Chapter 1720

Xue Lingjun's heart felt as if it had been fiercely whipped; she realized that her earlier lies had absolutely no effect, Hu Xiaotian had already seen through the truth. Once the deceit's disguise was stripped away, Xue Lingjun felt from within a sensation of being stripped bare, an indescribable shame enveloping her heart—a feeling unprecedented. Yet Hu Xiaotian's words just now struck her soft spot; Xue Lingjun's smile on her face instantly faded: "I only just discovered today that your heart is indeed hard."

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said: "Be hard when it should be hard, soft when it should be soft!"

Although his remark was extremely ambiguous, Xue Lingjun felt no trace of mockery in it; she knew that her lies had completely lost their effect before Hu Xiaotian. The more she flaunted them, the more she invited ridicule.

In the distance, a slender young woman walked gracefully toward the two—it was Zhangyu, who said softly: "Master, we agreed to try on clothes; why are you not punctual at all?"

Hu Xiaotian chuckled and said to Zhangyu: "I'm currently chatting with the Princess."

Zhangyu's icy-blue eyes glanced at Xue Lingjun, then she smiled charmingly: "Zhangyu pays respects to the Princess!"

Hu Xiaotian clasped his fist toward Xue Lingjun: "Little brother still has matters to attend; I'll take my leave first."

Xue Lingjun had lost interest in chatting with him, and said indifferently: "Prince, please do as you wish!" Seeing Hu Xiaotian and Zhangyu leave side by side, she faintly heard Zhangyu ask: "Master, what were you talking about?"

"She asked me whether I am soft or hard..."

"How annoying..."

On the eighth day of the fifth month, the weather was fine, the sky blue and cloudless, ten thousand miles without a cloud; the vicinity of Whitesand Bay was heavily guarded. Although Hu Xiaotian's wedding caused a sensation throughout the realm, the number of people who came to attend his wedding that day was not large; besides the guests from all quarters, outsiders were not permitted to watch casually. This was not because he intended to deliberately draw a line between himself and the common folk, refusing to rejoice with the people, but out of security considerations.

Three days earlier, Hu Xiaotian had already announced a series of measures; the most important was to exempt all residents of his territory from this year's taxes and to release the prisoners in jail. These two measures alone benefited thousands of households. Besides these, the new law chiefly promoted by Hu Xiaotian and Zhuge Guanqi, with the latter gathering public opinion, was also in preparation. Many of its clauses could be described as shocking and unconventional—for instance, implementing compulsory education for children first, promoting public schools, public clinics, and public old-age homes throughout the territory—actually the three major reform programs of education, healthcare, and elder care. Once the time is ripe, they will be rolled out one by one.

"Who wins the people's hearts wins the realm"—Hu Xiaotian could foresee the uproar that would follow the implementation of this series of reforms.

When the bridal procession appeared at Whitesand Bay harbor, salutes boomed, drums and gongs shook the heavens, guests from all quarters gathered together, a red carpet stretched from the pier to the front gate of the New Palace, and maidens dressed in pink gowns, beautiful as flower fairies, stood on either side of the carpet.

Amid the crowd's cheers, the male lead Hu Xiaotian made his formal entrance; to everyone's surprise, he actually wore a black tight-fitting outfit, and beside him Zhao Wusheng, Zhan Peng, Xia Zhangming, Zong Tang, Liang Yinghao, and Xiong Tianba—all six were dressed similarly.

Old Lady Xu sat in the sedan chair, looking down from above at the seven young men in Western suits on the red carpet; for some reason her eyes grew moist. "Hu Xiaotian, Hu Xiaotian," she murmured, "he actually held a Western-style wedding in this alternate time and space, wearing Western suits—he really put thought into it."

Beside her, Xu Fengmei whispered: "Really outrageous—who wears black at a wedding? Not auspicious at all!"

Many shared Xu Fengmei's view, yet they could not deny that Hu Xiaotian and his groomsmen were all spirited and handsome; even Xiong Tianba, who usually did not rely on looks, appeared suave and elegant in today's attire.

Yet the most striking among them was still Hu Xiaotian, who had specially cut his hair; the barber spent two whole hours figuring out his intention before giving him a satisfying hairstyle. As the weather grew hotter, wearing a topknot was truly uncomfortable, and moreover that hairstyle did not match the tailor-made Western suit he wore.

Qiqi sat on the viewing stand prepared for her, quietly gazing at Hu Xiaotian's silhouette. Although she also felt his outfit was somewhat mismatched, deep down she could not deny that he looked very handsome, sharp and dashing, displaying his sunny charm to the fullest—perhaps this was the special wedding Hu Xiaotian wished to show everyone.

The bridal boat docked at the harbor; immediately someone assembled planks between the vessel and the pier and quickly laid a red carpet on top.

Amid the salvoes, the bride Long Xi Yue finally appeared after much calling; everyone was surprised that Long Xi Yue did not wear the expected phoenix crown and rosy robes with a veil, but instead donned a white wedding gown, appearing like a water nymph escorted by six bridesmaids.

Quan De'an narrowed his eyes at the bustle and couldn't help saying: "Could that outfit be mourning attire?" In the corner of his eye he glanced at Qiqi, only to see her suddenly bite her lip, her eyes flashing with jealous hatred, her pink fists clenched tight, nails digging into her palms. Seeing her reaction, Quan De'an dared not utter a sound and quietly stepped back.

Qiqi then said: "Is she Princess Anping?"

Quan De'an said nothing; Qiqi abruptly turned her head toward him.

Quan De'an couldn't help shiver, gave a dry cough and said: "This old man's eyes are dim; I can't see clearly, Mr. Hong, what do you think?"

Hong Beimo's lips curled with a faint smile; Quan De'an, that old fox, actually turned the spear toward himself—anyone could see the Yongyang Princess's mood was dreadful. He nodded and said: "It's practically identical, though I have never seen Princess Yingyue before; but wasn't Princess Anping already met with disaster in Yongdu?"

Qiqi snorted coldly: "Hu Xiaotian deserves a history of ruined marriages; given his nature, how could he pass up the chance of stealing while on duty?" She didn't even bother to conceal her jealousy.

Xue Lingjun and Yan Dongqing sat side by side on the viewing stand; although they also thought the newlyweds' black-and-white attire somewhat inauspicious, they both felt the scene before them was beautiful and romantic—if the female lead were replaced by them, they would surely be blissfully happy. Though they were not today's protagonists, they both felt their hearts race and limbs tremble; the scene was so lovely it aroused envy.

The Prince of Shajia, He'erdan, opened his mouth wide and murmured, "Peerless beauty in the world... peerless beauty..." Mengya's gaze, however, fixed on Zhao Wusheng among the groomsmen; she swooned, clasping her hands together against her chin: "Brother Zhao, so handsome..." She secretly thought, when my own wedding day comes, I too want to dress like Princess Yingyue.

Six boys and girls stood behind Long Xi Yue holding up her wedding gown; Hu Xiaotian smiled as he approached Long Xi Yue. When they saw each other, their gazes merged and could not be separated.

Hu Xiaotian handed the bouquet in his hand to Long Xi Yue and whispered softly: "Xi Yue, you are so beautiful!"

Long Xi Yue smiled sweetly, bashful to the extreme, causing the bouquet in her hand to lose its color; her heart brimmed with happiness and excitement. Having endured countless hardships to come together, only they knew the sweetness and bitterness of it. Long Xi Yue reached out her hand, and Hu Xiaotian clasped her delicate hand in his palm.

In an instant the crowd roared with joy, blessings ringing without cease; the bridesmaids on either side scattered flower petals toward the newlyweds. Hu Xiaotian laughed heartily, spread his arms and lifted Long Xi Yue horizontally, then, amidst the blessings, strode boldly toward the wedding venue.

Qiqi felt a salty sting at the corner of her mouth; she actually bit her lip until it bled. Beside her, Quan De'an cautiously said: "Your Highness, shall we go to the scene to have a look?"

"Go! Why not?"

The wedding was held on the lawn before the small chapel, officiated by Dakang's Minister of Rites Wu Jing-shan; every segment was personally designed by Hu Xiaotian. As for why Wu Jing-shan was chosen, this Minister of Rites knows full well that, in a sense, he can be considered a witness to the feelings between Hu Xiaotian and Long Xi Yue. When escorting Princess Anping to Yongdu for her marriage, who would have thought that Hu Xiaotian, right under his very nose, staged a "hide-the-heaven" ploy; even now, looking back, he still feels a lingering fear. Moreover, after presiding over this wedding he will surely be caught between a rock and a hard place—perhaps the Yongyang Princess will vent all her anger on him.

However, Hu Xiaotian had already made arrangements for him, and Wu Jing-shan had prepared himself; after this, he would remain in Hu Xiaotian's domain to spend his twilight years, and under no circumstances would he return to live in fear and anxiety.

The wedding vows were all drafted in advance by Hu Xiaotian; when Wu Jing-shan recited them, they flowed smoothly—these vows, already turned into clichés in the previous world, moved many maidens present to tears.

Everyone heard clearly; when Wu Jing-shan asked Hu Xiaotian whether he was willing, he spoke Long Xi Yue's name. Hu Xiaotian unhesitatingly declared loudly, "I am willing!" This amounted to announcing to the world Long Xi Yue's identity—Princess Yingyue is Long Xi Yue, and Long Xi Yue is the former Princess Anping. Now Hu Xiaotian fears no one who would challenge him; having sworn to wed Long Xi Yue openly and honorably, he naturally has no fear of acknowledging her identity before all.

"Long Xi Yue, are you willing to marry Hu Xiaotian as your wife?" Wu Jing-shan asked for the second time.

Long Xi Yue gazed at Hu Xiaotian and nodded firmly; happy tears streamed forth.

Hu Xiaotian reminded her: "You have to say it out loud for it to count!"

Long Xi Yue nodded and said: "I am willing, I am willing to love you with my life!" How could she not be willing? How could she not? They had endured so much hardship and paid such a price to come together; she had waited this long precisely for this moment. Before everyone, she let go of her reserve and flung herself into Hu Xiaotian's embrace.

Hu Xiaotian held her close, warm jade and fragrant scent filling his arms; he bent down and, before the assembled crowd, bestowed upon Long Xi Yue a lingering, tender French kiss.

Please cast your guaranteed monthly ticket—after all, it's the first day of the month, so everyone, just vote for Zhangyu!

(To be continued~^~)