Splinters fell from the sedan wall, and the nearest sedan bearer jumped back two steps.
The sedan curtain lifted from within.
Lin Qingdai stepped out with one foot on the sedan's edge. Splinters clung to the hem of her wedding dress, and she had clenched the gold-thread phoenix embroidery out of shape.
"Eldest Miss Lin, mind your manners!" the vice minister shouted, holding on to his hat.
Lin Qingdai didn't even look at him.
"This sedan isn't sturdy enough. I'm strong."
She strode into the hall, paying no mind to the hem of her wedding dress as it flipped back and forth in front of her ankles.
As she entered the hall, she swept her gaze over the people inside.
Su Yao stood in the brides' place, facing forward with perfect posture.
Shen Ling'er folded her arms and tilted her head to watch her, grinning.
Murong Xue leaned against a pillar, her emerald eyes shifting toward her.
Liu Ruyan stood quietly with her eyes lowered and an obedient air.
Then Lin Qingdai's gaze landed on Gu Moran.
She glared at him.
"Hmph."
The eyes of every civil and military official in the court darted back and forth between Lin Qingdai and Gu Moran.
Lin Zhenshan stood at the front of the military officials' ranks, an exceedingly complicated expression on his square face.
There was the helplessness of This daughter of mine never gives her old man a moment's peace, but also a trace of pride he couldn't quite put into words.
At the head of the hall, to the left of the phoenix throne, Empress Wei sat upright and still. Her gaze passed over the commotion in the hall and settled on Lin Qingdai. The corners of her mouth moved slightly, but she neither smiled nor grew angry.
She had been sitting there since the wedding began, holding a cup of tea for half an hour without once putting it down.
Noble Consort Chen sat to the right of the phoenix throne, half a step below the empress, but her posture was even more relaxed.
Several lower-ranking consorts sat in a row behind them. Consort Shu was looking at the brides' wedding dresses, Consort De was whispering to a palace maid beside her, and Consort Xian sat expressionless, occasionally glancing toward the crown prince, Gu Moyuan.
Consort Xian was the crown prince's birth mother.
Gu Moran watched Lin Qingdai approach. On her, the wedding dress looked less like bridal attire and more like a battle robe.
He smiled, his face filled with the smile of a wastrel.
"Miss Lin."
He paused.
"Nothing else matters. What matters is that you look truly beautiful today, my lady."
The hall fell silent.
Lin Qingdai's face flushed red, not from shyness, but from pent-up anger.
"Enough of your sweet talk!"
She squeezed out the words in a low voice, her back teeth grinding audibly.
The master of ceremonies came forward for the fifth time, one corner of the register in his hand already soaked with sweat.
"Well then, the wedding bows..."
Lin Qingdai snatched up the bridal veil and covered her head, then spun around smartly to face the front.
First, they bowed to heaven and earth.
She bent down so fast that she was back upright almost before anyone could react.
Second, they bowed to their elders.
There were three places at the head of the hall: the emperor in the center, the empress to his left, and Noble Consort Chen to his right.
All three received the same bow, and all three wore different expressions.
The emperor nodded, his expression unchanged.
Holding her teacup, the empress looked over its rim and received the bow without moving or speaking.
That silence carried more weight than any declaration.
Noble Consort Chen smiled and gave Lin Qingdai a couple of extra looks.
"Bride and groom, bow to each other-"
Lin Qingdai turned toward Gu Moran.
The two bent forward at the same time.
The first time, the tip of Lin Qingdai's boot landed squarely on the top of Gu Moran's foot.
The corner of Gu Moran's mouth twitched, but he made no sound.
On the second bow, she stomped on him again, using her other foot this time.
Gu Moran's expression remained unchanged, but the corner of his right eye twitched twice.
When the third stomp came, he pulled his foot back three inches in advance.
She missed.
Lin Qingdai snorted beneath her bridal veil.
In a voice only the two of them could hear, she said:
"Why dodge?"
"Miss Lin, if you step on me again, I'm going to cry out. Crying out in front of all the civil and military officials won't sound very nice."
"Then go ahead and cry out."
"...I imagine yours would sound nicer, my lady."
The fourth stomp came, and this time it landed squarely.
At the head of the hall, the empress finally moved.
She set down her teacup, and the corners of her mouth curved up.
That smile wasn't directed at Lin Qingdai, but at Noble Consort Chen.
Noble Consort Chen didn't meet her gaze. The hand holding her teacup remained steady, and her smile did not diminish.
The bows to each other ended.
Lin Qingdai stepped back to the brides' place. As she passed Shen Ling'er, Shen Ling'er muttered softly.
"Sister Lin, you really stomped hard."
"Stomping on him was getting off lightly."
"Then what would be worse?"
"I'm not telling you."
Shen Ling'er laughed and patted her shoulder.
"Don't be impatient, Sister. There are plenty of days ahead."
Lin Qingdai shot her a sidelong glance, then turned her head away and ignored her.
The system displayed data in the corner.
[Lin Qingdai's favorability: -70 (↑8). Trigger: a positive comment on her appearance at the wedding.]
Liu Ruyan's had risen because she was treated as a person; Lin Qingdai's had risen because she was seen.
A difference of two words, two entirely different strategy routes.
The commotion in the hall subsided somewhat. After wiping away his sweat, the master of ceremonies unfolded the last page of the register with trembling hands.
"Welcome the sixth bride-Xie Wanqing, daughter of Xie Huai'an, chancellor of the Imperial Academy-into the hall-"
There were no war drums at the hall entrance, no sedan kicked to pieces, no bouncing steps.
Even the whispers died down.
Xie Wanqing walked in from outside the hall, her steps neither too long nor too short, her pace just right.
Her wedding dress was perfectly neat, without a wrinkle or anything out of place. The bridal veil rested squarely on her head, its tassels hanging straight down on either side.
There was no fault to be found with a single step she took through the hall.
The master of ceremonies let out a long breath. For once, he didn't have to wipe away sweat.
First, the bow to heaven and earth, at a perfect angle.
Second, the bow to their elders.
The emperor received the bow and nodded.
The empress received the bow and finally put down the tea she had held from beginning to end.
She watched Xie Wanqing for three breaths, then spoke.
It was the first time she had spoken during the entire wedding.
"Good child."
The words were very soft, but everyone in the hall heard them clearly.
Noble Consort Chen turned the teacup in her hand, her smile unchanged.
Consort Xian gave them an extra glance from the back row and exchanged a look with Consort Shu beside her.
Bride and groom bowed to each other.
Xie Wanqing bent forward, paused for two breaths, then straightened.
From beginning to end, she said not a single unnecessary word.
There were no threats, no teasing, no provocation, and no fear.
The three bows ended.
She spoke, her voice gentle and clear.
"This humble wife is Xie Wanqing."
With those words, she stepped aside.
Gu Moran watched her stand at the very end of the brides' place, her hands folded in front of her and her head slightly lowered.
The others beside her made a striking contrast.
Su Yao was rigidly upright, while Shen Ling'er looked around with a grin.
Murong Xue leaned against a pillar with her arms folded, her thumb resting on her scabbard. Liu Ruyan kept her eyes lowered.
Lin Qingdai snorted and turned her head away, the splinters on her skirt still not completely removed.
But with Xie Wanqing, there was nothing.
A completely clean blank.
But Gu Moran noticed one detail.
Her fingers kept shifting against each other beneath her sleeves, the pad of one thumb rubbing back and forth over the back of her other hand.
That movement was not an elegant habit.
It was a soothing gesture her body made on its own when she was nervous to the limit.
Anyone who had spent long enough sitting in a cubicle in their previous life would understand.
His jaw tightened.
The system displayed the final set of data.
[Xie Wanqing's favorability: 0. Emotional state: fear + obedience. This value represents a numb state of "no active emotions whatsoever." The binding with her beauty's fortune is neutral, producing neither positive benefits nor negative losses.]
Zero.
Not a negative number, but zero.
Six completely different women, and not one of their favorability scores was positive.
The emperor sat on the dragon throne, glanced at the six brides, then looked at his third son. His mouth moved, but he said nothing.
The drums and music struck up again in the hall, and the master of ceremonies raised his voice to shout the final words.
"Ceremony complete-proceed to the banquet-"
Thirty-six tables of banquet dishes had been laid out in the banquet hall behind the Hall of Heavenly Favor.
The main table stood in the center, with the emperor and empress in the seats of honor and Noble Consort Chen in a seat to the side. The other consorts were seated on either side according to rank.
Consort Xian's seat was closest to the main table. The first thing she did upon sitting down was have a palace maid bring the crown prince a cup of tea.
Crown Prince Gu Moyuan accepted the tea but did not drink it, setting it on the table instead.
The groom and six brides sat at the lower end, the six brides divided between the two sides with Gu Moran between them.
The three on the left: Su Yao, Shen Ling'er, and Murong Xue.
The three on the right: Liu Ruyan, Lin Qingdai, and Xie Wanqing.
The opening wine had only just been poured when every gaze in the hall converged.
They weren't looking at the brides, but at someone approaching.
Crown Prince Gu Moyuan rose from the princes' table with a cup of wine, crossed three rows of tables, and stopped in front of Gu Moran.
He wore the crown prince's ceremonial robes and crown, the jade belt clasp at his waist polished to a brilliant shine. His gait was even more composed than the groom's.
He raised his cup, a smile on his face.
"Third Brother, you're truly blessed."
He extended the cup a little farther.
"All six of your brides are heavenly beauties. Your elder brother offers you a toast."