Chapter 3: Bride, I’m Taking You Away

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Shen Ruo Jin and the other ladies of the Marquis’s household sat in the hall discussing how much dowry to add. Qin Lang had yet to appear, but his voice was heard first. It was even more arrogant and unrestrained than the rumors had suggested.

“The Young Prince speaks in jest. It would be most inauspicious on such a joyous day. Please wait here a moment, Young Prince. I shall have the bride brought out at once. Even if she must be carried, I will arrange for her to be carried to you!”

Mu Gaoyuan was unable to stop or persuade him, sweating profusely in distress. He had no choice but to raise his voice so the ladies inside the hall could hear, urging them to quickly coax Shen Ruo Jin to board the bridal sedan chair to the North Protector Prince’s mansion, thereby helping the Marquis’s household avert this catastrophe.

Qin Lang smiled, “No need to trouble Marquis Linyang. Guards, take your orders: bring the bride out to me.”

“Yes, sir!” The guards responded promptly and rushed toward the rear courtyard.

The ladies of the Marquis’s household turned pale upon hearing this, whispering anxiously, “What shall we do now?”

Mu Yunwei was not even in the mansion today; her supposed illness was merely an excuse. If this matter were to be blown up, the Marquis Linyang household would lose all standing in the capital.

Madam Mu, the matriarch, was so furious she nearly ground her teeth to pieces. “Grandmother will add double the dowry, even triple if need be! Ruo Jin, there’s no time to waste—quickly don the red veil and board the bridal sedan!”

However, Qin Lang’s search of the Marquis’s household and the public exposure of this affair suited Shen Ruo Jin perfectly.

A runaway marriage was a runaway marriage—there was no need to claim illness and refuse to stand before the altar.

If they did not tear off the Marquis’s household’s veil of shame today and lay everything bare, if Mu Yunwei changed her mind later, she might turn the tables and accuse her elder sister of stealing her fiancé.

Shen Ruo Jin had no intention of going out to stop this. Calm and composed, she leisurely said, “It’s not that I distrust Madam Matriarch; it’s just that words without proof are empty.”

Madam Mu was so enraged she nearly spat blood. Before she could respond, the guards who had been sent to “fetch” the bride returned, reporting at the door:

“Your Highness, no one is in the rear courtyard.”

“No one in the rear garden.”

“No one in the wood shed.”

“No one in the latrine either!”

“……”

Madam Mu cursed Shen Ruo Jin silently eighteen times in her heart, but outwardly maintained a kindly appearance. “Open my private treasury and add to your dowry immediately, so you may take it all away today. Will that do?”

Shen Ruo Jin did not refuse. Madam Mu took her consent and ordered the treasury opened. Silver notes and jewelry were brought to supplement her dowry. The servants who had previously been stingy and reluctant were now bustling about, handing everything over in just a few words.

The silver notes alone amounted to a solid ten thousand taels, making a total of twenty thousand taels with what was originally hers.

Jewelry, gemstones, headpieces, antiques—assembled from all corners—were roughly equivalent in value.

Most of these had been the dowry her birth mother brought upon marrying into the Marquis Linyang household, originally intended for Shen Ruo Jin, but the household was only a hollow shell; Madam Mu hoarded her daughter-in-law’s dowry, refusing to release it. When both granddaughters married, on the surface their dowries seemed equal, but in secret Mu Yunwei’s had been supplemented more than twice over.

Unexpectedly, today Mu Yunwei suddenly fled her wedding, and all the dowry prepared for her reverted to Shen Ruo Jin. Even the coveted noble groom, so difficult to find in the capital, now belonged to Shen Ruo Jin.

Mu Yunwei was truly foolish—truly foolish!

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Shen Ruo Jin had the steward count the silver notes. Today she would take some interest in advance. Everything that rightfully belonged to her would have to be returned piece by piece by the Marquis’s household.

“Rest assured, nothing will be missing,” Madam Mu said, her heart aching so much she wanted to cry, wiping her tears with a raised hand.

Aunt Yun patted Madam Mu’s back soothingly, whispering, “Madam Matriarch, don’t be upset. These worldly possessions will come again in the future…”

Madam Mu angrily pushed Aunt Yun aside, furious that she had failed to keep an eye on Mu Yunwei, letting her run away—and now all this silver had run away with her.

Shen Ruo Jin regarded it as mere theater and nodded, “In that case, I will reluctantly go meet this Young Prince.”

The palace guards had made it clear Mu Yunwei was not present. It was time for her to make her appearance.

“Hurry, hurry! You all go lower the red silk curtains, block the entrance, and help Second Miss slip out through the side door, then around to the back. Don’t let anyone recognize her.” Madam Mu was so anxious she wished she could personally escort Shen Ruo Jin out.

“Why make such a fuss?”

Shen Ruo Jin brushed aside Nurse Li’s reaching hand and rose to walk outside on her own.

Before anyone in the hall could react, she was already stepping into the breeze. The setting sun cast a rosy glow over the carved wooden doors, and a few rays fell upon her wedding dress, embroidered with golden phoenix feathers that seemed to come alive with shimmering brilliance.

Outside, guests were whispering, “Where has Third Miss Mu gone?” “The other groom, Pei Jing, has yet to arrive to escort the bride. Could it be—”

“Did these two really elope? On the wedding day, the prospective brother-in-law and little aunt fled?!”

The crowd in the hall erupted in uproar. Such a scandalous event in a noble household’s marriage—unheard of, unprecedented!

Qin Lang showed no hint of anger, only mock distress as he asked Mu Gaoyuan, “Since my bridal sedan has arrived, it would be unreasonable for it to return empty. What shall we do, Marquis Linyang?”

“Um…”

Mu Gaoyuan was completely stumped, sweating like rain. The surrounding whispers and ridicule left him utterly embarrassed, wishing he could vanish into the ground.

He also worried immensely about the Young Prince’s ruthless approach—leaving no room for retreat, showing no respect or face. What could be done now?

At the worst possible moment for the Marquis Linyang household, Shen Ruo Jin, clad in her wedding dress, stepped out calmly from the hall.

“Qin Lang, your bride ran off with my groom. Shall we make do with each other?”

Qin Lang turned, and the eight-treasure glass ball spinning on his finger stopped. The red tassels brushed over his fair, jade-like hand—each finger joint clearly defined—hands so handsome it was almost unreal.

Shen Ruo Jin raised her eyes to appraise him. Despite his elaborate wedding attire, his broad shoulders and narrow waist were unmistakable—a splendid figure and a dashing appearance. His naturally alluring eyes looked at even dogs with deep affection.

The most beautiful man in Shengjing, truly well-deserved.

Their eyes met, and in that instant, even the wind seemed to pause.

One stood inside the doorframe, the other just outside.

Qin Lang’s peach blossom eyes shimmered with a smile, his thin lips curling slightly, “Very well.”

Before his words had fallen, the Young Prince tossed the eight-treasure glass ball to the bride.

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The assembled guests gasped. The ball was inlaid with hundreds of gemstones, dazzling beyond compare. It was worth a fortune. Only a Young Prince like Qin Lang could be so bold as to toss it casually. If the Second Miss of the Marquis’s household failed to catch it and shattered it, what a tragedy that would be!

But the feared accident did not occur.

Shen Ruo Jin caught it effortlessly. “For me?”

Qin Lang smiled, “Yes, for my bride.”

Was this really happening? The onlookers were dumbfounded.

Young Prince Qin, you are not one to be reasoned with. Just moments ago you seemed set on tearing the Marquis’s household apart!

“Your Highness, this—”

Mu Gaoyuan had not expected matters to turn around so swiftly. Although Shen Ruo Jin had not played along by pretending to be Mu Yunwei to board the sedan chair, given the current situation, he was grateful to have appeased the Young Prince.

Qin Lang cupped his hands politely, “It is my first wedding and I lack experience. If I have offended you in any way, I hope Father-in-law will forgive me.”

The guards followed suit, bowing and saying in unison, “Marquis, please forgive us!”

“Forgive us, forgive us…”

Mu Gaoyuan’s ears were ringing from the guards’ shouts. His mind still hadn’t caught up, but he hastily responded.

All eyes turned to Shen Ruo Jin and Qin Lang, scrutinizing them. Some whispered, “Wasn’t this Second Miss said to have grown up on the border, day in and day out wielding swords and spears, barely literate, crude, and ugly? Have those calling her ugly gone blind?!”

Such rumors had circulated in the capital for days, claiming the Marquis’s illegitimate daughter was a heavenly beauty, while the legitimate daughter was a rough, ugly girl. They branded her both a lucky star and a jinx, dividing them by appearance.

Who would have thought Shen Ruo Jin was not only far from ugly, but truly a celestial beauty?

With such beauty, no wonder the Young Prince, who had just called “Marquis Linyang” a dozen times, now respectfully addressed him as “Father-in-law.”

Shen Ruo Jin, unbothered by the unwavering stares, toyed with the glass ball, silently counting the number of rubies embedded and estimating its worth in silver.

The matchmaker glanced at the sky, estimating the auspicious hour had arrived, and loudly announced, “It’s time, the bride shall ascend the sedan!”

“The bride should board the sedan now.” Qin Lang’s gaze fixed on Shen Ruo Jin. Facing the breeze, he stepped forward and lifted her horizontally into his arms, then turned to leave.

Shen Ruo Jin had never been carried like this before. Her heart skipped a beat. She nearly lost grip of the precious glass ball and hastily hooked her hand around Qin Lang’s neck to steady the valuable treasure.

The surrounding guests gasped in astonishment. A frank and bold voice teased, “Who just carries the bride away like that? Is this a wedding procession or a kidnapping, Young Prince? You’re way too eager!”

Qin Lang, holding Shen Ruo Jin as they passed through the corridor, smiled broadly, “I’ve taken the person away.”