Chapter 361 – Prince Consort

“If Wei Lan is in the mansion, then I won’t need Long Xuan’s approval to see him,” Luo Wei thought to himself, wishing he could blink and find himself in the capital. They were still three days away from Shangdu, but Luo Wei was pushing everyone to hurry, and they arrived in Shangdu after only two days.

Xie Yu wanted to advise Luo Wei not to be so anxious, but Luo Wei, eager to see Wei Lan, wasn’t listening to reason at the moment.

As the carriage traveled through the streets of the capital, Luo Wei occasionally leaned out to look, not to admire the scenery of Shangdu, which he hadn’t seen in years, but only to see how far they were from the mansion.

“Shouldn’t we go back to the palace first?” Xie Yu sat anxiously in the carriage, not daring to let Luo Wei see his inner turmoil. He leaned out of the window again and said to Luo Wei, who was doing the same, “You just got back, isn’t it rude to go straight to the Senior Chancellor’s mansion without visiting His Majesty?”

“Just because this Long Xuan has cleared my crime?” Luo Wei said nonchalantly.

“How can you still directly address His Majesty by his name?” Xie Yu asked.

“Okay, it’s His Majesty, I got it,” Luo Wei said. “I’ll go to the mansion first and then to the palace to see His Majesty, is that okay?”

“Yunqi,” Seeing Luo Wei insist on going to the mansion first, Xie Yu was truly anxious. He pulled Luo Wei back from the window and said, “This is not the time to be willful. Go back to the palace first, see His Majesty, and then return home. That way, no one can fault you.”

“Why are there so many people on the street?” Luo Wei asked Xie Yu at that moment. “What are they doing?”

Xie Yu inwardly thought it wasn’t good, forcibly pulled Luo Wei away from the window, and forced a smile, saying, “It’s broad daylight, when isn’t there a crowd on the street? Just listen to me and go back to the palace first.”

“What’s wrong with you?” Luo Wei noticed that Xie Yu’s smile this time seemed forced, his face darkened, and he said, “Is Long Xuan not letting me go back to the Senior Chancellor’s mansion?”

Xie Yu hurriedly said, “How could that be?”

“Then why can’t I go back to the mansion first? We’re almost home,” Luo Wei said. “Are you hiding something from me? Didn’t you say Wei Lan and everyone else are fine?”

“Everyone is fine,” Xie Yu said, “Don’t worry too much.”

At this moment, suspicion arose in Luo Wei’s heart. Just as he was about to ask Xie Yu again, he heard the cheerful sounds of welcoming outside the carriage, with people laughing and cheering. “Is someone getting married today?” Luo Wei asked Xie Yu, “Is today a good day for weddings?”

Xie Yu knew he couldn’t keep it a secret anymore. In fact, he knew he couldn’t keep it from Luo Wei forever.

“Why do you look like you’re about to cry?” Luo Wei wondered at Xie Yu’s appearance.

“Today is…” Xie Yu struggled to speak.

But at this moment, the people outside the carriage shouted, “The Prince Consort is here!”

“The Prince Consort?” Luo Wei looked at Xie Yu and asked, “Which Princess is getting married? Do we still have unmarried Princesses in our dynasty?” He clearly remembered that the youngest Princess of our dynasty, Princess Qingyuan, had been married off to Eastern Shang by Long Xuan. Who could it be now? Even if Long Xuan had a daughter, she wouldn’t be old enough to get married yet, would she?

Before meeting Luo Wei, Xie Yu had already thought about how to explain things to him. But now that Luo Wei asked directly, the script he had prepared seemed inadequate.

Seeing Xie Yu’s silence and the indescribable sadness on his face, Luo Wei couldn’t understand. He decided to get off the carriage and see for himself.

“Yunqi!” Seeing Luo Wei about to get off the carriage, Xie Yu hurriedly tried to stop him, but he only managed to grab a corner of Luo Wei’s clothes.

Luo Wei jumped off the carriage, and in the time it took for him and Xie Yu to talk, he had already arrived at the gate of the Luo mansion. However, after taking a glance at the familiar gate, Luo Wei stood frozen in place. Why did he see red silk hanging on the gate, red carpets laid on the ground, and even the two stone lions in front of the gate wrapped in festive red cloth? Was his family hosting a celebration?

“The Prince Consort has arrived!” A group of children ran over, clapping their hands and calling out.

The sound of the wedding procession behind him was getting closer, and Luo Wei had a bad feeling in his heart. He turned around to look.

“Yunqi!” Xie Yu got out of the car and supported Luo Wei.

Luo Wei stared blankly at the man riding a white horse with black hooves and wearing a groom’s wedding clothes. People along the street were throwing red confetti onto him, and children were scrambling to pick up the candy thrown on the ground. Everyone seemed happy, but Luo Wei only felt dizzy. Why was the person on the horse Wei Lan? Afraid he was mistaken, Luo Wei stared for a long time, watching the person ride past him and the red bridal sedan chair swaying.

Firecrackers boomed in front of the mansion gate, and the master of ceremonies shouted something loudly, causing laughter to erupt from the crowd.

“Lan?” It seemed like the booming firecrackers had awakened Luo Wei. He shouted Wei Lan’s name and tried to approach.

“Yunqi, you can’t go up there now!” Xie Yu tightly held onto Luo Wei from behind. “You can’t go over there!”

“This can’t be possible!” Luo Wei wanted to shout. How could Wei Lan be getting married?

Xie Yu covered Luo Wei’s mouth. “Don’t shout, Yunqi. Just think, this is for Wei Lan. You can’t go over there now, just for Wei Lan, okay?”

“Give him to me,” a hand reached out.

Xie Yu turned his head and saw Luo Ze.

“Yuxuan?”

“We’ve found him,” Luo Ze’s eyes were bloodshot, perhaps from several days without rest. He took Luo Wei from Xie Yu’s hands, and just as Luo Wei was about to shout, Luo Ze also covered his mouth.

Luo Wei looked at Luo Ze shaking his head desperately. Was he dreaming? How could he see Wei Lan getting married? Was this Wei Lan’s wedding hall? He wanted to get answers, but why were they stopping him? Were these people crazy, or was he?

“Xiao Wei,” Luo Ze whispered in Luo Wei’s ear.

Seeing Wei Lan leading his bride into the mansion gate, Luo Wei struggled even harder in Luo Ze’s arms.

Luo Ze, with his hand over Luo Wei’s mouth, lifted Luo Wei and carried him away. While everyone’s attention was on the royal scene of the princess getting married, Luo Ze, holding Luo Wei and Xie Yu, bypassed the crowd and entered the Luo family mansion through a side door.

The hand covering Luo Wei’s mouth was already wet, and Luo Wei began to cry, his eyes pleading as he looked at Luo Ze. Remembering his father and brother’s warnings, Luo Ze hardened his heart and carried Luo Wei to the backyard of the mansion.