshold into the great gate of the Regent Lord Qi’s mansion.

The incident that had occurred outside the gate moments before was like a pebble thrown into a vast lake, causing only a small disturbance near the main entrance before quickly disappearing without a trace, as if nothing had ever happened.

The wedding proceeded according to established steps, grand and solemn. Finally, the couple was led into the bridal chamber, where ceremonial wine vessels for the nuptial cup ceremony were presented.

This was the most important and revered step of the wedding ceremony.

The pair of wine vessels for the nuptial ceremony were carved entirely from white jade, with high stems connected, and between the two cups stood an auspicious beast with a dark bird perched on its back. All the auspicious symbols bore solemn expressions, and the two cups thus pressed closely together, seamlessly united, resting quietly on a table covered with crimson brocade.

He first lifted the left cup with both hands, raising his arms evenly within the wide sleeves of his ceremonial robes, lifting it slowly with standard and elegant movements until it stopped at his chest. His gaze then turned to the new bride across from him, quietly waiting for her to raise her cup.

Jiang Hanyuan’s gaze fell upon the remaining cup.

Originally strangers from distant lands, a man and woman who, after drinking this wine, would henceforth share one body, the same status, mutual affection, and never part.

She extended both hands and steadily lifted the jade cup left for her, holding it level at her chest like him. She raised her eyes and calmly met the gaze of the man across from her. Amid the ceremonial praises and acclaim, they bowed to each other, then brought the cups to their lips and drained them in one gulp.

Setting down the jade nuptial vessels, the two had thus become husband and wife.

The ceremonial officials withdrew, attendants lowered curtain after curtain, leaving the newlyweds of this night in the depths of the inner chamber, then silently retreated as well, closing the chamber door.

Heavy curtains hung deep, and before the wall directly facing the bed stood a massive floor-standing gilt candle stand with curling branches. The candle stand was filled with red candles, their light blazing brilliantly, filling the room with golden radiance that reflected and competed with each other, illuminating the two people remaining before the bed.

The couple still maintained the same posture as when the ceremonial officials had withdrawn, sitting side by side on the edge of the bed with an arm’s distance between them. Behind them, their two shadows cast by candlelight onto the depths of the red curtains were like a pair of paintings leaping onto the wall, motionless.

Initially, neither spoke. It was utterly quiet, not a sound to be heard, when suddenly a red candle’s flame sparked into a flower of light.

Along with a slight “pop” sound, the candle flame flickered.

The man’s figure also moved slightly.

He turned his head to look at the person beside him.

“Minister He said you had a very arduous journey, which must have been truly taxing for you. With so many events today, you must be wary. Why don’t you rest early?”

He spoke first, breaking the silence with these words, his expression extremely natural and his tone extremely gentle. After speaking, he rose first, walked to a clothing and hat stand beside the bed, turned his back to her, lowered his head slightly, and began unfastening the sash at his waist.

Following his movements, the quiet inner chamber filled with the soft rustling sounds of buckles and fabric rubbing against each other.

“Your Highness, I have something to say.”

Shu Shenhui had finished untying his sash and was about to hang it up when he suddenly heard a voice from behind.

His hand stopped, and he turned his head to see that she had already stood up, her eyes looking at him.

His face showed no unusual expression. He simply indicated for her to wait a moment, retied the sash he had just removed, adjusted his clothing slightly, and once his entire appearance was restored to order, turned around to face her with a smile: “What is it?”

“Why did Your Highness choose me as consort?”

Jiang Hanyuan asked.

His gaze shifted slightly as he looked at her, not answering immediately.

“If it’s inconvenient for Your Highness, there’s no need to answer me. I have a few words here to clarify with Your Highness, which amounts to the same thing.”

She continued, “My father, naturally, and I have never harbored even half a measure of disloyalty toward the court. It was so in the past, it is so now, and it will remain so in the future. Now that I have the honor of occupying the esteemed position of Regent Princess, Your Highness’s goodwill and expectations are clearly understood and remembered in our hearts, both by my father and me. The golden bowl is cracked and remains unrepaired to this day. Since the Jiang family serves as military officers and has the fortune to encounter a wise ruler, even sacrificing our bodies for the country would be without regret.”

“Please let the Regent Prince know the above.”

Her tone was calm, her expression frank.

As she spoke, the smile that had been on his face disappeared, his expression turning serious, his gaze fixed directly on her face.

She also looked into his eyes without any evasion. The two thus gazed at each other for a moment, his tense shoulders suddenly moved slightly, and he slowly nodded.

“Very good. I will convey the loyalty of you, father and daughter, to His Majesty’s presence.” His tone carried something of the manner he usually used when conversing with court ministers.

“This humble general thanks the Regent Prince on behalf of my father.”

Jiang Hanyuan performed a solemn full bow to him.

He watched her, his lips moved slightly—a smile in response—then remained where he stood, neither speaking nor continuing the undressing he had begun moments before.

She also didn’t move. After completing her bow, she straightened and continued standing before the bed as before.

The two faced each other in this manner, standing silently, when suddenly what seemed like a dark breeze entered from outside, somehow penetrating through the heavy curtains into the inner chamber, causing the candle flames to dance wildly and their shadows to sway lightly in the brocade curtains.

The atmosphere in the inner chamber suddenly seemed to acquire several degrees more awkwardness.

His gaze swept over the brocade covers on the broad bed behind her, he cleared his throat slightly, and spoke again: “Lady Jiang, then…”

He paused slightly.

“Shall we rest?”

He looked at her again, his tone carrying a somewhat inquiring meaning, yet not requiring her answer. After asking, he said nothing more, silently turned around, faced away from her again, and once more began removing his outer garments.

Only this time, for some unknown reason—perhaps the sash buckle had caught or stuck—the process seemed less smooth. It was quite a while before he removed the jade sash from his waist.

He held the sash in one hand, hanging it on the stand, then lowered his head and slowly removed his outermost garment. At this moment, he heard the sound of cautious, light knocking from outside.

“What is it?”

He stopped his movements, turned his head, and responded with a question.

The one who had come knocking was Li Xiangchun.

“Reporting to Your Highness and the Princess. His Majesty has arrived and is waiting outside.”

The old eunuch spoke from outside the door.

His entire person visibly seemed to relax suddenly. He quickly straightened his clothing, grabbed back his sash, and rapidly tied it properly. Then he turned to her, explaining in a tone carrying some apology: “His Majesty must have heard about tonight’s incident and couldn’t wait, so he came personally. I’ll go out first to see.”

After speaking, his expression had returned to his usual composure. He stepped toward the outside, walked a few steps, then suddenly stopped again and looked back at her.

“Lady Jiang, you must be weary. Don’t wait for me—rest as you please.”

His figure disappeared behind those several layers of crimson curtains, accompanied by the soft sounds of opening and closing doors, his footsteps gradually fading away.

Just as Shu Shenhui had said, the young Emperor Shu Jian had come because of the incident that occurred outside the Regent Prince’s mansion gate tonight. When he heard of such a thing while in the palace, he was immediately shocked and enraged. Being impetuous by nature, he simply couldn’t wait until morning. He immediately left the palace and headed straight for the Regent Prince’s mansion.

Li Xiangchun followed Shu Shenhui as they walked outside, continuously apologizing in low tones: “…This old slave is incompetent and truly couldn’t dissuade His Majesty. If this old slave hadn’t come to request Your Highness, His Majesty would have barged in himself…”

Shu Shenhui looked straight ahead without responding. Soon, they arrived at Zhaoger Hall, where the young Emperor was located.

This was a hall courtyard he usually used for receiving guests. Without permission, outsiders could not enter freely, so at this moment, although the double doors between the pillars leading inside were open, Liu Xiang didn’t dare enter. He waited with his men near the covered walkway below the steps.

He had already finished interrogating that assassin tonight.

The dwarf appeared to be a death warrior. After being captured, he tried to bite and swallow a poison pill hidden in his mouth to commit suicide, but how could he escape Liu Xiang’s eyes? Liu Xiang pried open his jaw to remove the poison pill, then personally conducted the interrogation. Despite severe torture, that dwarf turned out to be completely deaf and mute, yielding nothing. Meanwhile, inquiries by the secret agents of the Tianmen Bureau at numerous performance halls throughout Chang’an City also proved fruitless. No one had seen this dwarf before.

The results held little value, and since tonight was also the wedding night of the Regent Prince and Princess, Liu Xiang, Chen Lun, and others didn’t dare disturb them. After the meeting, they planned to report tomorrow. Unexpectedly, the young Emperor received the news, summoned him to the palace, questioned him thoroughly, flew into a rage, and directly left the palace that very night to come here.

How could Liu Xiang dare obstruct the Emperor? He could only accompany him, following all the way. Now standing outside the hall, seeing the Regent Prince in ceremonial robes walking over from a distance, he hurried forward to meet him.

“Your Highness! His Majesty he…”

Shu Shenhui didn’t wait for him to finish, waved his hand, climbed the steps, and entered Zhaoger Hall.

The young Emperor Shu Jian was currently pacing back and forth in the hall, extremely agitated. Suddenly, he stamped his foot and was about to rush out.

Zhang Bao, a young attendant from the prince’s mansion, was currently crouched like a cat in the corner by the door, peering at the young Emperor inside the hall. Seeing him step over the threshold as if he was about to charge directly toward the bridal chamber, Zhang Bao hurriedly emerged and dropped to his knees with a thud in front of the threshold: “Your Majesty! Your Majesty! The Regent Prince and Princess are in their wedding chamber!”

The young Emperor hadn’t expected a shadow like a large monkey to suddenly spring out from outside the door. Startled, he looked closely, became angry, and raised his foot to kick. The foot even reached Zhang Bao’s chest, but in the end, he forcibly stopped and set it down.

The young Emperor often visited the prince’s mansion in the past, and Zhang Bao often followed behind him, so naturally, he knew his temperament. Tonight, he was benefiting from the Regent Prince’s protection—otherwise, this kick from the young Emperor would have sent him tumbling down the steps like a ball. He hurriedly kowtowed again: “This slave’s father has already gone. Could Your Majesty wait a bit longer? If you go over like this, if… if… it might be inconvenient…”

The young Emperor would turn fourteen after the New Year. Having grown up in the palace, he was naturally not ignorant about matters between men and women. Hearing Zhang Bao’s stammering words that seemed to imply something, he frowned and looked up toward the hall entrance. Just then he saw a figure walking in, his eyes lit up, and he immediately went around Zhang Bao, rushed out, almost pouncing and grabbing that person’s sleeve.

“Third Imperial Uncle, you’ve finally come! I was worried to death! Are you all right?”

Shu Shenhui said he was fine and entered. The hall was brightly lit. Shu Jian saw that his clothing was neat, his face bore a smile, and he indeed appeared the same as usual; only then did he completely relax.

“It was truly too dangerous! Thank goodness Third Imperial Uncle is all right!”

Having set his mind at ease, he again thought of the descriptions he’d heard about the scene at the time. Though he hadn’t been nearby, he felt lingering fear, his teeth grinding together with a grinding sound, saying hatefully: “No need to ask! Besides the remnants of Prince Gao and Prince Cheng, who else would want to put Third Imperial Uncle to death? It seems that not enough people were killed last time!”