The night was dark as ink. Yan Chi’s black armor gleamed with an otherworldly and arrogant luster in the torchlight. He rode forward to the mansion gates, reined in his horse with his sword held horizontally. His horse let out a wild neigh and reared up. In that instant, the entire marquis’s mansion fell so silent you could hear a pin drop.
This wasn’t a bridal procession, but rather an elite force with an earth-shaking presence!
Who were these soldiers? And who was this domineering young commander?
“Yan… Chi? Little Seven? Could it be Little Seven has arrived?!”
In the dead silence, the Imperial Princess’s voice rang out with joy and excitement. She stood up and walked towards the ceremonial hall entrance with trembling steps. Seeing this, Madam Jiang and the An Yang Marquis immediately moved to support her.
Outside the gates, Yan Chi, seated high on horseback, raised his sword eyebrow.
His thin lips curved slightly as he tossed his riding crop and spear to his subordinates, dismounted in one fluid motion, and strode directly through the gates.
In the bright festive lanterns, everyone unconsciously narrowed their eyes.
The cold light of his dark armor was intimidating, his crimson cloak billowing magnificently. Yan Chi wore purple-gold dragon-riding boots, his strong, lean legs beneath his robes taking powerful strides as he walked before everyone with a commanding presence.
His aura was overwhelming, but what drew even more attention was his exceptionally handsome face!
The dust and blood of the battlefield hadn’t made him rough or aged. On the contrary, his nose was straight and proud, his eyebrows like drawn swords, his lips thin as if carved, and the contours of his face combined delicacy with a chiseled hardness. Though wearing heavy armor, just his nimble and steady gait made one imagine what an impressively hard-muscled frame must lie beneath that battle robe!
And beneath these intimidating features, what most captivated the eye were his phoenix eyes with their extremely long corners. His lashes were like black feathers, his dark pupils rippling like they contained both desert moonlight and the flames of war beacons, particularly soul-stirring.
The wedding guests present, regardless of gender or age, were momentarily stunned.
Unmatched in handsomeness, unmatched in presence – could there truly be such a proud man in this world?!
“Little Seven?! Is that Little Seven who’s arrived?!”
Seeing Yan Chi enter the mansion, the Imperial Princess anxiously took another two steps forward.
Yan Chi laughed heartily at her voice, “After eight years, can Grand-aunt still recognize Little Seven?!”
With these words, Yan Chi took several steps to the Imperial Princess, swept aside his battle robe, and knelt on one knee, bowing his head in a grand gesture!
“Yan Chi comes bearing Imperial orders to offer congratulations. Yan Chi pays his respects to Grand-aunt!”
Yan Chi’s movements were crisp, his voice resonant, his whole being radiating elite competence. Though he was bowing, his commanding presence didn’t diminish in the slightest. Seeing this, the Imperial Princess’s eyes instantly reddened. She stepped forward and quickly helped him up, “Little Seven… it is Little Seven. His Majesty sent you? Quick, stand up, Grand-aunt hasn’t seen you in eight years!”
As Yan Chi was helped up, his phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, his face wearing an open, faint smile, his eyes filled with a bright gleam that showed his excellent mood to all who saw. “His Majesty sent Little Seven. For the Young Master’s wedding, His Majesty commanded Little Seven to deliver gifts!”
Then Yan Chi looked toward Yue Jia, “Congratulations, Brother Jia!”
Yue Jia looked at Yan Chi with a somewhat blank expression, as if unable to recall who he was.
Seeing his expression, the Imperial Princess smiled, “Jia’er, don’t you remember? This is your Uncle Prince Rui’s Chi’er!”
Yue Jia suddenly realized and hurriedly cupped his hands, “So it’s Brother Chi. Back then in the capital, you had already been sent to the army by Uncle Prince. After that, I came to Jin Zhou. It’s been over ten years since we brothers last met. Now that you’ve come from afar, I failed to welcome you properly!”
At these words, the surrounding guests who didn’t recognize Yan Chi suddenly understood.
This Yan Chi was the Crown Prince of Prince Rui!
Yan was the imperial surname of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Prince Rui Yan Lin was the current Emperor’s brother, and Yan Lin had achieved outstanding military merit, guarding the Northwest for many years as one of Great Zhou’s foremost meritorious officials. His son Yan Chi had been sent to train with the Northwestern Army since childhood, which explained his commanding military presence. For the An Yang Marquis heir’s wedding, the Emperor had sent Prince Rui’s heir to offer congratulations – this showed how much His Majesty valued the An Yang Marquis’s household!
“What? The bride hasn’t arrived yet?”
Yan Chi was slightly surprised. The sky was completely dark now – he had assumed the wedding would be long finished!
Yue Jia sighed heavily, “We don’t know what delayed them on the road, but they should arrive soon.”
Yan Chi smiled, “Good things come to those who wait, Brother Jia needn’t worry.”
The Imperial Princess held Yan Chi’s hand, unwilling to let go. The older she got, the more she doted on the younger generation. She glanced outside the mansion gates, “Are those soldiers outside yours? Just three months ago, I heard you won a victory in the West. How did you suddenly return to the capital?”
Hearing this, Yan Chi gave a bitter smile, “That’s a long story. If Grand-aunt wants to hear it, I’ll tell you after the wedding ceremony. In short, Little Seven returned to the capital, and before the chair was even warm, His Majesty issued orders sending me to Jin Zhou.”
Speaking of the capital, the Imperial Princess slightly furrowed her brow, “The capital is so chaotic, it’s remarkable he still remembered.”
A slight gleam flashed in Yan Chi’s eyes, “Grand-aunt, don’t worry. Matters in the capital have been settled. Though His Majesty is busy with affairs of state, he doesn’t dare forget important matters concerning you in the slightest.”
The Imperial Princess was amused, “You speak well on his behalf!”
In the public gathering, under everyone’s watchful gaze, Yan Chi smoothly changed the subject, “His Majesty not only thinks of you but also of the Marquis’s wife and two sons. This time Little Seven has brought many gifts, which will be delivered to the mansion shortly!”
The Imperial Princess shook her head with a smile, “As if I would covet his gifts…”
Though the ceremonial hall was large, the observing guests all strained their ears to listen. Qin Wan had just emerged from the side passage into the crowd, making some effort to make her way to the front. She watched Yan Chi enter the mansion and learn of his identity, feeling surprised in her heart.
While the people of Jin Zhou might not know Yan Chi, she had heard much of him during her years in the capital.
This Prince’s heir held incomparable noble status, second only to the current princes. However, he had been sent to the army at age ten and trained for twelve years. Starting seven years ago, in every year’s military merit reports, Prince Rui’s heir had always ranked first in achievements. Although he rarely appeared in the capital, countless rumors about him circulated there.
Some said he was possessed by the God of War and could single-handedly slay hundreds of thousands of barbarian enemies. Others said he was unrestrained and lawless in the army. Still, others claimed he suffered from a strange illness – possessing enormous strength but not long to live…
His title of “Demon King” in the army had also spread back to the capital, where it was used to stop children from crying at night.
The origin of this title, according to rumors, came from his interrogation of barbarian prisoners, where he had invented one hundred and eight horrifyingly cruel tortures. The barbarians were fierce and bloodthirsty, like demons to the border people, but these demons became obedient and docile in the hands of this “Demon King” – one could imagine how terrifying Yan Chi must be.
However, Qin Wan had never seen the Demon King in person before, yet unexpectedly met him after her rebirth.
As Qin Wan was reflecting on life’s unpredictability, someone suddenly bumped lightly into her side. Qin Wan turned to see a young gentleman squeeze in beside her. She looked around, thinking she must be blocking the way, and stepped aside.
Just then, another soldier’s report rang out!
“Report— Marquis, the Song Duke’s bridal procession has arrived!”
After a slight pause, he added, “This time it’s real, please prepare quickly, Marquis…”
Even misunderstandings shouldn’t happen twice. In an instant, the entire ceremonial hall came alive again.
The guests who had been intimidated by Yan Chi pressed forward again, suddenly pushing Qin Wan toward the entrance. She brushed past that young gentleman, and though something felt strange, she didn’t think much of it, only looking toward the night-shrouded street outside the mansion.
At the end of the long street, red ceremonial banners and procession appeared under the festive lanterns, floating over like clouds and sunset glow.