Chapter 865: The Big Day

　　Shangguan Wan’s wedding day—which was also the day she succeeded the throne—was naturally celebrated by the entire Tianling Dynasty. In fact, things had become bustling in Xi Ling City since three days ago, and people became even more excited on the very day itself. From the time Shangguan Yue passed away two years ago, there hadn’t been such a grand celebration since.

　　Red satin fluttered on the streets, and almost every household had hung up festive red lanterns. People flocked to the streets, and laughter could be heard everywhere. Everyone’s faces were filled with excitement and anticipation as they wanted to see how grand this wedding would be as well as join in this celebration.

　　Black Guards were lined up on both sides of the street outside the Jiang Residence leading to the palace, and each of them guarded their posts seriously. The pavement—which stretched on for miles—was also lined with red brocade embroidered with golden clouds, making it look luxurious and vivid as it glistened under the sunlight.

　　Normally, the scale of a mere princess’s wedding wouldn’t be so large and grand, but it was Shangguan Wan’s coronation today. As the empress-to-be, she naturally could afford and had the right for such grandeur.

　　At the Jiang Residence’s entrance, 108 firecrackers set off continuously, with sparks landing everywhere and forming a thick layer of dust on the ground.

　　A Black Kicking-Snow Colt stopped at the entrance of the Jiang Residence. It was an eighth-grade fiend with a robust body and sturdy limbs. It was pure black except for its hooves—which were snow-white in color as if it had been treading on snowy grounds. Its eyes, on the other hand, were like clean and pure turquoise.

　　Amidst everyone’s expectations, Jiang Yucheng finally stepped out of the residence dressed in red, with his hair pulled back by a white jade crown atop his head. Known for his good looks in Xi Ling City, he appeared even taller and dashing in this attire.

　　His appearance immediately drew whispers from the crowd, and the eyes of many women lit up as they looked at him blushingly with undisguised admiration. In terms of background, appearance, and talent, Jiang Yucheng was indubitably ranked top in Xi Ling City. “Only he is worthy of marrying the princess…”

　　Soft murmurs could be heard coming from the crowd. “Marrying a member of the royal family may not be that good, especially since he’s marrying the Third Princess… He’ll have even less freedom in the future since he’s her subject first and foremost. Being her husband comes second…”

　　“That said, the entire Jiang family’s status will rise after today! Even Eldest Young Master Jiang will have more speaking rights at court… This is something that many people want but don’t have!”

　　“Exactly! Although he has the power in his hands, it’s only inevitable that he gets criticized because he didn’t have a suitable identity… Now that they’re married, this will no longer be a problem.”

　　“Hah, it’s only because of the late Crown Princess’s sudden death that he gets to enjoy his current status. He was tasked to deal with the urgent matters, but once he took over, he refused to return the power and held onto it until now. And now, it’s just going to be official… Nobody will be able to stop him from doing whatever he wants in the future…”

　　“Shh—quiet! Do you want your head to roll?!”

　　Things wouldn’t end well for these people should they be heard by Jiang Yucheng. But other than the people around them, their conversation fortunately couldn’t be heard by others in this crowded and bustling street.

　　Jiang Yucheng walked to the Black Kicking-Snow Colt and mounted it with ease. Behind him were gift-bearers carrying mahogany boxes that contained various treasures. They formed such a long line one could hardly see the end of it.

　　Other than the Jiang Residence members themselves who had prepared these bridal gifts, nobody knew what precious gifts these boxes contained.

　　Jiang Yucheng kicked the colt’s belly lightly, and the colt started moving forward.

　　…

　　On the streets filled with ceremonial music and the sounds of gongs and drums, Jiang Yucheng and his entourage began heading toward the palace. From afar, it was an impressive sight with countless people moving along with them.

　　The wedding was special this time as it would be held in the palace’s Lang Kun Hall, so all the guests had already entered the palace to await Jiang Yucheng’s arrival.

　　Sitting on his colt, Jiang Yucheng could see the majestic palace when he looked up. He appeared calm as his eyes gleamed darkly. He had imagined this scene countless times, and it finally came true after so many years. Although the person waiting for him on the other side of the door and street was another person, it didn’t matter to him. All I need to do is step into that place. It doesn’t matter who is behind that door!

　　…

　　Even before the crack of dawn, things had been busy at the palace. As the wedding ceremony was a complicated and tedious process with a lot of preparations to be made, Chan Yi repeatedly checked with the wedding planners to ensure that nothing would go wrong.

　　Inside Huayang Palace.

　　Shangguan Wan had also gotten up early on this day to allow two experienced nannies to help her get dressed up. Of course, she had put on her mask before allowing them to enter the room.

　　Although the injuries on her face had improved a lot and were no longer festering, she still had scars of varying depths on her face. It would take them a month to heal and disappear completely. Besides, one side of her face was still red and swollen from Jiang Yucheng’s slap.

　　The two nannies were old veterans who had served in the palace for many years and had helped out in the weddings of a few princesses. Still, they couldn’t help but feel nervous when they came to Huayang Palace to help Shangguan Wan get dressed because today was also the latter’s coronation day.

　　While they had indeed waited on several princesses before, it was the first time they were waiting on someone of this status and helping out in a wedding of this scale. Everyone knew that not even the slightest mistake was allowed to be made in this ceremony.

　　There had been women ruling the Tianling Dynasty before, but it was far and few between in history. Everyone thought that Shangguan Yue would be the one succeeding the throne, but with her sudden demise and the Emperor in an unconscious state, the throne eventually ended up in the hands of Shangguan Wan, who used to be the insignificant Third Princess.

　　Aside from this, the two nannies soon realized another problem—Shangguan Wan didn’t seem to be in a good mood. Considering that today was her big day, they found it strange that she was sitting still with a blank expression and that her vibe was so frosty that it seemed capable of freezing the entire room.

　　Not only was the Third Princess having her wedding, but she would also be holding her coronation ceremony. Either of the events was a dream come true to others, let alone both. Hence, they couldn’t figure out what there was to be upset about when she would become the most esteemed person and the Tianling Dynasty’s owner from today onward.

　　Not to mention that Jiang Yucheng was the dream lover of countless women. All the women in the Tianling Dynasty were envious of her marriage with him.

　　That said, the nannies would never dare to say such things to Shangguan Wan. They warily helped her with her dressing and makeup and put the phoenix coronet and cape on her.

　　Finally, they heard Chan Yi make an announcement from outside: “The Prince Consort has entered the palace!”