During the wedding ceremony, the Second Prince did not appear.
People from the Second Prince's mansion, the Empress's people, and the Lu family searched everywhere in the Second Prince's mansion and the places the Second Prince frequented.
They could not find him.
The wedding ceremony had an auspicious time.
To avoid missing the auspicious time, the Ministry of Rites had no choice but to find a rooster, tie a large red flower to it, and have someone hold it to perform the wedding ceremony with Lu Ruoyun in place of the Second Prince.
Beneath her veil, Lu Ruoyun's pretty face was contorted with rage.
She could never have imagined that the Second Prince would do such a thing.
This was trampling her dignity and the Lu family's dignity underfoot.
On their wedding night, the Second Prince still did not show up.
Lu Ruoyun was left alone in the bridal chamber and did not close her eyes all night.
On the day a woman gets married, if her husband does not appear, even if it is an imperial marriage decreed by the Empress, it is of no use. After all, she is not living with the Empress. When a woman is not favored by the master of the mansion, gossip naturally arises.
"Has His Highness not returned yet?" Lu Ruoyun's voice was hoarse.
The attending maidservant replied fearfully, "The steward of the mansion just sent word; he hasn't returned."
"Help me change my clothes." Lu Ruoyun took a deep breath. Today she still had to go to the palace to express her gratitude. With so many eyes watching, she could not let down her demeanor as the Crown Princess.
She wore a floor-length crimson gown embroidered with phoenix patterns, which the Empress had specially ordered the most skilled seamstresses from the Imperial Wardrobe to make.
Lu Ruoyun also had people adorn her with the golden headdress inlaid with rubies, bestowed by the Empress, making her look exceptionally noble.
After Lu Ruoyun was dressed, clamorous sounds were heard from outside. Lu Ruoyun frowned, finding the rules of the Second Prince's mansion to be too lax.
The person attending her, seeing her displeasure, immediately went out.
A moment later, she ran back with an excited expression, "Mistress, His Highness has returned. He has already entered the outer courtyard."
Lu Ruoyun shot up and walked out quickly, but stopped before reaching the door, turned back, and calmly sat down at the dressing table.
It was the Second Prince's fault. There was no reason for her to go out to greet him. She would sit here and wait for the Second Prince to come and apologize to her.
However, Lu Ruoyun waited for a quarter of an hour and still did not see anyone.
The maidservant was sent out again, and when she returned, the little maidservant looked very cautious. "The Second Prince is drunk and has been asked to rest in the study in the outer courtyard."
He wasn't just a little drunk; he was completely inebriated, and moreover, he reeked of perfume.
The little maidservant had found out that the Second Prince had gone to the Hundred Flowers Pavilion and had stayed there for a day and a night.
What kind of place was the Hundred Flowers Pavilion? It was a place for the renowned pleasure-seekers in the capital.
For a dignified prince to go to such a place on his wedding day, wasn't this telling the world that in his eyes, the Crown Princess was not as good as a woman of ill repute?
However, the little maidservant dared not say such things to her mistress. She could not do anything to the Second Prince, but she could vent her anger on them.
Lu Ruoyun's hands clenched so tightly that her carefully preserved fingernails broke and pierced her palms from the force.
The few little maids quickly tried to calm her down, then coaxed and forced her hands open, applied medicine, and trimmed her nails, making a big fuss.
Lu Ruoyun stood up expressionlessly. "Order someone to send a hangover soup to His Highness and take good care of him. Those who were supposed to be serving His Highness yesterday are to be confined by this consort. I will settle accounts with them after I return from the palace."