Waking Up Five Years Later on the Wedding Night - Chapter 1

The air of early spring was biting, and a gust of wind swept down the long street, making Yan Zhining shiver uncontrollably.

Two magnificent carriages stood on the street, with two groups of people locked in a standoff, on the verge of a violent clash.

Yan Zhining pulled his clothes tighter around him, looking down to see he was still wearing his red wedding robes.

This is insane.

He remembered drinking a cup of sobering soup just before entering the bridal chamber last night, then walking forward in a daze. When he woke up, he was on this street.

He cast a glance at the opulent carriages ahead and turned to leave, but as the crowd grew thicker, he was swept away by the flow of people.

He fought desperately to push his way out, and finally managed to reach the first house on the street—the general store he had visited just a few days ago.

But today, it was inexplicably a embroidery shop. He looked back, and the entire street seemed somehow changed. He moved toward it, and the shopkeeper walked over, asking, “Young master, are you looking to buy something?”

That’s right, he had stood in for his brother to get married and had taken in a sister-in-law, having completed the wedding ceremony just yesterday.

The shopkeeper spoke in standard, formal Mandarin, whereas the owner of the general store used to be from Lingnan and couldn’t speak such authentic Mandarin at all.

“The shop has changed, I remember there being a general store here.”

“A general store?” The shopkeeper looked impatient, “My shop has been open for three years. There is no general store here, if you aren’t buying anything, move along.”

Three years? Yan Zhining looked at the storefront in a daze, then turned to look at the street, which felt completely different from his memory.

Did he sleep for three years?

Yan Zhining followed the flow of the crowd. The situation was suddenly bizarre. As he continued walking, he saw that black mahogany carriage again.

With no money on him, he had to try to get home to see what was going on.

To get home, he had to cross the long street. He pushed his way through the crowd, walked to the front of the carriage, and looked up.

The carriage curtain was lifted, revealing a side profile. The skin was as cold and white as jade bathed in moonlight, and the temperament was noble, cold, and aloof.

At just one glance, Yan Zhining froze in his tracks.

The side profile was distant and cold, the sunlight unable to melt the icy chill on his face, his long, ink-black hair draped over his shoulders like fine silk.

Someone from the opposite carriage jumped down and marched to the front, yelling, “My princess is here, you should yield! Left Chancellor, there is such a thing as priority, do you not understand?”

“Yield? Why should we yield?” The Left Chancellor’s maidservant countered, holding her sword, “You move!”

“Are you being unreasonable?” The other side was furious, spitting out nasty words, “Your Left Chancellor has been a widow for years, she is cold and detached, she probably doesn’t know the importance of intimacy between men and women. My princess is in a rush to see her husband. When it comes to intimate matters, your Left Chancellor wouldn’t be able to provide the same experience.”

Seeing the other side hitting a sore spot, the group in front of the Left Chancellor’s carriage drew their swords. Likewise, the other side drew theirs. Just as they were about to clash, Yan Zhining excitedly rushed in front of the carriage.

“Ah… you are inside.”

The early spring light, dim and somber, highlighted the coldness of the person inside the carriage, like snow on a mountain range.

Yan Zhining tapped on the window, excitement rising on his youthful, innocent face. His skin, as smooth as white glaze, was flushed with a soft, healthy color. He had finally found his way out of this predicament.

After seeing her last night, a fleeting glance after lifting her veil, he had been absolutely thrilled.

His sister-in-law was such a beauty, he was truly blessed!

The Left Chancellor glanced over, her eyes pitch-black and calm. Slowly, her gaze fixed, and she became as still as a white porcelain Buddha statue enshrined in a temple.

The sky suddenly darkened, the sun hiding behind the clouds, casting a strange, inexplicable air.

The two looked at each other. The Left Chancellor’s gaze shifted slightly upward, and her hands, resting on her knees, clenched slightly. Yan Zhining beamed at her, his smile clear and bright, like a lotus flower emerging from the water.

The young man was dressed in red wedding robes, his posture straight, as elegant and upright as a summer lily.

Seeing him, the Left Chancellor felt as if he had traveled back in time, and she stood there in a daze. The noise of the crowd and the insults from the others slowly faded away.

She reached out and gently touched the young man’s cheek. Unexpectedly, his cheek was soft.

The sensation was real.

Not receiving a response, Yan Zhining subconsciously took a step back. The people opposite were still yelling, still cursing the Left Chancellor.

Was the person in front of him the Left Chancellor? That couldn’t be right. His sister-in-law wasn’t the Left Chancellor. He must have mistaken her for someone else.

“I’m sorry, I recognized the wrong person.” Yan Zhining turned to leave, but after only two steps, the person in the carriage stepped out, “Yan Zhining.”

Hearing his familiar name, Yan Zhining turned back abruptly. The person was dressed in frost-colored robes, her face like cold jade, her presence so imposing it left people unable to speak.

The two locked eyes again. The Left Chancellor stepped closer, her gaze icy, “Yan Zhining.”

A bolt of lightning cracked across the sky, and the onlookers started running away. Gradually, only the people from the two manors remained on the long street.

For some reason, hearing his own name, Yan Zhining felt dazed, and he hurriedly clarified, “Yan Zhining is my sister. I am Yan Zhian.”

His brother hadn’t returned, so the family had asked him to stand in for the marriage, after all, they were both young, so it wouldn’t cause much gossip.

Princess Funing stepped off her carriage, holding an umbrella, her gaze falling on the two of them, her blood boiling, “Choosing a husband to marry in the middle of the street?”

After all, what kind of decent person would go out wearing wedding robes?

“In this day and age, men are so shameless, starting to hook up with women on the street at fifteen or sixteen!”

The door to the Left Chancellor’s carriage opened, and the Left Chancellor looked at the young man, “Get in.”

“Where are we going?” Yan Zhining asked, but then blurted out, “I think you look like the wife I just married! I slept for a night and woke up here. My wife should be at home.”

His sister-in-law was the Minister of Justice who had just been transferred back, she wasn’t the Left Chancellor! His sister-in-law was young, but she was trusted by the Emperor and held a high position despite her age.

When he lifted her veil during the wedding night, that one glance—a fleeting glimpse—was like seeing a celestial being, so gentle yet so cold, a sight impossible to forget.

The other party’s expression remained indifferent, without any extra emotion, as if she didn’t recognize him at all.

Yan Zhining took a step back, and the woman’s red lips turned pale, “I know Yan Zhian, I just got married last night.”

It matched.

Yan Zhining gulped nervously, ignoring the onlookers, and hurriedly grasped her hand.

After holding it, he realized something was wrong, and hurriedly let go, saying nervously, “Sorry, I just got married last night, but you and I… I just came from there and realized something was wrong.”

“What’s wrong?” the Left Chancellor asked calmly.

Yan Zhining pointed to the entrance of the long street, “There, it used to be a general store, but just now when I walked by, it was an embroidery shop.”

“Also, just now, several shops had changed. Was I really married last night?”

He tried hard to argue, to prove his own existence. But his sister-in-law gave no response. He asked again, “I drank seven or eight cups of wine last night, fell asleep, and woke up here. Who did I sleep with last night?”

He was rambling, and the Left Chancellor’s expression cooled slightly, and she didn’t speak again.

The carriage pulled directly into the gates and stopped in the back garden. Huo Ming-shu stepped out, and Yan Zhining followed behind her like a puppy.

Huo Ming-shu’s courtyard was enormous. Passing the rockery made of Taihu stone, a vast lake came into view. The surface of the lake was like a mirror, reflecting the gray sky.

The winding corridors were silent, with only the sound of their footsteps. The scene before him was worlds apart from the lively yet slightly cramped backyard of the Yan family that he remembered.

The unease in his heart grew like a snowball, and he couldn’t help but speed up to keep pace with the frost-colored figure in front of him, reaching out to tug at her sleeve.

“Is this the Yan family?”

“No, it’s my home.” Huo Ming-shu stopped and looked him in the face, “Our new home.”

The two went to the main courtyard. It was deserted along the way, and there were no maids in the courtyard. Yan Zhining looked around, craning his neck to peer at the furnishings in the bedroom.

Dark, simple, and ancient, it was almost like a government office.

He was filled with confusion. Huo Ming-shu handed him a clean set of robes, “Go wash up.”

Yan Zhining took the clothes, his youthful face showing no resistance. He obediently went to bathe.

After he left, Huo Ming-shu stood still, her expression unreadable. She stared deeply at the spot where the young man had disappeared, and a moment later, she followed after him.

Halfway there, Yan Zhining turned around and stopped abruptly. Holding the new clothes, his clear eyes were filled with bewilderment, “Didn’t I die?”

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