Chapter 40 Wedding Night
Standing before the altar lit with incense and candles, Xue Jia, clad in a crimson satin wedding gown, looked more like the charcoal-roasted fragrant pig offered as sacrifice at the wedding banquet than the groom. He consoled the three generations of grandparents and grandchildren who were crying bitterly, "Mother-in-law, grandmother, don't be sad. You can still come home with me for drinks. Let's get into the bridal sedan quickly."
"Yes, yes, let's get on the sedan chair." Aunt Qian suppressed her sadness and asked Pei Lan and Yan Ru not to delay the auspicious time. Yan Ru's eyes were filled with tears. She tried hard to hold back her tears and snot. She took the fan with a gold-rimmed edge embroidered with orioles making noises in spring and walked towards the sedan chair step by step under the attention of everyone. There was a tent mat on the ground, and she stepped on it with her red embroidered shoes, and walked towards the door step by step. The gossip with Lu Zhiling in the Rose Garden, the drum dance and painting with Ji Mingxiu under the moon, the leisurely stroll in Bu Yibo's Fan Garden, the burning of incense in Tiekan Temple with Brother Wen Yue, the stone-slab beef with Xue Jia in the horse farm, the confession of love on the lake, all the things she had done with men over the years appeared before her eyes, turning into a broad and flat road that she stepped on to help her rise to prominence - oh, and him, Liu Xiang, his handsomeness, pipa, vows, promises, and grief. She spoke without thinking, and her waist was as slender as a willow... Her green collar lingered in my heart. Yanru looked at the phoenix coronet and veil on her body, which were red and green. The red was the peach blossom red on her veil, and the green was the green robe she wore on the day they first met. The scorching red and the vibrant green, the tragic red and the desolate green, together weaved her wedding dress - she commemorated their love and time, and sacrificed the rest of her life's flesh and desire in exchange for this wedding dress.
As cannons crackled and gongs and drums roared, on the auspicious day of Jinling's wedding, Zheng Sirui's voice seemed to linger in her ears: "Was it worth it?"
The wedding sedan with carved patterns and painted cranes was parked at the door. A brilliant golden lotus flower was blooming on the top, and pearl and jade tassels were hanging around it. It was covered with red silk curtains. How could such a fairy item not be worth it?
With the fan covering her face, Yanru smiled heartily and climbed into the sedan chair. The space, made of solid wood, was small and closed, with no windows. Although it was covered with a red quilt, it was uncomfortable and a bit stuffy to sit on. At first, she could barely bear it. The sedan chair was lifted up and moved for a while. The musicians suddenly changed the tune. The sedan bearers, who didn't know where they got the strength, no longer stepped steadily on the ground. Instead, they jumped and danced to the classical rhythm, making the sedan chair sway up and down. Yanru in the sedan chair also swayed up and down, being thrown high and dropped heavily, shaking until she was dizzy and dazed. The bracelets on her hands and the pendants on her hair hit her face with the ups and downs. There was no place to hold the sedan chair, so Yanru could only throw the fan to her feet, spread her arms, and pressed her hands against the walls. She barely found some balance, and asked the bridesmaid who was following the sedan chair through the gap in the sedan chair: "Why, why is it shaking so much?"
The bridesmaid squeezed out a few words from her beaming mouth: "Miss You, you don't know, but Madam Xue has instructed that when the bridal sedan chair carries the bride home, it must be 'walked through the streets.' It's said that this is a custom outside the Great Wall. The more the sedan chair rocks, the more prosperous the couple's marriage will be. You're going to be someone's daughter-in-law, so just bear with it for now. After you endure this, life outside the Great Wall will be easier."
Yanru understood. Pah, what's with all that trampling? Madam Xue must have seen her meddling too much in the wedding banquet, so she was just trying to intimidate her, forcing her to be trapped in this small sedan chair, unable to vent her frustrations. Yanru gnashed her teeth and swore secretly, "I have to be patient and tolerant. If I can't, small things will become big things. Old witch, I'll swallow this anger for now. Just wait and see. I'm going to make your son obey me in the future. You'll have to rely on me for everything you eat and drink."
Finally, dizzy and dazed, they arrived at Xue's residence. Outside the sedan chair, Xue Jia dismounted and walked to the door to call her out, but Yanru was lying limply on the rattan chair, panting delicately, her three souls wandering and her seven spirits lingering. Xue Jia kicked the door of the sedan chair and said in a vulgar tone: "My wife, my wife, come out and greet your husband!"
Several young men, who must be Xue Jia's friends, joined in his obscene laughter and said, "Don't just talk about the wedding ceremony. You should also talk about entering the bridal chamber, making love, and the bride will jump into your arms and you can carry her in."
Yanru felt truly uncomfortable, unable to move her weight on the chair. She struggled to reach for the fan at her feet, intending to tidy herself up before leaving. Suddenly, the curtains of the sedan chair were flung open, letting in a burst of fresh air. Xue Jia's large face suddenly appeared before her. Before Yanru could react, Xue Jia had already swooped in, lifted her by the waist, and dragged her out.
There were many people outside the sedan chair, men, women, young and old, crowded together, looking at her with joy and happiness. The dragon and lion dance team stopped in front of her and Xue Jia, twisted a few steps, and stepped back. A wide green cloth strip paved a path leading to the interior of the Xue Mansion. A boy in a red shirt stood in front, holding a bronze mirror. Facing the two of them, he stepped back step by step, leading Yanru and Xue Jia forward. The brocade clothes became a heavy shackle. Yanru had difficulty moving. She could only rely on Xue Jia's careless support, struggling to hold on to her full equipment. With each step, she staggered over the saddle, the threshold, the brazier, and walked into the bridal chamber.
The room was large, with pearwood furniture, bamboo screens, and pale pink flowers in plain porcelain vases. It was hard to believe that Xue Jia, a man of such flamboyant and arrogant manners, eager to prove his wealth by throwing money at others, would have his bridal chamber decorated in such an elegant and refined style. Yanru didn't have time to admire it before she and Xue Jia were coaxed by the servants to sit on the bed with the new curtains. Pei Lan, Yan Bao, and Zheng Si Rui, representing the bride's family, each drank three cups of wine with the newlyweds before leaving. A maid brought a basin of water and helped Xue Jia wash his hands and face, change his clothes, and adorn himself with flowers. Yan Bao and Xue Jia's cousin tied a heart-shaped knot outside, acting as a "handkerchief." The newlyweds, each holding an end of a colorful silk ribbon, walked backwards out of the hall to pay their respects.
The bride paid respects to their ancestors, the husband paid respects to his parents, and the couple held hands and bowed to each other. Yanru, now devoid of the shyness and joy of a young woman getting married, felt a wave of sweat dripping from her neck. She didn't even want to look closely at her parents-in-law. Her mind was filled with all sorts of tiredness: tired head, tired neck, tired waist, tired legs, tired from writing in large seal script, tired from writing in official script, tired from writing in running script. She was truly exhausted. She just wanted to quickly get to her bridal chamber, sit quietly, eat some cakes, and slowly wait for the ceremony of spreading the tent in the bridal chamber.
Unfortunately, after finally waiting until the ceremony was over, Yanru still had to listen to the elders' instructions. Her adoptive father, who lived in Xue Jia's mouth, sat at the head of the main table, babble-ing with blessings. The president of the Hu people's Chamber of Commerce, with whom the Xue family had business dealings, also rambled on, making Yanru's head spin. But all around her were prominent figures from the capital, and Ren Xing's arms, numbed and swollen from fanning herself, ached. She dared not show even a hint of fatigue, only feigning a coquettish smile to the side to loosen her stiff neck.
The Xue family had invited a top-notch opera troupe to entertain the guests. After hearing the torturous blessings, Mrs. Xue, on a whim, asked her adoptive father, Xue Jia, to select a song. With a generous wave of his hand, the adoptive father gave the opportunity to the newlyweds. A maid brought the troupe's song list. Yanru's eyes flickered, and she smiled softly, "A husband sings, and a wife follows. I will obey my husband." She was too tired to think or move, and with that, she drifted off into a trance.
"Since my lady says so, I'll make the decision." Xue Jia nodded, opened the list, and was stunned. The troupe, in an attempt to appear refined, had written the list in small seal script. Xue Jia couldn't recognize many large characters, but he didn't dare show his weakness in front of everyone. His brows furrowed slightly, his eyes half-closed, his expression stern. He gritted his teeth twice, as if deep in thought about matters of family and country. He randomly picked out a relatively simple and attractive title, and with a short, round finger, he solemnly tapped the gift list: "This is it."
The maid retreated with the gift list and whispered a few words to the troupe's leader, who looked at Xue Jia in disbelief and disbelief.
Xue Jia received his gaze, not knowing what the class owner meant, but he still pouted and frowned, and nodded firmly.
The troupe leader had no choice but to bite his lip and retreat, telling the actors to begin. The erhu began to play, and the girl with pink hair began to sing in a dragging voice:
I want to express my infinite love for parting.
How can I express my endless love in such a hurry?
I am also afraid that deep love will fade away in a day,
There are waves of love turning over the sea,
Empty lament that the past has become a dream,
I only regret that the oath remains forever in my mind.
After hearing this, the guests looked at each other in silence, and there was an uproar. Yanru's face changed drastically, and she grabbed Xue Jia's sleeve and said, "Husband! This is 'Fen Feiyan', a song about the separation of husband and wife. We shouldn't sing this on our wedding day."
"Ah? Fen Feiyan?!" Xue Jia realized it belatedly. Before he could shout, Madam Xue quickly yelled "Stop!" and complained to the troupe owner, "How can you do things like that! You're performing at a wedding banquet, and you even wrote such an unlucky tune on the menu!"
The boss was speechless: "Apart from your son, no one else ordered this?"
Mrs. Xue was speechless. Fearing that her son's illiteracy would be exposed in front of everyone, she hurriedly changed the subject: "Alright, alright, stop singing. Let me sing... "The Story of Nan Ke."
The troupe leader left in response, and the huqin and pipa began to play again, with a melodious oriole-like song: "
The Jade Tea Pond is newly rained, and the Golden Levers Pavilion is sunny.
Don’t stop singing and drinking with love, because even the heartless insects and ants are full of love.
The land rises from the shadows. Wind and flowers appear in the corners of the eyes.
Qi Xuan still has some fragments of the sutra to teach. He asks when the dream of the east wind will end.
After an insincere, half-smiled, perfunctory moment, the bride was finally released, leaving the groom alone in the front yard to entertain guests. Yan Ruru, granted amnesty, was once again escorted to the bridal chamber. Alone with a small maid, Yan Ru, disregarding her appearance, carefully fixed her hair, then carelessly collapsed onto the bed, calling to the maid, "Hey, come here, give me a leg massage."
"Hey," the maid came over and squatted at Yanru's feet to serve her. She was very skilled in massaging, and her kneading made Yanru's muscles relax and regain some energy. She asked, "What's your name?"
The maidservant said, "My name is Shanjuan. I used to serve the young master personally. But the mistress said that since the young master didn't have a maidservant as a dowry, I will serve you from now on."
The words "personal service" were very jarring. Yanru propped up her upper body, freed her right hand, pinched Shanjuan's chin and lifted it up. She looked at her high cheekbones, thin eyebrows and narrow eyes, which were indeed not as good as hers. She felt relieved and said, "Shanjuan, you also said that you would follow me from now on. Why don't you take this opportunity to tell me about your family affairs? After all, I am better off, and you are better off too, right?"
Shanjuan continued working, gently tapping Yanru's leg and saying, "Well... Madam is the one who manages things in our mansion. Master used to be an official in his hometown of Zhuwu County, holding some minor positions. Therefore, we all call Madam "Madam" instead of "Big Lady." Master later quit his job and now helps Madam run the business at home."
"These matchmakers have already told me, why don't you tell me something else?" Yanru said, "Let me ask you, don't married women usually still use their maiden name? Why is it that my mother-in-law's last name is Wang, but everyone outside calls her Madam Xue instead of Madam Wang?"
Shanjuan said, "That's all nonsense. My wife is from Jinling and spends most of her time in the capital at the academy, so it's normal that she doesn't know what's going on at home. My wife's surname is Wang, and her maiden name is Xianyi. As her name suggests, my wife is extremely capable and has managed the family's prosperity. She helped my master get close to Mr. Shi - Mr. Shi is your adoptive father, the one who just asked you to order the song. Over the years, the family has made a lot of money thanks to Mr. Shi, and people outside laugh at our master for not being as good as my wife. Since my wife is the one who controls the Xue Mansion, she is no longer 'Mrs. Wang', but 'Mrs. Xue'."
A flurry of masters and ladies descended upon her, leaving Yanru bewildered. She smiled and said, "Since my mother-in-law is capable, she should have called the household 'Wangfu'. Why did they just change my mother-in-law's surname and call her Madam Xue? The Xue family is ultimately taking advantage." Yanru casually mentioned this, then realized her words had only gone through her mouth, her words unspoken. She instinctively covered her mouth. Shanjuan lowered her head and remained silent, her expression unfathomable. Yanru dared not speak again, dismissed Shanjuan, and munched on some dried longans on the table to ease her boredom.
As the sky darkened to a bluish-black, Xue Jia, reeking of alcohol, entered, accompanied by Xi Niang, Shan Juan, and two serving maids. His movements were rough, and the moment he pushed the door open, there was a loud noise, startling the sleepy Yan Ru so much that she jumped up from her bed, her heart pounding. Her frightened deer-like appearance elicited a lewd smile from Xue Jia: "My lady, you really can't wait for the bridal chamber. You jumped up the moment you heard your husband enter. Are you a little tired? Don't worry, we can go to bed soon."
The other people in the room covered their faces with their hands and laughed secretly. Yanru felt embarrassed and did not dare to lose her temper. She glared at everyone and said "hmm~" in a coquettish voice.
The bridesmaid invited the couple to sit down, the man on her left and the woman on her right. She first scattered copper coins, longans, and lotus seeds all over the bed. Then, she twisted each of their hair into a knot. She then connected two bronze wine cups with a piece of colorful silk, filled them with wine, and invited Yanru and Xuejia to drink together. After the couple finished their drinks, the bridesmaid took the two wine vessels and tossed them under the bed. "Bang!" they fell. Looking up, the bridesmaid saw both cups facing up.
The bride's breath hitched. She had clearly tossed the candles as usual, so how could it be a bad omen today? She cried out inwardly that this was not good. This family was full of troublemakers. Fearing that this would ruin her future money-making opportunities, she hurriedly flicked her sleeve, pretending to cover it with her coat sleeve, and gently overturned one of the candles. She laughed and called out, "Look, one is facing upside down, and the other is upside down. This is a very auspicious sign! Congratulations on your marriage today, and congratulations on your happy marriage today. Bride and groom, a match made in heaven and earth, will surely be together in the future, with a harmonious marriage, a son soon, and everlasting wealth!"
The bridesmaid said a bunch of auspicious words to calm her nerves. Xue Jia and Yan Ru didn't know why, but they were happy and smiled at each other. After everyone left, Shan Juan helped Yan Ru remove her hairpins and rings. Xue Jia couldn't bear to see Yan Ru wash off the remaining makeup, so without waiting for Shan Juan to leave, he rushed Yan Ru to the ground and pressed her onto the quilt.
The turbid smell of alcohol and food hit her face. The rough appearance and vulgar movements were suffocating, but there was no escape. Yanru said coquettishly: "Well, it's hard to stay out all day socializing. Husband, please clean your mouth first. We can have a comfortable wedding night first, right? Come, Shanjuan, help your husband wash up first."
"Hey, okay, okay." Xue Jia thought she was flirting and obediently straightened himself up. While Shanjuan was waiting, Yanru, under the pretense of combing her hair, stole over to the incense burner in the room, pulled out a small packet of incense sticks from her bosom, and tossed them in. As the peach-pink powder gradually burned, Yanru quietly hid the paper wrapping in her embroidered shoes.
This time everyone had truly left, leaving only Xue Jia and her in the coveted treasury of gold and silver. Xue Jia smiled as he lifted her up by the waist and threw her back onto the quilt, pressing his entire body against hers as he peeled off the embroidered garment layer by layer.
A strange, warm fragrance filled the air, and Yanru knew that the medicine was taking effect. The subconscious resistance in her body was gradually replaced by obedience. The newlyweds were overwhelmed with emotion, entangled like intertwined branches, or like two fish wetting each other's bodies with the water foam they spit out.
This medicine was not given to Xue Jia, but given to herself by Yan Ruru.
She was afraid of resisting, afraid that intimacy would push Xue Jia away. Although wealth and power were the best aphrodisiacs, she was still terrified, afraid that even her lingering sanity could save the situation. She could only drug herself and force herself to lie beneath him. Moreover, this was her wedding night, the end of her girlhood. Her husband could bear it, but her feelings could not. All her sorrow was drowned by lust.
Yanru sank, and the moon rose. The head of her bed faced the window, and Yanru stared blankly at the moon, which seemed round but not quite. After staring for a long time, the watery moonlight really became a wave, surging towards her, sweeping her up, and her soul fell into it. What sank was her slender waist, which was pinched in, and what floated up were pearls, gold, jade, and gemstones.
This sacrifice finally ended.
In the cave of gold and silver, her dream came true.
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