Early spring is a wonderful season when all things revive, and grasses grow tall and birds sing.
A spring rain has fallen on Beijing, which has just shed its snowy white hues, and the willows on the outskirts of the city have already begun to sprout and grow branches. The entire land is slowly regaining its vitality.
As February arrived, officials in the court began to get busy.
People from the Ministry of Rites, in particular, were constantly going in and out of the Prime Minister's and Crown Prince's residences. The Emperor's palaces and villas were decorated in a festive red hue.
Even the imperial palace was filled with a joyous atmosphere.
February 8th was an auspicious day chosen by the Ministry of Rites, one in ten thousand. Su Wanting was woken up by her nanny, and as she looked very sleepy, the cotton thread used to tighten her face was already touching her skin.
Xu Nian arrived after she had finished her makeup, when the sun was already high in the sky.
Led by someone to the backyard, he saw Su Wanting and, without saying a word, congratulated her and handed her the mandarin duck pendant he had taken out of his spatial storage. "Don't underestimate this thing. It's been blessed by a master. It will definitely guarantee that you and the Crown Prince will live happily ever after."
People are in high spirits when they have good news.
Su Wanting's already beautiful face looked even more stunning at this time of day.
She wore a fiery red wedding dress and took Xu Nian's hand. She thanked him sincerely and emotionally, her hair ornaments swaying slightly. Adorned with a phoenix coronet and wedding robes, the auspicious hour arrived in no time.
Xu Nian left the room, bid farewell to the Prime Minister and his wife, and then followed Gu Zhan to the palace.
This title is indeed very troublesome. The Prime Minister's family, being the bride's family, is required by custom to attend the banquet at the palace. However, although she, as a county princess, holds the title of Su Wanting's closest friend, she is still facing difficulties.
The proper etiquette must be observed in every step.
The Crown Prince's wedding was only slightly less grand than the Emperor's. While the Emperor's wedding was held at Chengluan Palace, the Crown Prince's was at Wanfu Palace.
At that time, apart from the emperor and empress who made their grand entrance, all the officials and relatives were present.
Upon seeing Jiang Yuanqing, she nodded slightly as a greeting. After speaking to Gu Zhan, she moved closer to Princess Fukang.
This traditional Chinese wedding looks beautiful! The phoenix coronet and embroidered robes, the red candles and warm curtains. So gorgeous!
[By the way, will Su Wanting become a live streamer after getting married?]
Xu Nian was taken aback by the comment in the live chat. It was a rule in the Xuan Dynasty that if a subject and a prince were to hold their weddings at the same time, the prince's wedding had to be held first.
After the Crown Prince, it would be the Third Prince, and then Gu Zhan…
Fukang noticed something was wrong with her. "What's wrong?" he asked, tilting his head.
Xu Nian shook her head, unable to describe the feeling in her heart. But what was bound to happen would happen eventually, and besides, this was marrying the person she loved, which should be a happy thing.
Compared to the grand and solemn wedding of the Crown Prince and Su Wanting, which was attended by both the Emperor and Empress, this one was different.
The wedding of Jiang Yuanlang and Liu Qingmei seemed rather hasty. According to custom, a prince's wedding was to be held in his own residence. The emperor was, of course, required to attend.
He is, after all, his son; he cannot afford to lose face.
But he went alone, without the Empress or Consort Shu. After Jiang Yuanlang and Liu Qingmei completed their wedding ceremony, he left without even eating the wedding banquet.
Moreover, although princes' weddings are traditionally held in their own residences, if the emperor favors them, they usually use a palace or villa in the suburbs of the capital.
But Jiang Yuanlang clearly wouldn't enjoy this honor, and Xu Nian didn't stay for dinner either. They left in a hurry after the ceremony.
She was, after all, a bride-to-be, and had plenty of things to do. Her dowry wasn't even fully prepared yet, so she didn't have time to waste on Liu Qingmei's wedding.
Another month passed, and March arrived. Xu Nian no longer had time to wander around.
The Prime Minister's wife forced her to learn various household management techniques and even told her many secrets of domestic life. Su Wanting, the new bride, also joined in the fun.
Da Bao and Er Bao are too young. Although the county princess's mansion and the general's mansion are only separated by a wall, Xu Nian still discussed with Gu Zhan about having them live in the general's mansion from now on.
On her wedding day, Xu Nian was dragged out of bed before dawn.
The pain from the face cleansing instantly cleared her drowsy mind. She looked at the radiant woman in the bronze mirror as the maid applied her makeup.
Wearing a bright red wedding dress and a heavy phoenix crown, Xu Nian's nervousness overwhelmed everything else.
She couldn't hear what the people around her were saying at all. Although her two children had grown rapidly in the past six months, they were still not quite ready to carry her, an adult, out of the house.
Amidst the resentful gazes of the two brothers, Su Mu, as Xu Nian's older brother, carried her out the door.
"Take good care of yourself. If Gu Zhan ever makes you unhappy in the future, our Su family will help you teach him a lesson." Su Mu said this in her ear before she got into the bridal sedan chair.
Unconsciously, a warmth spread through her heart. Xu Nian, who had not understood why she was crying on such a joyous day, now had tears welling up in her eyes.
But she held back, and when she finally spoke, her voice trembled with tears, "Okay."
The wedding procession set off with great fanfare, and Xu Nian's ten-mile-long red bridal procession circled the capital city many times under the astonished gazes of the crowd.
They slowly came to a stop at the temporary palace that the emperor had specially bestowed upon them for their wedding.
[The ten-mile-long procession of red bridal procession—I've finally witnessed it with my own eyes. So this is what it looks like.]
[It's said that in ancient times, a dowry encompassed everything from birth to old age and death, so this doesn't even include the large items the streamer already brought into the general's mansion.]
[The general's dowry is quite substantial. But let's not dwell on that, the wedding is about to begin, and the anchorwoman is truly beautiful.]
Xu Nian and Gu Zhan are both orphans, having lost both their parents.
The emperor arrived at the temporary palace early in the morning and took the seat of honor when it was time for the wedding ceremony. Amidst the envious or scrutinizing gazes of the court officials, the two bowed to heaven and earth.
Even on their wedding night, none of the young masters dared to cause trouble in Gu Zhan's bridal chamber.
The room was ablaze with red. A man dressed in a dragon and phoenix wedding robe used a ceremonial scale to lift Xu Nian's red veil, revealing a stunningly beautiful face.
In that instant, Gu Zhan felt his breathing slow down by half a beat.
Xu Nian's features naturally complemented the bright and glamorous makeup. Now, in her wedding attire, she was breathtakingly beautiful, captivating him completely.
"Nian'er." The hoarseness in her voice startled Xu Nian. "I'm really happy. Marrying you is the happiest thing in my life."
"My heart is so full of joy, I don't know where to put it," Xu Nian said with a smile, her eyes and brows radiating happiness. "Me too, my husband."
Gu Zhan's heart trembled at the address, and his breathing became heavy.
Lust tinged his eyes, but thankfully a sliver of reason remained. He pulled Xu Nian to her feet and sat her down at the round table. The fine wine in the white jade bottle was called "Hehuan," an essential wine for weddings in the Xuan Dynasty.
The two drank from the same cup, and then, under the warm glow of red candles, they spent many spring nights together.
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