"Alright, Li Yu, go with Fu Ertai to the rose garden and transplant a few rose bushes that the princess likes." The Emperor didn't even look up, simply waving his hand to give the order.
He knew, of course, that Anke's favorite rose bushes were those few in the rose garden, and he often saw her going there. Whether she was pruning or watering, she always looked at those few bushes.
Li Yu received the imperial decree and went to the rose garden with Ertai. There, he learned from the palace maids that Princess Yong'an's favorite roses were the red one and a yellow one.
With the help of the palace maids in the rose garden, the two rose bushes were dug up, planted in pots, and moved directly back to the mansion.
Ertai personally planted the roses and even built a fence around them. He also planted some other flowers and plants around them, which made the garden look even more picturesque. Although it couldn't compare to the rose garden in the palace, it still had its own unique vitality.
After the palace maids witnessed Ertai's thoughtfulness, the news naturally spread within their small circle. Eventually, the entire palace knew about it, and everyone praised Ertai's considerate nature.
And so, Jin Lingzi from Baoyue Tower found out, and vividly described to Hanxiang how Naertai affectionately transplanted the roses, and how he told the Emperor that he liked them but didn't say that the princess liked them.
Little Swallow overheard this and was genuinely happy for them. She hadn't understood why Ertai had fallen for Anke before, but now she did. After all, anyone would be attracted to such a capable and beautiful princess like Princess Yong'an.
In the past, Ertai would certainly not have been a suitable match for her, but after Ertai was appointed a general and made so many contributions, he was naturally considered a good match. The two were a handsome couple, and their story can be considered a beautiful one.
Days passed by, and the seventeenth day of the first lunar month arrived quietly.
The palace was instantly thrown into chaos. Although Princess Yong'an did not marry within the palace, she didn't need to be so busy. However, before her marriage, the princess still had to enter the palace to pay homage to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor.
Naturally, we need to make proper preparations, and we can't neglect Qinggege's affairs either.
Anke was woken up early in the morning by Xingxing, who said, "Princess, it's time for you to get up. The nanny from the palace who is in charge of guiding you has arrived."
Anke opened her eyes groggily, still somewhat dazed, unsure of what was happening or what had transpired. She sat up in bed, and after a moment of confusion, she realized, oh, it was her wedding day.
Marriage? The word flashed through An Ke's mind, and her eyes snapped open.
Looking at the room full of people, she smiled shyly and quickly got up, letting Xingxing take her for a petal bath. Afterwards, Xingxing wrung out her hair from behind.
An experienced nanny came to perform a facial opening procedure on her. Back in modern times, she had always heard people say that facial openings were very painful, so An Ke wanted to see for herself and sat there obediently.
The nanny said a few flattering words, and then Anke gave a reward, which made the nanny beam with joy.
They began joyfully performing the facial makeup ceremony for Princess Yong'an, showering her with auspicious words as if they were free. The princess had arrived early in the morning and, seeing everyone busy at work, remained silent, simply standing aside with a smile.
I already talked to An'an about some things regarding our wedding day last night, and I even showed her the fire-avoidance diagram. I don't think I forgot to mention anything.
Seeing An'an's tired face, the princess felt a pang of sympathy. However, it wouldn't be good to break the ancestral rules for just today.
The princess had prepared some easily digestible snacks early in the morning so that Anke could have a few to tide her over before getting into the sedan chair, so that she wouldn't be exhausted and hungry after a whole day.
Anke naturally understood the princess's intentions. After the facial treatment, she had some pastries, which were indeed delicious, and then drank a cup of floral tea.
Next, the princess herself combed Anke's hair, reciting auspicious words passed down from ancient times.
Then Anke was dressed in her wedding gown, which was made by an embroidery workshop. The cloud brocade patterns on it were created by several skillful embroiderers.
Seeing how beautiful the clothes looked on Anke, the princess was moved to tears. Then, taking the headdress from Xingxing, she gently placed it on Anke's head, careful not to let the heavy, intricate ornament cause her daughter a headache or accidentally poke her head.
Seeing Anke already dressed up, the princess swallowed her reluctance and slowly lifted the veil to cover Anke's head.
Immediately afterwards, a servant announced that the prince consort had arrived. The princess burst into tears. Looking at her daughter, who had grown into a graceful young woman, the princess went up and hugged her.
I always thought I'd have time to watch An'an grow up, but her health just wouldn't hold up. These past few years, the Prince has been taking her everywhere seeking medical help. I've neglected An'an in the process. I never imagined that my return to the capital would mean personally arranging An's wedding. And the wedding is being so rushed; I'm truly reluctant to let her go.
An Ke felt the tears slipping onto her hands, and a pang of reluctance rose in her heart. Swallowing back the bitterness in her heart, she turned to comfort the princess, "Why are you crying, Mother? Shouldn't An'an be happy about getting married? Anyway, it's not that far away. An'an will come back to see you and Father later." As she spoke, she patted the princess repeatedly to comfort her.
Anke was helped outside by the princess, where she saw the prince standing in the courtyard, eagerly waiting. The prince also had tears in his eyes, but seeing the princess with slight tear stains on her face, he hurriedly went forward to comfort her.
Hearing the prince's voice, An Ke felt a sense of relief. Although she understood the princess, she didn't know how to comfort her. It was best to leave this to the professionals, to the prince.
Then, the prince, holding the red silk ribbon, led them to the front hall, which was already packed with distinguished guests. Seeing the prince personally leading the red silk ribbon, everyone held their breath in silence. Although somewhat shocked, they realized it made perfect sense.
Ertai stood to the side, gazing at the person he had been longing for day and night. Then, the prince handed the red silk to Ertai. When he placed it in Ertai's hand, the prince was even a little reluctant. "Let's skip all those formalities. I'm entrusting my daughter to you. You must take good care of her. If I find that An'an has shed a single tear, I will not forgive you."
Those present who were fathers and mothers were already in tears, and the tears that the princess had just been holding back came back again.
"Please rest assured, Father-in-law, I will take good care of An'an and will not let her be sad and helpless. If I break this oath, may the heavens and thunderbolts wrath upon me." Ertai also made the oath with heartfelt empathy, hoping that the prince could see his sincerity.
The prince patted Ertai on the shoulder and solemnly placed the red silk in Ertai's hands, as if entrusting An'an's life to the young man before him.
Immediately afterwards, the prince strode to his seat and listened to the words of the master of ceremonies. When it came time for the second bow to the parents, the prince and princess held hands tightly together.
The prince had no sons, and Anke had no brothers. The important task of preparing Anke for the sedan chair fell to Yongqi. Yongqi naturally lived up to the trust and carried Anke on his back. This act of carrying her on his back seemed to take them back to when Anke was a child and insisted that Yongqi carry her.
Yongqi, who was initially happy for them, was also somewhat saddened. The little girl who used to follow him around calling him Fifth Brother was now getting married.
Yongqi suppressed the tears in his eyes, steadily carried Anke on his back, and then whispered, "An'an, if Ertai ever bullies you, tell your fifth brother, and your fifth brother will definitely avenge you. At that time, your fifth brother will definitely carry you back."
An Ke knew how Yong Qi was feeling, and said gratefully, "Then An An thanks Fifth Brother in advance."
Yongqi carried him steadily to the front of the sedan chair, whereupon a wedding attendant helped him into the chair. Ertai exchanged a glance with Yongqi, then mounted the tall horse in front of him.
The joyous procession behind them naturally started making a lively scene with gongs and drums. Yongqi watched as the Prince Rui and his wife, who were helping each other to the main gate, respectfully stepped forward, bowed, and then followed the procession into the palace.
The princess, watching from behind, burst into tears again, but these were tears of joy as she waved towards their procession. The prince, with his arm around her, gently comforted her, his gaze fixed on the wedding procession as it receded into the distance, believing that their children would also find their own path to happiness.
If things were like this on Anke's side, Qing'er was even busier, barely having time to breathe. She was even woken up by Shuangxi in the morning. Then, the nanny performed the facial ritual for her. Since Qing'er's parents were no longer alive, she paid homage to the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and the Empress.
Immediately afterwards, Ji Chu took her out of the palace, and they circled half of the Forbidden City before returning to the Ji residence. After another round of formalities, Qing'er, who had been busy all day, finally had a chance to rest and was helped back to the bridal chamber by the matchmaker.
Fortunately, the maids beside her had all received General Ji's personal instructions and had prepared tea and snacks in advance, serving some to Princess Qing first.
Then General Ji returned, and there was another round of wedding ceremonies, such as drinking the nuptial wine. The brides said a few auspicious words and received a reward from General Ji before being pulled away to drink.
General Ji looked at the beautiful Qing'er before him and was filled with emotion. "Qing'er, rest for a while. If you need to go, come back immediately. Take good care of the madam." He then stood up and instructed the maids beside him to be attentive.
Qing'er nodded, and Ji Chu then stepped out of the room, only to be immediately surrounded by his brothers outside. They said they had to make him drink a lot tonight.
After all, they had been envious for a long time. They didn't dare to cause trouble for General Fu, but there were plenty of people waiting there. So, they could only cause trouble for General Ji, hoping to get him a few more drinks.
Ji Chu didn't say anything, naturally knowing this was part of the wedding process, so he let them be. He figured they wouldn't mind returning the money when they got married later. Besides, on this joyous day, his smile hadn't faded for a moment, giving his men the impression that General Ji was very easy to talk to today.
Cining Palace
The Empress Dowager and the Emperor were still sitting at the head of the table, waiting for Fu Ertai and An Ke to arrive, and even the Empress was waiting diligently on the side.
Immediately following was a notice from Granny Gui: "Princess Yong'an and her consort have arrived."
The concubines in the palace had been waiting for a while, all standing tall and waiting.
The Empress Dowager immediately perked up, and as she watched the newlyweds slowly approach, a smile bloomed on her face.
The Emperor felt even more comforted looking at Ertai and Anke, but he couldn't stand the smile on Ertai's face.
Yongqi even took a day off from school today to come and see Anke and Qing'er off. Master Ji was very easy to talk to, and immediately granted his request when he heard that he was coming to see Anke and Qing'er off.
Following the matchmaker were only Anke and Ertai, who bowed to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor. Then, the Empress Dowager, with tears in her eyes, took out the jewelry that had been prepared earlier and handed it to Anke.
"This bracelet was given to you by the Empress Dowager's mother, who said it symbolizes eternal love. Today, the Empress Dowager is giving this bracelet to you, hoping that your lives will be as beautiful as this bracelet." With the help of Granny Gui, the Empress Dowager stepped down and slipped the bracelet onto An Ke's wrist.
Then her voice became tinged with sadness, "She looks beautiful, indeed, everything her grandmother An'an wears looks beautiful. Go, and come to the palace to see your grandmother more often." As she spoke, the Empress Dowager shed tears again.
The maids and servants around the Empress Dowager hurriedly stepped forward to persuade her, saying that today was an auspicious day and the Empress Dowager should be happy.
The Empress Dowager finally stopped crying and embraced An'an with both arms. Then, she took her seat at the head of the table, turning back every few steps.
Hanxiang was also among those invited today, and she presented Ningxiang Pills, a gift brought to her by her Hui ethnic group. After saying a few auspicious words, she had Yinlingzi hand her gift to Xingxing, who was beside the princess.
Because Hanxiang knew that Xingxing was the princess's personal maid, she was afraid that the princess would not feel at ease entrusting her to anyone else, and she would not feel at ease either. Naturally, it would be more reassuring to entrust her to Xingxing.
Little Swallow, standing beside him, offered her congratulations to Princess Yong'an and General Fu, saying a few auspicious words. The Emperor, seated at the head of the table, smiled with satisfaction. Thinking that Little Swallow had grown up, he felt a sense of pride.
The Queen also presented the princess with a treasured gift, hoping they would live happily ever after. Yongqi had nothing, so he could only give them his cherished toys.
An Ke understood everything and, supported by the matchmaker and Ertai, slowly walked out of the Cining Palace. The Empress Dowager watched this scene with a mixture of joy and sorrow. The Empress gently comforted the Empress Dowager, which eased her mood somewhat.
On this beautiful, sunny day, Princess Yong'an and Princess Qing got married, embarking on the next chapter of their lives.
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