Luck Reliant Beauty – CH 120

Chapter 120: Welcoming

Looking up, Jiang Mi bit her lip as she watched the city of Wuyue gradually come into view, her palms beginning to sweat.

Tilting her head and thinking for a moment, she simply ran towards Cui Zi Xuan’s cabin.

As soon as Jiang Mi entered the cabin, she exclaimed in surprise, “Mother Li?” What was Mother Li doing here?

Mother Li was speaking with a servant of the Cui family. Hearing Jiang Mi’s call, she paused for a moment, then turned back to Jiang Mi with a smile, saying, “Is it the Princess? This old servant has come to inquire about the situation with someone close to Young Master Cui.”

Jiang Mi blushed slightly and nodded demurely. “Yes, Ma, you may leave.”

Once Mother Li left, Jiang Mi skipped over to the servant, blushing, and asked, “Has Young Master Cui risen yet?”

This servant was a confidant of Cui Zi Xuan. Hearing this, he bowed respectfully and replied, “Reporting to Madam, the young master has risen from his bed.”

Jiang Mi bit her lip, smiled shyly, and turned to push open the hatch.

Sure enough, Cui Zi Xuan had already heard Jiang Mi talking outside and was now leaning against the window, smiling at her.

When Jiang Mi met his starry eyes, a surge of joy and peace filled her heart. She ran to him, about to speak, but then remembered the hatch was not closed, so she ran back and closed it.

Then, Jiang Mi ran back to Cui Zi Xuan, nuzzling her head against his chest like a puppy, and said, fiddling with her fingers, “Cui Zi Xuan, we are almost at Wuyue.”

Cui Zi Xuan smiled and said, “Yes.”

Jiang Mi bit her lip, continuing to say with her head down, “But I’m a little nervous.”

Cui Zi Xuan reached out and put his arm around her waist, lowering his head to say, “I told you, I’m here for you.” He gently patted Jiang Mi was back and added, “I will protect you.”

Jiang Mi rubbed her face against his chest, murmuring, “But I’m still nervous.”

Cui Zi Xuan smiled. He held Jiang Mi and placed her on a side table. He lowered his head and gently bit her lip, then breathed into her blushing ear, “Do not be afraid; your husband will protect you.”

Jiang Mi: …

Cui Zi Xuan chuckled softly, about to continue his advances, when suddenly, Jiang Mi, realizing what was happening, pushed him away and leaped off, disappearing like a rabbit in the blink of an eye.

Watching Jiang Mi’s hasty escape, Cui Zi Xuan smiled.

Somehow, after being teased like that by Cui Zi Xuan, Jiang Mi was not so panicked after all.

At this moment, the sun grew increasingly hot. More and more people came onto the deck.

However, everyone present—Cui’s friends and servants, as well as the passengers on the other ship—bowed respectfully upon seeing Jiang Mi. Their attitude was one of utmost reverence.

Since leaving Shu Capital, Jiang Mi had lived a life of being treated with utmost respect wherever she went. Even those who appeared wealthy and powerful would stop and bow to let her pass. Jiang Mi did not know the situation of those noble ladies, but after several months of this, she had gradually gained more confidence and composure compared to her time at Cheng Capital.

Inside the cabin.

Cui Zi Xuan watched with a smile as Jiang Mi walked past amidst the welcoming crowd. He took a sip of tea after a moment.

Behind him, Yan Lu, witnessing this scene, sighed softly and could not help but say, “If one were to marry a noblewoman, why would one need to spend so much…”

He did not finish his sentence.

Meeting Cui Zi Xuan’s gaze, Yan Lu quickly lowered his head.

…

To Jiang Mi’s temporary relief, the fleet did not intend to dock at the capital city of Hangzhou but would continue south.

The following afternoon, Cui Zi Xuan sent someone to inform Jiang Mi that it was time to disembark.

It was time to disembark!

She was about to reach the hometown of the Cui Clan of Boling, one of the Five Noble Houses and Seven Surnames!

The thought of facing the world’s most elite clans, and a whole group of them at that, made Jiang Mi’s hands sweat and her throat dry.

In fact, she was not the only one nervous; the Three Mothers surrounding her were also frequently wiping away sweat. Mother Gong kept muttering, “The Cui Clan of Boling! What if it’s the Cui Clan of Boling! No, I cannot panic; I cannot lose my composure. I’ve lived in the Shu State Emperor’s palace for so many years…”

Just then, there was a knock on the door, and a maidservant from Cui Zi Xuan’s household said, “Is the Princess here?”

Jiang Mi quickly replied, “Yes.” The door was pushed open, and four maids and eight servants scurried in. Several maids surrounded Jiang Mi and sat her down before a table; one began to wash her face and apply makeup, while another combed her hair. Meanwhile, a maidservant stood beside Jiang Mi, calmly admonishing her, “Although the Cui Clan of Boling is one of the Five Noble Houses and Seven Surnames, in recent years it has become the head of the clan because of Young Master. Young Master himself is also known as the First Young Master.” She paused slightly, waiting for Jiang Mi to process her words, before continuing, “Princess, you’re now the fiancée of the First Young Master. Wherever you go, you can stand tall, without shame before anyone, and never bow your head to anyone. Young Master means that once you arrive in Mingzhou, Princess, it’s better to act arrogantly than to cower and be ridiculed. Does Princess understand?”

In other words, she now held a very high position? Jiang Mi, with a beaming smile, quickly and obediently replied, “I understand.”

The maidservant remained unmoved and continued to subtly advise Jiang Mi, “Princess, your tone when speaking to this old servant was inappropriate. Given your current status, how could you speak so meekly to a mere servant?”

Jiang Mi understood and nodded demurely, “Yes.”

The maidservant smiled with satisfaction and continued, “Upon arriving at Mingzhou, Princess, if you do not wish to speak, you’re free to remain silent.”

Jiang Mi nodded.

“Over the years, Princess’s husband has won the admiration of many women, including some of exceptional status and appearance. Such women are always self-assured. If they try to make things difficult for you, Princess can simply ignore them!”

Jiang Mi liked to hear this, and she smiled, her eyes crinkling, and said, “Alright.”

“Although aristocratic families value talent and refinement, in this world, only martial arts can truly prevail. If anyone asks Princess to perform a talent, you can simply ignore them.”

Jiang Mi nodded.

“At all times, facing any situation, Princess should remain calm and composed.”

Jiang Mi nodded again.

“But Princess, you can rest assured, Young Master has already cleared all these places out. Now that we are in Mingzhou, no one should be foolish enough to cause you trouble.”

Jiang Mi nodded again…

And so it went. One kept giving instructions, while the others patted and stroked Jiang Mi’s body and head until an hour had passed.

Seeing that she was dressed, Jiang Mi slowly stood up and turned to look. Meeting her face, the Three Mothers involuntarily shrank back into the corner.

Ever since these maids entered, the Three Mothers had felt ashamed of themselves. But now, with Jiang Mi dressed up, her noble air was overwhelming. Combined with her already rare radiance, it was almost blinding.

Jiang Mi had not expected the Three Mothers to react so strongly, and she turned around to look at herself in the mirror from left to right. While looking at herself, she thought to herself, “They said natural beauty was 30% natural and 70% about how you dress.” It was true! Now, she was definitely not much worse off than that Young Lady Lu Li from the Lu Clan of Fanyang.

Seeing her transformed, stunningly beautiful self in the mirror, Jiang Mi felt even more confident about the road ahead.

Just as Jiang Mi was happily admiring her appearance, the boat she was on rocked and stopped. Then, a loud voice called out, “We’ve arrived at Mingzhou! Everyone prepare to disembark!”

We’ve arrived at Mingzhou!

Jiang Mi took a deep breath and, surrounded by her maids and the Three Mothers, walked out.

At that moment, Cui Zi Xuan also emerged, standing with his hands behind his back at the bow. Seeing Jiang Mi’s newly made-up appearance, his eyes lit up, and his smile broadened.

By then, the deck gradually filled with people from the cabin. When Jiang Mi turned around, the maids had silently returned to behind Cui Zi Xuan, leaving only the Three Mothers and her maids behind her.

Jiang Mi knew that these people must have been Cui Zi Xuan’s constant companions, and it was not appropriate for them to follow her. In other words, she would have to face everything personally from now on!

At this moment, all the ships lined up on both sides, and in the silence, only Jiang Mi’s ship moved.

The boat sailed unhurriedly past the two convoys, arriving first at the dock.

The dock was packed with people. As Cui Zi Xuan’s figure became clearer, a collective cheer erupted, with countless people shouting at the top of their lungs, “Cui Zi Xuan! Cui Zi Xuan!”

Cui Zi Xuan stood smiling. Seeing Jiang Mi lagging behind, he turned and glanced at her.

Jiang Mi understood and immediately went to his side, standing shoulder to shoulder with him!

Almost immediately after Jiang Mi stepped forward, the cheers paused slightly.

Fortunately, after these past few months of experience, although many people on the shore were staring at Jiang Mi, she could handle it with ease. As the chains hooked onto the dock and planks were laid across the deck, Jiang Mi naturally stepped forward and, together with Cui Zi Xuan, boarded the planks, reaching the dock.

As soon as they stepped onto the dock, the throng of onlookers immediately parted to make way. Then, one by one, the elegantly dressed young masters stepped forward, bowing to Cui Zi Xuan and saying, “Greetings, Twenty-Seventh Master.”

Cui Zi Xuan nodded, then turned to Jiang Mi. “Let’s go.” With that, he took the lead and, surrounded by the crowd, walked towards the carriage parked not far away.

Jiang Mi and Cui Zi Xuan each boarded their respective carriages.

The convoy headed towards Mingzhou City.

As they drove on, Jiang Mi’s carriage was surrounded by noble ladies, all of whom were now turning to scrutinize her intently.

Jiang Mi’s carriage curtains were open; she sat quietly, enduring their intense gazes.

Just then, another carriage pulled up. Seeing its owner, the ladies greeted her with smiles, “Sister Ziying has arrived?” “Oh, it’s Ziying! Why did you take so long?”

Jiang Mi looked in the direction of the voices.

Just then, the young lady in the other carriage also looked at her. Meeting the young lady’s face, Jiang Mi immediately understood her identity: this young lady was Cui Zi Xuan’s little sister.

Why? Because this girl bore a striking resemblance to Cui Zi Xuan, bearing a six- or seven-point resemblance, even down to the identical mocking smile on her lips.

In the blink of an eye, Cui Ziying’s carriage pulled up beside Jiang Mi.

Looking Jiang Mi up and down, she pointed to herself and introduced herself: “My name is Cui Ziying, I’m the thirty-seventh in my clan, and I’m Cui Zi Xuan’s little sister.”

Jiang Mi quickly smiled and said, “So you’re my sister-in-law!”

Cui Ziying did not respond; she continued to scrutinize Jiang Mi.

After observing for a while, Cui Ziying turned and ordered, “Have them disperse.”

“Yes.”

Once the other carriages had moved a little further away, Cui Ziying instructed the coachman to move closer to Jiang Mi’s carriage. Then, looking directly at Jiang Mi, she said, “I do not like you!”

That was really direct!

Jiang Mi’s smile froze.

Cui Ziying was still staring at Jiang Mi, a familiar mocking smile playing on her lips. She whispered, “Did you see the Cui family members who greeted you at the dock? The Cui Clan of Boling, young men aged thirteen to Lords aged thirty—ten years ago there were one hundred and five of them. Now only twenty-three remain. Aside from those scattered across various states who could not return, you’ve already seen the remaining six.”

So many died young? Jiang Mi was startled, her eyes widening as she looked at Cui Ziying.

Cui Ziying met her gaze, sneered, and said, “Shocking, isn’t it? The most shocking part is yet to come. Of the thousand-year-old Cui Clan of Boling, only Cui Zi Xuan is truly capable of anything. And Cui Zi Xuan alone controls over 70% of the total power of the Cui Clan of Boling!”

Jiang Mi absorbed her words intently.

But just then, Cui Ziying’s voice suddenly turned angry. Suppressing her rage, she said, “This time, my elder brother, to save face for you, has mobilized all his forces… From Cheng Capital to Hangzhou, thousands of ships and a hundred thousand men escorted you. This news has spread far and wide, not only to Shu State, Southern Tang, and Wuyue, but probably even to those states far to the north… Lady Jiang, Elder Brother’s forces should have appeared at the most crucial moment, not been exposed so early. Tell me, what do you have that makes him willing to go to such lengths?”

Jiang Mi looked at Cui Ziying; her lips moved, but she could not speak.

Cui Ziying took a deep breath and said, “Now even the Lord of Wuyue State knows that Cui Zi Xuan used the entire wealth of the State to marry you, a girl from a humble background!”

After a slight pause, Cui Ziying coldly said, “Lady Jiang, I will never acknowledge you!” With that, she turned and strode away.

Cui Ziying’s departure seemed to be a signal; the noble ladies exchanged glances and followed suit. In the blink of an eye, Jiang Mi was left without a single respectable female companion.

…

Gradually, they arrived at Mingzhou City.

The convoy entered one after another.

Just as when they left the dock, upon entering the city, Jiang Mi’s carriage and Cui Zi Xuan’s carriage again led the way.

In the bustling city of Mingzhou, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at them. Jiang Mi, the bride, had already drawn the carriage curtain.

Inside the carriage, Jiang Mi was alone. She listened to the clamor and cheers outside, her face thoughtful. After some time, someone called out from outside, “We’ve arrived at Cui’s residence!”

Cui’s residence? Jiang Mi took a deep breath.