Meanwhile.
In another grand bridal sedan chair of equal splendor following close behind.
Li Qingzhao's slender hands gripped a silk handkerchief so tightly that a fine sheen of sweat gathered in her palms.
The Great Song's most gifted woman, usually so free-spirited and defiant, was just as overwhelmed with excitement.
After all, for all her extraordinary talent, she was still only sixteen.
Before meeting Jiang Che, she had never imagined she would marry so soon...
As the sedan chair swayed gently.
Li Qingzhao's thoughts drifted back through the moments she had shared with Jiang Che since they first met.
First, the scent of wine had led her to stumble into his residence, where she had shamelessly begged for a cup of peerless wine.
Later, she had boldly disguised herself as a man and accompanied him to a pleasure house for wine and music.
And then there was that line: "I turned back suddenly, and there she was, where the lantern lights grew dim." It had struck like a hammer and broken through the walls around her heart.
Only days ago, he had ridden the wind upon his sword and, before the entire court, miraculously brought The Emperor back from the dead.
Those memories, warm and simple yet irresistibly romantic, had become the treasures she held most dear.
Beneath her red bridal veil, Li Qingzhao could not help smiling with breathtaking happiness.
She looked forward all the more eagerly to married life, and to the future in which that commanding man would finally be hers.
Led personally by Zhao Xu, the reigning emperor, with imperial guards clearing the way, the long wedding procession swept forward.
At last, it came to a steady halt before the towering vermilion gates of Listening to Rain and Observing Waves.
By then, the streets outside