“Please, the groom, lift the bridal veil and perform the Hejin rite¹Hejin rite: a traditional wedding ritual where the couple drinks cross-cupped wine to symbolize union!” 

A jade ruyi extended forward, lightly lifting the red silk, slowly revealing the young girl’s ethereal beauty, her eyes sparkling, curiosity tinged with certainty. Unlike the bashfulness of a newly married bride, she looked directly, neither evasive nor partial, at the youth before her.

He wore the Crown Prince’s formal attire, with a bearing as refined as dragon patterns and phoenix grace. His chin was slightly raised, his brows clear and eyes bright, his lashes lowered as he looked at Lin Yuanjin, as if gazing upon a jade statue in a hall. Yet there was not the slightest joy befitting a newlywed, only the Crown Prince’s composure and noble restraint.

Candlelight flickered, illuminating both their faces.

Their gazes suddenly met.

Lin Yuanjin’s eyes curved into a smile, her gaze bright as if dotted with starlight, yet she said not a single word. It was as though none of today’s exhaustion could compare to the delight in her heart at this moment of confirming the truth.

Cui Yiyu’s gaze shifted slightly, almost instantly realizing that Lin Yuanjin had already recognized him. Even if his expression did not show it, his back inevitably tensed, and he even began to suspect whether it was due to a flaw in his disguise.

He feared being recognized, yet Lin Yuanjin did not hesitate in the slightest.

Before her, no one had ever recognized him beneath his surface identity, not even the Crown Prince’s biological parents, nor the advisors within his residence.

Absurd.

Cui Yiyu could not explain it, because he himself had never expected that the Crown Prince would order him to replace him in marrying the Crown Princess—personally going before the emperor for the libation rites and instruction, shooting the ceremonial goose, welcoming the bride, performing the wedding rites, and even drinking the Hejin wine—it was all done by him.

No matter how absurd it was, Cui Yiyu still had to obey.

The waiting female officials presented the food trays before the two, poured wine into golden cups, then into the paired gourd cups, and offered them separately to each of them.

Lin Yuanjin lifted the gourd cup and took small sips. The wine seemed to be fruit wine, light and sweet, somewhat like fermented rice wine. After drinking half, she raised her hand to exchange cups with Cui Yiyu. Seeing his neck stiffen slightly, as if to prove his innocence, he restrained himself and deliberately changed the direction before finishing what remained in one gulp.

She felt that she might, perhaps, like Cui Yiyu a little.

After realizing that it was he who had come to welcome the bride, the overwhelming sea of blood-red before Lin Yuanjin’s eyes disappeared, replaced by a bright gold, the beautiful color of jade.

But this subtle feeling would surely bring trouble to Cui Yiyu, even lead to his death, so Lin Yuanjin would say nothing.

She would hide it well, pretend she did not know that tonight it was Cui Yiyu who married in place of the Crown Prince, pretend that the one who drank the Hejin wine with her was the Crown Prince.

Even if the Crown Prince neither cared for nor respected her.

After completing the Hejin rite, the attending officials quietly withdrew. The two entered the bridal chamber, and once the door was closed, only maids remained standing guard outside.

“Tomorrow, you will pay respects at the two palaces; the day after, you will worship at the ancestral temple.” Cui Yiyu stood several feet away from Lin Yuanjin, keeping a safe distance, and gently instructed, “I will accompany you.”

“Alright.” Lin Yuanjin smiled obediently, her brows and eyes filled with delight.

“You may wash and change first, have some food. Later… I will come find you again.” His gaze paused, and when it met Lin Yuanjin’s eyes, it was as if struck by a whip. He turned decisively and walked toward the door, not daring to look back again.

Cui Yiyu feared that Lin Yuanjin was clumsy—having finally survived, only to struggle within the Crown Prince’s inner residence. Yet he also wished that Lin Yuanjin were not so clever, that she would not recognize him.

In the palace, the less one knows, the easier it is to live in peace.

Lin Yuanjin watched his figure gradually disappear from sight. She walked to the dressing table and looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar face in the mirror, as if looking at another person. Carefully, she removed the phoenix crown, snagging quite a bit of hair, the pain making her scalp go numb.

Of course she understood Cui Yiyu’s hint.

Tomorrow’s palace rituals would still be accompanied by him, but later, the Crown Prince himself would personally come to consummate the marriage.

Lin Yuanjin summoned the maids to help her remove her outer garments, ate a few pastries at the table to fill her stomach, and drank some tea before going to the washing room behind the chamber. She sat in the wooden tub as the maids scrubbed her like polishing a plate, until her skin turned red, then poured hot water infused with flower petals over her body.

After drying off and changing into clean inner garments, Lin Yuanjin had completely lost her strength. She was supported by the maids back onto the bed, while her damp hair from washing was placed over the brazier to dry.

She was clearly exhausted, yet exceptionally awake.

After a long while, suddenly, the sound of a man’s unsteady footsteps came from outside the door.

Lin Yuanjin seemed to wake from a dream, abruptly widening her eyes and sitting up. She saw a man wearing a red robe woven with golden coiling dragons, his appearance handsome, the corners of his eyes slightly upturned. Only his gaze was somewhat unfocused, his cheeks flushed, as if he had drunk too much wine, as he walked toward her.

“Crown Princess…?”

Lin Yuanjin’s fingers quickly clenched together. She felt a heavy scent of alcohol rushing toward her. Suppressing her instinct to dodge, she subconsciously fixed her gaze on his face.

Too similar.

Even twins would find it difficult to resemble each other to such an extent. His brows were like mountain ridges, his pupils like bright pearls, his lips red and teeth white—every feature as if painted with divine precision by an artist.

Yet Lin Yuanjin could still clearly sense the difference between the two.

The Crown Prince sat down beside Lin Yuanjin, his gaze sliding inch by inch over her entire body, carrying scrutiny and appraisal. When he saw her fingertips curled in tension, he suddenly smiled. “Crown Princess need not be nervous. From now on, we are husband and wife.”

“…Yes.” Lin Yuanjin looked at the faint bluish shadows beneath the Crown Prince’s eyes, as if he had not slept well, or perhaps his body was somewhat weak, his spirit and vitality slightly lacking. Perhaps busy with state affairs, there were not many calluses on his hands, and his body seemed to lack a bit of sturdiness.

Moreover, Cui Yiyu would never look at her with that kind of intimate, almost object-like appraisal.

Lin Yuanjin felt an emptiness in her heart, unsure whether it was disappointment, or regret for something.

But perhaps this was what was normal; what she had hoped for was what was unrealistic.

“Do you know my courtesy name?” the Crown Prince asked her, a faint arrogance in his voice.

“Fuyi?” Lin Yuanjin lifted her eyes, her gaze clear, her smile bright and expectant, as if she harbored no other thoughts, her demeanor exceedingly obedient.

Crown Prince Zhou Jie, courtesy name Fuyi—now that she had become the Crown Princess, how could she not know.

“You may address me thus from now on.” The Crown Prince, seeing her beauty and obedience, nodded in satisfaction. The next moment, as if drowsiness overtook him, he could not be bothered with anything further. He removed his shoes and lay down on the bed, no longer wishing to pay her any attention, and soon fell into a deep sleep.

Only Lin Yuanjin was left standing there, stunned, looking at the drunken Crown Prince who had collapsed into sleep, not knowing what to do.

She slowly looked around. The shadows of the maids guarding the doorway stood like statues, silent and still. The candle by the window flickered uncertainly, as if reflecting the unease in her heart.

Lin Yuanjin looked at the reclining couch by the bed, then at the Crown Prince sleeping soundly on the bed, and made up her mind.

She did not know whether the Crown Prince was truly drunk or merely pretending, nor did she know why he had Cui Yiyu take his place in the wedding, only to come to consummate the marriage himself at night yet fall asleep drunk.

But Lin Yuanjin knew that a drunken person could not engage in marital relations no matter what.

She opened the door and asked the maids for bedding, then lay down on the reclining couch by the bed. Perhaps because she did not have to share the bed with the stranger before her, she let out a long breath of relief, and even found sleeping on the couch quite acceptable.

Early the next morning, Lin Yuanjin would have to rise and enter the palace with Cui Yiyu to pay respects.

She knew that Yiyu was a substitute shadow guard selected by the Cui family for the Crown Prince.

But since the Crown Prince dared to let Cui Yiyu lead her, the Crown Princess, to meet the emperor, Lin Yuanjin did not dare to imagine how long it had been, how many times the Crown Prince had already let him take his place to such an extent of trust.

Among the six arts of a gentleman was archery and riding; it was normal for there to be calluses on the hands. As for the body hidden beneath layers of clothing, the Crown Prince would not, without reason, bare himself before the emperor. Coupled with the emperor’s old age, as long as Cui Yiyu’s bearing and appearance were sufficiently similar to the Crown Prince… perhaps it would not be noticed.

But Lin Yuanjin had distinguished it with absolute clarity.

She did not think about why. She merely closed her eyes, curled up, and forced herself to sleep, yet the beating of her heart sounded like drums in her ears, growing more and more pronounced.

That night, Lin Yuanjin slept exceptionally uneasily.

So much so that at dawn, the moment there was movement from the Crown Prince on the bed, she opened her eyes, rubbed her hazy gaze, and said, “Your Highness?”

“Why are you awake so early.” The Crown Prince softened his tone, sat beside Lin Yuanjin, and raised a hand to stroke her hair, affection showing in his eyes. “It is my fault—yesterday I drank too much and delayed the wedding night.”

“Does the Crown Princess blame me?”

“Yesterday was an auspicious day. Your Highness drinking freely is only natural, and all the more a joyful occasion for your concubine.” Lin Yuanjin immediately shook her head, afraid the Crown Prince might misunderstand. “How could there be any talk of blame?”

“What did you call me?” The Crown Prince raised a brow.

Lin Yuanjin paused, lowered her eyes as if shy, and said softly, “Fuyi.”

“You have a gentle temperament; I am quite pleased.” The Crown Prince nodded with satisfaction, then said casually, “But I do not wish for you to suffer grievances because of my fault.”

After speaking, he took a hairpin from before the mirror, cut open his fingertip, and dripped some blood onto the white silk, then pressed his finger and looked at Lin Yuanjin. “I will arrange the other palace servants. They will certainly not speak nonsense and disturb your peace.”

“I have been busy with state affairs lately, and may not often come to accompany you. The rear courtyard is quiet, only two or three selected attendants, none of notable background—you need not mind them.” Seeing the maids enter with water and soap, heads lowered, the Crown Prince smiled at Lin Yuanjin. “Call someone to dress you. I will return shortly.”

Lin Yuanjin watched him rise and leave, his brows clear and eyes bright, his posture upright like a pine, without the slightest discomfort of someone hungover.

She always felt that the Crown Prince was pretending to be drunk.

The people in the Crown Prince’s rear courtyard had already been explained to Lin Yuanjin when she was still in her boudoir—there were three. One was a palace maid who had initiated the Crown Prince, somewhat attractive and slightly older, promoted to selected attendant. The other two were daughters of commoners.

Lin Yuanjin looked at herself in the mirror as the maids dressed her piece by piece in the Crown Princess’s attire, arranged her hair into a married woman’s style, and inserted golden hairpins she had rarely worn before, letting the exquisite ornaments hang and sway among her hair.

Her features still carried youthful innocence, yet her hair was already styled as that of a married woman.

When Lin Yuanjin was helped to stand, the youth at the doorway, dressed in the Crown Prince’s ceremonial attire, stepped in at just the right moment.

He seemed to have passed through morning dew, carrying a chill upon his shoulders, perfectly masking the faint upward curve at the Crown Prince’s lips. His brows and eyes were like a painting, as he looked at her calmly. Clearly the same face, the same bearing, yet there was a refined elegance about him, like the bones of a crane and the posture of a pine.

“Has Fuyi been waiting long?” Lin Yuanjin turned around, lifting a bright smile toward him. “Your concubine dresses slowly; do not let it delay the hour.”

A faint blush colored her cheeks, sunlight from the window settling upon her butterfly-like eyelashes, like scattered gold dust, like a carefree newlywed bride gazing at her beloved husband.

“No, the Crown Princess worries too much.” Cui Yiyu’s smile was light. He raised his hand slightly toward her, yet did not intend to touch her, only guiding her to his side as they walked toward the carriage before the residence.

The two boarded the same carriage. To appear harmonious as husband and wife before others, Cui Yiyu deliberately steadied her slightly.

Inside the spacious carriage, only the two of them remained, yet they sat on opposite sides, as clearly divided as distinct waters.

“Fuyi does not look well today. Have you seen the Imperial Physicians?” Lin Yuanjin blinked and looked at Cui Yiyu with concern, yet her tone seemed to carry a trace of reproach. “Could it be that you favor some selected attendant and have lost your restraint?”

Her voice was sincere, as if she truly cared deeply for her husband.

And yet it was also as if she was proving to the person before her that the two of them were entirely innocent—that she could not tell the substitution, and certainly would not lose her sense of propriety.

Footnotes

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  Hejin rite: a traditional wedding ritual where the couple drinks cross-cupped wine to symbolize union