Chapter 2: An Opportunity to Escape

Just as everyone had finished the frantic task of washing Qiyueban clean and dressing her in her bright red wedding attire, the celebratory music of the wedding procession began to blare from outside.

Li Wanru hurriedly ordered someone to place the large red bridal veil, embroidered with eight-tailed phoenixes, over Qiyueban.

Looking at the wedding dress that the Prime Minister's estate seamstress had hurriedly modified to fit Qiyueban, Li Wanru nodded in satisfaction. With a quick glance, she signaled the maids and elderly servants to help Qiyueban into the wedding sedan chair of the Prince of Jing's manor.

As the sedan chair was lifted and the long wedding procession marched toward the Prince of Jing's manor amidst the blaring music,

The tiny body inside the sedan, which had previously seemed exceptionally weak and frail, suddenly snapped its eyes open. A sharp, piercing light burst from her eyes, one that was entirely inconsistent with her sickly physique.

"If you want me dead, don't even bother with a door—there isn't even a window!"

The weak and cowardly appearance had long since vanished, replaced by a young girl who, though thin as a withered tree, possessed a gaze of unwavering determination.

Touching the nameless book hidden in her bosom, Qiyueban saw that haggard, aged figure appear in her mind once more.

It had been during a brief interval of about half an incense stick's time, when none of the maids or servants were in the room, that an old woman dressed in tattered but clean clothes had secretly slipped in and pressed it into her arms.

Seeing how mysterious she had been, Qiyueban truly suspected whether that book had been stolen.

"Remember, you must never let anyone see this book. It concerns your origins and your mother's safety."

The low, hushed voice that was nonetheless pleasant to the ear still echoed in her ears.

She raised her hand, lifted the red bridal veil covering her head, and secretly pried open a small gap in the thick, soft curtains of the sedan door.

The eastern sky was beginning to turn the color of a fish's belly, allowing the young girl to vaguely discern her surroundings.

The street appeared very wide, lined with shops on both sides.

Although it was still early and the shops had not yet opened, the wide and grand storefronts indicated just how prosperous this street would be during the day.

The thick traces of snow on the rooftops and the large trees lining the road all signaled that it was currently the winter season.

A gust of cold wind snaked through the gap Qiyueban had made in the sedan curtain, rushing straight toward her face. The freezing current nearly choked her, making it difficult to catch her breath.

Even though she wore a padded jacket beneath her wedding robes, Qiyueban could still feel the bone-chilling cold.

There was a wedding matron on each side of the sedan, and the procession stretched endlessly before and behind her. However, after Qiyueban carefully looked around several times, she could not find a single man riding a tall horse and dressed in bright red wedding attire.

Could it be that the legendary third son of the Emperor, the Prince of Jing, Xuanyuan Wuchen, had not come to fetch the bride?

It seemed that this marriage was not only unsatisfactory to the Prime Minister's Li family, but even the Prince of Jing himself was likely quite displeased; otherwise, why wouldn't he come to collect the bride?

This was for the best; it would save her from the awkwardness of the wedding night, and she would have a chance to escape!

At this thought, Qiyueban's depressed mood—caused by the overwhelming number of people in the procession preventing her from fleeing—improved significantly.

Since Prince Jing, Xuanyuan Wuchen, was also dissatisfied with this marriage and hadn't even shown up for the procession, he likely wouldn't show up for the wedding night either.

This way, she could escape this first tribulation.

Afterward, she could find a way to flee the Prince of Jing's manor, and then she could be as free as a bird in the sky!

The more Qiyueban thought about it, the happier she became. Seeing that there was truly no opportunity to escape, and realizing she didn't have to worry about the tragic fate of having to consummate the marriage on her second day of transmigration, she completely relaxed.

Placing her right hand over her left, she blocked out the noisy music and commotion of the wedding procession, calming her mind to seriously take her own pulse once more.

After a long while,

*Sigh!* Qiyueban let out a heavy sigh in her heart and withdrew her right hand from her left.

Her depressed mood returned slightly.

This small body was not only severely malnourished but also afflicted by a potent poison. Judging by her current condition, she likely wouldn't live more than seven days.

It was no wonder that when she had first transmigrated and woken up, that old hag Mother Liu and the Second Miss, Li Wanru, had said she was already a dying person.

However, this small body was lucky to have encountered her. Qiyueban believed that as long as she was given time, she could definitely save this poisoned body.

What a joke; she couldn't just die right after arriving.

In her past life, Qiyueban was not only an outstanding assassin but had also studied Traditional Chinese Medicine under a reclusive divine physician.

Seeing that Qiyueban possessed an extremely high aptitude for TCM—a talent seen once in a hundred years—her master had taught her everything he knew without reservation.

Of course, he did not know that his disciple had studied TCM so seriously back then simply to make killing more convenient in the future.

Qiyueban had even conducted deeper research specifically into poisons and acupoints; naturally, her purpose was not to save lives, but to take them.

After all, our clever ancestors developed methods that could kill invisibly without leaving a single trace!

While Qiyueban was racking her brains to figure out where she could find those few life-saving herbs before the poison took full effect, she had already been seated on the large bed in the bridal chamber.

As it turned out, Prince Jing, Xuanyuan Wuchen, had used "indisposition" as an excuse to not appear at the wedding. After entering the Prince of Jing's manor, she had been sent directly to the bridal chamber without the formal wedding ceremony.

However, she didn't mind; this was actually better.

Not only would she be spared the exhaustion of those tedious imperial wedding rituals, but she also wouldn't have to worry about how to spend the wedding night.

Still, Qiyueban found it strange. This was the grand wedding of the Emperor's third son, the Prince of Jing, and it was a marriage personally bestowed by His Majesty. Yet, on the day of the wedding, the Emperor himself did not attend?

Could it be that the Emperor already knew the Prince of Jing would fall "ill" on his wedding day?

Peering through the edge of the red bridal veil, Qiyueban discovered that there was now only one maid left in the room.

Those people who had originally come to join the excitement saw that Xuanyuan Wuchen hadn't even appeared for the ceremony, realizing that this Second Miss of the Prime Minister's estate was not favored by the Prince of Jing. Thus, they lost interest in currying favor and left on their own without even saying goodbye.

This suited Qiyueban perfectly. It was better if they left; she wouldn't have to maintain a facade in front of them, allowing her to be relaxed and at ease.

"You, go get me something to eat. I'm hungry."

Qiyueban spoke in a flat tone; she had no intention of starving herself.

In this era, which clearly resembled ancient China, there were no cars or airplanes; they had traveled from the Prime Minister's manor to the Prince of Jing's manor on foot.

The Prime Minister's manor was in the southwest corner of the capital, while the Prince of Jing's manor was in the northeast.

Having set out early in the morning, it was now already dusk.

Having had nothing to eat or drink all day, Qiyueban was now both thirsty and hungry.

Of course, eating was not Qiyueban's most important priority right now. The most important thing was to escape; she cherished this second chance at life that Heaven had granted her.