After I traveled through the book, I fought back in the Hou Mansion

Chapter 496

Without waiting for Luo Shuiyao to ask, he continued, his tone clearly cold, "The world is inherently harsh on women, and since you're destined to be childless, you can only cling to the title of 'Princess Zhou of the Great Zhou'. As such, as your consort, I, like you, will naturally end up with no heir."

He paused, then continued, "The Right Prime Minister's only son is an idiot, completely ignorant of the relationship between men and women, and will never amount to anything. Therefore, you will only have one option left—to wholeheartedly assist the Sixth Prince. Even if the Loyal and Brave Marquis's Mansion harbors second thoughts, you will never allow it. Isn't such loyalty the most reassuring thing for him?"

Even though several hours had passed since this incident, Ye Yunzhou still felt a chill in his heart when he mentioned it again.

The Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery has been loyal to the Great Zhou royal family for generations and has never had any second thoughts. However, even so, the suspicion passed down from generation to generation has never ceased.

If it weren't for the ancestral precepts requiring them to protect the people of the Great Zhou, the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery would have long ago chosen to retire. Why would they stay in the court and be used as a knife? Yet, the other party refused to give them the slightest trust, set up defenses at every turn, and now they could even use such cruel means to deal with an innocent woman.

When he said "I will never have children", Luo Shuiyao froze instantly.

She followed his gaze down to the bracelet on her wrist. The bracelet was unique in design, with red gemstones evenly inlaid and eye-catching. It was a very beautiful object, but at this moment, it made her feel that her wrists were as heavy as lead, and she didn't even have the strength to lift her hands. Ye Yunzhou's subsequent words fell on deaf ears.

After Ye Yunzhou finished speaking, he suppressed his anger and saw her staring blankly at the bracelet on her wrist. He immediately cursed himself for his words.

He immediately stood up and walked over to her side, gently holding her in his arms. He lowered his voice and gently comforted her, "Don't be afraid, it's okay. Now that I know, I won't let anything like that happen to you."

Luo Shuiyao blinked, took a deep breath, and looked up at Ye Yunzhou. But instead of the fear he had expected, her eyes were filled with disbelief. "I'm allergic to drugs. I've carefully examined this bracelet, and there's clearly no trace of drugs. How could it have such an effect that it can make people infertile?"

Ye Yunzhou hadn't expected her reaction like this. He paused for a moment before recovering his composure and explaining, "The Great Zhou royal family has always had few offspring. It's actually related to an old story—the first emperor fell in love with a Miao woman, but later betrayed her. Desperate, she concocted a poison and injected it into the harem, preventing all but the first concubines from bearing children from having children."

"Although the Miao woman was later sentenced to death, the poison was so potent that it was secretly preserved. Since there were so few princes and princesses in the Great Zhou Dynasty, someone secretly used it. Even though successive emperors have issued clear decrees prohibiting its use, the human heart is unpredictable. Furthermore, the poison is colorless and odorless, so it's ineffective on its own. It can only be used with tea to truly unleash its effects, making it impossible to prevent."

Luo Shuiyao was still in shock: In her previous life, she had only heard of the Miaojiang poisonous insects in rumors, and thought it was just a lie. Now she knew that such strange things really existed in the world.

She gathered herself and looked up at Ye Yunzhou. Suddenly, she understood: "No wonder His Majesty wanted me to drink that cup of tea and even gave me tea and this bracelet as an excuse. It turned out that it was all planned!"

The question given by the emperor cannot be refused.

She wore the bracelet day and night, and the tea given by His Majesty was indeed good tea. If someone didn't know the truth, they would just think it was a gift. Who would have thought that the person was so cruel.

Then she frowned, her tone a little anxious, "Are you saying that I wasn't actually poisoned? Could it be that you already knew about this?"

Ye Yunzhou nodded and explained in a low voice, "Eunuch Su had already quietly passed on the news, and I had the hidden dangers in the bracelet and tea replaced. You just wear the bracelet and drink the tea with peace of mind. There are His Majesty's spies in the Princess's Mansion, and we must not let them notice anything unusual."

Knowing that Ye Yunzhou had already made arrangements, Luo Shuiyao finally felt relieved. Her tense nerves relaxed, and she finally had the mind to think about other things.

She recalled what she had just said and couldn't help but ask, "You said it was Eunuch Su who delivered the letter? But isn't Eunuch Su a close confidant of His Majesty? How could he tell you such an important thing?"

Seeing her ask, Ye Yunzhou didn't try to hide anything and replied directly, "A new emperor appoints new ministers. Eunuch Su is a very insightful person. Although he is loyal to Your Majesty, he also knows how to leave a way out for himself and seek some benefits. Besides, this matter does not pose any harm to Your Majesty. What's wrong with him secretly delivering a message?"

Thinking of Eunuch Su's versatile appearance, Luo Shuiyao did not ask any further questions. Since the problem had been resolved, there was no need to delve into other matters.

With their doubts gone, the two chatted for a while. The sky outside the window gradually became light. Seeing that it was getting late, Ye Yunzhou stood up and said goodbye.

.........

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it is the day when Emperor Yuanzhen grants the decree for the marriage.

The wedding of the Princess of Da Zhou was of extraordinary proportions.

The top embroiderer in the palace embroidery workshop spent a month painstakingly embroidering patterns of birds paying homage to the phoenix and auspicious clouds flying in the sky onto the brocade using gold thread to weave flowers and silver thread to embroider jade. The wedding dress was finally completed - it was full of brilliance and splendor, and full of the luxury of royal ceremonial guards.

Luo Shuiyao sat in front of the mirror, wearing a seven-tailed phoenix crown inlaid with oriental pearls and embellished with red velvet, and a phoenix feather shawl that the embroiderer had painstakingly crafted. Her eyebrows were painted black, her lips were painted red, and her makeup was so bright that it outshone the red silks in the hall.

One hundred and eighty-eight dowries had already been lined up outside the mansion, ranging from rare antiques to silks and satins. Each one was carried by a strong man and wrapped in red silk. The mighty procession stretched from the mansion gate to the end of the street, attracting passers-by to stop and marvel.

When the auspicious time arrived, Ye Yunzhou, dressed in a bright red wedding dress, rode on a tall horse covered with red ribbons and decorated with colorful decorations, followed by nearly a hundred guards with swords and ceremonial music.

According to royal regulations, the princess did not need to go to the man's house to get married. She only needed to pick him up from the princess's house and parade around the main streets of the capital.

As the procession moved forward, palace maids and maids on both sides held baskets full of wedding money and scattered them into the crowd. The coins jingled as they hit the ground, instantly creating a "wedding money rain"; children on the street, clutching cloth bags, chased after the procession, shouting "Long live the princess" just to grab more wedding money and fruits. The noise almost drowned out the drums and music along the street.

The capital city on this day seemed to be dyed with red silk - the pavilions on both sides of Jingque Street were hung with vermilion satin, and even the air was filled with the aroma of candied fruits and wine.

When the parade team returned to the princess's mansion, hundreds of banquet tables had already been set up in the mansion, with cups full of fine wine and a variety of delicacies.

Not long after, Emperor Yuanzhen's carriage slowly arrived. The emperor, wearing a dragon robe, only sat in the main hall for a while, accepted the newlyweds' kneeling worship, and then returned to the palace. Although his stay was short, it showed how much he valued this marriage.

Only after the imperial carriage had gone away did the guests and officials completely let go of their restraints and congratulated the newlyweds. The sound of clinking glasses and the joyful laughter blended with the music outside the hall, bringing the grandeur and liveliness of this royal wedding to its climax.

Only one man, his eyes filled with sadness, sat alone at the end of the banquet. Listening to his colleagues praising the handsome man and beautiful woman, he silently picked up his wine glass and drank it all, his stomach filled with unspeakable bitterness.

His colleagues sitting next to him didn't notice anything unusual about him. Seeing that he wasn't talking to the others, they thought he was new to the capital and not used to it yet. So they smiled and raised their glasses, clinking theirs with his, and said loudly, "Master Qin, I offer you a toast! Please don't let down such a happy banquet."

…………

In the new house, the dragon and phoenix wedding candles were burning brightly, and the candle wicks occasionally made crackling sounds.

As the matchmaker chanted the ceremony, Luo Shuiyao and Ye Yunzhou held the wine cup together and slowly drank the wedding wine, which symbolized a happy marriage. This cup of wine meant that the two were officially married and would share the joys and sorrows of the future.