The red ceremonial banners and procession, along with the bright wedding lanterns, floated over like brilliant crimson clouds from the end of the long street. Having seen Yan Chi and now awaiting her granddaughter-in-law, the Imperial Princess was filled with excitement.

“They’re here, they’re finally here!”

As she spoke, the Imperial Princess held Yan Chi’s hand in one of hers and Young Master Yue Jia’s in the other.

“Jia’er, come, Grandmother will go with you to welcome them…”

Traditionally, the Imperial Princess should have remained seated in the ceremonial hall, but everyone had been waiting so anxiously for this bride. A long-distance marriage was truly not easy, and going out to personally welcome her would show the An Yang Marquis family’s warmth and sincerity.

So the Imperial Princess led Yue Jia and Yan Chi in front, with An Yang Marquis Yue Qiong and Madam Jiang behind, along with Young Lady Yue Ning and the Marquis’s second son Yue Qing, all heading toward the mansion gates. Seeing the hosts walk out, the guests hurriedly followed. Soon, the noble and dignified An Yang Marquis mansion’s entrance, decorated with red silk and wedding ornaments, was filled with hundreds of today’s guests in unprecedented grandeur.

“They’re here, they’re here! Finally here!”

“Look, this is what a bridal procession should look like. Worthy of a capital noble family – such grandeur and formation! In all my years in Jin Zhou, I’ve rarely seen such a sight. Ah, I can see the bridal sedan…”

The procession approached slowly. From afar, besides the leaders, only the shadow of the bridal sedan was visible.

The bridal sedan was carried by eight bearers, with red-lacquered precious curtains. Following closely behind was the Song Duke’s family’s considerable dowry, which in the night looked like an endless dragon, bringing the capital’s nobility and lofty dignity with it.

“I heard there are over twenty carriages just for the dowry, not counting the servants coming along – the Song Duke’s family is certainly generous.”

“Well, she is marrying into the An Yang Marquis’s family. The Marquis has military achievements, and there’s the Imperial Princess too…”

As the guests continued their discussion, Qin Wan was pushed to the very edge. Just as she steadied herself, Fu Ling squeezed out from the crowd, “Finally found you, Miss. After leaving the ceremonial hall, you disappeared in the crowd…”

Qin Wan held her steady, “There are too many people, don’t worry.”

Fu Ling nodded, then suddenly said softly, “Miss, the Elder Madam, and others are over there.”

Fu Ling pointed, and Qin Wan raised her eyebrows to look. Sure enough, seven or eight people away, Madam Jiang stood with Madam Lin and the others. They had already noticed Qin Wan and were now looking at her with complex expressions.

Qin Wan understood in her heart – they must have learned about her saving the Imperial Princess.

Among them, Madam Jiang’s gaze was particularly deep. If this were the former Qin Wan, she would not only have avoided eye contact but would have been terrified by just one look from Madam Jiang. But now, Qin Wan calmly met Madam Jiang’s gaze for a moment before looking away with neither servility nor arrogance.

That composure made Madam Jiang narrow her eyes sharply.

“Miss, what did the Imperial Princess say to you? Why did she keep you all day? I saw the Elder Madam’s expression – she seemed displeased. Miss, I never imagined you had saved the Imperial Princess.”

Though Fu Ling had accompanied Qin Wan when she was kept for the day, she had waited outside and hadn’t had a chance to talk.

Qin Wan smiled gently, “The Imperial Princess praised my medical skills. As for the Elder Madam… she won’t be displeased.”

Fu Ling blinked, momentarily confused – but Madam Jiang’s gaze had been so frightening!

“They’re here, Jia’er, your bride is here—”

The bridal procession drew closer. Suddenly, firecrackers and fireworks exploded in front of the mansion gates, creating a festive atmosphere. Almost simultaneously, a horseman galloped up – a handsome man in indigo formal wear.

At the gates, the man smoothly reined in his horse and dismounted, sweeping his robes aside to kneel and bow.

“Greetings to the Imperial Princess, greetings to the Marquis and his wife. Your nephew Wei Yan Zhi, by order of the Duke, has come to escort the bride!”

The An Yang Marquis’s household already knew the escort’s identity – he was the Song Duke’s nephew, a promising young man currently serving in the capital’s garrison. Yue Qiong stepped forward, smiling as he helped him up, “Good, good, good, please rise, nephew. You must be tired from the long journey…”

Wei Yan Zhi rose, repeatedly saying “I wouldn’t dare,” and as he turned around, the bridal sedan was right before him.

With the bridal sedan’s arrival, the wedding ceremony would begin. The sound of firecrackers and fireworks intensified, and wedding music started. Amid the colorful festivities, the eight-bearer bridal sedan, inlaid with gold and precious stones and embroidered with phoenixes facing the sun and qilin delivering sons, slowly came to a stop before the mansion gates.

Having reached the An Yang Marquis’s mansion, the servants escorting the bride all breathed a great sigh of relief.

Everyone was infected by the wedding’s festive atmosphere, their faces showing nothing but joy.

The mansion’s ceremonial official immediately stepped forward, “The bride has arrived, the auspicious time is here, please Young Master, establish heaven and earth—”

Great Zhou wedding customs were numerous, and this “establishing heaven and earth” ceremony for receiving the bridal sedan was one of them.

As soon as the ceremonial official finished speaking, servants brought forward a bow and arrow tied with red silk. The Yue family were all military generals, each exceptionally skilled in warfare. Yue Jia took the bow and arrow, nocked the arrow, and drew the bow, his bearing intimidating.

The ceremonial official continued his chant, “First arrow to heaven, heaven grants a good match, the newlyweds arrive. Second arrow to earth, earth pairs them together, the newlyweds share a hundred years. Third arrow to the sedan door, strike the heart of your tender wife to establish heaven and earth.”

With a “thunk,” the final arrow firmly embedded itself in the sedan door.

Cheers and applause erupted from the crowd, accompanying the ongoing fireworks and firecrackers, pushing the festivities to their peak.

Even someone like Qin Wan who didn’t usually care for excitement was infected by the atmosphere, her eyes bright and full of anticipation as she watched the sedan door.

“Heaven and earth established, eternal as heaven and lasting as earth, please Young Master kick the sedan door—”

Following the ceremonial official’s chant, Yue Jia’s expression brightened.

The Imperial Princess’s face was full of smiles, “Go on, go on, but be gentle, don’t frighten my granddaughter-in-law.”

Yue Jia smiled in acknowledgment and strode toward the sedan door. This was the second part of receiving the bride – after this, the bride would emerge from the sedan to pay her respects.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Yue Jia walked to the sedan door. He smoothed his sleeves, and with a solemn expression, clasped his hands and respectfully bowed to the sedan door, “Please, my wife, descend from the sedan—”

With these words, he gently kicked the sedan door.

The kick symbolizes equality between husband and wife after marriage. After the groom’s kick, he had to wait for the bride’s return kick before lifting the sedan curtain.

However, after Yue Jia’s kick, there was no response at all from within the sedan.

Yue Jia waited a moment, then frowned and looked at the ceremonial official.

The ceremonial official hadn’t expected this either, so he cleared his throat and said, “Please Young Master kick the sedan door again. May the husband not fear his wife, and the wife not show weakness, may they love each other till their hair turns white—”

Yue Jia complied and kicked the sedan door again. As a military man, his first kick had been very gentle and courteous. This second kick was slightly harder. The journey had been long – could the bride have fallen asleep?

After the second kick, there was still no movement from within the sedan.

Yue Jia frowned. As a warrior, he instinctively felt something was wrong.

Even if the bride was asleep, or unwilling to follow the custom, with only a curtain between them, he should at least be able to hear breathing from inside. But now, as the crowd fell silent and the firecrackers and fireworks stopped, there was only dead silence behind the curtain – not a sound at all. Where was the bride?

Not just Yue Jia, but the surrounding crowd was also stunned when there was no response after two kicks.

Never mind marrying into the An Yang Marquis’s family – even in common marriages, brides didn’t refuse to cooperate. Weddings relied on smoothness and perfection for good fortune. Could the Song Duke’s daughter be so unruly?!

Everyone’s expression became stern as they stared at the sedan door.

The ceremonial official was troubled and somewhat resentful – this Song Duke’s daughter was showing such disrespect to the An Yang Marquis’s family!

Thinking this, the ceremonial official simply said, “The auspicious time has come, please Young Master lift the sedan curtain—”

Yue Jia had already felt something strange, and hearing these words, he lifted the curtain without hesitation.

As the curtain lifted, Yue Jia’s pupils contracted violently!

At the same time, the expectant guests who saw inside the sedan also changed expression dramatically. Then, horrified and piercing screams swept away all the wedding festivities.

Yue Jia’s bride was still in the sedan, wearing a rich red wedding dress embroidered with peonies, pomegranates, and hundred-sons patterns, sitting properly and virtuously.

But outside the sedan door, Yue Jia, who had killed countless enemies on the battlefield, felt his hair stand on end.

He stared fixedly at the bride’s bare, blood-smeared severed neck, his blood freezing—

His bride, graceful in figure, wearing wedding clothes like fire, was missing just one thing – her head.