Chapter 4 — Wedding Day Switch: My Husband Traded Me Away

Nanny Truong’s lips trembled uncontrollably, yet in the end, she chose to submit. Raising a trembling hand, she struck her own face fiercely. A crisp, echoing slap resounded through the silent, oppressive room.

Strike again, I commanded coldly.

Nanny Truong gnashed her teeth in humiliation and delivered yet another harsh blow to her own cheek. I refused to spare her another glance. Picking up a mantou, I began to eat slowly and deliberately. I knew full well that the violence of today’s blows fell heavily upon Nanny Truong’s dignity. But what they truly established was the absolute authority of my name, Shen Hua, within the grand residence of the Prince Regent. In this place that devoured people alive, the moment one revealed even a fraction of weakness, one would be stripped down and gnawed until not even bones remained.

Once breakfast was finished, I instructed the two servant girls, whose faces were still drained of all color, to clear away the dishes. Nanny Truong stood quietly to the side, cradling her swollen, crimson cheek, utterly lacking the courage to utter another syllable.

Tomorrow is the traditional day of return to my maiden home, I informed her. Go to the storeroom, take a complete inventory of all the treasures bestowed upon us by the Prince, and ensure the carriages are prepared with the utmost care. At early dawn tomorrow, I wish to return to the Shen household.

Understood, Princess Consort.

Nanny Truong’s tone was now vastly more deferential than before. After she withdrew, the entire residence of the Prince Regent remained draped in a heavy, cautious silence throughout the afternoon. Not a single servant dared to stretch their neck or pry into my courtyard again.

When night fell, I sat alone beneath the flickering lamplight, feeling somewhat adrift. Tomorrow would be the day I returned to visit my family. I wondered what expressions Gu Yan and Shen Nhu would wear upon beholding me. Doubtless, both of them had assumed I would be tortured to the brink of death within the Prince Regent’s estate, perhaps not even surviving past three days. They certainly could never have imagined that not only was I alive, but I would also return in grand, unassailable fashion.

Right at that moment, the chamber door was pushed open. Startled, I lifted my gaze. It was Feng Yuan. He had changed into casual attire and propelled his wheelchair inward by his own strength, with not a single attendant following behind him.

What are you thinking about? he inquired.

I am thinking of tomorrow’s journey back to my maiden home, I rose from my seat and answered truthfully.

He drew closer to the table, his dark gaze lingering upon the candle before me. The flame wavered, casting shifting lights and shadows across the cruel scar upon his cheek, making it alternately harsh and dim.

Tomorrow, this Prince shall accompany you back, he stated.

I froze in astonishment. According to protocol, on the day of return following the wedding ceremony, the husband was indeed expected to accompany his bride. Yet I had never anticipated that he would willingly make this trip with me. Given his towering status and formidable power, he had little need to trouble himself with such mundane worldly customs.

Many thanks, Your Highness.

There is no need to thank this Prince, his tone remained entirely detached. You are now the Prince Consort, representing my honor and dignity. Should you suffer any grievance within the Shen household, it is I who shall lose face.

I understood. He was not doing this for my sake. He acted solely because his immense pride brooked no insult from anyone. Yet, for me, this was already more than enough. His willingness to accompany me served as a definitive declaration of the entire Prince Regent household’s stance. The petty schemes of Gu Yan and Shen Nhu, who eagerly awaited the chance to make a public spectacle of me, were destined to end in utter failure.

Get some rest early.

Having dropped those brief words, he turned his wheelchair and departed. From beginning to end, he did not spare me a second glance. Yet I knew deep within that something intangible had quietly begun to shift.

Early the next morning, after I had finished combing my hair and dressing, I donned the fresh garments delivered by the imperial household. The fabric was of the most exquisite quality—imperial tribute cloud brocade. Embroidered upon it were golden-threaded phoenixes, a pattern reserved exclusively for women of the highest first-rank nobility. The phoenix hairpin resting in my hair was an even rarer treasure, a priceless heirloom of the previous dynasty.

When I stepped out of the courtyard, the servants stationed about caught sight of me, every single one of them struck dumb with awe and reverence. Even Nanny Truong kept her head bowed low, not daring to draw a deep breath.

Outside the gates of the estate, an extravagantly luxurious carriage stood ready. It was drawn by eight magnificent, spirited white steeds. The entire carriage body was crafted from precious golden-thread nanmu wood, with brilliant golden tassels hanging from its four corners—an insignia and ritual strictly permitted only to Princes of the Blood.

Feng Yuan was already waiting beside the carriage. Today, he too had donned a purple python robe threaded with gold, his dark hair secured neatly by a jade crown. The scar across his cheek seemed softened slightly by the magnificent attire, replaced instead by an overwhelming aura of supreme authority.

As his eyes fell upon me, his gaze seemed to stall for a fraction of a second, before swiftly returning to its customary composure.

Get in the carriage.

The personal guard beside him immediately placed the wooden stepping stool down. Feng Yuan remained motionless, as if waiting for me to ascend first. Just as I prepared to step up on my own, he abruptly extended his hand toward me. Gazing at his distinct knuckles and long, slender fingers, I found myself momentarily lost in a daze.