Welcome to the Wedding

Princess Jade Hayes pressed her lips together. She actually agreed with Martin Wu's assessment.

Neil Zhao’s background was tragic, and he’d suffered for too long. Living in the shadows, blow after blow, it was easy for someone like him to become twisted inside.

Princess Jade Hayes’s mind was a mess. Lola had been with her for so long, she genuinely wished Lola could find happiness.

Now Lola was Dean Lola and a female scholar—her status was high. Logically, only an outstanding man would be worthy of her. Princess Jade Hayes didn’t want Lola to marry in a rush without thinking it through.

The carriage rolled on for a while before arriving at Zhao Manor.

Princess Jade Hayes and Martin Wu got out of the carriage and saw that, sure enough, Zhao Manor was busy with red silk decorations. Servants and maids bustled about, and some were handing out red eggs at the gate.

In Chang’an City, whenever there was a joyful event, people would hand out red eggs at their gates.

When Princess Jade Hayes and Lola reached the entrance of Zhao Manor, the servant handing out red eggs noticed two elegant, striking women approaching. He grinned and said, “Ladies, today our master is getting married. Please, take a red egg for good luck!”

Princess Jade Hayes and Martin Wu looked at the red eggs; the dye was uneven, clearly a last-minute job.

It seemed the wedding preparations had been rushed—very unusual indeed.

"We're friends of Neil Zhao," Princess Jade Hayes said.

"Oh, guests! Please come in!" The servant saw Princess Jade Hayes and Martin Wu’s fine clothes—obviously people of status—and welcomed them in with a smile, not doubting them for a moment.

Surprisingly, there were no other guests—just the servants decorating and cleaning. It seemed the wedding was so sudden, they hadn’t even had time to invite anyone.

Princess Jade Hayes asked a servant to lead the way to Neil Zhao’s courtyard. She and Martin Wu entered together.

This courtyard was the liveliest part of the manor, with maids and matrons bustling in and out, their hands full of jewelry, rouge, and powder.

The door to the central room was wide open. Princess Jade Hayes and Martin Wu saw, at a glance, a woman sitting at the dressing table in a red bridal gown, her back to them. Behind her, maids and matrons fussed with her hair.

"Is... is that Lola?" Martin Wu asked, staring at the bride’s silhouette.

"Yes, it’s her." Princess Jade Hayes sighed. Who would’ve thought that Lola, who’d come to propose just this morning, was now already dressed as a bride?

Princess Jade Hayes led Martin Wu into the room. As soon as they entered, Lola turned around, her gaze landing squarely on them.

With Lola’s keen hearing, she’d recognized their footsteps the moment they stepped inside.

Lola stood up and looked at Princess Jade Hayes and Martin Wu, her gaze calm. "Lord Hayes, Martin Wu, welcome to my wedding with Neil Zhao," she said.

"Lola, what’s going on? Neil Zhao only proposed this morning—why the rush to get married right now?" Princess Jade Hayes asked.

Lola pressed her lips together, then waved her hand, signaling all the maids and matrons to leave the room.

The room quickly emptied, leaving only Lola, Princess Jade Hayes, and Martin Wu.

Martin Wu stepped forward, grabbing Lola’s sleeve anxiously. "Lola, you can’t just rush into marriage like this! There’s been no engagement, no betrothal gifts, no formal process—how can you just go straight to the wedding?"

Lola looked at Martin Wu, her expression still calm. "Martin Wu, I’ve made up my mind. If I don’t marry Neil Zhao in this life, I’ll marry no one. Even if everyone objects, I’ll still marry him. So I’ve decided—I don’t care about the formalities. Today, I’m marrying him."