The officiant announced, "First bow to heaven and earth!"
Prince Ning and the bride immediately turned around, knelt towards the doorway, bowed three times facing the heavens, and then stood up.
At this moment, Qin Xixue, the bride under the red mandarin duck veil, sneezed loudly again, almost blowing off the red mandarin duck veil from her head.
Upon hearing the sneeze, the entire hall fell silent for over ten seconds. Then, whispers and discussions erupted among the guests, with small groups of two or three huddled together, murmuring.
Even the Emperor and Empress Dowager, seated in the main hall, displayed subtle changes in their expressions. A sneeze during the wedding ceremony was hardly a good omen.
Hearing Qin Xixue sneeze again, Prince Ning lowered his voice and asked her, "Xue'er, did you not sleep well last night? Did you catch a chill?"
"No, Your Highness. My face suddenly felt increasingly tight and very itchy."
As she spoke, Qin Xixue raised her hand and scratched her face twice.
"Xue'er, please bear with it a little longer. We'll finish the ceremony soon."
Prince Ning frowned slightly and said.
"Alright, Your Highness. Xue'er can endure a bit longer."
Qin Xixue nodded slightly.
Seeing that the bride was alright, the officiant asked everyone in the hall to quiet down.
Then, the officiant loudly proclaimed, "Second bow to the elders!"
Prince Ning and the bride turned again, knelt facing the Emperor and Empress Dowager, kowtowed three times, and then slowly stood up.
At this point, Qin Xixue's facial skin felt even tighter, and her face became increasingly itchy. However, she gritted her teeth and resolved to endure the ceremony, determined not to embarrass herself.
The officiant announced, "Third, the couple bows to each other!"
As the officiant's voice faded, Prince Ning and Qin Xixue immediately turned to face each other, bowed together, heads touching, and then straightened up.
As a result, Qin Xixue's nose felt even itchier. She let out a massive sneeze, and the next moment, the mandarin duck veil on her head was blown off.
Everyone present was stunned. What was most shocking was Qin Xixue's face. Something seemed to be writhing within her skin, moving erratically. Finally, under everyone's gaze, the thing emerged from Qin Xixue's nose and landed on the floor with a thud.
It was a small, bright red, bloody worm, still wriggling its plump body on the ground.
However, what was truly terrifying at that moment was Qin Xixue's face. After a red worm crawled out of her nostril, her skin visibly began to twist like a rope. Her entire face became wrinkled, and apart from her hair remaining black, she looked as old as a seventy or eighty-year-old woman, hideously ugly.
Witnessing this transformation, the onlookers cried out in terror, as if they were looking at a monster, scattering and keeping their distance, fearing the creature might harm them.
The Emperor, seated in the main hall, was also startled by Qin Xixue's appearance. The Empress Dowager nearly fainted, but was fortunately supported and comforted by Leng Ruoli.
"Guards, quickly throw this monster into the dungeon! Today's wedding for Prince Ning is canceled! The banquet is dismissed!"
The Emperor exclaimed, covering his forehead, and decisively ordered the guards to escort Qin Xixue to the dungeon.
"Your Majesty, no, please don't! Your humble subject is Qin Xixue, daughter of Prime Minister Qin, not some monster. I implore Your Majesty not to cast me into the dungeon, sob..."
Seeing this, Qin Xixue immediately knelt before the Emperor and Empress Dowager, begging for mercy.
At this moment, she was the only one aware of how terribly ugly her face had become.
"You still claim you're not a monster? Guards, find a bronze mirror and let her see herself!"
The Emperor's face turned ashen, his voice filled with rage.
"Imperial Father, there's no need for anyone to fetch a bronze mirror. I have a clearer reflection than any bronze mirror here."
Just then, Leng Ruoli's gaze shifted, and she quickly spoke.
"Good, then quickly give it to her to look!" the Emperor immediately agreed.
Jun Mohan, who had been silently accompanying Leng Ruoli, twitched his lips upon hearing their conversation. He found his consort utterly exasperating.
His consort was clearly aiming for a complete character assassination.
Subsequently, Leng Ruoli promptly took out a small, bright mirror from her sleeve and personally approached Qin Xixue, handing her the mirror.
Qin Xixue shot a venomous glare at Leng Ruoli, but ultimately took the mirror. However, the hand she extended was now also wrinkled.
Steeling her resolve, she held the mirror Leng Ruoli had given her and looked at her face. Instantly, she was struck dumb with shock. The mirror Leng Ruoli had provided shattered on the floor with a loud "crash!"
"Heavens! What has happened to my face!"
Her current appearance was even more hideous than when her face had been branded and slashed.
How could she possibly continue to live like this?
"Sob..."
Qin Xixue collapsed onto the ground, sobbing uncontrollably in despair.
"Your Highness Prince Ning, please save me! You must save me! This is all because of the beauty you cultivated..."
Qin Xixue choked on the last two words before Prince Ning immediately covered her mouth.
"Guards, why are you not obeying the imperial decree? Quickly escort Miss Qin to the dungeon!" Prince Ning said cruelly, his eyes half-closed.
He absolutely could not let the Emperor know his secret of cultivating the "Beauty Gu," otherwise, it would surely bring disaster upon him.
The Emperor detested sorcery the most, and furthermore, the primary blood source for cultivating the Beauty Gu was from the heart blood of multiple young boys. For this reason alone, his father would have had ample grounds to kill him.
To preserve his own life and status, he had to sacrifice Qin Xixue.
Shortly after Prince Ning's roar, four guards entered and escorted Qin Xixue to the dungeon.
Following this, Prince Ning immediately ordered that no guest attending the wedding feast should spread news of today's events, under penalty of death!
The guests quickly nodded in agreement. In fact, ninety percent of these guests were family members of officials from various levels of the court, and they naturally understood the gravity of the situation.
As more than half of them had already learned a lesson once, they dared not spread rumors this time either as they left Prince Ning's mansion.
Later, after all the guests had departed from Prince Ning's mansion, only members of the royal family remained in the hall.