The entire long avenue is adorned in crimson, every corner ablaze with festive attire.

Shen Yu pouted and muttered, “Looking at it this way, the Crown Princess really got the short end of the stick by marrying you. Even the family seniority has dropped. She used to call her ‘sister,’ but now she’ll have to follow your lead and call her ‘aunt.’”

Fu Lanchen snorted coldly, “What does that have to do with me? I wasn’t the one who chose her as Crown Princess.”

“That’s true. Back then, when Aunt Empress sent someone with the Crown Princess’s portrait for you to see, you just had it placed on your desk and never so much as glanced at it. In the end, you told the palace servants you were very satisfied with the beauty in the painting, and so it was settled. That’s how Aunt Empress picked the young lady of the Xu family as Crown Princess.” Shen Yu recalled Fu Lanchen’s perfunctory attitude that day and couldn’t help but feel sorry for the Empress’s earnest intentions.

“A Yu, you know very well I did it for everyone’s sake. If I had looked at the portrait, I would have inevitably made comments on it. When word reached my mother, she would have taken my opinions into account and started looking for someone else again,” Fu Lanchen said with a touch of helplessness, which only made Shen Yu more eager to retort. “She’s your Crown Princess, not Aunt Empress’s. Isn’t it right for her to care about your opinion?”

“A Yu, it’s you all who are mistaken. Miss Xu is the Crown Princess of the Eastern Palace, the one my mother wanted. She is not—my Crown Princess. I’ve said so before; I do not want a Crown Princess. Yet they were too stubborn. I gave in already. When she marries into the Eastern Palace, I won’t make things difficult for her, but… I will not be close to her either,” Fu Lanchen declared with a resolute, chilly air.

On the sixth day of the seventh month, an auspicious day for marriage, it was said to bring prosperity to the household and descendants.

In the front courtyard of the Duke of Grace’s residence, Uncle Lin, the chief steward, was tallying the dowry of Xu Guiyi, the third young lady of the Xu family. There were as many as one hundred and twenty-eight sedan boxes.

The Xu family had always been generous when marrying off their daughters, typically providing sixty-four sedan boxes as dowry. This doubled amount was a testament to her elders’ affection and the additional gifts from her two elder sisters.

If Xu Guiyi were not marrying into the imperial family as the bride of the Crown Prince, judging by the lavish dowry alone, Uncle Lin truly felt the groom was the luckiest man in the world.

The auspicious hour had arrived. The Crown Prince himself had come to fetch his bride—a great honor bestowed upon the Xu family by the royal family.

Inside and outside the Duke of Grace’s mansion, guests crowded the grounds, while the street outside was packed with commoners. However, due to the presence of the royal ceremonial guard, they only dared to watch from a distance and did not dare to approach.

In the main hall, Xu Guiyi first bid farewell to her father and stepmother, then to her eldest brother and Lady Xue. Afterward, led by a palace lady, she walked out of her family’s home.

Seeing the Crown Prince’s cold, unyielding face devoid of any joy, the entire Xu family drew a sharp breath.

“Your Highness, please wait,” Xu Yan could not restrain himself and called out to his illustrious son-in-law, the Crown Prince.

Fu Lanchen paused at the call, turning slightly but not even sparing the Xu family a glance.

“Your Highness, my daughter was raised in Jiangdong and has always been pampered by us. She is unfamiliar with many royal protocols, so if she errs in the Eastern Palace, I beg you to show her forbearance.” Xu Yan, upright and noble by nature, had been unflappable even when he became the top scholar and received the court’s congratulations in the Deqing Hall. Yet today, for his beloved daughter, he humbled himself and spoke with the utmost respect.

Xu Da also wanted to step forward and say a few words on behalf of the family. Unexpectedly, the Crown Prince responded with a faintly mocking tone, “You speak too soon, Lord Xu. Who can say who will have to show forbearance to whom in the future? Who in the world doesn’t know my temperament?”

His words left Xu Yan frozen in place and made Xu Da frown deeply. Lady Xue, standing just behind, was about to step forward and rebuke him when Prince Jiancheng swiftly held her back.

The atmosphere grew tense. Just then, Prince Zhao, who had accompanied the Crown Prince to fetch the bride, quickly interjected to smooth things over, “It’s only natural for newlyweds to need time to adjust to one another. Mutual forbearance is the key to a long and happy marriage, don’t you agree, Lord Xu?”

Xu Da forced a stiff smile and stepped forward. “You are quite right, Your Highness. Mutual forbearance is indeed the way to a long-lasting marriage.” After a slight cough, Xu Yan’s expression eased somewhat.

The ceremonial official seized the moment and bowed with a smile. “Your Highness, esteemed guests, the auspicious hour is upon us. Let us set out for the Eastern Palace at once. There will be a circuit around the city so the people may witness the wedding, and it will take some time.”

“Let’s go,” Fu Lanchen said coldly, turning without a backward glance toward his sedan chair.

Xu Guiyi, seated in the dragon-and-phoenix palanquin, had heard every word of this exchange clearly.

“Miss?” Xiyue, watching the new bride, could not help but feel anxious.

Xu Guiyi, with her graceful brows and delicate profile, gently squeezed her hand and said softly, “Don’t worry. I will handle everything.”

Outside, the ceremonial officer announced loudly, “The auspicious hour has arrived! Lift the palanquin!”

The wedding music began, and the golden bells inside the palanquin swayed gently, yet not a sound escaped.

On this radiant spring day, with the world bathed in light, Xu Guiyi, adorned in the crown and ceremonial robes of the Crown Princess, took each step with resolve as she crossed the threshold of the Eastern Palace.

For a hundred miles, the streets were clad in red; the entire Eastern Palace was adorned in scarlet.

Xu Guiyi sat in the bridal chamber from morning until night. Even after the first watch of the night, the Crown Prince did not appear.

Madam Wu, the chief matron of the Eastern Palace, led a long line of palace maids and hurried in, representing the palace to apologize to the Crown Princess. “This servant greets Your Highness. Today, the Crown Prince is in high spirits and has drunk too much wine. He does not wish to disturb you. Your Highness should retire early and need not wait any longer.”

Need not wait any longer...

She had waited for three hours, only to receive a single message from a palace servant: need not wait any longer...

So this was the wedding night of the Crown Princess.

On the morning of the eighth day of the seventh month, Xu Guiyi rose early, washed, applied her makeup, dressed, prepared tea, and reviewed the etiquette for greeting the Emperor and Empress.

Hearing footsteps outside, she hurried out to look. “Has His Highness arrived?” But it was only Xiyue. She asked again, “Where is His Highness?”

Xiyue, hesitant, replied, “Your Highness, the Crown Prince... has already entered the palace.”

“What?!” Xu Guiyi’s heart thudded, and her sleeve knocked over a jade comb from the dressing table, which fell and broke in two.

“Your Highness, we must hurry to the palace. There’s little time left,” the palace matron reminded her softly.

It was already too late. She had waited for him, wasting nearly half an hour, only for him to leave without a word.

Xu Guiyi shut her eyes tightly. “We leave for the palace at once.”

When Xu Guiyi entered the Hall of Eternal Autumn, the hall was already filled with members of the Fu clan.

Scanning the crowd, she immediately spotted a handsome young man standing casually at the center of the gilded hall, his every word and gesture calm and mild, whether speaking or frowning.

He wore the bright yellow ceremonial robes of the Crown Prince, with five-clawed golden dragons embroidered in gold thread and mountain and cloud patterns interwoven in silver. The dragons seemed poised to leap, the rivers and mountains flowing in harmony...

But the man—his features, his bearing, the air about him—was at once aloof and elegant, noble yet distant, resplendent yet restrained, making him seem almost divine, unapproachable.

At the sight of Xu Guiyi, the crowd hushed and their lively conversations faded to whispers. “How can she arrive so late? To be tardy for her first greeting to Her Majesty after the wedding—what a disgrace!”

Xu Guiyi’s expression remained calm. She stepped forward and knelt, performing the grandest gesture of respect.

“Your daughter-in-law, Xu Guiyi, pays her respects to Father Emperor and Mother Empress.” Her voice was clear and composed.

On the golden throne, the Emperor and Empress exchanged a glance, and then the Emperor spoke. “Rise, Crown Princess.”

But Xu Guiyi did not stand. “I have arrived late today. I ask Father Emperor and Mother Empress to punish me.”

“The Crown Prince told me just now. He said he came to the palace for morning greetings and forgot to inform you, so you waited at home and missed the proper time. This was his fault,” the Emperor replied, his voice still gentle.

The Crown Prince had entered the palace for morning greetings without notifying his new bride—clearly, the couple was not on good terms. It would not be long before Xu Guiyi became the laughingstock of the capital.

“Late is late. Even if the Crown Prince hadn’t spoken, it was still my own thoughtlessness that caused the delay. I ask Father Emperor and Mother Empress to punish me,” Xu Guiyi insisted, bowing her head again.

The Emperor and Empress paused.

Nearby, the ladies began to whisper behind their hands. “For her very first audience, she doesn’t know her place—barely three days into the marriage, and she’s already offending the Crown Prince, the Empress, and the Emperor alike.”

“Yes, she’s just too young. The Emperor and Empress have given her a way out, but she doesn’t know to take it. How can such a foolish woman survive in the Eastern Palace, let alone in the royal family?”

“It was my fault for not informing the Crown Princess in advance. If she holds resentment, it is deserved. If Father Emperor and Mother Empress wish to punish someone, let it be me,” Fu Lanchen finally spoke, kneeling tall beside Xu Guiyi.

So close, Xu Guiyi could not help but turn to look at her husband.

Yes, this was the first time she had seen Fu Lanchen’s face since their wedding. As a wife and as Crown Princess, she felt she had failed.

Fu Lanchen, sensing her gaze, turned slightly to study the unfamiliar woman at his side. Her skin was as fair as snow, her features exquisite as jade. So close, with such breathtaking beauty—who among mortals could remain unmoved?

Indeed, when it came to matters of love and beauty, Fu Lanchen was no more than a slightly more self-controlled mortal himself.

He felt his mind grow unfocused. These eyes—had he seen them before? He did not wish to pursue the thought.

For the first time, the couple confronted each other. Fu Lanchen was the first to look away. That face—he could not allow himself to gaze any longer.

“Enough, what is there to argue about?” The Emperor’s voice, full of imperial authority, rang out. “Since you are both at fault, you shall both be punished. Next month is Empress Dowager Muci’s memorial birthday. You are to go together to the Hall of Pure Forest and transcribe Buddhist scriptures to pray for her.”

“Your Majesty…” The Empress hesitated. To punish her newlywed daughter-in-law so soon seemed unkind. But catching sight of her son’s cold, expressionless face, and her new daughter-in-law’s stubborn air, she swallowed her words.

“Do you have a better suggestion, Empress?” the Emperor pressed.

The Empress sighed softly.

“We obey, Your Majesty,” the Crown Prince and Xu Guiyi answered together.

“Now, may you rise,” the Emperor said, his tone softening.

Xu Guiyi’s lips curved faintly, but she said no more. With Xiyue’s help, she rose in a motion as smooth and fluid as flowing water, her bearing immaculate—truly the picture of a noble beauty.