“Stop for a moment!”
A young woman’s clear voice came from within the wedding sedan.
The wedding procession had already reached the Tiger Kneel Mountain valley. The empty valley seemed to hold only the sounds of wind, snow, and trees colliding.
All around appeared calm, but hidden in the shadows were death warriors from two opposing forces. They were all waiting – waiting for the new emperor to show even a corner of his robes, and a hunt would be triggered at any moment.
The procession didn’t stop. The accompanying matchmaker inquired through the sedan curtain: “Madam, why do you want to stop the sedan? The wind and snow are heavy in the valley – it’s better to pass through quickly.”
“I need to relieve myself.”
Nanyi answered pitifully.
In her plan, the best place to escape was in this valley near Li Du Mansion. Mountains were easy to hide in, while cities had too many eyes and ears – someone’s spies would inevitably discover her.
“Madam, please bear with it a little longer.”
“But I can’t hold it anymore… surely you wouldn’t want me to embarrass myself during the wedding ceremony…”
Nanyi’s voice sounded on the verge of tears, and the matchmaker was indeed somewhat hesitant.
Nanyi sat in the wedding sedan, gripping tightly the dagger in her sleeve – this was the weapon Xie Queshan had left behind when he no longer wanted her, and it had become her courage now. She only waited for the matchmaker to agree and the sedan to stop, then she would rush out and run without looking back.
The matchmaker didn’t answer, but the sedan stopped, and the procession outside had an unusually quiet atmosphere. Nanyi was somewhat suspicious but still prepared to reach out and lift the sedan curtain.
Just then, a hand lifted the curtain ahead of her.
Wind and snow instantly poured into the sedan. A snowflake landed on Nanyi’s fingertip, and the cold penetrated straight to her heart.
She didn’t know who had come, but instinctively sensing danger, immediately raised her fan to cover her face.
Xie Queshan glanced into the sedan. In the cramped space sat only a young woman, properly holding her wedding fan.
They met again across a thin wedding fan, yet neither recognized the other so close at hand. Xie Queshan saw nothing unusual and quickly lowered the curtain.
“A fugitive we’re pursuing has mixed in here. We need to search the procession.”
At Gusha’s command, regardless of the wedding party’s wishes, the Qi soldiers began roughly searching the procession, checking boxes of dowry goods and the accompanying people. Gusha’s hawk-like gaze swept over each person in the procession, but saw nothing unusual.
This was the inferior strategy. Showing themselves meant exposure – they were in the open while their target remained hidden.
But they had waited so long without Prince Ling’an appearing, and the wedding procession was about to leave the valley. Though Xie Queshan tried to stop him, Gusha stubbornly insisted on searching, unwilling to let the last possibility slip away.
He knew the valley held death warriors ready for battle. As soon as they found Prince Ling’an, both sides would inevitably clash.
But at this moment, they could only take desperate risks and not miss this opportunity.
However, they found nothing. Their plan had failed – Prince Ling’an hadn’t appeared. The Qi soldiers returned empty-handed and had to let the wedding procession leave.
Still unwilling to give up, Gusha assigned several Qi soldiers to follow the procession.
The haunting sound of Qi soldiers’ horse hooves followed behind. Nanyi dared not get out of the carriage at this time – she too had been pursued by Qi soldiers. Self-preservation came first, so Nanyi was forced to miss her best escape opportunity.
She could only wait for another chance.
Xie Queshan and Gusha watched the departing wedding procession. They both knew this calm wasn’t natural calm, but rather the result of opposing forces canceling each other out through their maneuvering. Undercurrents still surged – this contest wasn’t over.
Frustratingly, they still didn’t know where the problem lay. Had Prince Ling’an not appeared, or had he slipped into the wedding procession right under their noses without anyone knowing?
If they couldn’t catch Prince Ling’an in Li Du Mansion and let him cross south, the pursuit would become long and difficult.
Xie Queshan remained very calm, believing this wasn’t the worst situation yet. He analyzed for Gusha: “No matter where Prince Ling’an is now, he definitely hasn’t left Li Du Mansion. At least we now know the Xie family is the main force in this escort mission. Watch the Xie family closely, and there’s still a chance to turn things around.”
“Then kill Xie Hengzai. Once he’s dead, their deployment will fall into chaos.”
Gusha stared into Xie Queshan’s eyes.
…
The same news was also delivered by swift horse to Xie Hengzai.
Xie Hengzai was first surprised, then breathed a slight sigh of relief. This was already the best possible outcome. But he was also uneasy – why hadn’t Prince Ling’an appeared?
Could someone have warned him in advance that this journey was dangerous and not to proceed?
Then how would he escort Prince Ling’an afterward? A thousand tangled thoughts surged through Xie Hengzai’s mind again.
However, at this moment, the wedding sedan was almost at Wangxue Manor, and tonight’s ceremony – he still had to attend.
The streets were swept clean of their desolate appearance. Firecracker sounds were deafening, and red carpets stretched along the white ground. Light snow accompanied them, and when the wedding sedan entered the Xie family’s Wangxue Manor, the snow also stopped.
The last crystal snowflake fell on the red silk under the eaves, instantly melting and leaving a small dark water stain.
Nanyi stepped down from the wedding sedan. Her view was mostly blocked by the wedding fan – she could only see figures moving about but couldn’t make out anyone’s face clearly. She vaguely saw a man in wedding attire standing in the hall. He was somewhat thin but had an upright bearing. When guests offered congratulations, he cupped his hands in return, his entire demeanor gentle and refined.
Nanyi didn’t even know his name yet.
At this moment, the surrounding noise and excitement gave Nanyi a real sense of being married.
Previously her mind had been full of escape plans, but she’d missed every opportunity. Now was the least possible time to escape, so she simply gave up. The anxiety in her heart faded, replaced by a sense of bewilderment.
She began to realize this was marriage – the most important moment in a woman’s life. Once she bowed in the ceremony, she would be his wife. In the future, could she really escape?
But she was already standing here, standing beside this man.
Evening drums sounded faintly from halfway up the mountain. The auspicious hour was approaching.
The Xie family was a prominent clan in Li Du Mansion with undeniable influence. The wedding hall was naturally filled with many guests. However, there were also Qi spies who had slipped in – one disguised as a Xie family servant, another as a wealthy city merchant, completely inconspicuous among the crowd. The two exchanged glances, preparing to carry out their plan against Xie Hengzai.