"Never."

"Good. No one can pretend to be your mother."

Empress An said this, but the meaning was ambiguous. It sounded as if she were saying even she couldn't replace her. Fearing her words might come true, she added:

"No one can pretend to be me."

"Is that so," Chen Yi said.

He had always drawn a clear line: Zhu E was Zhu E—nobody else. In the same way, Empress An was Empress An—nobody else. Perhaps one day he would say this aloud, but that day was not today.

Empress An glanced again at the jade pendant and gently touched it. It felt smooth and warm, like fine jade, but beyond that, she could sense nothing else.

"You are about to consummate your marriage, and I am truly happy for you. I am not a wet nurse; I have never fostered a throng of sons or daughters in name. Other than you, I have never had a child."

A palace maid stepped forward to take the couplets, but Empress An waved her away, took them in her own hands, and personally handed them to Chen Yi.

"I have only you. You must cherish this and not let me down."

Chen Yi knelt down repeatedly in gratitude, holding the couplets as he prepared to lead the bridesmaids to their game of teasing the bridal chamber.

Empress An watched their figures disappear into the depths of the palace under the guidance of the maids. At last, her heart, which had been unsettled for an untold amount of time, found its peace.

At last, this day had come.

After so many hardships, so many mother-and-son conflicts, at last, the day had come…

As one thought rose, a flood of thoughts followed. Empress An was overcome with emotion, her fingertips trembling uncontrollably.

Outside the grand hall, Court Lady Suxin rushed in anxiously. She bowed her head deeply.

"Suxin, why are you in such a hurry?"

Perceiving that something was wrong, Empress An frowned.

Court Lady Suxin's voice trembled slightly as she said:

"Your Majesty, the King of Jing! The King of Jing is rallying court officials to submit a remonstrance. They want to disrupt the wedding! It's happening right now at the Outer Court!"

...............…

Dong Gong Ruoshu sat in the bridal chamber, her eyes wide with alarm, filled with uncertainty and unease.

Her childhood maid Xiaochan, who had accompanied her through life's major events, was by her side even now. Though this dim-witted young lady was reluctant and unwilling, by the end, she still had to marry and consummate the union.

"Miss, don't go lifting the red bridal veil willy-nilly,"

Xiaochan said, seeing Dong Gong Ruoshu, flustered, reaching out to touch the red veil out of nervousness.

Dong Gong Ruoshu was in utter panic. The ceremonial bowing was already done. Could she still manage to preserve her modesty? Either way, it seemed inevitable that she would end up pressed onto the bed.

For a brief moment, she thought about finding a way to escape.

But in the next moment, Xiaochan said:

"Miss, don't think about running away. As long as you're within the palace, there's nowhere you can escape to."

Dong Gong Ruoshu felt a chill run down her spine.

She saw a palace maid bring in a porcelain bowl containing half-cooked dumplings—a symbolic blessing for the bride and groom to quickly bear children. Beside it, on a red table, was a paired wedding cup for the bride and groom to share during their wedding night.

Lift the red bridal veil, eat the dumplings, drink the wedding wine—

After finishing these three steps, the marriage would be complete!

Xiaochan noticed the expression on Miss Donggong's face. Though she was secretly a spy planted by the Empress Dowager in the Western Jin's Chen Family, she had grown genuine affection for this mistress over time.

Xiaochan spoke gently, "Miss, you said before that the Crown Prince wasn't a suitable match, and you fled your marriage to the Great Jin. Now that you've found a worthy husband, how can you keep rejecting again and again? Besides, Chen Qianhu is absolutely enamored with you. Once he marries you and makes you his first wife, he'll place you on a pedestal—you'll always be his treasure. He won't let any concubine outshine you."

Listening to this, Dong Gong Ruoshu mulled it over. After much internal debate, she began to concede that Xiaochan made some sense. After struggling with her nerves, she finally mustered the courage to ask:

"Does it hurt?"

"I heard from the teaching nanny that it doesn't hurt. But it depends… on size."

"Size of what?"

"Miss, don't ask such questions. Let's just assume… it's not small, but the young master will definitely cherish you."

"Then you have to help me."

The tearful, dim-witted young lady resigned herself to her fate and said shakily:

"If it hurts too much, Xiaochan, you have to help me…"

Xiaochan's heart ached as she softly patted Dong Gong Ruoshu's back, trying to soothe her emotions.

After a while, Dong Gong Ruoshu managed to compose herself. Ever the optimist, she thought that marrying Chen Yi wasn't all that bad. Even consummating the union didn't seem unbearable. If he didn't try to bind her too tightly and was willing to respect her, it really wasn't such a big deal.

Besides, he also practiced swordsmanship.

Who knows? Maybe in the future, they could wander the Jianghu together and become lifelong companions.

The simple-minded young lady had never witnessed the true face of love. The best scenario she could envision was becoming a life-and-death confidant.

Seeing her gradually shift from sorrow to joy, Xiaochan felt her own guilt diminish. She even began to feel a little happy for the young lady. Her optimism had a contagious quality—it made others feel joyful along with her.

As for Dong Gong Ruoshu, she had always found a way to make herself happy.

With such thoughts in mind, Dong Gong Ruoshu began to feel a flicker of anticipation.

Footsteps echoed from outside the room.

"Oh dear, it must be the groom coming to tease the bridal chamber."

Xiaochan stood up, preparing to join the palace maids in welcoming him.

There seemed to be quite a few bridesmaids in the teasing procession. Xiaochan recognized several familiar faces—Little Yin, Zhou Yitang, Min Ming, Dong Guifei… Each one of them was a National Beauty, no less stunning than Dong Gong Ruoshu.

She couldn't help but worry about Dong Gong Ruoshu's future in her married life.

With her blunt and slightly naive nature, what would happen to the young lady in such an environment…

What would happen?!

Suddenly, a finger pressed against Xiaochan's pressure point, immediately snapping her out of her thoughts. Almost simultaneously, the two palace maids were also immobilized by pressure point strikes.

Dong Gong Ruoshu froze with alarm, unable to react before Chen Yi approached her and quickly sealed her mute pressure point, followed by others.

Unable to move, dressed in her wedding attire, Dong Gong Ruoshu stared at the man before her, fear and confusion written all over her face, while only soft, muffled sounds escaped her lips.

Chen Yi, dressed grandly, sat boldly on the bridal bed, trying his best to maintain a soft demeanor as he spoke:

"Ruo Shu, it's not that I don't want to marry you. But today, the one I truly wish to marry… is them."

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