The Lucky Heiress

Curling her lips in reply, Wei Ruo said, “Thank you for your blessing. Just a pity that I won’t be able to return such a congratulation when it’s your turn to marry.”

Wei Qingwan was not the legal wife; the one who would grow old with Yu Wang was his legitimate wife. It would not be her.

“Who knows? We can never be certain about what the future holds.” Wei Qingwan said.

“I shall say the same to you. The future is uncertain.” Wei Ruo replied.

“I look forward to watching the happy life you will lead in the future,” Wei Qingwan said.

Both of them wore smiles on their faces, and their conversation carried undertones of sisterly affection. Yet, every word they uttered was tinged with tension.

As the hour drew near, Mrs. Yun took the bridal veil from the tray held by Cuiping and covered Wei Ruo’s head with it.

As the veil fell into place, a sense of loss welled up in Mrs. Yun’s heart: her own daughter was about to belong to another family from then on out.

Wei Yilin sniffed—his nose tingled, and he mumbled another plaintive, “Big sister…”

Then, surrounded by the crowd, Wei Ruo was escorted out of the main hall by Xiumei and Madam Zhang, and they passed through the courtyard.

Red cloth was spread across the center of the courtyard. The Wei family and guests who had come to congratulate them lined both sides.

A smile hung on Mrs. Bai’s face, but her eyes held a teasing glint.

Mrs. Mo looked indifferent, her eyes filled with a slight touch of sadness.

The faces of most of Wei Ruo’s cousins were filled with joy. They had no particular affection for Wei Ruo, but they could nevertheless appreciate the honor she was bringing to the Wei family by marrying into the Wang Residence.

Wei Yifeng and Wei Yipeng, who had had disagreements with Wei Ruo, were not in a good mood, though they did put on a completely delighted façade in front of the crowd.

Xiu Fengyuan was among the guests. He refrained from drinking that day, and from amidst the crowd, he silently watched Wei Ruo exit the doors.

Lu Yuhong was also present, standing beside Xiu Fengyuan.

Wei Ruo, after all, had shown him kindness. Although there was nothing he could do about her wedding, he still felt duty-bound to be there to see her off.

Xie Jue and Xie Ying wore no smiles, both steadily watching Wei Ruo as they witnessed her walk towards the main gate.

Outside the gate, the wedding procession from the King Rui Residence had already arrived.

With her red bridal veil covering her sight of the Wedding Prince, all Wei Ruo could see was the path under her own feet.

With the assistance of Madam Zhang and Xiumei, Wei Ruo stepped into the bridal sedan chair.

Of the maids accompanying her to the wedding, Wei Ruo only brought Xiumei and of the old maids, she chose Madam Zhang. She didn’t ask for any other attendants, but the duke’s residence still arranged for a few, mainly to save face for the Loyal and Righteous Duke Residence.

Sitting in the eight-bearer sedan chair, once Wei Ruo felt the chair began moving smoothly, she lifted the veil from her face.

Inside the chair, everything was a festive shade of red, with a soft cushion to sit and a small side table laden with dried fruits.

Outside, the sound of firecrackers, drums, carriages, and the murmuring crowd wove an incessant buzz.

Even though Wei Ruo had seemed completely calm when she was talking to Xie Ying, she felt a little unsettled.

She was about to marry, even to a stranger she had never met. This was a wholly new experience for Wei Ruo.

She had no idea how to get through her wedding night. If imminently due to King Rui’s severe illness, it would be a relief, but if he was still physically well, he might want to consummate their marriage.

Wei Ruo couldn’t imagine engaging in an intimate act with a man who was a complete stranger to her. She just couldn’t get past this mental barrier.

If King Rui really tried something, she’d have to figure a way out. She had already thought of a plan—using a hallucinogen to put King Rui unconscious, so he wouldn’t be able to do anything.

Wei Ruo’s hallucinogen was colorless and tasteless, and if cleverly administered, most people wouldn’t notice it. Since King Rui himself was ill and had several fainting spells in public, as long as she was careful with the dosing, she should be able to go through their wedding night smoothly.

The drugs would work for the time being, but not forever. If King Rui was stubborn enough to live longer, she would have to devise other plans.

An hour later, the wedding procession reached the King Rui Residence.

After the sedan chair stopped, Wei Ruo heard footsteps approaching, so she lowered her bridal veil again.

The sedan curtain was lifted, and Wei Ruo saw a slender hand reaching out towards her.

After hesitating for a moment, Wei Ruo reached out her hand.

Then her hand was held by the stranger, the force he exerted was just right—firm enough to keep her hand from slipping.

Having her hand held by a stranger made Wei Ruo feel repulsed.

But considering the situation, Wei Ruo knew that she could not act impulsively.

If it had been Marquis Xuanping, she might have been able to bluff her way out of this. With King Rui though, it was almost impossible since disgrace to the royal family would never be taken lightly.

All Wei Ruo could do was carefully guide her steps, gradually following the man’s pace, step by step into the residence.

Perhaps it was due to his poor health, the man’s pace was quite slow.

The King Rui Residence was vast. Wei Ruo was uncertain how long they walked before they reached the place for their wedding ceremony.

Wei Ruo couldn’t see the surroundings, but she heard many voices; it seemed to be a lively event.

“Bowing to heaven and earth—”

“Bowing to the parents—”

“Husband and wife bow to each other—”

Wei Ruo mechanically completed the wedding ceremony.

Then she saw that hand stretch out before her again.

Once again, reluctantly, she placed her hand onto the hand that was broad-palmed yet with slender fingers, feeling it gently grasp her hand.

We Ruo followed the man’s steps as they left the ceremonial hall.

After exiting the ceremonial hall, their surroundings quieted down, their footsteps clearly audible.

She had no idea how far they walked before finally reaching their bedroom.

We Ruo was led to the bed and made to sit down. After that, she heard a matchmaker’s voice uttering auspicious words in her ear while others fussed about her.

When the bustling was over, everyone else left the room.

Eventually, there were only two left in the room: her and King Rui.

The candle in the room flickered vibrantly. Wei Ruo lowered her gaze to find a pair of black boots before her.

The man stood silently in front of her for a quite while, as if lost in thought.

We Ruo felt tense, clenching her fist.

Inside her sleeve, her hand was tightly gripping the pouch of hallucinogen, ready to be used at any moment.

Of course, it would be best not to use it so directly. Otherwise, it would be hard to explain when the man woke up the next day.

As long as he wasn’t forcing himself onto her, she planned on putting the drug in the nuptial wine to seamlessly get through the night.

As Wei Ruo was contemplating these plans, she noticed the man beginning to move.

A stick reached down under her veil, propping up the red veil from Wei Ruo’s face and gently lifting it…