"Bang!"
The wedding scale hit the ground, and the bridal veil slid off. Before him appeared a bright but unfamiliar face.
Lu Huaizhou was so startled that he took several steps back.
"Ah—"
"Who are you? The girl whose betrothal tokens were exchanged with my mother's that day was definitely not you!"
Shock rippled in her autumn - water eyes. Several big, clear tears trickled down Jiang Fuying's cheeks.
"Dear husband, what are you talking about? We've already gone through the wedding ceremony..."
"But I saw the bride behind the curtain on the day we exchanged betrothal tokens. It definitely wasn't you!"
As he said this, he clearly lacked some confidence.
That day, he only caught a vague glimpse of a figure through the curtain. Could he have remembered wrongly?
Of course not.
Because Jiang Fuying had been reborn.
In this life, when her younger sister, Jiang Fuyue, secretly switched the wedding sedan chairs, she deliberately didn't stop her.
The emperor had betrothed both her and her sister at the same time. She was to marry Pei Qing'an, the young and promising heir of the Marquis of Pingning and a scholar of the Hanlin Academy, whom all the noble ladies in the capital admired and pursued.
Jiang Fuyue, on the other hand, was betrothed to Lu Huaizhou, the most good - for - nothing heir of the Duke of Zhennan in the capital, who only knew how to indulge in cockfighting and dog - racing and was shunned by everyone.
Resentful, Jiang Fuyue secretly switched their wedding sedan chairs.
In her previous life, she had happened to spot the switch and managed to change back before the wedding night.
But who could have known that this would be the origin of all her sorrows and sufferings in her previous life!
On their wedding night, Pei Qing'an left her alone in the bridal chamber, making her the laughingstock of the entire Marquis of Pingning's mansion. She thought he was just aloof and inexperienced in love.
Naively, she thought that as long as she did her best, even if Pei Qing'an was an iceberg, she could still melt his heart and they could be an affectionate couple.
So, in the nine years of her marriage to Pei Qing'an, she respected her in - laws and managed the household affairs. She not only endured the torment of her mother - in - law but also voluntarily took out all her dowry to fill the financial holes of the Marquis of Pingning's mansion.
In the tenth year, her health finally gave out and she fell ill. On her deathbed, Jiang Fuyue, who had been widowed for many years, suddenly came to visit her.
"Dear elder sister, how did the bird's nest soup with poison in it taste every day?"
"To be honest with you, Qing'an specifically allowed me to put the poison."
"Oh, I forgot to give you the wedding invitation."
Jiang Fuyue waved her hand, and a bright red and gilded wedding invitation landed beside Jiang Fuying's eyes.
"If you hadn't meddled ten years ago, Qing'an and I wouldn't have had to secretly love each other and wait so long."
"But it doesn't matter anymore."
"Because ten days later, I'll marry Qing'an and become his legitimate second wife!"
"And you'll be forever trapped in that small memorial tablet, watching Qing'an and me live in harmony until we're old!"
Scalding tears dripped onto the wedding invitation, leaving a water stain.
Jiang Fuying's ridiculous, pitiful, and tragic life was forced to end.
Filled with hatred, she opened her eyes and found herself back on the day of her wedding. This time, she let Jiang Fuyue successfully switch the wedding sedan chairs.
Jiang Fuying lowered her eyes to hide the hatred in them. It was a pity that her dear younger sister didn't know that the Marquis of Pingning's mansion was full of "evil spirits"!
When she looked up again, Lu Huaizhou was pacing back and forth, wringing his hands, looking restless.
She was a bit surprised. Initially, she thought Lu Huaizhou was a lecherous man, but it seemed that this playboy was quite different from the rumors.
Lu Huaizhou kept looking back, hesitating to speak. Suddenly, someone rushed into the bridal chamber. "It's wrong! It's wrong! The second Miss Jiang has been married to the Marquis of Pingning's mansion next door!!"
Lu Huaizhou was stunned.
The girl betrothed to him was the second Miss Jiang, but she had been wrongly married next door. So, this girl in front of him...
Realizing this, he was so excited that he stammered, "You, you are Miss Jiang, the eldest daughter of the Jiang family..."
The servant added, "Young master! The second Miss has already entered the bridal chamber with the, the eldest son - in - law..."
Lu Huaizhou was struck like a thunderbolt.
Everything was in a mess!
If silence could make a sound, Lu Huaizhou, who was now as stiff as a statue, would surely be deafening.
Jiang Fuying's eyes, however, were filled with a faint glimmer of amusement.
They had entered the bridal chamber next door?
That was just perfect!
Seeing this situation, Jiang Fuying looked at him tearfully. "I've already lost my virginity after entering the bridal chamber with you, dear husband. If you also want to abandon me, I'd rather die to prove my innocence and die here tonight..."
Saying this, she suddenly stood up and pretended to rush towards the door.
Lu Huaizhou quickly grabbed her sleeve and pulled her back. "Wait! Is a mere reputation more important than your life?"
"Moreover, I promise you that as long as I'm here, I won't let others gossip about you!" Lu Huaizhou said seriously.
Jiang Fuying was momentarily dazed. This was the first time someone had told her such a thing.
This playboy husband in front of her seemed different from those so - called gentlemen who spouted nonsense.
Seeing the mist in Jiang Fuying's eyes, Lu Huaizhou was the first to give in.
"Don't worry. I'll go find mother now! I'll surely give you an explanation!"
Jiang Fuying immediately stopped crying and showed a faint smile.
Lu Huaizhou couldn't help but shiver.
Miss Jiang could change her expression faster than turning the pages of a book!
...
Madam Lu, who had already prepared to go to bed, received the news and rushed to the bridal chamber in a hurry.
Seeing Jiang Fuying on the wedding couch, Madam Lu was so frightened that she was at a loss. "What, what's going on? How could there be a wrong marriage?"
Lu Huaizhou tried to wake up the panicked Madam Lu. "Mother, the wrong marriage has already happened, and they've already entered the bridal chamber next door! You're the elder. Now we need you to solve this matter!"
Hearing that she needed to step in, Madam Lu's face turned deathly pale.
"Do you want me to step in? I'm not sure what to do about such a big matter..."
Looking at Lu Huaizhou again, he had already calmed down and was sitting on the chair nonchalantly.
"Mother, father is far away in the southern border guarding the frontier. You're the mistress of the house, so of course, you should make the decision.
"However, I've also figured it out. Although both sides are responsible for the wrong marriage, Pei Qing'an is more at fault. This time, he should take full responsibility!"
"That guy only knows how to act like a gentleman on the outside, but in fact, he's a scoundrel!"
"He didn't even take a good look at his new bride before rushing into the bridal chamber. Who knows what other evil plans he has in mind?"
Jiang Fuying curled her lips imperceptibly.
It seemed that the rumors were true. This playboy heir hated his nominal cousin, Pei Qing'an, the most.
It was understandable. The wife of the Marquis of Pingning and Madam Lu were sisters. Each had a son, but they gave birth to two cousins with the most contrasting personalities.
Lu Huaizhou, this good - for - nothing playboy, was constantly compared with the young and promising Pei Qing'an and had always lived in Pei Qing'an's shadow.
Judging from his tone, it seemed that his hatred for Pei Qing'an was no less than hers!
Calculated like this, marrying him meant marrying the enemy of her enemy. Rounding it off, it meant—
She had married the right man!