Chapter Eleven
The next day, when Gu Baozhu went to pay her respects at the main courtyard where Madam Bo was staying, her words inevitably carried a hint of reproach.
Why is the Dowager Lady Mingming suddenly making changes to her dowry list now, when she had already prepared it?
After all, she was a child she had raised for many years. Her aunt comforted her, "Leyao is going to marry into the Prince's Mansion. At most, you will marry into the Pingxi Marquis's Mansion. Your dowry will be a little less than hers, so don't worry about it."
Gu Baozhu said she wouldn't take it to heart, but resentment and malice arose in her heart.
As expected, it's no good if they're not her biological daughter; the dowry that Madam Bo gave Gu Leyao was much more than what she gave her.
*
Gu Leyao was unaware of Gu Baozhu's ulterior motives; brides in the capital were required to embroider their own wedding dresses.
However, the wedding dresses of the noble ladies in the city were mostly embroidered by top embroiderers, with only a few stitches left for the noble ladies to finish.
When Gu Leyao saw the pair of wild geese sent by the Prince of Dingbei's mansion, she remembered that in ancient wedding customs, it was quite rare for the groom's family to send wild geese.
Li Heng sent a gift, and Gu Leyao wanted to reciprocate, but she felt that sending an ordinary gift would seem too commonplace.
If she sent some gold and silver jewelry, the Prince of Dingbei would have plenty and probably wouldn't care. Gu Leyao thought for a moment and suddenly remembered a very beautiful return gift. Come to think of it, she had learned this in her previous life.
Gu Leyao asked Chuntao to bring a round honeydew melon from the kitchen. She then took a slender knife, peeled off the melon's skin, and spent half an hour carving it into a lifelike tiger.
This tiger has a palm-sized body, is golden all over, and has its tail held high, looking very majestic.
There's a reason why a tiger was carved.
A few days ago, Gu Leyao was chatting with Zhou's mother when she unexpectedly learned that the Prince of Dingbei was born in the Year of the Tiger.
In her past life, when she was a food blogger, she often had to learn new things to keep herself updated. This fruit carving was something she learned in her past life to attract followers.
When the finished product was completed, her fans thought she had done a great job sculpting it and sent Gu Leyao several rockets as a reward.
Gu Leyao asked the housekeeper to fetch some ice and place it around the tiger-shaped fruit carving. Finally, she used a sturdy jujube wood food box to store the tiger-shaped fruit carving.
In this way, even if the weather is hot, the tiger fruit will not rot or spoil when it is carved into the Dingbei Prince's Mansion.
*
Dingbei Palace.
When Li Heng was teaching the young prince military strategy, he received this tiger-shaped fruit carving and his face showed a rare look of surprise.
The young prince ran up to Li Heng's side, looking at the tiger-shaped fruit carving with great curiosity, "Did my imperial aunt make this?"
The young prince loved sweet things, but the empress was afraid he would have a toothache, so she wouldn't let him eat too much.
He reached out to touch the fruit carving. It was so well made, and it smelled sweet and refreshing. The little prince instinctively wanted to take a piece of the bright yellow fruit and eat it.
Li Heng stretched out a large hand with distinct knuckles and separated the young prince from the tiger fruit carving.
The little prince pouted, "Uncle! You're so stingy! You won't even give me a slice of melon. When Aunt marries into the royal family, I'm going to tell her you're such a cheapskate!"
"Li Qi, go and tell the kitchen staff to cut some honeydew melon for the Crown Prince." Li Heng ignored the young prince's threat.
The young prince made a face at Li Heng, "Hehehe! Uncle is too mean! I'm not playing with Uncle anymore!"
After saying that, she took small steps and ran away.
Li Heng watched his figure run away into the distance, then directed the guards beside him to follow, while he himself stared at the tiger-shaped fruit sculpture in front of him, a very faint smile appearing on his face.
Who told her he was born in the Year of the Tiger?
It must be Zhou's mother.
Li Heng fiddled with the jujube wood food box beside him and heard a thud. The afternoon sun shone on his half-lowered eyelashes, and he suddenly felt that getting married might indeed be a good thing.
He was looking forward to her life after she came to the Prince's mansion. He was sure it wouldn't be as boring as it was now.
*
Gu Leyao and Li Heng chose the eighth day of the fifth lunar month as their wedding day, an auspicious day for marriage, praying for blessings, and holding betrothal rites.
The jujube tree in Gu Leyao's courtyard was then covered with tiny white flowers, which looked like a large expanse of fresh snow. The housekeeper said that the jujube tree would bear fruit in August, and the jujubes would be green at first and then slowly turn red.
On her wedding day, Gu Leyao was pulled up by Chun Tao and Zhou's mother before dawn. She was first put into the wedding dress that had been prepared in advance, and then Zhou's mother made her sit down in front of the dressing table.
Because she was marrying into the royal family, the Empress specially sent a female official skilled in makeup and grooming to do Gu Leyao's makeup.
The ladies-in-waiting who could remain in the inner palace were all truly skilled. After cleansing their faces, they would apply a thin layer of flower oil, then apply a light touch of rouge, gently patting it in and gradually blending it outwards.
Gu Leyao listened to them, closed her eyes and let them draw for half an hour. When she opened her eyes again, she couldn't even recognize herself.
She looks so beautiful! Her tiny face, no bigger than a palm, is adorned with pearl flower decorations, making her look delicate and adorable. Her skin looks like a child's skin, so tender and soft. Her makeup skills are amazing!
Gu Leyao touched her face with obvious affection, but Zhou Mama pulled her hand down and reminded her, "Your Highness, don't smudge your makeup!"
Gu Leyao nodded reluctantly.
As female members of the Earl's household, Gu Baozhu and Madam Bo had to wait in the courtyard for Gu Leyao to come out.
Remembering Uncle Zhongqin's instructions, the lady of the house made her eyes red and swollen early in the morning, and Gu Baozhu's eyes were filled with tears.
Although they weren't mother and daughter, they were both excellent actors. As soon as they saw Gu Leyao come out of the house, they went to greet her.
Lady Bo, like a truly loving mother, instructed her daughter, "Once you marry into the Prince's mansion, you will become a member of the royal family. You must live your life carefully. Once you win the Prince's favor, don't forget our Zhongqin Earl's mansion. Your brother doesn't have a title yet. You are siblings. Only if he lives well can you live well."
Gu Leyao was in a good mood today, and she almost vomited when she heard what the Madam said.
Gu Baozhu was probably in a particularly bad mood today. She just held onto Madam Bo's arm, pretending to be very reluctant to part with Gu Leyao, and couldn't say a word.
Gu Leyao took one last look at the courtyard where she lived. She had nothing to be reluctant about leaving the Marquis's mansion, but this courtyard was an exception.
Such a spacious and elegant courtyard has always been Gu Leyao's dream home. In modern times, she dreamed of earning enough money to buy such a large courtyard and live a pastoral life.
Gu Leyao finally had Zhou Mama put the veil on her head and left the Earl's mansion without looking back.
She felt that although Li Heng was a prince, he was a very good person, and that she might be able to have a place to live similar to this courtyard after she went to the prince's mansion.
Logically, Li Heng has a leg ailment and cannot attend the wedding. In this situation, the bride's brother should carry her to the bridal sedan chair. However, Gu Leyao and Gu Ronghua do not have a good relationship.
She didn't ask Gu Ronghua to carry her; instead, she had Zhou's mother lead her into the bridal sedan chair.
Because Gu Leyao's head was covered by a veil, she didn't see Huo Pingyuan standing in the crowd, watching her from afar as she came out of the Zhongqin Earl's Mansion and got into the bridal sedan chair.
Huo Pingyuan stood among the onlookers with a blank expression on his face.
The surrounding people didn't know his identity or what he was thinking. Everyone happily went to pick up the scattered lucky money. The Marquis of Zhongqin's mansion was very generous this time, and the lucky money was plentiful. Those who were quick-handed and sharp-eyed could pick up fifty or sixty coins, enough for a day's expenses!
A series of firecrackers crackled and popped as the bridal sedan chair was lifted. Gu Leyao sat inside, removed her red veil, and peeked out furtively.
She made eye contact with a little girl watching outside the sedan chair, smiled shyly, and quickly closed the curtain.
The girl also grabbed her mother's hand and shouted to her, "Look at me, Mother! The bride in the sedan chair! She's so beautiful!"
Her mother patted her head, "All brides are beautiful! I'll put a red flower ornament on your head when we get back!"
Gu Leyao was unaware of the conversation between the mother and daughter. She felt that they had almost arrived at the Prince's Mansion, so she covered her head with the red veil again.
This red veil is made of fine gold-embroidered material, and is very exquisite. It has also been scented with a faint pear fragrance, which is elegant and pleasant.
Gu Leyao was led into the main hall of the Prince's Mansion by Zhou Mama. Halfway there, Zhou Mama let go of her hand, and then immediately took another hand in hers.
These hands are lean and strong, with large, dry, and warm palms.
Gu Leyao's heart skipped a beat, "Your Highness?"
Li Heng's voice was in her ear, deep and pleasant, "It's me, don't be afraid."
Li Heng led Gu Leyao to the bridal chamber for the wedding ceremony, and then they went to the bridal chamber. Gu Leyao took Li Heng's hand and entered the room, where Li Heng led her to sit on the bridal bed.
“I’ve heard that brides usually don’t eat anything in the morning in order to get ready. You should eat something to fill your stomach first.”
Li Heng lifted Gu Leyao's red veil and smiled as he spoke to her.
Gu Leyao smiled at him, "I am indeed hungry, but Your Highness, this crown is too heavy, could you help me take it off?"
This crown weighs about ten pounds and is made of glass. It has peony branches made of glass on it, with sparse branches and pink peonies in full bloom. There are also ice-blue butterflies as embellishments. It is beautiful, but it is too heavy. Gu Leyao wore it for several hours and felt that her neck was about to bend.
Li Heng pushed the wheelchair forward himself, and Gu Leyao leaned forward slightly. The two of them worked together to remove the peony glass crown.
Li Heng held it in his hand and weighed it in his hand. "It is indeed not light. I'm sorry to have troubled you."
Gu Leyao shook her head. "What's so difficult about it? I heard this crown is worth a fortune. It's so expensive and so beautiful, it's a sweet burden to me. Although it's heavy, I'm willing to wear it!"
Li Heng didn't understand Gu Leyao's thoughts, but he respected them.
He summoned the matchmaker who was waiting outside. The matchmaker, followed by two maids, came in carrying the wedding wine.
The matchmaker was a 66-year-old woman with many children and grandchildren, and a harmonious family. She was the best and most blessed old woman that Li Heng had found in the capital.
The matchmaker handed the wine to Li Heng and Gu Leyao, watching them cross their arms and drink the wine for the wedding night. With a smile on her face, she loudly chanted, "When the bridal chamber is scattered to the east, it's as if a goddess descends from the Wushan Mountain, surrounding the immortal groom to the phoenix tent, the red seals are lifted layer by layer. When the bridal chamber is scattered to the west, the brocade ribbons and tassels hang at the four corners, and when they are lifted, the face of Chang'e is revealed, so that the immortal groom may pluck a branch... I humbly wish that after the bridal chamber is scattered, it will last for a thousand autumns!" [1]
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