Chu Yin had taught himself so much about fate and divination; it couldn’t be said that his skills were profound, but he already had his own understanding.
Regarding “changing one’s fate,” his current comprehension was that as long as the 【Da Liu Ren】 told him something couldn’t be changed, then it absolutely couldn’t.
The wedding ceremony itself, and the chaos immediately following it, were clear-cut events that could not be altered from the very beginning.
But as long as the wedding ceremony could “proceed on schedule,” then every other step after that was an open field for manipulation!
“Madam, are you satisfied with this makeup?” the maid responsible for the dressing asked softly.
She already knew Miss Zhang Wei’s situation and was extremely nervous, afraid of angering Lady Chunhan.
“Hm, it’s fine. Later you’ll need to work hard to change my makeup again. Stay here on standby; don’t go looking for anyone else,” Lady Chunhan ordered calmly.
“Understood!” The maid retreated to the courtyard to wait.
Chu Yin moved a chair over and sat beside the dazzlingly adorned beauty dripping with pearls and jewels.
This was probably the day Lady Chunhan wore the most jewelry.
If not for the special occasion, since she had to appear as an elder for the Groom and Bride, she would have detested these cumbersome ornaments.
“Today, Mistress, you’ll have to run around a lot. First, you have to appear as the elder, and later you’ll have to pretend to be the Bride…”
“There’s no hardship in that. As long as we get through today’s hurdle, what does it matter?” Lady Chunhan replied.
She was about to show a look of apology, but Chu Yin quickly beat her to it and apologized instead, leaving no way out for her as his teacher.
“Mistress, I’m truly ashamed right now. Your own wedding banquet encountered troubles back then, and now with this unexpected incident, you have to wear the Bride’s red gown. It must bring back painful memories. It’s all because of my incompetence!”
Lady Chunhan barely had time for self-reproach, let alone blame him.
If anyone were to blame, it was her daughter, Zhang Wei, who forced her to this point, forcing her to step in as the Bride at the last moment.
It had nothing to do with Chu Yin!
Seeing Chu Yin so remorseful and worried she might recall past shadows, Lady Chunhan focused entirely on comforting him.
The beauty drew Chu Yin closer, wrapping the young man’s grateful and noble figure in her arms.
Through the fabric of her gown, the softness of her firm, full curves gradually enveloped half of his face.
As Lady Chunhan’s arms tightened, Chu Yin’s face pressed against her snowy softness, faintly hearing the rhythm of her heartbeat.
“You mustn’t say such things. Mistress doesn’t feel haunted by any shadows. If it weren’t for you, this child, Mistress facing Zhang Wei’s runaway wedding situation would be completely lost and at a loss…”
“It’s also because Mistress trusted her too much, thinking she would gradually develop feelings for you, Chu Yin…”
The letter Zhang Wei left when she ran away from the wedding was full of complaints, belittling everything her mother had done over the years, and suspecting that this outsider—Chu Yin—wanted to seize the family fortune of Luoshui City.
After listing many reasons, she explained that her runaway was an act of rebellion, unwilling to become a sacrificial pawn.
Thus, Lady Chunhan clearly knew that Zhang Wei wasn’t running away because of any issue with Chu Yin, but because she held resentment toward her mother.
This entire scheme was deliberately crafted.
Intentionally disappearing at the critical moment when the wedding was ready and the guests were about to arrive, aiming to utterly ruin her mother’s dignity and face.
“Mistress, if you take so much responsibility, I might as well take advantage of it~”
“Fine, how exactly do you want to take advantage?”
“If the wedding goes through its full course, I’ll be head of the family after this. Mistress will have to listen to me. When I tell you to rest in your chamber, you can’t keep staying in the study, making me stay up late keeping you company, sigh!”
“……”
The beauty chuckled, amused by Chu Yin’s teasing, her mood lifting considerably.
Just as the sky brightened, she could face the guests with a fresh appearance.
If she looked troubled, it would be easy to read through her.
The mature and charming lady embraced her son-in-law for a long while before finally pulling away and getting ready to leave together.
Morning dawned bright and clear.
After much preparation, Luoshui City finally welcomed its liveliest day, guests pouring in with unending congratulations.
The city lord’s mansion gates swung open, and the caravan bringing gifts was so long it stretched almost to the city gate of Luoshui City.
Lady Chunhan, clad in red robes, wore a faint smile as she greeted the guests who had traveled from afar.
Chu Yin, the Groom, stood beside her, cupping his hands in salute, thanking all the relatives and friends for their blessings.
The Bride hadn’t appeared yet, but no one questioned why.
Customs varied by region—perhaps in Luoshui City, the Bride stayed behind until later?
Those familiar with Luoshui City knew well that the real importance was Lady Chunhan and the heir she had chosen.
These two showing themselves to greet guests was the utmost display of sincerity, flawless in etiquette.
Chu Yin took the initiative to control the atmosphere, drawing the guests’ attention to himself.
He chatted with some respected elder friends, astutely asking if they’d encountered certain matters recently and then offering his advice.
Surprisingly, this whole set of con-artist-style lines worked quite well—after all, it was a market-tested deception routine.
After Chu Yin’s spiel, several venerable elders looked on in astonishment and hurriedly called over their juniors, wanting them to meet Chu Yin.
Were it not for the formal occasion, they would have been eager to make their juniors befriend him.
Only those who had run households knew how crucial information channels were, and divination was an extremely rare source of such intelligence.
Everyone was eager to recruit talent, frequently fooled by charlatans and paying a mental “tax.” Now Luoshui City was lucky to have a new lord with these skills, no longer needing to ask for help—how enviable!
“Lady Chunhan really found a fine son-in-law, such exquisite and powerful Xuanshu. Where did he learn it?”
“Yes, where is Master Chu’s respected teacher? We’d like to have our boys try and see if they can catch the teacher’s eye.”
“Our clan hired a Diviner for a hefty sum, sometimes effective, sometimes not. We might as well just keep a Guanyin Statue.”
Chu Yin remained humble, showing no hint of arrogance, saying:
“I’m ashamed; I taught myself. No master. If there’s a chance in the future, I’d like to find a great teacher to guide me!”
With Chu Yin as the centerpiece controlling the mood, no one noticed that the Bride still hadn’t appeared after half a day.
But the main event was yet to come—the wedding ceremony was approaching.
Lady Chunhan left early to the back to change, preparing to wear the Phoenix Crown and Rosy Gown.
Chu Yin made a show of apologizing, regret flashing on his face, raising his cup to punish himself:
“Esteemed elders and friends, my mistress has tirelessly supported Luoshui City until today. She was overcome with emotion just now and lost control of her feelings. To avoid spoiling everyone’s mood, she went to the back to recover. Please forgive her!”
For the Groom’s closest elder not to attend the wedding was a bit awkward, but everyone present knew what had happened at Lady Chunhan’s own wedding banquet years ago.
Her emotional outburst was understandable.
Plus, Chu Yin’s earlier efforts to assert authority had already established his voice.
Everyone believed he could represent Luoshui City.
If the new lord himself was publicly apologizing and punishing, who could say otherwise?
“Understood, understood!”
“Lady Chunhan’s situation is special, she truly can’t be forced!”
“Mr. Chu, as the Groom, you can’t just look after the Bride. You have to comfort Lady Chunhan as well; after all, she’s not only your teacher but soon to be your mother-in-law!”
Chu Yin nodded, taking the advice seriously:
“Alright, I’ll go check on Mistress and prepare to bring the Bride out for the ceremony. Excuse me for a moment!”
Leaving the main hall, Chu Yin quickened his pace, hurrying toward Lady Chunhan’s side.
As soon as he arrived in the courtyard, he heard the conversation between Mistress and the maid.
“Is there a larger spare Hongluan Doudou? This one’s cut a bit small, it’s a little tight…”
“Madam, this Hongluan Doudou was already enlarged by two inches based on Miss’s measurements. There isn’t another size.”