Chapter 7
Is Half His Face Like a Ghost?
No one heard the Grand Empress Dowager’s words.
But when the Empress saw Prince Jun walk in wearing his wedding robes, dark clouds instantly flashed through her eyes.
That lowly woman’s son had actually managed to marry a Princess Consort!
No. Impossible.
Today, she would make sure this wedding could not be completed.
Though she thought this inwardly, a gentle smile slowly appeared on her face as she turned to the Emperor and softly said,
“Your Majesty is always worried about Prince Jun’s health. But look at him now—he has grown tall and handsome.”
That short-lived wretch. Why did he not look weak at all?
The Emperor laughed loudly.
“Although everyone says A’Yuan resembles the Late Emperor most in his younger days, looking at him now, the two of us brothers do share some similarities.”
The moment the Emperor mentioned the Late Emperor, the Empress clenched her teeth in hatred.
It was precisely because this little bastard looked so much like the Late Emperor that the Late Emperor had protected him since childhood. No matter how many times they tried, they could never kill him.
The Late Emperor had feared that because Prince Jun was weak, he would lose everything once he grew up. So before dying, he left behind an imperial decree—
Once Prince Jun reached adulthood and married his official Princess Consort, someone would deliver him a great gift.
Even the Emperor himself did not know what that gift was.
Today was Prince Jun’s wedding, so the gift left behind by the Late Emperor might finally appear. Naturally, everyone had come.
The officials all looked curiously toward Prince Jun.
In the past twenty years, Prince Jun had returned to the capital only a handful of times. He always came and left quickly, either inside a carriage or carried in a sedan chair. Very few people had ever truly seen him.
Now that they saw his handsome and upright figure, many could not look away.
“He really does resemble the Late Emperor in his younger days,” one old minister sighed.
“But why is Prince Jun wearing a mask?”
Prince Jun’s mask was specially made. It only covered a small part of his face and did not hide much of his appearance.
Still—it was a mask.
Everyone was shocked.
“I once heard Prince Jun was poisoned and treated by some strange doctor. His life was saved, but the poison spread to his face and could not be completely removed, so half his face rotted. Could that be true?”
Someone quietly shared information their family had once received.
The crowd sucked in cold breaths.
If that was true—
wouldn’t half of Prince Jun’s face look like a ghost?
It must be terrifying. Otherwise, why would he need a mask?
“I wonder whether Miss Fu has ever seen Prince Jun before…”
“She’s here! The bride is here!” someone suddenly shouted.
In the garden, around the corner, two maids supported Fu Zhao Ning as she slowly approached.
Her bright red wedding robe embroidered with golden thread perfectly wrapped around her tall, slender figure.
She walked gracefully and elegantly, like a beautiful painting coming to life.
Many people already knew Fu Zhao Ning.
After all, she had spent so much time chasing after Xiao Yan Jing recently that plenty of people had laughed at her behind her back.
But before today, no one realized that even without showing her face, simply watching her walk over was enough to stir countless hearts.
Prince Jun looked at Fu Zhao Ning as she was led before him.
He could tell her breathing was calm.
She was not holding her breath.
She was not nervous.
She looked completely relaxed.
“Your Highness.”
Hong Zhuo handed one end of the red silk ribbon to Prince Jun while the other remained in Fu Zhao Ning’s hand.
Prince Jun took it and lowered his voice.
“You still have time to regret this.”
Under the red veil came Fu Zhao Ning’s clear and steady voice.
“As long as Your Highness does not regret it, then let’s complete the wedding.”
“Good.”
Prince Jun held the red silk and led her into the wedding hall, stopping before the Grand Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and the others.
Even through the red veil, Fu Zhao Ning could almost feel countless eyes fixed upon her.
The Empress looked at the pair standing together and became increasingly unwilling to accept it.
For some strange reason, these two standing side by side looked perfectly matched.
She sighed lightly.
“Prince Jun’s wedding should have been grand and magnificent. But because everything was arranged in such a hurry, the hall was decorated like an ordinary family wedding. Proper invitations were not even sent out, not enough guests were invited, and there was no grand bridal procession through the city.”
“It truly wrongs Prince Jun.”
Then her gaze landed on Fu Zhao Ning.
“Still, I never expected that in the capital of Da Zhao, there would be a young woman like Miss Fu.”
“On the very day of her wedding, she broke off one engagement in the street and casually found herself another husband.”
The entire hall instantly fell silent.
No one even dared breathe loudly.
Fu Zhao Ning’s heart skipped.
Here it comes.
The Empress was indirectly calling her shameless and without manners.
Was she mocking Fu Zhao Ning?
Or mocking Prince Jun for actually marrying a woman who had caused such chaos across the entire capital in a single day?
But Fu Zhao Ning was never someone who silently endured humiliation.
The moment the Empress finished speaking, she immediately replied in the exact same calm tone.
“Zhao Ning also did not expect the news to reach the palace so quickly.”
“Since Your Majesty already heard about it, then surely you must also despise a scumbag like Xiao Shizi—”
“—a man who refused to fetch his bride on his wedding day, stayed at home wearing mourning white, and publicly embraced another woman in the street.”
Everyone stared at her in complete shock.
Miss Fu still dared to speak at a time like this?
And she directly argued against the Empress herself?
As expected of the woman who publicly broke off an engagement and remarried on the same day. Her courage truly was extraordinary.
Fu Zhao Ning continued,
“I never had much contact with Xiao Shizi to begin with, and there was no deep affection between us. I merely wanted to fulfill the marriage agreement between our families and avoid worsening my grandfather’s condition.”
Prince Jun’s eyes flickered slightly.
No deep affection?
Was she saying she never truly liked Xiao Yan Jing?
“But fortunately, before my bridal sedan entered the Xiao residence, I clearly saw Xiao Shizi’s character.”
“And then I met a man as outstanding as Prince Jun.”
“I abandoned a worthless fish eye and chose a true pearl instead.”
“Was that wrong?”
“Or does Your Majesty believe choosing Prince Jun was the wrong decision?”
As she said this, she turned slightly toward Prince Jun.
His eyes darkened.
The Grand Empress Dowager kept watching Fu Zhao Ning the entire time.
This girl was clearly twisting the meaning of things on purpose.
And she had cornered the Empress into silence.
Because if the Empress said Fu Zhao Ning’s choice was wrong, then she would effectively be saying Prince Jun was inferior to Xiao Yan Jing.
But Xiao Wangye was only the Emperor’s cousin.
Meanwhile, Prince Jun was the Late Emperor’s most beloved youngest son and the Emperor’s own younger brother.
There was simply no comparison.
No matter how much the Empress hated Prince Jun, she could never say such words in front of the Emperor.
“Miss Fu certainly has a sharp tongue,” the Empress said coldly.
“I merely felt sorry that Prince Jun’s wedding had to be held in such a rushed manner, yet Miss Fu responded with so many words. Quite an impressive mouth you have.”
“Enough, enough,” the Grand Empress Dowager finally interrupted.
“Since A’Yuan himself is willing, we need not pity him any further.”
She looked toward the steward.
“The auspicious hour has arrived, has it not? They should begin the ceremony.”
Now that the Grand Empress Dowager had spoken, the Empress could no longer continue.
The Emperor looked seriously at Prince Jun.
“Xiao Lan Yuan, I ask you one final time.”
“Do you truly wish to marry Fu Zhao Ning?”
“Have you thought it through carefully?”
Before Prince Jun could answer, an urgent voice suddenly shouted from outside—
“He will not marry her!”
