At the third quarter of the si hour, the red candles in Taiye Pavilion flickered, and the golden wine vessels for the nuptial ceremony glowed with a warm luster in the morning light. Jiang Wan lowered her eyes to the amber peach blossom wine in her cup, the reflection of her phoenix coronet and ceremonial robes trembling slightly. Suddenly, the sound of a porcelain cup shattering came from the guest tables on the west side. Her fingertips, gripping a silver hairpin, tightened abruptly. Looking up, she saw a scholar in a lake-blue robe rise, flinging his sleeves; a cold glint flashed amidst the voluminous fabric, and the sharp ring of a dagger leaving its sheath, like ice cracking against jade, caused the entire hall of guests to hold their breath in unison.
"Protect the Heir's Consort!" Lu Jingyuan spun around to stand before her, his black wedding attire sweeping up a trail of red silk. The dragon-like roar of his sword leaving its scabbard rang out. Behind the scholar, three men in gray lunged simultaneously. Hidden weapons flew from their sleeves, slicing through the air, but Ren Yao swept her whip across horizontally. The soft whip coiled around the bridal veil like a serpent emerging from its den, and with a series of metallic clangs, the weapons fell upon the bluestone floor.
"Well played!" Ren Yao vaulted onto the steps, her red bridal veil sliding halfway off to reveal her arched eyebrows and a cold sneer. "This Princess has finally waited for you 'wedding guests' t…
Chapter 254