Wedding

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Xia Yu and Meng Hongchen's wedding arrived as scheduled.

Although the special circumstances meant the wedding was not held with great fanfare, its scale was still exceptionally grand.

Since his parents' deaths, Xia Yu had rarely returned to this so-called home—the Duke Xia Residence.

But because the wedding was being held today, he had no choice but to return once more.

At this moment, the ancient estate, which had stood for thousands of years and should have been solemn and imposing, had been adorned with swathes of festive red.

Countless petals scattered from soul tools filled the sky, adding to the romantic atmosphere.

Beyond that, all manner of magnificent decorations had been arranged and activated in perfect order. Everything had been prepared for this wedding.

The estate was packed with guests, every seat filled.

Every prominent top-tier noble in the Sun Moon Empire had come bearing lavish gifts to attend the ceremony.

After all, this was a marriage alliance between the ducal Xia Family and the Red Dust Family. It also involved Kong Deming, the empire's strongest soul engineer, and Xia Yu's reputation as a peerless genius. They had to show some respect.

Why, even the Crown Prince, who was already serving as regent, had brought his consort to witness the ceremony.

How could those nobles dare put on airs or fail to show up?

Whether they wanted to or not, they had to grit their teeth and attend this wedding today.

"Alas, the Crown Prince's power was already formidable. Now that the Red Dust Family has fully thrown in with him, the other princes probably have no chance left."

"That Jing Hongchen is really shamelessly opportunistic. As the master of Virtue Hall, it would have been one thing for him to side with the Crown Prince, but he even used this opportunity to marry off his granddaughter, hoping to further integrate himself into the Crown Prince's circle..."

"Tsk, don't tell me you're jealous of Jing Hongchen. Then again, I suppose you have reason to be. This time, he not only achieved his goal, but also gained a genius grandson-in-law with twin martial souls. Killing two birds with one stone."

"Of course I'm jealous. Aren't you? He's a peerless genius with twin martial souls, one seen only once in a century. He became a Titled Douluo and a ninth-level soul engineer at such a young age. Sigh, how did the Red Dust Family get there first? If I'd known, I would have..."

At the front of the VIP seating, several great nobles sat with varying expressions, occasionally exchanging a few veiled remarks.

From their words, it was not hard to see that this wedding had indeed dealt a massive blow to the political situation in the Sun Moon Empire.

The outcome was equally easy to imagine. Over the coming period, Crown Prince Xu Tianran's faction would receive an epic boost in strength. It might not even be impossible for it to reach its peak.

While the wedding proceeded in full swing and in perfect order, the Red Dust Family was also making its final preparations.

Within a luxurious yet elegant bridal chamber, Meng Hongchen had abandoned her usual style and donned a bright red wedding gown, complete with phoenix crown and ceremonial robes.

Her breathtaking beauty, enough to dim the sun and moon, appeared even more noble, majestic, and inviolable beneath the splendor of her wedding attire.

At that moment, Meng Hongchen's beauty seemed to have surpassed the limits of humanity, making her appear like an immortal or a goddess.

Yet faced with her own unearthly beauty, Meng Hongchen did not seem happy at all. Instead, she appeared lost and at a loss.

Even her eyes were somewhat vacant, as though her mind had drifted far away.

She looked as though she had no expectations for this wedding, as if she were being forced into marriage.

"I'm... I'm getting married now. Why is this completely different from the wedding I imagined? Why am I not looking forward to it at all? I don't even know whether agreeing to this marriage was right or wrong. I..."

Meng Hongchen's thoughts were a tangled mess. All kinds of chaotic, disordered thoughts kept surfacing in her heart, making her feel increasingly panicked.

That feeling reached its peak when she was sent into the soul tool carriage and headed toward the Xia Family estate.

It made her want to flee in disgrace and simply run away from the marriage.

But in the end, reason suppressed her impulse. Running away was impossible, because neither she nor the Red Dust Family could bear the consequences.

So she could only steel herself and let the wedding continue.

In the end, she was still going to marry Xia Yu, because she had agreed to it.

Soon, the carriage arrived at the Xia Family estate under the escort of its accompanying procession.

Xia Yu, dressed in a luxurious crimson-and-gold ceremonial outfit, had long been waiting outside the gates to welcome his bride.

He stood tall and straight as a pine, and his peerlessly handsome face wore a flawless smile that made others feel as though they were basking in a spring breeze.

The distinctive aura he possessed from birth gave him a unique allure. Merely standing there quietly made it impossible to look away.

"Come, give me your hand!"

When Meng Hongchen's carriage arrived, Xia Yu immediately strode over with elegant poise, gently lifted the curtain shielding the carriage, and extended his slender hand with a smile.

"Mm..."

The instant she heard Xia Yu's rich, clear voice, Meng Hongchen's body trembled faintly beyond her control, while the panic in her heart multiplied severalfold.

Yet she ultimately forced down all her turbulent emotions, did her best to remain calm, and gently placed her hand in Xia Yu's.

"Are you nervous?"

Feeling Meng Hongchen's slightly trembling, unusually cold hand, Xia Yu raised his brow slightly, surprise flashing through his eyes.

"I, I, I..."

Faced with Xia Yu's question, Meng Hongchen had no idea how to respond.

If she said she was not nervous, her hand had already exposed her. But if she admitted she was nervous, what would that make her seem like? What if Xia Yu formed a bad impression of her?

Thus, after stammering for a long while, Meng Hongchen could not even manage a complete sentence.

Explaining whether she was nervous was even more out of the question.

"All right, don't overthink it. I'm here, so you don't need to worry."

Seeing Meng Hongchen unable to explain herself, Xia Yu immediately comforted her.

Sure enough, under Xia Yu's warm, jade-like voice, Meng Hongchen truly did not feel quite so nervous anymore.

Then, led by Xia Yu and under the watchful eyes of the crowd, she smoothly completed every step of the wedding ceremony.

Bowing before Heaven and Earth, making vows, toasting the guests...

After the entire process was complete, Xia Yu and Meng Hongchen reached the final stage—entering the bridal chamber.

Inside the lavish and festive bridal chamber, Meng Hongchen sat blankly at the edge of the bed, her hands tightly twisted together.

Her knuckles had turned white from the strain, yet she seemed not to notice and continued exerting force.

"Stop twisting your fingers. Come, it's time for us to drink the cross-cup wine."

Seeing how nervous Meng Hongchen was, Xia Yu smiled slightly, walked to the table, picked up the wine jug, poured two cups, and handed one of them to Meng Hongchen.

"Ah, oh, I understand."

As though waking from a dream, Meng Hongchen immediately freed one hand to take the cup, then moved to pour it into her mouth without another word.

If Xia Yu had not stopped her in time and told her it was cross-cup wine, she would have had to pour herself another cup later.

Soon, with Xia Yu guiding her hand in hand, the two finally drank the cross-cup wine that symbolized their union.