The Darker the Night, The Brighter the Stars - Chapter 69：Follow Etiquette

Zhao Yan placed a hand on her cheek. She would have to get used to this.

Husband… Imperial Mother…

These two things were not something that every lady can get ahold of. Marrying into the royal family is not easy. More or less, the prospective bride must at least have some connections or power, otherwise, how would she support her husband in the power struggle?

Zhao Yan thought hard about this. Fu Yanqing has already come clean and told her that he married her because he liked her and that he wanted to be responsible. But in reality, he could have ignored her and just wait until the child was born before taking them away.

There was no need to marry Zhao Yan or take responsibility since it wouldn’t benefit him. This would be the logical decision for someone of his status since he could just find another bride with a powerful family to help him.

And yet, Fu Yanqing still married Zhao Yan which made her feel a bit complicated. She only wanted a good life for her child but now, she would have to worry about the power struggle in the palace because one way or another, she would end up caught in it especially since Fu Yanqing is in a special position with a lot of power.

He must have a lot of enemies.

He did tell her that he was not kind because being kind would cost him his life.

Zhao Yan would probably stop being ‘kind’ as well in order to avoid danger.

“Yanyan..”

Zhao Yan snapped out from her thoughts, a faint blush rising from her cheeks.

“O-Of course, I will call her Imperial Mother from now on. Thank you for your reminder, Husband.” Zhao Yan almost forgot about it. Was it possible that she was still finding it hard to accept the fact that she was now married? This was a huge change for her life but she would slowly but surely get used to it.

“We still need to follow etiquette.”

He stood up and offered his hand to her. “My wife, will you let me hold your hand?”

“Oh, yes. Thank you, Husband.” Zhao Yan flashed him a soft smile.

Seeing the delicate little face, Fu Yanqing had the urge to tell all the guests to get lost so he could spend time with his newly wedded wife.

When the doors opened, both Zhao Yan and Fu Yanqing were quick to be noticed by the guests. When they saw Prince Jing holding the Princess Consort’s hand infront of other people, they all were stunned into silence. They did not know what to say at first.

They weren’t sure if what they were seeing was real or a figment of imagination because in their memory, Prince Jing hated being approached by women to the point that being touched or being grazed by a finger or two would make him want to take a bath and scrub his skin raw. He would also burn his clothes and change into new ones whenever these incidents would happen.

This made them turn to the Princess Consort with curiosity in their eyes. The madams had seen many brides in their life, even ones that were as beautiful as Zhao Yan but those brides didn’t have what Zhao Yan has, it was Prince Jing’s attention.

As the apple of the prince’s eyes, a glance would show that she was a girl from a noble family. She possessed an indescribable implicit charm that made people want to firmly hold onto her, and also made them feel worried if they were even worthy.

Some of the noble clan boys had been directed away by the guards for obvious reasons. Only the pampered ladies and madam were left. They all thought that the couple would separate and go to entertain their respective guests but to their surprise, the two kept holding hands while talking to people.

The single dogs in the audience had a look of envy on their faces.

Zhao Yan maintained a calm demeanor as she generously greeted and entertained the guests. She only knew a bit about the people around her because of the knowledge she got from Fu Yanqing and Court Lady Choi. In reality, they were all strangers to her and they were fawning over her, obviously trying to curry favor.

Zhao Yan was a little overwhelmed seeing so many people but for the sake of the royal family’s reputation, she held on and avoided showing any narrow-minded attitude. It also helped that she was a very patient person.

She knew very well that these madams who were smiling on the surface were secretly evaluating her in their hearts, their smile becoming more eager.

Because of Fu Yanqing’s presence, no one dared to make trouble. Most people kept an amicable attitude as they gossiped and chatted. They also kept their voices low as they glanced at the newlyweds from time to time, their shrewd gazes never leaving the two.

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