Old Madam Sheng was wearing a brand new royal blue jacket with a round flower pattern of six blessings today. She looked solemnly at Gu Tingye who was bowing to her, took the tea he offered her, and handed him a red envelope without saying a word. Then she looked him up and down with a pair of cold eyes. Fortunately, Gu Tingye had seen countless living and dead people, so he kept smiling.
Seeing Gu Tingye again, Wang Shi felt bitter and had mixed emotions. She just sat at the head of the table dignifiedly and said a few polite words. Finally, Sheng Hong came to control the situation. He was an excellent actor after all. He said a few elegant words like "I am quite relieved". There was even a hint of tears in the corners of his eyes. His expression and behavior were perfect and impeccable, just like a kind-hearted old father.
After Gu Tingye offered tea and performed the formalities of greeting to Sheng Hong and his wife, the bride, in her lavish attire and covered with a veil, was led slowly into the main hall by Madam Bo. Gu Tingye, without looking away, simply bowed and kowtowed to Sheng Hong and his wife with Minglan. Sheng Hong, nearly in tears, said repeatedly, "Good! From now on, you must respect and love each other, grow old together, and have many children, and lead the younger ones by example."
Wang's emotions finally blossomed, and she said gently, "In the future you must be respectful and cautious, listen more to your husband and your elders, and don't act on your own." She felt that she had performed well. She was not good at speaking classical Chinese. When Rulan got married, she cried her heart out, and in the end, she didn't say anything.
When they said goodbye for the last time, the old lady couldn't help it and held Minglan's hand tightly, tears flashing in her eyes. Minglan could only see a small space under the veil and didn't know the old lady's expression. When she lowered her head, she saw an old and thin hand tightly holding her fat paw, with the knuckles slightly white. She suddenly felt a lump in her nose and a big tear fell heavily on the hand held by the grandmother and granddaughter.
The old lady seemed to be scalded and quickly let go. After much difficulty, she whispered, "From now on, be good..."
Minglan's chest felt so sore and swollen that she couldn't say a word. She could only nod vigorously, almost shaking the veil off.
Minglan tried hard to lower her head so that the tears in her eyes would fall to the ground in a straight line to avoid ruining her makeup. She was led by someone and slowly walked outside. When she reached the gate, she was carried on the back of her brother Changbai into the sedan chair. The curtain was lowered and the sedan chair swayed. Minglan knew that it was time to set off, so she hurriedly pulled out a thin cotton handkerchief from her sleeve, picked up a corner and carefully wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.
The large sedan chair carried by eight people was spacious and decorated with pearls and jade, and painted with gold and colorful patterns. It did not shake at all and moved very smoothly. Minglan's ears were filled with the deafening sound of drums and firecrackers, and the streets were filled with the laughter and chatter of the crowd.
Only then did Minglan feel a dull pain on her face. The old lady looked frail, but she was so cruel when she kneaded her face. The more she thought about it, the more painful her face became. She hissed and couldn't help but let out a soft "ouch".
Xiao Tao, the attendant outside the sedan, had sharp ears and couldn't help but peek over the curtain and ask softly, "Miss, are you hungry and your stomach hurts? I have something to eat here!"
Minglan couldn't help laughing and burst out laughing - this foodie! She scolded him through the curtain, "I'm not hungry!"
Xiao Tao still said with concern: "Miss, please don't hold it in!"
Minglan was speechless: "I couldn't help it!"
Most of the feng shui in ancient times were similar. The outer city of the capital was rich in the east, noble in the west, poor in the south and humble in the north, while the inner city was crowded with royal relatives and powerful officials. Thanks to the old man of the Sheng family who had a keen eye for buying a house, the Sheng family's property was quite close to the center, not far from the Ningyuan Marquis' Mansion. Minglan swayed in the sedan chair for about two meals before getting off.
Minglan put one hand on Danju's wrist and held the big red silk that was stuffed into her hand again with the other hand. She walked forward in a daze. As soon as she stepped into Ningyuan Marquis' Mansion, Minglan immediately heard the noisy sound of firecrackers and congratulations. There was a long wedding carpet on the ground, leading all the way to the main house. Minglan walked slowly forward on the wedding carpet until she saw the carved and colorful threshold, and then she knew she had arrived.
For a period of time afterwards, Minglan was like a puppet, standing up and bowing continuously, turning around, bowing again, turning around again, and bowing again and again, following the instructions of the ceremonial officer. After a dizzy spell, she was led away like a puppy. Unexpectedly, the bridal chamber was even noisier than outside. Minglan was forced to sit on the wedding bed, listening to the laughter of the female relatives in the room.
Compared to Minglan's embarrassment, Gu Tingye was very familiar with the situation. He took an ebony scale inlaid with silver corners wrapped with red silk from Nanny Xi's hand and carefully lifted the bright red veil - second marriages are different.
Minglan only felt a burst of light, and a tall figure loomed above her head. She raised her eyes and met Gu Tingye's eyes, which were deep and quiet. His extremely thick eyeliner was narrow and slanted, and he always seemed to have deep meaning when looking at people. Minglan blushed very promptly, and then lowered her head, shy in just the right way; Gu Tingye couldn't help but twitching his lips, his eyes full of smiles.
Afterwards, he sat down next to Minglan, mumbling something. Minglan could vaguely make out, "...Why did you paint your face like this?" Minglan almost screamed - I've worked hard all day, and you dare to complain?!
"Wow! What a pretty bride!" A woman wearing a pomegranate red embroidered jacket laughed, and all the women in the room laughed and joked with her.
Minglan looked up and saw a room full of women in jewels and brocade, each one dressed in brocade and satin. Her face flushed, "Damn it! With all this makeup on, how can you tell if she's pretty or not?"
Then, Minglan and the groom were sprinkled with peanuts, red dates and other things all over their heads. Minglan didn't dare to move and could only take it obediently. Gu Tingye couldn't help but catch a few of them out of reflex, which caused another burst of laughter.
"Oh! Brother Ye, this is a bridal chamber, not a martial arts arena. Your skills are useless here!" It was the plump woman in pomegranate red who joked, and the whole room burst into laughter. Gu Tingye slowly lowered his hands, smiled slightly, and said nothing.
The women were concerned about Gu Tingye's status and temper, so they didn't laugh or make noises. A woman came up with a plate of something that looked like a pastry, and passed it to Minglan. Minglan knew the custom, so she bit the pastry and found it was undercooked. The woman said with a smile, "Is it raw or not?"
Minglan cursed in her heart, but lowered her head and whispered, "Give birth."
The women in the room burst into laughter again. The woman turned around and said with a smile, "Ladies and grandmothers, you have heard it all. The new daughter-in-law said she wants to give birth. In the future, the family will be prosperous and blessed with many children!"
Minglan's cheeks flushed, and she giggled a few times to try to make fun of it; she tried to remind herself that this was an era without family planning, and it would be cheaper and more effective to worship a sow than the Goddess of Fertility.
Finally, it was the wedding wine. On a small round tea tray with red lacquer wood and gold-painted crabapple pattern, there was a pair of small white porcelain wine glasses with iris pattern, tied with a red rope. Minglan turned slightly to the side and drank the wedding wine with Gu Tingye with a blushing face. When her body moved closer, she raised her eyelids slightly and saw the clean and handsome jaw of the man opposite her. Her heart skipped a beat.
——After all, I am a high-quality person. I can get through it by turning off the lights and closing my eyes.
After the ceremony, Gu Tingye was driven out to entertain the guests. Before leaving, he couldn't help but look back, as if he wanted to say something, but seeing the room full of women, he shut up and left. The plump woman had been holding back her laughter, and when she saw him leave, she walked up to Minglan and said affectionately, "Second sister-in-law, I am your Xuanda sister-in-law. Don't be afraid. When you come to our house from now on, you will be one of our own!"
Seeing her friendly smile, Minglan also smiled back, "Sister-in-law Xuan."
At this moment, a lady standing by the table suddenly laughed, covering her mouth with a handkerchief and said, "Sister-in-law Xuan, you are too impatient. The serious sister-in-law hasn't said anything yet, and you are already getting excited!"
Another woman immediately chimed in, "That's ridiculous! They say you can't have a son if you're too impatient, but Sister-in-law Xuan has two sons. It shows she was impatient when she should have been!"
The women laughed together. Sister-in-law Xuan feigned indignation, placed her hands on her waist, and pouted, "Come on, come on! I'm an old woman now, and I've become more and more shameless in letting you fool me over the years!" Then she turned around, pointed at a woman sitting quietly beside the double happiness lanterns, and smiled at Minglan, "Sister-in-law, look, this is your real sister-in-law!"
The woman was in her late twenties, wearing a dark red jacket with auspicious patterns and a two-finger-wide black velvet trim. Her fair, oval face was plain and elegant, with a slight smile, though a hint of sadness lingered between her brows. She wore no accessories. She stood up quietly and walked slowly towards him. The room gradually quieted down, and no one was talking or laughing anymore.
Minglan knew that this was the eldest daughter-in-law of the Gu family, Gu Tingyu's wife, and now the wife of Ningyuan Hou, Shao. Minglan did not dare to get out of bed. She immediately nodded to the woman and said respectfully, "Sister-in-law!"
Mrs. Shao came over and gently held Minglan's hand. Minglan only felt the coolness of her hand, and then heard her slowly say: "From now on, you will be a family. You will gradually become familiar with each other as you live your daily lives. Don't be restrained at home." She gave only a few words of advice, her tone peaceful, but there was an indescribable loneliness and indifference.
Mrs. Shao turned around again and said to everyone, "Let's hurry to the front. It's not good for the host family to have so many guests gather together to make fun of the bride." The female relatives responded with a smile. Sister-in-law Xuan took the lead, and the group went out one after another.
Madam Shao turned again and said softly to Minglan, "I know you have servants with you, but my second brother didn't live here before, and the people he brought with him might not be suitable. I'll leave two maids at the door with you. If you need anything, just tell me. You're tired today, so I've asked for some food to be brought back to you to fill your stomach."
After saying this, he smiled slightly, and after Minglan thanked him, he left.
Minglan looked at the closed door in surprise. The impression Mrs. Shao gave was completely different from that of Mrs. Qin. She was polite, kind, and considerate, yet with a touch of coldness, as if she kept people at a distance. Perhaps others would feel uncomfortable, but Minglan thought it was very good. This kind of just-right care made people feel at ease.
After everyone left, only Danju, Xiaotao, and two other little girls were left in the room to serve.
Danju watched Minglan sitting there for so long, feeling distressed. Seeing that everyone else had left, she quickly stepped forward and whispered, "Miss, you must be hungry. Would you like some tea?"
"No need." Minglan stroked her almost stiff waist and wanted to stretch, but she was worried about the two maids and didn't want them to watch her. So she said to Danju, "I want to wash my face. Go get some hot water."
This face full of powder like a white wall was almost killing her; Danju left immediately.
Seeing Minglan rubbing her lower back, Xiaotao went over and began to massage it gently for her. Xiaotao was very talented at massage, and her strength was neither too strong nor too weak. Minglan groaned inwardly with pleasure, but seeing the two maids still in the corner, she could only put on a solemn smile and waved to them, "What are your names?"
The two maids seemed very frightened. One of the older ones stepped forward respectfully and said, "Madam, my name is Xia He and her name is Xia Zhu. The master asked them to serve you."
After all, Minglan had lived a decadent life in the Sheng family for ten years. At a glance, just by looking at the two girls' speech and behavior, although they were respectful and cautious, they were a bit stiff and nervous, and quite unnatural and thorough. It was obvious that they had not received long-term orthodox training as inner house maids, and were probably temporarily trained and put on the job in the past six months.
Generally speaking, most of the personal maids in prominent families with generations of wealth and power are trained from a young age, usually starting to work in the inner house at the age of ten, and learning everything from words and deeds. Everything from eating, manners, tea drinking, dressing up, combing hair, cleaning up, counting accounts, and even talking to guests and interacting with people has certain rules, not to mention the knowledge gained from hearing and seeing.
They say, "It's better to marry a maid from a wealthy family than a young maid." Minglan used to scoff at this, but after witnessing Madam Fang's strict and meticulous admonitions, she could only say that the saying was true. Madam Fang also said with regret that the Sheng family had become much simpler. If she were in the old Yongyi Marquis's mansion, at least half of Minglan's maids would have been eliminated!
This sentence scared Xiaotao so much that she couldn't sleep for several nights, fearing that she would be kicked out.
So, the plot where a young master rescues a girl from the street who's selling herself to bury her father, and then the girl begs him to serve her like a slave in return for his kindness, is practically impossible in a truly wealthy family. Even if he does rescue someone, he'll still be handed over to the housekeeper for gradual training, learning the rules and etiquette, and working his way up from the outside. Expecting to rise to personal service overnight? No way! Are you here to repay a favor, or to hook a rich man?! The ancients understood perfectly; stupidity is the stuff of modern soap operas.
At present, it seems that Gu Tingye does not trust the people in Ningyuan Marquis Mansion, so he can only recruit workers on his own. It is said that when the emperor rewarded the manor and house, he also rewarded a lot of slaves and farmers. I don’t know where these two girls came from.
Xia He saw Minglan remained silent, and a look of fear appeared on her pretty face. Minglan saw this, smiled slightly, and said, "Your name is quite nice. Who gave it to you?"
Xia He breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It was Madam Chang who gave us the name, because we were chosen to live in the mansion in the summer."
Minglan secretly memorized the name. Hearing the two girls speak clearly and with such a generous attitude, she somewhat liked it. Xiaotao couldn't help but comment, "Your name is quite, oh no, very good."
Minglan rolled her eyes at her. Xiaotao still felt bad that her name was too easy to understand.
Minglan chatted with them for a while, and then Danju came in with a washbasin, followed by two other maids, each carrying a large kettle, scented soap, a towel and other things.
Xiaotao immediately stood up, took the towel and handkerchief, tied the longer one around Minglan's chest, then took out a small, translucent tortoise-shell brush from her embroidered bag, brushed Minglan's hair together, and then wet the other towel; Danju took off the rings, bracelets and seven or eight dragon and phoenix gold bracelets on Minglan's hands one by one and put them away.
Minglan lowered her head slightly and let them wash her face and hands. They changed three basins of water before they washed off the white powder on Minglan's face. Danju opened the small box she brought with her and took out several exquisite small porcelain bottles. She lightly applied the floral ointment with her fingers and evenly applied it on Minglan's face, neck, and hands, gently massaging and rubbing her.
Finally, Danju helped Minglan change into a new set of casual clothes, and Xiaotao helped Minglan tidy up her hair and clothes.
The series of movements were smooth and skillful, evidently something she was used to doing daily. Xia He and Xia Zhu watched with their mouths slightly open. The other two maids, whom Madam Shao had appointed, exchanged glances, each seeming slightly surprised. They thought to themselves, "I never thought a concubine's daughter from a fourth-rank official in Beijing could be so dignified and formal." They didn't dare to underestimate her.
After washing up, the door opened again, and several maids and servants brought in several dishes and snacks. Mother Cui followed in, put the food on the table, and sent the maids out, leaving only Danju and Xiaotao to serve.
She had been packing Minglan's luggage outside, and had just finished packing it. She stepped into the house and smiled when she saw Minglan: "Young lady, you are still the same old person. You don't like to have makeup on your face. You have to wash it off."
Minglan just picked up her chopsticks and puffed her cheeks and said, "Mom, you don't know, that powder took up three basins of water to wash!"
Mother Cui looked at Minglan lovingly as she ate. She also offered Danju and Xiaotao some snacks. Xiaotao's cheeks were puffed up from eating so much that she asked, "Mom, is everything ready outside? Where are we going to sleep tonight?"
Mother Cui pinched Xiao Tao's nose and said, "How can a maid act like you? Don't worry about the master, think about yourself first! ... Everything is ready. You won't be staying for many days anyway. As long as the dowry and boxes are safe, it will be fine. I only opened a few of the accompanying boxes. I will slowly put them away after we get to the Governor's Mansion."
"Thank you for your hard work, Mom." Minglan swallowed a piece of lotus and white mushroom with great effort. "It's all because of Minglan that Mom is tired. You were supposed to be enjoying your leisure time, but now you're dragged back."
Mother Cui held up a handkerchief and wiped the stains from the corners of Minglan's mouth, just like she did when she was a child. She smiled and said, "What nonsense are you talking about, young lady? If I weren't physically useless, I wouldn't leave even if you chased me away."
Minglan smiled and continued to eat. Mother Cui glanced at her and couldn't help saying, "I heard there was a lot of noise outside. Tonight... young lady, you must be careful. You really can't let your son-in-law do whatever he wants."
Mother Cui struggled to choose her words, and Minglan blushed.
After eating and drinking, Minglan and the others were relaxed and at ease. Unfortunately, she had to restrain herself at the Gu family's house, otherwise she would have played Landlord with Xiaotao and Danju, which would have been a very quick way to kill time. Her mind wandered to random things. The two red candles on the table, each as thick as a baby's arm, painted with a dragon and a phoenix, had gradually burned down by a third. Minglan was lying on the bed, drowsy, when she heard a commotion outside, and then someone shouted, "Second Master is back!"
Minglan suddenly woke up and jumped up like a shrimp. After thinking for a while, she sat back down quickly.
As the door was thrown open, a whiff of alcohol filled the air. Two stout maids laboriously helped Gu Tingye in and gently placed him on the bed. Minglan resisted the urge to look at the drunkard beside her and smiled calmly, "Thank you for your hard work, mothers. Danju, take two red envelopes."
Danju was already very skilled at stuffing red envelopes. The two old women wiped the sweat from their foreheads and weighed the red envelopes. They were heavy, at least five taels of silver. They were overjoyed and respectfully took their leave.
As soon as the two maids left, Minglan stretched out her feet and got off the ground. Unexpectedly, the drunkard next to her suddenly woke up, looking quite sober, and seemed to be muttering "those ungrateful guys"!
Minglan frowned at the strong smell of alcohol on Gu Tingye's body. He shook his head slightly, trying to wake himself up. He leaned his tall body against the bed rail, slightly opened his narrow eyes, looked at Minglan with a smile, and suddenly frowned and said, "I'm going to take a shower first. You should take off your clothes too."
After hearing this, Xia He and Xia Zhu rushed to the cubicle to prepare hot water for the bathtub. Gu Tingye waved his hand and stood up and left. His steps were a little unsteady at first, but then he steady himself.
Minglan stood at the back in a daze. Mother Cui immediately came to her senses and ordered Xiaotao and Danju to help Minglan take off her hairpins and jade hairpins, hang up her bright red wedding dress, and change into a soft cotton undergarment. Then she dragged the still hesitant Danju and Xiaotao out.
Minglan bit her fingers, looking at the bed covered with a bright red brocade quilt, which was very unsightly. After a while, Gu Tingye came back alone, wearing a snow-white satin middle dress, with slightly wet hair. He threw his tall body onto the bed, leaning diagonally on the big pillow, looking at Minglan quietly with his deep eyes, without saying a word.
Minglan was so hot under the scorching gaze that her whole body was smoking and her throat was dry. She coughed twice: "I just had some midnight snack. I, I... I'm going to rinse my mouth." After that, she ran into the cubicle.
Behind the lattice fan, Minglan rinsed her mouth five times, did eighteen psychological preparations, and repeatedly recited the section about the obligations of husband and wife in the Marriage Law. Finally, she bravely, resolutely, and without hesitation stepped back to the dormitory. Just as she was about to climb onto the bed, she saw Gu Tingye leaning against the headboard, slightly asleep.
Minglan breathed a sigh of relief, feeling relieved. She walked barefoot to the table, poured herself a cup of tea, and drank it in one gulp. Before she could let out a breath, a voice came from behind her: "Are you done washing up?"
Minglan nearly choked to death. She quickly put down her teacup, coughed continuously and turned around to see that Gu Tingye had woken up at some point. His dark eyes were staring at her, sharp as glass fragments. The flames of the red dragon and phoenix candles were still shining, reflecting the brilliance of his eyes.
Minglan was stunned for a few seconds, then quickly poured a cup of tea and placed it in front of him, saying attentively, "Drink some water, drink some water."
Gu Tingye looked at Minglan's smooth, jade-like wrists, his mouth dry. He took the teacup and drank it all in one gulp, then handed it back to Minglan. Minglan put the teacup back on the table and hesitated there. Gu Tingye chuckled softly, his eyes ambiguous: "Aren't you going to put it down yet?"
Minglan took a deep breath and said loudly: "Actually, I have something to tell you!"
Gu Tingye waved his hand and said nonchalantly, "Let's talk about it tomorrow. Take a rest first." Then he got out of bed. He was tall and had long legs. He took two steps to Minglan and grabbed Minglan's hand.
"Actually, I have something important to tell you!" Minglan made her final struggle.
"We'll talk about it later."
He raised his strong arm, and Minglan felt her feet in the air as he lifted her up. To be more precise, he was actually holding her up. Minglan was face down, and when she saw the ground, she was terrified and could only hold on to him tightly. Then she was gently thrown into the bed.
Gu Tingye pulled over a quilt and waved his hand to remove the two layers of light red gauze embroidered with pomegranate seeds and the thick brocade bed curtains. Looking back, he saw Minglan's small body huddled in the corner of the bed, shivering constantly.
"I, I, I..." She completely stuttered.
"You've been busy all day today, you must be tired, so take a rest." Gu Tingye grabbed the girl's hand and carefully stroked the delicate skin on the back of her hand. The skin was soft and he could clearly feel the slender finger bones.
"I'm not tired!" Minglan's face flushed, her chest felt hesitant for a long time, and she finally let out a breath.
"Not tired?" Gu Tingye's narrow eyes almost glowed green: "That's great."
...(One night passed, everyone understands.)
"Didn't you just say you had something to tell me?" Gu Tingye suddenly remembered.
"I can't speak anymore." Minglan was half dead.
"Don't you have something important to say?" The man's eyes lit up.
"I forgot..."
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