Offered as a Lucky Bride to the Mad Princess to Ward Off Misfortune - Chapter 5

5: “I’m Afraid of Pain, Can You Bite Gently?”…

On the day before the wedding, the Prince of Ning’s betrothal gifts arrived at the Duke of Yu’s residence.

Originally a rushed marriage for dispelling misfortune, the customary three letters and six etiquettes were all simplified. Naturally, the Duke’s household dared not raise any objections, and Yu Nanqing herself hadn’t held much expectation to begin with.

After all, in her past life, the betrothal gifts for Yu Nanrou had consisted of only a meager few chests, most of which were bestowed by the palace according to the standard protocol for a prince’s wedding.

In the Great Qi dynasty, when a prince married, it was customary to have a gift announcer during the presentation of betrothal gifts. The longer the announcement lasted, the more it signified the groom’s family’s respect for the bride. The list of gifts from the Prince of Ning’s residence was announced for nearly half an incense stick’s worth of time—so long that even those who had come to the Duke’s residence to mock found themselves turning their heads in astonishment.

Not only that, but the large items among the gifts weren’t the customary bedding or furniture. Almost all had been replaced with rare and precious treasures: a white jade cloisonné phoenix-patterned thumb ring, a jade screen carved with pine, crane, and human figures, and many more. Not to mention the numerous rare antique calligraphy and painting masterpieces.

The imperial family would never pass off counterfeits as genuine. Amidst the crowd’s incredulous gazes, the eunuch announcing the gifts rolled up the list, flicked his horsetail whisk, bypassed the Duke of Yu at the front, and walked straight to Yu Nanqing.

“His Highness the Prince of Ning specifically instructed that these items be handed to the young lady in person,” the eunuch said with a kindly smile, presenting the gift list respectfully. “If the young lady finds everything satisfactory, this servant will return to report to His Highness.”

Yu Nanqing took the gift list and asked the eunuch, “Thank you for your trouble, Your Excellency. May I ask if Prince Ning is doing well?”

Her question echoed the thoughts of everyone present. Wasn’t it said that Prince Ning was already on the brink of death? Even if he had awakened, shouldn’t he be in a deranged state, killing and drinking bl00d? How could he still personally arrange the betrothal gifts?

The eunuch smiled and replied, “These betrothal gifts were left for His Highness by Her Majesty the Empress. Everything has been prepared according to protocol. The young lady need only accept them.”

He deftly avoided any mention of Prince Ning’s condition. Those present were all shrewd enough to read between the lines.

The gifts—you will accept them.

As for the man—well, that’s just how it is.

“Thank you, Your Excellency,” Yu Nanqing said, gathering her white fox fur cloak and signaling Chenxiang to hand over a pouch of gold melon seeds. Her voice was soft and ethereal, so fragile it seemed as though it might shatter at the slightest touch.

Watching her, the entourage from Prince Ning’s residence couldn’t help but feel a pang of pity. Their future princess consort was truly frail—how many days could someone like her even survive in Prince Ning’s household?

Yu Nanqing, of course, paid no mind to what others were thinking. It was bitterly cold outside, and lingering any longer would only mean enduring a barrage of hollow pleasantries. As soon as the ceremonial formalities concluded, she took Chenxiang and returned to Bilu Xuan.

The next morning, before dawn had even broken, Yu Nanqing was roused from sleep to begin her bridal preparations. She drowsily kept her eyes shut, allowing the matron to fuss over her. Layer upon layer of crimson wedding robes were draped over her frame, the intricate ceremonial dress weighing heavily upon her. Staring at her reflection in the mirror, Yu Nanqing finally felt a sense of reality about her impending marriage.

Her waterfall-like black hair was coiled up, and an exquisite phoenix crown was placed atop her head, adorned with hairpins and golden tassels that cascaded to her shoulders. By the time the makeup was complete, the morning light had already brightened outside.

There was still some time before the auspicious hour for boarding the bridal sedan. The wedding matron suggested, “Third Miss, would you like to go to the main hall to bid farewell to the Duke?”

Yu Nanqing didn’t even lift her eyes. “Won’t we be going there later anyway?”

The matron was momentarily speechless. She had attended to the bridal preparations of many noble daughters, all of whom had tearfully parted with their families upon marriage. This was the first time she had encountered such a cold-hearted bride.

But she had also heard rumors about this Third Miss Yu’s bad temper, and she couldn’t help but find it amusing. If she was already putting on such airs in her own family, how would she fare when she got to the deposed crown prince? Would she even survive the night?

Yu Nanqing disliked the way the bridal attendants were looking at her and gave Nanny Ji a meaningful glance. The room quickly quieted down.

Nanny Ji had been the maid of Ji Shi, Yu Nanqing’s mother, and had practically watched Yu Nanqing grow up. Now that Ji Shi was gone, she looked at Yu Nanqing in her bridal attire and called out softly, “Miss.”

Yu Nanqing was fiddling with the sash of her wedding dress when she heard this and turned her head. “Nanny, were you thinking of having me visit Mother in the ancestral hall?”

Nanny Ji hadn’t even considered that. “Does Miss wish to go?”

“Let’s not trouble Mother with my affairs,” Yu Nanqing replied, her voice distant. “If I can ever return to the Duke’s manor, I’ll go to the ancestral hall and apologize to her.”

Nanny Ji’s eyes reddened instantly. “Miss…”

“Ah, why cry on such a joyous day? I’m just tired of staying at the Duke’s manor and want a change of scenery, to enjoy the privilege of outranking my father for once,” Yu Nanqing said with a smile, trying to comfort Nanny Ji. “What did you want to tell me earlier?”

Nanny Ji wiped her eyes with a handkerchief, then leaned in close to whisper a few words of advice about the wedding night.

Even though Yu Nanqing had lived a second life, she had never experienced the ways of husband and wife. No matter how composed she usually was, her face couldn’t help but flush at this moment.

Nanny Ji, worried she might suffer, was about to explain in greater detail when Yu Nanqing hastily interrupted her. “Nanny, I understand.”

Nanny Ji pressed on, “Miss, Prince Ning is a violent man. Once in bed—”

“Nanny,” Yu Nanqing had to cut her off again, forcing herself to stay calm. “I truly understand.”

Nanny Ji looked skeptical, but the sound of lively chatter outside the courtyard signaled that the time was near. There was no opportunity for further explanation, so she summoned Xiangxiang and slipped a few booklets into her hands, whispering more instructions.

After paying respects to Duke Yu in the front hall, her face was covered with a red veil, and everything before her eyes turned crimson. Amid the lively sound of firecrackers, Yu Nanqing boarded the bridal sedan chair heading to Prince Ning’s residence.

Compared to the jubilant atmosphere at the Duke’s estate, the outside of Prince Ning’s residence seemed rather desolate. Though the place was adorned with bright red “double happiness” characters, red lanterns hung high, and even the stone lions at the entrance were crowned with red floral wreaths, there was an inexplicable lack of festive spirit.

After all, who in the capital would dare risk their lives to gather outside Prince Ning’s residence for the spectacle?

Who knew if they might lose their lives before even catching a glimpse of the excitement?

Yu Nanqing could only judge the distance to Prince Ning’s residence by the sounds outside the sedan chair. Her dowry of 128 carriers and the grand sixteen-pole sedan chair circled the imperial city along Chang’an Street before finally entering Prince Ning’s residence.

When she stepped out of the sedan chair, Prince Ning himself did not appear. Instead, she was supported by several matrons of honor into the hall for the wedding ceremony. As she crossed the threshold, Yu Nanqing seemed to catch a glimpse of another flash of red at her feet, but it vanished before she could get a clear look.

She tilted her head under the bridal veil, trying to see more, but the veil obscured everything.

When the auspicious hour for the ceremony arrived, the matron of honor handed one end of the ceremonial red silk to Yu Nanqing, while the other end was held by something—or someone—else. The entire hall was eerily silent, devoid of any celebratory noise.

As she bowed during the ceremony, Yu Nanqing mentally reviewed the emperor’s sons but couldn’t figure out which one might have been sent to stand in for the groom. That left only one possibility… beside her was a rooster held by someone.

Her expression grew complicated, and when the master of ceremonies called for the “husband and wife to bow to each other,” she took a deep breath and bowed deeply.

Before the ceremony could conclude and Yu Nanqing be led away by the red silk, a shrill voice rang out from outside: “A reward from His Majesty the Emperor has arrived—”

At this announcement, the crowd immediately dropped to their knees in unison. The eunuch announcing the gifts spent nearly half an incense stick’s worth of time listing the emperor’s lavish rewards. It was said that the emperor doted on Prince Ning—even after stripping him of his crown prince title due to his madness, he still granted him the finest residence and never ceased bestowing gifts.

Yu Nanqing caught a few snippets of the list: the rewards were all extravagant but impractical treasures, with no actual gold or silver. In her past life, the emperor had rewarded Prince Chen with liquid assets like silver taels, unlike these items stamped with the imperial seal that couldn’t be pawned outside.

It seemed Prince Ning’s residence was in a more dire state than she had imagined.

The gift list was eventually handed to someone—though she didn’t see whom—and Yu Nanqing was then escorted to the bridal chamber. She sat obediently on the wedding bed, waiting for hours as Prince Ning failed to appear. From afternoon until nightfall, she remained there.

The charcoal fire in the room wasn’t as warm as the one in Bilan Pavilion. After what felt like an eternity, she rubbed her stiff fingers, and finally, the door was knocked.

Several maids placed a few small dishes on the table and bowed to Yu Nanqing: “Your Highness, please dine.”

Yu Nanqing had no intention of making things difficult for the servants, but after sitting stiffly all afternoon, her temper was admittedly not at its best: “Prince Ning still hasn’t said what should be done with this bridal veil.”

“Prince Ning gave no instructions. May we serve you your meal, Your Highness?”

A maid helped Yu Nanqing to the table, but as she picked up the bowl and chopsticks, Yu Nanqing stopped her: “All of you, leave. Find the maid who came with me and bring her here.”

The maids paused, then answered in unison, “Yes,” before withdrawing from the room.

Once they were gone, Yu Nanqing directly lifted the bridal veil. The room was filled with celebratory red, even the tableware was in festive colors.

The dishes were still steaming, clearly fresh from the kitchen. Yu Nanqing rubbed her stiff neck and let out a deep sigh.

Perhaps it was for the best not to see Prince Ning—at least it was peaceful.

She served herself a bowl of chicken soup and glanced at the few booklets on the table. Thinking to pass the time, she pulled one out.

At first, she merely flipped through it casually, not knowing whether it was luck or that all the booklets were of the same genre, but the moment she opened it, she was met with vivid illustrations of intimate couples.

Before boarding the bridal sedan, Yu Nanqing had just been given a few pointers by Madam Ji. Now, faced with these more explicit images, she felt her bl00d rush to her head.

In her previous life, she had never come across such booklets. Little did she know the artwork inside would rival that of renowned painters outside—whether it was the couples’ positions, the folds of their clothes parted by friction, or even their expressions of restrained desire with closed eyes, all were unexpectedly detailed and lifelike.

Snap—

Yu Nanqing shut the booklet. Her hands, originally frozen stiff, now grew slightly clammy with sweat.

No sooner had she closed it than clanging sounds of clashing blades came faintly from outside the courtyard. A gust of wind flung the window open, and a purple lightning bolt split the tranquil night sky, illuminating assassins moving across the rooftops.

Chenxiang rushed in frantically: “Miss, miss, there’s a fight outside!”

Yu Nanqing stood abruptly, the phoenix crown on her head swaying, its beads and hairpins tinkling crisply. But she quickly composed herself: “Did you find out where Prince Ning’s courtyard is?”

“Not yet…” Chenxiang was nearly in tears with anxiety. Seeing that Yu Nanqing wasn’t fleeing for her life but instead worrying about the dying Prince Ning, she almost cried, “Miss, you’re not thinking of saving him, are you?”

“If Prince Ning is assassinated on his wedding night, and the Princess Consort is nowhere to be found, don’t you think I—the one who brought change to Prince Ning’s household—would be the first suspect?” Yu Nanqing’s tone was light as water, though her situation was anything but.

There was still one thing she hadn’t told Chen Xiang—she suspected that this assassination attempt originated from within the palace.

As the saying goes, “Even a vicious tiger doesn’t eat its cubs.” If Yu Nanqing hadn’t experienced her previous life, she too might have thought the emperor was excessively cruel—deposing Prince Ning from the position of crown prince wasn’t enough; he still wanted to eradicate him completely.

But Prince Ning was not the biological son of the current emperor. This was something Yu Nanqing had learned in her past life, from a drunken Xiao Qijun.

Emperor Wenjing was not the heir of the former emperor, but the younger brother of Emperor Wuxuan, who had raised him under the empress’s care since childhood. When Wuxuan was still the crown prince, he had already achieved great military merits. Two years into his reign, the Xiongnu launched a massive invasion. Wuxuan led the imperial army personally, and with valor reclaimed fourteen cities. He even launched a counterattack, driving the Xiongnu back a thousand li.

But during that campaign, Wuxuan sustained severe injuries, and on the journey back to the capital, he succumbed to complications from repeated infections of his wounds and passed away.

Before his death, the empress had already given birth to a son. Upon hearing the news on his deathbed, Emperor Wuxuan named the child as crown prince and granted the empress the power to act as regent.

Having spent his life on the battlefield, Wuxuan never imagined that after his death, his imperial younger brother would seize the opportunity to usurp power, citing the crown prince’s youth as justification to ascend the throne himself.

Under pressure from the royal clan and all the court officials, Emperor Wenjing, in order to legitimize his usurpation, followed Wuxuan’s will and retained Wuxuan’s son as crown prince—now known as Prince Ning.

Aside from the position of crown prince, the former empress also remained in her role. In that great shift of royal power, the only real change seemed to be the man who sat on the dragon throne.

Whether the empress had been willing or coerced was no longer known. Three years ago, the empress fell gravely ill and passed away. Not long after, Prince Ning, still the crown prince, succumbed to madness, and his reputation plummeted. By last year, Emperor Wenjing could no longer ignore the ministers’ repeated remonstrations and was forced to depose Prince Ning.

To avoid criticism and show his concern for Prince Ning, Emperor Wenjing carefully selected from among the court officials and ultimately chose Yu Nanqing to marry into the Prince Ning household as a form of symbolic blessing to drive away bad luck.

The clash of weapons outside grew more intense, and Yu Nanqing began to feel a headache. If the assassin was sent by someone in the palace—or one of the other princes—and she ran now, she would certainly become the scapegoat for covering up the incident.

But what if that wasn’t the case?

What if it wasn’t politically motivated? What if it was someone from Prince Ning’s past, seeking revenge? Then this would be the perfect chance to flee the capital. So—should she escape or not?

“Miss, what should we do?” Chen Xiang’s voice pulled Yu Nanqing out of her thoughts.

Yu Nanqing asked, “You don’t know where Prince Ning’s quarters are, but do you know where the dowry chests are kept?”

Chen Xiang replied, “Yes, yes. After they brought in your dowry, they stored it in a separate courtyard in the front. I think that must be the prince’s internal storage area.”

Yu Nanqing removed her heavy phoenix coronet. Hearing the increasingly violent sounds of battle outside, there was no time to change clothes. She grabbed Chen Xiang’s arm and walked quickly toward the door. “Take me to the courtyard where the dowry is stored.”

Having experienced the upheavals of her past life, Yu Nanqing understood the importance of money all too well. If she could successfully retrieve the banknotes, she would leave the Ning Palace. If she couldn’t, she would have no choice but to gamble with her life within the palace walls.

The Ning Palace was far larger than Yu Nanqing had imagined. It took the two of them a full incense stick’s worth of time just to sneak from the rear courtyard to the front, avoiding people along the way. The entire palace was filled with the glint of swords and shadows cast on the walls, assassins emerging from every direction. The closer they got to the front courtyard, the more corpses littered the ground.

Having witnessed life and death on the battlefield in her past life, Yu Nanqing remained relatively calm in the face of such a scene. But by the time they reached the front courtyard, Chenxiang couldn’t hold back and vomited beside a nearby wall.

“I’ll go get the banknotes. Wait for me here,” Yu Nanqing said, not forcing her to continue. She hid Chenxiang in a fake mountain grotto.

Chenxiang grabbed the hem of her clothes, her eyes brimming with tears as if bidding farewell: “If you retrieve the banknotes and there are no assassins around, just leave first, miss. I’m not afraid to die.”

Yu Nanqing glanced down at her hand and sighed helplessly, “If you’re not afraid to die, then why are your hands shaking so much?”

Chenxiang’s hands trembled even harder, and she sobbed, “I can’t drag you down with me.”

Yu Nanqing gently pushed her hand away and turned toward the location of the dowry. She didn’t have time to waste here with Chenxiang’s hesitation. Even if she could successfully open the dowry chests—all one hundred and twenty-eight of them—finding the exact one containing the banknotes or gold ingots would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Without further hesitation, she took advantage of the night to quickly slip into the courtyard where the dowry was stored. The guards who had been stationed there were gone, likely reassigned to protect the Prince of Ning. But at the same time, there were no signs of assassins either.

These intruders weren’t here for wealth.

In the cold wind, another bead of sweat trickled down Yu Nanqing’s forehead. Her pale, clear eyes carefully scanned the dowry chests with unprecedented calm.

The distant clashing of weapons echoed in her ears. After what felt like an eternity, the voices in the palace gradually faded, leaving only the metallic ring of blades, the howling wind, and a deep, invisible sense of danger.

Bang—

The gate at the front of the courtyard was suddenly smashed open. An assassin, like a kite with its string cut, flew straight toward her. With no way to dodge left or right, Yu Nanqing had no choice but to stand up.

She was about to flee when she noticed that the assassins who had broken through the gate were now lying in pools of bl00d on the other side. The thick scent of bl00d filled the air, and in the courtyard, only one man stood with his sword, its blade reflecting a chilling cold light.

Yu Nanqing held her breath, her body tensing with instinctive alertness.

But just as she crouched down to hide behind a dowry chest, the standing man suddenly turned in her direction and barked, “Come out!”

There was no escaping now.

Yu Nanqing closed her eyes briefly, scrambling for a way to save herself, when a hand suddenly clamped down on her shoulder. Before she could even see who it was, she was hurled into the courtyard, landing right in front of the man.

“Your Highness,” a dark-clad guard knelt respectfully on one knee, saluting. It seemed she didn’t recognize Yu Nanqing’s bright red wedding robes—or perhaps, in her eyes, there were only Xiao Qiling and everyone else.

In the Ning Palace, the only one who could be addressed as “Your Highness” was the Prince of Ning alone.

The person before her was Xiao Qiling, the Prince of Ning—her husband?

The rustling of fabric reached her ears. Yu Nanqing was puzzled and slowly raised her head, only to see Xiao Qiling calmly undoing her heavy cloak. Beneath it, an intricately embroidered brocade robe outlined a slender figure, with long, flowing hair cascading over her shoulders. The unmistakably graceful silhouette of a woman directly entered her line of sight.

Even though Yu Nanqing had experienced the absurdity of rebirth, she was still stunned by the scene before her.

The Prince of Ning was actually a woman?

Before she could fully process her shock, those peach-blossom eyes, which should have been tender, suddenly pierced her with an icy, imperious gaze. Xiao Qiling’s back blocked part of the moonlight, casting the already bl00d-scented courtyard into an even more sinister gloom.

The shadow fell before Yu Nanqing, as if trapping her entirely within it.

She could feel the intense gaze lingering on her. The clashing of blades in the Ning Palace had, at some point, ceased.

Yu Nanqing recalled Xiao Qiling’s “madness” and took in the corpses strewn across the courtyard. When she had first encountered Xiao Qiling, she hadn’t had the energy to notice anything else. But now, after just a brief moment, she realized that every corpse had been cleanly dispatched with a single slash to the throat.

This was not the work of someone afflicted with madness, as the rumors claimed.

The Prince of Ning, the only heir of the martial and illustrious Emperor Wu Xuan, could hardly be an ordinary mediocrity. Yu Nanqing could barely contain the excitement in her eyes.

How fascinating.

To think there was someone else in this world who concealed their identity as a woman, just like her.

No—this Prince of Ning was even more ruthless than her. She had managed to hide her true gender under the emperor’s very nose for so many years, without even a whisper of the truth leaking out in her past life.

“Why are you here?” A cool, clear voice pulled Yu Nanqing back to reality.

Since Xiao Qiling was determined to play the role of “madness,” she certainly wouldn’t be the first to spoil the act.

Yu Nanqing steadied her mind and knelt forward a step toward Xiao Qiling. The crimson wedding robe spread out like blooming petals, nearly brushing against Xiao Qiling’s brocade robe. When the guards had thrown her over, her sash had already come loose, and now the collar of her robe hung open, revealing a small patch of porcelain-white skin.

Xiao Qiling’s grip on her sword tightened slightly as she cast a sidelong glance at the guard beside her.

The guard obeyed and vanished in an instant.

Yu Nanqing’s disheveled hair fell over her chest as she lowered her head, her slender, pale neck seemingly offering itself in sacrifice to Xiao Qiling’s “madness.” “I’m afraid of pain,” she whispered. “Could you bite a little softer?”