Xu took the round fan and held it in front of her chest, and Qi Rui withdrew his gaze awkwardly. Madam Qi saw that the situation was a little cold, and hurriedly smiled to smooth things over: "A few days ago, I asked Abbot Yuantong to compare our horoscopes, and he said that Qing Mo and our Rui'er are a match made in heaven. Madam Hou, please look at this fortune-telling -"
Jiang Songyi hid her handkerchief behind her mouth, sneering. In her previous life, when the Qi family's wet nurse arrived with her illegitimate child, Madam Qi hadn't mentioned anything about a match made in heaven. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Qi Rui stealing glances at her mother again, and she simply took a half step to block his sight.
There was a sudden commotion outside the pavilion. Yu Chuwei, in her crimson wedding gown, came sauntering in, the pearl tassels dangling from her phoenix coronet jingling with her hurried steps. Jiang Yuyao, her arms held by two servants, had a striking red mark on her face.
"Who do you think you are!" Jiang Yuyao broke free from the old woman's hand and rushed forward, "You are just a poor man who was married off as a substitute. Do you really think you are the legitimate wife?"
The maids behind Yu Chuwei stepped forward immediately. One of them, a maid named Wang, was the strictest. She had often given Yu Chuwei a cane when she was teaching her the rules. Now, with a stern face, she said, "Second Miss Jiang, please be careful with your words. Empress Yu is the Fourth Prince's consort, personally appointed by His Majesty. You should behave like a concubine."
The wife of the Earl of Yongchang was so anxious that she kept pulling at her daughter's sleeve, but Jiang Yuyao shook her off. She pointed at the hem of Yu Chuwei's skirt, which was embroidered with gold and phoenixes, and shrieked, "How dare you use embroidery of this grade? The Fourth Prince is just looking for something new. After he gets married—"
“Slap.”
Yu Chuwei's words, "light and airy," stunned everyone present. Nanny Wang, however, reacted quickly, swinging her arm and delivering two slaps that completely dislocated the golden hairpins in Jiang Yuyao's bun. Jiang Songyi saw Yu Chuwei's rouge-coated nails digging deep into her palms, and suddenly remembered the little maid she'd overheard gossiping the other day about how the Fourth Prince had sent Jiang Yuyao a filigree golden phoenix hairpin the previous night.
"Madam, please take Concubine Jiang to change into proper clothes." As Yu Chuwei turned around, the image of hundreds of sons and grandsons embroidered on her skirt shone with golden threads in the sun. "Let's use the piece of pink brocade that His Highness gave us the other day. I remember Sister Jiang loves bright colors."
Jiang Songyi nearly laughed out loud. The peach color was for concubines. Yu Chuwei's move was quite ruthless. Just as she was about to look away, she caught sight of Qi Rui, who had slid into the corner of the pavilion, staring intently at his mother's handkerchief on the stone table. Furious, she deliberately slammed the teacup onto the table.
"Are you thirsty, Master Qi?" She handed over the teapot with a smile. "This is the new tribute of Mengding Ganlu this year. It is the best for clearing the heart and reducing internal heat."
Qi Rui was startled by the sudden question and took a step back. The spout of the teapot brushed against his sleeve, spilling a few drops of scalding tea. Seeing this, Mrs. Xu quickly pulled her daughter over and said, "Song'er, be careful, don't burn yourself." Then she smiled at Mrs. Qi and said, "My daughter is so reckless. I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, Madam."
Suddenly, the sound of firecrackers rang out outside, mingled with the sound of joy. Yu Chuwei clutched the nanny's arm, her knuckles turning white. Jiang Songyi followed her gaze and saw Jiang Yuyao return in a pink floral dress. The golden phoenix hairpin in her hair was even more dazzling.
…
As dusk fell over the Yongchang Marquis's residence, Jiang Yuyao's screams pierced the clamor of the wedding banquet. Two burly maids forced her to the corridor pillars, their gilded armor scraping against the lapels of her bright red skirt. The sound of silk tearing startled magpies from under the eaves.
"Yu Chuwei!" Jiang Yuyao clutched her collar tightly, and Dan Kou pinched her palm, "How dare you humiliate the Marquis' Mansion in public?"
"Marquis' Mansion?" Yu Chuwei slowly adjusted her nine-tailed phoenix hairpin, her brocade skirt sweeping across the broken porcelain on the floor. "Mrs. Xu is listening to an opera in the front hall right now." She suddenly leaned over and pinched Jiang Yuyao's chin. "Wearing bright red? Do you deserve it?"
Jiang Yuyao shoved the nanny aside and ran barefoot towards the hanging flower gate. Yu Chuwei sneered from behind, "Run west! The Fourth Prince's sedan chair is almost here."
In the pavilion, Jiang Songyi twisted a crystal grape, watching the red-dressed butterfly flutter towards the vermilion lacquer gate like a broken-winged butterfly. Just then, a deafening explosion of firecrackers rang out, and the gilded roof of the eight-man sedan chair gleamed brightly in the twilight.
"Your Highness..." Jiang Yuyao fell accurately into Xinyi Zigu's arms, her bright red sleeves wrapped around his python-patterned waist belt, "Sister Yu wants to strip me of my clothes in public." When she raised her face, the palm marks on her cheek glowed bloody in the sunset light.
The wife of the Earl of Yongchang chased after him, her skirt in hand, her golden lace crown tilted to one side. "It's clearly you who violated the rules by wearing bright red and provoking me!"
Xinyi Zigu frowned at the woman in his arms, suddenly realizing her red dress was particularly striking today. Just as he was about to speak, Jiang Yuyao's eyes welled with tears. "Yuyao knows a concubine doesn't deserve to wear red," she said, her fingertips stroking the mandarin duck pendant at her waist. "But this material was given to you personally by His Highness last year."
The Fourth Prince's pupils shrank slightly. At the Lantern Festival last year, he had indeed promised her a phoenix coronet and a bridal robe. Now, this trace of red had become a thorn in his heart.
"Yu'er." He raised his hand to wipe her tears, but was interrupted by a sudden burst of joy. Yu Chuwei, wearing a dragon and phoenix veil, walked slowly towards her, her skirt, embellished with oriental pearls, trampling over the firecracker debris on the ground.
"I misunderstood you." The voice beneath the veil was as gentle as water. "Since you said this red dress was a gift from Your Highness," she suddenly lifted the veil, revealing her meticulously painted face. "Then please, Your Highness, correct your dress yourself."
Amidst the uproar, the wife of the Earl of Yongchang nearly fainted. Jiang Songyi paused, twisting the grapes, and propped up her chin with interest—Yu Chuwei's tactic of retreating to advance was much more clever than Jiang Yuyao's.
Xinyi Zigu stood there in a daze. Jiang Yuyao in his arms suddenly stood on tiptoe and kissed the corner of his lips, her tear-stained eyelashes trembling slightly: "Yu'er does not ask for a name, but only asks Your Highness to remember Merlin that year." She deliberately revealed the hideous scar on her wrist, the mark left by testing poison for him.
"Enough!" The Fourth Prince suddenly waved his sleeves. "Now that Chu Wei has spoken, let's leave it at that." He turned to leave, but saw Yu Chu Wei holding the wedding wine and bowing gracefully: "I am willing to serve Your Highness with my sister."
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