Reborn Spoiled Girl Tames the Regent

Chapter 48 The Big Wedding

Seeing her gloomy expression, Mo Ping quickly changed the subject: "Princess Consort, the wedding of the eldest daughter of the Jiang family is in two days. The manor has received an invitation. Will you be attending?"

Wen Qian frowned. Jiang Li had a grudge against her, and if she went, she was afraid she would not be well received, but if she did not go, it would seem impolite.

She couldn't make up her mind and pondered it for several days.

On the seventh day, she no longer needed to worry about it; a servant came to deliver a message early in the morning.

"Princess Consort, today is the wedding of the second son of Marquis Xie. The Prince is waiting for you outside to go together."

Wen Qian was somewhat surprised: "You mean the young master is waiting for me?"

"Yes."

Wen Qian felt a surge of joy and quickly got up to dress and wash, checking herself several times to make sure everything was in order.

But when she opened the door, she saw Li Zhijing looking into the distance with a hopeful smile on her face.

She paused, realizing that the young master probably wanted to take this opportunity to see Miss Jiang, but was afraid of being criticized if he went alone, so he went with her.

Ironically, for a fleeting moment she had been delusional, thinking he genuinely wanted to wait for her...

Li Zhijing turned around and saw that she had finished packing and came out. He said calmly, "Go now that you're ready."

After saying that, he walked straight to the gate, stepped into the sedan chair, and sat inside.

Wen Qian composed herself, put on a smile, and got into the sedan chair. She didn't want to spoil such a wonderful day.

The sedan chair was spacious, and the two sat on opposite sides. Li Zhijing neither spoke nor glanced at her. Wen Qian noticed that his face held an expression of anticipation and excitement, and the tassel of his sword at his waist was hung in a very conspicuous position, swaying gently with the movement of the carriage.

She looked away, a pang of sadness welling up inside her, as if it were about to spill from her eyes.

It's not like he just found out about his feelings for Miss Jiang, so why does he feel even more distressed?

......

At this moment, the Xie family mansion was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, and red silk ribbons hung down from the gate to the ground, making the entire mansion look festive.

An eight-bearer rosewood sedan chair was parked at the main entrance. The curtains of the sedan chair were embroidered with two phoenixes in gold thread, symbolizing "the phoenix seeking its mate," and swayed gently in the wind.

The matchmaker and servants were busy greeting the guests who had come to witness the ceremony. Firecrackers went off one after another, stirring up wisps of smoke in the cold autumn wind. The air was filled with a mixture of gunpowder smoke and the sweet aroma of wedding candy.

This grand spectacle was no less impressive than the wedding of a legitimate daughter.

Upon arriving at the main gate of the Xie residence, a welcoming servant lifted the sedan curtain and respectfully said, "Young Master, Young Master's Consort, this way please—"

After alighting from the sedan chair, Li Zhijing casually straightened his robes and strode towards the gate without looking back, completely ignoring the people behind him. Wen Qian had no choice but to get out of the sedan chair with the help of a servant. She watched Li Zhijing's retreating figure, then sighed silently and followed him.

Inside the main hall of the mansion, distinguished guests filled the room, and red silk was wrapped around the wooden pillars, with a pair of large red "double happiness" characters prominently displayed.

The chairman was seated in the center of the hall, which was covered with a red carpet, and gift boxes and lists of congratulatory gifts were placed on both sides.

After they sat down, Li Zhijing kept exchanging pleasantries with people, while Wen Qian kept smiling, afraid of embarrassing him.

Suddenly, the music stopped, and the master of ceremonies shouted, "The auspicious hour has arrived!"

With that sound, everyone's eyes turned to the main entrance.

Jiang Li, dressed in a bright red wedding robe and holding a red silk ribbon, was helped into the hall by a maid in red. Her steps were light and graceful.

Watching this scene, Wen Qian suddenly thought of her own wedding to Li Zhijing. It was a similarly grand feast, but back then, the person he was thinking of wasn't her...

She turned her gaze slightly to Li Zhijing beside her.

He didn't look at the main stage, but stared in Jiang Wan's direction with a tenderness he had never shown to her before.

In that instant, her heart felt as if it had been stabbed by something.

Wen Qian smiled bitterly to herself, lowered her eyes, and stopped looking at him.

Jiang Mian was unaware that Li Zhijing was watching her. She was still leisurely peeling grapes and watching the newlyweds on the stage kowtow three times.

Xie Cen, smiling on stage, looked exceptionally energetic amidst the red-clad figures.

Jiang Mian shook her head slightly, a hint of sarcasm playing at the corners of her lips.

She had experienced the same thing in her past life, but little did she know how many times the Xie family had rehearsed in order to ensure that Xie Cen, that fool, could successfully complete this process.

This was probably the only decent day in Xie Cen's life.

Xiao Hengzhi watched her smile, his gaze tracing her profile from the corner of her eye to the tip of her nose. He was also in a good mood, glad to be able to sit with her in front of so many people.

The master of ceremonies on stage shouted, "The ceremony is complete!"

Cheers and applause immediately erupted from the audience, and the lively atmosphere surged like waves.

As Xiao Hengzhi listened to the cheers celebrating the completion of the ceremony on stage, a strange and inexplicable feeling welled up deep within his heart. In a daze, it was as if he were seeing his unfinished wedding ceremony with Jiang Wan in his past life.

His heart fluttered like a thousand butterflies, and he couldn't help but ask, "What does the Second Miss think of this wedding ceremony?"

"Vulgar," Jiang Mian replied without looking up.

"Vulgar?"

"Look at all this bright red stuff in the yard, doesn't it look like a ghost town when it gets dark?"

Her tone was somewhat casual and joking, but her words revealed a genuine disdain.

Xiao Hengzhi then asked, "What are your plans for the Second Miss's wedding?"

Jiang Mian pondered for a moment, her thoughts seemingly traversing through her past lives.

She once wore a phoenix coronet and embroidered robes and participated in the grandest wedding ceremony for the Crown Princess and Empress.

With a grand procession of red bridal procession and eight-bearer sedan chair, admired by thousands—she stood at the highest point, receiving all the attention, yet never once felt true happiness.

Having gone through all that, she felt there was no need for such a grand gesture. If love and trust are unwavering, perhaps—

"Heaven is our matchmaker, earth is our witness, we are bound together in life and death. If there are jacaranda trees in the yard, let us swear our oath beneath them..."

Halfway through her sentence, she suddenly realized something was off; her words made it sound like she desperately wanted to get married. She stopped speaking and pouted, "Why are you asking this? I'm not marrying you."

Xiao Hengzhi saw this and a slight smile unconsciously appeared on his lips.

Seeing him laughing so happily, Jiang Wan glared at him irritably and handed him a plate of grapes: "What are you laughing at? Peel some grapes for me!"

"Yes."

Xiao Hengzhi took the plate and peeled grapes for her with a smile.

Suddenly, he felt a gaze fall upon him.

He tilted his head slightly and saw Li Zhijing staring intently at Jiang Mian, his eyes burning with passion, looking rather presumptuous.

He was somewhat displeased, so he peeled a grape and held it to Jiang Mian's lips.

Jiang Mian stared at the wedding altar. When she saw a grape being brought to her lips, she subconsciously opened her mouth and took it in.

To onlookers, this gesture appeared very intimate.

Just as Jiang Wan was about to speak, Xiao Hengzhi said, "Second Miss, don't be in a hurry. This is just for show. After all, the Xie family knows that you broke off the engagement because of me."

Jiang Wan looked around and saw that many of the guests were indeed relatives of the Xie family.

But she still felt uncomfortable and pouted, saying, "Alright, alright, I'm not eating anymore."

After she finished speaking, she saw Li Zhijing walking over.

"Zhijing? Why did you stand up?" Jiang Wan asked, puzzled. Everyone around them was sitting in the stands, and his sudden standing up not only made him conspicuous but also blocked their view.

Li Zhijing said in a low voice, "What I meant was that I really like the things you gave me."

Jiang Wan tilted her head and asked, "The thing I gave you? What is it?"

He picked up the tassel from his sword and said with a smile, "You asked Wen Qian to deliver this yesterday."

Jiang Mian opened her mouth slightly, wanting to speak but not knowing how to begin.

Xiao Hengzhi laughed from the side, "Young Master really hasn't thought this through. How could the Second Miss have made such a fine workmanship and stitching for this sword tassel? I think it's clearly the Princess Consort trying to make you happy by lying to you."

Li Zhijing frowned slightly, his hand gripping the sword tassel tightened, he gritted his teeth, and turned away silently.

Jiang Mian guessed that he probably felt humiliated and somewhat mocked.

Sure enough, through the crowd, one could see that he looked unwell and drank several glasses of wine.

Jiang Wan glared at Xiao Hengzhi: "Shut up, who asked you to answer?"

She had intended to readily admit it, but now, Li Zhijing might develop a grudge against Wen Qian again.

She looked back at the stage, where Aunt Wan was wiping away tears. As a concubine, it was already a great honor for the Marquis's mansion to allow her to go on stage.

Especially after seeing Xie Cen's refined appearance today, he was extremely satisfied with the marriage.

After the ceremony, the newlyweds turned around and were led into the bridal chamber by the matchmaker.

Xie Hou rose and delivered a warm speech: "We are deeply grateful to all our relatives and friends for attending today. The Xie family is extremely grateful. The banquet is ready, please prepare to enjoy the feast together."

Music immediately followed, cheerful and lively.

As the delicacies were served one after another, the guests raised their glasses in celebration, and the aroma of wine filled the lively atmosphere. The entire Xie residence was immersed in a peaceful and joyous festivities.

Not long after, Marquis Xie and his wife came over with wine cups to offer a toast.

He was polite and smiling, with a very kind and gentle appearance.

Jiang Wan coldly observed the hypocritical behavior of her former in-laws, and she didn't even want to pretend anymore, so she turned her eyes away.

In her previous life, after she married into the Xie family, her in-laws were afraid that she would reveal to outsiders that Xie Cen was a fool, so they claimed that it was because of her poor health that she could not conceive.

Later, Xie Cen's mental instability could no longer be concealed. Madam Xie claimed that she was unlucky and even invited a sorcerer to perform a ritual on her. For a time, everyone in the mansion avoided her like the plague.

In short, in order to hide the shameful fact that the Marquis's family had a mentally challenged son, Jiang Mian was branded with countless stigmas.

She glanced at the large red "double happiness" character on the roof beam and murmured, "It's time to unveil the Xie family's shameful facade..."