“Stop for a moment!”

A young woman’s clear voice came from within the wedding sedan.

The wedding procession had already reached the Tiger Kneel Mountain valley. The empty valley seemed to hold only the sounds of wind, snow, and trees colliding.

All around appeared calm, but hidden in the shadows were death warriors from two opposing forces. They were all waiting – waiting for the new emperor to show even a corner of his robes, and a hunt would be triggered at any moment.

The procession didn’t stop. The accompanying matchmaker inquired through the sedan curtain: “Madam, why do you want to stop the sedan? The wind and snow are heavy in the valley – it’s better to pass through quickly.”

“I need to relieve myself.”

Nanyi answered pitifully.

In her plan, the best place to escape was in this valley near Li Du Mansion. Mountains were easy to hide in, while cities had too many eyes and ears – someone’s spies would inevitably discover her.

“Madam, please bear with it a little longer.”

“But I can’t hold it anymore… surely you wouldn’t want me to embarrass myself during the wedding ceremony…”

Nanyi’s voice sounded on the verge of tears, and the matchmaker was indeed somewhat hesitant.

Nanyi sat in the wedding sedan, gripping tightly the dagger in her sleeve – this was the weapon Xie Queshan had left behind when he no longer wanted her, and it had become her courage now. She only waited for the matchmaker to agree and the sedan to stop, then she would rush out and run without looking back.

The matchmaker didn’t answer, but the sedan stopped, and the procession outside had an unusually quiet atmosphere. Nanyi was somewhat suspicious but still prepared to reach out and lift the sedan curtain.

Just then, a hand lifted the curtain ahead of her.

Wind and snow instantly poured into the sedan. A snowflake landed on Nanyi’s fingertip, and the cold penetrated straight to her heart.

She didn’t know who had come, but instinctively sensing danger, immediately raised her fan to cover her face.

Xie Queshan glanced into the sedan. In the cramped space sat only a young woman, properly holding her wedding fan.

They met again across a thin wedding fan, yet neither recognized the other so close at hand. Xie Queshan saw nothing unusual and quickly lowered the curtain.

“A fugitive we’re pursuing has mixed in here. We need to search the procession.”

At Gusha’s command, regardless of the wedding party’s wishes, the Qi soldiers began roughly searching the procession, checking boxes of dowry goods and the accompanying people. Gusha’s hawk-like gaze swept over each person in the procession, but saw nothing unusual.

This was the inferior strategy. Showing themselves meant exposure – they were in the open while their target remained hidden.

But they had waited so long without Prince Ling’an appearing, and the wedding procession was about to leave the valley. Though Xie Queshan tried to stop him, Gusha stubbornly insisted on searching, unwilling to let the last possibility slip away.

He knew the valley held death warriors ready for battle. As soon as they found Prince Ling’an, both sides would inevitably clash.

But at this moment, they could only take desperate risks and not miss this opportunity.

However, they found nothing. Their plan had failed – Prince Ling’an hadn’t appeared. The Qi soldiers returned empty-handed and had to let the wedding procession leave.

Still unwilling to give up, Gusha assigned several Qi soldiers to follow the procession.

The haunting sound of Qi soldiers’ horse hooves followed behind. Nanyi dared not get out of the carriage at this time – she too had been pursued by Qi soldiers. Self-preservation came first, so Nanyi was forced to miss her best escape opportunity.

She could only wait for another chance.

Xie Queshan and Gusha watched the departing wedding procession. They both knew this calm wasn’t natural calm, but rather the result of opposing forces canceling each other out through their maneuvering. Undercurrents still surged – this contest wasn’t over.

Frustratingly, they still didn’t know where the problem lay. Had Prince Ling’an not appeared, or had he slipped into the wedding procession right under their noses without anyone knowing?

If they couldn’t catch Prince Ling’an in Li Du Mansion and let him cross south, the pursuit would become long and difficult.

Xie Queshan remained very calm, believing this wasn’t the worst situation yet. He analyzed for Gusha: “No matter where Prince Ling’an is now, he definitely hasn’t left Li Du Mansion. At least we now know the Xie family is the main force in this escort mission. Watch the Xie family closely, and there’s still a chance to turn things around.”

“Then kill Xie Hengzai. Once he’s dead, their deployment will fall into chaos.”

Gusha stared into Xie Queshan’s eyes.

…

The same news was also delivered by swift horse to Xie Hengzai.

Xie Hengzai was first surprised, then breathed a slight sigh of relief. This was already the best possible outcome. But he was also uneasy – why hadn’t Prince Ling’an appeared?

Could someone have warned him in advance that this journey was dangerous and not to proceed?

Then how would he escort Prince Ling’an afterward? A thousand tangled thoughts surged through Xie Hengzai’s mind again.

However, at this moment, the wedding sedan was almost at Wangxue Manor, and tonight’s ceremony – he still had to attend.

The streets were swept clean of their desolate appearance. Firecracker sounds were deafening, and red carpets stretched along the white ground. Light snow accompanied them, and when the wedding sedan entered the Xie family’s Wangxue Manor, the snow also stopped.

The last crystal snowflake fell on the red silk under the eaves, instantly melting and leaving a small dark water stain.

Nanyi stepped down from the wedding sedan. Her view was mostly blocked by the wedding fan – she could only see figures moving about but couldn’t make out anyone’s face clearly. She vaguely saw a man in wedding attire standing in the hall. He was somewhat thin but had an upright bearing. When guests offered congratulations, he cupped his hands in return, his entire demeanor gentle and refined.

Nanyi didn’t even know his name yet.

At this moment, the surrounding noise and excitement gave Nanyi a real sense of being married.

Previously her mind had been full of escape plans, but she’d missed every opportunity. Now was the least possible time to escape, so she simply gave up. The anxiety in her heart faded, replaced by a sense of bewilderment.

She began to realize this was marriage – the most important moment in a woman’s life. Once she bowed in the ceremony, she would be his wife. In the future, could she really escape?

But she was already standing here, standing beside this man.

Evening drums sounded faintly from halfway up the mountain. The auspicious hour was approaching.

The Xie family was a prominent clan in Li Du Mansion with undeniable influence. The wedding hall was naturally filled with many guests. However, there were also Qi spies who had slipped in – one disguised as a Xie family servant, another as a wealthy city merchant, completely inconspicuous among the crowd. The two exchanged glances, preparing to carry out their plan against Xie Hengzai.

Just then, the steward greeting guests outside shouted loudly: “Prefect Huang arrives—”

Accompanying Li Du Mansion Prefect Huang Yankun were also Xie Queshan and several Qi soldiers. Many present didn’t recognize Xie Queshan, whispering about who this unfamiliar man was that even the Li Du Mansion prefect politely invited to enter the courtyard first, and what was with those Qi soldiers…

But when the Xie family members saw Xie Queshan, their faces all showed varying degrees of stiffness and displeasure. For a moment they all stood frozen, no one remembering proper etiquette to receive the guests.

The Xie family Grand Madam was first to react, directly ignoring Xie Queshan and greeting the prefect to take the seat of honor.

But Huang Yankun stepped aside, making a gesture inviting Xie Queshan to take the seat of honor, his face full of obsequious smiles.

The Qi soldiers set down the congratulatory gifts they’d brought on the ground. Though supposedly offering congratulations, they all looked like death gods, extremely domineering.

With one playing the bad cop, another began playing the good cop. Huang Yankun explained to the Xie family Grand Madam:

“Grand Madam, Young Master Queshan is an envoy sent by the Great Qi royal court. They’ve traveled thousands of miles to befriend the Xie family and specially brought many congratulatory gifts. Young Master Queshan should properly take the seat of honor to display the Xie family’s hospitality.”

Hearing the name “Young Master Queshan,” something exploded in Nanyi’s mind with a buzz.

“Don’t let me find you, or you’ll face eternal damnation.”

The moment his words fell that day, Nanyi had begun running desperately – running to the Qin family, running into a trap, finally missing her escape opportunity in hopes of finding safety, yet fate still delivered her before this demon.

Nanyi gripped tightly the wedding fan in her hands, hoping this thin fan could cover her face so Xie Queshan wouldn’t discover her.

After hearing “Young Master Queshan,” everyone present understood most of the situation. Most had heard of the notorious Xie Queshan – the Xie family’s third son and a despised traitor of the Yu Dynasty. Since the “Spring Shock Incident,” the Xie family had severed relations with him.

At this moment, no matter how much turmoil filled everyone’s hearts, no one dared say anything inappropriate. Whatever they said would sound stiff and awkward.

Moreover, there were Qi soldiers present. The dynasty had been riddled with holes by the Qi people, and everyone’s fear of them was bone-deep. No one wanted to conflict with the Qi people during this respectable occasion. For a time, the entire wedding hall fell extremely quiet.

The silence forced the two assassins to temporarily hold back and seek another opportunity.

Xie Queshan, who should have felt most awkward, acted as if no one else was present. When Huang Yankun invited him to the seat of honor, he thanked him and sat down.

Nanyi glanced at Xie Hengzai from the corner of her eye. His previously gentle face now looked very grim.

The Xie family Grand Madam finally couldn’t maintain her composure, slammed the table heavily, and scolded Xie Queshan:

“Xie Queshan, do you want your elder brother to bow to you? Do you have no sense of proper hierarchy between elder and younger generations!”

Xie Queshan smiled and politely asked the Grand Madam: “Are you asking me this as the Xie family Grand Madam, or as my grandmother?”

The Grand Madam was momentarily speechless.

“Grandmother, don’t get angry. Great Qi’s willingness to befriend our Xie family is our honor. Let’s continue the ceremony – don’t delay the auspicious hour.”

In the end, it was Xie Hengzai who calmly resolved this dispute. He glanced at his younger brother, and their gazes met briefly – seeming to contain countless thoughts, yet difficult to capture.

The sweating ceremonial official received orders to continue, wishing he could finish the wedding immediately, and urgently shouted: “The auspicious hour arrives – first bow to heaven and earth—”

Nanyi stiffly turned with Xie Hengzai to bow to heaven and earth, praying in her heart for all this to end quickly.

“Second bow to elders—”

Nanyi skillfully bent and rose, the pearls and jade in her hair gently swaying and chiming. Then in the moment she raised her head, her gaze involuntarily flew beyond the edge of her wedding fan’s protection and amid the bustling crowd of distinguished guests, she looked at Xie Queshan seated in the hall.

She met those eyes like deep pools filled with cold intent, and those eyes were also looking directly at her. In that instant of eye contact, all sounds and colors around Nanyi stopped. The wind and snow had clearly ceased, yet bone-chilling cold swept through Nanyi’s entire chest.

She was captured by his cold gaze. Bright red blood splattered on snow, the test of “life” and “death”… all the mortal terror he brought clearly flooded into Nanyi’s mind.

“Husband and wife bow to each other—”

Nanyi stared blankly at Xie Queshan, frozen and forgetting to turn and complete the final bow of the ceremony.

The crisis occurred at this moment, but the biggest disruption wasn’t from Nanyi – Xie Hengzai beside her suddenly spat out blood and silently collapsed.

“Husband!”

Qiao Yinzhi cried out and was first to rush forward and hold her husband. The wedding hall immediately descended into chaos. Nanyi, who had been standing beside Xie Hengzai, was pushed to the edge as everyone surrounded the fallen Xie Hengzai.

Xie Queshan also stood up in surprise.

“Assassins!” the prefect shouted amid the confusion. The soldiers waiting outside Wangxue Manor sprang into action at the sound, the clanging of iron armor growing closer.

Xie Hengzai’s face was pale and he made no sound. No matter how people called to him, he didn’t respond.