Chapter 106.2: Deposed Empress! (2)

Du Xiaoli waved the red veil in her hand, saying, "I said I would come, how could I go back on my word? Come, I'll drape the veil on for you, the auspicious time is almost over."
“Okay.”
"I just heard Xiaoyi-gege say that the civil and military officials have gathered outside, saying that they want to see you off. I'm thinking, it won’t do for us to be late, right?" Du Xiaoli placed the veil on Han Mingxiang, pulled her up, and headed out.
Du Xiaoli led Han Mingxiang out of her palace. As she passed by the imperial garden, she saw the civil and military officials waiting there. She brought Han Mingxiang in front of Han Mingze and put her hand in his, then stepped back.
"Let's go, this Emperor will see you out." Han Mingze's eyes flashed with a hint of grief when he saw Han Mingxiang in her wedding clothes, but he quickly regained his composure.
Du Xiaoli was always attentive of her surroundings, so she naturally saw the change in Han Mingze's expression. All of a sudden, she felt a resentful gaze on her, but when she turned her head, she only saw a group of palace maids cleaning up the imperial garden.
Han Mingze held Han Mingxiang's hand as they walked outside of her palace, and they ran into the Empress Dowager on the way.
"This Empress Dowager has come to see Changle off. For the sake of my Feng Ming, you've suffered. Wherever you go, make sure to be careful with your words and behavior, because you’re not only representing yourself, but also Feng Ming. Also, protect yourself," The Empress Dowager spoke to Han Mingxiang, but her gaze flickered twice towards Du Xiaoli.
"Thank you, Empress Dowager. Changle understands." Han Mingxiang curtsied.
"Mm, you all, go." The Empress Dowager finished speaking and stepped aside.
"Changle will leave now."
"Us ministers and officials will leave now."
Du Xiaoli followed everyone as they left, but as she brushed past the Empress Dowager, a strange feeling welled up in her heart. However, there was no time for her to think further into now, so she could only suppress this strange feeling in her heart.
This group of people sent Han Mingxiang to outside the palace, only when they were outside did she remember, at such a time the Empress should be present, but from beginning to end there wasn’t a shadow of the Empress.
Outside the palace, a procession of big red carriages gradually fell into line. Other than the front few carriages that were for everyone to sit in, the carriages lined up in the back were dowry carriages.
The imperial guards stood a hundred meters outside the palace, followed by a crowd of citizens. They knew that Han Mingxiang was being married off for the peace treaty, and had especially come to send her off.
There was also a group of troops escorting the bride, and Han Mingyi and Ji Liufeng stood at the front of this group.
"Greetings, to Your Majesty the Emperor. Long live the Emperor." Seeing Han Mingze and the others come out, all the citizens outside knelt down.
Han Mingze took two steps forward with Han Mingxiang and said, "Today, Princess Changle is getting married and traveling to Northern Yuan for the marriage alliance peace treaty. Everyone must remember the contributions Changle has made for everyone."
"Thank you Princess, long live Princess Changle." The people shouted in unison.
"Come, I'll escort you to the carriage." Han Mingze said to Han Mingxiang.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Han Mingxiang faintly responded.
Han Mingze held Han Mingxiang's hand as he guided her to the frontmost carriage, supporting her as she stepped up onto the red carriage.
Du Xiaoli followed Han Mingxiang onto the carriage. From here to the country border, she was the only one permitted in the carriage aside from Han Mingxiang.
This was the custom of Feng Ming Country– maids couldn’t go on wedding carriages. If there was no one to send her off, Han Mingxiang would have had to do everything herself along the way.
"Take good care of Changle. As for those people, this Emperor will find their identity before you return." Han Mingxiang said to Du Xiaoli.
“This court sister obeys.” After saying this, Du Xiaoli turned and entered the carriage, extending her hand to close the door.
Han Mingyi and Ji Liufeng saw that Han Mingxiang had boarded the carriage and got on their horses, one after the other. When Han Mingyi saw Han Mingxiang nod, he waved his hand and the procession began to move.
At the same time, the crackle-fizzle sound of firecrackers were set off on both sides outside the palace.
"Sending off Princess Changle." Aside from Han Mingze, everyone else knelt down.
"Sending off Princess Changle."
From the palace to the city gates, the entire area was filled with people watching the marriage send-off. Wherever the wedding carriage traveled, people knelt down, cheering loudly.
After Du Xiaoli got into the carriage, and closed the door behind her, Han Mingxiang removed her veil.
"Xiaoli, I just– seemed to have heard Liufeng," Han Mingxiang said, grabbing Du Xiaoli's hand.
Du Xiaoli sighed, it seemed that she didn't know about the matter of Ji Liufeng sending her off.
Seeing Du Xiaoli sigh, Han Mingxiang thought that she had touched the wound on her arm and hurriedly retracted her own hand, rushing to say, "Sorry, sorry, I wasn’t paying attention to your wound."
"I'm fine." Du Xiaoli patted Han Mingxiang's hand.
"I'm sorry, I just..." Han Mingxiang was silent, unable to articulate her emotions.
"Princess Changle–"
"Princess Changle–"
The shouts of the citizens rang from outside, but they couldn’t pierce the silence in the carriage.
After a while, when they were almost out of the city, Du Xiaoli spoke up and asked, "Princess, do you want Liufeng-gege to send you off for this marriage?"
"I also don't know. I want him to send me off, but also don't want him to send me off." Han Mingxiang smiled bitterly, "I want him to accompany me on this journey, but I also don't want him to see me become a married woman!"
“Sending off Princess Changle–”
“Wishing Princess Changle a harmonious marriage unto old age–”
The carriage slowly drove away from Phoenix City, and the celebratory shouts of the citizens were slowly left in the distance. Du Xiaoli opened the curtains and looked at the two people on horseback ahead of them. Noticing Han Mingxiang's conflicted expression, she said, "Princess, Liufeng-gege, he personally went to find Xiaoyi-gege, and now he's at the very front of the procession."
Han Mingxiang's body stiffened, "He really came..."MoonWhisperer, skyrise's Thoughts

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