Chapter 164: A Substitution

"That's convenient; little items like a Handkerchief can just be put in the bag, but if you tie them to the waist bag and lose them, that would be bad."

"Later, give one each to me and the old man?"

"Alright, when I return I'll make one for both of you."

Everyone had finished packing, and the large contingent boarded the carriage and headed toward Wangfu.

Two quarters of an hour later, Chengxiang Fu arrived; at that time the main gate was open and the crimson carpet had been laid out.

Two elders got off the carriage, stood where they were waiting for Qiao Mai, and Qiao Mai, bringing the children, got off and approached them.

"Grandfather, Grandmother,"

"Yes, stay with us, don't be nervous; everything's fine with us."

"In a moment, could you watch the children for me while I go check on Ru'er?"

"Alright, we'll talk after we meet in a moment."

The red lanterns, the red carpet, the red silk tied to the pillars—all of it makes one feel quite cheerful.

Madam Wang rushed in front of them, regardless of whether they were elders or officials higher than her own husband, and shouted in a hoarse voice.

Normally Ru'er would stand up, but now she remained motionless, which was very abnormal; Qiao Mai saw her hands clenched tightly, looking especially nervous.

When they arrived, everyone stood up; Wang Zongsheng and his wife, along with Zihan, hurried over to pay their respects.

Without her scolding, the women already knew what was happening; after speaking, they understood even more clearly.

Wang Zongsheng snorted coldly, "I sent so many people to protect Ru'er, yet she fell into the hands of our own family; without them covering you, could you even sit here?"

It took a quarter of an hour to get here, showing how vast Chengxiang Fu is; upon entering the courtyard, everything inside was awash in red.

"Who is this?"

"This follows royal protocol; at this point the bride has already been covered with a red veil."

"This, this, what on earth is happening?"

"Chengxiang Fu really raises well-mannered people; I wondered why they insisted on marrying my daughter out of Chengxiang Fu, and now I see it's this scheme. Servants! Call the Wang family over to see; this is the fine daughter they raised, or is Chengxiang Fu doing this on purpose?"

"Ru'er, can't you speak?"

Not long after, Wang Zongsheng and his wife, and Mr. Wang and his wife hurried over.

At this moment her head was still covered, as if she thought she was dreaming.

Madam Wang and the others had been so angry earlier that they forgot this important matter; when they heard Qiao Mai ask like that, they stared intently at that woman.

When she came in, everyone was stunned; only Ru'er's two personal servant girls recognized her.

The bride is the legitimate great-granddaughter of Chengxiang Fu, and she knelt down in fear.

"The bride cannot speak until the groom lifts her veil."

"Go ahead, I'll watch over them for you!"

She immediately grabbed the servant girl who came with her, whispered a few words into her ear, and the servant girl slipped away, turning to sprint toward the front hall.

"Grandmother, I want to go see my sister!"

Qiao Mai then spoke, "Tell me, where is my sister?"

"Ru'er, wake up; today is your wedding day."

The girl bit her lip and stayed silent; Qiao Mai flipped her hand, took out a fruit‑cutting Sword, and thrust it straight at her face.

At this moment the Prime Minister Wang and his wife, along with their children, arrived in the Keting to look at the bride in red attire and then at Ru'er.

Madam Wang looked at the servant girl beside her and said, "You go guide her!"

"Um, why is the veil already on so early? I haven't even seen my sister's bridal makeup yet."

Qiao Mai's eyes narrowed; could the Wang family be pulling a Li Dai Tao Jiang?

Jiaru snapped awake, touched her head, was helped up by a servant girl, and walked step by step to the Keting.

The young servant girl behaved properly, clasping her hands on her abdomen, head slightly lowered, leading the way ahead.

"Wedding?"

Seeing a house full of people and then a woman dressed in bridal attire, she became even more alert.

The others also exchanged greetings, took their seats, and, seeing Qiao Mai and the children behind them, asked.

Madam Wang and the elderly Mrs. Wang followed her; seeing Ru'er like this nearly frightened the two to death, thinking Jiaru had died.

Qiao Mai, after performing the rites with the children for everyone, stood behind the elderly lady; before that she had already spoken with Yuehong, Yuexia, and the children.

She approached Ru'er and said, "Sister, I'm here to see you!"

Qiao Mai glared at her, went to the bedroom, and found Ru'er under the bed, where she was unconscious.

An old woman gave her an explanation, and Qiao Mai finally nodded.

Upon entering the room, she saw the bride had already changed clothes, her veil on, with numerous servant girls and old women gathered around her.

Qiao Mai followed her without a word, scanning the surroundings with her eyes.

Their faces all looked grim; if this were truly the case, they'd have to have a serious talk with the Wang family.

"No, no, I say, I say, she's right under the bed in her room."

Everyone froze; the bride's face turned pale with fright, and, bewildered, Madam Wang, enraged, slapped her, knocking the hair crown off her head onto the ground.

"If you don't tell me where my sister is, today I'll ruin your appearance!"

She circled the bride, knowing well that her own sister-in-law, regardless of size, was clearly taller and plumper than the petite Ru'er, and those hands were nothing like Ru'er's delicate, almost boneless ones.

The party arrived at the main hall; the double‑joy characters, wedding tables and all the necessary items were set up, the Wang family gathered in the Keting, and a round dining table in the adjacent Can Ting displayed pastries and such.

"How could it be you?"

So they brought a basin of cold water, continuously splashing it on her face; combined with Madam Wang and the elderly lady's shouts, Ru'er woke up.

Qiao Mai stood still beside the bride; when everyone arrived, Madam Wang and the elderly lady stared intently at the bride.

Madam Wang, seeing the woman in a full red outfit, widened her eyes in disbelief and asked:

Old Madam Pang immediately stood up. "Ru'er's sworn sister, my god-granddaughter!"

Qiao Mai examined her; she wasn't injured, just likely knocked unconscious by Sleeping Drug.

"You, why are you in my dream? I'm so sleepy, I want to sleep a little longer. Don't bother me."

As they left the hall, many sharp-eyed people also ran over to watch the commotion.

"Servant Wang Jiaru's Wang Jiaru's Servant Girl, are you sure you're not mistaken?"

A servant hastily squeezed through the crowd to report, while the women who saw the truth all pursed their lips.

Because they were entering a young lady's courtyard, only women came along—all prominent figures in Jingcheng, many of whom had bought hair ornaments and skirts from Qiao Mai last time.

"So this is your Chengxiang Fu's granddaughter? So this is why you insisted my daughter marry out from your house—you were playing such a clever trick?"

"It's fine?"

"Oh?"

Qiao Mai directly showed them with action; she reached out and quickly lifted the new bridal veil.

"Oh, substituting one thing for another—Chengxiang Fu really can do such a thing, huh?"

She pointed with her finger, "It was her. She sent away my maidservant, tricked me into the bedroom, and knocked me out with Sleeping Drug."

"It's the young lady's sworn sister. Greetings, Madam Qiao!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. This was my own idea. It was I who admired the Little Prince. It has nothing to do with my grandfather or my father."

"No, we really didn't. Don't get anxious first. It was discovered early, hasn't become a big mistake yet."

"Right, once the rice is cooked, where would my daughter go to cry? You want to ruin her whole life? Fine, fine, fine. Your Chengxiang Fu is really something. You rose one rank in office by leeching off my family's glory, you take so much silver from us every year by leeching off my family's glory, and now you even want to swap my daughter's marriage for your own family's. Your Chengxiang Fu is truly wonderful."

Old Master Wang was so angry his beard bristled. He snorted coldly, "Big Brother, your family has gone too far."

"Third Brother, I really didn't. It was that child, infatuated with the Little Prince, who did this muddled thing. Fortunately, there's still a chance to salvage it. The Little Prince will come for the bride soon. Let's get through this wedding first, then talk about the rest, alright?"

(Chapter end)