Chapter 291: Too Much Joy Leads to Sorrow?
He Zhaojun was completely stumped. She was good at everything except embroidery, which was a bit of a bummer. She either pierced her hands or her work ended up in a clumsy mess. She'd even tried to embroider a purse for Wen Ziduan, but after getting to the first horizontal stroke of the character "Ziduan," she'd thrown it aside and refused to start again.
Emperor Wen's request actually made her stay at home for half a month, unlike any other request. He Zhaojun accepted the order and prepared to go back and study it carefully, but she saw Wen Ziduan's profile. He was smiling with his lips raised.
"What are you laughing at..." He Zhaojun walked out of the Dezheng Hall, jumped in front of Wen Ziduan, bared her teeth awkwardly, and pretended to be angry.
Wen Ziduan, however, held her waist with his hand: "This is a tradition of our dynasty. Every stitch represents the hope for marriage and the future, so it must be taken seriously."
"I heard that many girls learn to embroider wedding dresses since they were young, and when they are done, they should get married, but I don't know how to do it. What should I do? If the fan is really ugly and crooked, and everyone sees it during the fanning ceremony, wouldn't it be embarrassing for you?"
Wen Ziduan tapped He Zhaojun's forehead with his knuckles: "What evil plan are you planning again?"
"The tradition doesn't say that the bride's wedding dress must be embroidered by the bride. Isn't it the same for you to embroider it?"
Seeing Wen Ziduan didn't object, He Zhaojun quickly exaggerated her plan: "Besides, I will treasure this fan for the rest of my life and take it out to play with it from time to time. Every time I see it, I will remember that this is my husband who embroidered it for me. I will definitely treat you twice as well, don't you agree?"
Wen Ziduan originally felt that this proposal would undermine his dignity as a man and worried that it would affect his image in He Zhaojun's heart, but he gradually lost himself in He Zhaojun's praise.
He even regretted not preparing earlier and personally embroidering a full wedding dress for He Zhaojun. Although he didn't do it often, as a prince, he was very familiar with various folk techniques. From farming to knitting, there was nothing he couldn't do, so embroidering a fan was naturally no problem for him.
"Then how about you come to the Third Prince's residence every night to accompany me to embroider the fan?" Wen Ziduan narrowed his eyes and stared at He Zhaojun, his voice full of a sense of routine.
What he didn't expect was that He Zhaojun was not only there at night, but also didn't want to go back during the day. After all, the former Jingyuan, now the Ancheng Princess Mansion, was extremely noisy.
The He family was raided, and not only did they not lose any of their belongings, they even gained a lot. He Zhaojun didn't want any of them, after all, they were just useless things, and the He family didn't need them. But Emperor Wen and Concubine Yue were so happy that they showered them with rewards, making everyone in the capital red-eyed.
Many gifts were delivered to the General of Cavalry's residence, and many more were sent to Princess Ancheng's residence, free of charge. Caravans and escort agencies from various locations, upon hearing that the young lady from the host family was getting married, were deeply disappointed that they hadn't made it in time for the wedding in the southwest, so they doubled the gifts they sent this time.
"The Dongfeng Escort Agency's Yangzhou branch has received ten boxes of gifts. The list is as follows..."
"The Liaodong branch of the caravan has added six carts of gifts. The gift list is as follows..."
Gift-giving crowds had already swarmed the gates of Princess Ancheng's residence, with the line stretching three blocks away. The person who changed staff most frequently at the Princess's residence was the one reading the gift list. After a long while of non-stop chatter, he soon became speechless.
The two brothers who stayed behind in the He family also went to help, along with several of their sisters-in-law. With He's father away, they were He Zhaojun's elders, so naturally they had to share much of the burden.
The Five Banners also brought their men to work on repairing He Zhaojun's courtyard, rebuilding her house, and digging a tunnel back to He's residence. Although they knew that He Zhaojun might not come to live here, they still made every possible preparation.
For a moment, the He family was filled with joy, waiting for He Yong, He Feng, and He Jiang to return victorious from the northwest, so that the entire He family could rejoice even more. But unexpectedly, what awaited them was a bolt from the blue.
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