"Do you truly intend to force me into marriage with Prince Lin?"
In the courtyard of the General Residence, Chu Baihan, being pushed and shoved by two elderly nannies, turned her head and loudly questioned Su Yuan.
Her eyes slightly red, her delicate face was full of indignation, wearing a crinkled wedding gown she had been forced into, with shocking scars on her neck and the backs of her hands.
Not far away, Su Yuan's eyes flickered as he spoke softly, "You should give up on your engagement with this princely heir. You have grown up on a farm since you were a child, and the Princess Consort Residence requires a daughter-in-law who is literate, mannered, and intelligent--you...are not suitable."
"I'm not suitable, so you think Chu You is?" Chu Baihan sneered coldly, feeling the irony deep within her heart.
She was the legitimate daughter of the General Residence, but when she was eight, her mother suddenly fell ill and died within half a month.
The day after her mother died, she, nearing the age of eight, was sent to a farm in Jiangnan.
And that departure lasted for eleven years.
The reason she had returned now was that, a few days earlier, Su Yuan had written to her, mentioning the marriage agreement between their families made when they were children, hoping she would come back to marry. Every word in the letter seemed so sincere.
Little did she expect, just after her return, to be forcibly dressed in wedding attire.
The man she was to marry was not Su Yuan, but the violent Eighth Prince Lin!
And from what she heard from the servants in the residence, Su Yuan and her half-sister Chu You had already pledged themselves to each other for life.
She had become a complete and utter joke!
"This is the Emperor's decree. Besides, marrying into Prince Lin's household as his Princess Consort is an elevation for you, why can't you understand that?" Su Yuan's expression darkened, his voice filled with impatience.
Upon hearing this, Chu Baihan held her head up and laughed scornfully.
"Su Yuan, do I need to remind you? It is Chu You who the Emperor appointed to marry Prince Lin; she is the one meant to wed him today!"
"You…"
"Furthermore, do you truly think I know nothing? Prince Lin was ambushed on the battlefield at the beginning of the year, and he was blinded. Since then, his temperament has grown increasingly violent, and nearly all who approach him end up decapitated. You can't bear to let Chu You die, so you want me to take her place and meet death, don't you?" Chu Baihan mercilessly exposed his malicious intent.
Su Yuan's face collapsed, his gaze flickering with annoyance.
He had not expected Chu Baihan to know about Prince Lin's situation.
"If you are unwilling to ascend the bridal sedan today, then I cannot guarantee the life of your maidservant," he began to threaten her after the soft approach failed.
"What are you going to do to Nan Xing?" Chu Baihan clenched her fists tightly, her heart still panicked.
Nan Xing was the daughter of her wet nurse; following the deaths of her mother and nurse, Nan Xing was the only one who stayed by her side.
Nan Xing returned to the capital with her, but after entering the General Residence, she was taken away by someone.
"If you obey, she can live. Otherwise…" Su Yuan sneered.
Hatred roiled in Chu Baihan's eyes, a beauty mark at the corner adding a crimson touch.
After a prolonged silence, she deflated and said in defeat, "I will marry. However, I have a few words I want to speak with you before I get onto the bridal sedan."
She slowly lifted her gaze, the hatred in her doe-like eyes receding, leaving behind only a plea.
She was exceptionally beautiful, possessing the dignified air of the capital's ladies and the tender charm of the ladies of Jiangnan. Being thus looked at, Su Yuan was momentarily distracted, his defenses lowering.
He walked over, his tone also softening, "Prince Lin is but a cripple; he will not harm you. If you can monitor him for this princely heir, I will not let you come to want."
Monitor Prince Lin's household?
Chu Baihan was momentarily stunned, then quickly understood.
Su Yuan, the Chu Residence, they were all aligned with the Crown Prince!
Before his misfortune, Yan Lin had been the most likely to contend with the Crown Prince for the throne. Although he was now disabled, it was vital not to let down one's guard.
Did they really intend to use her as a pawn, to utterly destroy Yan Lin?
There was silence for a while before Chu Baihan smiled faintly, "Fine, I am someone who considers past favors, Princely Heir. If you have a request, I should fulfill it for you..."
"I knew it, you are a sensible person," Su Yuan rejoiced in his heart and was about to reach out to touch her face.
Who would have known that the next moment, Chu Baihan's eyes turned fierce, and she swiftly removed a sharp hairpin from her hair, thrusting it into his neck.
"There has never been true feelings between us, how could I possibly consider past favors? I wish I could take your damn life!"
As the hairpin pierced in, Chu Baihan spoke harshly.
Su Yuan winced in pain, forcefully shook off her hand, and then viciously slapped her.
After being slapped, Chu Baihan's forehead knocked against the stone table beside her, blood gushing out and seeping into her eyes.
But she seemed indifferent, covering the swollen half of her face, she turned around and coldly watched Su Yuan stagger backward.
The servants rushed over, "Princely Heir, are you alright? Quickly, call for the house doctor!"
Watching their frantic actions, she finally felt a bit of satisfaction inside.
"It's just too bad that this scum cannot die yet," she murmured softly.
Indeed, Su Yuan could not die.
She knew human pressure points too well, the stab she gave would only cause Su Yuan a lot of pain, but it was not fatal.
As for why she didn't take his life...
This was the General Residence; she reckoned her dear father was watching from the shadows at this moment.
Nan Xing was in their hands; if Su Yuan died, both she and Nan Xing wouldn't survive either.
"Kill this bitch!" Su Yuan bellowed.
But just at that moment, a servant hurried in to report, "Princely Heir, the bridal sedan chair from the Prince Residence has arrived."
"Su Yuan, if you kill me now, then no one will be able to take your beloved's place in her wedding," Chu Baihan sneered coldly as she glared at Su Yuan, her words dripping with sarcasm.
Turning around, she straightened her back and walked step by step toward the door.
Just as she was about to step over the threshold, she spoke loudly with her back to the courtyard, "Father, I know you are watching from the shadows. From this moment forward, I will be the Princess Consort of Yan Lin. I may not have many talents, but causing a ruckus and being a burden to the family are easy for me. So, take good care of Nan Xing, or the whole Chu Residence will suffer!"
...
Walking out alone, Chu Baihan saw that those who came to fetch the bride brought only a shabby little sedan chair and a few servants with impatient looks.
She understood then; Yan Lin also detested this marriage.
However, she did not complain but quietly sat in the sedan chair.
She no longer had a way back; even if the Prince Residence was a den of dragons and tigers, she had to face it.
And just like that, she was silently carried into Yan Lin's residence.
There was no welcoming party, nor was there a wedding ceremony; she was simply thrown into a dark little room.
"Princess Consort, the Noble Consort has said that the women of the Chu Family are of meager fortune, and it would be unfavorable for you to meet the Prince. You should meditate in this room and pray for the Prince's blessings. Once you have amassed enough fortune, then you may come out," the servant girl from the Prince Residence said mockingly through the door.
Chu Baihan's heart sank slightly; it seemed her "mother-in-law" also disliked her greatly.
Well, she thought, we'll take it one step at a time.
The room was pitch black; she needed to light it up first.
Groping around the room, after much struggle, she finally found flint and an oil lamp.
But the moment she lit the oil lamp, she screamed in shock...