In the flower hall, on the men's side, Jiang Junyu personally accompanied the two princes. Although the Jiang family was dissatisfied with Xiao Zhen, they showed great magnanimity, warmly entertaining him without holding a grudge on this occasion.
Standing back-to-back with Xiao Zhen was Bai Fujun, the sixth young master of the Bai family.
Xiao Zhen knew that Bai Fujun was the next head of the Bai family, so he drank a couple of cups with him. When he noticed a few stray hairs on Bai Fujun's clothes, he quietly put them away.
Bai Fujun had no idea about this.
Throughout the banquet, even during the wedding ceremony, Xiao Zhen stayed close to Bai Fujun, collecting stray hairs from her body several times, totaling more than a dozen.
That should be enough.
Jiang Juncai was in a good mood today. Many of his colleagues came, and he drank quite a bit of wine. By the time he was finally helped into the bridal chamber by a servant, he was a little dizzy.
The next morning, Yuan Qi got up early and practiced her sword in the courtyard. In the past, when she was at Baiyun Temple, she would also attend morning classes with her fellow disciples. Over the years, she had developed this habit and never slacked off after coming to the Jiang family.
Seeing that it was almost time, Green Bamboo reminded her, "Miss, today the eldest young mistress will be serving tea to the Marquis and his wife. You should go and watch the ceremony early."
"Alright." Yuan Qi sheathed his sword, handed it to Green Bamboo, and then went inside.
She changed into a green dress and dressed up carefully, trying not to steal the bride's thunder.
Everyone had already gathered in the lobby.
Jiang Zhengqing and Xiangli Mingzhu sat in the main seats, with Li Guiqie sitting to the side. Several of Jiang Zhengqing's younger brothers, who had already separated from the family, also came with their families. Several younger relatives lined up on both sides. Jiang Jiulu and Jiang Songlu also made an appearance today, but they looked rather haggard and had little interest in anything.
Yuan Qi met a large group of cousins he rarely saw.
So many people filled the huge front hall to the brim.
Before long, Jiang Juncai arrived with his new bride. Jiang Juncai was wearing a dark green straight-cut robe, while his new bride, Feng Caiyi, wore a light green wide-sleeved fairy dress. She was elegant and dignified, but she looked somewhat frail. She walked lightly and seemed to be unwell, and her complexion was not good.
She was completely different from the healthy, rosy-cheeked, and energetic Feng Caiyi I had seen a few days ago.
When everyone saw the newlyweds, they all smiled knowingly. Subconsciously, everyone assumed that Jiang Juncai, as the commander of the Imperial Guards, was highly skilled in martial arts, so it was normal for him to have exhausted the bride so much at night that her legs were too weak to get out of bed.
No one doubted that the bride was not the real person; after all, her appearance and figure were unmistakable, and she was indeed Feng Caiyi herself.
Yuan Qi could tell at a glance that something was wrong with the bride; her spirit was unstable, and her soul seemed incompatible with her body. If she was right, the bride had probably been switched.
Jiang Juncai, accompanied by "Feng Caiyi," stepped forward to kowtow and offer tea to his parents.
Yuan Qi examined the face of the bride's spirit closely and found that it was indeed not the same face as her physical body.
She imagined a dramatic scene in her mind: the Feng sisters scheming against each other to fight over a man.
Jiang Juncai's excellence is undeniable. Not only is he outstanding, but he is also extremely handsome. He holds the high-ranking position of Commander of the Imperial Guards at a young age, with a promising future ahead of him. Marrying such a man would guarantee a life of glory and prestige. What woman wouldn't be tempted?
Jiang Zhengqing and Xiangli Mingzhu drank tea, and Xiangli Mingzhu took out a gift that she had prepared in advance and handed it to the bride.
The bride then served tea to her uncle and aunt, receiving a large number of gifts in return.
The bride also gave a gift in return, and prepared gifts for Jiang Juncai's younger brother, sister, cousin, and other relatives as well.
Her behavior was impeccable, befitting a lady from a respectable family; there was not a single fault in the entire process.
Yuan Qi felt that this "Feng Caiyi" must be very close to Feng Caiyi, perhaps even a legitimate daughter of the family, given her familiarity with the tea-serving ceremony. Could she be a married woman from the Feng family?
She had never seen this woman before, nor did she know who she was.
When it was Yuan Qi's turn, it was a pearl necklace, and the quality looked quite good.
Yuan Qi stared at the gift but did not accept it.
She didn't call her sister-in-law either.
Jiang Juncai asked her softly, "You're so naughty, why didn't you accept the gift your sister-in-law gave you?"
Yuan Qi looked at "Feng Caiyi" and asked, "Are you my sister-in-law?"
Feng Caiyi visibly panicked for a moment, then masked her unease with an awkward smile. She turned to Jiang Juncai for help, "Husband, perhaps Seventh Sister thinks the gift is too light. I'll..."
Jiang Juncai gently patted his new bride's hand and scolded Yuan Qi: "Seventh sister, you're talking nonsense. How can she not be your sister-in-law?"
The rest of the Jiang family also looked over, and they all felt that Yuan Qi was just making trouble for no reason.
Jiang Junyu's sharp gaze swept over "Feng Caiyi," and a question arose in his mind. He had never heard that the eldest daughter of the Feng family was weak, and his elder brother had drunk too much last night, so he should not have had the energy to consummate the marriage. He knew that when a man was drunk, he was like a lump of mud and could not possibly do such a thing.
However, the bride's legs were still weak and she looked a little dizzy. Those who didn't know the reason assumed that Jiang Juncai had made her feel unwell, so everyone looked at Jiang Juncai and his wife with strange eyes.
Especially the aunties, who kept reminding Jiang Juncai that he should cherish his new wife.
Jiang Juncai didn't quite understand what the aunties meant either.
Now that Seventh Sister is suddenly saying this, could it be that there's something wrong with the bride?
Xiangli Mingzhu also felt that Yuan Qi was being unreasonable, so she scolded her: "Xiao Qi, it's fine if you act recklessly on ordinary days, but you can't act recklessly today. Quickly, apologize to your sister-in-law."
"She's not my sister-in-law." Yuan Qi was too lazy to explain, and knew it wouldn't be good to expose her in public, so he could only say some nonsensical things.
She got up and ran away.
Feng Caiyi was very nervous. She used her aggrieved expression to cover up her nervousness and looked at a loss: "Husband, is my gift too light?"
She clenched her hands together, wondering if she had been seen through.
She was unaware of Yuan Qi's abilities, nor did she suspect that she had given herself away; she simply thought Yuan Qi was arrogant and rude. She had heard that the Jiang family had a newly recognized illegitimate daughter who didn't know proper etiquette, and that was probably this person.
She harbored deep resentment, blaming Yuan Qi for making her lose face.
Jiang Juncai also felt that Yuan Qi was indeed being unreasonable today, so he said, "You wait, I'll go find her and bring her back to apologize to you."
Feng Caiyi stopped her, saying, "No, she's young and doesn't know any better. How can I hold it against her? Don't punish a child for such a small thing..."
As soon as she finished speaking, she felt dizzy, as if she was losing control of her body and her soul was about to be expelled from it.
Jiang Juncai quickly helped her up: "How are you? I'll get a doctor right away."
The experienced women in the house, including the aunts and sisters-in-law, covered their mouths and chuckled.
Xiangli Mingzhu sighed helplessly, "Look what you've done to Caiyi."
Jiang Juncai: "..."
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