Wedding Ceremony and the Dragon-Phoenix Jade Seals (Part 1)

The next morning.

Early in the morning, Ivy Shen realized that Eli Crane was missing. Normally, he'd always wake her up with a kiss, but today...

Her confusion didn’t last long, because Yvonne Li and Nina Xu walked in smiling. Nina was holding a bright red wedding robe and a super fancy phoenix coronet, while Yvonne brought over the wash water.

“Sis... stuff like this, you could just let the servants handle, you know?” Ivy said awkwardly, watching Yvonne Li pour her wash water. Normally the servants did this, so one of her seven husbands would snatch the basin and help out.

But today, her big sister did it herself, making Ivy super embarrassed.

“What’s the big deal? You’re covered in wedding luck today, so your big sis has to get a little of that good fortune!” Yvonne laughed, then came over and patted Ivy’s round belly, giving her a meaningful grin.

Ivy blushed bright red at Yvonne’s knowing smile.

“Hey, what are you two giggling about?” Nina Xu asked, totally clueless.

“Oh, nothing. Just laughing at those seven brothers-in-law scrambling around like headless chickens,” Yvonne Li said, quickly changing the subject.

Nina carefully set down the wedding robe and smiled. “This wedding dress is gorgeous. Heart, you’re definitely going to look stunning in it.” But her eyes still looked a little sad—was Ivy really getting married today?

“Sis, don’t go overboard! Just keep it simple, okay?” Ivy said, a little embarrassed. After all this time in another world, this was her first time wearing makeup, and honestly, she wasn’t used to it at all.

“Hold still, I’m drawing your eyebrows. Relax, it’ll look elegant!” Yvonne Li treated Ivy like a priceless art project, and the more she fussed, the more perfect Ivy’s skin looked.

“Nina, go check on Lacey and see if she’s ready.” Not wanting Nina to feel awkward, Yvonne quickly sent her off. Actually, Lacey hadn’t slept all night—Butterfly Rogue had rushed in yesterday shouting the news, so she’d just been waiting for this moment.

Yvonne had already dressed her in festive clothes early this morning, telling her to wait there.

“Okay!” Nina Xu answered and left the room.

Meanwhile...

“Your Majesty, you look amazing in that wedding robe—seriously, absolutely stunning!” Grand Master Zhang said, grinning.

“Of course I do! Is there anything I can’t pull off?” Ethan Chu adjusted his crown, looking totally refreshed.

But his words just made everyone roll their eyes at him.

Come on, with all of them around, Ethan Chu’s not even the hottest guy in the room!

“Haha, this really is gorgeous! Isn’t it?!” Caleb Miles’s sly laugh made everyone turn to look at him. He was stroking the gems on his bright red wedding robe, grinning like a fox.

The other guys glanced down at their own wedding robes. All seven outfits were basically identical, except for the placement of the gems. They had to admit, Ethan Chu managed to get all the robes made overnight, with the gems set in just right.

What really impressed them was that each of the eight gems matched the color of their tails—each robe had a gold gem in the center, surrounded by seven others: purple, green, blue, orange, white, yellow, and red, all sparkling.

Ethan Chu’s speed and generosity honestly blew the other six away.

Even money-obsessed Caleb Miles had to admit, while the robes themselves were easy enough, collecting eight gems in all their tail colors was no joke. Clearly, Chu Kingdom had serious power and cash.

But what they didn’t know was...

Minister A’s wife: “Honey, why did His Majesty suddenly take back the blue sapphire he gave us last night?”

“How should I know? I’m heartbroken, honestly.” Minister A was totally frustrated.

Minister B’s wife: “Your Highness, wasn’t that ruby a reward for your victory in battle? Why did His Majesty suddenly want it back?”

“No idea. The emperor said he was buying it back from me.” Staring at the random boxes of gold piling up, the prince was baffled—since when do you return gifts you already gave away?

“Ethan Chu, you work crazy fast!” Butterfly Rogue gave a big thumbs up, not holding back the praise.

“Obviously! You guys know what a big deal this is!” Truthfully, he’d always wanted a proper wedding with Ivy, but after she got pregnant, he’d been even more anxious. The whole prison break drama in the Soaring Phoenix Realm had forced him to beef up security. He knew exactly what kind of person Cao Wan’er was. So even though things had been calm in Chu Kingdom for a month, Ethan hadn’t relaxed at all.

He even ordered all border guards to be twelve times more alert than usual. He knew Cao Wan’er would figure it out sooner or later.

But as long as he was here, he’d protect everyone no matter what.

“Do I look good?” Liam Willow’s face was bright red as he looked at Lucian Vane, who’d come early to help him out.

“You look great!” Lucian tried to hide the shock in his eyes. He’d always known Liam was good-looking, but in the wedding robe, he was so stunning Lucian couldn’t look away.

Maybe Lucian didn’t get why he felt that way. Only Ivy could explain it: Love really is in the eye of the beholder!

The wedding was held in the inner palace. It was simple but felt grand. Of course, random people weren’t allowed in, so it was more like a big family gathering than a formal ceremony.

The seven husbands finished getting ready, then started fussing over everything else—were the eight kneeling cushions set up? Did big sis and second sis have their tea and seats? The seven of them ran around like crazy, while Grand Master Zhang watched, feeling a mix of bittersweet, helpless, and moved.

Finally, His Majesty was getting married—this was a huge deal!

But honestly, this wedding was way too simple, right? An emperor’s marriage should mean a party for the whole country!

And if not a nationwide party, at least—wait, he’s marrying this many people at once?!

Seriously, who would believe it? He’s the emperor, for crying out loud!

But honestly, it’s moving—only a gutsy girl like Ivy could ever match up to the Chu Emperor!

At that moment, Ethan Chu saw Grand Master Zhang sniffling, looking all touched. He sidled over and whispered, “Did you settle those old geezers?”

“Uh?” Grand Master Zhang froze, then quickly replied, “Don’t worry, Your Majesty—I bought off their doubts with gold.”

“Good. Before things blow up in the Soaring Phoenix Realm, keep them locked up at home, got it?” Ethan’s eyes went cold. The palace had plenty of gems, but sometimes two or three colors were missing, since his father didn’t care about those things and gave them away to ministers. Now, he was short two colors, so of course he’d go get them back. But sending people out at night to hunt down those gems would definitely make the ministers suspicious.

If they couldn’t keep their mouths shut, and the rumors slipped out, that would be a huge headache!

So the safest move was to keep them locked up, fake an illness so they’d have to rest. That would save a ton of trouble. Besides, by his calculations, these peaceful days were about to end. He glanced up at the sky, sensing a hint of tension in the air. After today, they’d have to plan their next moves carefully!

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