416: Chapter 416 Invite the son-in-law upstairs to fetch the bride!

The long-awaited wedding day had finally arrived.

Before the sky had fully brightened, the North Wind Princes Mansion was already ablaze with lights.

Maidservants bustled back and forth carrying vanity boxes, their footsteps light and hurried.

Ruozao had been pressed into the seat before the vanity for nearly an hour.

Today, she wore a bright red wedding dress, embroidered with twin lotus flowers on the hem and trimmed with delicate gold thread at the cuffs.

Her long hair was being twisted up, strand by strand, by the hair stylist.

It was coiled into an intricate bun.

A kingfisher-feather Phoenix hairpin was pinned in place.

The Phoenix held a string of tiny pearl tassels in its beak, which hung beside her ear.

They swayed gently as she tilted her head slightly.

"Young Miss, don't move."

The stylist pressed down on her shoulders, carefully tracing the curve of her eyebrows.

Ruozao sat obediently.

The person in the mirror had eyes brimming with spring, her entire face glowing with an irrepressible joy.

"All done."

The stylist stepped back half a pace, looked her up and down, and clapped her hands in satisfaction.

"Young Miss, are you satisfied?"

Ruozao looked at herself in the mirror, nodded, then shook her head, and finally whispered:

"...It's beautiful."

Her voice was soft, carrying a hint of shyness and an irrepressible excitement.

The stylist smiled and tucked the last stray lock of hair behind her ear:

"Young Miss is the most beautiful today."

Just as she spoke, a flurry of hurried footsteps came from outside.

"They're here! They're here! The wedding convoy has reached the end of the street!"

Ruozao's heart suddenly began to race.

Her heart was thumping wildly.

Lu Shan had snuck into the room at some point, poking her head out from behind the vanity and leaning close to Ruozao's ear, whispering:

"Zaozao, I've come to fetch you."

Ruozao's face reddened even further, and she gave her a light push:

"You aren't Lin Yun..."

"I've come to see you on behalf of my husband."

Lu Shan's eyes curved into crescents as she smiled, reaching out to straighten the Phoenix hairpin.

"You look so beautiful. When my husband sees you later, he definitely won't be able to take his eyes off you."

Ruozao lowered her head, her ears flushed red, but the corners of her mouth curled up.

Outside the main gate of the North Wind Princes Mansion, the ten-mile-long street was packed solid.

Spectators crowded both sides, standing on tiptoe to gaze, while children sat on their parents' shoulders, pointing into the distance and shouting.

A low engine rumble came from the end of the street, growing louder and closer.

Then, the first car appeared.

Its body was entirely silver-white, sleek and elongated, its streamlined silhouette glowing with a soft luster in the morning light.

A giant red silk flower was attached to the front of the car, with a "Double Happiness" character embroidered in gold thread at its center.

The second, the third, the fourth...

One after another, they lined up neatly like a long Dragon, the silver-white car bodies blending into a dazzling stream of light under the sun.

The convoy stretched from the end of the street all the way to the gate of the North Wind Princes Mansion, spanning a full ten miles.

Every car was decorated with red silk and fresh flowers, with red lanterns hanging from the roofs, swaying gently in the morning breeze.

Passersby exclaimed in amazement.

"This is such a grand display!"

"How impressive! How many cars must there be!"

"Good heavens, they're all the latest 'Liuyun' models... How much must this have cost..."

The discussions rose and fell, a mixture of awe and envy.

The lead car stopped in front of the mansion's main gate.

The door opened, and Lin Yun stepped out.

As soon as he got out of the car, the crowd of onlookers erupted into cheers and jeers.

Lin Yun smiled and cupped his hands in greeting to those on both sides, then walked up the steps and crossed the threshold of the mansion.

Just as he entered the courtyard, his path was blocked by a group of maidservants.

The leading maid, who looked to be in her early twenties, wore her hair in double buns.

With smiling eyes and hands on her hips, she stood in the middle of the path, her voice crisp and clear:

"If the Son-in-law wants to take away our Young Miss, it won't be that easy! You must pass three trials first!"

The maidservants behind her nodded in unison and scattered.

They set up a long table in the center of the courtyard with three items on it.

The group of groomsmen behind Lin Yun followed, rubbing their hands together, faces full of eagerness.

The leading maid patted the tabletop:

"First trial: I invite the Son-in-law to find the mechanism of this jade bracelet within thirty breaths."

She held a jade bracelet that was entirely emerald green and handed it to Lin Yun.

"There is an extremely fine clasp on the jade bracelet; find it, and you can open it."

"Thirty breaths—if you can't find it, you'll have to drink three cups of penalty wine!"

Lin Yun took the jade bracelet and examined it.

For wedding games, one certainly couldn't use cultivation to cheat.

The surface of the bracelet was smooth and delicate, warm to the touch, and at first glance, it seemed seamless; indeed, no joints could be found.

The crowd of onlookers jeered:

"Come on, Son-in-law!"

Lin Yun brought the jade bracelet to his eyes and slowly ran his fingertips along the inner wall.

Near the edge on the inside of the bracelet, he felt a slight protrusion, finer than a strand of hair.

He pressed lightly with his thumb— "Click."

The jade bracelet split along the middle, dividing into two halves.

The maid was stunned for a moment, then looked closely:

"...Passed! First trial passed!"

The groomsmen erupted into cheers.

Lin Yun smiled as he handed the jade bracelet back and looked at the maid: "What about the second trial?"

The maid quickly regained her smile and produced three keys that looked almost identical from behind her back.

"Second trial: three keys, but only one can open the bronze lock on the door of the Young Miss's boudoir. The Son-in-law can only choose one, one chance."

She spread the three keys on the table and winked at Lin Yun.

"Choose."

The groomsmen leaned in to look left and right; the three keys were the same size, and the teeth marks were almost identical, with no visible difference.

A groomsman whispered: "How do we pick? They all look the same."

Another scratched his head: "Just pick one at random, it's all down to luck."

Lin Yun stood before the table, his gaze sweeping over the three keys.

He reached out, his fingertips touching the handles of the three keys in turn.

Then he picked up the one in the middle.

"This one."

The maid took the key, turned, walked to the boudoir door, and inserted the key into the bronze lock.

With a "click," the lock opened.

The maid looked back at him, a trace of surprise in her eyes, then smiled and cleared the way:

"Son-in-law has a sharp eye! The second trial is passed too!"

The crowd of onlookers erupted into laughter and praise.

The maid walked back, carrying a small porcelain bowl filled with a bowl of pearl rice.

"Third trial: I invite the Son-in-law to find the red bean that the Young Miss hid in advance inside this bowl of pearl rice."

She pointed into the bowl, "You can only use chopsticks; you cannot use your hands to sift through it. Time limit: sixty breaths."

The bowl of pearl rice was full of plump, white, glistening grains, and at first glance, it was impossible to tell where the red bean was hidden.

The groomsmen leaned in to look, shaking their heads: "Without using Divine Thought, how can one find it? There's so much rice..."

"Your eyes would go blurry trying to find it."

Lin Yun took the chopsticks without rushing.

He first lifted the bowl, turned it in the light, then set it down and carefully probed the rice with the chopsticks.

He first pushed aside the top layer of rice grains, paused for a moment, and then pushed twice in a downward diagonal direction.

A few grains of rice were pushed aside, revealing a faint red color.

A red bean.

With a clamp of his chopsticks, he steadily picked it out from the pile of rice.

The maid looked down, stunned for two seconds, and couldn't help but laugh and clap her hands:

"Son-in-law, your eyes are too sharp! All three trials passed! I have nothing more to say!"

The groomsmen were absolutely ecstatic.

The maidservants smiled and cleared the path, saying in unison:

"We invite the Son-in-law upstairs to collect the bride!"