On the day of Princess Lingyang's grand wedding, everything went smoothly without a hitch.
Although Qin Ziqi wasn't overly elated, there was still a smile on his face.
He fetched the bride from the palace and escorted her all the way to the princess's mansion. After the grand wedding ceremony, he busied himself in the front hall, entertaining the guests.
Cheng Simian stayed with Princess Lingyang until evening.
Lingyang was unusually docile and quiet. She just hung her head silently, looking listless.
Outside, the noise was deafening and the firecrackers kept going off. The entire princess's mansion was filled with joy. But Cheng Simian felt a deep sense of sadness welling up from somewhere deep inside, casting a faint shadow over the whole wedding.
Perhaps a benevolent and affectionate monarch like the crown prince was an exception.
It was more common for the royal family to be heartless.
She couldn't help but wonder if, in the future, if she and the crown prince had a daughter, would she also face such sadness?
The lady - in - waiting who accompanied the princess into the wedding hall came in.
"Princess, the banquet outside is over. The驸马 should be coming back soon."
Cheng Simian sighed silently in her heart. She tightly held Princess Lingyang's hand for a while before reluctantly letting go.
"If you don't want to, you don't have to force yourself. Here, you are the sovereign and he is the subject. He doesn't dare to act like a husband in front of you."
Princess Lingyang's eyes were a bit red.
"Sister - in - law, you must come and visit me more often when you're free."
"Even though you're married now, you're still free to come and go. The gates of the Eastern Palace will always be open for you."
To a large extent, Lingyang had sacrificed herself for the crown prince.
It was her elder brother's responsibility to protect her for the rest of her life.
When she left the princess's mansion, the night was cold and light snow began to fall.
The first snow of early winter should be an auspicious sign.
Back in the Eastern Palace, Cheng Simian's depressed mood didn't ease.
Even later, the crown prince returned.
As the person in charge of the wedding, he accompanied the guests until the end.
"Mianmian, you've worked hard."
A faint smell of alcohol wafted over. Cheng Simian was about to get up, but the crown prince pressed on her shoulder and sat her back on the couch.
With the same worry in their hearts, they quietly embraced each other.
The sound of falling snow rustled outside the window.
"I've let Lingyang down. Just thinking about it makes my heart ache. I can't sleep at night. I just want to make up for it as much as I can and give her the best in the world."
Cheng Simian didn't say a word. She just hugged him tighter.
"But my reason tells me that I can't indulge her infinitely just because of my guilt. Father has already made such a mistake. I can't follow in his footsteps."
Lu Ningzhen was like a blood - sucking leech to the Great Zhou. She not only sucked the blood of the royal family but also that of the common people.
She squandered money like dirt, lived a life of extreme luxury, and had countless lives on her hands. Yet she still wasn't satisfied. For the sake of the Blood - Drop Rose, she even colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country, and was capable of the absurd act of destroying an innocent country.
Until her death, she never showed any sign of remorse.
Cheng Simian placed her hand on his chest to calm his restlessness.
"Lingyang is different from Lu Ningzhen. Lu Ningzhen was inherently greedy and vicious. Lingyang is just a bit arrogant. But in essence, she's not a bad person. She was pampered since childhood. A girl like this, who feels inherently wealthy, won't care about gold and silver jewels."
This was the fundamental difference between Lingyang and Lu Ningzhen.
When Lu Ningzhen was born, her mother was just a noblewoman with a low rank and limited favor. Since childhood, she had envied the princesses and princes whose mothers had higher ranks.
This envy accumulated infinitely and gradually turned into greed.
After the emperor ascended the throne, he gave her unparalleled favor. To make up for her inner greed, she resorted to all kinds of means.
On the other hand, Lingyang had been doted on since childhood.
Her mindset was healthy.
There was just one thing. She was too proud. Her unrequited love for Liang Yuzhou crushed her pride, and she was very crazy during that period.
But once she let it go, she was just a bit of a willful girl.
All she wanted was to be doted on.
"From now on, let's spoil her together."
The crown prince kissed her eyebrows and pulled her closer to his chest. He wanted to give her everything but only regretted that he had too little.
"Mianmian, you're a good wife, a good daughter - in - law, a good daughter, and a good sister - in - law. You're perfect in every way."
Cheng Simian was quite confident in her own abilities. She wasn't arrogant, but neither was she self - deprecating.
For a man who was high above and would one day become a king to praise and affirm her like this made her feel more recognized and happy.
Her fingertips traced the crown prince's handsome eyebrows.
"Lu Sihong, have you noticed anything different about me recently?"
The crown prince also traced her eyebrows with his fingertips. There seemed to be a warm spring flowing in his eyes.
"Of course. My Mianmian has become much softer and more gentle. I remember when we first met, you were like a white plum blossom standing proudly in the wind and snow. Your face was always calm and cold, your eyebrows and eyes were clear and cold. You were a cold beauty who was hard to approach. I liked you like that very much. And I also like you now, gentle as water."
Her coldness at that time was because of the hatred in her heart. In order to avenge herself, she had turned into a sharp blade.
Now that her great revenge had been avenged and she was together with the one she loved, the nourishment of love had gradually faded away some of her coldness.
She also liked who she was now.
Cheng Simian tilted her head slightly. Her bright red and full lips parted slightly. The crown prince kissed her. Their passion intertwined.
Suddenly, a panicked voice outside the bedroom broke the tranquility of the snowy night.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, Your Highness the Crown Princess, something terrible has happened. The princess, she—she—"
The door of the bedroom opened, and the lanterns in the corridor were lit one by one again.
Yu Qin, the lady - in - waiting who accompanied Princess Lingyang, stood outside the door. Her legs and hands were shaking, and her face was as white as a sheet.
There was a faint smell of blood on her body.
"What happened to Lingyang?"
"The 驸马 forced himself on the princess and insulted her. Unable to bear the humiliation, the princess stabbed the 驸马!"
The crown prince's hands clenched into fists. The veins on his forehead were throbbing.
"Someone, go and invite Doctor Shen immediately. Fifty guards from the Eastern Palace will be dispatched to protect the safety of the princess's mansion. No one is allowed to enter or leave at will!"
Cheng Simian grabbed his wrist. Her fingertips were trembling.
"Do the Qin family know what's happened?"
Yu Qin's lips were shaking so much that her words were slurred. "At this hour, they probably already do!"
...
When the crown prince and Cheng Simian led the guards into the princess's mansion, the place was in complete chaos.
Inside the bedroom, there were hysterical cries.
"Slut, how dare you hurt my son! A husband is like the sky. Even if you're a princess, you have no right to hurt my son! I'm going to kill you!"
Yang, with her hair disheveled, was holding a shiny kitchen knife and slashing at anyone in sight.
Two nannies and four maids were protecting Princess Lingyang in the middle, retreating in panic.
Screams, cries, and the sounds of fighting mingled together, deafening.
Two maids had already been injured to varying degrees.
The bedroom was covered in bloodstains.
"Stop! Attempting to assassinate the princess is a crime that will result in the execution of the nine clans!"
Cheng Simian shouted sternly and stepped in front of Princess Lingyang.
Yang, whether she was really crazy or just pretending, stared at them with blood - red eyes and raised the kitchen knife to slash at Cheng Simian.
"Sluts, all of you are sluts! I want you all to die a miserable death! Die, die!"
The guards rushed forward, subdued Yang, and took the knife from her hand.
Yang, in her madness, cursed obscenely.
Qiluo rushed forward and slapped her twice.
"Shut up, shameless crazy woman! How dare you behave so rudely in front of the Crown Princess and the princess!"
Cheng Simian's eyes were filled with frost. "Someone, Yang has violated the hierarchy, attempted to assassinate the princess, and has been spouting dirty words. Drag her out, give her a hundred slaps on the mouth, and then wash her mouth with ice water. When her mouth is clean, bring her back and report!"