Chapter 1298: I Do
Jun Xiqing thought nothing of this. People of power always had to live with restrictions due to their status.
When her parents had still been alive, they had held her often and told her that they only wanted her to be a free and happy child.
But she had chosen this path instead.
It was likely that she would be trapped in this palace for the rest of her life, but she knew that she wouldn’t regret it.
She would take big strides forward.
At this moment, someone knocked on her door and a maid’s voice floated in from the outside. “Your Highness.”
Pingping looked at Jun Xiqing and said, “Your Highness, I’ll go take a look.”
“Alright.”
Jun Xiqing took off her clothes and undid her green hairpin. Her raven-black hair tumbled freely down her back.
From today onwards, she would have it up.
At this moment, Pingping came back. “Your Highness.”
Jun Xiqing glanced sideways at Pingping who looked like she had something to say. “What is it?”
Pingping observed Jun Xiqing’s expression carefully and said hesitantly, “Your Highness, Country A just announced that His Highness will be marrying the Holy Lady Dongfang Ruoli at the end of this month and make her the Empress.”
Jun Xiqing’s bright eyes suddenly froze. He was getting married? He had just been crowned and was about to get married too. This really was double the happiness.
Nodding in acknowledgment, Jun Xiqing only said, “Help me prepare a wedding gift for him. I want you to get…”
Jun Xiqing trailed off as she lowered her long lashes and smiled, “Forget it, he hasn’t even invited me. It’s too one-sided if I give him a present…”
“Your Highness,” Pingping prompted her.
Jun Xiqing walked over to the window and reached out to open the window, letting the cool air blow into her beautiful face. Her long dress billowed out behind her gracefully.
He wanted to marry Dongfang Ruoli?
Her mind suddenly flashed back to a certain memory.
That day in the palace when she had seen him caress Dongfang Ruoli’s face, she could tell that he didn’t love Dongfang Ruoli at all, it was just that her face looked like Elder Sis Mo’er.
Jun Xiqing’s heart sank again as he thought back to how indifferent he had been the day she left.
She knew all along that he loved Elder Sister Mo’er but had no idea that he didn’t even have a sliver of her in his heart at all. In his heart, she was even less than Dongfang Ruoli.
Her youth was a tragedy. She had offered up her body and her heart only to be discarded in the end.
On the day that she had left, she had choked out the words “I don’t ever want to see you again”, to which he had just replied coldly, “I’m sorry.”
Maybe it was due to that horrible farewell that she still couldn’t let him go. No matter how elegant and powerful he was, in her eyes, he was just a b*stard who had bullied her.
Pingping had followed Her Highness for a long time now. The 20-year-old was calm and intelligent and even though she was a girl, ten men couldn’t match her. This was the first time Pingping had seen her so upset.
‘Your Highness…” Pingping said hesitantly, “If the Crown Prince of Country A wanted you back by his side, would you go?”
Jun Xiqing didn’t reply.
After a long while of silence, she said, “Nothing is set in stone in this world. I don’t have a reply to that.”
…
The next day.
Jun Xiqing overslept and was two minutes late to her morning meeting, which made the senators extremely unhappy. Did she think that she could be late just because she’s a female president?
Without any change in expression, Jun Xiqing looked sideways at the senators, startling them. She stuck her tongue out at them in her mind
“Your Highness.” At this moment, Pingping walked over with a wedding invitation and said, “The Silver Mask King from Country A is extending his invitation to you for his wedding to s.h.i.+ Xiaoxiao in two days.”
What?
Jun Xiqing’s heart skipped a beat and she asked, “Who did you say the Silver Mask King was marrying?”
“Your Highness, he’s marrying s.h.i.+ Xiaoxiao.”
“…”
She didn’t know what to say. What was wrong with the two of them? Why were they both rus.h.i.+ng to get married? If Xuan Ying was going to marry s.h.i.+ Xiaoxiao, then what about Elder Sister Lingling?
“Your Highness, will you be going?” Pingping asked. “Will you be going to Country A?”
If she went, she would definitely run into His Highness, Lu Yeming. It must be fate that they were going to meet each other without arranging anything.
…
Country A.
On the day of the wedding.
A grand wedding party was held at the Snow Mountain Residence with the influential people of Country A gathered there. The last to arrive was Lu Yeming, who came in a bullet-proof Presidential limousine.
Xuan Ying looked extremely tall and handsome in a black tuxedo. His beauty was blinding but an aura of darkness and melancholy surrounded him.
“Master.” His a.s.sistant, Ah Zhou, walked over.
Xuan Ying glanced at Ah Zhou and asked, “What is Lingling doing?”
“Miss Xia is in her own room and asked me to pa.s.s on a message. She wishes you… a happy marriage.”
A happy marriage?
Xuan Ying’s thin lips curved upwards. “Send someone to protect her. I don’t want anything to happen to her.”
“Yes, sir.”
At this moment, someone knocked on the door and Lu Yeming’s das.h.i.+ng figure walked in.
“Your Highness,” Xuan Ying said lightly.
Lu Yeming walked forward with one hand in his pocket and patted Xuan Ying’s shoulder with his other hand, a watch wrapped around his wrist. “Congratulations.”
Xuan Ying lifted his eyes to look at Lu Yeming and said, “I heard that Your Highness is getting married to Dongfang Ruoli?”
Lu Yeming’s eyes were calm and he did not reply.
Xuan Ying said lightly, “That’s great, Your Highness. I also extended my invitation to Miss Jun two days ago and asked her to come for the wedding. I’m not sure if she will be here today.”
Standing at the door, Fan Men’s eyes lit up at the mention of Miss Jun. She was coming?
Fan Men a.s.sessed Lu Yeming quietly. His expression remained unchanged, as though this didn’t concern him at all.
…
The wedding banquet had commenced but Jun Xiqing was nowhere to be seen.
s.h.i.+ Xiaoxiao, who was in a white wedding dress, stood right in the middle of the main lobby. She clutched Xuan Ying’s arm in bliss as they walked forward to the minister.
Meanwhile, Xia Ling was cooped up in her room all this time. She sat on the bed with her pale hands wrapped around herself.
She could hear everything.
She could hear their wedding vows clearly from where she was.
The minister spoke, “Miss s.h.i.+ Xiaoxiao, are you willing to take Mr Xuan Ying as your lawfully wedded husband, from this day onward, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?”
s.h.i.+ Xiaoxiao replied, “I do.”
“Mr Xuan Ying, do you take Miss s.h.i.+ Xiaoxiao to be your lawfully wedded wife, from this day onwards, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?”
Xia Ling listened carefully, hearing only his silence, before his magnetic voice slowly floated over to where she was.”I do.”
Hugging her knees, Xia Ling buried her face in them. Her eyes were red and large tears flowed down her face as she sobbed silently.
…
The wedding was over.
Xuan Ying and s.h.i.+ Xiaoxiao walked upstairs. Within moments, Xuan Ying stormed over to the study room and kicked the door open with a bang.
General s.h.i.+ s.h.i.+ was inside.
Ripping off his tie with long fingers, Xuan Ying’s voice was as hard as steel.
“Where is my daughter?”