Chapter 53: The Wedding Day
Back in Beiliao, Xiao Luohan had witnessed her second brother’s wedding.
When the Crown Prince took a consort, envoys would deliver gifts to the woman’s family, consult their horoscopes, choose an auspicious date and time, the Crown Prince would pay respects to the heavens before the wedding, and on the auspicious day, he would leave the palace to welcome the bride, hold a grand banquet in the palace, and only enter the bridal chamber after dusk to lift the veil, drink the ceremonial wine, and consummate the marriage.
Earlier, Xiao Luohan had also asked Shizhu, who had been in the palace for a long time, about the process of the Crown Prince of Daying taking a wife or concubine. Compared to Beiliao, it wasn’t much different.
But perhaps because she was being taken as a concubine, or perhaps this wedding wasn’t important, on the “wedding day” the Crown Prince spoke of, only a few palace maids came to Wangmei Pavilion, carrying her wedding dress, cosmetics, and jewelry, to dress her up.
Xiao Luohan had sharp ears. Even sitting inside with the door closed, she could hear the palace maids whispering outside:
“Isn’t the princess sent for marriage alliance protected by ghosts and spirits? Why is Wangmei Pavilion so deserted on her wedding day?”
“Perhaps she offended the ghosts and spirits. I heard Eunuch Xiao Nan say that after His Highness burned the books to exorcise evil spirits that night, the ghosts and spirits were enraged and took back all the gifts!”
“Not only that, she also caught a cold. I’m afraid… she won’t live much longer.”
“How unlucky! Poor His Highness!”
“…”
Various speculations and rumors, like fabricated stories, were being spread.
Xiao Luohan, as the person involved, remained unfazed, treating it as entertainment.
Last night, she had conducted her final “move,” returning all the remaining winter supplies, sweaters, coats, and even the stun gun.
Considering that she might be searched before entering the Eastern Palace, after discussing it with Jiang Xue and the others, Xiao Luohan decided to only carry the diary, which only she could see. Whether it was the stun gun or the gun, she would tell Jiang Xue the code word when the time came, catching the Crown Prince off guard.
Wearing the heavy red wedding dress and jewelry, worried that the cosmetics might be poisoned, Xiao Luohan declined the palace maids’ offer to apply makeup. After they left, she opened the cosmetics her mother had left her and slowly started applying them, concealing her sickly appearance under the makeup.
When Jiang Xue arrived through the dream, she had just finished drawing her eyebrows and was about to apply lipstick.
“Use the lipstick from our side!” Jiang Xue hurriedly pointed at the diary. As soon as she finished speaking, a brand new lipstick appeared, which she picked up. “This will be yours from now on. You can familiarize yourself with it.”
She opened the lipstick, gently dabbed it on Xiao Luohan’s lower lip, then used a round brush and a flat brush to blend and define, adding color to her face.
Xiao Luohan sat obediently, feeling the small brush gently sweeping across her lips, a strange warmth in her heart.
They were very close, and they could hear each other’s slightly nervous breathing.
Three days was too rushed. Even though Uncle Seuss had diligently simulated various scenarios and put them into practice, and Jiang Xue had started teaching her as soon as she entered the dream, there was only one chance for the actual assassination. A slight misstep could cost her life.
“Sh-Should I go to the Eastern Palace and check the situation first?”
After finishing with the lipstick, Jiang Xue couldn’t help but ask, “It’s the day of the wedding. Elder Sister Red Fox shouldn’t stop me now, right? I can even check the exam venue before the college entrance exam!”
“Go ahead, don’t worry about me.” Xiao Luohan carefully put away the lipstick and brushes, placing them on the diary to send them back to the other world. “Since the Crown Prince wants me to die in the Eastern Palace, no one will make things difficult for me before that.”
Hearing her talk about “death” so calmly, Jiang Xue felt a pang of sadness. Before leaving, she hugged Xiao Luohan. “I’ll stay here with you until I take you home!”
As soon as Jiang Xue left, she saw the red fox squatting at the door, as if it had been waiting.
“I’m going to the Eastern Palace to scout the location,” she said to the red fox as she floated outwards. “The wedding is tonight. Even if that dog of a Crown Prince is setting up traps, he should be almost done, right?”
The red fox, as always, didn’t speak, only leading the way.
Jiang Xue had thought she would have to navigate the winding paths of the palace, but as they walked, the scenery around them gradually blurred, and when she came to her senses, she was already in a lively place.
Unlike the desolate Wangmei Pavilion, the Crown Prince’s Eastern Palace was decorated with lanterns and colored streamers today. It didn’t feel like he was taking a concubine, but marrying a primary consort.
She spat in disgust before entering, following the red fox through the crowd, straight towards the bedchamber.
However, the bedchamber was locked, and at least seven or eight tall guards were standing guard!
Jiang Xue frowned, circled around the bedchamber, and even tried the windows—they were also locked from the inside!
“Do you know what’s hidden inside?” she casually asked the red fox.
“It should be my body.”
When the cold and calm female voice rang out, Jiang Xue almost thought she was hallucinating.
“There’s a type of magic in the Daying palace, similar to witchcraft, that can trap souls and prevent ghosts from passing,” the red fox continued. “I can only sense the general location of my body, but I can’t approach it, and except for the ‘seventh day,’ I can’t stray too far from this place.”
Jiang Xue was shocked. Afraid that staying here would harm Xiao Linghan’s soul, she quickly floated out of the Eastern Palace.
“Th-Then what can we do to free you?” she asked with concern.
The red fox shook its head and crouched beside her. “Some of the soldiers who died in that battle have already moved on, but those with strong obsessions remain on the battlefield, unable to do anything to the living, only watching as Beiliao submits to Daying, their resentment gradually accumulating.”
“So I told them, if they could lend me their strength, I would first kill the Crown Prince of Daying, then send dreams to the generals of the Jiang family’s army, so that Beiliao can forge divine weapons and turn the tide of the war, defeating the enemy with a smaller force.”
“They were my soldiers, unwilling to surrender to Daying even in death. After that journey, I have devoured countless souls and vengeful spirits who willingly sacrificed themselves. Having made a promise to them, I must first fulfill our shared wish before I can talk about liberation.”
The more Jiang Xue listened, the more shocked she became.
Elder Sister Red Fox’s current situation was completely opposite to Xie Xitong’s speculation!
She could pull her, who was awake, into the dream, not because she was overexerting herself, but because she had gained more power by devouring souls.
No wonder Xiao Luohan felt that her elder sister seemed to have suddenly become more lively after hugging the red fox, no longer like a spirit, but more like a living person in a dream.
But possessing such special power must come at a price. Elder Sister Red Fox spoke vaguely, but Jiang Xue understood—without fulfilling the wishes of those souls, she couldn’t be liberated and couldn’t reincarnate.
…Perhaps, just as Xiao Luohan had speculated before, Xiao Linghan had willingly become an “earthbound spirit,” weaving a web of destruction for Daying in a realm invisible to the living.
“This is my own choice. You don’t have to pity me. Just take Xiao Luo away.” Seeing her emotions, the red fox said, “Heaven has already been kind enough to me. Otherwise, I would also be one of those countless vengeful spirits.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she disappeared. The surrounding scene changed again, and soon, Jiang Xue was back under the old plum tree in Wangmei Pavilion’s courtyard.
“I still have unfinished business in Beiliao.”
“But I have already attached my soul to the plum branches. Even after decades, the blossoms will not wither.”
Jiang Xue stared blankly at the old plum tree, pursed her lips, and turned to float towards the house.
No matter what choice Elder Sister Red Fox had made, Xiao Luohan, as her most beloved younger sister, deserved to know.
After hearing about her elder sister’s choice, Xiao Luohan remained silent for a long time.
“If it’s Elder Sister, I’m not surprised at all,” she murmured. “The late Empress always raised her like a son, teaching her about state affairs. Elder Sister joined the army, truly distrusting men, but also wanting to protect her home and country, which was her lifelong wish.”
That dazzling figure in red had donned her armor, picked up her silver spear, and calmly walked towards the ending she had chosen.
And her only selfish desire was probably for her frail younger sister, whom she had watched grow up.
Jiang Xue didn’t say anything, just sat beside her, gently patting her shoulder.
“Since Elder Sister can protect me as I leave this world, I still want to do one last thing for her,” Xiao Luohan finally said.
Jiang Xue’s eyes flickered—this matter had been mentioned once before.
She knew what Xiao Luohan wanted to do. Now that their path was secure, there was no reason to stop her. If she were in Xiao Luohan’s shoes, she would also want to help Elder Sister Red Fox in this way.
Dusk finally arrived.
Outside the dream, Jiang Mei, Xie Xitong, and Uncle Seuss were watching over Jiang Xue, who had been asleep all day, having prepared food and a first-aid kit in advance.
Three pairs of eyes were fixed on the diary. As soon as they saw obvious lipstick smudges, they would send the stun gun and the gun according to the code word.
In the dream, the wedding sedan chair had already arrived at the gate of Wangmei Pavilion, and the incoming servants had cleared a path, laying out a red carpet in the falling snow.
Xiao Luohan, her face covered by a red veil, walked out the door, accompanied by Jiang Xue.
Passing by the old plum tree, she looked up, taking one last look through the red veil.
Her elder sister had said that she had attached her soul to the plum branches. At this moment, she must be watching her.
“The auspicious time has arrived! Bride, quickly get into the sedan chair!” the eunuch in charge of the wedding ceremony shouted at the door.
Looking away, Xiao Luohan slightly quickened her pace.
Her severe cold hadn’t fully recovered, and walking a little too quickly made her cough, looking frail and weak in everyone’s eyes.
The wedding dress and jewelry were too heavy. As she got into the sedan chair, she felt unsteady and was about to reach for the door when a pair of hands steadily supported her back.
After safely helping her into the sedan chair, Jiang Xue followed, standing in front of her.
The space inside the sedan chair was cramped. One stood, and the other sat, waiting in silence.
Halfway there, Jiang Xue suddenly felt a tug on her sleeve. Turning around, she saw that Xiao Luohan had made space for her, her slender hand resting on the empty spot, inviting her to sit down.
Thinking this would probably reassure her, Jiang Xue didn’t hesitate and sat down, squeezing in next to her.
It was supposed to be a serious day, but at this moment, she couldn’t quite describe her feelings.
But she felt that she should at least be happy for Xiao Luohan—after tonight, Xiao Luo would come to her world, completely escaping the misery of feudal society and becoming free.
Just as she was thinking this, the hand resting on her lap was held.
The hand covering hers was small and thin, cold from the winter and illness.
Jiang Xue instinctively warmed Xiao Luohan’s hand with her own, hoping to make her feel more comfortable.
The journey from Wangmei Pavilion to the Eastern Palace wasn’t long. They didn’t hold hands for long before the swaying sedan chair came to a stop.
There was no suona music, no flower petals or firecrackers. It was the same eunuch again, shouting in a shrill voice according to the procedure, “Bride, alight! Escort her to the bridal chamber!”
It was like attending a banquet with hidden dangers, but they both knew who the victim would be.
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