The announcement of "His Majesty the Emperor is coming!" stunned everyone in the Li Mansion.
Wherever Xiao Tianchi passed, the commoners instinctively knelt down on one knee, but were immediately told to rise by the eunuchs and attendants beside him.
"His Majesty is here today to congratulate Mr. Li on his wedding. There's no need to perform the kneeling ceremony," they said.
The commoners then got up nervously.
Jiang Mian couldn't believe her eyes. She rubbed them and opened them again. There was no mistake—it was indeed Xiao Tianchi walking towards the wedding hall!
Xiao Tianchi didn't seem to recognize Jiang Mian, but as he passed by her, he paused slightly, gave her a faint smile, and then stepped into the hall.
Remembering the reason for Xiao Tianchi's arrival, Jiang Mian's heart tightened, and she immediately looked towards the front of the hall.
The wedding ceremony that was supposed to take place was interrupted by Xiao Tianchi's sudden arrival. Li Zhao and Jiang Zhiqing stepped aside and faced Xiao Tianchi.
But when Jiang Mian saw Li Zhao's expression, she was stunned.
Father didn't seem surprised at all. There was no trace of annoyance or anger at the interruption of his wedding. Instead, there was an eerie calmness on his face.
It was as if...
He had already anticipated the arrival of the Emperor of Beisheng.
"Brother Bingjun, it's been a long time," Xiao Tianchi said with deep emotion as he stood in front of Li Zhao. "We haven't seen each other since we parted ways in the capital all those years ago. It's been nearly twenty years in a blink of an eye."
The surroundings were extremely quiet. The wedding official, frightened by Xiao Tianchi, timidly retreated to the back, and the others also took a few steps back. As a result, a large area in front of the hall was emptied, leaving only Xiao Tianchi, Li Zhao, and Jiang Zhiqing.
Therefore, everyone could clearly hear Xiao Tianchi's voice, tinged with a hint of regret.
If they guessed correctly, the man standing before them was Emperor Yuanqi, who had endured humiliation for more than a decade, captured the capital in one fell swoop, drove away his elder brother, and successfully ascended the throne. He was now known as the Emperor of Beisheng!
He was the emperor, yet he had traveled all the way from the capital to attend Li Zhao's wedding. Moreover, he addressed Li Zhao as "Brother Bingjun" in such a familiar tone!
It seemed that the Li Mansion was about to rise to great heights in the future.
Li Zhao remained calm and composed, simply smiling faintly. "I didn't expect that my wedding to Yingniang would attract you here."
The two men exchanged smiles. Only they knew what lay behind those smiles.
"How could I miss the joyous occasion of an old friend?" Xiao Tianchi called out to the person behind him, and a guard quickly stepped forward, holding a gift box that was half as tall as a person. He presented it with both hands.
"This is a wedding gift I've prepared for Brother Bingjun and Sister-in-law. I wish you two a long and happy marriage," Xiao Tianchi said with a smile.
"Mujin," Li Zhao called out. Jiang Mian snapped out of her daze and trotted forward to stand beside her father.
Xiao Tianchi looked at her, and Jiang Mian instinctively tensed up.
"This is my daughter. She takes her mother's surname, Jiang, and her name is Mian," Li Zhao introduced. "This is the current monarch of Sheng. I think you've met before."
Jiang Mian quickly knelt down and bowed. "This commoner, Jiang Mian, pays respects to Your Majesty."
"Yes, we've met before," Xiao Tianchi said with a smile. "When we first met in Dongli Town, I thought the young Miss Jiang resembled an old acquaintance. I didn't expect that this old acquaintance would be Brother Bingjun."
Li Zhao signaled for Jiang Mian to accept the wedding gift, then said to Xiao Tianchi, "Today is my wedding day with Yingniang. Since you're here, stay and have a glass of wedding wine with us."
Xiao Tianchi replied, "I'm not just here to drink your wedding wine, Brother Bingjun."
He continued slowly, "Before the fall of the previous dynasty, Brother Bingjun's talent was well-known throughout the world. No one could match you. However, the Li family suffered a great catastrophe, and you disappeared. Countless people in the world felt sorry for you, and I was deeply saddened as well. It's a blessing for the people of the world and for Sheng that you managed to survive."
"Although the Xiao family now rules the world, due to certain reasons, there are still unrest and turmoil in all directions. The people have only enjoyed twenty years of peace, and now they may have to suffer again. This was not my original intention when I seized the throne."
"I'm here today as a descendant of the Xiao family, hoping that Brother Bingjun will come out of seclusion and serve as the Chief Minister of Sheng to bring peace and prosperity to the people of the world."
"Of course, it's not just the position of Chief Minister," Xiao Tianchi said. "I've known Brother Bingjun for several years. We're not just monarch and subject but more like brothers. I intend to confer the title of King of Li on Brother Bingjun. The title will be hereditary, and after his death, he will be buried in the imperial mausoleum just like me."
Xiao Tianchi finally revealed his intention for today's visit, and his words naturally caused an uproar among the onlookers.
The Chief Minister of Sheng! A hereditary title and burial in the imperial mausoleum!
Jiang Mian nervously tightened her grip on the gift box in her arms and immediately looked at Li Zhao.
Li Zhao remained calm and composed, which somehow soothed Jiang Mian's racing heart.
"I understand what you mean, but the most important thing right now is my wedding with Yingniang," Li Zhao said calmly. "Let's discuss this in detail after the wedding."
Li Zhao's attitude was not exactly respectful. In fact, it was a bit negligent, but Xiao Tianchi didn't seem to mind at all. He simply said "Okay" with a smile.
The butler quickly moved a chair over for Xiao Tianchi to sit on and took the heavy wedding gift from Jiang Mian. The wedding official timidly stepped forward and continued the interrupted wedding ceremony.
"One, bow to Heaven and Earth—"
This time, Li Zhao and Jiang Zhiqing didn't hesitate. They bent down and bowed to Heaven and Earth.
The wedding official continued, "Two, bow to the ancestors—"
Li Zhao and Jiang Zhiqing turned around and bowed to the memorial tablets of the Li family ancestors.
"Bow to each other—"
Li Zhao and Jiang Zhiqing bowed to each other. After they stood up, the wedding official's voice trembled slightly. "Escort the bride to the bridal chamber!"
The wedding ceremony was completed!
A faint smile appeared on Li Zhao's face. He led Jiang Zhiqing towards the bridal chamber with a red silk ribbon.
Xiao Tianchi sat on the chair and watched the wedding ceremony with a smile from beginning to end. But for some reason, Jiang Mian had the feeling that there was a hint of envy in his eyes.
Envy?
Was he actually envious of her father and mother?
Jiang Mian was a bit confused.
Suddenly, her body stiffened, and she realized something!
Where was Xiao Jingcheng?
He had promised to wake up and drink the wedding wine of her parents today. She wondered if he had come with Taoist Yuanzheng to watch the ceremony.
If he was nearby, would he be discovered by Xiao Tianchi and expose his identity?
Although Xiao Tianchi had come to the Li Mansion today to invite her father to serve as the Chief Minister of Sheng, she still didn't know why Xiao Tianchi had seized the throne or what his stance was. Would he pose a threat to Xiao Jingcheng?
Thinking of this, Jiang Mian became increasingly anxious.
She looked around, trying to find Xiao Jingcheng's figure in the crowd, but there were simply too many people attending the wedding. She couldn't find him at all.
She whispered something to the butler and then quietly slipped out.