Not Your Typical Villianess

In a bunk of an eye, it was the wedding day, everyone looked forward to the special day for all the wrong reasons. The Emperor looked forward to the day, he clipped the wings of this unruly nephew of his.

The Empress had already come to terms with the whole thing but was in a bind thinking of how to appease Elder Princess Ni'an. The Emperor was breathing down her neck, waiting patiently for the deadline. 

While the Emperor and imperial consort Shi waited patiently to see their plan progress, the rest of the noble families all waited to watch a soul. Everyone waited for a big showdown but were surprised when they got nothing.

The day before the wedding, madam Lu went through the arrangements made by the servant. She stood by the wall in the banquet all, while the steward in charge of the mansion Uncle Lu gave a rundown of everything. She made corrections where she should until she was satisfied then returned to her room.

She was on her way to the room when it was reported that their in-laws the Xu family sent over some gifts for the couple. The servants presented it to the old madam before sending it to the second master's place. 

Nanny Liu a servant that followed the old madam into the Duke's mansion when she got married as one of her dowry maid's, shook her head when she saw the present. All were of good quality, second madam Xu was a close friend of the madam wasn't stingy in her gift.

It was obvious that the gifts were all prepared by her since they were all based on the second master's preference. At first glance, it was easy to see that the sender was meticulous. In a household like the Xu family full of peacocks, only Second madam Xu would put up such an effort.

Madam Lu and the second madam were as close as sisters, they were considering arranging a match between the only daughter of the second madam Xu and their second young master. It sure a pity that their efforts were wasted on that dream 

She saw the upcoming marriage as a trap set by an overzealous maid who didn't know her place. As they returned to their rooms, Nanny Liu Sighed "it is such a pity, madam. Look at all the top-notch gifts from second madam Xu. She treats you well, all our good plans all wasted thanks to that hussy!".

"We made all the plans but sadly none were useful," madam Lu replied. 

Nanny Liu looked left and right before moving closer to her mistress and said in a low tone, "His majesty only conferred a wife for our Young Master, why don't we marry the second young miss In as a concubine".

Madam Lu glared at Nanny Liu as soon as she heard that "Insolence!, How dare you. Is this Duke's mansion short on high-end products? It is the Lu Family's tradition to have only one wife, I wouldn't change a tradition to suit my needs!"

Nanny Liu knelt immediately "this servant was wrong, I forget my place madam please don't take it to heart".

Madam Liu just looked down at her current position and ignored her.

The next day, the wedding ceremony was held. Su Liya woke early to prepare for the big day, The maids responsible for beauty applied her make-up and styled her hair. While another set of palace maids brought in her wedding dress. 

After getting dressed, Su Liya was led to the carriage and left for the Duke's mansion. The carriage was decorated in red, Su Liya sat silently, her heart beating faster as she was carried through the palace to the palace.

Su Liya stopped at the Empress's palace to give her greetings and received some blessings from the Empress before continuing on the trip to the Duke's mansion. The Empress bestowed a few extra gifts and advised her to respect her elders and new family.

As she left, the Empress added a few well-trained palace servants to her dowry to serve her. It was normal for families to add a few of their servants to accompany the bride into her new home. The few servants looked reliable but she suspected that they were sent along by the Empress to keep tabs on her 

She arrived at the Duke's mansion at the auspicious hours and was led in by Lu Yaozhu. Lu Yaozhu let her pass the gate and holding on to one end of the red ribbon, walked into the receiving room.

There was a small crowd in the living room, all of the whiles were here expecting to watch a scene. However, they had none. The wedding officiator instructed the bride and groom through the wedding procedures.

At the end of the bows, Lu Yaozhu and Su Liya held on both ends of the red ribbon as they were led to the nuptial room. Su Liya was a little familiar with the process since she had accompanied Zhu Fengyin during her wedding ceremony.

Su Liya and Lu Yaozhu sat on the bed while various family members both from the royal family and the Lu family have their good wishes. Throughout the wedding ceremony, a palace Eunuch was present representing the Emperor. 

The women of Lu Yaozhu's extended family each visited them, after saying a few words of blessings, they left. Soon it was quiet in the room, Lu Yaozhu returned to attend to the wedding guest at the banquet hall. While Lu Yaozhu waited in the nuptial chambers, staying in the brightly decorated room gave her feelings of Deja Vu.

A few months earlier, she had accompanied Zhu Fengyin through this and now it was her turn. There were served outside the door and the room but she felt so alone and a little scared. Lu Yaozhu received a few toasts from the guests till it got dark.

There were a few unruly guests, mainly other young masters in the capital who wanted to get him drunk. They have toast after toast, he caught his elder brother's eyes as he started getting tipsy. 

Lu Yingjie had experienced something similar and quickly came to his rescue. He intercepted a few of the toast sent his younger brother's way. When that didn't keep them away, they started to get a little rowdy. They all insisted on following Lu Yaozhu to the nuptials chamber to see the bride.

Lu Yingjie created a little disturbance to distract them, while Lu Yaozhu escaped. Su Liya ate some snacks while she waited for her new husband. She got more nervous the longer she waited, while she wanted Lu Yaozhu to stay longer at the banquet, she found herself praying he would hasten up.

The headdress she wore weighed a lot, her neck hurt and was gradually getting stiff. The wedding gown was too layered, she was going to get a heat stroke if she didn't do away with all this fabric. It was tradition, she couldn't complain and just bared with the discomfort.

After what felt like forever, Lu Yaozhu returned. She let out a breath and sat straight when she heard the maids greet him. Lu Yaozhu came in with the joyous mama to complete the other wedding rituals. He sat next to her on the bed and used a joyous stick to raise her veil, then drank the nuptial wine.

Everyone withdrew at the end to give the couple some privacy. Lu Yaozhu noticed her discomfort, she sat in an awkward position caused by the heavy headdress. Su Liya blushed when she saw Lu Yaozhu watching him. It dawned on her that she would have to perform the deed with Lu Yaozhu after the remaining wedding procedures were carried out.

She immediately swallowed, while they were married, Su Liya felt nervous in Lu Yaozhu's presence. The thought of performing that act with a stranger scared her, she ran through various scenarios in her mind but none could get her out of this mess.

It was a big deal In ancient times to consummate a marriage, this was inevitable. She zeroed her mind, expecting him to make a move when she heard a low male voice say "You look uncomfortable, is your headdress heavy?"

Su Liya blinked, a little surprised to hear this but after some seconds she corrected herself "Ye_Yeas" she replied in a sweet low voice.

"Turn around" he replied. When he was met with silence he said a few more words "turned around so I can help you take them off".

"Oh oh yes" Su Liya turned around and replied "Thanks".

Lu Yaozhu replied with a quiet "en" then went up to release Su Liya from the bondage she has on her hair. When everything was off Lu Yaozhu placed it on the square table at the side of the room. Su Liya expected him to get down to business but was shocked when he ignored her completely and walked to the door.

She felt a little taken back by him and asked "are you leaving?"

Lu Yaozhu looked back at her and nodded. "I have a few other things to take care of'. Su Liya heartbeat increased as she heard that. All eyes were on them, Lu Yaozhu leaving this early would lead to a lot of unfavourable gossips. At least for her, she bit her lips gently before summoning up the courage to say "can you not go.... Please".