Having learned that Zhou Gu had returned to the residence after lunch, the Lady of the Duke only had the kitchen send some nourishing soup.
She was not only concerned for Zhou Gu, but equally for Su Rong, so there was a portion for her as well.
Su Rong passed it all to Zhou Gu, sweetly smiling at the Lady of the Duke, "Mother, I have been sleeping well lately, feeling neither exhausted nor tired every day. I don’t need to drink it, let Zhou Gu have it."
The Lady of the Duke laughed, "Both of you drink. He alone can’t drink that much. You do look well today, but you should still fortify yourself. The Great Wedding is indeed a tiring affair."
Failing to find an excuse, Su Rong could only join Zhou Gu in drinking it. After finishing, she earnestly said, "Mother, Doctor Zhang said that excessive tonics are not advisable. I am well now; let’s let Zhou Gu drink it for the next few days."
The Lady of the Duke laughed, "Alright, we should listen to Doctor Zhang. Then let it be Zhou Gu who drinks it!"
Zhou Gu: "..."
He had spent more time with Su Rong than the Lady of the Duke had, and although Su Rong did not show it on her face, he understood that she had grown tired of the soup. Amused, he glanced sideways at Su Rong but didn’t expose her.
The couple stayed at the Duke Residence for half a day. Due to needing to try on wedding garments and the like, time was tight, so Zhou Gu did not stay at the Zhou Residence. Instead, after dinner, he returned to the Royal Palace with Su Rong.
On the road, Su Rong teased Zhou Gu, "The Ministry of Rites has prepared everything well, it’s just trying on a wedding garment, after all. We could try it tomorrow just as well."
Zhou Gu hugged her and nibbled the corner of her lip, "If we stayed at the residence tonight, I would have had to sleep separately from you. Since we’ve not had our Great Wedding yet, in front of Grandmother, that surely wouldn’t seem proper. Better out of sight, then she also won’t know we’re staying together in the Royal Palace."
After all, Feng Hall and Huang Hall were next to each other, both managed by Nanny Zhao and Yuewan. Not even a whisper could get out, and no one outside would know how they were living.
Su Rong laughed, "So, I didn’t expose you. According to the customs of Daliang, we shouldn’t meet before our wedding. But Nanchu doesn’t have this rule."
"I didn’t expose you either," Zhou Gu laughed and asked, "How much of Mother’s soup did you actually drink? You were avoiding it as if it were the plague."
Su Rong immediately sat upright, "Was it that obvious?"
"Not obvious, except to my mother-in-law, probably only I noticed. My mother definitely didn’t notice," Zhou Gu laughed. "Otherwise, knowing you didn’t like it, my mother wouldn’t have made you drink."
Su Rong laughed and shared how, a few days earlier, she had taken a break to stay briefly at the Zhou Residence and was caught and made to drink soup for several days.
Zhou Gu listened and then tapped her forehead, "That explains it."
He embraced Su Rong and wouldn’t let go, "In the future, unless necessary, I will stay with you every day and not be apart."
"Yes, once the court politics truly stabilize, I will be with you, and let Ye Guixue, Cui Xingzhi, Zhang Yun oversee the country together," Su Rong said, playing with his hand. "For those above, one cannot be deaf and blind; we also need to frequently go out to check on the people’s conditions."
Zhou Gu laughed, "That sounds good."
Neither of them wanted to be confined in the Royal Palace for life.
Upon returning to the Royal Palace, the Ministry of Rites had already sent someone with the wedding garments. Su Rong’s dress had been tried on and altered several times already—it was just Zhou Gu’s remaining. He had slimmed down considerably compared to before. After trying it on, the Ministry of Rites immediately took the garment back to the Imperial Clothing Bureau so the seamstresses could work on it overnight to adjust the size.
Su Rong felt pained, "Oh, you’ve lost so much weight, it even feels bony to the touch."
Zhou Gu pinched her face, "Don’t think I haven’t noticed; you’ve lost weight too. Let’s nourish ourselves together."
Su Rong: "..."
Inside Ye Xiang Residence, Ye Guixue arrived in the capital one day later than Zhou Gu. When the Lady of the Minister Ye saw him, she breathed a sigh of relief, "You finally returned. The Master of the Princess returned to the Royal Capital last night. Why didn’t you come back together? Instead, you fell behind by a day."
Ye Guixue said, "His horse was too fast and he traveled day and night. There was no need for me to rush."
The Lady of the Minister Ye thought about it and agreed, "This trip must have been extremely taxing, huh?"
"Not really," Ye Guixue shook his head. "It wasn’t too hard."
He truly didn’t feel it was too hard, because assisting Zhou Gu, and being with him, many tasks were taken care of by Zhou Gu, making things go smoothly. Unlike before when he struggled to obtain the Tiger Talisman with no one to help, planning carefully and genuinely exerting great effort.
The Lady of the Minister Ye couldn’t believe it; with such heavy snow, how could it be not hard? She noted how thin he looked from exhaustion and had the kitchen prepare a large table of good food and also brewed soup to help him recover.
Three days passed quickly amidst the hectic preparations, and soon it was the day of Su Rong and Zhou Gu’s Great Wedding.
Su Xingze traveled thousands of miles to attend the ceremony.
Upon hearing this news, Su Rong’s entire face lit up with joy.
Rising early to dress up, Su Rong and Zhou Gu together performed the rites to heaven and earth and worshipped their ancestors.
Normally, the rites to heaven and earth are part of the Emperor’s wedding ceremony, unnecessary for the Princess, but the Nanchu King had long intended to abdicate and had repeatedly emphasized to the Ministry of Rites that the Princess and the Master of the Princess are to marry according to royal procedures.
Thus, compared to the Princess’s usual procedures, it was much more intricate. However, Su Rong had eliminated some aspects like the direct greeting of the Princess and instead, they first visited the Zhou Residence to pay respect to the family elders, then the couple departed from the Zhou Residence, riding in a Dragon and Phoenix Auspicious Jade Sedan, accompanied by the Guard Team and musicians, circling around the city.
The entire Royal Capital was adorned with red silk on this day, and the streets were clean and tidy, not a speck of dust to be seen, as the citizens crowded the streets to watch and celebrate the grand wedding of the Princess and Master of the Princess.
Upon returning to the Royal Palace, it was nearly dusk. In Zhengxuan Hall, civil and military officials and their families watched the ceremony, with the Nanchu King, the old Duke of Protectorate, Grand Princess Shengan, the Lady of the Duke, Eldest Lady Su, and others sitting at the head, the ceremony officiated by the primary and deputy Rites Officers from the Ministry of Rites and involved bowing thrice to heaven and earth.
After the ceremony, Su Rong and Zhou Gu hosted a banquet for the officers.
The festivities lasted until nearly the time of the Dog. Only under the urging of Nanny Shi Quan did Su Rong and Zhou Gu retire to Feng Hall, where Nanny Zhao quickly set the banquet, and they ate together and drank the Joint Cup Wine.
After everyone had left, Su Rong relaxed completely and said to Zhou Gu, "I’m so tired. I feel like a puppet being manipulated all day, every part of me aches."
Zhou Gu, with a face full of joy and looking not a bit tired, leaned in close and whispered, "Wait a bit, once we go to bed, I will give you a massage to relax your muscles."
Now he was not afraid anymore of losing control; there was truly no need to restrain himself anymore.
Jealously, Su Rong eyed him, "Why aren’t you tired?"
Zhou Gu arched an eyebrow, "Because I am happy."
Su Rong looked at him, "Am I not happy? I am happy too."
But as happy as she was, she was genuinely tired. Indeed, what Nanny Zhao had said was true, men and women are built differently. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺
Zhou Gu hugged her and kissed her, "Have you eaten enough?"
Su Rong nodded, feeling completely lazy, "Mm, I’ve had enough."
Zhou Gu lifted her in his arms and walked towards the bed, "Come, now it’s my turn to ’eat’ you."
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