Chapter 9
I wrenched my hand free.
Xiao Shengjing shielded me behind him.
“Sixth Brother, I know perfectly well what sort of person my fiancée is.”
He behaved as though he had not even noticed the handprint on Xiao Yichi’s face.
Their gazes met, sparks all but flying between them.
After my sister’s wedding, our family had to turn its attention to preparing mine.
From that day on, I did not see Xiao Yichi again.
Now and then, the gatekeepers brought in a few unassuming little gifts.
Besides the daily bouquet of gardenias, there were sometimes two little wooden figures.
Sometimes new pastries from Zuixiang Restaurant.
Sometimes jewelry fashionable at the palace.
I had those other gifts thrown outside the Sixth Prince’s residence.
Along with the gardenias he sent.
What use were the things I had loved in my previous life, now that I was finally receiving them?
The day before my wedding, Father came to Mother’s courtyard carrying a small box.
I was talking with Mother and my sister.
“Ying’er.”
He set down the box and looked at me, hesitating.
I guessed it must have come from Xiao Yichi.
“The Sixth Prince?”
Father nodded.
“He came to see me today. Just before leaving, he asked whether you’ve been happy lately.”
“Naturally, I told him you couldn’t be happier.”
Father looked at the little box, troubled.
“Could it be that the Sixth Prince has feelings for you too?”
“I think he’s deliberately trying to upset Ying’er.”
My sister cut in and recounted everything the Sixth Prince had said and done in the countryside and at Wuqi Palace.
Mother listened, her face full of pity, and pulled me into her arms.
“My poor Ying’er. One look at the Sixth Prince tells you he’d make a bad husband. I hear he already has someone in his heart.”
My sister spoke up for me too.
“Thank goodness you’re marrying the Eighth Prince tomorrow. If he keeps pestering you, tell the empress.”
I nodded in agreement.
Without the glow my love had cast around Xiao Yichi, I could finally see how wretched he really was.
On the wedding day, the whole household bustled with excitement again.
Xiao Shengjing arrived about seven and a half minutes later than the appointed time.
Only when I was sitting on the bridal bed did I learn why.
Who knew what madness had seized Xiao Yichi? He had blocked Xiao Shengjing’s horse in full view of everyone.
“Eighth Sister-in-law, you wouldn’t believe it. Sixth Brother actually asked Eighth Brother, in public, whether Mother was forcing him to marry you. He said he could marry you in Eighth Brother’s place.”
The Third Princess looked indignant.
The Fifth Princess was just as upset.
“Sixth Brother has disgraced the whole imperial family. Several of us sisters aren’t married yet. Who will want to marry a princess now?”
“I hear Father and Mother were furious too.”
Listening, I could only think that Xiao Yichi had lost whatever sense he possessed.
In our previous life, he had raised a prince’s heir’s ceremonial honors to those of an imperial prince.
A year into his reign, he had publicly humiliated my father at court.
Perhaps it was no surprise that he would act on such a whim now.
Voices sounded outside, offering greetings.
The two princesses rose to leave.
“Eighth Sister-in-law, shall we get together again in a few days?”
The door opened and closed.
Before long, a man’s feet appeared before me.
“Ying’er.”
Xiao Shengjing said my name as though I were something precious.
My nervousness gradually gave way to shyness.
He lifted my bridal veil. We drank the nuptial wine and sat on the couch.
One by one, he removed the jeweled ornaments from my hair.
“Ying’er, I’ve finally married you. I’ve dreamed of this moment for so long.”
As his words faded, something soft pressed against my lips.