Ye Lingfeng reached out and hugged Hai Ling, then walked outside.
Everyone behind him stood up and followed him out of the room, heading towards the gate of the Ji residence in the footsteps of the Emperor. They were going to accompany the Empress into the palace, so naturally they couldn't be left behind.
Inside the Ji residence, a bright red carpet stretched from Xiangwu Courtyard all the way to the gate. Ji Shaocheng stood at one end of the carpet. According to the custom of Beilu, the father and brothers should carry the bride to the bridal sedan chair. However, Ji Shaocheng did not expect that the Emperor himself would carry his sister out. His sister today was different from any other time. Her bright red wedding dress made her skin look as white as snow, and the phoenix crown on her head was dazzling in the sunlight. Although her face could not be clearly seen, the joy on her lips and her shy pink cheeks were faintly visible, all showing her happy mood.
Seeing her so happy, Ji Shaocheng felt a bitter taste in his mouth. He couldn't help but take two steps back, his face pale. Fortunately, everyone's attention was not on him today, so no one paid any attention.
Until this moment, Ji Shaocheng had to admit one thing: deep down, he actually liked this younger sister. It wasn't just brotherly love, but also a hidden romantic love, which was why he was in so much pain.
Back when his younger sister was Jiang Hailing of the Great Zhou Dynasty, he was influenced by her. At that time, he had even regretted it because of her status. If there had been no crown prince, he had considered marrying her to him to form a marriage alliance between the two countries.
However, he wouldn't let anyone know about this. Now that it had been discovered, he absolutely wouldn't allow it to continue. He wanted to slowly fade away this inappropriate feeling.
The red carpet at the Ji residence was lined with people, stretching from the back to the front courtyard. Some people couldn't see anything and were even standing on tiptoe to get a glimpse of the Emperor and Empress's beauty. Both of them were stunningly beautiful, and they were going to be incredibly gorgeous on their wedding day.
Everyone who saw them was stunned, not because of their beauty, because everyone present knew they were outstanding, and even in their finest clothes, that wouldn't have been enough to make them freeze. What stunned them was the expressions on their faces, the happiness they exuded. The Emperor looked so careful, as if he were holding a precious treasure, while the Empress looked so shy, displaying the quintessential charm of a young woman.
The expressions of these two people, who were usually cold and indifferent, were truly shocking to everyone. The crowd stared blankly as they left. Just as the emperor and empress were about to reach the gate, they realized they hadn't knelt down, and the entire sea of people knelt down.
"Respectfully seeing off His Majesty the Emperor, and His Majesty the Empress to the Phoenix Carriage."
The loud sound carried far. After the Emperor and Empress arrived, the court officials also went out. Today was the Emperor and Empress's wedding day, and they were going to the palace temples to pay homage to the Emperor and Empress. Even Ji Cong was no exception. He followed the civil and military officials and walked towards the gate.
Outside the gates of the Ji residence, flowers carpeted the ground, and tassels and light gauze hung around the magnificent phoenix carriage, with flowers adorning both sides. At a glance, it was a scene of splendor, and the air was filled with a rich fragrance.
The sounds of string and wind instruments filled the air. Ahead lay five hundred royal guards, followed by ten pure white horses, each adorned with a large red flower around its neck. Seated atop these horses were women dressed in uniform palace attire, carrying flower baskets and long, flowing ribbons that danced in the wind, creating a magnificent spectacle. Behind them was the phoenix palanquin, embellished with flowers—a truly luxurious bridal carriage. Following this was the imperial procession, then the dowry from the Ji family. The Ji family had brought a large dowry, not because Hailing was marrying into the palace, but because she was their beloved daughter, along with gifts bestowed upon the Ji household by the Emperor. Behind the long procession were another five hundred royal guards.
The line stretched for two whole streets before finally stopping.
Hai Ling was truly shocked by the scene before her and couldn't utter a word. Although she knew that the imperial family's weddings were always luxurious and grand, they couldn't compare to today's meticulous design. Just the flowers alone required a tremendous amount of manpower. And then there were those white horses—dozens of them were exactly the same; finding one wouldn't have been easy.
"Ling'er, let's go."
The voice of the Imperial Observatory rang out at just the right moment: "Release the doves, His Majesty the Emperor and His Majesty the Empress are boarding the imperial carriage."
In front of the Ji residence, the uniform iron cages were opened, and the pigeons took flight, flapping their wings and soaring into the blue sky.
Ye Lingfeng carried Hai Ling onto the phoenix carriage, gently set her down, held her hand tightly, and looked out with a smile.
At the command of the master of ceremonies, "Raise the carriage!"
The grand wedding procession began to move, slowly making its way towards the palace.
Today is the day of the Emperor and Empress's wedding. Black screens, about half a person's height, are erected on both sides of the street. People stand outside the screens, craning their necks to watch. It's more lively than ever before. Normally, the streets along the route for the Emperor and Empress's wedding should be dispersed to prevent assassination attempts. However, the Emperor has decreed that the wedding should be shared with the people. Today, the black screens are only one meter high, allowing people to watch from outside the screens.
As soon as the decree was issued, the entire city of Bianliang became lively. Everyone rushed out early in the morning, some to secure a good spot, others to head to the restaurants. In short, the roads along the route of the wedding procession were packed with people.
On this grand wedding day, Ye Lingfeng not only dispatched royal guards and the Ministry of War, but also secretly mobilized his own Royal Feather Guard. He would absolutely not allow anyone to harm Ling'er during their wedding. Moreover, with the Feather Guard deployed today, if those assassins appeared, they would surely capture them all without exception. He wanted to find out who was behind these assassins; this person was probably not simple.
Ye Lingfeng's eyes were deep and dark, a shadow passing over them. He had previously sent Shi Zhu and others to investigate, but they couldn't find the whereabouts of these assassins, which meant they rarely acted, making them difficult to track down. Moreover, they hadn't been active in Bianliang City. Today was his wedding day; he wondered if these people had appeared. A fleeting thought crossed Ye Lingfeng's mind as he thought about his own wedding day, and how Ling'er was finally marrying him. A seductive smile appeared on his lips.
On both sides of the street, three soldiers and five officers maintained order. The Ministry of War had been making arrangements for many days and dared not make the slightest mistake.
If an assassin were to attempt an assassination and harm the emperor or empress, none of them would survive.
On the streets, everyone's face was beaming with joy. The Emperor and Empress were so loving, their favor was unprecedented and unparalleled. Look at the extravagance of today's wedding, it's something that has never happened before. But that's not important. What's important is that the Emperor himself came to the Ji residence to pick up the bride, which is quite rare in all dynasties.
The voices outside drifted into the carriage, one by one.
"His Majesty dotes on His Majesty the Empress."
"Yes, the Emperor even jumped off Black Wind Cliff for the Empress."
"Our Emperor is so affectionate. I hope the Empress will love the Emperor well in the future."
Inside the carriage, Hai Ling and Ye Lingfeng smiled at each other, their hands clasped tightly. From now on, they would be bound by a vow of life and death, a promise made to each other. Holding hands, growing old together, they would never be apart.
On the horses ahead, palace maids carrying flower baskets would occasionally scatter handfuls of fresh flowers into the air, filling the air with a delightful fragrance, and everyone was captivated by the rich atmosphere.
The wedding procession was so long that it moved very slowly, and by the time they reached the palace gate, it was already quite late.
Inside the carriage, Ye Lingfeng held Hai Ling's hand tightly and asked her softly, "Ling'er, are you hungry?"
"I'm not hungry. Mei gave me some snacks this morning."
Hailing was relieved that Shimei had given her some snacks; otherwise, she probably wouldn't have made it through the night.
Seeing that she was a little weak, Ye Lingfeng reached out and pulled her close to his chest, coaxing her to sleep for a while.
"You can sleep for a while. I'll wake you up when we get there."
“Mmm,” Hailing closed her eyes and leaned against him. She felt safe, as if no one could hurt her.
This is complete trust.
Ye Lingfeng was very happy to see her completely entrust herself to him, and he hugged her tightly.
Originally, Ye Lingfeng thought that the hundreds of assassins would definitely attempt to assassinate him on his wedding day. However, to his surprise, he watched as the grand procession entered the palace gates without seeing any assassins appear. This showed that the master behind those hundreds of assassins was very cautious and vigilant.
Who exactly is this person?
It seems he needs to be more careful in the future and pay attention to everything.
The grand wedding ceremony of the Emperor and Empress was to be held in the temple hall of the palace. The Emperor and Empress stood in the center of the hall, with civil and military officials lined up on both sides. First, the ceremonial official read out the speeches, some to Heaven and Earth, and others to the ancestors. In short, it was complicated and dull. Fortunately, Hai Ling had taken a short nap in the wedding carriage earlier, so she was much more energetic now. She stood quietly and listened to the ceremonial official read out the speeches with intonation. There was not a single sound in the hall. It was extremely quiet.
Not only the civil and military officials of the court, but also the Empress Dowager, several of the late emperor's concubines, as well as Prince Zhaoyang and Prince Anyang, all appeared and lined up on one side of the temple hall, listening to the master of ceremonies read the speech. After the speech was finished, it was time to worship heaven and earth.
"Bowing to Heaven and Earth."