Chapter 190 The Wedding Procession, A Startled Horse!
Meanwhile, the Lin residence was also brightly decorated and filled with guests.
Soon, the wedding procession arrived on time. Lin Wan'er, dressed in a gorgeous wedding gown and wearing a heavy phoenix crown and veil, walked out of her boudoir step by step with the help of the matchmaker to bid farewell to her parents and elders.
Amidst deafening firecrackers and cheers, I stepped into the bridal sedan chair.
Soon, the wedding procession headed towards the Marquis's residence, but at an intersection, it collided with another wedding procession. Unfortunately, the other procession also used an eight-bearer red sedan chair, with the same design, canopy, and even accessories.
The person who came to fetch the bride was none other than Zhou Bowen.
He was also radiant today, but compared to Xiao Jingheng's imposing elegance, he exuded more of a scholar's spiritedness.
The two groups met head-on, and everyone was taken aback. The onlookers on the street also perked up, and discussions arose.
Zhou Bowen was the first to come to his senses, and put on a polite yet tactful smile. He cupped his hands and said, "Young Master Xiao, what a coincidence! Today I am on my way to welcome my bride, and I did not expect to be on the same road as you. I hope you will forgive me for this."
Xiao Jingheng raised his phoenix eyes slightly, his gaze sweeping over the bridal sedan chair behind Zhou Bowen. He calmly returned the greeting with a cupped-hand salute: "Young Master Zhou, you are too kind. Today is also an auspicious day for both of us, so there is no question of us clashing. However, this intersection is narrow. May I ask where Young Master Zhou is headed?"
Zhou Bowen smiled and said, "I just welcomed the county princess from the general's mansion and was about to return home. Since the young master is of noble status, you should go first. I am willing to step aside and respectfully see the young master off first."
Xiao Jingheng shook his head, "Today there is only the groom, not the heir. Young Master Zhou is also marrying his beautiful wife, and the auspicious time cannot be delayed. Young Master Zhou, please go first."
The couple were courteous and polite in the street, which drew praise from the people, who said that the two grooms were gentlemen who knew how to be polite.
Just then, some mischievous child threw a string of unburnt firecrackers by the roadside, which rolled right into the entourage of the Marquis's mansion, right under the feet of a horse carrying a gift box.
"Bang! Bang bang bang..."
The horse was startled and quickly became agitated, raising its long hooves, breaking free of its restraints, and charging wildly through the crowd.
"careful!"
"The horse is startled!"
"Stop it!"
Exclamations erupted, and chaos ensued. The ceremonial processions of the Marquis's residence and the Zhou family were thrown into disarray, the sedan chair bearers staggered about, and the two bright red wedding sedan chairs swayed violently, almost overturning.
Xiao Jingheng's face darkened, and he gave Changfeng a look. Changfeng immediately dismounted and moved with lightning speed, not to save the horse, but to help one of the wedding sedan chairs.
At the same time, several guards from the Marquis's residence rushed out and pounced on the frightened horse. Zhou Bowen's servants also reacted and stepped forward to help.
A quarter of an hour later, the frightened horse was calmed down, and the group was able to return to its original positions. Changfeng was still directing everyone to clean up the mess in an orderly manner.
Zhou Bowen stepped forward and bowed to express his gratitude: "Young Master Xiao, it was thanks to the capable men of your subordinates that a major disaster was averted. The auspicious time has already been delayed by a moment, and we dare not delay you any longer. Please do not refuse us."
Xiao Jingheng glanced at the line that had regained its footing, and this time he did not show any more courtesy.
“In that case, I, Xiao, will accept your offer without hesitation. Young Master Zhou, once the group is ready, please set off as soon as possible, lest we miss the auspicious time.”
He emphasized the last sentence.
"Thank you for your understanding, Your Highness." Zhou Bowen quickly cupped his hands in thanks.
Xiao Jingheng said no more and ordered the troops to continue advancing in a deep voice.
Zhou Bowen only wiped the sweat from his brow after watching the Marquis's entourage disappear into the distance, and then instructed his own troops to hurry on their way.
Inside the bridal sedan chair, Lin Wan'er waited for it to stop, clutching the apple in her hand with some unease.
She instructed her maidservant, "Go and see what's going on outside."
The maid quickly lifted the sedan curtain and saw her son-in-law mounting his horse at the front of the procession, his back view seemingly showing some haste.
Just as the maid was about to take a closer look, a colorful flag that had been re-erected in front of her happened to block her view.
Immediately afterwards, the sedan chair was lifted up and started moving forward again.
The maidservant quickly turned her head back, lowered the sedan curtain, and whispered, "Miss, it's alright now. I heard that a horse was startled by firecrackers at the intersection, which disturbed the procession, but it has been subdued now. The young master ordered us to set off again, and we are just in time for the auspicious hour."
Lin Wan'er felt the sedan chair start moving again, and her heart finally settled down. She hummed in agreement, sat up straight again, and closed her eyes, pretending to doze off.
Today is her big day. She has been planning for so long, and she can finally marry into the Marquis's mansion smoothly. She must not let anything go wrong.
After that, there were no further setbacks on the road, and the bridal sedan chair finally came to a stop amidst the sounds of gongs, drums, and firecrackers.
Then, the sedan curtain was lifted, and she saw a slender hand reaching out. In her line of sight, she could also see the man's bright red robe and black boots.
It was Xiao Jingheng's hand; Lin Wan'er recognized it.
Lin Wan'er's heart skipped a beat, and with a mixture of shyness and anticipation, she gently placed her hand on it.
Afterwards, the steps of stepping over the saddle, crossing the fire basin, and the wedding ceremony were all successfully completed under the watchful eyes of countless guests. Although the veil blocked Lin Wan'er's view, she could still feel the cool temperature on her fingertips.
A faint scent of cedar lingered in the air; Lin Wan'er remembered that this was the scent of Xiao Jingheng.
"The ceremony is complete! Lead them to the bridal chamber..."
With a shout from the wedding officiant, Lin Wan'er, supported by the matchmakers, was led to the bridal chamber. She was helped to sit down by the bed, which was covered with a bright red quilt adorned with a hundred sons and a thousand grandsons. The matchmakers chanted auspicious words of "May you have a son soon" and performed some rituals of scattering the bridal bed before smilingly withdrawing.
The new house fell silent, with only the occasional crackling of the burning dragon and phoenix candles.
Lin Wan'er sat upright for a while, feeling her neck getting sore from the pressure, and then instructed her dowry maid, "Hongxing? Hongxing?"
A slight noise came from outside the door, and an unfamiliar maidservant pushed the door open and entered. "Young Madam, what are your orders?"
Lin Wan'er frowned and asked through the veil, "Where is Hongxing?"
The maid replied, "Young Madam, I am Chunlan, whom you arranged to serve. Miss Hongxing was just called to help in the front yard because they said they were short-handed. If you need anything, please just let me know."
Lin Wan'er was suspicious. After all, Lady Liu was the wife of a marquis. If she wanted to use her maid, she wouldn't just leave without even informing her.
Moreover, the Marquis's mansion is large and powerful, so it's unlikely that they would need to draw upon her dowry maids due to a lack of manpower.
She felt a vague unease, so she lifted a corner of her veil and looked around at the furnishings in the room.
The maid was startled and immediately stepped forward to stop her: "Young...Young Madam, this is against the rules..."
Lin Wan'er paused, then lowered the veil. "It's alright, you may leave."
"Yes, young mistress," Chunlan replied, her footsteps fading into the distance.
Silence returned to the room, and the strange feeling Lin Wan'er had been suppressing resurfaced. She lifted her veil and looked around the room, finding that although it was decorated festively, and the furniture was made of fine wood with a fresh, glossy finish,…
The room seemed a bit small, lacking the gravitas and spaciousness that comes with generations of history. The calligraphy and paintings on the walls were not by famous artists, but rather seemed to have been purchased temporarily to suit the occasion.
Lin Wan'er's unease grew stronger.
"Perhaps... a courtyard temporarily set up by the Marquis's residence? Or specially prepared for the newlyweds?" Lin Wan'er tried to find a reason for herself in her heart, not daring to think too deeply, and forced herself to put down the veil and sit up again.
Time always seems to drag on while you're waiting.
Soon, the noise in the front yard gradually subsided. After an unknown amount of time, a series of footsteps approached from afar and finally stopped outside the new house.
Lin Wan'er's heart jumped, and her fingers unconsciously clenched the embroidered handkerchief.
It's here!
The Crown Prince has finally arrived!
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