Chapter 113: Urgent Summon

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Three days flew by. In the blink of an eye, it was Chu Xianmin’s wedding day.

With the exception of her own residence, the rest of the Chu family did not have any decorations to commemorate the festive occasion.

In the past, whenever there was a wedding ceremony in the house, the servants were always eager to rush to work. On the one hand, they wanted to leave a good impression on the master. On the other hand, they wanted to earn more money.

However, Chu Xianmin’s courtyard was deserted. Only those who usually worked here were busy. If it wasn’t inevitable, they wouldn’t want to be here either.

The news had spread throughout the whole household—this time, Chu Xianmin was getting married to the Crown Prince as a concubine. It was really humiliating!

For this reason, First Elder didn’t even prepare a dowry for her. This was proof that this marriage wasn’t a joyous occasion.

A few servants whispered as they were packing Chu Xianmin’s belongings. “I thought Third Missy would become the Crown Princess when she married the Crown Prince. Who would have expected her to be his concubine! How will this look on the Chu family?”

“Exactly! Life in the Chu family hasn’t been easy for the past few years, and now the trueborn lady is marrying to be someone’s concubine. What a joke! Third Missy used to be so glamorous, but now she’s the whole city’s laughingstock!”

“Who can she blame? She’s disfigured, and she can’t go anywhere without wearing a veil. Besides, her reputation was ruined long ago. Even if she wanted to, nobody would want to marry her! She has nowhere to go other than Crown Prince Mansion.”

“Shush! She’s coming out!”

The door opened, and Chu Xianmin came out—helped by one of the ladies. All the servants in the courtyard shut up immediately, but their eyes constantly scrutinized Chu Xianmin.

She wore a red wedding dress with a veil covering her face. However, she didn’t wear a phoenix coronet on her head. Instead, there was only a jade hairpin with gold trimmings in her hair.

It wasn’t because she didn’t want to dress up for the occasion. It was due to a rule.

The phoenix coronet and the scarf over the bride’s ceremonial robe were reserved for first wives. She was marrying the prince as his concubine. As such, everything about her wedding must be kept simple.

The courtyard was deserted when Chu Xianmin walked out of her room. Except for her usual servants, no one came to congratulate her!

Well, it’s better this way. They would just come and mock me anyway. Chu Xianmin gritted her teeth, and her nails dug deep into her palms. Only then did she manage to suppress the anger and grievances inside her.

“It’s so quiet. I don’t hear any gongs or drums. The Crown Prince isn’t here yet?” Chu Xianmin asked, holding back her anger.

Those people at Crown Prince Mansion are too much! In the past, they would suck up to me. However, they are neglecting me on my wedding day just because I’m in dire straits!

The crowd exchanged looks among themselves.

Lu Yao, who stood beside her, looked stiff. She had forgotten to tell Minmin that the Crown Prince need not be here to receive her in person.

Someone approached them quickly at this moment.

“Aren’t you packed already? Why aren’t we leaving? The palanquin is waiting outside. Third Missy, please hurry!”

Chu Xianmin thought the man looked familiar. He was only an ordinary guard who used to bow and nod to her. However, he dared to speak to her in such a disrespectful manner now!

This wasn’t it. The most important thing…

“W-what do you mean? His Highness isn’t coming?” Chu Xianmin stared at him.

Lu Yao pulled her aside and whispered, “Minmin, according to the rules, this is correct…

Chu Xianmin finally came to her senses. The Crown Prince isn’t even here to receive me on my so-called ‘wedding day.’ Instead, he simply sent a random person over!

That guard broke into a sarcastic smile. “Third Missy, His Highness is a very busy man. He doesn’t have the time for such trivial matters.”

Trivial matter? This is the most important thing in a woman’s life. He actually said this is a trivial matter! Chu Xianmin had imagined marrying into Crown Prince Mansion countless times. It should have been a grand event with a flurry of flowers, not as crude and disgusting as it was!

It was at this moment that she came to her senses and realized she was a concubine!

Chu Xianmin didn’t know how she had endured the waves of emotions inside her or how she had gotten into the palanquin outside the gate.

She only came to her senses when she finally arrived at Crown Prince Mansion.

She lifted the side curtain to look out. The gates to Crown Prince Mansion were shut. It didn’t look like a wedding was going on at all.

Yes.

She could only enter via the side entrance.

A strong sense of humiliation welled up inside her!

Chu Xianmin had been the most beautiful girl since the day she was born. She had been the envy of everyone for so many years, but she had never been so lowly! Her hatred for Chu Liuyue increased.

A servant led her to a courtyard at the back of Crown Prince Mansion. “Ting Feng Court will be your residence from now on. His Highness is occupied with other matters for the day and won’t be able to come. You can wait for him here.” With that, the man, who showed her around, left.

Chu Xianmin glanced at her surroundings. A few girls and a pageboy were outside, presumably sent to wait on her. She felt suffocated and couldn’t care less about them.

There was only one way left for her. No matter what, she had to win the Crown Prince’s favor!

…

Chu Xianmin waited for the whole day. It wasn’t until nightfall that the courtyard suddenly became lively.

“His Highness, The Crown Prince!”

Chu Xianmin got up in a hurry upon hearing this.

Rong Jin had already opened the door and entered.

“Your Highness, you’re finally here.”

After the previous incident, Rong Jin had been displeased with Chu Xianmin. If his father hadn’t pressured him into marrying her, he didn’t even want to see her at all. As such, he had kept himself occupied during the day and delayed coming here until nightfall.

The second he walked through the door, he saw a familiar silhouette.

Chu Xianmin looked pretty in her red wedding dress as she stood waiting.

The warm and dim candlelight in the room cast a hazy glow around her, giving her a rare charm. Although she wasn’t dressed to the nines, the cutting of her wedding dress enhanced the curves of her slender and exquisite figure, making her waist look wholesome.

Rong Jin examined her with narrowed eyes.

Other things aside, Chu Xianmin was indeed beautiful. The red veil hid her face, only revealing a pair of timid eyes that was particularly attractive.

Rong Jin approached her. His voice sounded gentler. “There’s too much going on today, so I haven’t been able to get away. That’s why I’m late. Minmin, you won’t blame me, will you?”

“How could I? Your Highness remembers me even though you have more important things to deal with. I am already very happy, ” Chu Xianmin said with a smile. However, tears filled her eyes, making her look extremely pitiful.

It pained Rong Jin to see her like this. He reached out and caressed her shoulder. Then, he suddenly moved and pulled her veil away. “Minmin…”

Chu Xianmin never expected him to be so direct. She had a bad feeling, and she tried to stop him immediately. Alas, it was already too late.

Rong Jin had already seen the horrible, red scar along her cheek!

“Y-You… Your face…” He backed away quickly as though he had seen something terrifying. The moment of intimacy from earlier had vanished!

Chu Xianmin felt like he had slapped her across her cheek. She pulled her veil back in place in a panic. When she was about to defend herself, she heard Song Yuan’s urgent voice coming from outside.

“Your Highness! There’s been an urgent summon from His Majesty!”