The Reincarnated Minister's Second Daughter Wants To Live A Happy Life - Chapter 0 - Prologue

Prologue 

Empire of Qing, 114th year of Emperor Qing’s reign, the 18th day of the fifth month. 

Red lanterns were hanging everywhere on the street, along with the happy festivities of the people in the capital. Musicians play their instruments with earnestness, congratulating the union of the Li and Zhou family. 

Children ran around the streets holding red packets while adults waved red flaglets with the happiness character written on them. They sang songs for the union of the two people. 

Not long after, a carriage pulled by beautiful and robust stallions and paraded with musicians wearing red arrived at the capital’s gates. 

“Make way! The carriage is running!”

The eunuch’s voice was heard from afar. 

“That must be Zhou MeiHua! She is the Empire’s silent beauty!”

“Who would have ever thought that she would be marrying General Li’s son?”

“They make the best pair!”

“May the heavens give them blissful years of matrimony in the future!”

“Happy marriage!”

People of the capital shouted congratulatory messages as the carriage carrying the bride passed them. They threw red flower petals on the road and danced to the wedding march tune the musicians were playing. 

Inside the carriage, the bride was covered with a red veil. Her fan was in her hand as her long red wedding dress flowed on the floor. A faint smile on her heart-shaped lips was painted with a red rogue. 

Not long after, the carriage arrived at the Li’s manor. The carriage door was opened by the lady-in-waiting beside the carriage. A white, slender hand stretched out and then came out the bride everyone was waiting for. 

There was a prepared brazier for the bride to skip. After skipping the brazier, she was led inside, where the groom was waiting. 

His tall stature and well-built body made the groom’s wedding outfit look good on him. His eyes never left his bride’s body. 

When the lady-in-waiting arrived at the front, she carefully placed the bride’s hand on the groom’s hand. 

“We are all here to witness Li and Zhou’s union through marriage. Bow to heaven and earth! Bow to the parents! Bow to each other!”

After completing the three ceremonial bows, the bride and groom did the love shot, and the bride was now led to the bridal chamber, where she was to wait for her husband to lift her veil. 

Left outside, the groom greeted their guests holding a small cup of wine, and thanked them for coming to the occasion. 

“Little Li, your uncle here is very proud of you. For you to marry such a virtuous wife, I could not wish any more than your eternal matrimonial bliss! Haha!” 

“Thank you, uncle.”

They clink cups, and the said uncle tapped his shoulder with a satisfied laugh. 

Li BaoHe is the groom of this joyful occasion. He is the captain of the royal guards and was known to be a stickler for rules. 

He had a tall stature and a well-built figure. It was said that he once killed a streak of tigers in one swoop. But his strength wasn’t that exaggerated at all. He made this only legend a fact when he caught a thief running away from authorities with himself. That was what made him the captain of the royal guards. 

Now, he is to wed the second daughter of Minister Zhou of the Ministry of War, Zhou MeiHua. It was already pre-arranged when he turned 20 and Minister Zhou’s second daughter turned 18. And this was that year. 

As soon as Li BaoHe turned 20 in the first month of the year and Zhou MeiHua turned 18 the following month, their marriage was quickly prepared, and this was the present. 

“Son, you should treasure your wife just as I treasured your mother. May you live a hundred years of marital bliss.” 

His father had a wide smile. He was delighted with his son’s marriage. 

“Ah, I can’t wait to hold my grandson in my arms! You know how Madam Lu always talks big about her grandchildren.”

Her mother chimed in with a smile on her face and, at the same time, complaining. She was secretly (?) telling Li BaoHe that she wanted a grandson as soon as possible. 

Li BaoHe laughed and soothed his mother. 

“Mother, that is up to your daughter-in-law. I dare not make the decision.” 

“Ah! What you said is right! Why don’t you hurry and go to her?”

Her mother even slyly winked at him. Li BaoHe chuckled and nodded his head. Other guests also urged him to see his wife after several cups of wine. 

Li BaoHe nodded his head and made his way to his wife. Boisterous sounds of laughter followed after him. He opened the door and held the golden scepter placed on the table. 

As he approached her, he could see how her hands tightened the hold on her fan. He thought that it was only a normal reaction. He stretched his hand holding the scepter and lifted her veil. However, a horrible scene greeted him. 

Zhou MeiHua was closing her eyes tightly, and blood slowly trickled from the corners of her lips. Li BaoHe was appalled by the sight. 

“Are you alright?! Guards!”

He quickly held her trembling body due to blood loss and called for the guards. Not too long after, he heard screams from outside the door. 

“What is happening?!”

“Captain! Someone’s attacking us! You must escape!”

“Attack?! What is it on the day of my wedding?!”

“We have no idea, captain!”

Li BaoHe was confused as to what to do in this situation. Zhou MeiHua was already in a dire situation. 

Li BaoHe was about to put Zhou MeiHua’s trembling body on the bed when he noticed something strange on her back. An arrow was stuck on her left shoulder! He looked around to see a small hole in one of the windows. 

Rage boiled from deep down his heart. On the day of my wedding, they dared! 

He quickly asked for bandages and hurriedly wrapped Zhou MeiHua’s injury with them. The guard that had entered was urging him to go outside, so he had no choice but to leave Zhou MeiHua behind. 

“I will be back to treat you. Just hang in there!”

He slowly put her on the bed and positioned her body to not hurt her left shoulder. Zhou MeiHua had passed out due to blood loss. 

Li BaoHe took one last glance and swiftly got his sword in one move. He went after the guard and saw countless corpses just outside the yard. They were the people who were happily celebrating his marriage on this supposedly auspicious day. 

His wedding day became the death of countless people. He ran through them and heard the sound of swords hitting each other behind him. He went to the backyard to see a group of masked men fighting with his guards. 

He joined them in a bloody fight. Three of the assassins quickly died. 

“Who are you?! Who sent you to kill us?!”

“Captain Li. It’s our honor to have a fight with you. I’ll answer that question after I kill you.”

Li BaoHe’s eyes were burning with an uncontrollable rage which the assassin coldly laughed at. 

Li Baohe charged first, but the assassin was swift and dodged his attack. After exchanging attacks, Li BaoHe managed to wound the assassin’s right arm holding the sword. 

“Good, good! You just made me excited! Bring it on, Captain Li!”

Li BaoHe was also exhausted from their initial fight but couldn’t back down yet. Before the assassin could launch another attack, arrows rained from above. They killed the remaining five assassins, including the one Li BaoHe was just fighting with. 

“Who’s there?!”

When he turned his head, no one was there, and everything went peacefully. He was thrown into a state of confusion once again. 

He returned to the yard where all sorts of corpses were piled up like sacks of wheat. There were no signs of another attack. 

He ran back to where Zhou MeiHua was after seeing that there was no potential threat. 

As he opened the door, another assassin was already aiming his dagger at her heart. 

“Stop!”

Swish! 

With one swift move, his sword stabbed precisely in his chest, and he was killed on the spot. However, Zhou MeiHua was already coughing blood. 

Li BaoHe was petrified and hugged her, but Zhou MeiHua won’t open her eyes anymore. 

“Young Master, please let go of her. Your father had already ordered you to go to the Hawol River to meet up with him. Madam is already with him, so you don’t need to worry about her anymore.”

Just then, the butler came and told him this. 

“What do you mean to leave her here?”

His questions kept on piling up one by one. 

“It is just as I said, Young Master. I advise you to not ask more questions lest you want to disobey the Lord’s orders.”

Then a group of guards entered with shiny swords. 

“Why are you doing this? On my wedding day!”

“Young Master, we have no time to dawdle. Please.” 

“I don’t care what my father says. You will have to step on my dead body before you can convince me to run away.”

He coldly pulled out the sword he used to stab the assassin and pointed it at the butler. He more or less understood what the butler meant. His father might have colluded with the Second Prince to overthrow the present Empire. That was what he always told him. 

A bloody battle occurred in that small bridal chamber. With his injuries from fighting with the assassin earlier, it was easy for the guards to suppress him. 

“Young Master, if you keep on being like this, I will have no choice but to drag you whether you like it or not!”

“Over my dead body!”

Li BaoHe quickly held a dagger he found and stabbed himself. He won’t let him be a part of a rebellion he disagrees with. 

“Young Master!”

With a thud, he fell to the floor, covered in wounds and blood. He crawled to the bed, where Zhou MeiHua lay cold and lifeless. The butler stared at him and went outside the room with the guards behind him. He shook his head and fixed his clothes without looking back. 

Li BaoHe hugged Zhou MeiHua’s cold body and held her hand. He would never have thought that his wife would die on the day of his wedding, and so will he. 

‘Since we finished the ceremony, we are already husband and wife. Let me be the one to send you to the Netherworld and be reborn.’

He coughed up another mouthful of blood from the stab on his chest. 

‘You died because of my father, who is hungry for power. Let me die in exchange for my father’s life. If there is a next life, I will repay your life with mine.’

At that moment, the cold wind blew from the window. The two lifeless bodies on the bed were covered in red, the color of auspiciousness. 

[In the 114th year of Emperor Qing’s reign, on the 18th day of the fifth month, Captain Li of the royal guards died with his wife in his embrace.]