CHAPTER 654: CHAPTER 641: THE DOOMED PRINCESS 8

Anning and Xue He got married.

They completed the process according to the ancient rituals.

There were quite a few guests who came to the Xue Family to give their blessings, and some envious ones who tried to force Xue He to drink a lot.

But Xue He pushed them all away.

Anyway, since everyone thought he was a fool, he might as well act like one.

Others asked him to drink, and Xue He took the cup and poured the wine onto the ground: "I don’t drink alcohol, I can’t drink, my grandfather told me not to drink, and the princess won’t let me drink either."

Some young gentlemen mocked Xue He: "You just got married and you’re already so obedient. Be careful, or the princess will end up ruling over you."

Xue He stood up straight and seemingly out of nowhere found a stick and easily broke it in two: "I am strong, I can carry the princess."

So, this fool was also a fool with incredible strength, what could others do?

Thus, Xue He didn’t touch a drop of alcohol all day, and when it was not yet dark, he ran into the wedding chamber.

Upon entering, he saw Anning had already lifted her veil and was snacking on some pastries.

Xue He hurriedly poured a glass of water for her: "Drink some water, don’t choke."

Anning took the glass and gulped down two mouthfuls of water: "Hurry and have someone get me something to eat, I’m almost starving to death."

Xue He then sent a maid to the kitchen to pass on the message to prepare a full banquet for Anning.

By the time the meal was served, he ate a little bit as well.

While eating, Anning sized up Xue He: "Who are you really?"

Xue He didn’t even look up: "I am me, Xue He."

Anning frowned: "Are you Xiao Yuan or Xue He?"

Only then did Xue He raise his head to look at Anning: "Does it make a difference?"

"What’s going on here?"

Anning couldn’t continue her meal and stared at Xue He with a direct question.

Xue He sighed, put down his chopsticks and said softly: "I’m not much different from you, I am... someone who failed in a power struggle and was then exiled here. I’ve been fodder in various worlds, until I met you. In the past life, I protected you, and after we both died, my soul remained in this world. I awakened some memories and then became a Ghost Cultivator..."

Xue He talked a lot about his experiences, about how he strived to survive after Princess Anning left, and about his difficult cultivation journey: "Until I broke through the world’s barriers, I thought I would see you soon, but after many lifetimes, I couldn’t find you. As time passed by, many of my memories were sealed, only to be gradually restored upon seeing you again."

Anning watched Xue He the entire time.

She watched for a long time before lightly laughing and extending her hand to shake Xue He’s: "Nice to meet you, my real name is Anning, bound by the Main God to take on the role of a vicious supporting female character, but later I broke free from the Main God’s control."

Xue He also smiled: "My real name is Xiao Yuan, and my experiences are similar to yours. Now I have also broken free from the Main God’s control."

The two looked at each other and smiled, then Anning asked: "Shall we join forces to find the Main God and seek our revenge?"

"Okay."

Xue He agreed with a word.

He stood up: "But right now we have something even more important to do, our wedding night isn’t over yet..."

What Xue He didn’t tell Anning was that, in addition to this life, he had encountered Anning in many previous lives, but both were controlled and were never truly free. He could only watch Anning die tragically over and over again.

Those painful memories were always buried deep in his heart.

He kept them hidden and didn’t want to speak of them. After all, what was the point of speaking out? It would just cause Anning unnecessary worry.

The next morning, Anning struggled to sit up, pushing the sleeping Xue He next to her: "Time to get up, we still need to serve tea to grandfather."

Xue He turned over and wrapped an arm around Anning’s slender waist: "Let’s sleep a bit longer, it’s not late yet, grandfather’s health isn’t good and he doesn’t get up early in the morning."

"What about your aunts and uncles?"

Anning lay back down, snuggling into Xue He and speaking softly: "What do you plan to do about those people?"

Xue He laughed, his warm breath on Anning’s neck, causing her to involuntarily shrink her neck: "I don’t plan to deal with them much. While grandfather is alive, I will stay at the Princess Mansion. I will come here daily to pay my respects to grandfather and take care of him. After he passes, I will no longer involve myself with the Xue Family’s affairs. My uncles are full of ambition but lacking in ability, they can bring about their own downfall. As for those aunts, they are shortsighted. Just wait and see, they’ll get what’s coming to them."

The Xue Family is now entirely reliant on Mr. Xue for support. Once he passes away, I’m afraid his sons won’t be able to hold up for long.

Anning thought for a moment: "Alright, then when shall we return to the Princess Mansion?"

She was unwilling to live at the Xue Family home anyway; staying there felt quite stifling.

Xue He whispered in Anning’s ear: "Today, after we pay respects to grandfather, we’ll move."

There wasn’t actually much to move. Anning’s dowry had never been brought to the Xue Family. It was directly placed in the Princess Mansion, and her daily necessities were also all there. If they were to move, they only needed to move Xue He’s belongings, and in fact, Xue He didn’t have many things to move either.

The two of them cuddled in bed for a while longer before they got up.

Anning brought a few of her personal servants, and soon, several palace maids entered one by one to help Anning and Xue He get dressed.

Xue He waved his hand, indicating he did not need assistance.

Once he was dressed, he sat there watching Anning making herself up.

When they were ready, the two went to Mr. Xue’s courtyard.

Mr. Xue had just gotten up not long ago and was leaning weakly on the couch.

He was now very frail, unable to sit steadily and could only half-lean, half-sit.

Seeing Anning enter, Mr. Xue’s face showed a smile as he bowed slightly: "Your humble servant greets the Princess."

Anning hastily offered a supportive gesture: "Grandfather, please don’t stand on ceremony. Please have a seat comfortably."

Afterward, Anning and Xue He together paid their respects to Mr. Xue.

Anning did not kneel, just bowed slightly as a gesture of respect.

She was a princess, a sovereign, and Mr. Xue was a subject. Even though she was Mr. Xue’s granddaughter-in-law, there was no reason for her to kneel.

Mr. Xue gave a red envelope, after which Anning and Xue He also paid respects to his uncles and aunts. Those people didn’t say much either, each one with a forced smile on their face, but they seemed to manage alright.

After lunch, Anning and Xue He started moving.

As soon as she moved to the Princess Mansion, Qiuyue swiftly entered and whispered in Anning’s ear: "The Mrs. Liu you told us to keep an eye on has already started her journey to the capital. Also, Top Scholar Zhao is pressing the Liu Family for the Six Rituals, wanting to get married as soon as possible."

Anning pursed her lips and chuckled softly: "Good, have someone delay Mrs. Liu, and then find someone to pass a message to Top Scholar Zhao, urging him to press the Liu Family to finish the marriage quickly."

Qiuyue nodded, then hurried out.

Xue He was arranging flowers at the long table by the window; he was fiddling with a few branches of peach blossoms, trimming with scissors. Seeing Anning finished talking with Qiuyue, he put down the scissors: "What were you discussing?"

Anning repeated the issues concerning Top Scholar Zhao.

Xue He slightly narrowed his eyes: "A bunch of scoundrels. That Mrs. Liu isn’t necessarily any better."

"How so?"

Anning didn’t know about the affairs of Liu Meiniang. In her previous life, she died early and only knew that Liu Meiniang brought down Zhao Hongwen, and after he was exiled, Liu Meiniang disappeared with her children. Anning was not informed about what happened to Liu Meiniang afterward.

Xue He placed a hand on Anning’s shoulder: "Mrs. Liu is not a good mother. From their childhood, she instilled ideas of self-interest in her children, constantly telling them that once their father became an official, everything would be fine, and they would live a better life. She would ramble about these things instead of teaching the children about human feelings and affairs or to read and write, always making them look forward to good days through their father. But when they arrived in the capital and learned of Zhao Hongwen’s remarriage, she was overwhelmed by resentment, repeatedly cursing Zhao Hongwen in front of the children, making them go and cry to Zhao Hongwen, forcing the children to berate their own father."

Anning frowned continuously as she listened.

She also felt that Mrs. Liu really wasn’t up to par.

If she was a mother wholeheartedly caring for her children, she should never have acted like this.

She should have properly guided her children from a young age. Even if Zhao Hongwen remarried and was not a decent person, she should not have let her children confront their biological father directly.

Even in modern society, this should not be done, let alone in the ancient society where filial piety was paramount. This ruined the children’s reputations entirely.

Moreover, if Mrs. Liu truly had her children’s best interests at heart, upon learning of Zhao Hongwen’s remarriage, she should have sought a more tactful resolution, not create such a scandalous fuss. In the end, no one benefited.

One must remember that in ancient times, guilt by association was a practice; though Zhao Hongwen was exiled to his death, and Mrs. Liu got her revenge, what about afterward? What about her children?

Both children would have to carry the reputation of being the offspring of a criminal. The boy could not take the imperial examinations, and the girl would not be able to marry into a good family. Both their lives were ruined.

Yes, she felt vindicated, but what about the many long years afterward? With such young children, how could they live the rest of their lives?

After all of Anning’s left and right thinking, she felt that Mrs. Liu was not a good person.