You take on two husbands, I'll turn around and marry the tyrant and rule the world.

The sun was already setting in the west.

Chu Nianci changed into a bright red wedding dress.

She held a fan to half-conceal her face, her dark eyebrows like ink, her snow-white skin reflecting the vermilion mark between her brows, making her stunningly beautiful.

Tuanyuan supported her arm, and Hongying held up her long skirt from behind. Chu Nianci slowly walked out of Weiruixuan without looking back. Her lively eyes were now as calm as a cold pool, without a trace of the shyness and expectation of a new bride, only a resolute determination to sever ties with the past.

The bitterness of her past ten years was still vivid in her mind. Now, as she walked towards the wedding hall again, despite the mixed feelings in her heart, she walked steadily, each step firmly shattering the illusions of the past.

Chu Nianci looked up.

Inside the wedding hall, the scene was filled with a glaring red.

The parents-in-law and matchmaker, Master Luo, sat in the main seats, with relatives and guests lined up on both sides, and all eyes were on them.

In the warm winter sun, Lin Jingrui, dressed in a bright red wedding robe, still looked as spirited as I remembered. Next to him was Chu Shunqing, also dressed in a bright red wedding gown and wearing a phoenix crown.

Chu Shunqing was dressed in gorgeous attire today, with a crown of emerald phoenixes piled on her head, and a thick, elaborate red robe embroidered with the character "囍" (double happiness). Her shoulder was covered with auspicious cloud patterns, and her skirt was covered with overlapping embroidered swastikas.

Her almond-shaped eyes were deliberately elongated and upturned at the corners, giving her a striking and heroic appearance. However, to cover her darker skin tone, she applied a slightly thicker layer of makeup, which, while making her look glamorous, also revealed a hint of deliberate and stiffness.

Fortunately, she was in high spirits and stood there with her back straight, so her presence was not weak.

And Chu Nianci...

She did not wear that heavy and cumbersome wedding dress.

She wore only a bright red brocade robe that trailed to the ground, with a few butterflies embroidered on the hem. As she swayed with her steps, the butterflies seemed to dance. Her dark hair was simply tied into a fairy bun, adorned with a phoenix hairpin with pearls, the tassels swaying gently, perfectly reflecting the bright red cinnabar mole between her eyebrows.

Her phoenix eyes were slightly raised, revealing a natural charm at the corners. Her skin was as white as snow, with only a thin layer of rouge on it.

The sunlight shone on her, and her calm and radiant beauty overshadowed the festive colors of the room.

Compared to her, Chu Shunqing's carefully chosen attire appeared "heavy and stiff," revealing a vulgarity amidst its precious and luxurious appearance.

A look of amazement rose in Lin Jingrui's eyes.

I knew Chu Nianci was stunningly beautiful, but I didn't expect her to be only slightly dressed up.

This caused the entire hall of elegantly dressed people to lose their luster.

Chu Shunqing's hands, hidden beneath his wedding robes, dug his nails fiercely into his palms.

Faint gasps filled the hall, and countless gazes were fixed on Chu Nianci, filled with admiration, surprise, curiosity, and adoration.

Just as she was about to step onto the wedding hall steps, Chu Nianci suddenly stopped and said softly, "Stop."

Tuanyuan and Hongying immediately stopped, clutching their clothes nervously.

Even though the girl had made arrangements beforehand, even though she repeatedly assured him...

Even though they firmly believed that the girl had made some arrangements and that she would never actually marry him.

But things have already come to this point.

The two maids were still on tenterhooks.

The plump matchmaker, seeing her stop, hurriedly stepped forward with a smile and said, "Please come quickly, young lady. According to the rules, you should perform the wedding ceremony first, and then the young master will marry his sister-in-law."

"No need," Chu Nianci said with a slight smile, "Let them go first."

Granny Xi was stunned: "This...this is against the rules!"

Whoever performs the wedding ceremony first is the honored guest, but the bride actually gave up her place.

The guests immediately began to whisper among themselves, all of whom thought the bride would definitely fight for the order of precedence, but they did not expect her to give in so readily.

Chu Nianci stood quietly in front of the wedding hall, her eyes behind the round fan as cold as snow, her back as straight as bamboo, without the slightest sign of strain.

"Pretentious." Chu Shunqing scoffed, his face full of disdain.

My sister is used to this kind of pretentious behavior. She cares about something terribly, but she insists on putting on a magnanimous act in public.

Lin Jingrui looked coldly at Chu Nianci. The slight smugness he had felt earlier because of her appearance had completely vanished.

Chu Nianci met his gaze, a faint, disdainful sneer flashing across her exquisite face.

Seeing the mocking smile on her face, a surge of anger rose in Lin Jingrui's chest. After a moment of silence, he turned and walked towards Chu Shunqing.

Chu Shunqing proudly raised his snow-white chin and stepped forward briskly.

Today, she, the once despised illegitimate daughter, can finally wear a bright red wedding dress with dignity and marry her beloved, leaving the former legitimate daughter firmly under her feet.

Moreover, she had already gotten ahead of the curve and was pregnant with the Lin family's child...

She had been keeping this a secret, planning to surprise her husband during their wedding night.

Lin Jingrui walked up to her, deliberately softening his gaze, his tone gentle and tender, warmer than wedding candles: "Shunqing, from now on, we will be together day and night, never to be separated."

"Okay." Chu Shunqing smiled sweetly behind the fan, not forgetting to cast a smug glance at Chu Nianci. His joy was almost overflowing. He took her hand and walked step by step towards the center of the brightly lit wedding hall under the watchful eyes of everyone.

The emcee loudly announced the ritual: "First bow to Heaven and Earth, second bow to the parents, husband and wife bow to each other..."

Chu Nianci stood quietly outside the hall, as if watching a joke that had nothing to do with him.

She wasn't being modest; she simply didn't care.

She was prepared to leave at any time.

After Chu Shunqing and the others finished their wedding ceremony, it was finally Chu Nianci's turn.

Lin Jingrui, suppressing his anger, deliberately stood still in the hall, waiting with a cold face for her to come over on her own.

But Chu Nianci didn't take a single step; he just stood there in place.

Joy played the music three times, but she remained unmoved.

Standing in the center of the wedding hall, Lin Jingrui's face grew increasingly dark. He shouted, "Do I have to go down and greet you myself?"

Chu Shunqing chuckled softly from the side.

She refused to perform the wedding ceremony first, so isn't she just humiliating herself now?

Chu Nianci stood quietly outside the hall, her face calm and expressionless.

Just as Lin Jingrui's patience was running out and he was about to have someone pull her up...

Suddenly, a furious shout erupted outside the hall, and a loud voice, accompanied by hurried footsteps, burst in:

"You utterly depraved wretch! It's not uncommon for men to be heartless and ungrateful, but this absurd act of taking two wives is something I've never seen before. The Earl's family and my family have a marriage agreement, stipulating that I cannot take a second wife before I am pregnant. Today, you dare to openly break the agreement and betray your promise. It's as if our Qiao and Chu families have no one left..."

Chu Nianci let out a soft sigh of relief...

Her maternal uncle, Qiao Zhaoling, finally arrived.

Uncle Qiao, carrying the hem of his robe, ran breathlessly.

He was about forty years old, with a square face, regular features, and a tall stature. His skin was tanned dark from years of traveling.

He went out of town on business yesterday and received the news as soon as he returned home this morning. He rushed over without even having breakfast, but because he lives far away, he almost missed the appointed time.

In the capital, Chu Nianci's maternal family only had the Qiao family branch.

Although the Qiao family were merchants, they were among the wealthiest families in Jiangnan.

When their younger sister, Qiao Yanshu, got married, her three older brothers each prepared a dowry of one million yuan. Now that their niece is getting married, they are contributing money and effort in the same way...

Qiao Zhaoling accompanied his niece to Beijing half a year ago and waited for half a year just to see his niece get married in a grand manner.

But the Lin family was quite something. They kept it a secret from him, their uncle. When he inquired, he discovered that Lin Jingrui was secretly playing a trick of "carrying on two branches of the family."

The uncle is the most important person, yet he didn't inform me of such a crucial matter. It's clear he intends to act first and report later, showing he doesn't respect me.

Uncle Qiao was so angry that his beard trembled. Ignoring the guests in the room, he raised his hand and waved it in front of everyone...

Several servants of the Qiao family entered in response and placed a heavy gold plaque on the ground with a "thud".

A golden plaque bestowed by the emperor, inscribed with "Exemplary Figure Under Heaven," gleamed in the sunlight.

Three years ago, the Jiangnan region suffered from floods and the northern frontier was in dire need of war, resulting in a shortage of food and supplies for the imperial court. It was Qiao Zhaoling who resolutely donated nearly half of his personal wealth, nine million taels of silver, to relieve the court's urgent crisis.

His Majesty bestowed this plaque to recognize his merits.

Just now at the entrance of the Earl's mansion, if he hadn't shown this imperial plaque, the gatekeeper would have almost refused him entry!

Qiao Zhaoling pointed at Lin Jingrui's nose and shouted in a booming voice, "This is outrageous! What do you mean by 'two wives to inherit the family line'? It's clearly an act of abandoning one's wife and remarrying! If you don't give me an explanation today, I'll carry this imperial plaque and beat the Dengwen Drum. As long as I live, I will never allow you to bully Nianci like this!"

The wedding hall fell silent instantly.

Uncle Qiao's angry shout silenced all the whispers.

The guests all craned their necks, eager to see what was going on.

At the head of the table, the old man, Lin Beichen, drank his tea with a stern face, pretending not to hear. Madam Xie was pale, coughed occasionally, and fiddled with her prayer beads with her eyes downcast, her expression indifferent. Lin Jingxing and Lin Jingjue curled their lips, thinking it was really beneath them to argue with a merchant in the wedding hall.

Surprisingly, not a single person was willing to take on this responsibility.

In the awkward silence, the matchmaker, Luo Shilong, stood up.

The Prefect of the Capital, who was the matchmaker today, wore his usual amiable smile and cupped his hands to Uncle Qiao: "Sir Qiao, why go to such lengths? Today is a joyous day for both the Lin and Chu families. Let's talk things over."

His voice was gentle as he tried to smooth things over, while gesturing for someone to bring out a chair and tea. "Please calm down, sit down and talk things over. Now that our families are related by marriage, harmony is the most important thing."

When the guests saw Lord Luo step forward, they all chimed in, "Yes, Master Qiao, please have a seat."

"Quick, check the seats!"

Butler Hu quickly had someone bring over chairs and place them on the left side of the wedding hall.

Uncle Qiao stood ramrod straight: "My niece doesn't even have a seat yet!"

Only after the servants added another chair did he pull Chu Nianci to sit down together.

Everyone could see through this situation... This uncle is here today to support his niece.

"This is outrageous!" As soon as Uncle Qiao sat down, his cold gaze fixed on Lin Jingrui's face. "You didn't invite your uncle to the wedding, and you didn't inform the bride's family about the adoption of two branches of the family. Does your Lin family think the Chu family has no one left?"

"Nianci has served her in-laws, supplemented the family income, and managed the household chores perfectly for the past six months, handling everything inside and outside the home flawlessly. And this is how she ends up? It's outrageous!"