Marrying a White Snake Wife is Super Cool

Jinyiwei Commander Mao Xiang suppressed the matter, saying, "Send men to clean up the scene. This won’t be brought up again until after Princess Yue Ning’s wedding!"

When the Northern Garrison Commander saw his superior had spoken, he passed down the order.

Lu Yuan was a little tipsy, mostly from taking drinks for Yue’Er.

"Benefactor, I am the Observatory Master of the Celestial Dynasty Palace," an old Daoist with a white beard and white eyebrows said, holding a cup of tea. "A few days ago, the Grand Elder of the Celestial Dynasty Palace was quite offensive. Please, I ask for your forgiveness!"

Lu Yuan had never seen this old Daoist before, but he was very familiar with Grand Elder Kong of the Celestial Dynasty Palace. The man coveted the Celestial Master Sword in Lu Yuan’s hands and had openly tried to seize it from him.

The Grand Elder of the Celestial Dynasty Palace hadn’t come, likely because he was afraid an encounter with Lu Yuan would be awkward.

The Observatory Masters of both the Celestial Dynasty Palace and Le Shen Temple had come for the Princess’s wedding today.

Lu Yuan said tipsily, "It’s fine, no harm done. I’ll pay a visit another day!"

"Then I will eagerly await your visit, Benefactor!" the Observatory Master of the Celestial Dynasty Palace said with a cheerful laugh.

The two clinked their cups and drank the contents—one wine, the other tea.

The nearby Observatory Master of Le Shen Temple saw that old codger from the Celestial Dynasty Palace beat him to the punch and cursed inwardly, ’That damned old priest!’

After the Observatory Master of the Celestial Dynasty Palace left, the Observatory Master of Le Shen Temple and his Grand Elder immediately followed, seizing the opportunity to approach.

"Elder! I am the Observatory Master of Le Shen Temple," he said, approaching with a wine cup in hand. "I was so sorry to have missed you on your last visit to our temple. It was a true shame!"

He was another old Daoist with a white beard and white eyebrows, and he looked no younger than the last one.

The Grand Elder of Le Shen Temple was also holding a wine cup and called out, "Elder Lu!"

Lu Yuan raised his wine cup to cover the side of his face and said in a low voice,

"Observatory Master, Grand Elder, let’s not tell anyone about me having the Daoist Elder Order, alright? And please, don’t call me Elder in front of everyone. It’s a bit embarrassing."

The "Elder" title here was an honorific. It referred to a Taoist Elder, not an elder of a specific Daoist Temple—the difference in status between the two was immense.

The Observatory Master of Le Shen Temple also held a Daoist Elder Order, so it was only proper for other Daoist Temples to respectfully address him as "Elder."

"You have a point, young friend. I will be more mindful from now on." The Observatory Master of Le Shen Temple always had a faint smile on his face, giving him a very kind appearance.

As Lu Yuan raised his cup to the two of them, he asked in confusion, "You two are allowed to drink?"

’So they’re not the strictly ascetic type, I see.’

The Observatory Master of Le Shen Temple drained his cup in one gulp and said with a chuckle, "Wine and meat may pass through the gut, but the Founders remain in the heart~"

Lu Yuan replied, "You have a much clearer perspective, Senior~"

"You flatter me, young friend!"

...

The entire Imperial Capital had been bustling all day, with ministers and officials exchanging toasts.

It was getting late, and it was time for Lu Yuan to lead Princess Yue Ning out of the Imperial Capital.

A eunuch from the Rituals Department had informed Lu Yuan of the schedule well in advance, afraid the Prince Consort might make another mistake and cause them to lose face.

On Prince’s Mansion Street, inside the Imperial City, the third mansion on the right was the residence prepared for the young couple. It was easy to recognize, with red silk draped over the entrance.

This mansion was a place where Princess Yue Ning could temporarily reside within the Imperial City after her marriage.

Lu Yuan didn’t own a house in the Imperial City, and the dignified Princess of the realm couldn’t be expected to sleep in a common post house.

Of course, after marrying Lu Yuan, Gu Ziye was meant to return to Taiping City. She would certainly not reside in the Imperial City for long. Furthermore, from now on, she could not enter the Imperial Capital for an audience with the Emperor without a summons.

Before leaving the Imperial Capital, Gu Ziye said her goodbyes to her father, the Emperor, and her mother, the Empress. Her eyes filled with tears and her lips trembled, unsure of what she wanted to say.

Perhaps it was only in this moment, as she was being married off, that Gu Ziye realized how many things she had left unsaid.

Did she want to thank her parents for the grace of raising her? To say how reluctant she was to leave? To tell them she was grown and sensible now? ...

There was far, far too much Gu Ziye wanted to say. In the end, it all dissolved into two hot tears that fell onto the soil of the Imperial Capital.

In the past, Gu Ziye had always loved to sneak out of the Imperial Capital, infatuated with the dazzling, hedonistic world outside.

But today, after her wedding ceremony, she had to follow her husband and step through the gates of the Imperial Capital.

Once that step was taken, returning again would be far from easy.

As the saying goes, you follow the man you marry, be he a chicken or a dog. From now on, whether her days were sweet or bitter, Gu Ziye would have to bear them herself.

As long as a family’s hearts were united, life would gradually get better. Besides, Lu Yuan was hardly a poor boy.

"Father Emperor, Mother Empress, I’m leaving now," Gu Ziye said through choked sobs before departing. "Father Emperor, please take care of your imperial health. Mother Empress, you must eat on time. Don’t worry about me."

The Emperor didn’t say anything, simply stroking his daughter’s head as he always did.

The Empress fought back her sorrow, holding her daughter’s hand and saying, "When you’re out there, if you encounter any problems you can’t solve, you must remember to tell your father and me."

"Don’t worry, I will!" Gu Ziye promised.

Lu Yuan, standing to one side, clasped his hands in a firm salute. "Please rest assured, Your Majesty the Emperor, Your Majesty the Empress. I will treasure the Princess as the apple of my eye and never let her suffer the slightest bit of wrong."

His Majesty the Emperor was very gratified to hear this. He patted Lu Yuan’s shoulder and said, "It’s getting late. Go on, now."

After bowing one last time, Gu Ziye climbed into the horse-drawn carriage. Along with Lu Yuan’s bridal procession, it slowly rolled out of the Imperial Capital.

The streets of the Imperial City were filled with commoners who had come to watch the spectacle. Some bowed, others clasped their hands in respect, but no one dared to point or gossip.

Lu Yuan’s procession had not gone far from the Imperial City Gate.

When Lu Yuan, mounted on his great steed, spotted his wife from afar, standing by the side of the road with her arm linked through her mother’s.

His other trusted men and the Mansion Guards stood protectively around the mother and daughter, sabers at their waists.

’This isn’t right! Why are my wife and her mother waiting for me at the Imperial Capital’s gate? Didn’t we agree to meet at the post house?’

Lu Yuan was completely baffled. ’Could something have happened?’

The bridal procession slowly advanced, and Lu Yuan raised his hand to signal a stop.

Gu Ziye, sitting inside the carriage, felt the procession halt. It was improper for her to show her face in public, so she could only assume something was blocking their path.

Lu Yuan swung himself off his horse, walked over to his wife, and asked, "Mother, darling, what’s going on?"

The surrounding commoners were stunned to hear this. "Wife?"

Lu Yuan was certainly bold, making no attempt to be discreet. It was clear to see the place Su Liyan held in his heart.

Su Liyan lowered her head. "My love," she said, "it’s all my fault. I couldn’t protect the shopkeeper’s property at the Post House. Some villains set it on fire."

Lu Yuan gently turned her around, inspecting her from all sides. "Are you hurt?" he asked.

"No, but... the villains got away!" Su Liyan said, her voice full of grievance.

Lu Yuan pulled her into an embrace, comforting her. "It’s okay. As long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters!"

Su Liyan’s mother coughed, glanced at the carriage behind Lu Yuan, and transmitted her voice to him, "Son-in-law, the Princess is still waiting in the carriage."

Su Liyan’s mother was a sensible woman. Just because her son-in-law doted on her daughter, she didn’t ignore the feelings of others.

At his mother-in-law’s reminder, Lu Yuan straightened up. "Mother, darling, I’ll have to ask you to squeeze into the carriage in the back. We’ll find another place to stay; we’re not going back to the Post House."

There was another carriage at the rear of the procession, which had originally been used to deliver valuable gifts to the Imperial Capital.

The Empress had sent some gifts in return, so there was now some empty space in the carriage—enough for two people to sit.

Su Liyan’s mother spoke up. "Daughter, let’s get in the carriage first. We can talk about everything else later!"

"Okay," Su Liyan agreed.

Before climbing back on his horse, Lu Yuan discreetly pulled a thick wad of silver notes from his robe and stuffed it into the sleeve of one of his trusted men.

Lu Yuan said to him, "You and Xiaoli, make a trip to the Post House outside the city. Give the Shopkeeper some silver taels as compensation."

"Understood, Young Master," the man replied.

Lu Yuan swung himself back onto his horse. The man at the head of the procession shouted, "Make way, make way! We’re departing!"

After traveling for several dozen minutes, the procession arrived at Prince’s Mansion Street.

As soon as the procession turned onto the street, they could see the red cloth hanging in front of the third mansion on the right. That had to be the place.

As the procession came to a stop before the mansion, several Mansion Guards and maids ran down the steps to welcome them. They bowed deeply and said in unison,

"Welcome home, Prince Consort and Your Highness the Princess!"