Chapter 94 IF Line (5): Hurry up and come up so I can have a good look at you!
On the eve of the wedding, the Empress specifically instructed the Crown Prince: "Although there is no custom of the royal family personally welcoming the bride, I still hope that you will go in person to show your respect for this marriage. Otherwise, even if Yun Kui becomes your principal wife, the official families will gossip behind your back."
The crown prince pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
The wedding date is set for April 28th.
Yun Kui went to observe the wedding night in the Crown Prince's dream, but she was woken up to doze off and get ready. She was so sleepy that she could barely keep her eyes open.
It wasn't until the heavy nine-phoenix crown pressed down on her head that she fully came to her senses. Her crimson robe with phoenix and dragon patterns, paired with a gold-embroidered dragon, phoenix, and cloud patterned shawl, was adorned with countless pearls and jade, making it intricate and exquisite.
Looking at herself in the mirror, adorned with jewels and embroidered robes, Yun Kui had a clear understanding for the first time of her wedding and her impending change of status.
When the Sheng family married off their daughter, it was a marriage alliance with the royal family. The Marquis's mansion was filled with guests every day. Regardless of whether they had any dealings with the court officials, they all came to congratulate them with gifts. Those dukes, marquises, and earls who had previously made excuses to avoid the Sheng family because of the Mo Shan King's marriage proposal never expected that the Sheng family's daughter would have such an opportunity. Fearing that they would be resented by their future father-in-law, they all came to the mansion with gifts and forced smiles.
Marquis Wu Ning greeted and saw off guests outside his mansion, not wanting to bother with such petty people.
However, he spotted a familiar figure in a green robe at the street corner. His gaze sharpened, and he quickly stepped forward, saying, "General Feng, why don't you come in now that you're here?"
The man he called "General Feng" was named Feng Yu, and was now serving as a commander of the Tongzhou Guard.
Feng Yu smiled wryly and said, "Today is a joyous occasion for your family. I am not fortunate enough to visit your home. I have prepared a small gift, and I hope you will not find it offensive."
Marquis Wu Ning sighed, "Why are we talking about these things? Let bygones be bygones. I believe your wife in heaven wouldn't want you to be so fixated on the past. You are in your prime, skilled in both literature and martial arts. Now that you're back in the capital, everything can start anew."
Feng Yu was only a few years older than Marquis Wu Ning, but the two were worlds apart in spirit and energy. Feng Yu was thin, with a face full of wrinkles, and a gloomy look always hung over his brow.
He was originally an important minister under Emperor Jingyou, but he lost his wife at an early age and became depressed. Later, he was demoted to the border for injuring someone while drunk, and his promising future was ruined. Last year, he was transferred back to the capital for his military achievements and started as a fifth-rank commander. He is over forty years old and looks weathered.
Marquis Wu Ning wanted to say a few more words of advice, but then he heard a great commotion of gongs and drums in the distance, and the grand wedding procession had arrived.
The leader rode a tall horse, dressed in a bright red wedding robe embroidered with gold dragons. He was handsome and had a tall and straight figure. Behind him were a group of personal guards and attendants. The royal procession was grand and orderly. Wherever they passed, the people bowed down in worship.
Marquis Wu Ning originally thought that it would be an envoy from the Ministry of Rites coming to welcome the bride, but he did not expect that it would be the Crown Prince himself who came to welcome her. He hurriedly ordered everyone in the mansion to welcome her, and Feng Yu also knelt down outside the mansion gate along with a group of officials.
Hearing the noise outside the door, Yun Kui's face was filled with tension and anticipation.
Madam Quanfu came in from outside and said with a smile, "His Highness the Crown Prince has come to welcome the bride. Quickly put on the red veil!"
Yun Kui held Qi Shi's hand and said, "Mother, don't worry, I will come back to see you and Father often."
As Madam Qi gazed at her daughter, radiant in her phoenix coronet and wedding gown, her heart was filled with both joy and worry.
Little did the young girl know that once she became the daughter-in-law of the royal family, she could not easily step out of the high walls and deep palace that felt like a cage.
However, she wouldn't spoil her daughter's joyous occasion. She gave her final instructions: "The royal family values rules and etiquette, especially the Crown Prince. After you enter the Eastern Palace, you must maintain harmony with His Highness as husband and wife. Remember to be careful with your words and actions, and never act arbitrarily. A ruler must combine kindness and strictness to gain the people's trust..."
Yun Kui nodded to each of them.
A bright red veil obscured her vision, and Yun Kui could only hear laughter and chatter outside. She was helped out of her bedroom and walked to the corridor, where she heard the sound of people bowing. Then, a pair of red shoes with gold dragon patterns slowly stepped into her view and finally stopped in front of her.
"My lord, is that you?"
The prince pursed his thin lips and did not answer.
Yun Kui followed in his footsteps, bid farewell to her parents in the hall, and stepped into the gilded and jade-adorned phoenix sedan chair amidst the lively music and ceremony. She entered the palace through the main gate of the imperial city and headed all the way to the East Palace.
Upon alighting from the sedan chair outside the palace gate, attendants guided her into the hall. The phoenix crown on her head pressed painfully against her scalp, and her neck, stiffened and numb from holding her head up all day, left Yun Kui only able to follow the master of ceremonies through the procedures in a daze.
My forehead hurts so much.
"Why don't you hold my hand, my husband?"
"Fine, if you don't want to hold my hand, then don't..."
Before she could finish speaking, a warm, large hand suddenly reached out and slowly took her hand in mine.
The moment their skin touched, it felt as if countless tiny electric currents drilled into her flesh from her palms, sending a tingling, numb sensation through her entire body. Yun Kui felt her heart suddenly race, her mind went blank, and she didn't know how to regulate her breathing.
"Help...help...help me..."
The prince stared at the girl's slightly trembling pink and white fingers. The soft touch made him momentarily lose his composure, but he quickly regained his usual cold and dignified demeanor and whispered a reminder: "Etiquette cannot be neglected. Persist a little longer."
Yun Kui replied in a trembling voice, "Yes."
"Her voice is so nice, waaaaah."
Crown Prince: "..."
Upon entering Chengguang Hall, Yun Kui was helped to sit on the wedding bed, which was covered with longans and red dates. In the distance, the candlelight flickered red, filling the room with radiance, almost exactly the same scene as in her dream the previous night.
The matchmaker handed over a scale and asked the prince to lift the veil. Yun Kui was already nervous, and her two small hands didn't know what to do, so she gently twisted them together in front of her. The bright red veil was lifted little by little, and the light in the hall slowly filled her eyes.
Yun Kui raised her head and saw a long-unseen face. He had sword-like eyebrows, bright eyes, a high nose, and thin lips. The flickering candlelight fell on his face, and the light and shadow perfectly accentuated his features, making him look like a celestial being descended to earth.
"Don't worry, Your Highness, I wouldn't dare to kiss you first."
The crown prince's gaze narrowed slightly.
"Did I scare you awake in your dream last night?"
The Crown Prince's long, narrow, and aloof phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a deeper meaning and a hint of inquiry.
How did she know he dreamt of his wedding night last night?
Unaware that her true feelings had been revealed, Yun Kui felt that the Crown Prince's gaze had lingered on her for too long. Her face slowly flushed red, and she lowered her head shyly.
"Is he trying to kiss me?"
The prince's gaze unconsciously fell on the girl's rosy, moist lips. Her lips were delicate and full, like cherry blossoms just beginning to bloom, and they must be... very soft.
Realizing his thoughts had wandered, the prince immediately composed himself, cleared his mind of distractions, and put the scales back in their original place.
The rituals of sharing food and drinking from the same cup proceeded smoothly. The instructors had taught them repeatedly, so even if Yun Kui was still captivated by her husband, the Crown Prince, she would not be impolite at this moment.
After the nuptial wine ceremony, the hair-tying ceremony took place. The matchmaker took a strand of hair from the crown prince's hair and cut it off, but when it was the crown prince's turn, he only used a tassel instead.
Yun Kui couldn't help but ask, "Isn't it... a hair-tying ceremony?"
The matchmaker smiled and said, "Your Highness, as the Crown Prince, is of great importance and cannot be harmed. A tassel can be used instead of a hair tie."
Yun Kui stammered, "I see."
Looking up and meeting the Crown Prince's dark, phoenix-like eyes, she immediately became flustered, afraid that she would say the wrong thing and make people think that the Crown Princess, who came from the Sheng family, did not know the rules.
The crown prince's eyes remained indifferent, signaling the wedding attendant to continue.
Seeing the black strand of hair entangled with the cold red tassel, Yun Kui still felt a sense of inexplicable loss.
She was not his wife, but merely his crown princess.
After the hair-tying ceremony, the Crown Prince had to go to the Fengtian Hall to host a banquet. He instructed the maidservant beside Yun Kui, "Help the Crown Princess bathe and change her clothes."
"Finally, we can win the championship!"
"I'm so hungry, I haven't eaten all day."
The Crown Prince pursed his lips and turned to signal Cuihuan, the head maid of the Eastern Palace, "Have the kitchen send over some snacks and food."
Yun Kui's eyes lit up, and she subconsciously licked her lips.
The crown prince lowered his eyes and saw the glistening moisture on her red lips and the tip of her pink tongue peeking out. His gaze dimmed slightly, and he turned and stepped out of the bedchamber.
Yun Kui removed her phoenix crown and changed out of her heavy wedding dress. She felt as if she had suddenly thrown off all her burdens after being carried in the water for ten pounds of cotton, and her whole body felt light and carefree.
The kitchen delivered chicken noodle soup and several side dishes with meat and vegetables. Yun Kui, who had been hungry all day, devoured all the side dishes and even drank the chicken soup clean. Then she stretched out a big yawn.
The maids inside were all handpicked by the Empress herself. The youngest, Yuzhu, had been serving in Kunning Palace for five years and had never seen such a carefree noblewoman.
Ordinary ladies from noble families eat with great elegance and refinement, even specifying how many times to take a dish and how many times to chew. However, the Crown Princess eats with a hearty appetite and is unwilling to waste a single bite.
The group exchanged smiles. Cuihuan removed Yunkui's hair bun, and Baozhu came up to remove her makeup.
Even after removing her makeup, the Crown Princess's skin remained flawless and smooth, with a natural rosy glow on her cheeks. Her delicate nose, cherry lips, bright eyes, and white teeth made her a picture of perfection.
The cicadas and the winter moon served as attendants to the bath.
The bath was filled with flower petals, and the steaming water vapor made the Crown Princess's skin look like fresh snow after a rain. Tiny water droplets slid slowly down her fair and slender neck, and her full breasts were like solidified white jade, with a faint pink tinge in their white luster. Her breasts were so slender that they could not be grasped in one hand, but they were full and gorgeous in their roundness, making her breathtakingly beautiful.
Especially when she was washing her snow-white breasts, even Qiu Chan and Dong Yue couldn't help but blush and look away, not daring to look any longer.
After taking a bath, Yun Kui sat obediently on the canopy bed and waited.
At half past midnight, the Crown Prince returned from the Fengtian Hall and walked along the corridor. Two maids bowed in greeting.
The crown prince nodded slightly, but before he even entered, he heard two maids whispering to each other.
"Is it time for the wedding night soon?"
"Your Highness has never been interested in women. I wonder if you will be able to resist the temptation when you see the Crown Princess."
He couldn't stand it any longer and coldly told the man to leave.
After bathing in the clean room, the Crown Prince returned to Chengguang Palace. Before he even saw anyone, whispers could be heard coming from inside the room.
"Why aren't they back yet? I'm so sleepy and tired..."
"Your Highness, my husband, where are you...?"
Even the Crown Prince could imagine that the people inside were probably lazy and undisciplined.
He stepped inside and, sure enough, saw the Crown Princess in a water-red pomegranate-patterned nightgown, leaning crookedly against the bedside.
She must have heard footsteps to open her eyes, and saw his almond-shaped eyes light up slightly, his rosy, moist lips moving slightly: "Your Highness, you're back?"
The crown prince responded calmly, "Hmm."
They weren't particularly familiar with each other, and the few times they had crossed paths made Yun Kui too embarrassed to recall them. Besides, the Crown Prince was always taciturn and rarely smiled, so it was best to get straight to the point. She was also very sleepy!
According to the schedule described in the picture book, she still has to serve him for fifteen minutes before she can go to sleep.
Crown Prince: "..."
Yun Kui pursed her lips, stood up and said, "I... I will help Your Highness change your clothes."
She reached out her small hand, but the crown prince instinctively took a half step back and said, "I will do it myself."
"Don't I need to undress?"
"Is this because they're afraid I'll peek or sneak around?"
The wedding bed had been cleaned up. Yun Kui quietly pulled the quilt over and lay down, but her eyes were fixed on the Crown Prince. When she saw him slowly take off his outer robe, the thin satin nightgown outlining his broad and firm muscles, his broad shoulders and narrow waist, and his whole body exuding a vigorous sense of power, she was more excited than ever before.
"What are you standing there for? Come up here quickly and let me have a good look at you!"
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Yun Kui: I can go to sleep in a quarter of an hour, hehe.
Fifteen minutes later, no more hehe [bursting into tears]
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