The next day, Zhao Hao woke up feeling somewhat dazed. He was alone in the bed; Lin Yan had already left early for court.
Lin Yan was currently a fifth-rank official, a Censor, and had just reached the level that allowed her into the grand hall.
Before, she hadn't even qualified to attend court, but now she was directly entering the hall; it was quite a leap.
Zhao Hao slowly lay down where Lin Yan had been. The warmth was gone, but he could still smell her fragrance.
He remained there for a long time, then a smile suddenly appeared, growing wider and wider until it turned into hearty laughter.
The attendants outside were drawn in by his laughter and came to his bedside. "Master?" one asked.
"Nothing, I'm just too happy," Zhao Hao replied.
Anyone who had resigned themselves to fate only to find a turning point would be this ecstatic.
"Then, Master, do you wish to rise?" the attendant's question was even more cautious. Master had just received the emperor's decree for a marriage alliance yesterday, how could he be happy?
Master must be speaking sarcastically. Even though the intended spouse was the very familiar Young Master Lin, he was still a man!
"Yes, I'll get up now. Help me change," Zhao Hao said, immediately preparing to rise.
"Then I shall call for the sisters to help," she called towards the door. Those who had been waiting outside entered, carrying various washing tools.
Zhao Hao's capping ceremony had already passed. Because he had been seriously ill on his birthday, the ceremony had been postponed.
Now that his marriage was settled, the Emperor had instructed the Ministry of Rites to select an auspicious date and had the Empress personally oversee his capping ceremony.
Although the ceremony was grand, everyone knew that Princess Fu'an was rather frail, so it was largely a formality.
Yet, even as a formality, the attendees caused the princess, born of a Consort, to redden with envy.
Not to mention the gifts from the Emperor and Empress, the Empress herself acted as the host, several Duchesses were honored guests, and the attendants were all noble ladies from prominent families.
He was practically treated as a born princess. Even she, the daughter of a Consort, had never had such a grand ceremony for her capping.
What was Father Emperor doing? She didn't care that Fu'an was the Prince Uncle's only daughter, nor did she care about Father Emperor's guilt. She simply felt it was unfair. Why couldn't she, a princess, compare to this county princess!
The capping ceremony passed joyously. Although Princess Min had intended to cause trouble, she was brought back to the palace by the Empress's order before she could do anything.
After the capping ceremony, Zhao Hao and Lin Yan's marriage began its customary procedures. Old Madam Lin and Mother Lin also hurried over from their home.
Prince Yingchuan sent people to fetch the Lin mother and son. He himself could not enter the capital without a decree, nor did he wish to attend such a wedding.
He feared he might storm into the palace and kill his hypocritical imperial brother.
However, Princess Yingchuan, upon learning of the decree, packed her bags and headed for the capital, bringing Zhao Hao's dowry. Although Zhao Hao was a man, he had been raised as a woman, so his dowry had been prepared since childhood.
They had raised him entirely as a girl, precisely to avoid any traces that might expose him to *that person*.
"Fortunately, the chosen one is Brother Yan. He knows the truth. If it were anyone else, it would likely be very troublesome," the Princess Consort said, trying to appease her husband.
"But, An'an also..." He couldn't finish his sentence. It was impossible to confirm safety now, so some matters had to remain hidden.
"Enough, don't jeopardize the important task," the Princess Consort felt it was nothing; it was merely a performance. Moreover, the one bestowed with the marriage was one of their own. This was the best possible outcome in an unfortunate situation.
Once An'an's identity was restored, this marriage alliance would naturally be voided. What was there to worry about? Those who achieved great things were not bogged down by minor details.
She didn't think there was anything wrong with her son marrying. After all, in everyone's eyes, An'an had always been a girl, and if she were a girl, then marrying was not an issue.
Perhaps because she wasn't a man herself, she couldn't understand the difficulty of being a man and marrying.
"The Princess Consort is right," Prince Yingchuan took several deep breaths to suppress the rising anger within him.
"Then the matter of my son's marriage will be entrusted to you, Princess Consort. I cannot go, so you will have to labor a bit more."
"This is what I should be doing," she replied.
"When the future..." He held the Princess Consort's hand, his voice growing softer. They both understood the unsaid words.
With the help of the Ministry of Rites, Lin Yan quickly gathered all the necessary betrothal gifts. They only had to wait for their elders and the Princess Consort to arrive to proceed with the subsequent steps.
The wedding date had actually been set by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau for January, which was a relatively cold time of year. Both Lin Yan and Zhao Hao felt the Emperor had deliberately chosen that time.
They could speculate about his actions with the greatest malice. Zhao Hao's consistent performance suggested that if he were to marry in the harsh cold of January, such an ordeal would, if not kill him, at least make him severely ill. And if Lin Yan's "wife-slaying" reputation were also factored in...
Zhao Hao certainly would not let him have his way, but the charade still had to be maintained.
As soon as the marriage decree was issued, he had fallen ill. After his capping ceremony, he couldn't even get out of bed. During the customary rituals, he remained bedridden.
Zhao Hao's condition made the Emperor believe that Lin Yan's reputation for "wife-slaying" was genuine. He likely expected Princess Fu'an to pass away soon after their wedding.
The Emperor was delighted, sending numerous precious medicinal herbs to Prince Yingchuan's mansion while proudly rewarding his consorts.
Within those short one or two months, more good news emerged from the harem.
Lin Yan noticed a change in Zhao Hao's attitude towards her. Compared to the casual touching and pulling before, he was now much more reserved.
He used to share a bed with her, but now he generally wouldn't stay overnight. Even if he did, he would prepare a separate guest room for her.
These changes made her suspect that he had discovered her secret.
Lin Yan calmed herself and patiently tried to recall when she had been discovered and where she might have slipped up.
However, after much thought, she could only pinpoint the moment when his attitude had suddenly changed.
It was the night she stayed over on the day the marriage decree was issued. That was the last time they slept in the same bed. It seemed that after that night, he had become more reserved.
So why? Had something happened while she was asleep?
She had to think carefully. This time it was Zhao Hao who discovered it, and that was fine. But what if someone else found out?
However, considering she wouldn't disrobe in front of anyone else, and after she married Zhao Hao, it was unlikely anyone would suspect her gender.
It seemed this bestowed marriage alliance was somewhat useful. At least she no longer had to pretend to be shy or introverted to avoid contact with people.