As he spoke, the Minister of Rites produced a marriage certificate.
When the tray was presented, Lu Qingwan realized that the other party had already prepared the marriage certificate, waiting for her nod.
Finding it ironic, Lu Qingwan cautiously said, "You've made too many grand promises, all empty words. Let's put it in writing.
The Xuanjia Army escorting the bride is a major event. Your Majesty, please grant me an imperial decree, or I won't feel at ease."
Her blatant suspicion clearly stated, Feng Qingheng, his face grim, picked up his brush. "I will personally draft the decree. That should suffice, shouldn't it?"
"Don't act like you're being taken advantage of, grinding your teeth. It's a transaction."
Lu Qingwan's sarcastic remark earned her a glare, and she waited.
Feng Qingheng, likely pressured by the Qin envoys, drafted the imperial decree swiftly. With a seal, he handed it to Lu Qingwan.
The latter took the decree and, upon seeing it, was satisfied. She then affixed her mark to the marriage certificate.
As her red thumbprint landed, she saw the name beside it. The groom's name was prominently displayed in three characters: Si Fengwu, written in a neat, deliberate hand.
These three characters, two of which overlapped with Feng Xiwu's name, were written in a completely different style.
Feng Qingheng also noticed the name, his expression shifting slightly. However, mindful of his status, he said nothing.
With Lu Qingwan's mark on the marriage certificate, the matter was settled.
As the marriage was with the Great Qin, the entire Great Gan paid great attention to this political alliance.
The Ministry of Rites, the Court of State Ceremonial, the Ministry of Revenue, and even departments unrelated to this matter were unusually busy.
Finally, two days later, the wedding procession arrived.
Since Lu Qingwan was marrying into a foreign royal family, she departed from the palace.
At that moment, dressed in her wedding gown and wearing a phoenix coronet and ceremonial robes, she stood on the altar of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, offering sacrifices to the ancestors before her departure.
A procession of over a thousand people, with gongs and drums, entered the city, carrying one hundred and twenty-eight sets of betrothal gifts into the palace, truly showing great respect for Lu Qingwan.
However, everyone's attention was focused on one thing: "They said that Prince Qin was enamored with the Regent's Consort and would not marry anyone else. Why didn't he come to escort the bride himself?"
Lu Qingwan, who had almost been forced to become Feng Qingheng's Imperial Noble Consort, was now to be married off to Great Qin. In just a few days, she had become a sensational figure in the capital.
Even the noblewomen attending the ceremony couldn't help but murmur among themselves.
Before the speaker finished her sentence, she was scorned by the person next to her, "Do you think this is like marrying off your own daughter!
This is a political marriage!
Throughout history, princesses married off for political alliances were sent to the border and met by the other party.
This was to prevent anyone from using the marriage alliance as an opportunity to invade another country."
Those who could attend the wedding of a princess married off for political reasons were naturally of high status, so knowing this rule was not unusual.
However, "Since there is such a rule, why did these people come to escort the bride? Why not just have our people send the Regent's Consort to Zhenyuan Pass, and they could pick her up there?"
"You don't understand this. Marriages between countries, even for political alliances, have their own intricacies.
If today the Regent's Consort were marrying into a country of equal standing with Great Gan, then the old rules would naturally apply. But this is clearly not the case!"
A noblewoman standing at the front proudly enlightened the crowd, "What is the standing of Great Qin? If they truly wanted to send troops into Great Gan, could Great Gan stop them?"
The crowd of onlookers unanimously shook their heads, "No, they couldn't."
Even these women of the inner courts were aware of Great Qin's might.
"That's precisely it!
The strength and standing of the two countries are evident. Their sending a wedding procession is a display of sincerity to the Regent's Consort, indicating that His Highness Prince Qin truly values the Regent's Consort.
And the fact that Prince Qin himself is not entering the country, but waiting at Zhenyuan Pass, also demonstrates his regard for the Regent's Consort.
They are clearly telling us that they are giving Great Gan some face because of the Regent's Consort."
The noblewoman sighed, "One must say, our Regent's Consort is truly capable and fortunate!"
A group of women stood like pillars of virtue, their hushed whispers never ceasing.
Lu Qingwan stood on the altar like a puppet, completing a series of complex rituals under the guidance of the court ladies, and then boarded the magnificent carriage.
As the wedding procession left the palace, the ministers saw them off with varied expressions.
Upon reaching the streets of the capital, the common people flooded the streets, lining both sides to bid farewell, "Regent's Consort, take care!"
"We bid farewell to the Regent's Consort!"
...
These were spontaneous gatherings of the people, unorganized, so their cheers were not as unified.
Yet, these scattered shouts conveyed a genuine sentiment.
Lu Qingwan lifted the carriage curtain and looked back. Besides the commoners held back by the imperial guards on both sides of the road, she also saw Old Madam Chi, Madam Wen, and Princess Nan, among other court ladies.
Upon seeing her, the elderly ladies' eyes welled up with tears, and they waved goodbye mournfully.
Lu Qingwan's heart was a mix of emotions. From the moment Great Qin had forcefully proposed marriage, she was destined to sever ties with this place.
If she had the time in the future, she might return, but by then, the people and affairs here would be entirely different.
Clenching her teeth, she lowered the curtain, paying no heed to the clamor outside, and sealed her senses, entering a state of deep meditation.
Once outside the capital, the sounds of the commoners' cheers faded from her ears.
Instead, she heard the rhythmic stamping of sixty thousand Xuanjia soldiers, and Lu Qingwan's lips curved in pleasure. Feng Qingheng's last leverage against her was now gone.
The procession moved at a steady pace. Lu Qingwan, as if she hadn't recognized the token in Si Lan's hand, played the role of an innocent and oblivious princess married off for political reasons with perfect skill.
It was not until nightfall, when the procession camped in the wilderness, that she shed her cumbersome wedding attire and removed her phoenix coronet, stepping out.
She wore a sky-blue wrap-around skirt, her hair loosely tied with only a few gold hairpins. Compared to her previous phoenix coronet and ceremonial robes, she appeared as plain and unadorned as clear water.
The bridesmaid beside her frowned, "Consort, the wedding ceremony has not yet taken place. Is it not too inappropriate to remove the wedding attire now?"
"Whether it's appropriate or not, let your prince come and tell me."
She bypassed the bridesmaid and headed toward the rear.
Si Lan followed, puzzled, "Consort, are you looking for something? This subordinate can help you find it."
Lu Qingwan craned her neck to look at the long procession behind them, her brow furrowed. "Where are Li Jin and the others? At the very least, let Shen Qingzhou see me."
With a six-thousand-strong procession, if she had to search herself, she didn't know how long it would take. Feeling a bit lazy, she sat by the campfire and waited for Si Lan to find someone.
Si Lan turned and gave an instruction to a subordinate, then stood beside Lu Qingwan, testing the waters, "Great Qin is thousands of miles away. You, Consort, are going alone. Do you not seem afraid at all?"
"I was alone in Great Gan as well. If I were afraid of this and that, wouldn't I still have been pushed out?"
She said indifferently, "To go to another place with no one to burden me, I couldn't ask for more."
Si Lan's face stiffened, and then he forced a smile, at a loss for words.