156: 118: The wedding is over, the fierce battle is concluded, and desires are fulfilled!
156: 118: The wedding is over, the fierce battle is concluded, and desires are fulfilled!
Gui Qinshao was dressed in her most magnificent attire today, wearing an incredibly gorgeous red-golden silk dress, adorned with a radiant pearl crown.
The face that was already incomparably beautiful became even more stunning with the bride’s makeup, to the point where it was difficult to look directly at her.
When she made her entrance, everyone first fell into a hushed silence, then erupted into cheers.
But when a person has a smile on their face while their eyes are filled with coldness, it sends shivers down one’s spine.
And at this moment, that was the kind of smile Gui Qinshao had.
Originally, all the guests were smiling.
But as soon as they saw Gui Qinshao’s icy smile, they put away their own and exchanged uncertain glances, the cheer that was about to erupt suddenly came to an abrupt halt.
“Let’s go, Suo Lun, you’ve gotten what you wished for, let’s proceed to the wedding ceremony,” Gui Qinshao said with a smile as she approached Suo Lun, her eyes still filled with icy coldness.
Suo Lun reluctantly reached out with his less injured left hand to take hers.
“No need, I wouldn’t want to have this hand chopped off later,” Gui Qinshao said, still smiling, her gaze as cold as ever.
Then, the bride and groom walked side by side toward the elevated hall.
The Dragon Emperor brought knowledge and civilization to this world, as well as wedding rituals from Earth, both Chinese and Western.
The wedding of Suo Lun and Gui Qinshao chose the Chinese style.
Gui Xingfu and Turing Si, as parents of the bride, and Suo Ningbing as the groom’s parent, sat high above in the hall.
Qingcheng Zi, the chief disciple of the Sword Master, served as the officiant of the wedding.
Below, hundreds of guests gathered in the hall, watching the couple perform the wedding ceremony.
“Kneel to heaven and earth!”
Suo Lun and Gui Qinshao both kneeled and bowed toward the outside world, paying their respects to heaven and earth.
“Kneel to the high hall!”
Suo Lun and Gui Qinshao then knelt and bowed to the parents seated in the high hall.
Gui Xingfu wore a smile, as if truly accepting the bow from a pair of newlyweds.
And Suo Ningbing, out of courtesy and upbringing, also managed to put on a smile.
Turing Si, a lady from the Duke’s estate, didn’t even have the heart to pretend, her expression as cold as ice.
“The couple bows to each other!”
Suo Lun and Gui Qinshao faced each other and deeply bowed.
While facing each other, Gui Qinshao’s icy eyes suddenly trembled, filled with incredibly complex emotions.
This moment, when she was closest to Suo Lun, was the first time she seriously looked at him.
He was really handsome, even charming, with a face that would make the majority of women feel pity and become infatuated.
He was also truly outstanding, astonishing everyone with his brilliance.
He was also truly a bastard, the kind that women could hate to the bone.
Yet, he was also the kind that could make them love him to the bone.
Gui Qinshao thought she could maintain her smile, the icy look in her eyes, and carry through the entire ceremony with murderous intent in her heart.
But in the moment of the ceremony, her heart skipped a beat.
The man before her was facing the greatest misfortune, having lost his father and his fiefdom, like a dog that had lost its home with nowhere to rest.
Moreover, he had to face endless enemies, immense pressure, and responsibilities.
And yet, his shoulders were so frail.
Having nearly nothing, he still struggled on, fought on, and even created miracles time and again.
However, everything was in vain.
His destined ruin had been utterly sealed; his very birth may have been a tragedy.
So, was she to add another heavy stroke to his tragedy, to fiercely tear open his wounds and expose the raw flesh to all present?
The once incomparably proud and ice-cold Gui Qinshao hesitated and showed weakness for the first time.
She felt, to some extent, that she couldn’t bear it.
“The ceremony is concluded; the wedding banquet shall now commence!” Qingcheng Zi eagerly ended the odd wedding ceremony.
Then, all the guests began to applause in unison, not warm, but orderly.
Immediately after, delicious dishes started flowing like water.
The joyous and exquisite music started to play, and everything seemed truly like a wedding.
“Cough!” Gui Xingfu coughed softly and then lifted his cup to drink.
This was a signal, indicating that Gui Qinshao must do something.
Her beautiful eyes revealed one last struggle, she bit her lip hard, and closed her eyes for a moment, gathering her emotions.
“I’m sorry, I must do this, Suo Lun.
You brought this upon yourself,” Gui Qinshao repeated to herself internally.
Then, she opened her eyes, and abruptly tore off the gorgeous red-golden wedding dress she wore, revealing another dress beneath.
The crowd went into an uproar in an instant.
Beneath her grand wedding dress was a white gown made of grey cotton, filled with gloom and paleness.
She also pulled off the phoenix crown from her head, and on her black hair were tied two ribbons—one black, one white—along with a white paper flower.
This was a garment of mourning, the garb of a widow, signifying that her husband was dead!
The music stopped suddenly.
Everyone was shocked into silence.
All the sympathetic gazes turned toward Suo Lun.
Even many of the noble ladies had tears streaming down their faces instantly.
And Suo Ningbing, at first, looked at Gui Qinshao in disbelief and then, her delicate body swaying slightly, she fainted and slumped in her seat.
In the duel with Suo Lun, she lost and was forced to go through the wedding ceremony with him, fulfilling the agreement.
But she also needed to send an absolute signal to the outside world, to the royal family, to cut off her ties with Suo Lun completely.