Chapter 2 Marriage "I'll go back to Chaolu later to consummate our marriage~"...
With the auspicious time fast approaching, Hela wanted nothing more than to kick him: "What are you all standing there for! Wash up and change!"
Perhaps due to the suppression of his bloodline, Chao Lu did not refute, but simply said, "We hunted a wild deer, and it was quite large."
Hela was delighted: "Then I'll deliver it to the Golden Tent later to add to the joy of your wedding!"
Chao Lu frowned slightly: "I won't send it. I'll keep it for myself."
Hela choked for a moment: "There's enough meat at home for you, hurry up!"
The man didn't say anything more and turned to leave.
Before leaving, he glanced at Ruan Yu, whose face was deathly pale.
"How was it? How was it?" As soon as Chaolu went out, Has rushed forward impatiently. Clearly, they had been waiting there for a long time.
Only Yang Chong remained obediently standing in place.
The man pursed his lips but didn't say anything more, and Has understood immediately.
"Ah...this isn't about the most beautiful woman in Chang'an..."
"Women in Chang'an are generally petite and slender, probably for this reason..."
"That makes sense..."
Chaolu ignored them and went straight back to his tent.
Ruan Yu didn't hear the sounds outside; her mind was filled with images of people as big as a mountain. Her fingers were twirling together beneath her wide sleeves. Hela, unaware of what she was thinking, simply stood up and said, "Please sit for a little while longer. I'll go and get ready."
Ruan Yu nodded haphazardly.
After Hela left, Xuanniang and Qingguo stepped forward again.
Qingguo's face also turned a little pale: "The Fourth Prince is too frightening... This... this... I have never seen such a tall and strong man before..."
Xuan Niang looked at Ruan Yu with concern, "The Fourth Prince's physique... Miss, you're starting out, I'm afraid you'll suffer a bit... I hope His Highness is someone who will cherish and protect women..."
Showing pity and tenderness to a beautiful woman?
No matter how much she pityed and cherished them, the gap between them was a fact, and Ruan Yu felt a chill in her heart.
Fifteen minutes later, the tent was lifted again. This time, Haila was not there, only Chaolu.
All the maids stood respectfully to one side, and Ruan Yu also raised her fan.
"They're gone."
The man said calmly.
Ruan Yu nodded obediently and stood up. Unfortunately, she was not used to wearing the grassland dress. As soon as she stood up, she felt dizzy and her figure swayed.
She managed to stand firmly and take a step outward, but it felt as if the shoes weighed a ton, making it incredibly difficult.
The man stood watching from the side, and finally, when Ruan Yu took her third difficult step, Chao Lu reached out and grabbed her.
"If you keep walking like this, you won't reach the Golden Tent even by dawn." He chuckled softly, and Ruan Yu heard a hint of mockery in his voice.
Ruan Yu felt as if her wrist was being branded with a hot iron. She opened her eyes slightly and heard the man say in a low voice, "What are you standing there for? Help me, use my strength, and walk faster."
There is no tradition of riding in a sedan chair on the grasslands, so they have to walk the whole way themselves, and the herders on the grasslands will offer them flowers and blessings along the way.
Ruan Yu snapped out of her daze, "Oh... okay..."
The two finally walked out of the tent together.
Outside the tent, Hela stood not far away. After seeing this scene, the corners of her lips curled up. With Chao Lu supporting her, Ruan Yu did feel much more relaxed. She didn't care about the man's tone just now. As long as she could feel comfortable for a while, that was good enough.
Upon reaching Hela, according to etiquette, Hela gently touched Ruan Yu's forehead with water infused with fresh flowers, and then said a few words of blessing in Mongolian. Although Ruan Yu could not understand the words, she could guess their general meaning.
Behind Hela were two rows of servants and maids dressed in formal attire, who were about to accompany them to the Khan's Golden Tent.
The journey would take about fifteen minutes. The herders on the grassland were cheering and singing, holding hands and spinning around. But at this moment, Ruan Yu's back was soaked with sweat, and her neck was starting to ache slightly.
She held on, not daring to make a single mistake...
Envoys from the Central Plains also came for this marriage alliance, but they should all be waiting inside the golden tent now. Looking at the completely unfamiliar faces around her, Ruan Yu became increasingly nervous.
Chao Lu turned his head and glanced at the Central Plains woman beside him.
They are far too weak.
Is she fifteen? Or thirteen?
Chaolu was completely indifferent to this marriage. As a Taiji, marriage was always a political necessity, but marrying a woman from the Central Plains was something he had never expected.
The father disliked his mother and women from the Central Plains, yet he insisted on a marriage alliance with her.
In his father's heart, he was indeed the most indifferent.
But he still agreed, because for him, getting married was like a task; he didn't have a woman he liked, so it didn't matter who he married.
He would accept marrying a so-called princess from the Central Plains if it would bring benefits to his tribe; as for the woman, he could only blame her bad luck.
Completely unaware of the dramatic scene unfolding around her, Ruan Yu focused solely on her own steps. Finally, after a long while, the two reached the golden tent. But when she looked up, she nearly fainted. Wasn't this the grassland? What were these high steps all about?!
Chao Lu seemed to have figured something out, and frowned slightly. "Hold on tight to me, I'll carry you up."
Ruan Yu was stunned for a moment, not even realizing what the word "lift" meant, when she saw Chao Lu suddenly wrap her arm around his own, and then with a slight pull, the soles of Ruan Yu's shoes were lifted off the ground...
Ruan Yu: "..."
So it's this "提".
Is this correct?
Fortunately, the servants on both sides of the steps had their heads bowed, and no one saw the sudden increase in speed. When they reached the top, Chao Lu let go of his hand and whispered a reminder: "Stand firm."
Ruan Yu's eyes were vacant, and she seemed to be in despair.
With Chaolu's prompting, she managed to stand firm, and then looked up to see a large crowd of people not far away, as well as the drummer beside her.
The drums and music began, and the ceremony commenced.
Although the journey just now had really made her a little... she had to admit that she was also thanks to the people around her, which gave her the strength to continue with the ceremony. Everything was exactly the same as the etiquette process she had heard countless times on the way, and Ruan Yu did not make a single mistake.
Finally, the two faced each other, preparing to perform the final grand ceremony.
Throughout the journey, Ruan Yu had been walking beside him the whole time and hadn't seen the man's face at all. Even now, face to face, she still needed to tilt her head back slightly to see him.
Then Ruan Yu realized that the man in front of her was not as frightening as she had seen at noon.
He was undoubtedly a strong adult man, but his features were not rough; instead, they had the refined features of a man from the Central Plains. However, having spent many years on the grasslands, he also possessed an unrefined quality. He wasn't particularly "handsome," but he exuded the masculine aura of someone basking in the sun.
As Ruan Yu looked at him, Chao Lu's eyes never left her, but those eyes were unfathomable and unfathomable.
Ruan Yu withdrew her gaze, performed the last grand salute, and as she stood up, she heard bursts of Mongolian voices; they must have been cheering and shouting.
Hurile stood up; this Khan, who was no longer young, still had a majestic figure.
"Chaolu, bring your bride forward."
Chao Lu nodded, and Ruan Yu and he slowly walked up the steps.
The tribe's nobles sat on all four sides. Chaolu's three older brothers were all married and sat with their respective Khatuns. Next to Hurile was his wife, Khatun Saren of the Chaha tribe.
Before coming, Ruan Yu had prepared her own gift, which she presented with both hands. It was a vest from the Central Plains, which Ruan Yu had sewn herself, as a token of her daughter-in-law's respect. Hadun accepted it with a smile and returned the gift in return: a blue hada (ceremonial scarf) and an exquisite Mongolian robe.
Ruan Yu respectfully thanked him and accepted the gift.
The grand ceremony was finally completed, and Ruan Yu breathed a sigh of relief. At last, she could sit down with Chao Lu.
Today they are the newcomers, the main characters, so the two of them sat to the Khan's left, and to his right were His Highness Damu and his family of three.
As cheerful music played, the banquet began.
One dish after another was served on the table. Ruan Yu sat upright, maintaining her composure. All she could see on the table in front of her were plates of roasted mutton, beef, and mare's milk wine...
The Khan stood up again, a gesture to raise a glass. Ruan Yu, seeing Chao Lu raise his glass out of the corner of her eye, immediately followed suit. She didn't drink alcohol, and had never tasted mare's milk wine before. With a "what the heck" attitude, Ruan Yu took a large gulp—
Surprisingly, it tastes pretty good?
Ruan Yu was very thirsty, and couldn't help but take another small sip.
She had just put down her wine cup when she suddenly noticed that the person next to her seemed to be looking at her. But when she turned to look at him, the man had already looked away and casually swirled his wine bowl.
Hadun laughed and said, "Chaolu looks good today, and the bride is beautiful too. You two are a match made in heaven."
Chao Lu sat up straight and offered a toast to Chao Hadun.
Everyone laughed along.
The banquet initially seemed similar to a palace banquet, but in the second half, the style changed. Everyone started dancing inside the tent, and those who weren't satisfied with dancing inside the tent even went outside to sing and dance.
Men, women, young and old all came out to eat meat and drink alcohol heartily.
Several men began to pull on Chao Lu, but thankfully, they did not pull on Ruan Yu.
She breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Chaolu didn't dance, but he couldn't escape being forced to drink. The bonfire grew bigger and bigger, with a steady stream of suckling pigs and fat sheep sizzling and dripping with oil. The firelight illuminated the faces of the strong men on the grassland, and the envoys from Chang'an joined in, but Ruan Yu felt out of place in this scene.
She missed her mother and her younger brother.
After learning about her true parentage, Ruan Yu's biggest fear was not losing her status as a noblewoman, but losing her stepmother and younger brother.
But her mother was truly kind; she didn't abandon her just because she wasn't her biological child. However, her stepmother was also heartbroken, not knowing where her own child was...
The inner quarters of the Marquis's mansion were chaotic and corrupt, and life was already difficult for them. This is why Ruan Yu had no choice but to agree when the Marquis's wife asked her to marry in her place.
Her only consolation was that the moon in Chang'an should be the same as the one here.
Ruan Yu silently looked up...
The ceremony would continue until late at night, with the latter half being almost entirely a drinking session for men.
Sensing Ruan Yu's helplessness, Hadun had one of his maids step forward and offer Xuan Niang a few words of advice, for which Xuan Niang was extremely grateful.
“Miss, we can head back to our tents now.”
Hela also came over at this time, presumably to pick her up.
Ruan Yu breathed a sigh of relief and stood up.
Hela smiled and walked to her side, saying, "You can go back and rest now. Chaolu will come back later to consummate our marriage."
Ruan Yu's body, which had just regained its footing, suddenly swayed.
My heart, which had been relaxed, tightened again.
There's really no need to remind her so bluntly...
A note from the author:
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[doge emoji][doge emoji][doge emoji][doge emoji]
Sister: Is this considered being straightforward? You'll understand later! [Milk tea emoji]
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