On the road, Chu Chen tried again and found he still couldn't control this body, so he gave up the idea and calmly observed the events unfolding from a first-person perspective.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the wedding procession entered the imperial city. They first went to the Qiankun Hall to pay their respects to the Empress, and then proceeded to the Qingming Palace.
During the audience with the Empress, Chu Chen meticulously observed her expression but found no hint of anything amiss.
This puzzled Chu Chen: "The Empress doesn't seem like she's planning to harm me. What's going on? Could it be that it's not the Empress who's targeting me, but someone else?"
The journey to Qingming Palace was also uneventful. Upon arriving, they met the Fourth Princess, Princess Hanxiu, who was still residing in the palace at Jingning Palace.
Princess Hanxiu appeared to be a naive and sweet girl, and her playful laughter seemed perfectly normal.
After passing the hurdle of the fourth sister-in-law and meeting the fifth princess, Princess Xin Yue, nothing unexpected happened, which further deepened Chu Chen's confusion.
He watched as the bride, veiled in a red headdress and clad in a vibrant red wedding robe, was helped out by her personal maids and into the sedan chair. The procession then began its journey towards Qiankun Palace.
Back at Qiankun Palace, 'Chu Chen' helped Princess Xin Yue, who was by the sedan chair, step by step to the Empress, who was seated on the throne.
The two bowed before the Empress and offered her tea.
The Empress accepted the tea from both of them, took a small sip from each cup, and then said, "Chu Chen, although Xin Yue has been a bit mischievous and unruly in the past, she has greatly improved her behavior in recent years and has become much more dignified and virtuous. But this does not mean that you can bully her after marrying her.
"If I find out that you have bullied my daughter, I will make sure you suffer. Do you understand?"
"Your Majesty, please rest assured, I will never bully my wife. I cherish her too much to do so."
'Chu Chen' smiled and said with joy.
"That's good. Today is a joyous occasion for you and this girl. I won't say more. You may rise and escort Xin Yue to your home."
"Yes!"
'Chu Chen' said, pulling Xin Yue along as they both bowed and kowtowed to the Empress.
After the three kowtows, 'Chu Chen' led the reluctant Princess Xin Yue away from Qiankun Hall.
Once Princess Xin Yue was back in the sedan chair, the wedding procession changed its music to a more cheerful tune and hurried towards the Prime Minister's mansion.
For the next while, Chu Chen watched as his future self entertained guests, both familiar and unfamiliar. They all ate, drank, and offered congratulations in a friendly manner, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
After several rounds of drinks and toasts, 'Chu Chen', feeling somewhat tipsy, proceeded to the bridal chamber.
There, Princess Xin Yue, transformed into a beautiful bride, was waiting for him to share a cup of wine and consummate their marriage.
Entering the bedroom, he saw Xin Yue sitting on the edge of the bed, with some of the fruits on the side showing signs of being eaten.
'Chu Chen' smiled, stepped forward, and spoke some words assuring her of his good intentions. Then, he used a pole to lift the red veil, revealing the stunning and shy face hidden beneath.
For a moment, both the past Chu Chen and the present 'Chu Chen' were mesmerized.
"Husband, it's getting late. Shall we have the cross-cupped wine first?"
Princess Xin Yue became even more shy, a blush spreading across her face, and she softly reminded him in a sweet tone.
"Ah~ Alright."
'Chu Chen' seemed to snap out of his daze at her beautiful and shy expression, awkwardly poured the wine, and handed her a cup.
Then, they began to drink the cross-cupped wine.
"Damn it, why isn't this mastermind showing up yet? Am I going to watch my future self consummate his marriage with Xin Yue? Does this count as me cuckolding myself?"
Chu Chen, hidden in 'Chu Chen's' mind, watched this scene with a black line of sweat on his forehead, feeling a complex mix of annoyance and displeasure.
Just as they finished drinking the cross-cupped wine and 'Chu Chen' was embracing Princess Xin Yue and falling onto the red bed.
Suddenly, Chu Chen felt as if his head had been struck, leaving him feeling somewhat dizzy.
When he regained consciousness, he found himself no longer in 'Chu Chen's' body. He seemed to have moved outside and was observing things from his own perspective.
"This is? I've left my own body?"
Chu Chen was still bewildered when he noticed that the scene before him seemed to have frozen.
The future self and Princess Xin Yue were both motionless, as if they had stopped breathing.
"Wait a minute, who is this?"
It was then that Chu Chen realized that at the doorway, a figure dressed entirely in black, with a masked face revealing only a pair of eyes, had appeared at some point.
"Could it be that this person is the culprit behind my sudden death in this life simulation? An assassin from nowhere? And one who can evade even my Qi Transformation realm senses?"
"Hiss~ When did such a master appear in Yun Yue Country?"
Chu Chen gasped. Fortunately, this assassin also seemed to be frozen in time. His eyes, though appearing somewhat red as he looked at the bed, showed no movement or reaction.
With a thought, Chu Chen tried to move, but found that although he had left his future self's body, he was still unable to move and could only stand there and watch.
"Am I just supposed to watch? Is everyone unable to move?"
As if sensing Chu Chen's thoughts, the scene before him flickered back into motion.
His future self, about to become intimate with Princess Xin Yue, completely unaware of the person who had appeared behind him, was directly ambushed.
From Chu Chen's vantage point, he could clearly see the black-clad figure silently approaching his future self from behind. Then, he reached out and simply touched the back of his neck.
Instantly, all signs of life vanished from his future self.
This change alerted Princess Xin Yue, who opened her eyes in confusion and looked at Chu Chen, who was pressing down on her but had his eyes closed, seemingly unresponsive and silent.
"Chu Chen? Chu Chen? What's wrong?"
Princess Xin Yue felt a sense of foreboding and called out softly a few times, but received no response.
Just as she was about to try and turn Chu Chen over, Princess Xin Yue noticed that there was still a black-clad figure standing by the edge of the bed.
The moment she was about to shout "Assassin!", Princess Xin Yue recognized the person from the black-clad figure's eyes.
She exclaimed in surprise, "Mother! What's wrong? Why are you here? Why are your eyes so red? And what have you done to Chu Chen?"
"What! Mother? This person is the Empress?"
Before the black-clad figure could answer, Chu Chen's heart was thrown into turmoil.