Chapter 4

After finally completing all the rituals, Bai Min was helped into the bridal chamber by others. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she let out a long sigh. Just as she was about to lift her bridal veil, she heard Chunliu urgently reminding her from the side, "Miss, you mustn't remove the veil yourself. You must wait for the groom to remove it for you. If you break the rules, the Fourth Prince will surely be furious. From what I can see, he doesn't seem like a gentle man; he is nothing like the First Prince."

Bai Min sighed and had no choice but to endure it. Things had already come to this; if something truly went wrong and caused hundreds of people in the Murong Prince's Mansion to be executed as funerary sacrifices for her, she couldn't say she wouldn't mind, even if she tried. This Fourth Prince held no affection for Murong Feng at all; if he truly were a heartless man, given his status as the Fourth Prince of the current dynasty, it would be inevitable that he would do something to make things difficult for her.

She waited until dark before the Fourth Prince returned, drunkenly stumbling in, reeking of alcohol.

The moment he entered, he completely ignored Bai Min's existence, instead flirting playfully with Chuntao. From his words, it sounded as if he had been to the Murong Estate before and had met Chuntao.

At first, Bai Min endured it, but she was truly thirsty and hungry, as well as exhausted and weary. Hearing the Fourth Prince's frivolous words and seeing through the veil that the two of them seemed to be embracing, Bai Min felt a surge of anger choking her throat, desperate to burst out.

"You're the Fourth Prince, right?" Bai Min felt her voice was somewhat faintly hoarse. Fortunately, she could still suppress her temper; there was no need to get angry with a stranger—she would just treat it as the descendants not holding a grudge against their predecessors. "Could I trouble you to remove my veil first, and then continue your lovey-dovey business with Miss Chuntao?"

Sima Rui was startled. Bai Min's voice had appeared very suddenly. When he entered, he indeed hadn't given much thought to the Bai Min sitting there. He had originally intended to marry Murong Xue, but he hadn't expected that fellow Murong Qingliang would pull strings to swap her for Murong Feng—that wooden block from the Murong family—and even had his elder brother, Sima Zhe, personally intervene to persuade their grandmother and the Empress Dowager.

In truth, he hadn't really intended to marry at all; he had simply met Murong Xue once while accompanying his brother to the Murong Prince's Mansion, and upon seeing her, he was struck by her celestial beauty. Since the Empress Dowager had been constantly pressuring him to marry, he had said fine, then I'll marry Murong Xue. He never expected that in the end, they would send him a Murong Feng. He had seen Murong Feng in the mansion that day; compared to Murong Xue, she was simply an ugly duckling—stiff and utterly lacking in interest.

Sima Rui gave a smile and said sinisterly, "You brat, I, Sima Rui, hate being manipulated more than anything in life. That old man of yours actually pulled a switcheroo on me, replacing a beauty with a piece of wood. It is already a great mercy that I am not making trouble for him, yet you actually dare to command me to lift your veil? Believe it or not, I could charge your entire family with the crime of insubordination right now!"

"I believe you," Bai Min said languidly. What did punishing the entire Murong family have to do with her? Besides, it wasn't like she wanted to marry him. It seemed this Fourth Prince perhaps wanted to marry Murong Xue, but ended up in a situation where he couldn't back down and had to marry Murong Feng. "That makes it even better. You like Murong Xue, and I am not her. Murong Feng's desire to marry you is merely by parental command, which I cannot disobey. Since you are heartless and I am indifferent, it is best if we both mind our own business. I am merely asking you to use your precious, noble hand to help me remove this veil, and then you are free to hold Chuntao in your arms as you please. I only want to take off the veil and the phoenix crown so my head can feel lighter, so I can drink some water and eat something. You are well-fed and drunk, with the strength to lose your temper with me, but I am both tired and hungry. If this continues, I fear that without you even naming a crime, I will have already gone down in history."

Chunliu's eyes widened as far as they could go, and Chuntao was so frightened her limbs went weak. She was terrified; if the Master of the Murong family found out about her flirting with the Fourth Prince, being killed would likely be the lightest of her punishments.

This troublesome Third Young Lady—how did she become so temperamental after this illness, actually daring to haggle with the Fourth Prince?

Sima Rui was stunned again. The Murong Feng he had seen that day had hardly said a single word; how was she so sharp-tongued today?!

"And what if I simply refuse?"

Bai Min sighed. "My head hurts right now; can you please stop asking questions?"

Sima Rui pursed his lips slightly, turned, and walked out. Reaching the door, he paused, gave a wave of his right hand, and Bai Min felt a flash of light before the bridal veil fluttered down onto her lap.

"Chunliu, hurry and bring me a cup of water, I'm parched." Bai Min didn't even look at the Fourth Prince as he disappeared through the doorway. "Forget it, Chuntao, you go bring me a cup of water. Chunliu, hurry and help me take off this phoenix crown; why is it so heavy? It's giving me a headache."

Chuntao didn't even dare to breathe loudly as she hurriedly brought the water. Bai Min drank it in one gulp. "Go pour another cup, and see if there is anything to eat. I think there should be some pastries. Bring more; I'm sure you two are hungry and thirsty as well. Don't be formal; eat and drink as you please."

As she spoke, she sat at the table and let Chunliu help her remove the phoenix crown. In the mirror, one could see a faint red mark and a bluish bruise pressed into her forehead.

After removing the heavy phoenix crown and letting her long hair fall over her shoulders, Bai Min drank five or six cups of water in a row, ate some pastries, and then collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep, without even removing her wedding garments.

Before falling asleep, Bai Min thought hazily: This Great Xing Dynasty seems quite prosperous and developed; the clothing is exquisite and the food is quite delicious. When I stayed at the Murong Prince's Mansion before, the meals were fresh and nutritious, and tonight's pastries were quite good as well.

Sima Rui did not return all night.

"Miss, please wake up. After you wash up, you must go to offer tea and greetings to the Empress Dowager and the Empress." When Chunliu's voice rang out, Bai Min was sleeping soundly.

"Mm," Bai Min responded lazily.

Having not changed out of her wedding clothes, she had slept quite poorly; her head throbbed faintly, and the marks from yesterday were still clearly visible. The face in the mirror, with its makeup still on, looked a bit strange and artificial, filled with a sense of confusion.

After undressing, Bai Min soaked herself entirely in warm water. Her eyelids were still fighting to stay open as she let Chunliu wash her in a daze.

"Miss, should you wear this one?" Chunliu asked, holding up a red dress.

Bai Min frowned. "Go pick something with lighter colors. Yesterday, my eyes were truly dazzled by this color. Just take that rose-red one; it's festive but won't make my eyes ache. —No, put all that nonsense aside. My head still hurts. See if there are any jade hairpins to hold my hair up. Hmm, this one is good. Simple yet elegant. This one it is."

Pushing aside the dazzling array of gold phoenix hairpins, Bai Min chose a jade hairpin. It was entirely emerald green, with a simple yet unique design. It was cool, detached, and tranquil, faintly exuding an air of royalty that further accentuated the blackness of her hair and the fairness of her skin.