The wedding process was as complicated as in the previous life, with people from the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Clan Affairs responsible for all matters big and small at the wedding.
Prince Rui, Song Chengze, arrived in person in a dazzling red wedding gown and on a magnificent horse. The ceremony was a grand occasion, bringing dignity to the Huainan Marquisate and leaving those who had hoped to see Meng Qi in a state of disgrace disappointed. After all, after so many embarrassing incidents, they considered it a great favor for Prince Rui not to cancel the engagement, so why would they even invite her in person?
Meng Qi's sedan chair followed behind Song Chengze all the time. Although she didn't see him, she knew that he was the one who came to welcome her personally, and he was also very polite to Meng Changfeng and Meng Yuan, which made her breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed that what she talked to him that day had worked, and Song Chengze should have made a plan and choice in his mind.
Because in his previous life, he did not personally welcome her.
According to the wedding etiquette of the Great Xia Dynasty princes, the newlyweds were required to pay homage to the ancestral temple first. It was only when they returned to the Rui Palace and heard the sound of firecrackers that Meng Qi felt like she had returned to reality from a dream.
After so many years of rebirth, she would always stretch out her hands when she woke up, fearing that she would see the pair of hands that looked like old tree bark. She would especially look at her palms. After confirming that there were no scars there, she would breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that this was not a dream.
Now, following the large red silk thread, she stepped over the brazier and entered the courtyard of her previous life again, sitting upright on the kang. Through the gap in her veil, she saw a pair of black cotton boots with auspicious clouds embroidered in gold thread. Her feet were large, at least larger than the ones she had seen when she practiced embroidering insoles with Meng Wei's size.
Meng Qi was surprised that she would pay attention to these things at such a tense moment. Was this because she was remarrying? In her previous life, from the moment she got into the bridal sedan to the moment she entered the bridal chamber, she had been completely absent-minded, like a puppet being directed by others. It wasn't until Song Chengze came back drunk and undressed that she shouted, "Don't let him come over," as if he were someone who was about to violate her.
She still clearly remembered the loss and deep hurt in Song Chengze's eyes.
In this life, she wants to remember every step of her wedding. No matter where she and Song Chengze will go in the future, she wants to keep sweet memories of her only wedding.
So, she listened carefully to every word that the bridesmaid said. She even repeated the words and wanted to memorize them.
When the bridesmaid mentioned asking the groom to pick the veil, Meng Qi suddenly became nervous. She clutched the hem of her dress tightly, then thought for a moment before letting go and subconsciously smoothing it down with her hands.
The room, which had been bustling just a moment ago, became unusually quiet. She watched the pair of big feet move two steps first, and then walk towards her.
A scale bar with a red silk flower tied to it extended into the room, and in an instant, the red veil was lifted, and Meng Qi's eyes lit up. She looked around. There were not many people in the room. The older ones were the Princesses of Prince Li and Prince Shang, while the younger ones were the princesses of the married princes and the women of the royal family who could be ranked high.
Meng Qi did not see the Crown Princess and the two princesses Yong'an and Fanghua.
When she turned her gaze, she saw her husband, Prince Rui Song Chengze.
Her newlywed husband, now dressed in full princely attire, had a cool, indifferent expression, neither joy nor unhappiness visible. He seemed like an outsider to the wedding, more like a spectator.
Song Chengze was also looking at Meng Qi. The moment she lifted her veil, she didn't look at him immediately, but instead glanced around at the other people in the room. The smile he had already revealed froze when she turned around and looked at him again.
Today, Meng Qi was wearing a phoenix crown that was customary for a princess. She looked several years older than she did when they were chatting that day, which made her already small face look even smaller. He was afraid that her delicate neck could not bear the weight of the phoenix crown.
Her eyebrows were lightly dyed black, her lips were bright red, the rouge on her cheeks was redder than her wedding dress, and a golden flower ornament was pasted between her eyebrows. Her fair and rosy skin exuded a healthy aura, and the slightly heavy makeup added a layer of charming blush to her.
But he felt that Meng Qi today was not as beautiful as she was that day in Qionghua Palace. Compared with such strong colors, she seemed to be more elegant and fresh.
After the two looked at each other for a moment, voices of praise came from the room, which were nothing more than praising Meng Qi for her beauty and praising the Rui Wang couple for being a good match.
The bridesmaid kept spouting auspicious words like pouring beans. Although the procedures were complicated, they were not difficult. Meng Qi completed each one of them with a decent smile on her face. At least to others, she seemed happy.
When Song Chengze sat down beside her, their shoulders almost touching, she could smell the fragrance of dried grass and flowers. In her previous life, she had never known that it was his scent. Perhaps it was because she loved strong aromas at that time that her house, her closets, her clothes, and even her jewelry were all filled with fragrance. Such strong smells naturally overwhelmed the more subtle and elegant scents that were difficult to detect.
Until that day in Qionghua Palace, when she sat facing each other, the silver frost charcoal in the charcoal stove crackled, and she smelled a faint aroma of hay flowers. She originally thought it was emitted from the flower cakes, until Song Chengze left first and the fragrance disappeared, then she realized that it was the fragrance of his body. It turned out that he was smoking the scent of hay.
A truly soothing scent of nature.
By the time the two wine glasses were placed before her, Meng Qi knew the final step in the bridal chamber: the drinking of the wedding wine. She had actually rehearsed all the ceremonies, especially the drinking of the wedding wine. Her mother was afraid she would get nervous and stretch her arm incorrectly or turn the wrong way.
Just last night, she forced Meng Wan to demonstrate it with her. She also took the opportunity to link her arms with Meng Wan and blew gently in his ear, which made Meng Wan giggle. Her mother patted her and said she was naughty.
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