FID – Chapter 768

Chapter 768: A Rain of Flowers

On the ship bound for the capital, Wei Lan didn’t dare show his face in front of his lord for the entire ten days.

After ruining his master’s moment, all he could do was pray that the joy of the occasion might cause His Highness to become just a little forgetful and let that morning’s blunder slip from memory.

Ten days later, the passenger ship arrived right on time at the docks outside the capital.

At that moment, the docks were packed with a sea of people.

The Imperial Guards were there, along with city officials and soldiers, maintaining order to prevent chaos or injury among the crowd.

In the center of the docks stood a wedding sedan chair reserved for the royal family.

And standing before it was the young emperor, Feng Mohan.

He wasn’t wearing the dragon robes, just a simple ceremonial robe in imperial yellow. With hands clasped behind his back, he stood tall and poised.

His regal presence radiated effortlessly.

Feng Qingbai slowly approached the dock with Liu Yusheng in tow. Upon reaching Feng Mohan, he cupped his fists in greeting.

“Imperial Uncle, Imperial Aunt — you’ve finally arrived.” Feng Mohan broke into a smile. “I came straight here after court was dismissed early this morning. Today is your wedding day, so there’s no way I could miss it. Imperial Aunt, please, board the sedan.”

The newlyweds were still dressed in vibrant red wedding robes, though Liu Yusheng’s head covering had been replaced with a phoenix coronet.

Her jade-like features were more radiant than ever.

“You’ve gone to a lot of trouble, Your Majesty. I am deeply grateful,” Feng Qingbai said, glancing coolly at the young emperor, his tone flat.

Feng Mohan’s heart skipped a beat, and his knees almost gave out.

Was Uncle being sarcastic or just sarcastic?

“Imperial Uncle, please don’t scare me. You arranged all this yourself. I only came early to join the fun, to help make the celebration grander.”

Feng Qingbai ignored him, walking past to the white horse beside the bridal sedan. He mounted in one smooth motion. “Making it grander? You drew the entire city here. You’re the Emperor of Nanling, yet you showed up in a crowd like this. Aren’t you worried someone might try to assassinate you in the chaos?”

“…” Feng Mohan fell silent. He knew full well his uncle was displeased.

No emperor has ever personally welcomed a subordinate’s wedding before.

Still, he muttered quietly, “You’re my imperial uncle, and you raised me since I was a child. You’re like a teacher and a father. I wanted to show I care. Who would dare talk behind my back about that?”

No one would dare say anything to his face. But Feng Qingbai’s tone remained cool, “Do you really think those with opinions would go out of their way to say it to you directly?”

Feng Mohan shut his mouth.

The world was full of whispers. They didn’t need to reach the emperor directly — just circulate a little, and public opinion would turn easily.

“Imperial Uncle…”

Fine, I was wrong, okay? I just wanted to welcome you two in person — to show how much I respect you.

“Into the sedan!”

Feng Qingbai didn’t spare him another glance. With a flick of the reins, he rode alongside the bridal sedan, keeping pace beside it.

Only once the bridal procession had begun to move did Feng Mohan finally turn and board the carriage trailing behind.

Inside, he raised a hand to pat his chest carefully. He was scared half to death.

He nearly made his imperial uncle furious.

It was true. He was the emperor. Showing up like that could easily be seen as stealing his uncle’s spotlight.

With all the commoners crowded around… were they truly here to celebrate the King’s grand wedding, or to catch a glimpse of the young emperor’s face?

“What a misstep…” Feng Mohan rubbed his brow. He had no doubt that his uncle would make him regret it deeply.

With the master of ceremonies’ signal, the ceremonial music began. The joyful sounds of the wedding procession rang through the streets as it moved toward the imperial city.

The King’s wedding was already known across the land, and the citizens of the capital wouldn’t miss such a grand spectacle. From the outskirts at the city docks to the gates of the capital, and all the way to the alley outside the King’s Manor, crowds lined the streets in celebration.

Every shop along the way hung red silk banners and red lanterns.

Even the roads had been lined with red carpets.

For the King’s wedding, the entire nation rejoiced.

Though it was late February in the capital and still bitterly cold, with a sharp northern wind, the celebratory air was unmistakable.

Now and then, the wind would lift the corner of the bridal sedan’s curtain, revealing a glimpse of the bride’s jade-like profile inside.

“Who would’ve thought, after all the twists and turns, the Nanling King and Lady Ruyi actually ended up getting married.”

“Yeah, back then, plenty of people thought it was impossible. Lady Ruyi’s status is far too low, while the King is one of the most powerful royals in the empire. They are just too mismatched. Everyone figured it would fall through in the end. Who would’ve guessed that His Highness truly had his heart set on just that kind of girl?”

“What do you mean, ‘just that kind of girl’? What’s wrong with Lady Ruyi? Sure, her background isn’t highborn, but she’s an Imperial-recognized Benevolent Doctor with divine-level medical skills! She also runs the most famous winery in all of Nanling and partners in business with the Imperial Merchant, the Qian family! And don’t forget what the rumors say: Lady Ruyi was born with great fortune. Whoever befriends her shares in her blessings! Wealthy, skilled, and lucky — if anyone is worthy of the King, it’s her!”

The people in the streets were all abuzz, voicing opinions about the match; many with admiration, some with envy, and others in sheer disbelief.

Meanwhile, on the rooftop of a shop along the street, a dark figure stood against the wind. Cold, emotionless black eyes stared down at the procession below, watching the bridal sedan approach from a distance.

Feng Qingbai rode at the head of the procession on a white horse, hooves rhythmically tapping against the ground as he led the bridal sedan forward, calm and steady.

Narrow eyes glanced in that direction, pupils tightening ever so slightly—barely noticeable.

Behind him, the shadow guards woven into the wedding procession had already entered full alert mode.

Wei Hong and Wei Lan both recognized Xue Honglian.

Though more accustomed to calling him by another name: Cangying Pavilion Master — Gong Ling.

To this day, they still hadn’t figured out whether this man was truly Xue Qinglian or Gong Ling. But regardless of which identity he claimed, he was an adversary. If he made even the slightest wrong move, they would show no mercy.

The bridal sedan was now passing directly beneath the man in black.

Festive music filled the air, lifting the joyous mood. The people of the capital all cheered in unison, celebrating the grand wedding with boundless enthusiasm.

No one realized that beneath the veil of celebration… a deadly tension simmered, hidden in plain sight.

The man in black moved, leaping through the air.

The shadow guards reacted almost instantly, ready to intercept, but were stopped by a raised hand from the man on the white horse.

While the crowd was still confused, a sudden shower of crimson flower petals began to fall from the sky.

A rain of blossoms filled the air.

It added a stunningly romantic touch to an already grand celebration.

Citizens of the capital looked up to see countless dark figures soaring across the sky, scattering an endless stream of red petals. Carried by the wind, they drifted down gracefully, falling like soft snow, paving a layered floral carpet along the path of the wedding procession.

And this—this was the capital’s harsh February.

February. Where would red blossoms come from this time of year?

And not just a few—this many?!

It must have taken an immense amount of effort and resources to gather such flowers.

What they had just said in speculation now felt shallow in comparison.

The prince didn’t merely ‘fancy’ Lady Ruyi. No—he cherished her, heart and soul.

He personally traveled to faraway Yunzhou to escort his bride home, laid out ten miles of red wedding splendor, and summoned a sky full of falling flowers.

This was the true heart of the King of Nanling.

The commotion outside the sedan caught Liu Yusheng’s attention. She reached out and lifted a corner of the curtain. Petals fluttered past her eyes, dancing with the wind.

It was breathtakingly beautiful.

Unconsciously, she pushed the curtain fully aside and tilted her head slightly upward to admire the magnificent scene.

A sweet smile slowly blossomed at the corners of her lips and in her eyes.

From the rooftop, eyes as dark as the night locked onto that smile, branding it into memory.

He didn’t know why he had come.

When he heard the news of their grand wedding, he dropped everything in his hands and rushed day and night beneath the stars to reach here.

He had once thought of pouring everything he had into killing Feng Qingbai.

But in the end, he prepared three entire cities’ worth of flower petals.

Perhaps, he had only come to see her smile one last time.