Everyone was secretly shocked. For the wedding of a fifth - rank official, even Prince Rong had come in person. It was really an honor!
"Greetings to Prince Rong!"
Prince Rong was dressed appropriately today. He strode into the door with full energy. "Be excused. I'm here for the wedding today. I hope I'm not late, right?"
As Prince Rong spoke, he quietly glanced at Shen Qing's position. Not seeing Si Bao, he quickly withdrew his gaze.
Shen Qing naturally noticed his searching look. Si Bao should be rolling on the wedding bed with Shen Yan in the back. Fortunately, she didn't bring Si Bao to the front. If Si Bao saw Prince Rong and insisted on being carried by Uncle Six, today's wedding would be quite a spectacle.
"Your Highness has come at just the right time. The newly - weds are about to pay their respects in the wedding ceremony. Your presence today has truly added luster to our humble abode," said Yan Peiyu. "Your Highness, please take the seat of honor."
The servants quickly moved a chair and placed it on the right side of the central chair. Shen Qing was sitting on the left.
The wedding emcee cleared his throat.
"Pay respects to Heaven and Earth!"
The two turned around and bowed their heads.
"Pay respects to the elders!"
Yan Peiyu's parents had both passed away, and no one from the Liu family had come. On the table for the elders, there were memorial tablets of Yan's parents.
It was quite strange to pay respects to two memorial tablets during the wedding.
However, Yan Peiyu didn't rush to pay respects with Liu Xuan. Instead, he bowed to Shen Qing. "Both my wife and I have no living elders. Lady Lingzhang has been extremely kind to us. I'd like to invite Lady Lingzhang to take the seat of the elder. I wonder if Lady Lingzhang would do us this honor?"
"This is not appropriate!" Shen Qing said. She wasn't their elder, and she was even younger than them. This would be a mess!
Liu Xuan also said, "Lady, you not only saved my life but also discovered my talent. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be standing here today. Please don't decline."
Yan Peiyu also wanted to say that if it weren't for Shen Qing, the case of cheating in the imperial examination couldn't have been discovered so quickly.
At that time, the Xiao family was all - powerful. People from poor families like them had no way to voice their opinions. If it weren't for her, by the time the cheating was discovered, they might have wasted half of their lives.
Not to mention that she came in person to persuade him to join the Wenyuange.
They didn't know how to repay her, so they were willing to pay this respect to her as the elder.
At this moment, Prince Rong coughed lightly. "Your Ladyship, please agree. Don't miss the auspicious time."
Shen Qing had no choice but to change to another chair and sit down.
She was only twenty years old but sitting in the seat of the elder. It was really hard to describe this feeling.
"Pay respects to the elders!"
Only then did Yan Peiyu and Liu Xuan bow.
The guests attending the wedding were also a bit stunned. They came to a wedding and saw such an unusual thing.
Even though Lady Lingzhang had a noble status, it was still inappropriate to let a twenty - year - old sit in the seat of the elder. Wouldn't it be absurd if it got out?
The others in the Wenyuange scoffed at these skeptical looks. Without saying anything else, Lady Lingzhang would be the future queen. To have the future queen sit in the seat of the elder at the wedding, they should be lucky!
Before, it was they who were blind. Now, it was others' turn.
Surprisingly, this feeling wasn't bad.
"Pay respects to each other!"
"The wedding ceremony is completed!"
"Escort the bride to the bridal chamber!"
After that, there were still other rituals like removing the fan, tying the hair, and sharing the wedding cup. After a series of procedures, Liu Xuan was so tired that she was about to collapse.
After the guests left, she quickly took off the phoenix crown on her head.
Seeing the red marks on her forehead from the crown, Yan Peiyu couldn't hide his heartache. "Fortunately, one only gets married once in a lifetime. Otherwise, it would really exhaust people."
Liu Xuan wanted to say that it wasn't just once, but she couldn't remember what her previous wedding was like. The Shen family was very quiet, without so many rituals. She probably wasn't that tired.
But she didn't want to go through it again.
Yan Peiyu said, "I've asked someone to prepare some food and tea. You can eat something first and take a rest. Wait for me to come back."
At this moment, Liu Xuan was so tired that the excitement of getting married and the shyness of the bridal chamber had faded a lot. She just wanted to lie down and have a good sleep, so she nodded readily. "Go ahead. Don't drink too much, or you'll have a headache tomorrow morning."
"Got it."
He had an important thing to do tonight. How could he drink too much?
Yan Peiyu took another reluctant look at her and then went to the front.
Today, Prince Rong was the center of attention. Many people wanted to toast him, but Prince Rong just said, "I'm in poor health and not suitable for drinking" and declined them all.
The nine people from the Wenyuange came up carefully. "Previously, we were blind and offended the noble person. We've come here to apologize. We'll drink first, Your Highness can do as you like."
Although these words were ostensibly said to Prince Rong, they were actually meant for Shen Qing.
Prince Rong naturally understood. Shen Qing had known this would happen and had specifically told him before.
"It's not a big deal. Just don't make the same mistake again in the future."
"Yes, yes, yes. Thank you, Your Highness, for your instruction."
Since Prince Rong said so, the matter should be settled. The stone in their hearts finally dropped.
After the wedding, Shen Qing went back, leaving space for the newly - weds.
Prince Rong's carriage secretly followed hers. He hadn't seen Si Bao for two days. He wondered if Si Bao missed him.
In the carriage in front, Si Bao was dancing and telling Shen Qing what she had seen today.
It was so much fun today. She wanted to play like this again in the future!
Just as Shen Qing was about to speak, the carriage suddenly jolted violently.
"What's going on?"
Zhu Xing's voice came, with a hint of solemnity. "There are assassins. Miss, stay in the carriage and don't come out."
"Okay."
Both Shen Si and Doctor Meng had reminded her. Shen Qing had brought many people with her when she went out. For so many people to dare to assassinate her, it seemed that they were willing to pay any price to take her life.
"What are assassins?" Si Bao asked. Why were Mother and Sister Zhu Xing acting differently from usual?
Shen Qing hugged Si Bao. "Assassins are bad people. Bad people will take Si Bao away. If they take Si Bao away, Si Bao will never see Mother again."
Never see Mother again?!
This was the most painful thing for Si Bao. Just thinking about it made Si Bao so sad that she was about to cry.
Si Bao hugged Shen Qing tightly. She didn't want to never see her mother again!
"Then, is Sister Zhu Xing fighting the bad people?"
Shen Qing smiled and patted her back. "Yes. There are many bad people outside, so Si Bao must never go out alone in the future. Do you understand?"
Si Bao nodded like a little chicken pecking at rice. "When I grow up, I'll also fight bad people!"
Anyone who tried to stop her from seeing her mother was a bad person!
Prince Rong also brought many people. Hearing the noise, he immediately came to support them.
Zhu Xing looked at the dozens of black - clothed men in the alley and sneered. "If you want to assassinate someone, you should first check where this is. Today, I'll make sure you never leave alive!"
She put two fingers to her mouth and whistled. The Jinwu Guards hiding in the dark immediately rushed out and surrounded the alley.
The sound of weapons clashing outside lasted for two quarters of an hour before it stopped. When Zhu Xing came back, her body was filled with a strong smell of blood.
"Miss, they all had poison sacs hidden in their teeth. I was a step too late and didn't manage to capture any alive."
Having poison sacs hidden in their teeth meant they were death - warriors.
So many death - warriors just to take her life. They really spared no expense.
"Check if there are any clues on their bodies."
Prince Rong jumped off the carriage. "Sister - in - law, Si Bao, are you okay?"
Shen Qing covered Si Bao's eyes and lifted the curtain of the carriage. "We're okay. I'll go back to Changchun Garden first."
Prince Rong nodded. These people came aggressively. The person behind them must be extraordinary. He originally thought he had time to go to Changchun Garden to play with Si Bao, but now it seemed impossible.
The Jinwu Guards were very efficient. By the time Shen Qing returned to Changchun Garden and took a bath, the result was out.
"Their clothes were no different from ordinary killers, but we found a token on one of them. This token is from the Jiang Kingdom."