Chapter 246: What Lies Above the Grand Hall...?!

Time rewound.

In front of Pei Fu.

"Please, madam, get into the sedan chair!"

The attendants lifted the curtain doors, bowing respectfully.

"Finally, I can see him soon...."

"After today, I will be his wife....."

Pei Suiwan, after being helped onto the flower sedan by Rong'er, felt a ripple of emotion and a hint of impatience.

"What's that sound..... huh!"

Pei Suiwan, whose view was poor beneath the red canopy, keenly detected faint noises beneath the seat cushion.

Just as he was about to investigate, a hand, through the red canopy, covered his mouth.

"Lift the sedan!"

As the twenty‑four‑bearer flower sedan was lifted, cheerful drums rang around.

"Madam, do not panic!"

Hongye leaned close to Pei Suiwan, lowered her voice, and soothed, "I am a person of your husband; I will not harm you....."

"If you understand, nod to indicate...."

Pei Suiwan, hearing this, suppressed much of his panic and gently nodded as instructed.

Hongye immediately released the hand covering his mouth.

"You have been hidden in this sedan all along?"

Pei Suiwan slightly lifted the red canopy, surveyed the unfamiliar woman before him, and after a moment of thought asked, "What has your husband sent you to do?"

Combining the earlier sounds and her sudden, unannounced appearance, Pei Suiwan inferred that she could only have been hidden in a secret compartment beneath the seat cushion.

"No wonder you are Chang'an's top talented lady; indeed you are clever....."

Hongye nodded, likewise examined the delicately made‑up woman, and complimented.

She paused, then continued, "The Young Master had me hide in the sedan to protect the madam's safety along the way until we entered the residence!"

The journey held too many variables, and with many onlookers, the danger multiplied manyfold; only upon entering the Duzhu Residence would it be completely safe.

"Is your husband afraid someone might plot against me?" Pei Suiwan blinked and asked tentatively.

"One fears not ten thousand but the one in a million!" Hongye nodded, "My family's Young Master is always thorough....."

Yet Pei Suiwan still guarded Hongye cautiously, scrutinizing, "Then how would I know you haven't already slipped into the sedan....."

"Intending to infiltrate the Duzhu Residence to assassinate the Grand Tomb Steward?"

Having said that, he stared unblinking at Hongye, catching the slightest expression on her face.

The chance of deceiving her trust is low, but not nonexistent.....

Since Pei Suiwan is now married, she must consider her husband more.

"Madam, you truly are cautious....."

Hongye smiled, took a letter from her bosom, and said, "This is the Young Master's handwritten letter, bearing the Duzhu Great Seal!"

Her eyes were full of admiration.

This matriarch of the He Dong Pei Clan is no ordinary woman.....

Pei Suiwan took it, opened it, and the first line that met her eyes was:

Suiwan, my wife, personally opens.

The letter's contents were Chen Yan's full exposition of his plan, along with his care and admonitions for her.

Pei Suiwan lightly pressed her red lips, suppressing a smile, looked at Hongye, and softly asked, "What is your name?"

"My name is Hongye," Hongye replied.

"Miss Hongye, you'll be of great service from now on!" After confirming Hongye was indeed her husband's person, Pei Suiwan's guard vanished, she smiled faintly and said softly.

"You're polite, madam," Hongye nodded.

Inside the Duzhu Residence.

Yuwen Hu set down his tea bowl, looked at Yuwen Ze returning from outside, and asked, "A Ze, why was it so chaotic out there just now?"

"Could it be that some admirer of that girl came to snatch the marriage?" Yuwen Heng bit a piece of pastry and teased with interest.

One must know Pei Suiwan is Chang'an's top talented lady, beautiful as a flower, of distinguished lineage, and the dream lover of countless gallant scholars......

It does not rule out that someone might get hot‑headed and act impulsively.

Of course, that possibility remains exceedingly slim.....

"Second Uncle is joking; in vast Chang'an, who would dare snatch A Xiong's marriage?"

Yuwen Ze shook his head, laughing, "It was just two thieves attempting an assassination!"

"Snatching a marriage, the Mirrored Office Duzhu?"

"That would be too much, wouldn't it!"

"Assassinate Chen Yan?"

Yuwen Hu, who had been waiting a bit bored, suddenly became interested.

"No, they were trying to assassinate the sister‑in‑law...." Yuwen Ze replied.

"That does show a bit of cleverness....."

Yuwen Hu nodded, with some admiration, and laughed, "Knowing how to pick a soft persimmon to squeeze!"

He paused again, and asked, "Then how did A Xiong resolve it?"

The fact that his son returned composed indicates it was merely a small incident, no great chaos, and the Pei Clan is surely unharmed.

Yuwen Ze recalled briefly and said, "A Xiong had beforehand hidden Miss Hongye inside the bridal sedan chair for the marriage ceremony....."

"That Red Leaf girl is the one you, father, told me about before, the master in Jingzhou who is not inferior to Zang Feng!"

After returning to Chang'an, Yuwen Ze recounted to his father every detail of what he saw and heard in Jingzhou.

"Hmm, I, as father, have some impression of that woman…"

Yuwen Hu glanced at Lu Zangfeng, recalling the daughter of Situ Hui who pretended to be a chief clerk, and who was eventually taken under A Yan's command.

He paused, then reminded, "You, A Xiong, with such all‑round arrangements, should study more!"

"Yes, child understands…"

Yuwen Ze bowed respectfully, as if recalling something else, and said, "It was those two thieves; after being captured alive, they shouted that they were men of Zhao Lao Zhuguo!"

"Interesting…"

Yuwen Hu, hearing this, twirled the Jade Ring and said with amusement, "But even Zhao Qian's fellow, however reckless, hasn't been this stupid!"

Which family's retainer could directly betray and sell their benefactor?

Moreover, whoever plotted to assassinate Pei Suiwan could not be some ordinary person…

It was an overly obvious frame‑up.

In this Chang'an city, there must be a third‑party force hoping the Court descends into chaos!

"Brother, the six under Chen Lao Zhuguo have already arrived…" Yuwen Heng noticed the few people on the other side and reminded.

They were Wang Zheng and others who were worshipping Old Master together with Chen Yan.

"I, the king, would like to see whether Chen Tongyuan shows up today…"

Yuwen Hu stroked his tea bowl, a slight curve forming at the corner of his mouth, and teasingly said, "What kind of expression will it be this time!"

"Father, the Duke of Wei is over there!" Yuwen Ze pointed to the far corner.

At this moment, Chen Tongyuan was extremely uneasy, his brows furrowed: "All the relatives have been brought back, why is no one inviting me to sit in the high hall?"

Having said that, he kept glancing outward from time to time.

Having been here so long, everyone in the Governor's residence with lower rank than him had attendants, but they alone received no attention.

"Father, brother wouldn't deliberately omit setting up the high hall, right?" Chen Gubai guessed about Chen Yan, thinking he likely skipped this part.

After all, if the situation were reversed, he could not revere a father he despises, wishing himself to die.

"With so many nobles present today, how could he possibly disregard the rules and change the procedure?" Chen Tongyuan snorted coldly.

Chen Yan indeed relied on Yuwen Hu's power, acting recklessly and lawlessly…

But at such a crucial occasion for him, could he really disgrace himself in front of so many dignitaries?

"That rebellious son is just pretending; he still has to keep up the act…"

"Newcomer arrived!"

As the emcee Wen Run shouted, Chen Yan led Pei Suiwan in, walking into the hall of the wedding ceremony.

When the assembled guests saw the previously red‑cloth‑covered high‑hall spot, they were all shocked: "What is up there on the high hall…?!"

Sitting upright in the place where the parents should sit were two tablets…