Chapter 1: My Fiancé Became a Monk

The autumn wind rose, and the scent of sweet osmanthus drifted through Shengjing City.

The Qi Prince's Mansion was covered in red silk, both inside and out, and large red "Double Happiness" characters were pasted upon the sandalwood window frames.

In three days, it would be the wedding day of the Qi Prince's Mansion's Commandery Princess and the young son of Princess Pingrou, the Little Commandery Prince Lu.

Inside the Chunjiang Courtyard.

Qi Yuning was trying on the wedding gown newly sent by the Palace Maid Bureau. The bright red gown made her skin appear snow-white, making her peerless beauty even more breathtaking.

The maid Jingzhe came to report, "Commandery Princess, Commandery Princess Baozhu has sent a gift for you."

Before the report was even finished, Lu Baozhu, dressed in a pomegranate-red skirt, rushed into the courtyard in a whirlwind.

Lu Baozhu could not suppress her smile. "You're already changing into your wedding gown? It seems you are quite satisfied with this marriage. Then you must thank this Commandery Princess; I had to pester Grandfather for a long time to secure this marriage for you."

Lu Baozhu was the elder sister of Qi Yuning's fiancé, Lu Yun. Qi Yuning and Lu Baozhu had been at odds since childhood; whenever she secured a marriage for Qi Yuning, Qi Yuning felt there must be ill intentions involved.

Before Qi Yuning could wonder what wicked scheme Lu Baozhu was plotting, Lu Baozhu began to laugh wildly and gloatingly.

"Qi Yuning, after you marry into our Lu family, you will have to serve your unmarried elder sister-in-law! When this elder sister-in-law is seated for a meal, you'll have to stand and serve me. Whatever this elder sister-in-law wants to do, you, as the sister-in-law, must attend to it... Just thinking about these beautiful and happy days ahead makes this Commandery Princess look forward to you entering our Lu family gates as soon as possible."

Qi Yuning raised an eyebrow. As a new bride, one indeed had to serve the elder sister-in-law after marriage.

Lu Baozhu's scheme was truly insidious.

Lu Baozhu's scheme was nearly successful, and she laughed with extreme arrogance; it was only thanks to her beauty that such wild laughter did not diminish her stunning appearance.

Seeing Lu Baozhu laughing loudly, Qi Yuning said coldly, "Careful, or your extreme joy will turn to sorrow!"

Lu Baozhu replied, "How could that be? The imperial decree for this marriage was set by His Majesty, and there are only three days left before the wedding. You wouldn't dare defy the decree and refuse to marry! You, just prepare to serve me, your elder sister-in-law, well after you marry!"

"Commandery Princess, something terrible has happened!"

Lichun stumbled into the room.

Seeing her most steady maid in such a panic, Qi Yuning frowned and asked, "What is it?"

Lichun panted heavily, unable to catch her breath. "Commandery Princess, Lu... Little Commandery Prince... he has taken his vows and entered the monkhood! He declared that he would rather become a monk than marry you!"

"What?" Lu Baozhu stood up. Was Lu Yun looking for death?

Suppressing her anger, Qi Yuning gripped her handkerchief tightly with both hands and said, "Prepare the carriage."

...

On Mount Longhua, the autumn scenery was incomparably beautiful. Small streams bubbled through the valleys, and the sound of bells from the ancient temple drifted through the air, refreshing the mind.

However, the many scions of noble families who had come to Xianglin Temple today had no leisure to appreciate the beautiful autumn scenery; they were all gathered outside the temple gates to watch the commotion.

"Little Commandery Prince, do you truly intend to enter the monkhood? Once your hair is shaved, there is no turning back."

Kneeling before the Buddha, Lu Yun touched his head of black hair and said with closed eyes, "Shave it. Being a monk is much better than marrying Commandery Princess Qi."

Qi Yuning's grandfather, Qi Yang, had quelled the Kang'an Rebellion, protected the precarious empire, and assisted the current Emperor in ascending the throne. Moved by Qi Yang's merits, Emperor Shiyuan enfeoffed Qi Yang as the Qi Prince, a titled noble of a different surname with hereditary rights.

When Qi Yuning was young, both her grandfather and parents had sacrificed themselves in the Northern Desert, leaving only Qi Yuning and her elder brother. Emperor Shiyuan then enfeoffed Qi Yuning as the Qi Commandery Princess.

Because of this, the current Emperor's Empress was exceptionally kind to Qi Yuning. In Shengjing City, the Qi Commandery Princess could have whatever she desired!

To marry Qi Yuning was to marry an ancestor into the house!

A year ago, the Eighth Prince had offended the Commandery Princess with his words and had his legs broken by Qi Yuning. Not only did His Majesty not punish Qi Yuning, but he also demoted the Eighth Prince to the desolate land of Cangzhou.

Lu Yun had lived in fear ever since he learned of the marriage. Even his eighth uncle, a Prince, had his legs broken; he was merely the Emperor's grandson. If he truly married Qi Yuning, he would never have a peaceful life.

Lu Yun could only allow his long hair to be shaved, scattered on the ground, and bear the scar of his vows as an ordained monk.

"This Commandery Princess is used to being arrogant, but now she has become the laughingstock of the world. Her fiancé would rather become a monk than marry her, hahaha!"

"Who told the Commandery Princess to be so disdainful of others? Now that the wedding is imminent and her husband has entered the monkhood, who could have imagined that one day the Commandery Princess would become a discarded woman!"

"The high and mighty Commandery Princess has actually fallen to being a discarded woman. I wonder if she will even have the face to appear at banquets in the future?"

The gathered scions of noble families, who previously dared not say a single word against the Commandery Princess, were now seizing the opportunity to kick her while she was down and mock her.

They suddenly felt a chill behind them. In the blink of an eye, they saw a woman of breathtaking beauty approaching slowly in bright red wedding attire, scaring everyone into silence.

No matter the time, Qi Yuning maintained a high and lofty demeanor, and her bright red wedding gown further emphasized her nobility.

Qi Yuning entered the main hall of the Buddhist temple. Seeing the bald Lu Yun, she felt that the world was truly absurd. Her fiancé had actually shaved his head and entered the monkhood just days before their wedding.

Seeing Qi Yuning before him, Lu Yun took a deep breath. "Qi Yuning, I have already entered the monkhood. I will absolutely not marry you!"

Whispers rose from the crowd: "Qi Yuning is wearing that wedding dress... she isn't going to take the already-ordained Lu Commandery Prince back to marry him, is she? He has already become a monk."

"The Little Commandery Prince has already taken his vows. What's the use of Qi Yuning refusing to give up?"

Qi Yuning clenched her hands, her henna-stained nails digging into her flesh. In her eighteen years of life, this was the first time she had suffered such a humiliating disgrace.

Qi Yuning stepped forward and raised her hand, delivering a sharp slap across Lu Yun's face.

Lu Yun clutched his cheek, looking at Qi Yuning in disbelief. "You hit me? You dare hit me? I am a Commandery Prince personally enfeoffed by His Majesty."

"Since you have entered the monkhood, you are no longer the Lu Commandery Prince," Qi Yuning said coldly. "If you did not want to marry me, you could have begged His Majesty to rescind the decree when the marriage was first bestowed, rather than entering the monkhood just as the wedding date approached!"

Without waiting for Lu Yun to defend himself, Qi Yuning swung her hand again, slapping the other side of his face.

Qi Yuning's voice remained icy. "This marriage was something your Lu family begged for. To go back on your word—if you had simply broken the engagement to save face, it would be one thing, but to enter the monkhood to humiliate me... The disgrace your Lu family has dealt me today, I shall certainly remember it in my heart!"

Qi Yuning turned to look at the Abbot beside her. "Abbot, since Lu Yun has entered the monkhood, please ensure he behaves like a monk. If this Commandery Princess finds even a single drop of oil or a hint of meat in his food..."

The Abbot replied respectfully, "Rest assured, Commandery Princess. In Xianglin Temple, one never sees meat, let alone greasy food. There is only rice bran and the small cabbages grown in the temple's vegetable garden."

"That is for the best!"

Qi Yuning gave Lu Yun a fierce glare, flicked her sleeves, and departed. Outside the Buddhist gates, she encountered a rushing Lu Baozhu.

Seeing the fury on Qi Yuning's face, Lu Baozhu said repeatedly, "I'm sorry, I didn't know Lu Yun was so foolish. I really didn't intend for you to be broken off and become a laughingstock. Please don't be so angry."

Seeing the rage on Qi Yuning's face, Lu Baozhu continued, "At worst, I will give my elder brother to you. My brother is much better than Lu Yun. Have you ever heard the saying, 'If you marry a younger brother, you might as well marry the eldest son'? In terms of looks, my brother is among the top men in Shengjing. In terms of official rank, he is already the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review at a young age. In terms of family background, as the son of a Princess and the biological grandson of the Emperor and Empress, he is not inferior to you. My brother and you are so well-matched; if you marry, your future children will surely have extraordinary looks..."

Qi Yuning said angrily, "Shut up."

...

Not far from Mount Longhua.

Two steeds traveled together. Both young men on horseback were exceptionally handsome, their silver saddles gleaming against white horses, moving as swiftly as meteors.

After riding for a while, the two handsome men stopped to rest in front of a tea stall and tied their horses under a tree.

Qi Yu'an poured a cup of tea for the man before him and said, "Heir Lu, I never expected our two families would actually have a marriage alliance. Ningning has been proud since childhood; when she marries your brother and enters your Princess's manor, I hope you will be patient with her!"

Lu Ze took the tea and said, "Rest assured, Prince. The Commandery Princess is a descendant of loyal and heroic martyrs. Once she enters our Lu family, my parents will certainly take good care of her and won't let her suffer even the slightest grievance."

As the two rested for a moment, they heard the discussions regarding the Qi Commandery Princess nearby.

That the high and mighty Commandery Princess's fiancé would rather become a monk than marry her, that she would become a discarded woman and never marry again, and so on.

The more Qi Yu'an heard, the more he frowned, and his gaze toward Lu Ze became increasingly unfriendly.

From the fragmented discussions, Lu Ze also learned that his chaotic younger brother actually dared to enter the monkhood to refuse the marriage?

It was a common saying in Shengjing: one might pluck a hair from the Crown Prince's head, but one must never touch the Qi Commandery Princess!

His foolish brother, in order to avoid marrying the Commandery Princess, had actually become a monk...

Lu Ze said hurriedly, "Prince Qi, I will make Lu Yun return to secular life to marry the Commandery Princess."

Qi Yu'an said coldly, "If Lu Yun does not wish to marry, my Qi family will not beg. However, from this day forward, our Qi and Lu families are irreconcilable enemies!"

Lu Ze was extremely annoyed with his foolish brother. He cupped his hands and said, "Prince Qi, our Lu family will certainly give the Qi Prince's Mansion an explanation. I shall head to Xianglin Temple immediately."

Xianglin Temple was on Mount Longhua. In a short time, Lu Ze spurred his horse to the gates of the temple.

He saw two beautiful young women standing together. One was his sister, Lu Baozhu, and the other was a young woman in bright red wedding attire, possessing peerless beauty and a noble, cold temperament—the famous Qi Commandery Princess of Shengjing City.

As Lu Ze dismounted and approached, he heard Lu Baozhu's voice.

"Qi Yuning, will you truly not consider my elder brother? My brother has a bright future..."

Before Lu Baozhu could finish, Qi Yuning said irritably, "Lu Baozhu, am I, Qi Yuning, unable to marry? If the younger brother becomes a monk, must I marry the elder brother? If the brother is like this, what kind of good person could the elder brother be?"

Lu Ze flipped off his horse, walked up to Qi Yuning, and bowed. "Commandery Princess."

(End of Chapter)