Chapter 114 The Scholar Who Favored His Concubine Over His Wife (Part Six): Carrying on Pure Love to the End...
Liu Wanyao bit her lower lip and subconsciously placed her hand lightly on it.
Song Ce's hand was warm and strong as he held her tightly as she stepped out of the bridal sedan chair. As soon as the bride's feet touched the ground, the accompanying matchmaker stepped forward with a beaming smile and carefully placed a brand-new saddle on the ground.
According to the old customs of Dacheng, after the bride alights from the sedan chair, she must step over the saddle, symbolizing that the couple's future days will be peaceful and prosperous. Liu Wanyao slightly lifted her skirt and, with Song Ce's help, steadily stepped over it.
Since Song Ce's parents had both passed away, the two elders in the ancestral hall, one being Song Ce's third uncle who had a deep friendship with the Song family, and the other being Song Ce's mentor, Master Tao, were the ones who received the greetings on his behalf.
After the wedding ceremony, a group of female relatives from the Song family surrounded Liu Wanyao and entered the bridal chamber, which had already been decorated, in a lively atmosphere. Song Ce originally wanted to go with them, but was pulled back by Song Qingru, the son of his third uncle.
“Brother Ce, don’t rush back to the bridal chamber! Today is your big day, you should come with me to toast the guests!” Song Qingru said with a smile.
Song Ce smiled helplessly and could only follow Song Qingru to toast the guests in the courtyard one by one. His gaze kept drifting towards the direction of the bridal chamber, and it was obvious to anyone with eyes that his mind was no longer on the wedding banquet.
Song Qingru, having been married himself, could easily see through his cousin's thoughts. He stepped forward, patted Song Ce on the shoulder, and said with a smile, "Brother Ce, are you worried about your wife? Don't worry! I carefully instructed your sister-in-law to take good care of her before I came!"
"Thank you very much, Brother Qingru! Once I'm done with these busy days, I will bring my new bride to your home to personally express my gratitude to you and your wife." Song Ce bowed to Song Qingru and said solemnly.
"No need, no need. We can't write two Song characters in one stroke. We are both members of the Song family. There's no need for thanks between brothers. I'll definitely take care of the rest of the drinks for you, don't worry!" Song Qingru patted his chest and made a solemn promise.
On the other side, Liu Wanyao was surrounded by a group of women in the bridal chamber. The women wore joyful smiles and exchanged auspicious words.
"Oh my, Xiao Ce really got a good wife! She's so beautiful, no wonder she's the pampered daughter of the clerk's family!" A distant aunt exclaimed with a smile.
"Of course! The Liu family's dowry is so generous, Ce is truly blessed. If we had known that reading a few books would lead to marrying such a good wife, my husband and I would have definitely sent our good-for-nothing son to school!" Another woman chimed in, her words tinged with a hint of sourness.
"Auntie, I'm afraid that if your little tiger goes to school, you won't have the good fortune to enjoy it in the future!" A woman with slanted eyes, dressed in coarse brown clothes, interjected in a shrill voice.
As soon as she finished speaking, Song Qingru's wife, Zhou, squeezed through the crowd from the back, her face bearing her usual amiable smile, and said loudly, "There's nothing we can do, Third Aunt, everyone has a different fate! Some people are born with good fortune and wealth, while others are only born with hardship and disaster!"
"Qingru's family, what are you saying? I am your elder! You...you did this on purpose, didn't you?" The woman called Third Aunt glared and shouted loudly.
"Alright, alright! Today is Ce's big day, so all of you should keep quiet. The bride must be tired after all this commotion, so let's all let her rest for a bit! Let's go!" Madam Song, the head of the Song clan, smiled and smoothed things over.
"Fine, fine, Second Sister-in-law, I'll give you face today. Xiao Shuang, let's go!" Third Aunt snorted and angrily dragged a little girl with a flushed face out of the bridal chamber.
After most of the people in the bridal chamber had left, Madam Zhou walked up to Liu Wanyao, gently took her hand, and said softly, "Sister-in-law, please don't take offense. That's just how your aunt is. Don't worry, Ce-di is a very good person, and you two will definitely have a harmonious and happy life together from now on."
Liu Wanyao lowered her eyes and responded softly.
"You've been here for quite a while, the banquet in the front hall must be almost over. Sister-in-law, why don't you rest for a bit and recharge?" Zhou Shi covered her mouth and said softly with a smile.
"Yes, Wanyao thanks you for your advice, sister-in-law." Her voice was soft, with the shyness unique to a newlywed woman.
After Zhou closed the door and left, Liu Wanyao looked around the elegant bridal chamber, her heart instantly leaping into her throat.
No one knew better than her that her identity as "Second Miss Liu" was nothing but a deceptive facade. She wasn't "Second Miss Liu" at all; she was merely a substitute maid bought by Madam Liu to take her place in a marriage. With such a lowly status, she had somehow managed to secure such a respectable marriage…
As Liu Wanyao was lost in thought, a series of steady footsteps approached the bridal chamber. Her heart tightened, and she quickly pulled the red silk embroidered with gold veil over her head.
Soon, the door to the bridal chamber creaked open. Song Ce walked in, smelling faintly of alcohol. He looked at the bride sitting gracefully inside the bridal tent, reached out and picked up the wedding scales on the tray, and slowly lifted the red silk veil in front of her.
The moment their eyes met, Liu Wanyao subconsciously lowered her head, staring intently at the embroidery on the shoe, as if trying to see a flower bloom from it.
As the saying goes, "A beauty is more beautiful under the lamp than in broad daylight." Song Ce smiled slightly, his voice slightly hoarse with drunkenness, and said, "My wife, you must be exhausted today. You've had a hard day."
Liu Wanyao gripped her knees tightly and replied dryly, "I'm not tired, husband... husband, you've worked hard too."
Song Ce walked to her side and gently took her hand. This sudden action made Liu Wanyao tremble slightly. His gaze remained fixed on Liu Wanyao's face as he said gently, "There are many guests today. If there is anything I have done poorly in our hospitality, please forgive me, my lady."
"No, it's not your fault," Liu Wanyao said softly.
Song Ce nodded slightly, stood up, picked up the Lianli Cups beside him, placed one in Liu Wanyao's hand, and said earnestly, "One cup for the bride, one cup for the husband. Let the two cups be combined into one, to celebrate a hundred years of spring together. My lady, please."
Liu Wanyao took the nuptial cup, drank half of it, and then, blushing, handed the remaining half to Song Ce. After they finished drinking the nuptial wine, they moved on to the final step of their marriage – the bun-tying ceremony.
Seeing the handsome man beside her about to cut off his left sideburn, Liu Wanyao felt anxious and immediately reached out to grab Song Ce's hand.
"Wait a minute!" Her voice was soft and gentle, but it trembled slightly.
Song Ce quickly moved the razor blade further away, frowning slightly as he said, "Wife, be careful. Has this razor blade hurt you?"
"Ah? No...nothing hurt me. Today, there's something I want to tell you first." Liu Wanyao gripped the sash of her wedding dress tightly, her voice tinged with urgent tension.
"What is it?" A hint of doubt flashed in the eyes of the person in front of her as he asked her gently.
Liu Wanyao took a deep breath and mustered her courage to say, "Actually, I... I am not the real Miss Liu. I am just a maid that Madam Liu bought... I know my status is lowly and I do not want to deceive you anymore. You can hit me or scold me, I will not say a word."
When she uttered the first words, Liu Wanyao felt a great sense of relief. Her eyes reddened, and she stood up, leaning on the bedpost, about to kneel before Song Ce.
Seeing this, Song Ce quickly grabbed Liu Wanyao's shoulders with both hands, stopping her from kneeling any further. Soon, the room fell silent, and she could only vaguely hear the crackling sound of the burning red candles.
A moment later, Liu Wanyao heard a soft laugh in her ear, followed by a gentle, husky voice that slowly rang out above her head.
"My lady, I have three questions, and I hope you can answer them for me," Song Ce said with a gentle smile.
“…What?” Liu Wanyao was stunned for a moment, looked up at Song Ce’s face, and asked in surprise.
"Who is the person dressed in wedding attire sitting in the bridal sedan chair during today's parade?" Song Ce asked, resting his chin on his hand.
"Is it...me?" Liu Wanyao paused for a moment before answering uncertainly.
"Who is the person I married in the main hall?" Song Ce asked again.
"Yes, it's me."
"Then who is the person sitting with me in the wedding tent right now?" Song Ce took Liu Wanyao's clenched fist and asked the last question with a smile.
Liu Wanyao fell silent upon hearing this, but soon her face flushed red to her ears, and she stiffly tried to say something.
"It's me, that's true, but...this...is not...me...you..."
"My lady, things have come to this, let's continue." After saying that, Song Ce picked up the razor and cut off the hair on the left side of Liu Wanyao's sideburns, placing it on his lap. Then he reached out and picked up a strand of hair on Liu Wanyao's right side of her sideburns and cut it off decisively.
While Liu Wanyao was still in a daze, Song Ce had already tied two strands of hair with a red ribbon, put them into a brocade pouch, and stuffed it under the two of them's embroidered pillows.
"The ceremony is complete. My lady, you have no way to back out now."
Looking at Song Ce, whose expression was gentle, Liu Wanyao felt a complex mix of emotions. Her throat felt like it was tightly blocked by a wad of cotton, dry and tight. For a moment, a thousand words were stuck in her throat, and she didn't know where to begin.
Song Ce smiled slightly, gently pulling Liu Wanyao into his arms and bending down to kiss her hair. The unfamiliar, warm breath brushed against her hair, seemingly carrying endless tenderness.
"Now that we have completed our wedding ceremony, from this day forward, we are only husband and wife in name. Nothing else matters, and you need not worry about it."
Liu Wanyao felt her eyes well up with tears. After a long while, she forced back her sobs and whispered, "Yes, Wanyao... Thank you for your love, my husband."
The next morning, warm sunlight streamed through the carved windows of the bridal chamber, illuminating the wedding bed. Liu Wanyao slowly awoke, her mind not yet fully awake.
Last night, her husband had been teasing her for a long time. She was half asleep and tried to get up, but suddenly someone behind her covered her eyes. Then, the person's warm chest pressed against her back, and he chuckled as he pulled her into his arms.
"My wife, let's sleep a little longer!"
Liu Wanyao's cheeks flushed, and she gently shook her head. Just as she was about to speak, her stomach rumbled softly at an inopportune moment.
Song Ce was taken aback at first, then laughed and released his arm around Liu Wanyao. He quickly got up, put on his outer robe, and said affectionately, "My wife is hungry. I'll go to the kitchen and find her something to eat."
Seeing Song Ce's actions, Liu Wanyao quickly poked her head out and called out to him, "Husband, how can this be? On our first day of marriage, how can you go to the kitchen? I'll go instead!" After saying this, she also lifted the quilt and prepared to get out of bed.
Song Ce stepped forward and pressed her down, his tone gentle yet firm: "My wife, you should rest peacefully today. It's the first day of our marriage, there's no reason for the bride to go into the kitchen." With that, he kissed her forehead and quickly walked out of the room.
As Liu Wanyao watched Song Ce's departing figure, she subconsciously reached out and grabbed the embroidery pattern on the quilt, her heart filled with joy and sweetness.
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Author's Note: [Lop-eared rabbit head][Lop-eared rabbit head] 300 words have been added. You can continue reading if you like.
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