Volume One, Chapter 8: A Ten-Mile Bridal Procession

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

The entire capital was swept up in an unusual frenzy over the crown prince’s grand wedding. From bustling streets and alleys to teahouses and taverns, everyone was abuzz with talk of this sudden union.

“Have you heard? The Crown Prince is marrying the daughter of the Grand General!”

“Who hasn’t? Rumor has it the Emperor has issued a strict order to make the ceremony even more magnificent than the coronation itself!”

“It’s strange. Just a few days ago, there were whispers that the Crown Prince had some sort of scandal with Miss Xiao at a tavern… cough cough, and now suddenly they’re to be wed?”

“Shh! Keep your voice down! Are you looking for trouble? I heard it was the Crown Prince heroically saving the beauty, love at first sight, a secret engagement!” A storyteller, spitting as he spoke in the teahouse, recounted, “That day, some scoundrels tried to harm Miss Xiao, but the Crown Prince, seeing injustice, drew his sword in fury and slew them all! That’s how he won her heart!”

Within three short days, this “official version” spread like wildfire through every street and alley of the capital. Behind the scenes, Li Xuan had his loyal servant Wang Fugui spend lavishly to orchestrate this narrative. He understood well the power of controlling public opinion: better to offer the people a romantic legend than to let wild speculation run rampant.

On the day of the wedding, before dawn, the Eastern Palace was ablaze with lights and filled with clamorous voices.

Several eunuchs restrained Li Xuan as they dressed him in an outrageously elaborate crimson robe embroidered with golden dragons. Layers of heavy garments, a jade belt, and a court crown weighed down on him until he could barely breathe.

“This is torture,” Li Xuan muttered inwardly, though his face maintained the solemn dignity befitting the heir apparent.

Meanwhile, within the Xiao residence, Xiao Ningshuang was also fully adorned.

Her phoenix crown and embroidered ceremonial robe, adorned with pearls and jade, made her already stunning beauty shine with a transcendent grace. She sat quietly before a bronze mirror, staring at the unfamiliar reflection, her eyes hollow and cold.

For three days, she had locked herself away, refusing food, drink, or speech. She could not comprehend how things had come to this. Her hatred for Li Xuan and resistance to this marriage had not lessened in the slightest. Yet her father’s voice echoed relentlessly in her mind:

“Ningshuang, this is the best outcome. For the Xiao family and for your father, you must endure.”

In the end, she would be forced to marry the man she despised most, all for the sake of her family.

At the appointed hour, the wedding procession set out from the Eastern Palace, vast and stretching for miles.

Eight palanquins, golden canopies, and a ceremonial escort thundered with drums and music that echoed through the sky. The streets were cleared by the imperial guards, but the crowds filled every balcony and rooftop, packed tight with spectators eager to witness this once-in-a-century royal spectacle. The capital seemed to boil with excitement.

Li Xuan rode at the front atop a magnificent white steed. His posture was upright, his features handsome and regal, his splendid attire radiating royal nobility, eliciting gasps and whispers from countless young maidens.

He smiled and waved to the crowd, playing the role of the approachable crown prince perfectly. Yet beneath that smiling mask lay a vigilance as sharp as a blade.

He knew his closest allies would never allow him to complete this wedding in such a triumphant manner.

Sure enough, as the procession reached Zhuque Avenue—the capital’s busiest street—an unexpected event unfolded.

From the crowd, a young scholar dressed in a Confucian robe and square cap suddenly broke through the imperial guards and knelt wildly in the middle of the road, wailing loudly at Li Xuan’s horse.

“Heaven is blind! The nation is disgraced!” The scholar pounded his chest, voice hoarse with desperation. “How can there be justice under tyranny? The Grand General’s daughter, pure as ice and jade, is being forced to marry a degenerate unworthy of his position! This is a sign that the kingdom will fall!”

His voice pierced through the thunderous drums, instantly silencing the bustling street.

All eyes fixed on the scholar and the Crown Prince’s ashen face. The crowd that had moments ago been moved by the “heroic rescue” tale now wore expressions of doubt and gossip.

Here it comes.

Li Xuan sneered inwardly but gripped his horsewhip tighter.

This was a ruthless move—openly challenging him in public. No matter how he responded, it would be used against him. Killing the man would confirm accusations of tyranny; sparing him would allow slander to spread, tarnishing the royal image.

The commander of the imperial guards was shocked and moved to seize the scholar.

“Stop.” Li Xuan raised a hand, his voice low but crystal clear.

He dismounted and strode toward the scholar, looking down at him from above. The scholar, cowed by his imposing presence, faltered mid-cry, trembling involuntarily.

“What is your name?” Li Xuan asked.

“Student… Student Zhang Qin, a member of the National Academy!” The scholar forced out the words.

“Zhang Qin,” Li Xuan nodded, a hint of amusement curling his lips. “Do you understand the crime of slandering the royal family and disturbing the Crown Prince’s wedding in public?”

“I… I only speak for the people of the world; death means nothing to me!” Zhang Qin held his head high, as if ready to die heroically.

“A noble cause for the people indeed.” Li Xuan smiled, then turned to the thousands of onlookers and proclaimed loudly, “I know many of you, like Scholar Zhang, harbor doubts about my marriage to Miss Xiao.”

The crowd stirred in surprise. No one expected the Crown Prince to admit this openly.

His voice rose, filled with strength and confidence: “But today, I declare to you! My union with Miss Ningshuang is not about romance or rumors—it is for the prosperity and security of the Great Zhou!”

His piercing gaze swept across astonished faces: “To the north lurks the Zhao Kingdom’s predatory gaze; to the west, enemies encircle us! The Great Zhou needs unity! As Crown Prince, marrying into the Grand General’s powerful household signals to the world that the emperor and his ministers stand united, unbreakable as forged steel! Any who dare defy the might of Great Zhou will find no safe return!”

His words struck the crowd like thunder, stirring their hearts. Petty scandals and forced marriages paled before the weight of “prosperity and security.” The Crown Prince was exalted—this was for the nation!

Li Xuan then faced the scholar again, his tone tinged with pity: “Zhang Qin, you are well-read but obsessed with trivial matters, blind to the greater good of the state. You are but a pawn for others, deluding yourself as a champion for the people. How pitiful, how lamentable!”

He didn’t name the mastermind behind the scheme, but the phrase “a pawn for others” was enough to ignite speculation.

“You...” Zhang Qin’s face drained of color, stunned that Li Xuan had so swiftly turned the tables, branding him as ignorant and shortsighted.

“Take him away,” Li Xuan waved dismissively, no longer bothering to look at him. “Since he is a scholar and a first-time offender, send him to the Court of Justice for ten days or half a month. Let him study the sages and learn what true ‘family, country, and world’ means.”

This show of “mercy” and “magnanimity” drew thunderous applause from the crowd.

“Long live the wise Crown Prince!”

“Long live His Highness!”

Amidst the cheers, Li Xuan remounted and the wedding procession resumed.

From a private room on the second floor of a nearby tavern, Li Yuan and Li Zhan watched grimly.

“Useless!” Li Zhan slammed his fist on the table, rattling the teacups. “That Zhang Qin usually talks a big game, but he got outmaneuvered by Li Xuan in just a few words!”

“It’s not his incompetence,” Li Yuan’s gaze darkened, “the Sixth Brother... has changed. He’s no longer the fool we could manipulate. Today’s response was flawless, even winning public favor. A brilliant move, truly brilliant!”

Watching the crown prince’s figure fade into the cheering throng below, he felt a real threat for the first time.

Meanwhile, inside the phoenix palanquin, Xiao Ningshuang listened intently to the commotion outside, her heart already roiling like a stormy sea.

She had expected endless humiliation today. When the scholar erupted onto the scene, her spirits sank to the abyss.

Yet she never imagined Li Xuan could so astonishingly transform a public disgrace aimed at them into a dazzling personal tribute.

His impassioned words about “prosperity and security,” his poised and confident strength, left her deeply shaken.

Through the curtains, she seemed to see the man on the white horse bathed in radiant light, dazzling beyond her ability to look directly at him.

Could this man really be the Li Xuan she thought she knew?

For the first time, a flicker of curiosity—one she dared not admit even to herself—stirred in her heart toward the man who was about to become her husband.