Chapter 220 Finale
The sun is shining and the breeze is gentle.
On this day, the capital city was filled with the sounds of gongs and drums, the blast of firecrackers, a red carpet spread out along the ten-mile-long street, and double happiness characters were pasted on the doors and windows of every household.
The roads on both sides from Ning Pavilion to Duke Qin's Mansion were already crowded with people who came to watch the ceremony.
In Ning Pavilion, people were coming and going, and the atmosphere was full of joy.
Jiang Qingning sat upright in front of the dressing table, wearing an intricate and exquisite red wedding dress. The pattern of a flying phoenix embroidered with gold thread shone brightly in the sunlight, and was extremely luxurious.
Mrs. Xiao combed her daughter's hair herself, reciting auspicious blessings, but her eyes couldn't help but turn red. She was reluctant to let her daughter go, but also felt sincerely happy that her daughter had finally gotten what she had suffered.
Jiang Qingxi helped pass the jewelry to her sister and looked at her sister in her gorgeous dress with amazement in her eyes.
"Combing once to the end, they raise their heads and eyebrows to the same level; combing twice to the end, they fly together like a pair; combing three times to the end, they are forever united in love..."
Mrs. Xiao's voice was gentle and slightly choked with sobs as she carefully inserted the last phoenix hairpin made of red gold, kingfisher feathers and inlaid with oriental pearls into Jiang Qingning's towering bun.
Jiang Qingning in the mirror had eyebrows like distant mountains, eyes like autumn water, red lips, and a face like peach blossoms.
The coldness between her eyebrows in the past has been replaced by the softness and shyness today, which is breathtakingly beautiful.
"Sister, you look so beautiful today." Jiang Qingxi praised sincerely.
Jiang Qingning looked at herself in the mirror, a happy and peaceful smile slowly spreading across her lips.
At this moment, she was no longer the strategist Princess Chenhua, nor was she a female general fighting on the battlefield. She was just a bride who was about to marry her beloved.
The auspicious time has arrived, and the music of the wedding procession outside is getting closer and closer.
"Here comes the groom!"
The door to the mansion was wide open, and Qin Xiu, who was dressed in a bright red wedding dress and looked tall and handsome, strode in surrounded by a crowd of people.
His face was filled with unconcealable joy and nervousness. His gaze passed through the crowd and landed precisely on the figure covered with a big red veil who was supported by Madam Xiao and Jiang Qingxi. He could not take his eyes off her for a moment.
According to etiquette, Jiang Qinghuai stepped forward and squatted in front of his sister: "Ning'er, brother will carry you to the sedan chair."
"Okay, brother." She nodded slightly.
Jiang Qingning lay on her brother's broad and warm back, and he carried her steadily out of the mansion step by step and into the extremely gorgeously decorated sedan chair.
"Lift the sedan!"
The emcee's high-pitched voice rang out.
Qin Xiu mounted his horse, full of high spirits, and personally led the grand wedding procession, slowly walking around the main streets of the capital.
Along the way, cheers and flower petals and confetti fell one after another, and the entire capital was immersed in the joy of the newlyweds' wedding.
The team marched three times and finally stopped in front of the magnificent gate of the Duke of Qin's Mansion.
The firecrackers blasted into the sky and the joy reached its climax.
Qin Xiu dismounted and was about to shoot the door of the sedan chair according to etiquette to welcome the bride out.
Sudden.
Xun Chen rushed to the outside of the Duke of Qin's Mansion with Xun Moli in tattered clothes and knelt in front of the sedan chair. However, the streets around the Duke of Qin's Mansion and even Ning Pavilion were hung with red silk everywhere.
Now Xun Chen has been deposed from his title, his property has been confiscated, and he has become a beggar.
Jiang Qingning, wearing a phoenix crown and a red robe, sat upright in the bridal sedan chair.
The ten-mile red makeup was something he never gave her.
Xun Chen couldn't help but step forward and said, "My wife, your husband is here to take you home."
Xun Moli cried out, "I want my mother, I want my mother."
The groom, riding a tall and handsome horse, stepped forward, his brows and eyes showing off his pride: "Who is so blind as to dare to compete with this prince and the Duke of Qin's mansion for the prince's wife?"
Jiang Qingning smiled softly through the red silk, and her cold voice rang out from behind the sedan chair curtain: "Mo Li, I'm not your mother anymore. Xun Chen, you're kicked out forever."
"Qingning, Qingning!" Xun Chen couldn't believe it, clinging tightly to the sedan chair, his voice shrill and desperate, "I was wrong, I really know I was wrong. For Li'er's sake, for our many years of marriage, please give me another chance, Qingning, let's start over, okay? I will definitely treat you well and Li'er well in the future..."
This sudden scene surprised the onlookers, and discussions immediately broke out. The guards responsible for maintaining order at the gate of Duke Qin's mansion immediately stepped forward to drive them away.
A delicate hand lifted a corner of the curtain of the sedan chair.
Jiang Qingning did not get out of the sedan chair, nor did he even reveal his face completely. A cold and calm voice came from the sedan chair, clearly reaching everyone's ears:
"Xun Chen, the bond between you and me as husband and wife was severed and extinguished long before you allowed your mother to bully me, framed my father and brother to curry favor with the powerful, and even kidnapped and imprisoned me."
"You and I are just strangers now. Today is my wedding day. Don't humiliate yourself. Take your son and leave. Don't appear in front of me again."
After saying this, the curtain of the sedan chair fell and there was no more movement.
"No, Qingning, you can't be so cruel. Li'er is yours..."
Xun Chen was about to speak, but was drowned out by the curses of the people around him.
"Bah! Shameless thing! How dare you harass the princess!"
"Get out of here! Don't ruin the princess's wedding day!"
"What bad luck!"
The guards were no longer polite and roughly dragged the crying and struggling Xun Chen and the frightened Xun Moli away from the scene. The two figures quickly disappeared around the corner.
This little episode did not last long, and joy began again.
Qin Xiu looked coldly at the direction where Xun Chen was dragged away, a cold light flashed in his eyes, then he took a deep breath, put on a gentle smile again, walked to the front of the sedan chair, observed the etiquette, and carefully led Jiang Qingning out of the sedan chair.
Crossing the fire pot, stepping on the saddle...
After a series of ceremonies, the newlyweds finally entered the wedding hall.
Sitting in the hall were the Duke of Qin and his wife, as well as the bride's parents Jiang Baichuan and Madam Xiao.
"Bow to Heaven and Earth!"
"Bow to your parents twice!"
"Husband and wife bow to each other!"
Amid the blessings of the guests, the two of them bowed solemnly.
"The ceremony is over! Send her to the bridal chamber!"
The cheers reached a climax again.
Qin Xiu picked up Jiang Qingning and carried her horizontally. Before Jiang Qingning could even scream, Qin Xiu carried her and strode towards the new house in the Prince's Courtyard amidst a burst of good-natured laughter.
In the new house, red candles are burning brightly, and the decoration is festive and warm.
Qin Xiu used the wedding scale to gently lift the big red veil.
Under the candlelight, Jiang Qingning's shy face was completely revealed, so beautiful that Qin Xiu took his breath away.
"Qingning..." he murmured, with deep affection in his eyes.
Before he could say more, he heard the sound of his friends making a fuss in the bridal chamber from outside.
Qin Xiu had no choice but to softly say to Jiang Qingning, "Wait for me a moment, I'll be back soon."
Jiang Qingning smiled and nodded.
Qin Xiu had just left and Jiang Qingning was about to ask the maid to help her take off some heavy headdresses, but she didn't expect the door to be pushed open again and Qin Xiu came back.
"Why did you come back so soon?" Jiang Qingning was surprised.
Qin Xiu walked quickly up to her, his face still drunk, but his eyes were unusually clear and burning.
He held her hand, his voice trembling with excitement: "I... I really can't wait any longer. Let them drink the wine. Qingning, I..."
He looked at her with a devout and fervent gaze, as if he had a thousand words to say: "I, Qin Xiu, swear to heaven here that I will never let you down in this life. I will love you, respect you, and protect you. I will grow old with you, and we will never be apart, whether in life or death."
"From now on, your joy is my joy, your sorrow is my sorrow. You and I are one, husband and wife, sharing honor and disgrace!"
Listening to his undisguised and heartfelt vows, the tears that Jiang Qingning had been holding back finally fell.
She held his hand in hers, her voice choked with sobs but incredibly firm: "Chengyuan, I believe you. The past is like yesterday. From now on, our boat has sailed through thousands of mountains. Only a bright future awaits us."
The two stood hugging each other, the red candles illuminated the lovers who finally got married, filling the room with warmth.
Seven days later, the death knell of the palace tolled.
Lu Bin died from his injuries.
The whole country mourns.
The fourth prince, Prince Yong Lu Yong, successfully ascended the throne with the support of the previous emperor's "last will" and all officials. He changed the reign title to "Yongxi", honored his biological mother, Queen Qin, as the empress dowager, and moved to the Cining Palace.
The new emperor ascends the throne and everything is new.
With the assistance of important officials such as Qin Xiu, He Ning, Jiang Baichuan, and Jiang Qinghuai, the government quickly stabilized.
The Northern Di surrendered, the border was temporarily peaceful, and the country was in ruins but full of new hope.
Jiang Qinghuai met Li Youwei at the wedding of Jiang Qingning and Qin Xiu, and he fell in love with the cheerful and generous Li Youwei. The two families have started to talk about marriage, and good things are about to happen.
He Ning, the prince of Zhenbei, devoted all his enthusiasm to pursuing Jiang Qingxi, a bright and lively girl who had just completed her coming-of-age ceremony. He spent the whole day thinking of ways to make the little girl happy and made many jokes.
The sun is shining brightly, shining on the newly renovated Ning Pavilion courtyard.
Jiang Qingning and Qin Xiu stood hand in hand, watching their sister laughing and playing in the yard and He Ning who had no choice but to follow behind her to clean up the mess. Not far away was their father playing chess with Prince Ping, who was about to become their relative-in-law. On the other side was their mother, Madam Xiao, and their mother-in-law, Madam Qin, chatting and laughing.
Li Youwei's joyful laughter could be heard outside the yard. She must have come back from shopping with Jiang Qinghuai.
Jiang Qingning glanced sideways, met the gaze of the man whose eyes were fixed on her, and chuckled softly, "Fortunately, the years are peaceful and the present life is stable."
Qin Xiu firmly held her hand back and said gently, "I will be by your side."
All the conspiracies and bloody storms are over, and the boat has sailed through thousands of mountains.
The future is bright and beautiful, just as Jiang Qingning said.
(End of full text)
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