Chapter 2: A Wedding Late at Night: Yu Lang's archery hand was steady, only the smile on his face was faint. This marriage was arranged by his second uncle, He Yi, two years ago…

Yulang's archery hand was steady, only the smile on his face was faint. This marriage was proposed by his second uncle, He Yi, to the old lady, Tongjia, two years ago. Yulang's mother wasn't even present when he brought it up.

At that time, Yulang was not at home either. After Erhe died, Yulang inherited the position of Zuo Ling (military commander) of his lineage. As Zuo Ling, he had three hundred strong men under his command, and the annual rent, salary, and corvée labor of the bannermen under Zuo Ling alone amounted to nearly three thousand taels of silver.

With these earnings, they could easily cover the household expenses. However, the Manchu bannermen couldn't live a life of isolation, detached from the outside world. Social interactions and family relationships all required money and connections.

Moreover, since one has become a Zuo Ling (a military officer), there is no reason for him to just take the money and not do any work. As a Zuo Ling of the Upper Three Banners, one must not only manage the bannermen within the Zuo Ling, but also be responsible for selecting the best among them and sending them to the Imperial Guard and the Guard Battalion. These people are organized into squads in these two places and take turns guarding the Forbidden City every month.

Yu Lang also filled a vacancy as a military officer in the Imperial Guard. Originally, as a son of a meritorious official from the Upper Three Banners, it wouldn't have been impossible for Yu Lang to serve as a third-class bodyguard in the Imperial Guard. However, in the past few years, he had been living with his second uncle's family, and there were always times when they clashed. The conflict between the two families had become somewhat unsolvable.

He Yi was serving as a second-class imperial guard. If he were to join the Imperial Guard, the uncle and nephew would see each other every day at home, and even after leaving the palace, they would still run into each other frequently. Yu Lang felt that he couldn't live that humiliating life, so he used his connections to get into the Imperial Guard.

The Imperial Guards were the inner guards, with first, second, and third-class guards plus blue-feathered guards responsible for protecting the area from the Qianqing Gate to the Meridian Gate, rotating every five days. The Imperial Guard Battalion was the outer guards, selected by the Grand Minister of the Imperial Guard from various banners of the Upper Three Banners. The selected guards were responsible for protecting the outer perimeter of the Imperial City and Jingshan and Shenwu Gate, rotating every three days.

In a single Zuo Ling (a military unit), only two or three people can enter the Imperial Guard, while the remaining twenty enter the Protectorate. This difference alone shows which place is better. However, Yu Lang was unwilling to lower his head and sent two people from his Zuo Ling to the Imperial Guard, while he led the rest into the Protectorate.

When He Yi told the old lady about the marriage, Yu Lang was still in his prime. By the time he returned, the marriage had already been verbally agreed upon. His birth chart had been sent to the Shen family. After a few more days, once the Shen family had found out that there was nothing wrong with him, the two families would arrange to formally exchange birth charts.

"Mother, why didn't you send someone to the military camp to bring me back after such a big incident? Did you even find out who the Shen family is before agreeing to this?"

He Yi, as the second son, received a considerable share of the family property. Since the family had two uncles who were born out of wedlock and didn't receive much of the family property, the only legitimate sons were Erhe and He Yi. They were both his children, so the family naturally wouldn't mistreat him.

It wouldn't have been a big deal; they were brothers born of the same mother, and neither cared about who had more or less. But no one expected Erhe to leave so soon and so suddenly. His departure completely shattered the balance between the two families.

The old lady was initially distressed by the grandson left behind by her eldest son and her eldest daughter-in-law, who was pregnant with her posthumous child. He Yi moved back to the mansion to be filial to the old lady and to carry on the family line. Otherwise, the widow, her child, and the unborn child would have no idea how they would survive.

But living under the same roof inevitably leads to more and more conflicts. If this is the case with mothers and sons, then it goes without saying that it's the sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law living in the next room.

Five years is neither a long nor a short time. No matter how much the old lady, Madam Tongjia, misses her eldest son, she can't spend her days crying and wailing. In addition, the second wife has given birth to a son and a daughter in the past few years, and He Yi has been promoted from a third-class guard to a second-class guard. The gap between the two wives is bound to widen.

Everyone hopes to live a happy and fulfilling life with many children and grandchildren.

The eldest branch of the family has returned to normal life, but looking at the simply dressed daughter-in-law, the grandson who has never seen his father since birth, the taciturn and somewhat depressed granddaughter, and the eldest grandson who spends all his time in the guard camp, it seems that the second branch of the family is much more promising and has a brighter future.

The old lady's favoritism was growing, and everyone in the family knew it. Yulang was indifferent to it; after all, the old lady was quite old, and it was normal for her to show favoritism to those she liked. He didn't need to argue about it.

But Yu Lang was still furious that his second uncle had bypassed his own branch of the family and arranged the marriage for him without his consent. What kind of family was Hesheli? So what if the Shen family was a banner family? It was said that any girl from that family was marrying up to the Shen family.

Getting angry won't help. That day, Yulang, seething with anger, rushed straight to the old lady's courtyard, wanting to cancel the marriage.

To his surprise, when they arrived at the main courtyard, the old lady smiled and pulled him to sit down. Her well-maintained but withered and dry hands, clinging tightly to his knuckles, held his hand tightly as she told him that his marriage had finally been settled.

Although the Shen family belonged to the Han Banner Army, the father and grandfather held real power within the family. In particular, the father was currently a secretary in the Fujian Department of the Ministry of Revenue, in charge of grain transport and storage. Such a family had a solid foundation, and having such a father-in-law was a great benefit.

Yu Lang didn't care about the practicality of the deal. No matter how powerful his second uncle and his second wife were, the position of Zuo Ling (military commander) of this branch was still in his hands. As long as he had it, he wouldn't lack money. Besides, a real man should stand tall and upright. How could he presume to take advantage of a girl before she was even married? It would be too shameful!

However, none of this was the reason why Yu Lang didn't refuse the marriage proposal again. He simply couldn't bear to say the words of refusal when he saw Tong Jia's genuinely happy face for him. The old lady hadn't seen anyone from the eldest branch of the family smile so contentedly in a long time. Marrying a wife was just that—marrying whomever he wanted.

The groom wasn't in a very good mood and had absolutely nothing to do with Shen Wanqing inside the bridal sedan chair.

Contrary to Shen Wanqing's expectations, the bridal sedan chair did not stop in front of Hesheli's house. Instead, the sedan chair bearers carried the chair over the brazier and into the gate, playing music all the way until they stopped outside the bridal chamber.

Three arrows were shot at the door of the bridal sedan chair with a "dudududu" sound. Soon after, a woman named Quanfu opened the door and helped the bride out of the sedan chair.

With her face covered by a veil, Shen Wanqing couldn't see the outside environment. The phoenix crown on her head pressed down so hard that she didn't dare to lower her neck. She could only stand tall and straight, afraid that she might knock off any hairpins or other ornaments, which would cause a major disaster.

Unable to look down, I could only lower my gaze to look. Only then did I realize that the light on the ground was wrong; it wasn't daytime but nighttime. However, because it was a wedding celebration, the entire courtyard was lit up by lanterns hanging high, making it as bright as day.

With most of her vision obscured by the veil, Shen Wanqing's field of vision was very limited. She could only see her own embroidered shoes and the groom's pair of blue cloud-patterned boots standing in front of her. The boots were quite long, and the groom appeared to be of considerable height.

Shen Wanqing clutched the apple tightly in her hand, trying her best not to focus on the fact that she was getting married soon. However, when she was helped by Mrs. Quanfu to step over the saddle in front of the bridal sedan chair, she couldn't help but feel a shiver run through her body and a dull pain in her lower abdomen.

This has been a problem for Shen Wanqing since she was a child. She never expected that this problem would come with her when she changed her body. She gets a stomachache whenever she gets nervous.

I've been scolded by my teachers countless times for this problem; I always have to run to the toilet before exams. But now I'm in a bind; this exam is a million times more difficult than any exam I've ever taken in my life.

Yu Lang never expected that the woman he was going to marry, Shen, would be like this. She was slender yet tall, with a delicate frame and an upright back. Although her face was not visible, her hands were tightly gripping an apple as if she were about to break it in half at any moment, while her head was tilted slightly upward. It didn't look like she was getting married, but rather like she was going to war.

Yu Lang wanted to ask Madam Shen if he was really that scary, but there were too many people surrounding them. Let alone speaking, even the slightest mistake at this moment would make Madam Shen's life as the new bride miserable.

The two newlyweds, each harboring their own secrets, felt their hearts were filled with a thousand thoughts and countless anxieties, yet it was all but a fleeting moment. While Madam Quanfu was still offering auspicious words, Yu Lang, regaining his composure, reached out and grasped Shen Wanqing's wrist, which was exposed outside her sleeve, and whispered, "Watch your step."

When they arrived at Hesheli's house, the wedding party was somewhat dissatisfied with the groom's clothes and lackluster smile. But now that Yulang had taken the initiative to lead their daughter, they beamed with joy and escorted the newlyweds into the house to pay their respects to heaven and earth.

Yu Lang's hands were large, perhaps due to his martial arts training since childhood, and there was a thin layer of calluses on his palms. When he rubbed them against Shen Wanqing's wrist, the touch felt a little strange.

Shen Wanqing managed to suppress her fright this time, even though goosebumps had risen on her back and arms. The scene was so absurd that Shen Wanqing didn't even feel scared; in fact, she felt a little amused.

Fortunately, after entering the door, she was helped to kowtow to heaven and earth and perform the rituals. Shen Wanqing felt like a puppet being supported by others, somewhat like being sardines on the subway during rush hour. This actually dispelled the complicated feelings in her heart.

Sardines was carried into the bridal chamber in the east side room. The newlyweds were surrounded by the bride and matchmakers, and sat side by side on the kang (a heated brick bed). The matchmaker was still muttering in Manchu, and Shen Wanqing could only understand half of it thanks to the original owner's instincts.

Not long after, the veil was lifted, and Shen Wanqing quickly took the opportunity to sweep the entire room.

It wasn't large, but it was decorated festively and meticulously, showing that this family hadn't taken the wedding lightly. Outside, it was indeed dark, with only the light from lanterns and candles filtering through the paper windows.

There were quite a few people standing in the room, making it dizzying to look at. Shen Wanqing really couldn't tell who was who, so she could only turn her gaze back to her husband: Hesheli Yulang.

Yu Lang is seventeen this year. Shen Wanqing was born on the first day of the eleventh month of the eleventh year of the Kangxi reign. Yu Lang's birthday is the sixteenth day of the first month of the thirteenth year of the Kangxi reign. If you don't look at the month, you are two years older than him.

The young man in front of me, who is not yet eighteen, is nothing like I was when I was eighteen.

The man before her was handsome, but Shen Wanqing didn't care whether he was good-looking or not for the time being. It was because his eyes were too sharp, his sword-like eyebrows were slightly raised, his brow bones were high and his eyes were deep, making his already sharp eyes look even more like those of a hawk.

His pupils were amber in the candlelight, but the center spot was as dark as ink, making them unfathomable. His nose was perfectly high and straight, and his jawline was clean and sharp, as if sculpted by a knife.

There was a scar on his chin, faint but not short. Shen Wanqing had to recall that this man had followed Kangxi in the campaign against Galdan last year, and he probably had actually killed someone.

"Why are you looking at me like that, Grandma? Is there something on my face?"

Yu Lang had never been married before, nor had he ever seen a bride in a bridal chamber. He instinctively felt that other brides wouldn't stare at their grooms so directly; even if they were pretending, they would at least act shy and timid to get through the first few days.

…………

Although it was their wedding day, this was hardly a good time to talk. Shen Wanqing didn't know what to say, but thankfully, she didn't have to say anything.

He took the wedding wine handed to him by Mrs. Quanfu and drank it in a daze. Then, just like in a play, he was fed a half-cooked bun, and while choking, he still had to keep saying "sheng sheng sheng".

Before she could even get a sip of water to wash her mouth, the crowd that had been packed into the bridal chamber, including the groom Yu Lang, all rushed out again. It was only then that Shen Wanqing remembered that the Manchu people still had an extremely ridiculous custom for weddings: sitting on the wealth seat.