Marriage for good luck
On the third day of May, the flowers are in full bloom and the sun is shining brightly.
On the broad avenues of Shengjing City, the air was filled with joy and the blast of firecrackers. A procession of people, at least a hundred in number, came to pick up their relatives, all of them wearing red silk around their waists and with joyful expressions on their faces. They beat drums and gongs along the way, creating a festive atmosphere.
Today is the wedding day of Pei Songsheng, the only son of Taifu Pei, and Cheng Yayin, the youngest daughter of the great scholar Mr. Cheng.
Taifu Pei is the backbone of the country and has a prominent reputation. Mr. Cheng has many students all over the world and is highly valued by the country. His son is a young talent and a famous Confucian scholar. They are a perfect match made in heaven. Once they get married, the whole city will celebrate the event, and people will gather in the streets and alleys to watch and talk about it.
However, there are other things to discuss besides the fact that the couple is a match made in heaven.
A wealthy family naturally lavished itself on weddings. Wherever the sedan passed, maids and servants carrying gift baskets generously scattered candy and money. Red envelopes rained down like a dense rain, and everyone who saw them received a share. A tall woman, leveraging her height and reach, swept up a bosom full of red envelopes, tucked them away joyfully. Turning to her companions, she gossiped, "Didn't I hear that Miss Cheng has been ill for a long time? A few days ago, I saw the Cheng family posting a list of doctors everywhere. How come they're getting married all of a sudden?"
No one could explain it, but a middle-aged man with a red face and short beard came forward and said mysteriously, "The reason behind this is quite strange."
The people around were curious and asked what was so strange about it.
Seeing the bride-picking procession gradually moving away, the middle-aged man, not afraid of being overheard, began to talk, "My second aunt's friend's son works as a handyman at the Cheng residence. He heard that Miss Cheng suddenly fell ill a few months ago and is on the verge of death. Doctors from inside and outside Shengjing have been consulted, and the Cheng family has also sent people to search for famous doctors, but none of them can diagnose the cause. The Cheng residence has been shrouded in sorrow these days, and Madam Cheng has been in tears every day!"
“But half a month ago, a wandering Taoist priest suddenly came to the Cheng Mansion. He said that he had calculated that the young lady of the mansion was in trouble and that it was related to her fate, and he wanted to help her resolve it. As for the method of resolving it…” The middle-aged man pretended to pause, and was satisfied to see that everyone was looking at him with burning eyes. Then he cleared his throat and said slowly: “The Taoist priest counted with his fingers and said that this was a calamity in Miss Cheng’s life. She had to find a man with a specific birth date and eight characters to perform a wedding ceremony to resolve it. He also calculated that this man had a connection with the Cheng family and was a student of Mr. Cheng. Mr. Cheng had many disciples, and after comparing them one by one, he found that there really was such a person. It was our groom, the son of Master Pei—Pei Songsheng!
"What the Taoist said was quite absurd, but Mr. Cheng was so eager to save his daughter that he took the initiative to come and ask for marriage, which led to this marriage."
The people around them all sighed at the mysteries of life. If that were the case, it really was a match made in heaven. But a pointed-faced woman scoffed, "That might not be the case."
Everyone was puzzled, and the woman said, "My third uncle's aunt's sister-in-law is a maid in the Huaiyang Marquis's mansion. I heard that one day, the Grand Tutor's wife came to visit and chatted with the Marquis' wife. She said that Princess Zhaohua in the palace has long been in love with Master Pei, and His Majesty wanted to arrange a marriage. He asked Grand Tutor Pei in advance. The Grand Tutor went home and asked his son if he was interested, but he was told that he already had someone he loved."
In this case, the Pei family had to marry her because she was their teacher's daughter and her life was at stake.
Everyone changed their tone again, saying that God also wanted to enjoy the fun. This man was heartless and the woman was indifferent, but they were forced to be together. I'm afraid there will be another pair of resentful lovers in the world.
Once the marriage is completed and the mansion doors are closed, it is difficult for outsiders to get a glimpse of what is going on inside. However, Daxi is a country of peace and prosperity, and the people are well-off and happy. They naturally have unlimited leisure time to be curious about the follow-up of such a bizarre marriage.
It was said that Miss Cheng's health improved soon after the marriage, but there had been no further rumors of marital discord within the palace, nor had anyone seen them walking around in harmony. It seemed they were like most couples in the world, superficially respecting each other and making do with each other for the rest of their lives. The common people gradually lost interest. In the vast capital, old and new events unfolded daily, and they had other matters to worry about. Gradually, no one cared about the future of this much-discussed marriage.
Three years later.
It rained all night in Shengjing, and by the afternoon, though the clouds had dispersed and the rain had cleared, the sky remained dark. The paving stones were occasionally chipped and sunken, where puddles of rainwater accumulated. Pedestrians had to choose their paths carefully; if they accidentally stepped into the water, their shoes would inevitably get wet. In short, it was not a good day for travel.
But on this day, the Fanle Building was still as grand as ever. There was an endless stream of carriages and pedestrians on the main roads leading directly to the main building, and the front of the building was crowded with guests. A fair-faced young man walked towards the door with his head lowered. He was of slender figure, wearing a simple moon-white robe. He moved nimbly among the colorful embroidered robes and brocade clothes, and entered the door without attracting anyone's attention and went straight to the second floor.
Compared to the bustling lobby on the first floor, the second floor, which was filled with private rooms reserved for distinguished guests, was much quieter and more elegant. The young man went up to the second floor and, with familiarity, headed straight for a private room with a lacquer sign with the word "天" hanging on the door. As his footsteps reached the door, the gauze curtain was lifted by a hand wearing a gold-inlaid jade bracelet. A pretty woman inside immediately smiled brightly, "You've come just in time, my dear. The show is about to begin."
The young man also raised his head and smiled at her. When he raised his head, his porcelain-white face was illuminated by the burning lamp inside. His eyebrows were long, his eyes were almond-shaped, his nose was upturned, and his lips were cherry-like. His eyes were so charming that even the glass lamps in the hall lost some of their luster - he was actually a young lady dressed as a man.
What the woman said was true. As soon as the young lady sat down, the sound of cymbals clashing against each other was heard from below. The noise in the hall was paused for a moment. Everyone held their breath unconsciously and focused their attention. On the large stage with carved railings and beautiful decorations, a graceful actress danced with her sleeves and appeared on the stage to the sound of stringed instruments.
Xia Changhuan waved an embroidered fan and looked downstairs with satisfaction, enjoying the play on the stage and the people in the audience who were fascinated by the play.
This is Fanle Tower, the most prosperous and lively place in Shengjing City. She is in the "Tian"-brand private room with the best view in Fanle Tower. The play being sung on the stage is the most acclaimed masterpiece in Shengjing at the moment, "The Story of the Red Tassel", written by Song Lingjun, the most famous and mysterious writer in Shengjing literary world in recent years.
——It was not a mystery to her. This new literary star who aroused the curiosity of countless people but whose appearance was difficult to get a glimpse of was sitting next to her at this moment.
Xia Changhuan looked at Cheng Yayin's beautiful profile, which could not be concealed even in plain men's clothing. While putting an orange slice into her mouth, she secretly sighed that the life of this writer was as wonderful and bizarre as the protagonist in her works.
The daughter of a great scholar, born into a family of upright virtue, she married a distinguished family, a renowned young talent in Shengjing. Ordinarily, such a distinguished lady from a distinguished family would behave in a manner consistent with her status, even her poetry and prose, which she embodied with decorum. However, her actions were truly absurd. Not only did she write a book of social life that was considered beneath the rank of a poetic scholar, she also published it anonymously, concealing it from her husband's family. Within three short years, the name Song Lingjun rose to prominence in Shengjing, yet no one knew the woman behind it was a woman of virtue and virtuous character.
However, Xia Changhuan was naturally happy to see this happen. She was the daughter of a merchant and had a bookstore in her camp. By chance, she met and became friends with Cheng Yayin. All the works she wrote under the name of Song Lingjun were sold exclusively by her, and she made a lot of money.
Half a year ago, after the departure of Liu Cuifu, the top performer of Fanlelou and the famous courtesan who once moved the capital with her pipa music, the business of Fanlelou was not as good as before. However, Xia Changhuan had great business talent and immediately seized the opportunity to cooperate with him to bring Song Lingjun's latest masterpiece "The Story of the Red Tassel" to the stage. This was a great success. On the day of the performance, the streets of Shengjing were deserted and Fanlelou was hard to get a seat. Both she and Fanlelou made a lot of money. Boss Zhao of Fanlelou smiled every time he saw her and wanted to worship her like the God of Wealth.
He didn't know that the real God of Wealth was someone else, who was sitting in his private room, watching the show with great interest.
It was all thanks to her that they could make money. Xia Changhuan put down his fan and peeled a bowl full of preserved almonds as an offering. The Goddess of Wealth did not refuse politely and accepted it with a frank smile.
As Xia Changhuan peeled walnuts, he said to Cheng Yayin, who was popping dried peaches into her mouth, "Today is the premiere of this month. Are you really going to leave before you finish watching it?"
The Red Tassel is performed for three consecutive days in the latter half of every month. Cheng Yayin has always been there. Upon hearing this, she sighed and said, "Yes, it's my mother-in-law's birthday today, so of course I have to go back and celebrate it for her."
Xia Changhuan nodded in understanding. This was another strange thing about her. That city-wide wedding three years ago was still talked about today. Who could have imagined that the couple everyone admired was actually just a couple in name only, barely speaking to each other for three years? The couple had grown so estranged that they still had to pretend to be together when it came time for an elder's birthday.
The play was halfway through, and the music on stage hadn't stopped. Cheng Yayin glanced at the clepsydra in the corner of the private room, wiped her hands and face with a handkerchief, and stood up and said to Xia Changhuan, "Don't peel it anymore. I'm leaving right away."
"good."
To avoid attracting attention, Xia Changhuan did not go out to see her off. While everyone's attention was on the stage, Cheng Yayin quietly left, head down, just as she had come.
It was already dusk. The sky had been overcast all day, but now some afterglow had dispersed. Cheng Yayin returned to Pei Mansion before the last ray of sunset disappeared. The corner gate had already been guarded and the gatekeepers had been arranged and dismissed. As soon as she entered, Lan Yue, the dowry maid who had been waiting there, hurried to greet her.
"Miss, why did you come back at this hour? I was so anxious that I almost went to Fanle Tower to look for you."
Cheng Yayin said embarrassedly, "I was so engrossed in watching it that I almost forgot the time."
All the servants had been sent away along the way from the corner gate to the inner courtyard. The master and servant hurried along. Lan Yue said, "The master returned early today and sent Jian Zhu to ask when you could leave. Yi Xing and I said you were still taking your lunch break, so he didn't send anyone to urge you. But you slept until now. It's really unreasonable."
"Ah?" Cheng Yayin didn't expect Pei Songsheng to come back so early today, but when she thought about his mother's birthday, as a son she naturally had to make preparations early. She couldn't help but regret her carelessness and hurriedly quickened her pace to return to her room.
Fortunately, the birthday gifts had been prepared a month in advance, and the dresses and jewelry to be worn for the birthday banquet had also been chosen. As soon as the door was closed, Lanyue and Yixing helped to take off the crown and braid the hair, and the other helped to take off the robe and change clothes. The three masters and servants were busy but not chaotic. When Cheng Yayin went out again, she turned back into the daughter of a great scholar or the wife of a nobleman, who wore embroidered skirts and beaded jewelry, and whose dress, speech and behavior were all appropriate and impeccable.
The servant came to report that the carriage was ready. After Cheng Yayin finished dressing up, she went straight out of the house. Before she reached the door, she saw the tall figure outside.
The sky gradually darkened, and the lamp at the door was on. The warm light streamed down on him, making him look indifferent yet with a silent gentleness.
As if he heard a noise behind him, he turned around and met Cheng Yayin's gaze.
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