Reborn as the Crippled King's Beloved

Chapter 109: Chapter 109 That’s Not My Ninth Sister
 

The rain came suddenly.

At that moment, Murong Man was being carried on a palanquin when drizzling raindrops fell like broken beads, as if to spite her.

The wedding matron urged them on, saying they couldn’t miss the auspicious time.

However, as soon as she sat in the palanquin and before the curtains could even be drawn, someone cried out:

“What happened to the Marquis and his wife’s faces? Why are there so many pustules?”

“How frightening, is this some kind of epidemic disease?”

Upon hearing this, everyone around quickly backed away three feet for fear of being contaminated.

Murong Man looked over in disbelief and saw that the powder on her parents’ faces had been washed away by the rain in streaks, revealing pustules. They were not large, but exceedingly disgusting.

“Father, Mother! What’s going on?”

Murong Man asked, her voice filled with shock and horror.

The Marchioness quickly explained, “Perhaps we ate something wrong and had an allergic reaction. A court physician looked at us, and we’ll be fine in a couple of days! It’s definitely not an epidemic disease!”

In those days, epidemic diseases were incurable and contagious, so of course, they couldn’t admit it was an epidemic.

In fact, even the court physician didn’t know what was going on, only finding that both of them were physically weak. It didn’t seem like poisoning, and not only were their faces covered, but their bodies also had them, accompanied by an unbearable itchiness. But scratching them would only make things worse.

The Marchioness was particularly fond of beauty; she had been a beauty herself back in the day and had never shown such an unseemly appearance in public. If it were not for her daughter’s wedding and the need to receive guests, she would have never wanted to show her face.

Thus, she was extremely embarrassed and tried her best to cover her face with her wide sleeves.

Marquis Murong was also angry; it was his beloved daughter’s wedding day, and such a disgraceful incident made him not know where to put his face.

Of course, the most embarrassed was none other than Murong Man herself.

On such an important day, her parents were disgraced, and so was the bridegroom.

She already saw the guests whispering and pointing at Ni Yuanshan, whispering about something. When she turned her head to look, she almost fainted from anger.

Ni Yuanshan, dressed in a bright red wedding robe, had his thick makeup washed away by the rain. Unexpectedly, he’d also applied lip rouge. Red and white mixed with the rainwater in a disgustingly awful mess.

Most critically, without the cover of makeup, the dark circles under his eyes, blackened by excessive indulgence, were exposed, making him look utterly debauched.

She was the First Talented Lady and the leading beauty of the Capital City, yet she was to marry such a man. Murong Man wished she could faint right then and there.

And indeed, she did faint.

Of course, it was a feigned faint.

The Marquis and the Marchioness immediately understood her intention. Although they’d become a laughingstock, if this meant she didn’t have to go through with the marriage, let others laugh as they pleased.

With that thought, the Marchioness no longer bothered with her sleeves and rushed toward the palanquin.

“Manman!”

But before she could say anything more, the wedding matron quickly let down the curtain and sang out cheerfully:

“The auspicious time is near, the wedding palanquin, lift—!”

The bearers immediately lifted the palanquin, swiftly changing direction.

Marquis Ensu’s eldest son could not concern himself with the embarrassment on his face any longer. After a perfunctory wipe, he mounted his horse, but comically, his weakened body failed to get up on the first attempt. He almost got caught on the saddle, only to be quickly assisted by a servant, which prevented another round of laughter.

By the time they arrived at Marquis Ensu’s Mansion, although the rain had stopped, not only had the auspicious time passed, but the entire party was also in utter disarray.

Like a flock of drenched chickens.

“The bride has arrived! The bride has arrived!”

The crowd waiting outside the gate promptly shouted loudly.

There were tasks of setting up charcoal basins and rolling out the red carpet.

Fortunately, the bride remained dry inside the palanquin. Murong Man managed a forced smile on her face as she emerged, holding the red silk led by Ni Yuanshan.

Jun Yuyan and Murong Jiu did not emerge from the palanquin until all the guests had followed the bride and groom inside; only then did the two leisurely follow suit.

By this time, only a few doorkeepers from the Marquis’s household remained at the entrance.

Upon seeing Prince Ling and Princess Consort Ling arrive, they first performed a salute, but after lifting their heads, they became stunned.

Was that Princess Consort Ling?

The doorkeepers gaped in shock, their eyes fixed on the retreating figures of the two, unable to snap back to reality for a long time.

“It surely cannot be Princess Consort Ling. Perhaps, Prince Ling has brought along another woman.”

They had never met Princess Consort Ling, only knowing of her birthmark and remarkable ugliness; surely, that could not be Princess Consort Ling.

Yes, it had to be that way.

How could an ugly woman possibly become a heavenly beauty?

Now things were getting interesting. Prince Ling had actually brought a woman as beautiful as a heavenly immortal to the wedding feast. Wouldn’t the whole Capital City ridicule the Ugly Consort?

There had been rumors not long ago that Prince Ling favored only the Ugly Consort. It seems they were all baseless gossip.

Hand in hand, Jun Yuyan and Murong Jiu walked inside, not hurrying, as the ground was slippery from the recent rain. Jun Yuyan held her hand, fearing she might slip.

Murong Jiu enjoyed this sense of security; Jun Yuyan’s hand was warm and strong, and this strength felt as if it could be conveyed through their physical contact, reaching her heart.

In fact, hand-holding between the two was rare, only when climbing stairs or walking on difficult paths would Jun Yuyan take the initiative to hold her hand.

Because Jun Yuyan feared she was bashful.

Murong Jiu’s face now felt somewhat hot, a soft flush spreading over her cheeks, making her seem even more delicately beautiful.

The servants and maids of the Marquis’s household were shocked and dazzled upon seeing them, and they too were guessing at Murong Jiu’s identity.

After all, like the doorkeepers outside, such a ravishing woman could not possibly be Princess Consort Ling.

The wedding hall was just ahead.

The newlyweds were about to perform the wedding ceremony.

Sitting high in the hall were none other than Marquis Ensu and Lady Marquis.

The two were beaming with joy. They knew all too well their good-for-nothing son had no fondness for women, preferring only the beautiful gigolos he kept in the mansion. Although this marriage was a sham, having their son marry the First Talented Lady of the Capital City was enough to silence the gossip of the market women.

Moreover, marrying Murong Man meant owing a favor to the Second Prince, a double win.

Murong Man kept her head down, for fear that the guests would see the disgust on her face.

She too was waiting, waiting for the Second Prince’s arrival.

Just then, a shrill voice sang out loudly, “His Highness the Second Prince has arrived!”

Murong Man’s heart leaped with joy; the voice belonged to Eunuch Liu, who served the Second Prince. The Second Prince had come!

She quickly turned around, looking in the direction of the newcomer.

In the distance, Second Prince, adorned in a vermilion brocade robe, was striding briskly toward her.

But then her expression froze, for she saw two figures not far ahead of the Second Prince—one was Prince Ling, wearing a mask, and the other was a beautiful woman who looked both strange and familiar to her.

Murong Jiu’s name flashed subconsciously in her mind, but she quickly dismissed the thought.

How could that possibly be Murong Jiu? She must be seeing things.

But who was this woman? Why was she dressed in attire matching Prince Ling’s in both color and grandeur? Wasn’t her presence overshadowing her own?

“Imperial Brother, Imperial Sister-in-Law, you’ve also arrived?”

His Highness the Second Prince greeted them warmly from behind, his voice betraying a hint of breathlessness, indicating that he had hurried over.

Murong Man instinctively retorted, “Your Highness the Second Prince, that is certainly not my Ninth Sister. You have mistaken someone else for her.”