In the princess’s chambers, the curtains hung low, and sandalwood incense curled softly through the air.
The bedroom door stood open. The palace maids of Shaoyin Palace bustled to and fro. Before the dressing mirror, Lin’an sat upright, gazing at herself in the bronze mirror.
The woman in the mirror had rounded cheeks, smooth and shapely like a perfectly formed goose egg. After powder and painted brows, her features looked all the more delicate and spirited.
Moreover, with the maids’ deft hands painting a plum blossom adornment upon her brow, Her Highness, already charming and full of allure, gained an added grace, bright without vulgarity, seductive without wantonness.
In a woman’s life, there would be one chance to see herself dressed in a phoenix coronet and red bridal robes.
She had finally waited for that day.
More fortunately still, the groom was the man she loved. Lovers had at last become husband and wife.
“Your Highness has grown much quieter of late. Has it been hard to bear?” the senior maid asked with a smile as she dressed her hair.
Ordinarily, Her Highness was chirpy, lively, and adorably wilful. Yet the nearer the wedding day came, the more she tried to learn the quiet gentleness befitting a noble princess.
“The Empress Dowager said that once a woman marries, she can no longer act as she pleases…”
Lin’an sighed. “I’ll just keep up the pretence for now. Later on, I can slowly show my true colours again.”
As she spoke, the dignified and splendid Empress Dowager entered with her maids. She glanced at the phoenix coronet on the table and said lightly:
“How are the preparations?”
After bowing, Lin’an’s senior maid replied respectfully:
“Once this servant finishes dressing Her Highness’s hair, all will be complete.”
The Empress Dowager walked to the dressing table, took one look at the bewitchingly lovely Lin’an, and suddenly frowned.
“Why has her face not been threaded?”
So-called “face-threading” meant using five-coloured cotton thread to remove the fine hair from a bride’s face, making her appear fairer and more beautiful.
The senior maid looked awkwardly at Lin’an.
Lin’an’s carefully drawn brows knitted together. “Mother Dowager, it—it hurts too much…”
The Empress Dowager gave a slight nod, swept her gaze over the maids in the room, and said in an even tone:
“If Her Highness does not have her face threaded, each of you will receive twenty strokes of the board. If the auspicious hour is delayed, you’ll all be sent to the Laundry department.”
The maids turned pale with fright.
So the princess’s make-up was washed off again. Several maids worked together, and after much fussing at last finished the task.
The Empress Dowager examined Lin’an, whose skin was faintly red and whose eyes brimmed with tears, then nodded in satisfaction.
“Not bad. This is what it means to have skin like congealed cream, as though it would break at the lightest touch.”
When the auspicious hour drew near, the maids placed the phoenix coronet upon Lin’an’s head. The Empress Dowager narrowed her eyes, studied her for a moment, then sighed:
“Truly beautiful.
“You were born to be a princess. Only gold and silver upon your person can fully bring out your preciousness and beauty.”
The Empress Dowager had seen many beauties, and she herself had once been a beauty capable of toppling kingdoms. Yet beauty came in countless forms, each lovely in its own way, and different beauties required different adornments to bring their looks and temperament fully to light.
Among all the beauties she had seen, herself included, splendid ornaments and luxurious robes would more or less steal some of their radiance.
For some the more magnificently one dressed, the more one’s beauty was revealed, and in that regard, only Lin’an stood unbeaten.
The Empress Dowager continued:
“Your elder brother and mother consort cannot attend the wedding. As your Mother Dowager, it falls to us to teach you how to live in your husband’s household, and how to get along with his family.”
Lin’an sat primly and listened with patience.
“Though you are golden bough and jade leaf, a princess of exalted rank, Silver Gong Xu is no ordinary husband. So after you marry into the Xu household, the first thing you must learn is to rein in your temper.”
For many years, the Empress Dowager had concerned herself with nothing, paying no heed to the harem or to the princes and princesses. But she still knew that Lin’an often made trouble for Huaiqing.
If she had half of Consort Dowager Chen’s scheming mind and capable methods, that would have been one thing, and the Empress Dowager would not have bothered saying any of this. But she was precisely the sort of girl who liked stirring things up without possessing the corresponding strength to win.
If she went to the Xu household without restraining herself, who knew how badly she’d be bullied, and in the sort of way where she’d have no grounds to complain.
The Empress Dowager went on:
“As for the women of the Xu family, there is no need to pay much mind to the mistress of the second branch. Though I’ve had little contact with her, I’ve tested her a few times. She’s a straightforward sort, with no twists in her heart. As for that woman from Yunzhou, though she is Xu Qi’an’s birth mother, the bond between mother and son is surely not deep.
“If she knows her place, she won’t try to keep you in hand, but will treat you with courtesy. You need only do the same. The eldest daugter of the second branch is rather clever, but she has little to do with you. In a few years’ time she will be married off anyway.
“The one you truly need to care about is your husband’s feelings, and the women he has attracted outside.”
Ningyan’s Auntie is a straightforward sort? But Simu said this Auntie is clearly someone extremely formidable and fearsome. Is Empress Dowager mistaken, or was Simu only saying that to set my mind at ease…? Lin’an muttered inwardly. But when she heard “the women he has attracted outside”, her brows rose at once.
“Mother Dowager, rest assured. Lin’an knows how to deal with them. I’ll certainly keep them all obedient.”
The Empress Dowager looked at her, swallowed back the scoff that had risen to her throat, and nodded.
“My advice to you is to listen more to Wang Simu. She and Erlang are already betrothed. Presumably she will marry into the Xu family this year or next.”
Makes sense… Lin’an nodded.
“When something happens, don’t only know how to lose your temper. There is affection between you and Silver Gong Xu. When he was still of low station, you helped him a great deal. If you suffer any grievance, mention such things more often. He’ll naturally feel guilty.”
…
On the main road leading straight to the imperial city, Xu Qi’an sat upon his little mare and let her carry him forward with a clip-clop towards the palace.
Behind him were familiar colleagues such as Li Yuchun, Zhu Guangxiao, and Song Tingfeng, as well as trusted followers like Miao Youfang, forming a rather sizeable wedding procession.
The city garrison stood in ranks along both sides of the street, holding back the watching townsfolk at the roadside.
The people shouted things like “Congratulations to Silver Gong Xu!” and “May you be united for a hundred years!”, brimming with excitement.
In their eyes, Silver Gong Xu marrying a royal princess was a union of strength with strength, one that would secure the Great Feng forever.
Besides, other than a princess of noble birth, who else was worthy of Silver Gong Xu?
But there were also some who felt deeply disappointed by it.
“Silver Gong Xu is going to marry a princess. Sigh, looks like my daughter can’t become his primary wife after all.”
“With your daughter’s looks? Silver Gong Xu would turn up his nose even at taking her on as a maid. Keep dreaming. My younger sister is sixteen, beautiful as a flower, and still unmarried. Ah, what a pity Silver Gong Xu can’t see this pearl buried beneath the sand.”
“Isn’t that simple? Send your younger sister to the Jiaofangsi. If she’s really that pretty, winning the title of Oiran shouldn’t be hard, should it? Then Silver Gong Xu would see her. Who doesn’t know Silver Gong Xu loves spending time with Oirans?”
The people nearby burst into laughter.
Then the two men started fighting. They were quickly subdued by the city guard, and order was restored.
Zhu Guangxiao looked at the tall figure in plain clothes ahead of him and quietly said to Song Tingfeng beside him:
“I used to think Ningyan would marry Princess Huaiqing.”
Back when Xu Qi’an had still been a Bronze Gong and Silver Gong, whenever he went to the palace, it had always been under the pretext of seeing Huaiqing. Though he had privately fooled around with Lin’an often enough, in Zhu Guangxiao’s eyes, Xu Ningyan had clearly been closer to Princess Huaiqing.
Even when they had been investigating cases in the past, he had run to Huaiqing Manor every other day.
And yet all of a sudden, he had chosen the younger sister instead of the elder.
Song Tingfeng waggled his brows and chuckled.
“Not marrying Her Majesty doesn’t mean things between him and Her Majesty are innocent.”
Zhu Guangxiao was startled and said in a low voice:
“Don’t discuss the Emperor rashly.”
“What are you afraid of? Ningyan doesn’t mind.” Song Tingfeng jerked his chin towards the groom ahead.
There was no way what they were saying could escape Xu Ningyan’s ears. Since he didn’t mind, there was no need to worry about the Emperor punishing them.
But what followed, Song Tingfeng did not dare say openly, so he transmitted his voice instead:
“I heard that recently, some in court have proposed establishing a Crown Prince. This concerns the foundation of the state. That crowd of scholars care about it most.”
Zhu Guangxiao said flatly:
“With Her Majesty’s ability, suppressing such voices would be effortless.”
“Idiot!” Song Tingfeng shook his head.
“The civil and military officials throughout the court aren’t really interested in the wine. Think about it, Her Majesty has only recently ascended the throne, so it’s perfectly normal that she had no children yet. But now that the rebellion had been put down and all under heaven is at peace, shouldn’t it be time to consider Her Majesty’s marriage?
“Setting up a Crown Prince is just a pretext. The lords merely want to urge Her Majesty to marry as soon as possible and bear children.”
Zhu Guangxiao suddenly understood, then transmitted his voice:
“Why are you bringing this up out of nowhere?”
Song Tingfeng replied by voice transmission:
“Ningyan marrying Princess Lin’an, who knows how many people laughed their heads off and clapped in delight. So long as he doesn’t get married, no one would dare covet the position of ‘master of the harem’. Get it now?
“But sooner or later, Her Majesty will have to think about heirs. There’ll be plenty of excitement to watch in future.”
Although Her Majesty was a woman, she was also of pure and legitimate imperial blood. As long as her child had sufficiently powerful backing, inheriting the throne would pose no difficulty at all.
After entering the imperial city, they began to follow the procedures with meticulous care. First he rode with the ceremonial official to the south gate, where he changed into the official robes of the imperial son-in-law. Then he presented a wild goose, bolts of silk, and other items as betrothal gifts.
This was called the “Goose Rite”. The wild goose symbolised fidelity, symbolised one partner for life.
After the Goose Rite ended, Xu Qi’an and the wedding procession took their seats, drank wine, and rested while waiting for the auspicious hour.
They waited from early morning until the sun stood high in the sky. Only then did the ceremonial official finally take his seat and say in a low voice:
“Sir Consort, the time has come.”
Xu Qi’an thought to himself, at last I can go and fetch the bride. What a battle for the bladder…
He immediately followed the ceremonial official to Shaoyin Palace, where he saw the princess’s ceremonial escort, and Lin’an, in phoenix coronet and crimson bridal robes, charming and moving.
She wore bridal dress and a phoenix coronet, and was dazzlingly beautiful.
Supported by palace maids, she slowly stepped out of Shaoyin Palace. Though they were far apart, their eyes met.
A thousand words were contained in that gaze.
Without speaking, Lin’an looked at him softly, then lowered her head and entered the wedding carriage.
The wedding carriage was chiefly red. Apart from ornaments made from pheasant feathers, the carriage was also adorned with splendid decorations woven from red and purple silks.
On the crossbar there was an incense cabinet, furnished with a chi-pattern incense burner and precious incense implements.
Its overall style was lavish and bright, exceptionally beautiful.
This is going pretty smoothly. No demanding red packets, no looking for hidden shoes, no smashing through doors and all that messy nonsense… Xu Qi’an grumbled inwardly.
Of course, that was mainly because fetching the bride wasn’t the main event here, and because the customs of his previous life didn’t exist in this world.
After leaving the imperial palace, Xu Qi’an led the ceremonial escort to meet up with the wedding party, and together they left the imperial city and returned by the original route.
Their destination ought to have been the imperial son-in-law’s residence, but after discussing it with his second uncle, Xu Qi’an had decided to continue living in the Xu residence. They would buy up several nearby houses and expand them into a grand mansion with layers of courtyards.
The whole family would still live together.
Returning to Xu Manor took another hour. Along the way, drums and music rang out together, palace maids wearing flower crowns carried incense burners with graceful steps, and the imperial guards went ahead scattering and sweeping the road, so they couldn’t move quickly.
Amid the festive and grand music, Xu Qi’an led Lin’an through the gate and straight towards the inner hall.
At that moment, the hall was full of people there to witness the ceremony, all members of the Xu clan, with no outside guests.
His second uncle and Auntie sat upright in the hall. When Auntie saw Lin’an in phoenix coronet and crimson robes, her eyes lit up.
She liked girls dressed in bright finery, and Lin’an’s appearance left Auntie utterly amazed.
The members of the Heaven and Earth Society aren’t here, and the lot from the Sitianjian hadn’t arrived yet either. Very good… Xu Qi’an swept his gaze across the hall. Apart from the Flower God, whose face was dark as still water, everyone else was all smiles.
Xu Lingyue in particular smiled like a blooming flower, sincerely delighted for her elder brother.
Under the direction of the officials from the Ministry of Rites, the newlyweds carried out the wedding ceremony.
The process was extremely complicated, three kneelings, nine kowtows, six rising bows.
During it, Xu Qi’an sensed Lin’an’s heartbeat quicken, and transmitted his voice:
“Don’t be nervous!”
Lin’an indeed calmed down.
After the ceremony was completed in an orderly fashion, two little palace maids carried dragon-and-phoenix wedding candles to lead the way, with Xu Qi’an and Lin’an following behind.
Watching the pair of newlyweds turn into the rear hall, his birth mother Ji Baiqing gently wiped the tears from her face.
Xu Yuanshuang looked towards her mother and gently took her hand, just about to say some words of comfort.
At that moment, she saw Lyu’e walking over and saying in a low voice:
“Madam, please come with me.”
Ji Baiqing frowned slightly, pinched her brocade handkerchief, and followed Lyu’e out.
They passed through corridors and courtyards until they arrived outside the bridal chamber. Lyu’e pushed open the door and said with a smile:
“Madam, please come in.”
Ji Baiqing’s heart stirred. She already had a guess. Stepping over the threshold, she entered the bridal chamber and saw Lin’an and Xu Qi’an standing side by side, waiting for her.
“Ningyan, this is…”
Xu Qi’an said softly:
“Auntie and Second Uncle raised me to adulthood. In my heart, they are as my true parents. Bowing to Second Uncle and Auntie before the guests was out of respect for them. But you are my birth mother, my closest blood kin. On the day of my wedding, it’s only right that I bow to you.”
He and Lin’an exchanged a glance, then knelt to the ground and kowtowed three times.
Ji Baiqing smiled and said:
“Mum is happy, very happy.”
She bent down and helped her eldest son and eldest daughter-in-law to their feet.
Xu Qi’an said softly:
“Mum!”
Ji Baiqing’s body suddenly stiffened.
Without showing it, she merely nodded. She did not stay long, and left the bridal chamber.
After walking for a while, she braced herself against a corridor pillar, lowered her head, and her shoulders trembled violently.
…
Xu Yuanshuang saw her mother return with reddened eyes, her make-up slightly smudged. She looked rather dishevelled, but on closer inspection, Xu Yuanshuang realised that the gloom which had lingered at the corners of her eyes and brows for the past twenty years had vanished without a trace.
In the bridal chamber, Lin’an nestled in Xu Qi’an’s arms, holding a piece of butter pastry in her hand and nibbling at it in little bites. After eating for a while, she looked deeply worried.
“Will the National Teacher come charging in and cut me down with one stroke?
“I acted all confident in front of the Empress Dowager, but really, I’m terrified inside.”
You’ve already lost your nerve? Xu Qi’an comforted her:
“If the National Teacher’s just about to cut you down with a sword, I’ll stab her with my spear.”
Lin’an instantly felt reassured, then said:
“Help me take off the headpiece. I’ve worn it for nearly half the day, my neck aches.”
Xu Qi’an helped her remove the phoenix coronet, then gripped her willow waist and said with a grin:
“This bridal dress is complicated too, so let’s take it off first, save the trouble of undoing it later. Mm, let’s consummate the marriage first as well, so I can go out and entertain the guests with a clear mind.”
“No, no!”
Blushing furiously, Lin’an shoved hard at his chest with both hands.
Although the two of them were now married, she was still untouched by such matters, so of course she was shy.
After fooling around for a while, Xu Qi’an glanced at the water clock in the corner of the room and rubbed his brow.
“I’ve got to go out and receive the guests.”
There would definitely be endless trouble today, but that was all right. He had already thought out a foolproof plan.
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