When Ning Yitao opened her eyes again, all she saw was red.
The room was brightly lit, and she could smell the faint, cool fragrance of red sandalwood around.
It was very noisy outside, with gongs and drums blaring.
Sensing something, Ning Yitao thought helplessly, "How troublesome. Why did I become a participant?"
Once becoming a participant in the story, she had to follow the plot until she could interrupt it at a crucial point. Otherwise, both she and Duan Qinghuai would be doomed.
Ning Yitao felt something heavy on her head, and her neck was sore. She quickly lifted the red veil covering her eyes and stretched her neck.
The veil fell, and all she saw were big Chinese characters for "happiness." Beside her was a carved hollow window, and below was a soft wooden bed.
The exquisite carvings on the bed indicated the owner's extraordinary status. The curtains hung low, creating a hazy atmosphere, and all the furnishings were extremely luxurious.
Ning Yitao looked at all the furnishings in the room and felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
She stood up and sat in front of the dressing table.
Strangely enough, the face in the mirror was her own, even more delicate.
The makeup enhanced her original beauty.
In the copper mirror inlaid with mutton - fat jade in the hollow carvings, her peerless face was so beautiful and charming that all the beauty in the world paled in comparison when she raised her eyes and smiled.
A pair of gorgeous gold - filigree hairpins inlaid with rubies and decorated with kingfisher feathers were symmetrically worn on both sides of her high - piled hair.
Each phoenix tail of the hairpins had tassels with gold flakes hanging from it, swaying and dazzlingly bright. They were extremely magnificent.
The woman in the mirror was dressed in a phoenix coronet and a magnificent red wedding dress, with red lips and white teeth. Her eyebrows were lightly dyed, her lips were slightly dotted, and the rouge on her cheeks was gently swept open, giving her fair skin a charming blush.
There was a golden flower ornament on the corner of her eye, turning her usual prettiness into a captivating charm.
Every detail on her body indicated her extraordinary status and the groom's love for her.
Looking at the copper mirror, Ning Yitao couldn't help but lift the heavy wedding dress and reach out to touch the person in the mirror.
It was a strange yet familiar feeling. She hadn't seen this face for a long time. Why was her face in Duan Qinghuai's memory?
The time period was different. It should be a memory from a past life.
Ning Yitao was slightly surprised. How unforgettable this memory must be for it to be deeply buried and remembered even through reincarnation.
Although the woman in the mirror was stunningly beautiful, for some reason, Ning Yitao's heart ached on this wedding night.
She touched her cheek, and her fingers got wet. Crystal tears fell like broken pearls, blurring the figure in the mirror.
Ning Yitao stared blankly at her hand. "This is the original owner's mood," she thought. "Is it because she's marrying someone she doesn't like? But what's even stranger is why I'm here. Wasn't I already dead at that time?"
A lot of questions bombarded her.
But she was sure that the original owner of this body who was getting married must be her past self.
She had just found the special birthmark on her shoulder and the scars from sword - training on this body. No one else could have them.
Even more strangely, for some reason, Ning Yitao instinctively reached out and opened the secret compartment of the dressing table.
The skillful movement seemed as if she had done it thousands of times, as if this was her own home.
When she opened it, even she was stunned. "How did I know there was a secret compartment here?"
But the next moment, she was attracted by what was inside. There was a note, and when she opened it, there was only one word: "Escape."
Ning Yitao didn't know what had happened to the original owner. She also didn't know why she was in Duan Qinghuai's memory or why she was so sad on this wedding day.
"Knock, knock, knock."
As someone knocked on the door, Ning Yitao curled her lips.
However, she would soon know the answers to this past event that she herself was unaware of.
The wedding maid in a bright red jacket walked in with a flattering smile, followed by several timid maids with their heads down.
When they saw Ning Yitao sitting at the table, a look of amazement flashed in their eyes.
On the bright red wedding dress, the complicated designs were layered but not cumbersome at all, like the petals of a blooming peony falling at the woman's feet, making her look like a fairy standing in the stamen.
The wedding maid quickly came to her senses and greeted the maids to serve Ning Yitao. "Come quickly and pay your respects to the young lady. Be quick on this wedding day."
These young girls surrounded Ning Yitao in a hurry and got busy.
The wedding maid noticed the veil on the ground and exclaimed, "Oh, my young lady. You can't take off the veil casually on your wedding day."
She quickly picked up the red veil and patted off the dust.
Ning Yitao didn't care. There were already so many ornaments on her head, and these girls were still fidgeting with them. It was so heavy that she could hardly lift her head.
The shiny hairpins on her head in the mirror made Ning Yitao look even more stunning.
The wedding maid praised her on the side, "Sure enough, only our young lady can be so beautiful. The title of the most beautiful woman is well - deserved. This marriage alliance with the most powerful general in the court is really a match made in heaven. All these things were sent by the general because he loves the young lady."
The wedding maid's face was full of smiles, and her intention to curry favor was almost written all over her face. "Young lady, after you marry the general, no one will dare to look down on you anymore."
Ning Yitao curled her red lips slightly and thought it was ridiculous. "Look down on me?"
The wedding maid thought she was sad about her past hardships and quickly said indignantly, "Since the young lady's mother passed away, she has been excluded in the Ye family. I've watched the young lady grow up. If I had more influence, I would definitely stand up for the young lady."
When she got excited, she even pretended to wipe away non - existent tears. "Young lady, now that you're going to be the mistress of the Gu family, you should teach Ye Zheng and Ye Jin, those two scoundrels who always bossed you around, a lesson."
It was just the old cliche of people pushing you when you're down.
Ning Yitao slightly raised the corner of her eye and glanced at the person beside her. Her voice was calm with no emotion. "So, did you do anything against me when I was in a difficult situation?"
The wedding maid's face changed greatly. She nervously touched her hair and tried to sound brave. "How could I do anything against the young lady? I'll do anything as long as the young lady is happy."
Ning Yitao couldn't help but sneer.
At this time, a maid interrupted them in time. She stood aside, bowed her head, and presented the red veil with both hands. "Young lady, the auspicious time is coming soon. It's time to set off."
The nervous wedding maid finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes, yes, yes. It's time to get down to business."
As soon as Ning Yitao stood up, the little girls surrounded her. They were busy tidying up her clothes, touching up her makeup, and putting on the veil.
This was Ning Yitao's first experience of a wedding, and after this one, she never wanted to go through it again. It was too troublesome. Someone opened the door. One person supported Ning Yitao, and the wedding maid gave her a red silk ball and led her out of the room.