Volume 1, Chapter 46: The Bridal Chamber on the Wedding Night

"What... what did I just see?"

"Wasn't Crown Prince Zhao at a disadvantage just a moment ago? How did he reverse the tide and defeat Long Zhan in the blink of an eye?"

"Is this... is this truly Zhao Wujiang's strength?"

"As expected of the Prince of Northern Suppression's son. That final sword strike that cut down Long Zhan was extraordinarily overbearing. My heart was pounding just watching it..."

The officials buzzed with discussions. Having originally thought that Zhao Wujiang was bound to lose against Long Zhan today, none of them expected Zhao Wujiang to suddenly erupt and defeat Long Zhan.

What Zhao Wujiang displayed today was not only formidable strength, but also remarkable intellect. He had been enduring and concealing his edge all along.

And Long Zhan... it seemed, was not quite the peerless prodigy he was made out to be...

Usually, they often heard that Long Zhan, the Deputy Commander of the Fierce Cavalry Camp, possessed exceptionally high martial arts talent and rarely encountered a rival among his peers...

Now it seemed he was nothing special after all.

"Good, good, good!" The Prince of Northern Suppression laughed heartily. "As expected of my son! He shall suppress all his peers!"

Li Zaiyuan wore an icy expression, anger accumulating in his heart.

He had even bestowed the Heavenly Sword upon Long Zhan, and Long Zhan had solemnly sworn to defeat Zhao Wujiang. And yet, this was the result? He was defeated by Zhao Wujiang's final two sword strikes!

He knew that Long Zhan had lost. Even if he was utterly unwilling, considering the presence of the Prince of Northern Suppression and the fate of the Great Xia Dynasty, he could no longer deny Zhao Wujiang.

Outside the bustling ancestral temple, upon learning that Zhao Wujiang had defeated Long Zhan in their duel, Li Yunrui shed tears of joy that she could not stop. The Empress held her, her eyes full of tenderness and her heart filled with gratification toward Zhao Wujiang.

The Empress gently wiped the tears from her beloved daughter's cheeks. "Now your imperial father has no reason not to favor Zhao Wujiang... Zhao Wujiang is about to marry you. Are you ready?"

Li Yunrui sobbed and nodded.

"Then stop crying," the Empress said gently. "It's your grand wedding today, don't ruin your makeup with tears... This is what you skipped sleeping in for, urging your mother to paint for you since early this morning..."

...

An hour later.

The Prince of Northern Suppression's Manor, which had been deserted since early morning, was now, by around noon, practically having its threshold trampled flat. Guests came in an endless stream, carrying various gifts.

Carriages piled high in front of the manor's gates, blocking the main avenue. Wealthy merchants and court officials who hurried over later could only wait in line to squeeze inside, yet not a single trace of resentment was on anyone's face regarding the manor's hospitality. Instead, everyone was beaming with joy, looking forward to experiencing the grand spectacle of the Crown Prince's wedding and leaving a good impression on the Prince of Northern Suppression.

When the elderly steward learned that the Prince of Northern Suppression was still alive, he initially wept tears of old age, but quickly busied himself among the guests, everyone treating him with utmost courtesy.

As the saying goes, the gatekeeper of a prime minister's mansion holds the rank of a seventh-grade official. The Prince of Northern Suppression was not a prime minister, but his power surpassed that of a prime minister. Today, he, Zhao Manfu, could at least count as a seventh-grade official, right?

Running back and forth to greet the guests, his aged back had long begun to ache faintly, but that could not dampen his joy. He stood tall and straight, looking much more spirited than before, handling the various matters of the grand wedding in an orderly fashion.

The front courtyard of the manor was extraordinarily lively, with cups clinking and wine flowing, while Zhao Wujiang had long since scooped up Li Yunrui, exchanging sweet endearments as they reached the bedchamber.

"My wife, it's time for us to attend to business."

Zhao Wujiang openly admired Li Yunrui's delicate face. In her fiery red wedding robe, she was dazzling and peerless.

"What did you call me?"

Li Yunrui tilted her head, the corners of her mouth curling upward in a smile even harder to suppress than Zhao Wujiang's desires.

Zhao Wujiang called out again, "My wife."

Li Yunrui burst into a flower-like smile, leaning in close, her breath as fragrant as orchids. Staring into Zhao Wujiang's eyes, she whispered with her breath, word by word, tenderly:

"What?"

"My wife..."

Before Zhao Wujiang could finish, Li Yunrui threw herself at him.

Beneath the candlelight, Li Yunrui was breathtakingly beautiful.

The bridal chamber...

...

In a quiet courtyard within the manor, a small table, five small dishes of appetizers, a pot of wine, and three people.

The Prince of Northern Suppression downed his cup of wine in one gulp. As the fiery liquor entered his throat and stomach, his eyes squinted slightly. Having spent years on the frontier, such tranquility was rare, especially this long-awaited, hearty drinking session with his elder brother and sister-in-law.

The Empress poured another cup of wine for the Prince of Northern Suppression. "You've had it hard all these years. Your elder brother, though he doesn't talk much usually, has always cared about whether you were doing well on the frontier."

Li Zaiyuan also drained his wine in one gulp, half-leaning against his chair. It was a rare moment of leisure, and he did not deny what the Empress had said.

"Doesn't this feel like back then..." The Prince of Northern Suppression scooped a spoonful of lard-crisped peanuts, skillfully tossed them into his mouth all at once, and began to chew:

"On the frontier, when Big Brother and I drank wine, it was also these five dishes, and also this fierce horse-blood wine...

So many years have passed, and everything seems unchanged. We are still who we once were...

It's good that things haven't changed..."

Li Zaiyuan picked up a peanut, opened his mouth, and slowly said:

"The times are different... We must change...

Governing a vast dynasty is not as simple as managing a small household... There are things one must do, and things one must not do..."

"Why is Big Brother telling me all this..." The Prince of Northern Suppression downed another cup of wine. "I only know how to fight to protect the country; what do I know about these things..."

"What your elder brother said is not wrong..." The Empress refilled both of their cups and smiled gently. "Managing the realm of the world and adapting to the times—some changes are inevitable...

However, the bond between you two hasn't changed, and that is a good thing..."

"Right, right..." The Prince of Northern Suppression downed it in one go again, his eyes growing somewhat hazy.

Naturally, a little wine would not intoxicate him; what made him hazy was his suddenly drifting thoughts, or perhaps something else.

"I... one of the greatest decisions I've made in my life was to become sworn brothers with you." Li Zaiyuan also finished his wine and looked toward Zhao Tiexiao:

"You are a man who values relationships and is steadfast; in many ways, we share similar traits...

So many years have passed, and you still cherish the old ways...

Yet your alcohol tolerance today seems lower than it used to be..."

"I'm happy." The Prince of Northern Suppression laughed heartily. "To see my big brother and sister-in-law, and with Wujiang now married, it has settled a major worry of mine. I'm drunk, I'm truly drunk..."

The Empress's hand that was pouring the wine trembled slightly, though her expression remained unchanged as she filled the cup and smiled gently:

"With the way you two are drinking, who wouldn't get drunk?"

Li Zaiyuan also smiled, his gaze flickering as his tone suddenly turned solemn: "Sworn brother, I have a matter to discuss with you."