The Cold-Hearted Princess Who Transmigrated Here

Li Lingling had witnessed her daughter's nightmares and the marks they left on her, so she understood her daughter's actions perfectly. She sighed softly, "Well, it's good that Yue'er came to her senses in time!"

Her daughter is as independent as she was when she was little, and she doesn't want to bother them with any difficulties, always thinking of handling them herself.

Helpless at her daughter's excessive understanding, she could only remind her again, "Your parents told you that no matter when, where, or what happens, you must come back. We will be your support, understand?"

Wang Xiyue nodded; she couldn't change it right away.

Because of her past life, she was not only disappointed in love, but also had no hope for family. So when something happened to her, she always thought of relying on herself. If she couldn't handle it, then it was her own fate.

Li Lingling sighed and then told a major story.

“My son-in-law wrote to us more than a month ago, saying that in order to give you and our daughter a legitimate status, he has published the imperial edict that you brought to the Dongyang court.”

"This time, he's not only here to see you, but also to arrange a marriage alliance."

Wang Xiyue was shocked, "A marriage alliance? To whom?"

Seeing her daughter's reaction, Li Lingling knew that her daughter also didn't know the contents of the imperial edict.

She actually only learned the truth after receiving her son-in-law's letter and questioning him.

"Yue'er, of course he's going to marry you!"

"Your current status, to be precise, was already bestowed upon you by His Majesty as Princess Yuehe when you left three years ago."

“At that time, your father was worried that you would be wronged and that you would be bullied if you went there without any support, so he asked the emperor to grant you and Dongfang Yu a marriage.”

"A marriage between two countries can only be legitimate in the form of a peace alliance."

"At that time, your father asked the emperor not to make it public in the Xiyue court for the time being, in order to leave you room to maneuver. Once it was a done deal, it would be difficult to handle the situation later."

Wang Xiyue only now understood her father's good intentions. No wonder he repeatedly told her when he gave it to her that she should never open it unless it was a matter of life and death.

She thought that she wouldn't need this life-saving method because of her abilities.

Perhaps when her father agreed to let her go with Dongfang Yu, he foresaw that the young woman might act impulsively and break the vows before marriage, and that if she accidentally had a child, it would damage her reputation.

He did this to avoid the worst-case scenario.

At first, Dad probably just did it as a precaution, but unexpectedly, it actually came in handy in the end.

Wang Xiyue was deeply grateful that her father had considered everything so thoroughly for her.

She felt very guilty. "Mom, I'm sorry. It's all my fault. I've caused so much trouble for the family."

Her premarital pregnancy wasn't a major problem in her previous life, but in this life, with such strict social norms, she might not only cause her daughter to be unable to hold her head high in the future, but she might also give outsiders ample reason to tarnish the Prime Minister's family's reputation.

Li Lingling gently stroked her daughter's head and comforted her, "Silly child, we never hold these things against you. You will always be your parents' good daughter."

"Whatever choice you make, you must have your reasons and thoughts. We will always respect your choice. Now that Dongfang Yu has come to marry, it can be considered a happy ending for everyone."

Wang Xiyue had read too many books and historical records. Although the dynasties and times were different, there were always many procedures involved in marriage alliances.

Determining the candidate and the bride's spouse: First, the country arranging the marriage will determine which princess will be sent. This is usually decided by the emperor or king of that country, choosing a legitimate princess or a noblewoman from the royal family as the bride's spouse.

"Escort Mission for Negotiation": After the selection of personnel, envoys are dispatched to the other country for negotiations. Envoys are usually highly respected officials of the court. They travel with a letter of credence and sincerity to meet with the emperor or king of the other country, express their desire for an alliance, and discuss specific terms for the marriage alliance.

Determining the Specifics: During the negotiations, both sides will determine the specific details of the marriage alliance, including the princess's status and treatment in the other country, and the specifications of her dowry. These details are usually formally finalized after a consensus is reached between the two countries.

**Date and Dowry Confirmation:** After discussions, both parties will set a wedding date. The princess will need to travel to the other country in advance to rest and prepare. Meanwhile, the princess's dowry will be meticulously prepared by her home country, including gold and silver items, silk furniture, and more.

The wedding procession: The princess's wedding procession included princes of the royal family, the chief envoy, the deputy envoy, a "ceremonial observation group" composed of civil officials from the Ministry of Rites, guards, maids, eunuchs, and others. These people would leave the other country about a month after the princess's marriage.

Historical background and cultural significance of marriage alliances: As a political tool, marriage alliances were mainly used to ease tensions between two countries and promote peace.

Marriage alliances were not only a form of political alliance but also a form of cultural exchange. Through marriage alliances, two countries could, to some extent, avoid war and promote relations between them.

I. Conferring Titles upon Princesses

First, it discusses the importance of marriage alliances; second, it describes the princess's character and appearance; third, it explains the significance of marriage alliances; and finally, it emphasizes "a virtuous woman."

II. Proposal

In a typical princess's wedding, there are steps such as betrothal, asking the name, auspicious date selection, and setting the wedding date. However, in the wedding of a princess sent to a political marriage, all of these steps are replaced by a "marriage proposal," which is marked by signs of a forced marriage.

This shows that the princess's wedding was a "wartime" wedding, that is, a wedding held under emergency circumstances during wartime. It lacked the composure of a normal wedding and thus appeared rather rushed.

In the marriage alliances, the proposals were all made directly by the "foreign officials," without the complicated betrothal, name-asking, auspicious date selection, and wedding date setting of traditional weddings. The solemnity and seriousness of traditional weddings were also absent. These processes in the marriage of the princesses were reduced to a simple "proposal."

III. Welcoming the Guests

The "welcoming the bride" ceremony in the wedding of a princess sent for a political marriage includes two parts from the Six Rites: "presenting betrothal gifts" and "welcoming the bride." "Presenting betrothal gifts": Compared to the "presenting betrothal gifts" ceremony for ordinary princesses, this part seems to be given more importance in the wedding of a princess sent for a political marriage.

Unlike typical princess weddings where the groom personally greets the princess, the groom for a princess sent for a political marriage often does not appear in person. Instead, a minister or relative from another country greets the princess and presents the betrothal gifts.

IV. Sending off the bride

Compared to the lively and festive scenes of "urging the bride to get ready," "blocking the carriage," and "removing the fan" during a typical princess's wedding, the send-off ceremony for a princess sent off for a political marriage was rather desolate and poignant, reflecting ancient wedding customs. Firstly, there were many people seeing her off. Secondly, there were special escorts throughout the journey.

Wang Xiyue understood that if it were a genuine marriage alliance, she would have to go through all the aforementioned rules and procedures, and the whole process would definitely be tedious and complicated.

However, her situation was completely different from Dongfang Yu's. The two of them were in love with each other, and she was going to marry into a weak country in place of a princess from a powerful country. Therefore, Dongfang Yu was not "forced to marry" her, but rather she was "marrying down".

Moreover, she was not a real royal princess, so there was no excessive interference or involvement from the royal family. Besides, having a woman volunteer to go in place of a princess for a marriage alliance would only benefit the Western Moon court, so the emperor was naturally very willing to cooperate.

The current emperor is not a warmonger and prefers to maintain stable relations with neighboring countries in the long term. If he can achieve his wish by sending a woman to marry a foreign ruler, then he would be more than happy to do so.

Moreover, she was her parents' only beloved daughter, and if she married out, she would become a hostage in effect. Dongfang Yu was the crown prince, so even if he didn't care about the monk, he couldn't easily start a war and put the prime minister's mansion in a difficult position.

For the royal family, much of this marriage alliance was merely a formality; at most, the emperor and empress would add a dowry as a formality in the final stages.

The real concern lies with my father, mother, and their Prime Minister's residence.

Seeing her daughter's furrowed brows, Li Lingling comforted her, "Yue'er, don't worry! Fortunately, our son-in-law gave us advance notice, and his wedding procession isn't arriving too quickly, so we still have relatively ample time to prepare."

“I have already prepared some dowry in advance. Now that you are back, you can start ordering your wedding dress and choose the jewelry you like.”

Wang Xiyue stood up and gently hugged her mother. "Mom, thank you!"

Li Lingling remained seated, unable to get up, holding her granddaughter in one arm and her daughter in the other. "Alright, there's no need for such formalities among family. Yue'er, you're a mother now, you can't overthink things, it's not good for the child or your health."

"Don't worry, with your father, your brother, your mother, and your sister-in-law, we will prepare everything so that our Yue'er can have a grand and glorious wedding."

Ling An chimed in, "Yueyue, Mother is right. Don't worry, just focus on getting married. Our family will work together to make this wedding a success and we will never let outsiders look down on our Prime Minister's precious daughter!"

Wang Xiyue released her mother and nodded gratefully to her sister-in-law, "Thank you, sister-in-law!"

Li Lingling looked at her adorable granddaughter in her arms, who was sucking her fingers, and said, "Yue'er, you must have been very tired taking care of the child all by yourself these past few days. Now that we're home, you can take the child downstairs and get some rest!"

"I'll tell you the specific arrangements for tomorrow later."

Wang Xiyue picked up her baby daughter, bowed to her mother and sister-in-law, and took her leave.

When she returned to her own room, she saw that her brother was already fast asleep.

She fed her daughter, changed her diaper, and then placed her in the crib next to the bed after the child fell asleep.

Many of the things added to the room were for the child, and they were very complete, clearly indicating that the family added them immediately after they learned she was having a child.

The love her family gave her was always perfect.

She changed into her pajamas and went to bed. As soon as she lay down, her waist was wrapped around her arm.

"Xixi...Xixi"

Wang Xiyue turned around and saw that Dongfang Yu still had his eyes closed. "Brother, aren't you asleep?"

Dongfang Yu pulled her into his arms. "I slept for a while, but now that Xixi is lying next to me, I definitely won't be able to sleep."

Wang Xiyue reached out and stroked his eyebrows and eyes, feeling very sorry for him. "Did I wake you up?"

Dongfang Yu flipped over and pinned her down. His lips approached Xixi's ear, and he punished her by gently biting her earlobe. "What do you think? Hmm... my Xixi."

Wang Xiyue's eyes widened. "What do you want to do? It's broad daylight, what if someone comes?"

Dongfang Yu knew, of course, that his time was very short, so he didn't want to waste a single second and sealed Xixi's lips with his own.

He had been searching for her for so long, and he was tired of living in fear. She was the one who ran away; she had offended him, and she had to be punished.

If he hadn't been too tired and the timing hadn't been inappropriate, he would have already "dealt with" her.

Dongfang Yu waved his hand to lower the bed curtains, quickly stripped Xixi and himself naked, and got straight to the point.

Wang Xiyue knew she was wrong and would be punished sooner or later, so she could only beg for mercy, "Young man, please be gentle..."

Half an hour later, Dongfang Yu managed to collect some interest.

"Xixi, let's have another child!"

Wang Xiyue quickly shook her head, "No."

"why?"

"My daughter is still so young. I'm already exhausted taking care of just one. How could I possibly manage another one? Besides, I'm afraid of getting hurt!"

The experience of childbirth had already left her with psychological trauma, and she couldn't bear the pain of having another child so soon. She would at least have to wait until she had almost forgotten the pain of childbirth before considering it.

"Xixi, let's wait until our daughter is three years old before considering having a second child!"

Dongfang Yu wasn't in a hurry to have children. He and his wife weren't old, and Xixi was only nineteen. There was no need to rush things at such a young age.