Chapter 93 [VIP]

Chapter Summary: Marriage. (End of main text)

Before Yu Jing knew it, Xie Xuan had led her to the couch in the guest room. The gauze curtains fell, revealing Xie Xuan's exquisite and handsome face close at hand. The aroma of wine wafted from his lips, and Yu Jing felt somewhat drunk, even though she hadn't drunk any alcohol.

Xie Xuan held Yu Jing in his arms, leaned in and kissed her lips lightly, and whispered to her, "Get some rest."

Xie Xuan's eyes and tone were like coaxing a child. Yu Jing smiled and replied, "Okay."

Yu Jing couldn't sleep, recalling Xie Xuan's adorable appearance just now. She had heard the Old Man of the Moon and Zhe Lan speak of the Heavenly Emperor before, describing him as aloof and unapproachable, not to be trifled with. But his appearance just now seemed to have nothing to do with what they had described.

Did she want to marry him? Yu Jing certainly did; she had thought about it back in the mortal realm. But she hadn't expected it to happen so soon; it felt like a dream. She was both nervous and filled with anticipation.

Zhelan didn't wake up until the afternoon of the second day. She got up, glanced at the water beside her bed, grabbed the teapot, and gulped down several mouthfuls before feeling alive again. She stretched her limbs, pushed open the palace door, and was somewhat surprised to see the person standing there.

"Your Majesty, it's so early!" Zhelan greeted with a smile.

"My Lord," Xie Xuan called out first, then said, "It's getting late; it's almost night."

"I've come here to ask what the High God has decided?" Xie Xuan asked directly, without beating around the bush.

"Your Majesty, I have only two questions," Zhelan said, leaning against the palace door.

"May I ask, Your Majesty?" Xie Xuan raised a single eyebrow.

“Yu Jing, though she comes from my Ze Lan Palace, is still a spirit of an artifact. Your Majesty is not yet married, and the Heavenly Court is already buzzing with gossip. If Yu Jing becomes the Heavenly Empress, she will inevitably be the subject of criticism. What should Your Majesty do?”

"Love her, respect her, and don't let anyone look down on her," Xie Xuan replied without hesitation.

Zelan seemed quite satisfied with the answer, and then asked, "As for the betrothal gifts, Your Majesty, what are you preparing...?"

"Rest assured, Your Majesty, everything is in accordance with the highest and best regulations." Xie Xuan smiled when he heard Zhe Lan ask this. He knew that if Zhe Lan asked this, it probably meant that the matter was settled.

"Okay," Zhelan replied, then asked, "When is the wedding date set?"

"Three months later, I have already asked Goddess Nuwa, the Old Man of the Moon, and the Red Star to calculate the auspicious date."

Zhelan pouted: "I haven't even agreed yet, and you've already given the order?"

"No, I drank with the High God last night and only left this morning," Xie Xuan replied with a smile.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, my dowry will not be lacking." Xie Xuan understood what Zhe Lan meant, and bowed deeply to Zhe Lan. "Thank you, Your Majesty. I will certainly treat Yu Jing well."

"Your Majesty, you must be secretly delighted to have raised such a wonderful girl!" Zhelan said calmly. "Alas, I was hoping to keep her by my side for a few more years."

"Your Majesty, I must take my leave now."

Three months passed quickly, not too fast, not too slow. Tomorrow was the wedding day, and Yu Jing lay on the couch looking at the wedding clothes on the rack, still feeling that everything was so unreal.

"Fairy Yu Jing," a fairy maiden called from the doorway. Yu Jing groggily awoke and replied, "Come in."

The fairy maidens filed in. Yu Jing stood up and saw a group of fairy maidens standing at the palace gate. For a moment, she felt inexplicably nervous.

"Let us first bathe, change clothes, and do makeup for the fairy."

"Okay." Yu Jing responded somewhat at a loss. After bathing, she changed into her own clothes, ate breakfast, and then let the fairies do her hair and dress her.

"Yu Jing, Yu Jing!" When Li'er came over, Yu Jing was doing her makeup and almost fell asleep. Perhaps she hadn't slept well last night, as she had just finished bathing and having dinner, and was very sleepy at the moment.

"Li'er!" Yu Jing didn't dare to turn her head casually, but looked at Li'er in the bronze mirror and greeted her with a smile.

"Yu Jing, you are so beautiful!" Li'er looked at Yu Jing with bright eyes and exclaimed sincerely.

Yu Jing glanced at herself in the bronze mirror. Although her makeup wasn't finished, she could still make out her appearance, and she looked quite different from how she usually did. They had fallen in love in the mortal realm, so Xie Xuan instructed that their wedding be conducted according to mortal customs. Yesterday, red silk and lanterns adorned the entire Heavenly Court, creating a festive atmosphere. Today, Li'er was also dressed in a light red outfit—a short top and a skirt—looking neat and adorable.

Not long after Li'er entered, Zhelan and the Old Man of the Moon also came in. The Old Man of the Moon usually wore red, and Zhelan was also dressed in red today. He usually didn't like such bright colors and always said that the Old Man of the Moon dressed too conspicuously, so Yu Jing was still a little surprised to see him wearing red. Zhelan stood behind Yu Jing, looking at Yu Jing's expression in the bronze mirror, as if he could see right through him, and chuckled lightly: "Today is a big day."

Hearing what Zhelan said, Yu Jing's eyes stung, and she felt like crying. Zhelan continued, "Hey, your makeup isn't even done yet. If you cry and ruin it, you won't look pretty when you see the Emperor later."

"You have magic!" The Old Man of the Moon glanced at Ze Lan with disdain and sighed softly. "Why is it that your brain doesn't work so well at crucial moments?"

"You're so clever!" Ze Lan glanced at the Old Man of the Moon and retorted.

Amidst the commotion, Yu Jing finished her makeup, changed her clothes, and put on her veil. Underneath the veil, a sea of ​​red obscured everything, revealing only a sliver of the road at her feet.

"His Majesty has arrived!" A fairy maiden ran in with a smile to announce. Before Yu Jing could react, her hand was already being held by a large hand. "Follow me."

Zhelan's voice rang in her ears, and Yu Jing was overwhelmed with mixed feelings, feeling especially warm inside. She slowly followed Zhelan out, and when they reached the door, Xie Xuan was already standing outside the palace gate.

Dressed in crimson, with his black hair tied up with a jade crown, he was spirited and dashing. His handsome appearance made the fairy maidens who followed him blush.

"High God." Xie Xuan bowed to Zhe Lan, then his gaze remained fixed on Yu Jing, unmoving.

Zhelan raised her hand and conjured a red ribbon, handing one end to Yu Jing and the other to Xie Xuan.

Xie Xuan reached out and took it, saying in a low voice, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

"No need. If you ever bully Yu Jing, I will still bring her back to Zhelan Palace," Zhelan said cryptically, her voice only audible to the two of them.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty, there will never be such a time." Xie Xuan smiled and tugged at the red ribbon in his hand.

Yu Jing was standing a little distance away when she felt the red rope move. Although she couldn't see it, she could feel Xie Xuan's joy. Suddenly, someone held her elbow.

"Yu Jing, just follow me." Li'er stood beside her and led her to Xie Xuan.

The wedding sedan chair was parked outside the Zhelan Palace. It was a spacious eight-bearer sedan chair. Li'er helped Yu Jing into the sedan chair, and then it swayed and bumped its way to the Taiwei Yuqing Palace.

The journey was filled with the sounds of gongs and drums and firecrackers, unlike the desolate Heavenly Palace at all.

After alighting from the sedan chair, Li'er, holding the red ribbon, helped Yu Jing mount the horse and place her on the brazier. Because her true form was a butterfly tile, the stepping on the tile ceremony was skipped. Upon arriving at the main hall, they paid their respects to the Old Man Under the Moon and Ze Lan, and were then led to the bridal chamber.

After the entire process, Yu Jing was starving, her stomach practically sticking to her back. Li'er quietly brought her some snacks. Since no one else was in the hall, Yu Jing simply lifted her veil. Li'er glanced at the exquisitely decorated hall and exclaimed, "How beautiful! Yu Jing, you and the Emperor must be well!"

"Mmm." Yu Jing nodded with a smile as she ate her snacks, the phoenix crown on her head swaying gently as she nodded.

"Here." While they were eating, Li'er suddenly pulled something out of her waist. Yu Jing looked down and saw a peach wood comb lying in Li'er's palm.

"What is this?" Yu Jing asked with some curiosity.

"This is a peach wood comb that I carved myself. I wish you and my lord a long and happy life together. Although it is not as precious as the gifts from the Old Man Under the Moon and the Goddess Zelan, it is still a token of my heart," Li'er said softly to Yu Jing.

Yu Jing took the comb from Li'er's hand and patted Li'er's hand: "I really like it, thank you."

Li'er's eyes lit up, and her tone became much happier: "I'm glad you like it."

Looking at Yu Jing, Li'er couldn't help but exclaim, "Yu Jing, you look so beautiful today!"

Yu Jing smiled shyly. Li'er stayed with her in the palace the whole time, and even before the banquet started, Li'er went to the small kitchen at the front to bring over some food prepared by the chefs from the Mao Ri Xing Jun Palace for her to try.

As night fell, a fairy maiden pushed open the door and entered.

"Your Majesty, the Emperor is approaching soon. Please cover your head with your veil," the fairy maidservant whispered. After tonight, she would be the Empress; this title was something she would have to become familiar with sooner or later.

“Alright,” Yu Jing replied, and the fairy maid took the veil and returned it to Yu Jing’s phoenix crown. The hall fell silent, with only the crackling of the dragon and phoenix candles remaining.

The palace doors were pushed open, and the sound of boots echoed inside, growing ever closer with each clatter. Yu Jing looked at the cramped space beneath her veil; Xie Xuan's boots had entered so abruptly. They were made of red brocade, embroidered with auspicious cloud patterns.

"Everyone, step back." Xie Xuan's voice rang out from above.

"Yes." The fairy maidens all responded and withdrew, and the hall fell silent.

Yu Jing's heart was beating inexplicably fast. She was still a little dazed when the scale was handed to her, but the next second, everything went bright. Xie Xuan, dressed in a bright red wedding robe, stood in front of her, looking at her with a beaming smile.

They drank the nuptial wine together and tied their hair together.

Finally, Xie Xuan removed Yu Jing's phoenix crown and wedding dress.

Xie Xuan slightly raised himself, his long, dark hair falling down to touch Yu Jing's neck, causing a slight tickle. He stared intently at Yu Jing, smiling adoringly, and called her name: "Yu Jing."

"Um."

Yu Jing responded softly.

Xie Xuan called him many times, and Yu Jing responded each time without the slightest impatience. For some reason, he even felt quite satisfied.

Xie Xuan's gaze fell on Yu Jing's earlobe. Her earlobe was small and looked very white and tender in the candlelight outside, like a small piece of mutton fat jade. Xie Xuan leaned down, gently nibbled on her earlobe, and slowly kissed down her neck along the side of her ear.

"Xie Xuan~" Yu Jing was in some pain and called out to him softly. Xie Xuan looked up, his eyes filled with overwhelming lust.

His voice was slightly breathless and hoarse, but it had a strangely seductive quality: "Just bear with it, and you'll feel better soon."

The gauze curtains swayed gently, the candlelight flickered, and the spring night was fleeting.

[Author's Note]

The main story is finished; what follows is a side story about Xie Ying and Qi Jin! Thank you for your support!