Chapter 299 The Emperor and Empress’ Wedding
The tenth day of the tenth month of the ninth year of Xining.
The sky was azure, with large clouds floating in the air and a soothing and refreshing autumn breeze blowing.
The palace was brand new and full of red.
The numerous red walls have been repainted recently, and they look bright and fresh. The bright yellow glazed tiles are shining with fine light and are spotless. Red silk extends from Chengming Hall to the six palaces in the east and west. Big red "囍" characters are hung on the palace gates, diamond-shaped windows, and lanterns under the eaves. Big red felt carpets cover the entire palace road.
Palace maids and eunuchs shuttled back and forth, doing their own work in an orderly manner.
In front of Chengning Palace stood the concubines and ladies-in-waiting, all dressed solemnly and formally. Although there were many people, no one said a word as they all waited quietly for the distinguished woman inside to come out.
Inside the hall.
Pei Tingyue sat in front of the dressing table with her eyes closed, allowing the palace maids to put on her makeup.
Today is her lucky day. The phoenix crown and gorgeous clothes sent by the Ministry of Internal Affairs are all exquisite and complex, and are made with great care.
The dazzling Nine Phoenix Rising Sun Crown alone took dozens of top-tier craftsmen from the Imperial Household Department nearly half a year to polish. The crown itself was crafted from pure gold, meticulously interwoven with gold wire and inlaid with a variety of gemstones. Tassels of oriental pearls cascaded down from the brim, and in the center, a phoenix, wings spread, was carved, ready to take flight. Its head held high, its beak holding a pigeon-egg-sized oriental pearl, dangling from its brow.
As soon as Pei Tingyue put it on, she felt as if her head was being pressed down, so heavy that she exclaimed in surprise.
After she put on the phoenix crown, the palace maid brought the phoenix robe and put it on her one by one.
Ever since Xie Chen issued the decree to confer the title of empress, the embroidery room in the palace had been preparing this golden and red phoenix robe. It had a base of bright red brocade with woven cloud patterns, and the collar and cuffs were edged with gold-woven cloud patterns. The entire robe was embroidered with patterns of a phoenix soaring in the sky with gold thread. The phoenix feathers were layered, and the down feathers were laid out with gold thread mixed with colored thread. The tail was lining red, and the beak was outlined with gold.
The sky was bright at this time. Under the sunlight, there was a halo flowing between the phoenix robes, which was dazzling.
When dressed properly, this outfit can be described as shining with gold, jade, and pearls.
The royal family's wealth and majesty are fully revealed in Pei Tingyue.
After a while, there was a "bang" sound.
The ancient and dull sound of the bell spread throughout the Daqi Palace.
When the palace servants heard the sound, they all knelt down and said in unison, "Your servants/servants pay their respects to the Empress."
Pei Tingyue's jaw tightened slightly. She stretched out her bright red nail polished hand and raised it slightly to signal, "No need to be polite."
The ringing of the bell means that the time has come.
Immediately, a eunuch outside the palace shouted at the top of his lungs, "The auspicious time has arrived, set off!"
Yun Shu and Yun Zheng stood on both sides of Pei Tingyue and helped her out of the hall.
The moment he stepped out of the main hall, the palace was filled with the sounds of music and firecrackers.
The concubines of the six palaces bowed first in front of the corridor, followed by the princesses, princess consorts, ladies of noble families, and officials of the imperial court. They walked from the courtyard across the white jade bridge and knelt outside the palace gate.
"Your humble servant pays homage to Her Majesty the Queen. May Her Majesty live a thousand years and a thousand thousand years."
Pei Tingyue stood on the steps, looking past the kneeling people, past the numerous eaves of the palace, and looking towards the Chengming Hall.
She sighed softly.
She walked all the way to this position.
She became the Empress of the Central Palace, envied by everyone and possessing supreme power, and also became the wife of his... beloved.
She gave a faint smile, then straightened her expression and said in a dignified and majestic voice, "Stand up."
The eunuch then repeated her words to the crowd, "The Empress commands, rise!"
Everyone stood up and then surrounded Pei Tingyue and walked forward.
Walking through the long palace road, Pei Tingyue saw the man on the steps from a distance.
They haven't seen each other for three days.
The wedding of the emperor and empress followed folk customs and they were not allowed to see each other for three days before the wedding.
Come to think of it, it's rare that I haven't seen you for so many days in all these years. To be honest, I miss you a little bit.
Pei Tingyue had a smile on his lips as he walked past the officials and stepped forward on the big red carpet.
Suddenly, the man on the stairs moved.
He actually broke the rules and walked down the stairs!
Seeing this, Pei Tingyue's lips curled up even more and he took bigger steps.
Amid the sound of firecrackers and music, the two men got closer and closer, and Pei Tingyue finally stopped in front of the noble and majestic emperor.
Since just now, Xie Chen's eyes have never moved away from the front. He stretched out his slender jade-like hand, "Come."
Pei Tingyue smiled, held his fingers together, and slowly walked up the jade steps.
The two men stood side by side on the steps, facing the officials with solemn expressions.
With a "thump" sound.
Another sound of the golden bell.
Tens of thousands of people at the steps knelt down and kowtowed in unison.
"Long live the Emperor, long live the Emperor! A thousand years, a ...
The sound almost resounded through the sky.
On the steps, Pei Tingyue was about to speak when Xie Chen spoke first, "This vast land, the supreme power, is shared by you and me."
Pei Tingyue's eyebrows curved after hearing this, "Yeah."
Xie Chen's eyes were filled with unbreakable tenderness and affection. He added, "From now on, we will sleep together in life and death, and we will never be separated in this life or the next."
"Pfft, pfft, pfft." Pei Tingyue disagreed with this. She raised her head slightly and looked at Xie Chen, "It's a great day for a wedding, don't talk about life and death."
"Okay, I won't tell you." Xie Chen responded softly, and then he said it another way, "We'll never be apart."
Pei Tingyue raised her eyebrows slightly and shook his hand in response, "We will never be apart until we are old."
The emperor and empress smiled at each other, and everything was said without words.
The ceremony lasted for several hours, and when it was getting dark, the two returned to Chengming Hall.
The hall had changed drastically a long time ago. Red silk was hung high, dragon and phoenix candles were lit, and the couch was covered with longans, lotus seeds, and peanuts. It was truly an extremely festive atmosphere.
After the emperor and empress entered the hall, they dismissed their attendants.
Xie Chen took a palace lantern and placed it on the small table next to him. He stared at the woman sitting on the couch without moving.
"Yueyue looks so beautiful like this."
Pei Tingyue's eyes flickered with light as she chuckled, "You've been looking at me for so long, haven't you seen enough?"
"Not enough." Xie Chen's eyes were thick as he traced her features inch by inch, as if he wanted to memorize her in his bones and blood. "I want to remember this day forever."
Pei Tingyue smiled and leaned over to kiss him, her radiant fingertips caressing his Adam's apple. "This way, the memory is sweeter, isn't it?"
Xie Chen couldn't control himself anymore when she did this. His voice was slightly hoarse, "I want it to be sweeter."
"As you wish." Pei Tingyue's voice ended in a soft voice. She touched Xie Chen's cheek teasingly and leaned close to his ear, "Today is our wedding day. After drinking the wedding wine, you can do whatever you want."
Xie Chen's eyes became even darker. He couldn't suppress the desire in his heart. He stood up quickly, poured the wine, and handed it to Pei Tingyue.
As their eyes locked, the wine cups were emptied.
Her clothes were half-undone and her black hair was falling.
…
…
The candlelight flickers red, making the room charming.
After the clouds cleared and the rain stopped, Pei Tingyue lay on his chest, playing with his clean and slender fingers out of boredom.
"What will Yueyue say then?"
A man's deep and mellow voice sounded from inside the tent.
Pei Tingyue was startled: "What?"
"When all the officials come to congratulate me, Yueyue has something to say to me, right?"
Pei Tingyue lowered his eyes and remained silent for a long time.
Xie Chen rarely saw her like this. Before she could even say, "If you don't want to say it, then don't say it," she felt the warmth of tears in her chest. She said,
"Ah Chen, thank you very much."
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