For the first time in the entire empire , a marriage takes place without the groom. It is my own marriage, not anyone else's. I went to the wedding hall nervously. It was further enhanced by the murmuring of the guests present.
"Who would have thought that General Ying would marry a girl who grew up in a village with no status."
''I don't think she will live much longer. ''
''She had the courage to take the place of the second princess Cheng Yue. ''
I plucked up the courage and went Infront of the father duke, ignoring the whispers.
"The third daughter Xiao Hua greets , Duke Xiao " I said with courtesy.
Then, without saying a single word, the father nodded and went towards the guests. On the day of his daughter's marriage, every father shows the pain of losing his daughter, either verbally or on his face. I did not feel any such emotion from his face towards me, a daughter born of his blood. On the one hand, the Xiao family is not only get rid of me, but because of this, they can be recognized as a well known noble family of whole empire.
"Congratulations from me to you" said Xiao Xi who came to me with a mocking smile.
Then I looked at her with a slight smile.
"Don't be too happy. That smile of yours will not last long. Because Princess Cheng Yue is angry that you took General Ying from her. I will wait to see how you will be insulted in the future.'' she whispered.
At that moment, I was looking at her as if dumbfounded. From the beginning, where I am today was reserved for her or Xiao Yan. But I married General Ying for them without my consent. Is it fair for them to insult me like this instead of thanking me for it?
Then at the end of the ceremony, when I came out of the Xiao mansion, no member of the Xiao family even came to see me off. I thought it was foolish of me to even expect such a thing from them.
In the same way, I understood General Ying's concern for me that day. The cart of the Ying mansion was sent with one soldier and it looked like it was carrying a dead person.
Seeing that, Ai Li was angry, and said "My lady, isn't General Ying too much?" Who does he think you are?''
"Shhhhhh.. Ai Li , we are not going to a royal palace. Maybe we will have to live a more difficult life there than we were in Xiao Mansion. So get used to thinking twice about everything you say and do. Do you understand?'' I cautioned her.
Then she shook her head .
''How can I expect respect from another family when I have not received any respect even from my own family?" I thought myself.
"No matter what, we should thank General Ying for allowing you to come to the Ying Mansion with me, shouldn't we?" I asked.
''Hmmm. My lady, no matter what happens to you, I will always be with you.'' she said cutely.
After about three hours, the carriage arrived at the Ying Mansion and it was already dusk. The Ying mansion was located in a free area some distance from the palace and it was almost impossible to find another mansion nearby.
Alighting from the cart with the help of Ai Li, I saw a large gate made of black iron. Although the Ying mansion was a general's mansion, it looked like a place full of mystery.
As we were going towards the entrance, the two guards in front opened the gate and a knight dressed in black came in front of us and greeted.
He was a fair-skinned knight and greeted us with a beaming smile. I knew right away that he couldn't be Yin Yuan from the way he greeted me.
''Welcome young lady Xiao to the Ying mansion. I am Tan Zhou, the knight in command of General Ying's army.'' He said politely.
I nodded to him and entered the mansion and he guided me around the mansion.
Seeing me looking around in wondered, Tan Zhou asked ''young lady Xiao must have wondered why this mansion is so dark.''
When I looked at him in shock that he guessed exactly what was in my mind, he smiled brightly and said, "General Ying is often on the battlefield for months at a time. No maid is allowed to enter the mansion. That's why the mansion looks a little deserted.''
"I don't think the Ying mansion will be deserted like this from now on because of the young lady Xiao," he said teasingly.
On the way, my eyes caught sight of a large white lotus flower pond. When I saw that pond, I felt a strange feeling. It felt as if I had connection with these white lotus flowers.
''This is General Ying's favorite flower. He forbade anyone to do anything to this pond.'' He said seeing me looking at the pond.
"Favorite flower?" I asked.
''If there was anything General Ying liked since he was a child, it was only white lotus flowers. '' he replied.
"Apparently all the rumors about General Ying are false," I thought.
Walked past the pond along a fallen footpath and stopped at a rather large room.
'' This ?'' I asked.
'' This is the lotus room. From today the young lady Xiao lives in this room.'' He said opening the door.
"Thank you for showing me around the mansion," I said before entering the room.
"It is something that I have to fulfill. Young lady, you must have heard a lot of rumors about General Ying. But none of it is true. I hope you take good care of him. Because he suffered a lot since childhood without telling anyone. I hope you don't discriminate against him like the others.'' he said seriously.
After he left, many questions arose in my mind.
"Who are the people who can discriminate against such a powerful person?"
"Even though he has everything, what does he have that he can't tell anyone about?"
"Why does he live alone even though he has a family?"
"Is he very different from what I have heard about him?"