Chapter 365: Today, I Got Married
A blessing in disguise, a misfortune in concealment.
The latter half of Liu Tong’s life was almost a constant verification of this saying.
Because he liked Fairy Liu, he broke off his engagement with his fiancée.
Then, because of Fairy Liu, his Father lost his official position.
And because his Father lost his position, Fairy Liu wanted to marry someone else. He was heartbroken and thus failed to participate in the Seventh Prince’s uprising, which ultimately saved his life.
The New Emperor looked peerlessly handsome, but when it came to killing, he struck without the slightest hesitation or mercy.
He was simply very patient, killing slowly.
Because Liu Tong’s Father and elder brother were held back by him and were too useless, they were only dismissed from office rather than beheaded, sparing their lives.
Their home wasn’t confiscated and their clan wasn’t exterminated, so they still had some family wealth, though not much.
His Father had always been ambitious, so he spent all his money trying to gain favor through Prime Minister Lu’s connections.
Thus, while they appeared prosperous, their actual foundation was very thin.
Of course, they were still much better off than commoners.
Having fallen to this state, the best thing would actually be to leave the capital, sell their properties there for a large sum of money, and move to a second or third-tier city, or return to their ancestral home.
Usually, one returns home in glory; returning home after being dismissed from office meant one had to live with their tail between their legs.
Liu Tong, who once knew nothing of the cost of living, now knew that clothes were expensive and getting new ones every month was impossible. He also recalled that when he first met Qingqing, though she appeared down-and-out, her clothes were new and the style was very novel.
After Qingqing left, whenever he recalled the bits and pieces of the past, these ill-timed thoughts would occasionally pop up, making him feel self-mocking and sorrowful.
His rebellion came too late, and his maturity came too late.
He once had such a great opportunity before him, but he pushed it away with his own hands.
He once had such an obvious trap before him, but he jumped in personally.
Half-dreaming and half-awake, living as a muddled person.
Today, he went to a brothel to drown his sorrows, staying drunk until dawn.
He hadn’t woken up by daybreak; he was jolted awake by a burst of clanging and drumming.
It seemed very lively outside.
The girls who had stayed up late were all getting up to watch the excitement.
He heard them chattering in his ear.
“Miss Dong is so lucky; after her engagement was broken, she actually became a Princess Consort.”
“I heard her wedding dress was altered three times.”
“She really should thank her former fiancé for the grace of not marrying her, otherwise how could she have such a great destiny?”
“I heard that after Miss Dong’s engagement was broken, she was disheartened and threw herself into a river. She was saved and offered herself in marriage, never expecting it would lead to such a wonderful union.”
“Which river? I want to go too.”
“What’s so good about a prince? The inner court is full of side consorts and concubines; who knows what it’ll be like after marriage,” Liu Tong couldn’t stand their words and couldn’t help but interject.
Everyone looked at him and saw a destitute young master suffering from a hangover. They ignored him, though some recognized him—wasn’t this Young Master Liu, Miss Dong’s former fiancé? They curiously stepped forward to question him.
Noticing the attention, Liu Tong was startled and ran away stumbling.
He ran to the roadside, where it was bustling. Many commoners were picking up wedding coins and candies.
When a wealthy family marries off a daughter, they scatter wedding coins along the way. He was bumped and fell to the ground, just happening to touch a wedding coin, but was pushed away by someone who snatched it.
“I saw this first!”
Several children scrambled for it together, knocking him aside.
He sat stumbling in a corner; the sunlight was very good today.
He watched the bridal sedan pass before his eyes.
For some reason, he felt that this sedan should have been going to his house. He even had a hallucination of himself lifting the bride’s veil, revealing a round face smiling like a flower. When she smiled, she had dimples on both sides and a small, sharp tooth next to her right front tooth—pointed and particularly beautiful.
…
Today, Dong E was getting married.
Minister Dong was hosting guests at home.
Dong Chichi carried his elder sister on his back to the bridal sedan.
Minister Dong, a man from the same hometown as Confucius in Lu, was at this moment holding his wife and wailing loudly, reluctant to let his daughter go. He never imagined this—he had originally wanted to choose a practical man for his daughter, specifically picking a family of a minor official several ranks below him with no foundation, thinking she wouldn’t be bullied later.
As a Minister, he could always intimidate the other party.
He was just worried his daughter would suffer if she married out.
His daughter had been raised to be innocent and romantic, completely ignorant of the affairs of the inner court.
Mainly because his own wife didn’t understand either, so there was no way to teach her.
Minister Dong felt this way because his own Mother died early and his Father remarried; he had suffered enough in the inner court, which was why he was particularly averse to it.
But he never expected that the son-in-law he had meticulously chosen—a son-in-law who had to be upright, ambitious, yet easy to control—had now suddenly transformed into a prince.
Waaaah.
There was absolutely no way to control him anymore.
As the Father-in-law, he even had to kneel when they met.
Waaaah.
What would happen to his E’e? Would she be bullied after marrying in? Even if she were bullied, they wouldn’t be able to stand up for her.
Meticulously chosen, meticulously chosen, yet he never expected this.
This nine-foot-tall fellow countryman of Confucius, Minister Dong, wailed loudly while holding his plump wife.
His wife could only comfort him: “It’s fine, Old Dong. I saw that the Mother-in-law is a very good person. They really like E’e and send gifts every day. If E’e doesn’t marry out soon, there’ll be no place to put the gifts at home. Her Mother-in-law said that if I miss E’e, I can enter the palace to meet her anytime.”
“┭┮﹏┭┮, You should say the Empress, don’t call her Mother-in-law. Wife, don’t make a slip of the tongue, ┭┮﹏┭┮,” Minister Dong corrected her while crying.
Amidst her Mother’s exhortations, under her Father’s earnest gaze, and on her brother’s back, Dong E entered the bridal sedan.
Today, she was getting married.
The wedding date had been pushed back again and again, and the wedding dress had been altered again and again.
Today, she finally wore the bright red wedding dress; she was getting married.
Originally, her Mother had taken her to visit the Jiang Family and they had seen the house where she would live in the future. Her future Mother-in-law, Mrs. Qin, was an excellent person who asked about her preferences and was said to be renovating the house.
As it turned out, before the renovations were finished, the place of residence changed.
Dong E had gone home and excitedly talked about what she saw and heard in the palace, but it stopped abruptly after she ate something and fainted; she knew nothing of what happened after.
She never thought that the next time she entered the palace, she would be marrying into it.
Ho ho ho, to be honest, she was a little excited herself.
The palace was so big, there must be many fun places. In the future, she could take Mianmian and play everywhere. It would probably take half a year to explore the whole palace; it certainly wouldn’t be boring.
She thought about how she hadn’t seen Brother Feng for a long time. As soon as Brother Feng returned, their marriage was arranged. She was also a bit excited.
Hearing the playful noises outside the sedan, her face turned red. The weather wasn’t that hot yet, but her forehead was already slightly damp with sweat; she was nervous and excited.
A girl getting married is like being reborn; from now on, she enters a new home and starts a new life.
Nervous yet expectant.
Nervous because of the fear of the unknown.
Expectant because of her love for her beloved.
She was marrying him because she liked that person.
Jiang Feng personally led the wedding procession, sitting on a tall horse in front of the bridal sedan.
Commoners from all over the city gathered to watch and offer blessings.
The new prince was so young and handsome. The people truly envied the bride in the sedan; how could she have such good luck?
If the prince were choosing a consort now, with so many daughters of noble families, it would never be the turn of a girl whose engagement had been broken.
Today, Jiang Feng was the groom on a tall horse.
The three great joys of life: the wedding night, passing the imperial examinations, and meeting an old friend in a distant land.
Today, he was marrying his beloved; it was a brand new beginning, and everything seemed different.
Because he was happy today, everything he saw was bright. The crowded streets felt warm. He loved liveliness, especially so; even the sound of a dog barking could make him cheerful.
In the sedan behind him was his lively bride.
He felt a warmth in his chest.
The wedding procession went all the way into the Imperial Palace.
There weren’t as many people inside the palace.
But it was orderly and calm.
The matter of the Empress killing fish in the Imperial Kitchen was clearly an excellent deterrent.
The new boss wasn’t afraid of your trickery. The new boss had a blade and wouldn’t deal with your sarcasm or passive-aggressive behavior; she had a blade.
With the assistance of Aunt Yin and Eunuch Yan in the palace, the inner court underwent a major overhaul. Eunuch Yan said he would take everyone out to sea, but there was a selection process; it wasn’t a matter of going just because one wanted to. One had to recommend themselves and also pay the Empress a redemption fee, just like the dowry sent for palace maids.
In short, the Jiang Family was very strict and meticulous in this regard; no person was wasted.
As an adult prince, Jiang Feng had a separate courtyard with palace maids and eunuchs to serve him.
The bride had taken two naps in the sedan before being woken up. Upon arriving, she quickly wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth.
The bride, after having her face threaded, was extremely beautiful today.
Her round face was still a round face, but it had a certain bright charm.
When a person is joyful and happy, their whole being radiates light.
Wearing a solemn red wedding dress with phoenixes flying on it, their feathers shimmering, the dress was very, very heavy, but very beautiful.
It made her fair skin and beautiful features stand out even more.
Her eyes were like stars, and her appearance was like a lotus rising from the water.
After kneeling, bowing, and a series of tedious formalities, she was tired, but finally, she was escorted into the bridal chamber.
Sitting in the room, Dong E felt the headdress was very, very heavy.
She swayed her head and leaned it against the pillar by the bed.
Little Mianmian, who had been sent to accompany her sister-in-law, was dressed today like a child attendant of Guanyin, looking very festive.
Mianmian saw her sister-in-law lift half the veil and smile at her.
She asked, “Sister-in-law, are you thirsty or hungry? Do you want to eat something?”
“I’m a little hungry. My Mother wouldn’t let me eat anything, worrying that I’d need to use the latrine while in the sedan.”
The old nanny accompanying the young miss’s marriage twitched her brow but didn’t say much.
“That’s true; needing to use the latrine halfway is indeed a hassle. But it’s fine at home; the bathing facilities in this room are very convenient. You’ll find out tonight, hehe,” Mianmian laughed a bit mischievously.
She brought several plates of snacks to her sister-in-law, both sweet and savory.
There was also flower tea.
The bride and her sister-in-law began eating snacks in the bridal chamber with the veil halfway up. If it hadn’t been for the nanny watching, Dong E would have wanted to take off the headdress first.
Fortunately, no one in the palace dared to disturb the bridal chamber, and there was no need for the prince to receive guests.
Speaking of which, the Jiang Family didn’t have many relatives; they were quite solitary, with most being relatives from the Grand Princess’s side.
And many had died or been injured, so the population had drastically decreased.
However, this happy occasion could be considered a cleansing of the funerals in the palace from over half a year ago.
After constant funerals, there was finally a joyful event.
Red couplets were pasted.
The couple was escorted into the bridal chamber.
Mianmian was like a little squirrel. Just as she was getting full from eating snacks with her sister-in-law, her elder brother returned.
Today, her brother, wearing the bright red groom’s attire, was also exceptionally handsome.
If you want to see if a guy is truly handsome, let him try wearing red.
One who looks super handsome in red is truly handsome.
Mianmian completed her task and withdrew.
When Jiang Feng lifted the bride’s veil, he saw a bride with bulging cheeks, actually still eating pine nuts.
Jiang Feng burst into laughter instantly.
He had drunk a little wine out of joy.
He wasn’t drunk, but it made him much more lively.
He lifted the bride’s veil, and Dong E, after struggling to finish chewing the nuts in her mouth, said, “Brother Feng, quickly help me take off this headdress. It’s so heavy, so heavy.”
As she spoke up close, there was a scent of nuts, the kind that are roasted sweet and fragrant.
Jiang Feng helped her take off the headdress. Because he had no experience, her hair ended up falling loose as well.
This moment was stunning.
In ancient times, loose hair was rarely seen; only those intimate could see it.
The phrase ‘try touching a single hair of hers’ is full of deep meaning; when can one touch hair? Usually when lying together…
Jiang Feng looked at the bride with her hair loose. He had accidentally pulled a few strands, and there were broken hairs in his hand. He felt a bit guilty; if it were his younger sister, she would be crying by now, as she treasured her hair dearly.
Dong E pressed her head and shook it heavily: “It’s too heavy. No wonder they always say ‘heavy is the head that wears the crown.’ It’s so heavy, Brother Feng, I feel like my brain has been crushed away.”
Jiang Feng watched her speak coquettishly and thought she indeed didn’t seem to have much of a brain.
But he felt very at ease; he just wanted to laugh. Every time he heard her speak, he wanted to laugh.
He reached out to rub her head, and unexpectedly, she leaned her head over quite naturally.
“The back, the back is also a bit itchy,” Dong E leaned over obediently.
“Are you hungry?”
“Not hungry. I’ve been eating snacks with Mianmian all afternoon, so I’m quite full now. But I’m a bit thirsty. Can I have some wine? I heard wine is very sweet. My Mother wouldn’t let me drink it, so I haven’t tried it yet.”
“You can have a little bit, but not too much. If you drink too much, you won’t be smart.”
“Ah, then why does everyone still like to drink?”
“Because… it’s hard to be a muddled person.”
The two of them thus drank the nuptial cups of wine.
As expected, Dong E had never drunk wine before. She drank a whole cup and giggled foolishly after finishing it.
She happily held Brother Feng and giggled foolishly.
“Husband, you are so good-looking. Ow ow ow ow, my husband is so good-looking.” She held his face and gave him a big kiss.
Jiang Feng:…
Dong E smelled very good—the scent of nuts, the scent of flowers, a faint medicinal fragrance, the scent of sunlight, the scent of green grass, the scent of snow, the scent of dreams…
Jiang Feng was immersed in the fragrance.
From now on, his heart didn’t have to hide in the darkness, because he also had a family. He had someone to stay with him. His wife was cheerful, lively, and loved excitement, and she loved excitement too.
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