Chapter 50
Weddings in the South are quite different from those in Wangjing. Xie Qinghong had attended wedding banquets in Wangjing and accompanied her cousins when they got married. She knew that the bride's day was quite tiring. She had to get up early to dress up and wait for the auspicious time for the groom to come and fetch her. After paying respects to heaven and earth and the elders, she would wait in the bridal chamber.
At this time, the groom's relatives will make a ruckus in the bridal chamber, saying some lively things to help the bride relax. However, this is also a time for fame and fortune. If the groom's family has a sharp-tongued sister-in-law or sister-in-law, a few hurtful words can be remembered by the bride for a lifetime.
Xie Qinghong had already thought it through. If there was such a person, it wouldn't be a problem to argue on their wedding day. She absolutely couldn't let people think she was an easy target.
On the day of the wedding, just as her brother carried her out of the house and before she was even put on the bridal carriage, Pei Du took over his burden, lifted her onto a tall black horse, and rode around the city amidst the cheers of the people.
The onlookers on the street were even more animated, chatting idly while holding handfuls of melon seeds.
"As expected of a noble family, the Crown Prince's wife is indeed stunningly beautiful. Even the Crown Prince is captivated by her, which shows how beautiful she is."
"Not only that, I've heard that the Xie family is known for its fierce and valiant spirit. The Xie family's sons are skilled in both literature and martial arts, and the Xie family's daughters are equally impressive, speaking eloquently and having even subdued mountain bandits! They are clearly heroines, which is why our young master respects them."
A handsome young man, chewing on a piece of wedding candy he had just grabbed, asked curiously, "How did you subdue the bandits? Is the young lady so capable? Is she perhaps the daughter of a military family?"
The passerby was talking excitedly, but couldn't explain it clearly. He pointed in the distance and said, "What 'tiger daughter of a general'? Look, the young master has come with his wife. I heard they were bandits they had subdued. The young master's wife was fearless in the face of danger, and the young master beheaded seventy or eighty people with one sword!"
The young man looked in the direction he was pointing, and his feelings became complicated. The rumored wife of the crown prince was covered by a red veil, so his face was obscured, but the crown prince's appearance was so striking that one could recognize him even if he were reduced to ashes. Although that sword hadn't beheaded seventy or eighty people, it had indeed wiped out a whole group of seventy or eighty bandits.
He grimaced as he tried to spit out the sugar crumbs in his mouth; today was a bit unlucky, and it wasn't a good day to join in the festivities. He turned his back to the bustling crowd and left, but after walking a while, he couldn't help but laugh out loud. If those two were to become the masters of the South in the future, then coming to Yuecheng would have been the right decision.
He straightened his chest, tossed another piece of candy, and chewed it, thinking to himself, "Let's wish them a future as sweet as this candy."
Yuan Qingqing and her cousin Xie Qinghong were watching the excitement from the second-floor window of a teahouse facing the street. The cousin held her face in her hands and imagined: "My sister will be the Princess Consort of the South in the future, and her children will call me Auntie. Oh dear, what should I give the children for their birthday? How about a longevity lock?"
Yuan Qingqing also held her face and imagined: "Ayao is now the Crown Prince's wife, and will be the Princess Consort of the Southern Kingdom in the future. Does that mean she will have a fiefdom? I have recently studied a few crops that are very suitable for the climate of the Southern Kingdom. If we have a fiefdom, we will plant them and sell the grain. Ayao and I will each get half of what we sell, and then we will be richer than a country!"
My cousin said, "Then it's better to wait until the baby is born. I'll go get a longevity lock made tomorrow."
Yuan Qingqing disagreed: "Children will only affect our farming business. Forget it, you can raise the child after Ayao has the baby, and I will take Ayao to farm."
Zhou Yujin, who had been instructed to accompany the young lady, sat nervously at the table, drinking tea and feeling that he had never tasted such delicious tea in his life. The young lady's topics were too whimsical, befitting a top student of Bailu Academy, making this good-for-nothing playboy feel that communication was difficult.
He chuckled awkwardly, "Haha, you guys have a good relationship with your cousin and his wife, huh?"
The two girls were puzzled and turned to look at him at the same time, their faces full of sympathy: "Young Master Zhou, you are the Crown Prince's cousin, yet you are still unmarried? You are not young anymore, you should really consider it."
Zhou Yujin was speechless. Why was he being mocked on Pei Du's special day?! Looking down the street, he saw Pei Du riding a horse with a beautiful woman on his back, his face showing an unprecedented sense of ease. The autumn wind did not diminish his pride, and even the horse seemed to be galloping happily with a joyful gait.
The red veil covering her eyes was made of moon-flowing silk. Xie Qinghong could vaguely see the scenery along the roadside. In the haze, she could also vaguely recognize that this street was the one she had visited yesterday, and that street was the one she had visited the day before. After wandering around like this, her nervous mood gradually eased, leaving only novelty. This was because Pei Du said, "This is how wedding ceremonies are in the South. They circle the city once to pay homage to the city."
"Are there any others?" Xie Qinghong asked curiously.
“And kissing under the tallest Moon-Gazing Tower will bring divine blessings.” He paused, slowing the reins. “We’re here.”
Xie Qinghong thought they had arrived at the Prince of Nan's residence, and subconsciously stretched his wide sleeves in preparation to dismount, but then heard Pei Du say, "We've arrived at Wangyue Tower."
She opened her eyes wide and watched as Pei Du half-lifted the moon-flowing silk veil, smiled gently at her, and turned his head to kiss her lips. The red veil blocked the view of outsiders, allowing them to receive the blessings of the gods under the tall Moon-Gazing Tower, amidst the grand laughter of passersby and the long, resonant chimes of the tower's bells ringing on the hour.
"I offered my heart to the bright moon, expecting the bright moon to shine on me as well."
Pei Du once disbelieved in gods and Buddhas, and did not hope for an afterlife. He felt that there was nothing good in this world, and could only find a little pleasure in the mountains and rivers. Later, he also wanted to make a wish to the gods and Buddhas: everything in this world is bad, but with Xie Ayao, everything is good. He only wished that Xie Ayao could live a long, peaceful and prosperous life in this world.
After being led into the bridal chamber, no one else entered except for the maids who served them. There were no chattering sisters-in-law or other relatives offering their congratulations, which made the large bridal chamber seem a little deserted.
Xie Qinghong was feeling hungry when A Xing brought over a bowl of chicken soup. He then told her what he had found out during his half-day visit to the manor: "The affairs of the inner quarters of the manor are all managed by the Princess Consort, but she doesn't pay much attention to the household matters. After all, the Southern Prince's manor is the most prestigious in Yuecheng. The manor is very quiet. The Prince has no concubines or secondary wives, let alone the heir apparent."
Unlike what was written in the play, Xie Qinghong felt inexplicably disappointed, and secretly asked, "Did you see the cousin who was as delicate as a willow in the breeze?"
A-Yue said, "The young master's cousin has a young man who is handsome but somewhat thin. He is currently entertaining guests. His cousins are all quite good-looking and are the princess's nieces, but they are all keeping their distance. I heard they haven't even spoken much to the young master."
Xie Qinghong thought about it and felt it was quite normal. After all, given Pei Du's unpredictable temperament, even if someone was temporarily infatuated with him like she was, they should have sobered up after seeing his words.
As for why he hadn't come to his senses, he could only blame Pei Du for being too good at bewitching his mind. He was so good-looking that even if he had a scar that made him a little uglier, he would still be... so good-looking.
So much so that when Pei Du removed her veil that evening, Xie Qinghong felt her heart race at the mere sight of him. She felt that Pei Du was more handsome than ever before, reminding her of a long sword that had sheathed its sharpness, freshly drawn from a clear stream, possessing a unique and unparalleled elegance.
Pei Du seemed to have drunk some wine, but he wasn't drunk. He was very steady when holding the wine cup and when drinking from the same cup. He just spoke very little, just like always.
Xie Qinghong stared at him with bright eyes, but after a while she noticed that he wasn't blushing as before. Suspicious, she waved her hand in front of him and asked, "Pei Du, are you drunk?"
Pei Du replied very seriously, "No, don't talk nonsense."
Xie Qinghong couldn't help but laugh out loud: "You must be drunk. Oh dear, how come your alcohol tolerance is so low? You can get drunk at your own wedding banquet? Didn't anyone help you drink? And even though you're drunk, you look the same as when you're sober?"
Pei Du was a little embarrassed by the laughter. A sliver of clarity flashed through his muddled thoughts, but it quickly disappeared. He only remembered her last question and continued to reply solemnly, word by word: "I'm not drunk. I'm normal. I know who you are."
"Then who am I?"
"She is my wife. Tonight is our wedding night. We are going to... consummate our marriage." Pei Du turned his head away shyly, the belated drunkenness spreading over his earlobe and staining half of his face red.
Xie Qinghong blushed inexplicably, then thought that since he was so drunk, he shouldn't be doing this or that, right? But if he really had to, wouldn't he be too drunk to remember what to do?
The top student who always ranked first in the exams was very self-disciplined. She felt that she should study more books to learn about such things. She coughed lightly and directed the very well-behaved Prince Pei, who was drunk, to sit to the side. She secretly took out the little book her mother had given her and started reading by lamplight, temporarily embracing Buddhism.
She only had a vague understanding of this little book, and even though she came to learn it on short notice, she still felt confused after flipping through a couple of pages—what is all this?
She turned to look at Pei Du, only to find him already standing behind her, glancing sideways at the small book in her hand. Xie Qinghong was startled, immediately closing the book and hiding it behind her back, stammering, "Why...why aren't you sitting down?"
Pei Du stared intently at her face, seemingly oblivious to the book. His eyes remained clear and unfocused, though he spoke slowly: "Ayao, why don't you sit with me? We're husband and wife now. From now on, only I will be closest to you."
Xie Qinghong nodded perfunctorily: "Yes, I'll sit down in a bit. I still have a question I don't understand, so I need to read a book for a while."
Pei Du frowned, easily took the small book from behind her, threw it on the table, and said, "Then don't look at this. I know everything. I can teach you. I can teach you anything you don't know. Reading at night is bad for your eyes."
Xie Qinghong gasped, and tried to put the book away by stepping past him, but instead bumped into Pei Du's arms, causing him to stumble and his lower back to hit the edge of the table through Pei Du's hand.
“Ah Yao, look at me.” Pei Du looked down into her eyes.
Xie Qinghong uncontrollably looked up to meet his gaze, feeling herself soften inch by inch. In the hazy candlelight, she bit her lip and melted between the jade and the soft pillow.
The flickering candlelight casts a deep shadow, obscuring the passage of autumn from spring.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
