In addition, the ceremony involved a lot of complicated procedures that required repeated checks. By the time everything was finally ready, it was already September.
The day of the ceremony was a fine, sunny day.
The autumn weather was cool, and although the layers of formal dress were a bit heavy, they weren't stuffy. Shen Youying stood in front of the bronze mirror, surrounded by Danzhu, Bailuo, Fuyun, and Liuyun, who carefully smoothed out the trailing hem of her phoenix robe.
Bai Luo looked up at the person in the mirror and exclaimed in amazement, "Your Majesty looks so beautiful in this outfit. You truly have the demeanor of an empress."
Shen Youying glanced at her with a smile: "You must have eaten honey today, your mouth is so sweet."
“I’m telling the truth.” Bai Luo shook her head and looked at the other three: “Don’t you agree?”
Danzhu and the other two nodded and smiled, "Bailuo is right. Only after seeing the Empress do we know what true elegance and grace are."
Shen Youying's phoenix robe was woven with gold thread, especially the back, where a phoenix with outstretched wings was embroidered with gold thread. The phoenix's wings spread out to the wide sleeves, and its long and gorgeous tail feathers trailed behind it, extending all the way to the tail.
The phoenix crown on her head was adorned with rubies and pearls. It is said that no phoenix crown worn by any empress in history was as precious as the one worn by Shen Youying, which shows how much the new emperor loved the empress.
Yet, this flamboyant and luxurious attire did not diminish Shen Youying's beauty in the slightest; on the contrary, it made her even more radiant and dazzling.
With a base of bright red and outlines of brilliant gold, it depicts the image of a beautiful woman in a golden age.
As the master and servants were talking, they heard the eunuch outside announce in a high-pitched voice, "The auspicious hour has arrived—"
Danzhu and the others quickly suppressed their laughter, stood up, and carefully escorted Shen Youying out of the hall.
Shen Youying spread her arms, slowly placed her hands together in front of her lower abdomen, straightened her back, walked out of the inner hall, and headed towards the altar.
On the altar, Xue Shen arrived a step ahead of her. When he saw her coming, his solemn expression softened. He disregarded the rules and etiquette and took two steps forward to greet Shen Youying, extending his hand to her: "Zhaozhao."
Shen Youying met his gaze and placed her hand in his palm.
Xue Shen gripped her hand tightly, turned around, and led her toward the altar.
The eunuch beside them chanted loudly: "The Emperor and Empress worship Heaven and Earth—"
The two stood side by side, offering sacrifices to heaven and earth with the same movements and rituals.
The eunuch sang again: "The Emperor and Empress worship their ancestors—"
The two rose and walked side by side to the front of the Imperial Ancestral Temple, facing the ancestral tablets, and bowed again.
The Great Wei Dynasty lasted for only a hundred years, and apart from the deposed emperors, there were only two emperors who actually reigned.
Xue Shen gazed at his parents' memorial tablets, his mind filled with countless thoughts. He couldn't help but turn to look at Shen Youying. Just then, Shen Youying also turned her head. Their eyes met, and after a long, lingering gaze, they smiled knowingly.
Then, amidst the chants and shouts of the eunuchs, he solemnly bowed—
That year, the Shen family suffered a great upheaval. Shen Youying was betrothed by the deposed emperor and married into the Prince of Qin's mansion with a heart full of fear. Also that year, Xue Shen kept a low profile and bided his time. Thinking that the Shen family was full of loyal martyrs, he felt it was a pity to marry the Shen family's daughter. So he used a little trick to marry her.
At that time, neither of them knew how deep their feelings would become; one was fearful, and the other was dismissive.
On their wedding day, however, they harbored their own thoughts and dreamed different dreams while sharing the same bed.
Later, whenever Xue Shen thought about it, he always felt regret.
After the two paid their respects to their ancestors, Xue Shen helped Shen Youying to her feet and stood beside her, looking down at the civil and military officials below: "The regrets of the wedding day have been made up for today."
Shen Youying grasped his hand in return, and said with a gentle smile, "We still need one cup of nuptial wine."
Xue Shen smiled and said, "Yes, I'll make it up when I get back."
[End of article]
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