Married the Princess First, Fell in Love Later - Chapter 1

In the thirty-fourth year of Dongning, following a great war, the nation was in ruins and awaiting reconstruction. It was a harsh winter, and everyone was waiting for the arrival of spring. When that time came, crops would grow again, and people would have hope for survival.

On the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, two major events occurred in the Dongning Kingdom, though it was unclear whether they were joyous or sorrowful.

The first major event was that the Seventh Princess was sent to Northern Yan for a political marriage. The second major event was also a wedding: the Eighth Princess was to be married to the young General of the Wen family, Wen Chenxu.

Because the great war had just ended and the national treasury was empty, the sovereign of Dongning, Emperor Yongning, forbade extravagance. Therefore, the wedding of the Eighth Princess and the young General Wen was not held according to the specifications for royal children, but rather followed the standards of an ordinary wealthy family.

The Wen family’s wedding procession moved slowly through the streets of the capital. The sound of gongs and drums filled the air, and the moving red decorations were extremely festive, stirring the common people. Everyone leaned out of their windows to watch. Some people who loved excitement, unwilling to see clearly from inside the house, braved the cold wind to watch from the street.

Mounted on a horse, Wen Chenxu was dressed in red ceremonial robes. She sat upright in the saddle, full of spirit and vitality. However, a closer look would reveal that something was amiss. The groom’s face should have been beaming with happiness, but Wen Chenxu wore a look of subtle anxiety.

“Big brother, why do I feel like this groom doesn’t look very happy?” asked a little chubby boy, bundled up like a rice dumpling, standing in the crowd.

The tall, thin man standing next to him patted the back of his head and said, appearing very knowledgeable, “What would a little kid like you know? The groom is just nervous. Being able to marry a princess is like having one’s ancestral grave smoke with good fortune; how could he not be happy about such a glorious event?”

“Oh, I see! Big brother is truly big brother!” The chubby boy looked at his so-called big brother with admiration.

“That’s right, I’ve eaten more rice than you’ve eaten salt!” the tall, thin man said smugly.

Amidst the sound of gongs and drums, the procession slowly arrived at the Wen residence. The perimeter was packed with friends and relatives, all of whom looked happy and appeared to be extremely satisfied with this marriage.

Wen Chenxu dismounted, adjusted her robes, took a deep breath, and walked to the carriage carrying the bride. “My wife, we are home. You may step down,” she said softly.

No sooner had she finished speaking than a slender, delicate hand reached out from the carriage and lifted the curtain. The Eighth Princess, wearing a phoenix coronet and embroidered robes, but with her face hidden by a red veil, stepped out of the carriage, bending her body.

Considering that the bride was veiled and it was inconvenient for her to step down, Wen Chenxu thoughtfully said, “My wife, give me your hand; let me help you down.”

The Eighth Princess hesitated for a moment, then reached out her hand so Wen Chenxu could take it. Wen Chenxu held the hand of the Eighth Princess and guided her a few steps toward the edge of the carriage, but still felt it was inconvenient for the bride to descend.

“Forgive me,” Wen Chenxu whispered, her voice so soft that only the Eighth Princess could hear. As soon as she finished speaking, she picked up the Eighth Princess horizontally and carried her off the carriage.

This gesture from Wen Chenxu made several noble young ladies in the crowd who had come to watch the ceremony incredibly envious, and they began to whisper among themselves.

“Wow! General Wen is truly the dream lover of all the unmarried girls in Dongning! This kind of bearing is not something those wastrels possess!”

“Indeed, indeed! It’s a pity, though—General Wen belongs to the Eighth Princess, and we can only give up hope!”

“Sigh…”

After carrying the Eighth Princess off the carriage, Wen Chenxu simply carried her over the brazier and walked into the main hall. There was no more difficult terrain ahead, so she gently put the Eighth Princess down.

Inside the hall, there were red silks, exquisite carvings, and celebration filled the room. The elders of the Wen family were already sitting upright. They watched the bride and groom approaching them with nervous expressions, looking forward to them performing the wedding rites.

The two walked hand in hand, step by step, slowly toward the hall. With every step, Wen Chenxu walked with hesitation because she did not know if this marriage was right or wrong.

“Bow to Heaven and Earth…” the master of ceremonies’ high-pitched voice rang out, and everyone held their breath, fixing their eyes on the bride and groom.

The arrow was already on the bow and had to be fired. If the rites were not completed today, it would be a rejection of the royal face and a crime punishable by the execution of one’s entire clan. Wen Chenxu did not dare to be so foolish as to risk the lives of her whole family. It was just a pity for the Eighth Princess…

Harboring these thoughts, Wen Chenxu faced the outside of the hall with the Eighth Princess and bowed respectfully. This bow was to the heavens and earth, but even more so, to the imperial grace.

“Bow to the high hall…” Following the master of ceremonies’ call, the two turned around to face the elders of the Wen family. Wen Chenxu’s parents sat in the center, their eyes flickering with indescribable emotions. Only they knew how absurd today’s wedding actually was. In the eyes of others, they were a match made in heaven, but in reality, both were women.

While Wen Chenxu’s parents were lost in thought, Wen Chenxu and the Eighth Princess had already completed the bow to the high hall.

“Bow to each other…” the master of ceremonies’ high voice rang out again. This time, Wen Chenxu hesitated. If they bowed to each other, she and the Eighth Princess would truly become known as husband and wife. Later on, if the Eighth Princess met someone she truly loved, what would happen?

Wen Chenxu was indecisive, but the Eighth Princess was very straightforward and had already turned to the side, waiting for the bow.

“Husband~” The Eighth Princess’s soft, tender voice rang in Wen Chenxu’s ear, pulling her wandering soul back into her body. She remembered why she had used her military merits to ask the sovereign to grant her marriage to the Eighth Princess. If she hadn’t married the Eighth Princess today, it wouldn’t have been the Seventh Princess going to Northern Yan for a political marriage, but the Eighth Princess.

Half a month ago, the Eighth Princess had swapped clothes with her maid, covered her face with a veil, and found her after leaving the palace by carriage. She had first used gratitude to pressure her, and then begged her with the threat of death. Only because Wen Chenxu was soft-hearted did she agree.

Thinking of this, Wen Chenxu turned around and bowed to the Eighth Princess, whose face was still hidden.

“The ceremony is complete! Send the bride and groom to the bridal chamber!” As these words fell, the atmosphere in the hall became instantly lively. Everyone offered their congratulations, all praising the couple as a “match made in heaven” and a “perfect union.”

Wen Chenxu blushed, thinking to herself: Enter the bridal chamber? How are we supposed to enter the bridal chamber?

But before she could figure it out, she was muddledly led into the festive bridal chamber. Red candles burned brightly, and the character for “Double Happiness” was pasted all over the walls. The bedding was also bright red, and on the quilt lay a wedding veil with peanuts and red dates placed upon it, symbolizing the hope for early childbirth. Beside that large red veil lay a pristine white cloth, which looked completely out of place against the festive red.

The Eighth Princess sat quietly on the edge of the bed, waiting for the husband she had chosen herself to lift her red veil. She did not know if her husband was satisfied with her or happy, but in this life, she would marry no one but Wen Chenxu. If she had been forced to marry into Northern Yan, she would rather have died.

She still remembered what Wen Chenxu had said in school eight years ago: “Why can women not govern a country? Why can they not pacify wars? If given the chance, what men can do, women can do even better!”

Wen Chenxu’s words had planted seeds of doubt in her, who had long been influenced by the emperor’s concubines and palace servants. Could women truly govern a country and pacify the world, rather than just being appendages to men? She didn’t know who was right, but she hoped in her heart that Wen Chenxu was the one speaking the truth. She was drawn to Wen Chenxu uncontrollably, like a mouse that only dared to come out at night to steal rice, only daring to peek secretly into the rice jar.

Her marriage was obtained by threatening death; it was the bravest thing she had ever done in her life.

The bridal chamber was deathly quiet—so quiet that those eavesdropping outside felt bored and quietly left one by one.

Wen Chenxu had lived in military camps since she was twelve and had achieved great military honors by the age of sixteen, becoming the youngest general in the history of the Dongning Kingdom. Even if she didn’t have superhuman senses, her hearing was much better than the average person. Therefore, she knew exactly whether there was anyone outside the room.

When there was no more movement outside the door, Wen Chenxu spoke slowly. “Eighth Princess, although you and I are officially married, there is no romantic love between us. I am two years older than you; in the future, you may treat me as an older brother. If, one day, you meet someone you love, you may write a divorce agreement, and after we separate, you may marry another. By then, I will surely prepare a dowry for my sister-in-law.”

Wen Chenxu’s tone was as gentle as a spring breeze, but every word felt like an ice blade stabbing into the heart of the Eighth Princess, Li Wanru. Not long after, sobbing could be heard from beneath the red veil.

Wen Chenxu did not fear combat or killing, but she was afraid of women’s tears. Hearing the sobbing, she was immediately at a loss and said in a panic, “Princess, please don’t cry. Did I say something wrong?”

“You didn’t say anything wrong. This marriage was something I begged for using lowly methods. You were willing to marry me because you have a kind heart. You did nothing wrong; it is my fault—my fault for falling in love with you without your permission,” Li Wanru sobbed.

Li Wanru’s weeping became clearer and clearer in the quiet room, each sound filling Wen Chenxu with guilt. Having spent many years in the military camp, she was not good at comforting women to begin with, and now, she was even more at a loss for words. She could only pace back and forth in anxiety, racking her brains to think of something comforting to say.

Beneath the red veil, Li Wanru’s face was already drenched in tears. She had thought her wedding night would be difficult to endure, but now that it was actually happening, her heart still ached. Thinking that Wen Chenxu would not lift her veil, Li Wanru ripped it off herself, her face full of tear tracks.

She looked at Wen Chenxu with eyes shining with tears, pleading, “Wen Chenxu, you don’t have to love me, but please don’t deprive me of the right to love you. In the future, please stop saying things about preparing a dowry for me or letting me marry someone else. Hearing you say those things is even more painful than killing me!”

Wen Chenxu wanted to speak but stopped. She desperately wanted to tell the Princess the truth—that she, too, was a woman. But if the Princess couldn’t accept it and reported her to the sovereign, the Wen family would be guilty of deceiving the Emperor and bringing shame to the royal family. She dared not acknowledge such a crime, which could overturn her family’s status and lead to the execution of both the Wen and Hua families.

It was just a pity for the Eighth Princess… for the rest of her life…

Wen Chenxu looked at Li Wanru with even more sympathy and said softly, “Very well, I will not say those things again in the future.”

Just as joy began to flicker in Li Wanru’s eyes, Wen Chenxu poured cold water on her: “Starting today, you will sleep on the bed, and I will sleep on the floor. Tomorrow, I will move to the study to sleep.”

Li Wanru’s tears fell again, and the sobbing resumed. Wen Chenxu was at a loss, thinking to herself: What kind of karma have I brought upon myself?

This fated connection was certainly not caused by Wen Chenxu, but it was a story that stretched back a long time ago.