In the garden, accompanied by Yun Mo and Yun Rui, Shen Wan rested in the pavilion for a while before coming out to watch the young ladies playing blindfolded tag. Shen Wan was pregnant, so she dared not play, and no one dared to pull her along.
The young ladies were having a great time, their silvery laughter carrying far. Just then, a maidservant hurried over and said to Shen Wei, "Fourth Miss, the bridal sedan chair will arrive in a quarter of an hour. You can go to the front courtyard now."
As soon as everyone arrived at the front yard, firecrackers went off in a flurry of activity, accompanied by the deafening sounds of gongs and drums—it was quite a lively scene.
Shen Du rode on horseback, a large red silk flower tied around his chest, his face as handsome as jade, and his bearing imposing.
The bridal sedan chair slowly came to a stop. Chen Du jumped off his horse and, amidst the cheers of the crowd, took the bow and shot three arrows at the sedan chair in succession.
After tossing the bow to the servant, Chen Du walked towards the bridal sedan chair, lifted the curtain, and invited Princess Huai'an to alight.
Shen Du only lifted the sedan curtain without reaching out to help Princess Huai'an out of the sedan. Princess Huai'an got out of the sedan on her own, and then her maid helped her to Shen Du's side. She took the large red silk from the matchmaker, and the onlookers made way for her. Shen Du and Princess Huai'an stepped up the steps and entered the mansion.
Step over the fire basin.
Stepping onto the saddle.
The wedding ceremonies are all pretty much the same, nothing special.
Upon entering the main hall, the two performed the wedding ceremony.
First bow to Heaven and Earth.
Second bow to the parents.
The three couples bowed to each other.
"The ceremony is complete; escort them to the bridal chamber—"
Hearing the emcee's shouts, Shen Wan felt incredibly relaxed.
Shen Du and Princess Huai'an were escorted to their bridal chamber by the matchmaker, and Shen Jing, along with the Fourth Master and Fourth Madam, invited everyone to take their seats.
Today, the Marquis's mansion is holding a celebratory banquet, and almost all the civil and military officials are present. Even the Huyang Princess's mansion, whose princess is unwell and whose husband has just lost a son, sent a congratulatory gift.
Marquis Pingyang holds significant military power and enjoys the Emperor's deep trust. His household has produced two princesses and a prospective heir apparent. Furthermore, Shen Du is marrying Princess Huai'an of the Prince An's household, and their marriage was bestowed by the Emperor. Even if they don't give face to Marquis Pingyang's household and the Prince An's household, they still have to give face to the Emperor.
The Marquis's mansion prepared more than a hundred tables for the wedding banquet, and they were almost all full. It was so lively that if you spoke softly, it was hard to hear each other even if you were face to face.
Shen Wan, Shen Ying, Shen Wei, Princess Danyang, and other young ladies from prominent families sat at a table, eating and chatting, their laughter filling the air.
Halfway through the meal, the maid Dong'er came over and whispered to Shen Wan, "Your Highness, the young master has vomited from drinking too much."
Shen Wei sat next to Shen Wan. She heard Dong'er speaking softly and whispered, "How could he vomit? My mother asked the servant to prepare water for my elder brother."
Dong'er said, "The young master had the servants replace the cold boiled water that the fourth madam prepared with wine."
After a pause, Dong'er continued, "The prince wanted to drink for the young master, but the young master wouldn't let him."
Shen Wan's brows furrowed into a knot.
What's wrong with my brother? Fourth Aunt was afraid he would get drunk on his big day, so she specially changed the wine to water. But my brother insisted on changing it back to wine and preferred to drink himself to the point of vomiting. Does my brother want to get so drunk on his wedding night that he'll pass out?
Shen Wei had previously told Shen Wan that Shen Du had been drinking frequently and getting drunk lately, and she suspected that Shen Du did not want to marry Princess Huai'an. Shen Wan had never thought of it that way, but now she also had this suspicion.
The eldest brother drank himself into oblivion, clearly not in a hurry to consummate the marriage, and even... seemed to be using drunkenness to avoid it.
Shen Wan's good mood was overshadowed.
She instructed Dong'er, "Go and see Princess Huai'an."
After Dong'er left, Shen Wan ate her food while lost in thought, thinking about the day the imperial decree conferred the marriage. Her elder brother didn't seem very happy when he received the decree. Later, Xie Jingyan called her elder brother aside to talk. That day, Xie Jingyan entered the palace and was injured by the emperor with a paperweight. She asked Xie Jingyan how he had angered the emperor, but Xie Jingyan gave a vague answer. To this day, she still doesn't know why he was beaten that day.
Xie Jingyan forged a pardon and intercepted the imperial edict, yet the emperor, despite his anger, did nothing to him…
The more Shen Wan thought about it, the more uneasy she became. She couldn't wait to ask Xie Jingyan, but for now she could only sit there patiently and wait for the wedding banquet to end.
During the first half of the wedding banquet, Shen Wan ate happily, but during the second half, she felt like she had a thorn in her side and a fishbone stuck in her throat.
The wedding banquet lasted for more than an hour before guests began to leave one after another. After most of the guests had left, Shen Wan went to find Xie Jingyan.
At that moment, Xie Jingyan was helping to see off the guests. When he saw Shen Wan go over, Xie Jingyan said, "Why didn't you stay a little longer? Are you tired?"
Shen Wan shook her head. Shen Jing, who had just seen the Right Prime Minister out of the mansion, came over and said to Xie Jingyan, "It's getting late. You should take Wan'er home first."
The guests had mostly left, so there was no need for so many people to see them off. Xie Jingyan and Shen Wan bowed to Shen Jing, then said goodbye to the Prince of Yanping and Yun Qi before leaving.
Xie Jingyan helped Shen Wan into the carriage, and then climbed in himself. After he sat down, he prepared to pull Shen Wan onto his lap, but Shen Wan said, "I have something to ask you."
Xie Jingyan stopped what he was doing and looked at Shen Wan, asking, "What is it?"
Shen Wan asked, "Are you and my older brother hiding something from me?"
Xie Jingyan said, "Why do you ask that?"
Shen Wan said, "My elder brother drank himself to the point of vomiting three times on his wedding day and refused to return to the bridal chamber. I am his own sister, how could I not sense that there was something wrong with my elder brother?"
Xie Jingyan remained silent.
Shen Wan said urgently, "Don't hide it from me!"
Xie Jingyan looked at Shen Wan and said, "Your older brother told me not to tell you."
Does this girl really listen to her older brother that much?!
Shen Wan said, "If you won't tell me, then I'll go back and ask my older brother right now."
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