Chapter 30: The Wild Geese Have Gone? Have you already chosen names for your five sons and two daughters...?
Upon hearing Zhang Cong's words, the wedding party members let out an unhappy exclamation of "Oh dear!"
Li Daozong interjected indignantly, "Then may I be so bold as to ask, madam, what is your favorite poem? Would you be so kind as to enlighten me?"
Chai Shao, who had accompanied him, stepped forward and tugged at Li Daozong's sleeve: "Please calm down and let the best man finish speaking."
When the groom looked up, his eyes overlapped with the candlelight, like a spark that had survived through thorns.
"She's finally finished applying her lipstick." Someone breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank God!"
"The best man is speaking in a very labored manner; go and drink the penalty wine!"
"This bride is quite a character; she managed to justify herself, and her affection for her is self-evident."
"Today's makeup process was full of twists and turns, with many ups and downs."
The brothers who came to escort the bride excitedly stepped forward to greet Li Shimin, laughing and patting each other on the shoulder to celebrate their great success.
When no one was looking, the two young men, Changsun Wuyi and Li Daozong, secretly clinked glasses again.
Zhang Cong bowed to everyone and said, "Please make yourselves at home with some fruit and wine. The bride will depart immediately."
Two maids helped the eldest grandson, Qingjing, to his feet and bid farewell to his mother. Madam Gao rubbed her eyes, holding a light blue gauze headscarf, and rose to stand before her daughter. Her heart ached with pity, so she bent down and took her daughter's hands in hers: "Guanyinbi, you are a woman of principle and good judgment. I only wish that after you marry, you will be filial to your parents-in-law and never disobey your husband..."
Madam Gao's voice gradually lowered, becoming sobbing and incoherent.
"Yes," Changsun Qingjing said softly.
Everyone knew that getting married at this time was the best solution. Everyone knew that this was the best outcome for a fallen noblewoman who only had a prestigious family name. In fact, the groom's illustrious family background, handsome appearance, noble character, and age and talent that matched the bride had far exceeded everyone's expectations.
However, this time Changsun Qingjing simply left, unlike his usual leisurely return after visiting friends and enjoying nature.
She hated those outdated ideas that considered marriage as the ultimate return home. It was as if those who gave birth to her and raised her simply placed her in a container, letting her grow wildly and disorderly, and then at some point smashed the container and handed her over to another person like an object.
Her experience wasn't like that!
Her mother never considered her young children a burden, nor did she ever complain about her father's mishandling of his affairs at the end of his life. Even in the most difficult circumstances, this gentle and upright woman never thought of abandoning her family.
Her uncle was never ashamed that his sister had been forced and framed by her stepson to return home. He ignored all the ridicule and sarcasm and treated his nephew and niece as his own children, fearing that any inadequate care would cause the young, orphaned, and sensitive children to harbor resentment.
The Gao family was not an empty, dull vessel for the Li family to store her away, but a source of spiritual warmth from which she nurtured and grew.
At least for now, there is no better place to replace it!
“Mother.” She grasped her mother’s hand in return, “I will certainly be careful and respectful, and will not bring shame to our family.”
A suffocating, aching sensation surged through my chest, neck, and cheeks, blocking my throat and nose, desperately needing an outlet.
"Don't cry, don't cry. Tears will smudge your makeup and make you look bad." Madam Gao practically held a silk handkerchief under Changsun Qingjing's eyes, fearing that her makeup would be ruined.
"Mother doesn't know what to say, she is so happy today."
Li Xiaogong had already redeemed the two geese with a gold ingot. Seeing the mother and daughter saying goodbye, the Li brothers did not urge them on, but simply waited quietly.
The female guests also stepped forward to comfort Madam Gao, saying, "She is not marrying far away, so there is no need to be distressed. The two neighborhoods are not far apart. Once Madam is familiar with the affairs of the Li family and can manage them with ease, it is not too late to ask her maternal uncle for permission to return home. On the auspicious day, Madam will surely weep with joy..."
Madam Gao nodded, wiped away her tears, and stood up with her eldest grandson, Qingjing.
She once again tidied her daughter's hair and clothes, instructing her on how to hold the fan properly, to add clothes when it gets cold, and not to be playful... Changsun Qingjing agreed to everything.
Madam Gao then draped a thin gauze scarf with a blue background and red lotus flower pattern over her daughter's head, letting it hang down to her knees.
Changsun Qingjing, holding a fan, bid farewell to the elders, and Wuji ordered the obstacles to be removed. Gao then led Qingjing by the wide sleeves of his ceremonial robes to Li Shimin, who had been standing solemnly with a bamboo tablet in his hand.
"Go, go and release the geese."
"Yes," the daughter and son-in-law responded softly. They knew that Madam Gao was urging them to leave home, but they couldn't bear to say goodbye.
Changsun Qingjing, her heart heavy with unease, turned back and asked in a tearful voice, "Mother, Aunt, could you please reserve a room for me?"
"Of course we'll keep them for you," Lady Xianyu replied, wiping away her tears. "I'll keep all your books and paintings intact, and your cousin won't be allowed to come and go as he pleases. If you miss home, come back and stay for a few days..."
Changsun Qingjing disliked her selfish behavior at parting, but she couldn't help but take a few steps and then turn back to bow: "Grandmother, Aunt, Mother, Aunt, after I leave, please eat well, wear more clothes, and stay healthy. Don't worry about me. I will come back to see you soon!" After saying that, she bowed several more times.
Madam Gao waved her hand and urged, "Go on, we will take good care of ourselves. Don't keep your uncle and aunt waiting."
Changsun Qingjing, no longer delaying, left with the help of a maid. Amid cheers, the newlyweds left the main hall, and the wedding party bid farewell to the bride's relatives and guests. Li Daozong, carrying the drunken Li Daoxuan, hurriedly followed the departing crowd.
The sky had already darkened. Li Xiaogong returned the two geese to the newlyweds, Changsun Qingjing removed the five-colored silk threads binding their mouths, and Li Shimin removed the red silk wrapping the geese. The two of them each took one goose and released it back into the sky.
The two geese quickly realized that they were not sacrificial offerings to be slaughtered, but rather a strange and obsessive belief. So they stretched their necks, flapped their wings, and took flight, leaving graceful silhouettes in the dark sky.
"May husband and wife be of one heart and mind, and remain faithful forever!" Li Xiaogong recited the blessing for the release of animals with practiced ease. The guests joined in with applause.
"I wonder if they can catch up with the flock of geese?" Changsun Qingjing muttered to himself with a touch of melancholy.
“They are not separated from each other; they have each other,” Li Shimin replied, a hint of a smile seemingly appearing behind the veil.
The evening breeze swirled, lifting a corner of the bride's veil. The wedding party, curious, stole a glance at the girl who had repeatedly challenged the groom, discovering she had clear, unfathomable eyes, both kind and distant. Countless stars seemed to fall onto the lake's surface. Perhaps it possessed the magic to extinguish all flames.
The young men suddenly felt that all their hard work that day had been worthwhile.
The newlyweds walked towards the bridal sedan chair, and after the bride was seated inside, the groom, following tradition, circled the chair three times, promising the bride's relatives and friends that he would protect his wife in the future.
On the way back, however, they were blocked by the neighbors, the scoundrel who had caught wind of the affair, and several relatives who were still not satisfied with the wedding.
The Li family servants then began to throw coins into the crowd, and shared food and drink with everyone in hopes of passing through in time.
Wang Wude leaped to the vicinity of the wedding carriage, grabbed Li Shimin's horse reins, and shamelessly stretched out his hand, saying, "Hurry up and thank me!"
"I haven't settled the score with you for bringing a bunch of people to beat me with bamboo canes. I don't have a single penny here!"
Hearing Wang Wude's voice, Changsun Qingjing, who was in the carriage, lifted the curtain and asked, "Is that Young Master Wang outside? Today, I am deeply grateful to you for finding the lynx for me and for gifting me the Luofu Phoenix. Knowing that the Gao family is small, you even called your friends to help me gain influence. I am truly grateful."
“Young Master Li, listen to this, listen to this! Your wife’s gratitude is like heavenly music, unlike your shameless behavior,” Wang Wude said with a tsk-tsk.
Li Shimin laughed and said, "Since my wife praises you so highly, I will not hold it against you. Consider the bamboo cane I received as the price for winning her smile. I will owe you this favor for now. Come to my house today to attend the wedding ceremony. If there are any rare items from the Western Regions in the future, I will definitely send them to you as soon as possible."
Several young children chased after the groom's horse, asking for money as a wedding gift.
"May the harmony between our two families bring us lasting glory!"
"Two women and five men, a prosperous and auspicious household!"
"Let's see what kind of reward this is!"
"Congratulations to you both." Li Shimin smiled and tossed several strings of five-zhu coins tied with colorful ribbons to the children blocking the wedding car.
"Stop talking nonsense!" Li Shimin raised an eyebrow and said, "My wife and I were married by the order of our parents and the words of the matchmaker, and we have never done anything out of line. As for the names of our seven children, I've already thought them through and I won't tell you!"
After saying that, he bent down and punched Wang Wude. Although Li Shimin corrected some of Wang Wude's inappropriate remarks, he was not angry. He simply went along with the other party's joke and continued to speak without restraint.
Changsun Qingjing initially found the two men's laughter and conversation amusing, though she kept the carriage curtain half-drawn. However, upon hearing their conversation about "my wife," "winning a smile from a beauty," "secretly pledging their lives to each other," and even discussing the naming of their future children, she realized that she and Li Shimin had not yet completed their wedding ceremony or paid their respects at the temple, and were not yet officially married. Their frivolous and unreserved words annoyed her, so she lowered the curtain and ignored them.
Li Shimin noticed the heavy sound of the curtain falling, so he changed the subject with Wang Wude: "Those two geese of yours are really nice. They brought us good luck! Where did you get them?"
"On the sandbar by the Xiang River at the southern foot of Mount Heng. In Hengyang, wild geese are not uncommon, but in the harsh winter of Daxing, they are extremely rare. The noble families of the Lu clan who migrated from the north especially love to flaunt their status as 'Chinese gentlemen,' respecting Zhou etiquette in every way. They would rather pay a high price to buy geese from me than use white geese or wooden geese as substitutes... They are my benefactors!"
The two looked at each other and smiled.
"Hengshan, what a wonderful place. I'll remember this place," Li Shimin said thoughtfully.
"Do you remember what I have to do with the mountains? But don't forget the favor you owe me," Wang Wude teased.
"I've memorized this place too," Changsun Qingjing murmured to himself. He wondered if his uncle would receive the wedding news brought by Hongyan on his journey south.
"The newlyweds are returning home!" The servants relayed the message along the way, and those who had received money and food from the villagers who had blocked the carriage also offered their congratulations, standing in two lines along the roadside. The guards and servants, holding candles, led the way for the bride and groom. The band continued to play music and perform dances as they proceeded.
The caravan began to move slowly, the night dew heavy and the air bitterly cold. Li Shimin couldn't help but lean out through the curtain of the carriage to ask if Changsun Qingjing was cold.
Changsun Qingjing half-lifted the carriage curtain, but simply shook his head.
Suddenly, a falcon descended from the sky with immense power and might, screeching as it swept over the convoy. It circled several times with an unusual lingering affection before flapping its wings and plunging diagonally into the starlight and clouds, leaving behind a clear and resonant echo.
Li Shimin stood there stunned, wondering what omen this untimely appearance of the eagle was.
"He came back to see me off at my wedding." Changsun Qingjing's eyes were filled with tears.
"Who is he?" Li Shimin asked curiously.
“My father is the Right Valiant Guard General,” she replied without room for argument.
The north wind from the north finally dried her tears.
Author's note: Five men and two women was a popular blessing at the time, how terrifying!
Some shameless person has already decided on a title for their youngest daughter.
The next chapter will feature the Li family on home turf.
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