Luo Wuyan had originally only hoped to use her achievements to offset her past crimes. She never expected such an unexpected windfall, and immediately spoke up without a shred of hesitation.
“This subject wishes to wed Shen Youran. I hope for Imperial Sister’s gracious permission.”
Under normal circumstances, once a Marriage Decree was issued by the Sovereign, all subsequent protocols were handled by the Ministry of Rites and the Director of the Imperial Bureau of Astronomy. They would simply select an auspicious date for the wedding to take place.
However, Imperial Sister’s previous decree had only mentioned that Sister Youran was to be granted to her as her Princess Consort; it hadn’t mentioned anything else.
With the Crime of Deceiving the Sovereign hanging over her head from before, Luo Wuyan didn’t dare take matters into her own hands. She had planned to wait until she and Sister Youran had cultivated their feelings further before finding an opportunity to beg her sister for a wedding date.
But now that the Empress had asked, why should she be polite?
As for their feelings, they could be nurtured slowly.
Since Sister Youran fell for me in our past life, it shouldn’t be a problem this time around either, right? Luo Wuyan thought, feeling a hint of uncertainty.
Even if Youran didn’t love her, it didn’t matter—as long as she continued to love her. Youran was a fox spirit; the constraints of human marriage didn’t mean much to her. If, in the future, she truly grew to dislike staying… Youran could simply leave.
She remembered that in her previous life, Sister Youran had mentioned that her Concubine Mother came from Yousu. After Luo Wuyan had ascended the throne, she had sent out a massive number of people to search for that place. Just as the search was showing promise, Sister Youran’s body…
In her past life, until the very end, she had never been able to take Sister Youran back to her mother’s homeland. This time, having been reborn, she had already dispatched people to follow the clues from her previous life to continue the search.
Regardless of whether Sister Youran still loved her, she intended to fulfill the promise she had failed to keep in her past life. Even if she were the only one who remembered it.
As these thoughts surfaced, a flicker of indescribable pain clouded Luo Wuyan’s eyes. But then she remembered that Sister Youran was still alive and well, and her heart eased slightly.
As long as she is alive, it is enough…
After convincing herself, Luo Wuyan fixed her gaze on Luo Wushuang, waiting expectantly for her Imperial Sister to grant her request.
Hmm? Why hasn’t she responded yet?
The marriage was already decreed; surely her sister wouldn’t block the wedding now?
“Imperial Sister?” Luo Wuyan peeked at the Empress’s expression and spoke up cautiously.
Luo Wushuang lowered her eyes, glancing at Luo Wuyan before saying indifferently, “There is no rush for this.”
Luo Wuyan froze, nearly unable to stop herself from arguing on the spot.
No rush? Who says there’s no rush? I’m worried sick!
What was her sister playing at? She asked what reward I wanted, and when I asked, she refused to give it? Why even ask?
Was she just messing with her?
How annoying! Why didn’t I realize my sister was this infuriating before?
If Master Yujing hadn’t warned her that Dragon Qi harmed fox spirits, she might have been tempted to start another rebellion. Remembering the Master’s instructions before her rebirth, Luo Wuyan kept reminding herself: Endure. Just endure a little longer… I must endure!
This was the Empress, the Supreme Sovereign. She herself was to be a mere Prince. For Sister Youran’s sake, she couldn’t afford to let even a shred of Dragon Qi touch her this time.
Of course, she had to admit that her success in her previous life wasn’t due to her own great skill. It was because after Lady Shangguan had been poisoned, the Empress had lost her will to live. In this life, the Empress and Lady Shangguan were living in perfect harmony. With the two of them being so affectionate, she probably wouldn’t stand a chance even if she did try to rebel…
Wait, that’s not right.
Marital harmony? Between her sister and Lady Shangguan?
She remembered things being quite different at this point in her past life. Back then, their relationship should still have been extremely tense. Specifically, every time she saw her Imperial Sister, the Empress was either nursing a facial wound or covered in bruises.
So, where exactly did things go wrong?
Luo Wuyan’s mind was in a jumble, but she didn’t dare consider the possibility that someone else had also been reborn. She simply assumed that her own rebirth had caused certain events to deviate from their original path.
It was just that… the way Lady Shangguan and her sister interacted in this life… wasn’t it a bit too harmonious?
As Luo Wuyan was lost in thought, Luo Wushuang toyed with the white jade thumb ring on her hand and spoke.
“Other than that, is there anything else Prince An desires?”
Looking at her sister’s expressionless face, Luo Wuyan spoke again with utmost sincerity.
“This subject’s heart belongs to Shen Youran. I wish to marry as soon as possible. I beg Imperial Sister to grant this wish.”
Meeting Luo Wuyan’s earnest gaze, Luo Wushuang’s expression remained unchanged. Her eyes swept over Luo Wuyan’s kneeling form and landed on a vase on the desk.
White petals, tender yellow stamens—these were the lilies her sister had personally replaced this morning. From where she sat, she could only catch a faint, subtle fragrance.
Luo Wushuang rose and walked forward slowly, her fingers lightly brushing the delicate lily petals. It felt as though she were touching her sister’s own soft, boneless hand.
With her back to Luo Wuyan, a faint, indiscernible smile played at the corners of Luo Wushuang’s mouth. Her voice remained flat as she spoke.
“The Empress Consort and I shall hold our Grand Wedding on the sixteenth day of the seventh month. It will be proclaimed to the world shortly.”
Imperial Sister is getting married?
Luo Wuyan was stunned, then realization dawned on her.
Since the Empress hadn’t had her Grand Wedding yet, could it be that she didn’t want her younger sibling to marry before her? When her sister heard that she wanted to marry, she probably got jealous and petty, which was why she refused to agree.
To test her theory, Luo Wuyan spoke tentatively.
“Then might this subject share in Imperial Sister’s auspicious joy and wed on the eighteenth day of the same month?”
Luo Wushuang glanced at Luo Wuyan—who was proving to be somewhat tactful—and said simply, “As you wish.”
Fine. It’s confirmed. This black-hearted sister of mine was just jealous.
This… this was too shameless! She couldn’t get married yet, so she wouldn’t let anyone else do it either. Luo Wuyan felt helpless, but she knew all too well that this was exactly the kind of cold-hearted thing her sister would do.
However, having secured a definite word from the Empress, Luo Wuyan breathed a massive sigh of relief.
Sister Youran and I will be married soon. That’s wonderful!
With the weight lifted from her heart, the longing she had been suppressing surged back. Seeing the Empress looking rather distracted herself, Luo Wuyan thoughtfully requested to withdraw.
Luo Wushuang glanced at her and parted her crimson lips to utter a single word: “Granted.”
Having received permission, Luo Wuyan felt as if she had been given a divine pardon. She bolted out of the palace and headed straight for the Prince’s Manor.
She remembered Master Yujing saying that after Sister Youran was reborn, her spirit might be unstable and would require plenty of Kingly Aura to recover. As a walking vessel of Kingly Aura, staying close to her was the most beneficial thing for the recovery of Youran’s demon body.
That had been her primary goal when she first asked for the marriage decree. Who could have known that her sister would suddenly go crazy and send her to the south to manage some flood?
She had been away for so long now. She wondered how Sister Youran was doing back at the manor.
The more she worried, the faster she whipped her horse. After a series of loud whinnies, the horse galloped joyfully toward the Prince’s Manor.
[The Horse: I have to gallop joyfully! This unlucky brat is really whipping me!]
