Facts have proved that everything Zhang Wenhuai did was in vain. The emperor was afraid that the third princess would make a fool of herself and lose face for the royal family. As soon as the third princess was released from house arrest, he sent someone to send her to Huangjue Temple to pray for the country.
When Zhang Wenying heard the news, she was so angry that she spat out blood.
Time flew by and it was almost the sixth day of August. Early in the morning, An Ning was pulled out of bed by the maid and the matchmaker, put into the bathtub and washed thoroughly. Then they put on her underwear and pushed An Ning in front of the dressing table to put on makeup.
As the bridesmaid put makeup on An Ning, she kept saying nice things to her. She said, "The princess is so beautiful. Her skin is as white as mutton-fat jade. I have no place to show my skills."
An Ning knew that the matchmaker was just trying to flatter her. She had a clear idea of what she looked like. Although her skin color was not dark, it was still a little different from those young ladies in the capital who never left their houses. After all, An Ning often went out, and sometimes even went to the fields herself.
An Ning sat there without saying anything, letting the bridesmaid put on her makeup. In ancient times, hairstyles and makeup were quite complicated during weddings. It probably took An Ning more than half an hour to put on her makeup and tie her hair. During the time An Ning was putting on her makeup, Gao sat beside An Ning and watched her. After the makeup was done, the bridesmaid deliberately left a bunch of hair for Gao to comb over.
While combing An Ning's hair, Gao said, "If you comb your hair once to the end, you will be rich and prosperous without worries. If you comb your hair twice to the end, you will be free from illness and worry. If you comb your hair three times to the end, you will have many children and a long life. If you comb your hair three times to the end, you will have a happy marriage. If you comb your hair twice to the end, you will fly together as a pair. If you comb your hair three times to the end, you will be together forever!"
Gao tried hard to hold back her tears as she combed An Ning's hair. She raised her hand to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes and said, "Ning Ning, you will be an adult after you get married. Don't be willful and live a good life with Qing Xuan. But don't be afraid. If Qing Xuan dares to bully you, your father and I will bring you back even if we risk our lives."
An Ning nodded, very touched. Gao's words were enough to prove her love for her. After all, divorce by marriage was rare in ancient times. An Ning wiped Gao's tears and said, "Mom, I'm getting married so close, I'll come back to see you when I have time. Even if I want to stay at home for a few more days, Qingxuan won't say anything."
Gao smiled and said, "Silly girl, you are married now, how can you always run back home? Wouldn't that make others laugh at you?"
As the mother and daughter were talking, they heard Biyu come in and say, "Madam, Princess, the wedding procession has arrived at the gate."
When Gao heard that the wedding procession had arrived at the door, she stopped feeling sad and quickly put the veil on An Ning's head.
Outside the courtyard, because the capital was too far away from her hometown, none of An Ning's relatives came. In order to avoid it being too lonely, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince volunteered to be An Ning's in-laws.
Gu Qingxuan couldn't help but hold his forehead when he saw His Royal Highness the Crown Prince blocking the door with a smirk on his face. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince knew his background best. It seemed that today's hurdle would be difficult!
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said with a smirk, "Duke Yingguo is a great contributor to Dayong and has made great military achievements, so we will not test his martial arts. Just simply paint a portrait of Yongjia!" Gu Qingxuan has been a genius since he was a child, but he is terrible at painting. Gu Qingxuan was his study partner, and they had studied together since childhood. Even the Grand Tutor was helpless with Gu Qingxuan's paintings.
Gu Qingxuan had no choice but to bite the bullet and start painting on the prepared table. Gu Qingxuan closed his eyes and began to recall An Ning's every move and smile. Finally, an idea came to him that he could paint a distant view, so as long as the shape was similar, it would be fine. So Gu Qingxuan quickly drew a few apricot trees on the paper, and a woman was standing among the apricot trees. The painting was exactly the scene of traveling at the border.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince looked at Gu Qingxuan's painting, nodded, and said, "Okay, you've passed."
Gu Qingxuan bowed to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and said, "Thank you, Your Royal Highness." Then he strode in.
Gu Qingxuan came directly to An Ning's boudoir. Several ladies were standing in front of An Ning's boudoir, led by Song Tangxi. Song Tangxi thought that she had received a poem from An Ning at the last flower-viewing banquet, so she regarded An Ning as her idol.
Song Tangxi was a talented woman, so she said directly to Gu Qingxuan: "Duke Yingguo, today is a big day, we won't make it difficult for you, but Sister An is talented, so you should also write a poem to urge her to get ready!"
Gu Qingxuan was only slightly deficient in painting, but he was quite proficient in other aspects. He thought for a moment and said, "The precious carriage stopped at the colorful clouds and mistakenly reached the top of Mount Peng. Now that I have ascended to the jade room, I have picked the flowers, and will forever follow the wind and thunder with my mortal bones."
As soon as the words fell, they aroused cheers from the crowd. Song Tangxi stepped aside and said, "Please, Duke of England!"
Gu Qingxuan entered the house smoothly, and took An Ning out of the house holding the red silk. Because An Yuan had to guard the border and did not come back, after An Ning said goodbye to An Dashan and Gao, Gu Qingxuan directly carried An Ning to the wedding sedan, which caused an uproar among the people.
An Ning sat in the wedding sedan and vaguely saw through the curtain a tall figure riding on a tall horse in front of her, and her heart felt sweet.
The wedding procession arrived at the Duke of England's mansion with music and drums. Gu Qingxuan got off the horse, came to the front of the wedding sedan, stretched out his hand to pull An Ning down from the sedan.
The two of them walked into the house hand in hand, stepped over the fire basin, and came to the main hall. In the main hall, Gu Qingxuan's father had already sat in the main seat, and there was a spirit tablet next to him, which was Gu Qingxuan's mother.
Gu Qingxuan's parents were deeply in love. Gu Qingxuan's father only had his mother as his wife. Even after Gu Qingxuan's mother passed away, his father had no plans to remarry. Today was Gu Qingxuan's big day, and the old marquis naturally couldn't help but let his beloved wife see it, so he placed the spirit tablet of Gu Qingxuan's mother.
Gu Qingxuan had already informed An Ning in advance. Instead of being unhappy, An Ning was very envious of such love and did not object.
After the two of them paid homage to heaven and earth, Gu Qingxuan sent An Ning back to the bridal chamber, and then prepared to come out to greet the guests.
Gu Qingxuan said to An Ning, "An Ning, wait for me here for a while. I have asked the maid to prepare the food. Eat a little first. I will be back soon."
An Ning nodded and said, "Okay, go quickly and don't keep the guests waiting for too long."
As soon as Gu Qingxuan left the room, the maid brought in the food, which consisted of four dishes and a soup, all of which were An Ning's favorites. An Ning was also hungry, so she picked up her chopsticks and started eating.
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