Chapter 634: Chapter-634
The moment the sun dipped below the horizon, the entire capital was completely transformed.
Because the empire did not have modern lighting, the streets were normally cast in heavy, dark shadows by nightfall. But the Vanguard family had poured an absolutely staggering amount of gold into this single evening. Instead of relying on a few large torches, they had commissioned tens of thousands of small, shallow ceramic bowls filled with oil and a cotton wick. These little lamps, known as diyas, were placed on every single boundary wall, every stone step, and every windowsill leading up to the estate.
The sheer number of them turned the night into brilliant, flickering daylight. Mixed into the oil was a specifically crafted scent that smelled exactly like fresh rain and clean water, washing away the usual dust and grime of the capital.
On the ground of the courtyards, the servants had meticulously crafted massive, breathtaking patterns using colorful dyed rice and thousands of fresh flower petals. The decorative ponds were covered in floating blossoms, reflecting the golden light of the diyas. It was a sight so incredibly magnificent and unprecedented that this exact wedding would go down in imperial history, sparking a massive, capital-wide trend for ceramic diyas and flower-petal art for generations to come.
At the main doors of the grand hall, the old Marquis and the grandmother sat in seats of honor, warmly welcoming the endless stream of bewildered, awestruck guests. Servants practically sprinted from one courtyard to another, carrying silver trays of the finest delicacies and wine.
But the biggest shock to the civil court officials wasn’t the breathtaking decor. It was the bride.
Normally, an aristocratic bride would be hidden away in her heavily curtained chambers, her face concealed beneath a thick red veil, waiting submissively for her husband to retrieve her.
Heena did absolutely none of that.
Dressed in her heavy, gold-embroidered red gown, Heena was standing right out in the open courtyards, greeting guests with a sharp, brilliant smile. She wore absolutely no veil. Instead of hiding, she was casually holding a cup of wine, laughing loudly as a group of scarred, veteran Vanguard generals affectionately patted her on the back.
The civil scholars gathered in corners, whispering furiously behind their sleeves. A matrilocal marriage—where the groom marries into the bride’s family—was already a rare and heavily gossiped-about event. But to see the bride acting like a victorious general at her own wedding banquet was entirely scandalous to their delicate sensibilities.
Hearing the whispers, the old Marquis slammed his wine cup onto the table, his booming voice easily carrying over the courtyard.
"He is marrying into my family!" the grandfather proudly roared at a group of trembling scholars. "So the groom should be the one covering his face and hiding in a chair, not my granddaughter!"
Heena simply laughed, raising her cup in a silent toast to her grandfather’s absolute lack of filter.
And the grandfather wasn’t entirely joking. Out on the main streets, the sound of rhythmic drums and flutes echoed through the capital. Because Samuel was the one marrying into the Vanguard estate, the traditional gender roles of the ceremony had been completely flipped.
The terrifying, genius scholar of the capital was currently sitting inside a heavily decorated red sedan chair, being carried through the streets toward Heena’s front doors.
Just as the drums grew louder, the Prime Minister and his terrified wife stepped through the main gates.
The Prime Minister, a man who lived in the most opulent, wealthy conditions the empire had to offer, completely froze in his tracks. His dark, melancholic eyes swept over the thousands of glowing diyas, the intricate colored rice patterns on the ground, and the sheer, overwhelming majesty of the rain-scented courtyard.
He had expected a crude, rushed military banquet. Instead, he was walking into a breathtaking masterpiece of wealth and aesthetic dominance. For the first time all week, the Prime Minister was genuinely, thoroughly surprised.
The Prime Minister froze for a fraction of a second as he first laid eyes on her.
He had expected to find a fragile, exhausted girl hiding from the political storm. Instead, he found a terrifyingly radiant general holding a cup of wine at her own banquet. He quickly composed himself, stepping forward with that flawless, angelic smile that hid all his venom.
"Congratulations, my lady," the Prime Minister said smoothly, his dark eyes sweeping over the gold-embroidered red gown. "Such a grand wedding, huh?"
"Well, what can I say?" Heena replied effortlessly, swirling the wine in her cup, entirely unbothered by his suffocating presence. "We have too much money and too little to do."
The Prime Minister let out a soft, airy laugh. "My lady is joking."
"No, I am not joking," Heena stated, her tone dropping into a complete, deadpan seriousness. "I am telling the truth. After all, we generals who fight on the battlefields, unlike you scholars, never know when we might die. So we like to celebrate every single function to the absolute fullest. Right, guys?"
A chorus of deep, booming laughter erupted around her.
"Yeah, of course!" one of the scarred Vanguard generals agreed loudly, raising his massive ceramic wine bowl. "Wedding days and funeral days are the only times we get to properly spend our money!"
The Prime Minister’s smile stiffened violently. His elegant brows twitched in sheer annoyance at the crude, uncultured military humor.
"Oh, come on, I am joking," Heena grinned, a highly dangerous glint flashing in her dark eyes. "Come on, my Lord. It is my wedding day. I should be allowed to joke a little."
"Of course," the Prime Minister recovered flawlessly, waving his wooden fan. "It is your wedding day. Though... it is quite unusual. I must admit, I have never seen a bride like this. Without a veil."
"Oh, we Vanguards do things differently," Heena waved her hand dismissively. "And anyway, I have the Emperor’s explicit permission. Actually, I wanted to hide my face to follow tradition, but the Emperor told me directly, ’Why should the heir apparent of the Vanguard house cover her face?’ So, you know how it is."
The entire courtyard of civil officials went completely, deathly silent.
The Emperor? The Emperor gave this order?
In reality, the Emperor likely had absolutely no idea he had given such an order until about an hour ago. Right as the sun set, a Vanguard shadow guard had dropped a folded note directly onto the Emperor’s desk. The note simply read: ’I am not wearing a veil at my wedding. Please take control of the narrative. In exchange for covering for me, I will give you the head of the Minister of Rites’ corrupt eldest uncle in five days.’
Back in the imperial palace, the Emperor had stared at the extortion letter, rubbed his temples in exhaustion, and muttered, "Damn this girl," before immediately ordering his eunuchs to back up her story.
But the civil scholars at the banquet didn’t know it was a bribe. They instantly turned as pale as ghosts.
For the past hour, they had been hiding behind their silk sleeves, viciously taunting Heena behind her back for her lack of modesty. And Heena had heard every single word of it, because they had wanted her to hear it. But now, knowing that the Emperor himself had mandated her lack of a veil... they were entirely screwed. Had they not just spent an hour publicly insulting a direct imperial order? That was literal treason.
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