"So soon?" Li Yue Shu asked in surprise.
A wedding usually required at least half a year of preparation, right?
Qin Mo Yuan pouted aggrievedly, "I actually wanted to get married next month."
Li Yue Shu: "..."
What Qin Mo Yuan didn't say was that he had already started preparing the very first day he returned to Chong Zhou.
Doctor Meng agreed to Qin Mo Yuan's proposal, and the imperial decree of marriage from the emperor also spread throughout Chong Zhou the next day.
It was only then that the General of Zhen Bei couple, who had not appeared, finally showed up.
However, facing Li Yue Shu, both of them remained very reserved.
Finally, it was Doctor Meng Hong Qu who broke the silence, "That... is the Regent treating you well?"
Li Yue Shu turned to look, seemingly not understanding the implication of her question.
Meng Hong Qu felt a bit awkward and quickly added, "The Gu family will always be your backing. Even if he is a Prince, you don't have to wrong yourself."
Although the words were a bit stiff, the concern in her tone was genuine.
Li Yue Shu didn't find it awkward, she simply nodded faintly, "He treats me very well. Otherwise, I wouldn't have agreed to marry him."
She hadn't had any expectations of the Gu family from the beginning, so she wouldn't be disappointed. It was just that Doctor Meng and Gu He Xuan were unexpected pleasant surprises.
After this day, the General of Zhen Bei couple would occasionally visit, but their relationship with Li Yue Shu remained neither close nor distant.
Li Xiang Ru also came twice, but Li Yue Shu refused to see her both times.
She was now calmly awaiting her wedding and had no energy to deal with unimportant people.
Three months passed in the blink of an eye.
Something else happened during these three months.
Pang Shan Du Wang was jointly killed by Chai Yang Xing He. His body was thrown into a mass grave but was collected by Ji Mo Bai, whose whereabouts were always elusive.
Ji Mo Bai's feelings towards Pang Shan Du Wang were complex.
He hated Pang Shan Du Wang for killing his family and tormenting him for so many years. Yet, through their close proximity over the years, a father-son affection had unknowingly developed.
However, Ji Mo Bai, with his kind heart, did not wish to associate with him and fled, becoming a renowned physician who traveled the world, healing the sick.
With Pang Shan Du Wang's death, Ji Mo Bai seemed to have lost his desire to wander.
Li Yue Shu took the opportunity to ask him to stay at Heng De Pharmacy. With Man Xing also persuading him, he agreed to stay.
The next day, Man Xing excitedly went to find Shen Ting Yi...
In the blink of an eye, the wedding of Li Yue Shu and Qin Mo Yuan arrived.
On this day, the entire Chong Zhou was abuzz with excitement.
According to many recollections, the palanquin for the groom had already carried the bride out, yet the procession carrying the betrothal gifts had not even finished leaving the Regent's mansion.
Many people said that the grand procession for the Regent's wedding was even more elaborate than the coronation ceremony for an Empress.
Li Yue Shu was married from Chun Yang Street, but the Gu family members were all present.
It was on this day that everyone learned that the Regent was marrying the true daughter of the Gu family, and that the Crown Princess was merely an imposter.
In an instant, Li Xiang Ru gained much notoriety, and even Qin Ye Xiu suffered as a consequence.
Li Yue Shu was completely unaware and indifferent to all of this.
She sat demurely on the bridal bed, waiting for the groom to arrive.
But beneath the red veil, she was ravenously eating after a day of fasting.
Thanks again to the existence of the spatial dimension!
On their wedding night, Qin Mo Yuan naturally wouldn't let the bride he had finally managed to pursue wait any longer, and returned to the bridal chamber early.
He lifted the veil, they drank the nuptial wine.
Their eyes met, filled with a thick, ambiguous affection.
"Ah Shu, you are finally my wife."
Qin Mo Yuan's eyes were filled with an unyielding affection as he slowly leaned in to kiss the red lips before him.
...
Having lived in Ru Mo Ju for so long, Li Yue Shu was already accustomed to life in the Prince's mansion. Now, her identity upon moving in had changed.
According to custom, Qin Mo Yuan had to take Li Yue Shu to the palace the next day to meet the emperor and, incidentally, check if the emperor's poison had been cleared.
The emperor's health had greatly improved, and he could still serve for another decade or more.
However, after leaving the imperial palace, Li Yue Shu finally voiced the words that had been weighing on her heart.
It was the warning Concubine Rong had given her before her death.
"This is information obtained by Chi Yun Lou. Concubine Rong was schemed against back then to be with the Emperor... but in reality, only Concubine Rong was affected. The Emperor was lucid."
Chi Yun Lou had also uncovered many other things, but Li Yue Shu didn't know how to begin, so she handed over the documents.
But Qin Mo Yuan didn't reach out to take them.
He looked at the envelope before him and sighed softly, "I know all of it..."
Li Yue Shu was surprised.
Qin Mo Yuan's face was filled with bitterness, "To support my elder brother's ascension, I poured immense effort into Chong Zhou. Even my elder brother doesn't know how deeply I had established my roots here."
Therefore, it was as easy as a flick of his wrist to find out what had happened in Chong Zhou.
Qin Mo Yuan's voice was low, "I also know that the assassin who forced me to disguise myself as Shen Wei and leave Chong Zhou was also someone from my elder brother's faction."
That was why all the guards he left to protect his elder brother had died, yet his elder brother remained unharmed.
"I also know that his prolonged refusal to acknowledge my death and his refusal to disband the Hu Yuan Army all these years were actually to keep this army of over eight hundred thousand men under his control."
Li Yue Shu hadn't expected him to know everything. A dense ache bloomed in her heart.
Because he cared, he had to pretend ignorance even when he knew the truth. How much pain must he have endured!
Li Yue Shu reached out and hugged him, offering silent comfort.
Qin Mo Yuan buried his face in her neck, his voice muffled, "My elder brother was truly good to me in the past. To protect me, he would even risk his own life. His words about sharing the empire with me when he ascended the throne were also true..."
It was just that wealth and power easily clouded judgment. At some point, the birthday gifts his elder brother gave him became less thoughtful, and his suspicion and apprehension towards him grew.
But he also knew that his elder brother had feelings for him, so even knowing the truth, he couldn't fall out with him.
Qin Mo Yuan didn't say many things aloud, but Li Yue Shu understood them all.
She patted Qin Mo Yuan's back with a pained heart, as if comforting A Yu, "A Yuan, let's leave Chong Zhou after some time."
Qin Mo Yuan looked up, his face full of surprise.
Li Yue Shu smiled, "We'll keep an eye on A Min's affairs. We won't get involved. If he truly needs us, then we'll step in."
"A Wen and A Yi have their own goals, and A Yu also loves running around the Hu Yuan Army. The children all have their own paths to growth. We should also live the life we want to live."
"I want to open Heng De Pharmacy and Liu Xian Wine House all over the world. Are you willing to accompany me to investigate everywhere?"
Qin Mo Yuan wasn't foolish. He knew that what Ah Shu said about accompanying him to investigate everywhere was actually her accompanying him away from the vortex of Chong Zhou.
Qin Mo Yuan's eyes welled up with emotion. He pulled Li Yue Shu into his embrace, "Wherever Ah Shu goes, I will go."
...
The two of them planned to leave and intended to find a suitable opportunity to inform the people in the Prince's mansion, without telling anyone else.
Neither of them expected that before they could even speak, Consort Lan and the Second Prince would rebel.