The Runaway Bride in the Marriage Substitute Story 23
The situation was beyond awkward, so Chen Yao could only continue glaring at Ying Qi and repeat her demand, her voice rising with irritation. "Untie me right now."
"Forgive me, Young Madam." Ying Qi's tone was respectful, but her body remained utterly still.
"I told you not to call me Young Madam!" Chen Yao was about to die of rage.
Hearing their back-and-forth, Jiang Lingxuan—being as perceptive as she was—immediately deduced that this unfamiliar maid had been sent by the Xie household.
...And that she had caught Chen Yao in the middle of trying to flee her wedding.
Strictly speaking, this was also the Jiang household's fault. Feeling the lingering soreness at the back of her neck, Jiang Lingxuan let out a soft sigh and spoke up. "Miss... guard."
But just as she began to speak, the sound of firecrackers at the mansion's gate grew even louder, and distant joyful gongs and drums began to ring out.
"Knock, knock." A light tap came at the door.
Then the matchmaker's cheerful voice called from outside, "Young Lady, the bridal sedan has arrived."
"Since the sedan is here, please release my sister's acupoints now," Jiang Lingxuan said gently.
She picked up the bridal veil that Chen Yao had carelessly tossed onto the bed and draped it softly over the girl's head, smoothing it into place with careful attention.
In the last second before the bright red veil obscured her vision, Chen Yao met Jiang Lingxuan's gaze—still warm and forgiving.
"...I'm sorry." The girl pressed her red lips together, her voice so small it was practically swallowed in her mouth.
To be fair, Jiang Lingxuan didn't actually resent her for her reckless behavior, but she still couldn't bring herself to say the words of forgiveness aloud.
In the end, she failed to persuade Ying Qi to release Chen Yao's acupoints, so she could only help support the frozen bride and guide her back to the edge of the bed.
In the process, she reached out and gave the girl's slightly curled hand a gentle squeeze.
"Sigh." Chen Yao let out a breath and couldn't help but marvel, "The female lead really is a good person."
After everything she had done to her, she wasn't even holding a grudge? That only made Chen Yao look like the true villain.
Seeing that the mission was about to fail, System 04 couldn't help but admire how good her host's mentality really was.
*
Thanks to the ancient wedding custom that "a bride's feet must not touch the ground," Chen Yao's immobilized state wasn't actually a problem.
After all, until she was carried into the bridal sedan, she was borne along the entire way by her cousin from the second branch of the family—Jiang Lingxuan's own elder brother, Jiang Muhuai.
After being helped into the sedan, a bright red apple—plump and glistening with juice—was pressed into her hands.
"The auspicious hour has arrived—raise the sedan—"
Accompanied by the matchmaker's cheerful high-pitched cry, the firecrackers and gongs around her grew even more raucous.
Chen Yao felt the sedan sway slightly before being lifted steadily.
A grand procession of dowry stretched ten miles; gongs and drums resounded through the heavens.
Xie Qingyan wore a lavish bright-red wedding robe, his hair bound with a jade crown, long red ribbons trailing down from the crown's sides. He sat astride a tall, sturdy horse also adorned with red silk.
His features were clean and handsome, and on this day of great joy, his brows and eyes carried an extra touch of spirited vigor, making him look all the more distinguished and noble.
The grand wedding procession, accompanied by festive music, made a high-profile circuit around the capital before finally turning and heading slowly toward the Xie residence.
The time of one incense stick had long since passed, and Chen Yao, seated in the sedan, stretched her slightly numb limbs.
She had no other thoughts at the moment, just her hand on her empty stomach and her eyes on the red apple in her palm, unable to resist swallowing a bit of saliva.
Honestly, she had been up since the dead of night and hadn't eaten a single bite to fill her stomach... she was really hungry.
But by the time the sedan finally came to a stop, and a pair of strong, sturdy arms reached in to lift her off the ground in a firm embrace, Chen Yao was still holding that apple perfectly intact in her hands.
Instinctively, she looped her arms around the man's neck. Caught off guard, she let out a soft, startled "Ah" in a small voice.
"Don't worry."
Holding his bride in his arms, Xie Qingyan felt his heart melt into a puddle of tenderness, and he deliberately lowered his voice to soothe her.
The joyful music around them was loud enough to completely drown out the new couple's words.
Chen Yao, who had just barely stopped herself from dropping the apple when she gasped, fell silent for a moment.
Then, in a thoroughly mood-killing manner, she thought to herself: hopefully, the sound of her stomach growling with hunger would also be covered up, if it happened at all.
It wasn't until Xie Qingyan stepped through the mansion's gates that Chen Yao was gently set down on the ground, which was covered with a red carpet.
The apple was temporarily handed to the matchmaker, and then a length of red silk was pressed into her palm, the other end naturally held in Xie Qingyan's hand.
Her view was completely obscured by the bridal veil; the only thing Chen Yao could see was the small square of ground beneath her feet.
She felt like a puppet on strings, following the matchmaker's calls as maids supported her and she carefully lifted her skirts to step over the brazier and straddle the saddle.
Until they reached the main hall and performed the three bows of worship.
Chen Yao lowered her eyelids, her gaze somewhat dazed, watching the jade pendant at Xie Qingyan's waist sway gently as he bowed, before she too bent down in response.
"The ceremony is complete—"
The matchmaker's cheerful voice rang out at last. "Into the bridal chamber!"
Amidst the resounding laughter, she was finally led into the nuptial chamber.