Chapter 29: If you can guess her favorite poem, she'll go with you...

Of course, these few dozen steps were quite a journey. When they reached the sandy mound, they recited a poem, which was criticized as being pretentious. They were then punished by drinking wine and received a bamboo cane from Changsun Minxing. When they reached the hall foundation, they recited a poem, which was criticized as being vulgar. They were then punished by drinking wine and received a bamboo cane from Changsun Wuji.

Upon reaching the main hall, the elders, women, and the bride who remained inside and outside the temporary shelter all heard the poem "To the Main Hall," a poem of simple style recited by the groom yet filled with heartfelt praise: "The main hall is square, inside is a four-panel bed. Twelve screens, brocade quilts with painted patterns."

Thus, the groom-in-law ceremony came to an end. The best man, Zhang Cong, led Li Shimin into the main hall, where he first paid respects to the bride's uncle, Changsun Chang. Then, through the screen, he greeted the bride's mother, Lady Gao, and the other female relatives.

Wang Wan and A Cai helped Changsun Qingjing, whose knees were already stiff, to sit slowly on the saddle. Zhang Cong signaled to Li Xiaogong that the bride should prepare to receive the general. Li Xiaogong then picked up a pair of wild geese and handed them to Li Shimin.

"Throw it towards the bride's silhouette, throw it high enough so that the people behind the obstacle course have time to run and catch it," Li Xiaogong solemnly instructed.

The people in the hall stopped their noise and laughter, holding their breath and waiting to see where the geese would land. Li Shimin tossed the geese upwards, and the two gifts, wrapped in red silk, drew a festive red arc on the screen.

The bride reached out and seized the two geese, drawing the crimson ribbon into her bosom. The geese, their bodies wrapped in red silk and their beaks bound tightly with five-colored ribbons, were still in shock, unable to cry out or flutter about. After gently stroking the geese, the bride placed the faithful pair on a gilded tray, awaiting her husband's family to redeem them after the wedding ceremony.

"The bride caught it!"

"The groom is quite skilled!"

"Great fortune!"

The onlookers were noisy, some praising the groom for his accurate and steady throw, some praising the bride for her quick and agile movements, and some admiring the couple as a match made in heaven.

Li Daozong and Changsun Wuyi were settled by Qingyu to rest near the screen. The two sat cross-legged, eating fruit and drinking dairy milk, arguing with a smile.

Changsun Wuyi said, "Your brother threw the ball off course, but luckily my sister, as swift as a phoenix, managed to catch the goose, thus saving your brother from losing face."

Li Daoxuan retorted, "My brother didn't throw it off course. Even if your sister hadn't reached out to catch it, the pair of geese would have fallen into her arms."

"How arrogant!"

Seeing that Changsun Wuyi's mouth was full of fried dough sticks and he was staring at him without saying a word or showing any intention to refute, Li Daozong said again, "Let me just tell you straight, when my brother was throwing geese at home, the person sitting in the parade box dressed as the bride to catch the geese was me!"

As for the embarrassing incident where his elder brother threw a white goose into the air at home, resulting in him being pecked on the head by the goose's beak and slapped in the face by its wings, he naturally wouldn't mention it.

"Ah, I admire you." Changsun Wuyi looked at the light red new scar on Li Daozong's forehead and fell into some strange and wonderful thoughts.

He wiped the scallion oil from his mouth, lowered his voice, and pointed at the maid holding the wine pot, saying, "Was the Kuchun wine good? Shall we sneak a few more?"

After the goose-offering ceremony was completed, Li Xiaogong, along with her husband's brothers, loudly urged, "Please invite the new bride to board the carriage!"

Wang Wan then sent her maid to say to the outside of the screen, "The bride has not yet dressed and drawn her eyebrows, so the groom should be patient."

The groom's family members then rushed into the main hall, chanting in unison, guided by the beat of the jie drum: "New bride, come out! New bride, come out!"

The maidservant then made another excuse, claiming that the bride had lost her gold armlet, and after the obstacle course, everyone pretended to be searching for it.

Zhang Cong smiled and said, "The bride is shy and hesitant, reluctant to part with her parents, so please ask the groom to personally urge her to get ready!"

Just as Li Xiaogong was about to push the groom forward, Li Shimin had already approached the altar before him and loudly recited the poem urging the bride to get ready: "Tonight the Weaver Girl descends to earth, and she is ready to apply her makeup in front of the mirror. With her beautiful face like a peach blossom, she has no need for rouge and powder to smudge her beauty."

"She's obviously an impatient person!" Inside the barrier, Old Madam Zheng nudged Old Madam Gao with her elbow. "But she's full of energy and her eyes sparkle. I wonder how my Guanyinbi will handle her?"

The wedding party invited the bride to get into the carriage again. The maidservant then relayed a message: "My mistress said that the groom's voice was too soft to hear clearly, so she dared not leave home with him rashly."

"It was my oversight that led me to this, and I am deeply ashamed." After saying this, Li Shimin recited the poem urging him to get married even louder.

The crowd clapped, cheered, and applauded.

“This time you are truly sincere, bride, do not refuse again. Get into the bridal sedan chair as soon as possible and do not delay the auspicious ceremony!” Li Daozong expressed his brother’s feelings.

The maid then brought over a five-stringed pipa and said with a smile, "The lady said she is delighted by the young master's kindness. However, she has not yet finished her eyebrow makeup, so please wait a moment. I have heard that the young master is skilled at the pipa, and I would like to ask him for some pointers."

"The previous ones don't count, the groom will now compose a new poem to urge the bride to get ready!"

"Sing it for everyone while playing the pipa." The bride's relatives and friends started to cheer, urging the groom to compose and sing it himself to show off his talent.

"Your daughter is truly a mischievous little devil!" Old Madam Zheng said to Madam Gao with a smile, "The groom is in his prime for three days, and the bride challenges her husband three times. They are evenly matched and do not fall behind."

Gao was somewhat worried: "I'll go and try to persuade her not to go too far."

"No need," Xianyu whispered in her ear. "We shouldn't interfere too much in the affairs of young people. Look how happy your son-in-law is, he seems to be enjoying it immensely, without the slightest sign of displeasure. Let them make their own way."

"Alright, then I'll make a fool of myself." Li Shimin inserted the bamboo tablet into his leather belt, put away the ring and the secretly hidden poem urging him to get married, and took the pipa amidst the laughter of the crowd. He said "Excuse me" to everyone, then knelt down in front of the screen, holding the pipa horizontally, just a few steps away from Changsun Qingjing.

He tried turning the tuning pegs, adjusting the strings, and playing a few notes with the plectrum. Then he sang to himself: "Our hearts have known each other since long ago, but I deliberately lingered after passing the balustrade. I am even more worried that the moon will turn and the rabbit will run away. Love doesn't need painted eyebrows!"

"Well sung!"

"You played even better!"

"The bride shouldn't bother with drawing her eyebrows anymore; wouldn't it be better to leave it to the groom to do?"

"Bride, please stop making things difficult for the groom!"

"The new bride must come out!"

"Please, bride, ascend the palanquin!"

The clamor and urging of the wedding procession crashed against the barrier like a tide, urging the bride to get into the bridal carriage as soon as possible. Li Shimin was not in a hurry to get up, but simply changed to a leisurely sitting posture in the lotus position, smiling as he looked at the silhouette of Changsun Qingjing inside the barrier.

Everyone stared intently at the bride's hazy figure, who moved slightly, seemingly holding a musical instrument or a dressing case.

The maid who had brought the news to the bride arrived at the barrier once again, and everyone was waiting for her to utter the word "okay".

Unexpectedly, the maidservant uttered another startling statement: "My lady has one last request..."

The wedding party members sighed in frustration and complained bitterly. Everyone felt that the bride was really too fond of playing tricks on them.

Everyone was waiting for the impatient groom to argue with the maid who delivered the message. But Li Shimin looked up with interest and said, "Tell me about it."

He sat calmly in front of the barrier, indulging Changsun Qingjing's pulling and tugging games.

Seeing that the groom was in no hurry, the groomsmen could not openly complain about the bride's troubles, so they had to accompany him through the difficulties. The bride's relatives, however, felt a great deal of affection for this young man who kept his promise.

The maid said solemnly, "Madam only has her lips to finish touching. I heard that you are very knowledgeable, so I would like you to guess her favorite poem and sing it for her. If you guess wrong, Madam will not leave."

"This is absolutely outrageous!"

"Madam, please wait a moment. Is this question being delivered to the wrong person?"

"At least let him know which poet the bride loves most before he can make a guess!"

“Alright! Then I’ll take a guess!” the groom readily agreed. “However, please allow me some time to think, my lady.”

The silhouette behind the screen shrugged and trembled slightly, as if trying to suppress a laugh. Li Shimin caught this fleeting moment of mischief and pondered the answer to the riddle.

"Let the groom play 'The Phoenix Seeks Its Mate'!" someone suggested.

"No, the bride's riddle can't be guessed so easily."

"Then let's sing 'Xi Xi Yan'. Gao Zhili and Xuanqing are close friends despite their age difference, so it's understandable that his adopted daughter likes Xue's poetry. Let's give it a try."

"The song 'Xixi Salt' is too melancholic and not suitable for newlyweds."

The groom sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, whether out of feigned mystery or deliberate concealment, it was unclear. No one was certain of the answer, nor dared to offer any suggestions. The large, crowded hall fell silent.

"I've figured it out." As if struck by a sudden inspiration, Li Shimin picked up the pipa, gently plucking and strumming the strings, and began to sing Yu Shinan's "Song of the Young Swordsmen" to the tune of the Qi Dynasty's Kucha: "Han and Wei were full of extraordinary talents, their elegance disregarding fame and fortune. They shared a heart of honor, each bearing lofty ambitions. A single word of friendship carried weight, and longing could travel a thousand miles. Green strings swayed like the bright moon, golden bridles floated like clouds. They played the flute in the Wu market, and played the zither in the Yan market. They sought the source of the Marquis of Bowang, and sought friends from afar. The young swordsmen glanced back, and drove off towards the Longtou Pass. The frost-covered spears gleamed, and the swords flashed like rainbows. Snow fell on the Tianshan Mountains in winter and summer, and the Jiaohe River flowed north and south. Clouds rose and the Longsha Sands darkened, and the trees shed their leaves as geese flew in autumn. They risked their lives for their friends, not for personal gain."

At first, everyone was astonished, but then they found the song perfectly reasonable. The young man in the song was spirited and dashing, and even in his lowly position, he still harbored a sense of injustice. The young man in the lyrics and the young man singing and playing the instrument overlapped in everyone's minds; the fates of the unknown young men before them and the proud and generous young men in the poem echoed each other. Surely a bright and beautiful young woman wouldn't refuse such a young man with such lofty ambitions!

Behind the screen, the bride's floral headdress and flowing hair ornaments shifted slightly, her sleeves billowing. In an instant, the clear, melodious sound of a harp resonated, echoing the shimmering notes of a pipa. For a moment, no one could tell whether the sound came from behind the screen, from the roof beams, or from the hands of a musician in the corridor.

Li Keshi, who had been enthusiastically discussing rare birds from overseas with Wang Wude, had always appeared detached and condescending, mocking the young man's pointless antics. But now, a few sparks suddenly ignited in his long-dormant heart.

"Well sung!" he shouted, picking up a silver chopstick and tapping it on the table as he hummed a tune.

The band in the corridor seemed to awaken from a dream and joined the climax of the wedding preparations. The young men in the hall were initially somewhat reserved, only softly singing along with the groom, but then they roared with unwavering idealism. That surging, all-encompassing new life force immediately crushed all their difficulties and helplessness.

The young people sang enthusiastically alongside the groom, much to the amusement of the older folks.

The sounds of the pipa and konghou stopped abruptly, and everyone almost forgot the bride's riddle from before. They urged her once again, "Bride, come out! Bride, hurry up and get into the carriage, don't waste this auspicious time!"

Behind the screen, figures moved about busily. Li Shimin put the pipa aside, stood up, straightened his clothes, and despite the stiffness and numbness in his legs, held the bamboo tablet in both hands, waiting for the bride to make her judgment.

The messenger maid, whom the guests had been expecting, did not appear as promised. Instead, the bride's niece, Wang Wan, handed a note to the best man, Zhang Cong.

Author's note: If you can't torture him to death, then torture him to death.

Don't worry, I generally don't make things difficult for the female lead.

Have you calculated how many hours it is now?

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