Chapter 954 Wedding Night (Second Update)

Gu Changqing's wedding procession was quite large. In addition to the imposing Gu family army, there were also his three younger brothers - Gu Chengfeng, Gu Chenglin, and Gu Yan, plus Gu Xiaoshun, who was also regarded as a younger brother.

All four were dressed in the same royal blue brocade robes, with upright postures and handsome faces, making them the most good-looking groomsmen in ancient times.

The reason why Xiao Heng's best man did not receive this honor was mainly because Xiao Jingkong alone was not enough to form a group; that was a solo performance.

The last time the capital was this lively was when the young Marquis of Zhaodu married the daughter of the Duke of Anguo. The spectacle was comparable to a military parade. Naturally, the wedding of the young master of the Gu family army could not be any less grand.

The groomsmen were so good-looking that they attracted a lot of attention, but the groom, who was the center of everyone's attention, was the one who made everyone scream the most.

Since he could remember, Gu Changqing had either been training troops in the military camp or fighting on the battlefield. Silver armor was the garment he wore most often, as cold as his title of Yama, the King of Hell.

Today, he changed into the wedding attire he would only wear once in his life, and instantly became stunningly beautiful, as radiant as a peach blossom.

Following the Prime Minister's marriage, the hearts of young women were shattered once again; such a handsome man had finally found another.

The Yuan family.

In Yuan Baolin's boudoir, Madam Yuan wept uncontrollably.

Her daughter was frail from childhood and had to be raised in a Taoist temple. After finally shedding her Taoist robes, she put on a woman's wedding dress.

Wearing a phoenix coronet and embroidered robe, Yuan Baolin lost the aloofness of a female Taoist priest; her lips were red and lustrous, and she was bright and beautiful.

Yuan Baolin comforted her mother: "Mother, don't cry. It's just that she's getting married. It's not like she'll never come back."

Madam Yuan slapped her daughter's hand, glared at her, and choked out, "Of course you can't just come back like that! You're married now, you're a new bride, and you have to follow the rules in your husband's family!"

Yuan Baolin pouted. They weren't really husband and wife. It was all clearly stated in her agreement with Gu Changqing that she could go back to her parents' home at any time, and Gu Changqing couldn't stop her.

As for setting rules, Gu Changqing made things convenient for her, so she naturally wouldn't make things difficult for him; she would still do her best to maintain appearances.

Yuan Baolin sighed helplessly: "I know, I know, you've said it eight hundred times already, I can recite it by heart."

Madam Yuan wiped away her tears with her handkerchief: "Isn't it because you grew up in a Taoist temple and I was worried that you wouldn't understand the rules of secular life?"

Yuan Baolin said, "I understand, I really understand."

It's all written in the storybooks, and she's learning it!

“Sister…” Yuan Tong also came over crying and hugged her sister, saying, “I can’t bear to part with you…”

"Alright, alright," Yuan Baolin said, comforting her mother and then her younger sister.

The woman standing to the side was stunned. She had seen brides and their mothers hug and cry, but she had never seen a bride calmly comfort the whole family.

When the auspicious time arrived, Yuan Baolin's brother carried her out of her room.

Yuan Tong ran after her, crying, "Sister... Sister..."

Gu Changqing received the bride and bowed to his parents-in-law, saying, "Father, Mother, please rest assured, I will take good care of Baolin."

Madam Yuan wept uncontrollably.

With tears in his eyes, Mr. Yuan patted Gu Changqing's shoulder heavily: "Remember what you said. Go now, Baolin is in your hands."

As soon as Gu Changqing left, Yuan's father could no longer hold back. He turned around, covered his face with a large hand, and burst into tears, wailing, "Waaah... Baolin got married..."

Madam Yuan, who was crying her heart out, trembled and looked at her husband as if she had seen a ghost.

—Suddenly encountering someone who could cry even more than herself, she was so shocked that she couldn't cry anymore.

The wedding procession arrived at the Ding'an Marquis's residence in a lively and bustling manner.

Gu Changqing dismounted and came to the bridal sedan chair, extending his long, slender hand.

Yuan Baolin originally intended to walk down by herself, but suddenly caught a glimpse of the outstretched hand from under her veil.

She was stunned for a moment.

She understood the principle of going all the way with an act, and that holding hands shouldn't be a problem.

She gently placed her soft, boneless hand in Gu Changqing's palm.

Gu Changqing lacked experience in interacting with women. The only woman he was close to after growing up was his younger sister. His sister's hands had calluses and scars from working and fighting, but Yuan Baolin's hands were somewhat different.

This is a delicate hand.

He was worried that he might accidentally break her hand.

He led the bride down from the bridal sedan chair.

The matchmaker arrived late, carrying a red silk ribbon. There had been a slight mishap, but luckily the groom had already taken the bride from the sedan chair; otherwise, it would have been quite embarrassing.

She smiled and handed the red silk to the newlyweds.

The two of them grabbed the red silk and walked into the mansion.

The bride needs to step over a saddle and onto tiles.

Stepping over the saddle went smoothly, but when it came to stepping on the tiles, Gu Xiaoshun gasped and patted Gu Yan, whispering, "Those are my cement tiles! Who took the wrong ones!"

"What cement tile?" Gu Yan took the tile; he took the thinnest one so it would be easy to crush.

Gu Xiaoshun grabbed his head in despair: "It's all over, it's all over! My sister taught me how to make these tiles. I brought them to repair the roof for Madam... I can't even break them!"

In the customs of Zhao Kingdom, if a bride cannot break a tile while stepping on it, it is considered an omen of bad luck and infidelity.

Yuan Baolin was completely unaware of this, and she lifted one foot and stepped on it.

Gu Changqing's gaze swept over the tile, and he immediately noticed something was wrong. Almost as soon as Yuan Baolin's foot landed, he put two fingers together and unleashed a burst of internal force, shattering the cement tile beneath her feet.

Yuan Baolin stared in disbelief at the tiles she had stomped into dust, exclaiming, "Huh? Am I that amazing?"

Gu Xiaoshun gave a thumbs up: "Sister-in-law...you have great stamina..."

Gu Changqing calmly led Yuan Baolin into the main hall.

Lord Gu and Madam Yao sat on high armchairs. Lord Gu smiled so broadly that his eyes were almost invisible, and Madam Yao was also very happy.

"First bow to Heaven and Earth."

"Bowing to the parents twice!"

"Husband and wife bow to each other—"

Yuan Baolin and Gu Changqing didn't keep a proper distance, and because they bowed so earnestly, their heads bumped together.

"Ouch!" Yuan Baolin cried out in pain.

Gu Changqing's expression stiffened, and he said in a low voice, "I'm sorry."

The onlookers burst into laughter.

The bride was led to the bridal chamber first. She sat on the wedding bed where Gu Xiaobao had rolled around. Gu Changqing glanced at her and said, "I'm going outside to entertain the guests. If you're hungry, eat something first."

Yuan Baolin said, "Then please help me lift the veil first."

The two were only faking their marriage, so it didn't matter who lifted the veil. But since Yuan Baolin had made the request, Gu Changqing picked up the jade ruyi on the table and lifted her veil.

What came into view was a face that was both strange and familiar.

He felt familiar with her because he knew her, but she felt strange because he had never seen her like this before.

The girl's delicate and soft features, as radiant as the morning sun, were perfectly accentuated by her outfit.

Yuan Baolin was also seeing Gu Changqing so festive for the first time: "You look quite good in your wedding dress."

The most outstanding person in Zhaodu is not only the young marquis, but also this young master of the Gu family.

"You too," Gu Changqing replied politely.

Yuan Baolin smiled, then, as if remembering something, looked at him and asked, "Tonight..."

“I’ll sleep on the floor tonight.” After Gu Changqing finished speaking, seeing her astonished expression, he assumed she thought it was inappropriate and explained, “If I’m not there on our wedding night, people will say I’m disgusted with you.”

Yuan Baolin gave an awkward smile: "That's not what I meant. I was asking if I could go to sleep first without waiting for you?"

Gu Changqing: "..."

“Okay,” he said.

Yuan Baolin then asked, "Will anyone come to make trouble in the bridal chamber? Should I prepare?"

Gu Changqing said calmly, "No."

Currently, no one in the entire capital city dares to disturb his wedding night.

Xiao Heng and Shangguan Qing were both daring, but the former didn't have such a perverse sense of humor, and the latter wasn't in Zhao Kingdom.

Yuan Baolin was relieved: "Go ahead and do your work, don't worry about me!"

"Okay." Gu Changqing turned and left the room.

He ordered his guards to throw out anyone who came to cause trouble during the wedding night.

A short while later, Gu Xiaobao arrived.

Looking at the tiny little thing that had suddenly appeared, Yuan Baolin asked curiously, "Who are you?"

"Xiao Bao," Gu Xiao Bao introduced himself, "Are you my sister-in-law?"

Yuan Baolin remembered that Gu Changqing had a younger brother, whose name seemed to be Xiao Bao.

She smiled and said, "Yes, I'm your sister-in-law."

"Oh, here you go." Gu Xiaobao handed her the mini snack box with both hands.

The small food box looks the same as the large food box, both with several drawers and a handle, like a plaything made for children.

This family is so thoughtful; they are incredibly attentive to their child.

Yuan Baolin took it, and when she opened it, a delicious aroma of crispy pastries wafted out. She took them out layer by layer and realized that they were all food.

It has meat, vegetables, and also steamed buns and pastries, all of which are small and very delicate.

"Did your older brother ask you to deliver it?" Yuan Baolin asked.

"Mm." Gu Xiaobao nodded.

Gu Xiaobao expressed his dissatisfaction at not being able to attend the wedding procession, so Gu Changqing entrusted him with this important task in order to make him feel involved.

But Gu Changqing never expected that he would be so particular as to have the kitchen prepare his own special dishes and have them delivered in his own special food box.

—No wonder he grew up with Jingkong.

Yuan Baolin found Gu Xiaobao so funny that she couldn't help but pinch his cheek.

Gu Xiaobao: Okay, you're my sister-in-law, my brother told me to treat you better, so I'll let you pinch me.

The uncle and aunt shared the food that Gu Xiaobao had brought.

That night, Gu Changqing, after being thoroughly plied with drinks by the guests, returned to the bridal chamber.

Gu Xiaobao has already left, and Yuan Baolin's maids are waiting outside.

He stepped into the room, and Yuan Baolin was indeed asleep. The thin red gauze curtains hung down, reflecting the light of the dragon and phoenix incense candles, creating a festive atmosphere.

Her graceful figure was partially hidden by the curtains, exuding a youthful beauty and an unintentional allure of spring.

Gu Changqing looked away, took a mattress from the wardrobe and laid it on the floor, then took a quilt and lay down fully clothed.

"Gu Changqing."

Inside the tent, Yuan Baolin suddenly spoke.

Gu Changqing glanced at the bed curtains subconsciously, then quickly looked away politely: "You're not asleep yet?"

Yuan Baolin said, "I'm not used to sleeping in unfamiliar beds, so I can't fall asleep."

Gu Changqing paused, then said, "Then you..."

"Granny Zhang!"

Suddenly, the maid's voice came from outside the door.

"I've come to bring the prince some hangover soup!"

Granny Zhang is Old Madam Gu's confidante. If she finds out that Gu Changqing is sleeping on the floor, things will get very bad.

Yuan Baolin sat up, lifted the curtain, and said to Gu Changqing, "Come up quickly!"

If it were anyone else, Gu Changqing could have turned them away, but since it was someone sent by his grandmother, if he blocked Zhang Mama, his grandmother would definitely come over herself, given her temper.

Gu Changqing frowned, then deftly rolled up his bedding and stuffed it into the closet.

Yuan Baolin quickly jumped off the bed and reached out to undo his belt.

Gu Changqing's eyes flickered: "What are you doing?"

Yuan Baolin said, "Today is our wedding night, isn't it strange that you're dressed so neatly?"

“I’ll do it myself,” Gu Changqing said.

Yuan Baolin gestured with her eyes to the window, where their shadows were reflected.

"Young Master," Zhang Mama called out with a smile from outside the door.

Gu Changqing let go, allowing Yuan Baolin to untie his belt.

The two were so close that he could clearly feel her presence and the faint, delicate fragrance emanating from her.

Yuan Baolin loosened his collar and removed his hair ornament before saying with satisfaction, "Alright, now you look a bit disheveled."

Gu Changqing straightened his expression and went to open the door for Zhang Mama: "Mama, it's so late, why did you come here?"

When Zhang Mama saw his disheveled appearance, she was secretly delighted. The young master didn't even touch a maid in the mansion, and the old lady even said she was worried that the young master might not be good in that aspect.

Look at how impatient she is! The old lady is worrying too much!

She glanced into the room again; Yuan Baolin had already gone back into bed, only revealing one crystal-clear, snow-white jade foot.

Oh my, is the young master really that fierce?

He had just returned to his room when he found someone—

Granny Zhang was overjoyed: "Hangover soup, drink it while it's hot!"

Gu Changqing took the drink, finished it in one gulp, and said to Zhang Mama, "Then I'll go to sleep first. Please tell Grandmother that she should also get some rest. I'll go to pay my respects to her tomorrow morning."

"Okay, okay, okay!"

Granny Zhang walked away with a smile, carrying the empty bowl.

What is the old lady worrying about? She's worried that the young master is not up to par, so she insisted that she bring him a bowl of that kind of soup. In her opinion, the young master and his wife probably won't be able to get up tomorrow morning!

Gu Changqing let out a long breath, took a step back, closed the door, and bolted it shut.

Yuan Baolin quickly withdrew her foot.

That foot was meant for Granny Zhang to see, not for Gu Changqing.

However, Gu Changqing was a martial artist, quick to turn around and with excellent eyesight, so he saw it immediately.

The nails are smooth and lustrous, like jade, small and exquisite, making one want to hold them in the palm of their hand and play with them.

This is not something he should be able to see.

He quickly looked elsewhere, composed himself, walked to the cabinet, opened the door, and took out the bedding again.

He lay down again, fully clothed.

But for some reason, he suddenly felt a burning sensation in his chest.

(End of this chapter)