When that classical wedding gown worn by Qi Yue appeared, not a single person present smiled. Even Cui Xiu, who had been eager to see a spectacle, didn't laugh, or perhaps she didn't see it at all.

"Jianfeng... Jianfeng...

Look, look, that person..." She reached out, gripping Wu Jianfeng's arm tightly, following the usher as they slowly walked. There were many people around, many she knew, yet those people didn't seem to recognize her.

"Isn't that that Vice Premier or something... And that one, and that one...

Oh my god, Jianfeng, are we going to be on the nightly news broadcast?" Although Wu Jianfeng wasn't as overtly flustered as she was, his stiff posture clearly betrayed his tension. In fact, everyone in their group felt the same way.

"No wonder, no wonder." No wonder only this small group was invited to the wedding; with this kind of scene, good heavens... "Old Qi, Old Qi." When they were ushered to their table, everyone couldn't help but crowd forward to speak with Father and Mother Qi.

They didn't say much, just patted their shoulders and arms forcefully, shaking their hands vigorously, expressing the excitement and shock churning within them. For a wedding of this magnitude, the fact that Old Qi remembered to invite them meant everything; this was the truest, most unshakeable friendship imaginable.

Several among them were cadres from the health system. During the introduction of the in-laws, they had managed to shake hands with high-ranking leaders from that ministry, and the fortunate ones even exchanged a few brief words.

For those navigating the officialdom, every moment and every interaction was an opportunity. Don't underestimate a mere sentence or a handshake; at a critical juncture, these could prove life-saving.

The Qi parents weren't much better off than their guests. Seeing the grateful, excited, and thrilled expressions of everyone, they felt a complex mix of amusement and exasperation.

Heaven knew, their original intention in limiting the guest list was to prevent too many people from causing a scene that would be hard to manage. If they had known the caliber of the wedding they were attending, they would have been far more selective, and many of the current attendees wouldn't have received an invitation at all.

Just who exactly was their son-in-law? This—this wedding banquet, laid out by someone who was an orphan with no degree and no job?

What a joke! Qi Rui had thought shouting "Mummy!" when he first got into that Hongqi sedan was the biggest shock of the day, only to realize that had merely been the opening act.

He looked at the familiar and unfamiliar faces filling the hall, unable to stop himself from swallowing hard. "My god, so my brother-in-law is a Red Heir..." he murmured.

"In that case, my bank card should be returned very soon, and maybe the money in it will even be doubled..." Thinking of this, he couldn't help but grin and chuckle foolishly. A burst of excitement rippled through the hall as someone shouted that the groom was coming out.

Everyone busied themselves on tiptoe to catch a glimpse. Most of the attendees had never met the bride or groom, or even knew who they were, but what did that matter?

"Oh, it's this guy!" Huang Ying exclaimed, eyes wide, as a man strode past her. "And you said you hadn't seen him," a colleague next to her whispered, nudging her reproachfully.

"Oh my god, oh my god, it was him!" Huang Ying exclaimed, covering her mouth. That impolite man...

Cui Xiu watched the man pass, her gaze lingering for a long moment before she turned to look at Wu Jianfeng. "What are you looking at?" Wu Jianfeng snapped back quietly, feeling uneasy under her stare.

"You still said you dumped Qi Yue," Cui Xiu scoffed, looking at him. "It looks like she dumped you, right?" Wu Jianfeng's face darkened.

"Nonsense, stop talking rubbish here," he hissed back, clearly annoyed. "I really am...

I picked up someone's leftovers, and I had the nerve to show off in front of her. What was I showing off about..." Cui Xiu continued, ignoring him, glancing sideways with displeasure.

"You're truly embarrassing me." A round of applause cut off their exchange as everyone turned toward the stage, where the couple was currently bowing to the elder generation. Time flowed back a thousand years, to the era of Da Xia, to the early winter of Yongqing Prefecture.

Rain and snow fell intermittently, and pedestrians hurried along the streets. Children in ragged clothes chased each other, laughing and playing with pinwheels, adding a splash of color to the bleakness of winter.

Inside Qianjin Hall, A'ru, now dressed as a married woman, looked down at the contents of a small bundle that had been opened before her: letters, small clay figurines, and a jumble of miscellaneous items scattered across the surface. "...Were these...

all found where Lord Chang went missing?" she asked, her voice trembling, as she gently touched the objects. "Yes," the guard, Xiao Qu, replied.

"Then what about Lord Chang..." Hu San hastily inquired. Xiao Qu shook his head.

"No word," he stated. A'ru and Hu San exchanged a look, neither speaking.

Someone rushed in, pounding on the door. "Sister, Sister, it is, it really is..." A'hao burst in, unable to speak her first words before bursting into loud sobs.

The people in the room were startled. "What's wrong?

It really is what?" A'ru grabbed her, urging her on. "The Heir of Dingshi Marquis has passed away from illness," A'hao cried out.

A'ru and Hu San looked at each other again, seeing shock reflected in the other's eyes. "When did this happen?" A'ru asked, her voice tight, gripping A'hao's hand so hard she wished she could tear through her clothes.

"Ten days ago," A'hao sobbed, wiping her tears. Ten days ago!

A'ru turned to look at Xiao Qu. Xiao Qu nodded to her.

Yes, it was true. Chang Yuncheng had vanished suddenly ten days prior.

During his patrols, he had a habit of spurring his horse and galloping far ahead of his retinue, but he never did anything reckless; after a hard ride, he would wait for his men in a safe spot. This time, however, his subordinates never found their lord.

They only found his horse, his clothing, and the small bundle he always carried. They searched everywhere they could think of, but Chang Yuncheng had disappeared as if spirited away by a ghost.

Rumors spread locally that malevolent spirits were at work, forcing the local magistrate to issue statements denying it and hastily declaring Chang Yuncheng killed in an ambush to close the matter. "Sister." A'hao reached out and tightly grasped A'ru, unable to speak another word, and began to weep again.

A'ru turned back to the bundle on the table, and her own tears could no longer be held back, pouring down her face. In this life, they would never meet again, not even able to exchange a question through a sheet of paper.

"Please, save A'hao. No matter who you are, if you save A'hao, A'ru is willing to pay with her life..." "I can't do this alone; I need your help.

Time is running out, and there is so much we must do." Wife... "Whatever you ask of A'ru, A'ru will do," A'ru murmured, "A'ru will do it well!" Urgent shouts echoed from outside the door.

"Emergency! Critical emergency!" A'ru raised her hand to wipe her tears, simultaneously releasing A'hao and running toward the noise.

"Prepare the carriage," she called out as she opened the door, rushing toward the emergency corridor set up in the back courtyard. Three disciples wearing green smocks were already there, taking medicine chests of various functions down from a row of wooden cabinets beside them.

A'ru took her own nursing kit and boarded the carriage. The carriage, bearing a large red lantern marked with Qianjin Hall's emergency insignia, shot out of the hall.

In the falling rain and snow, pedestrians scattered to make way as the carriage sped through the streets. The life of Qi Yue and Chang Yuncheng was not over.

The lives of A'ru, A'hao, and Hu San were not over either. Everyone was striving, fighting for hope, for faith, for their ideals!

So, everyone! Please forgive me for not saying goodbye yet; I still need you all!!

This month is not over, nothing is concluded, and the battle is not finished! Hold on until the very last moment!

I will write another chapter for the free extra tonight!! Wait for me!!

Support me!! RS