The sleeping pills had worn off, and the men woke up and exchanged bewildered looks. One of them yawned, lifted a corner of the sedan chair's curtain, and peered inside. Only when he saw the bride still sitting obediently within did he relax.
They had been watching the bride for days to stop him from escaping and had barely gotten any proper rest. They chalked up their sudden nap to sheer exhaustion.
Since nothing had happened to the bride, there was even less reason to report this to the Town Chief. They would only get an earful for nothing, and no one wanted to take on such a thankless task.
The auspicious hour arrived. The men carried the sedan chair into the courtyard and delivered the bride to the bridal chamber.
The Town Chief could barely contain his smile as he called for everyone to begin the feast.
Ye Chu took out the poison bottle, carefully controlling the dosage and range to send every townsperson in the courtyard into a deep sleep.
As he administered the poison, he once again felt grateful that this Instance had a bug. Otherwise, a dose this large would have drained every drop of his blood.
The Town Chief found it strange that no one had picked up their chopsticks. He reached out and patted the townsman nearest him. "Hey, friend, why aren't you eating?"
The townsman toppled straight onto the table under his touch. The Town Chief jumped, then looked at the others. Their eyes were all closed, and they seemed barely conscious.
The Town Chief stumbled backward in fright. He was sure they hadn't put any drugs that caused unconsciousness into the food.
He turned to look at his father-in-law. The old man stroked his graying beard as he frowned at the courtyard.