Chapter 73 With you, I speak, the sun and moon bear witness, and we make this promise.
Jiang Geyun was disturbed by a subtle yet undeniable noise.
She instinctively tried to close her eyes again, but the sound showed no signs of fading away.
She opened her eyes, and the light filtering through the bed curtains shone on her cheeks.
It wasn't ordinary sunlight; it was lamps specially lit by the servants. Furthermore, the extremely light footsteps of the servants and the faint sound of the copper basin touching the table reminded her what day it was.
Jiang Geyun sat up, the brocade quilt slipped off, and the slightly chilly air of early morning touched her skin, the coldness completely waking her up.
The moment she stood up, a voice came from outside the bed curtains, “Lady Jiang, the auspicious time has arrived.”
Jiang Geyun had already heard about today's schedule, so she wasn't surprised. She gently lifted the bed curtains and nodded to the servants waiting outside.
Thick layers of dark blue silk satin wrapped her body, embroidered with extremely fine golden birds whose background color was obscured by dense stitches. Her waist was cinched, and a set of jade pendants was then hung there, making a clear, melodious sound when they touched.
This gorgeous outfit looks better in person than in reality; it's incredibly heavy.
It was heavier than she had expected. Jiang Geyun frowned unconsciously. One of the servants noticed and immediately knelt down to apologize to her.
Jiang Geyun reluctantly stopped them, offered a few words of explanation, and let them continue. Her expression was much more restrained, and she no longer showed any emotion.
The servant who had just apologized to her suddenly joined another person to carry in a flower tree crown, adorned with precious jewels, its shimmering light making the room appear much brighter.
Jiang Geyun admired it for a moment, thinking to herself that this thing could be displayed in a museum as a collection, and only in special exhibitions.
That's ridiculous, I wonder how heavy it is.
It wasn't until the two men carried the flower crown closer to her that she suddenly realized—this thing was meant to be placed on her head!
hiss.
Facing the two servants who were looking at her, Jiang Geyun gave a helpless smile and nodded to indicate that it was alright. The two servants exchanged a glance and ruthlessly put the flower crown on her.
The servants moved gently, but the weight of this thing was unusual. Jiang Geyun kept lowering her head, and it took her a while to get used to it.
The preparations over the past few days and the scale of today's event have both exceeded her expectations.
Jiang Geyun had always thought that, given her and Cheng Xi's situation, the wedding would definitely be simple, but she never expected that one thing after another would shock her.
Eight servants worked for quite some time, and the dressing process finally came to an end when the sunlight outside overwhelmed the candlelight inside.
When Jiang Geyun looked into the mirror, she suddenly felt a sense of unfamiliarity with herself. Her eyebrows were adorned with floral decorations, her cheeks were slanted with rouge, and her lips were painted with a touch of red, making her look extremely noble.
It feels... more like a Christmas tree than a human...
She swayed slightly from side to side, causing her floral crown to tremble and her jade pendants to jingle.
Isn't it just like a jingling bell?
She coughed silently to suppress the background music playing in her mind.
The servants helped her to her feet and escorted her all the way to the carriage in front of the villa.
Jiang Geyun had explicitly mentioned to Cheng Xi that she would live in a separate courtyard rather than at the Cheng family home in the future. Since Cheng Xi had agreed, he would not disappoint her. However, today's ceremony was special, so they still had to go through this process to take her from here to Mirror Lake.
Coincidentally, she figured that going to Mirror Lake would make it easier to resolve Su Guang's case.
She was already planning to go to Mirror Lake, so this was just "on the way".
After solving the case, I can return to the villa, report to Zheng Yi, and stay in Lianzhou permanently. I can nurture Su Guang's soul while figuring out how to deal with the system. It's a perfect arrangement!
However, I'll still have to take on the tasks assigned by Xuan Dujian in the future...
Oh well, it's just a job, nothing shameful.
The carriage curtain was lowered.
The place where she had lived the longest since transmigrating into the book was covered by a curtain and disappeared from her sight.
She would be back soon, and she didn't feel much farewell. In this last glance, she only noticed the many servants in front of the villa bowing to her carriage.
The carriage started smoothly, which reminded her of Su Heng's golden carriage. Compared to that golden carriage, it was hard to say which was more extravagant.
Jiang Geyun felt helpless and tried to shake her head with a smirk, but she couldn't. She had no choice but to stop and prepare for a day of "weight training".
The journey was peaceful, with only the sound of the car moving around in the background.
Jinghu and Lianzhou Prefecture are not too far apart, but it still takes at least half a day to walk there. Her half a day was considered good; if the two families were far apart, it could take a whole group of people more than half a month to get married.
If only the Netherworld Path-Borrowing System could be widely implemented, it wouldn't take too long to get anywhere. However, this thing isn't exactly usable infrastructure; it's about controlling the spaces the Netherworld Path-Borrowers pass through and getting the "people" within them to cooperate...
It seems highly unlikely. If someone had that ability, why would they use it for marriage?
Having already gotten up very early and been busy all morning, Jiang Geyun still had to endure the swaying and rocking of the carriage all afternoon. By the time they arrived, it might already be dark. Jiang Geyun let out a small yawn.
The sedan chair wasn't brightly lit, and Jiang Geyun couldn't see the scenery outside. She thought about all sorts of things, but after a while, fatigue and boredom overwhelmed her, and she half-closed her eyes and fell into a state of rest.
She regained her composure when she heard a tidal wave of cheers coming from outside the carriage. She couldn't see what was happening outside, but she could feel the bustling activity and the clamor of the streets, which rivaled the noise and excitement of the day Su Heng announced his success.
In a daze, she remembered what Mu Jin had told her about the Crown Prince taking a Crown Princess. Counting the days, it seemed to be around the same time as her wedding.
Perhaps because the Crown Prince is taking a Crown Princess, people have been extremely enthusiastic about holding weddings recently. In Lianzhou alone, many weddings have been held in the past few days, all in an attempt to take advantage of the imperial family's joy.
However, this is Lianzhou, not the capital.
Can the main villain really get married in Lianzhou? Haven't we all gotten used to the excitement of weddings yet?
After a while, the noisy chatter subsided.
We should be almost at the Cheng residence.
Jiang Geyun couldn't see what was outside the sedan chair, so she could only deduce things from the sounds. After being awakened by the sounds from the street, she lost her sleepiness and could only wait listlessly.
After a long while, the carriage came to a stop.
A faint argument could be heard outside, as if someone was trying to dissuade someone from acting according to the rules, and the person replied with something.
Silence returned outside the sedan chair.
A moment later, the sedan curtains were lifted from both sides.
Jiang Geyun looked up and saw her husband.
She didn't know how she looked in his eyes, but her husband was dressed in a formal suit, with a tall and straight figure. All the sunlight in the room seemed to converge on him, making him look like a golden and jade-like immortal.
A few steps away, he reached out his hand to her, wanting to help her out of the sedan chair himself, just as he had done on many days before.
Several people behind him seemed to want to stop him, but they eventually gave up.
Jiang Geyun extended her hand.
As their hands touched, a wicked thought suddenly came to her mind. Instead of just letting her outstretched hand go, she actually pressed down on it with most of her weight.
The person in front of him didn't sway at all, catching him steadily as if he hadn't noticed anything.
Only when they were very close, and she landed beside him, did she hear a very soft laugh.
Jiang Geyun remained silent.
She must have been waiting for too long and was so bored that she acted so childishly. The person who made her wait should be blamed!
She struggled against the canopy of the flowering tree, glancing sideways at it.
But the smile on his face wasn't the joking one she'd expected. His eyes were overflowing with affection, and the smile on his lips was incredibly gentle. When he saw her looking over, he lowered his eyelashes to meet her gaze.
Jiang Geyun looked away, only to feel a heat rising on her cheeks again. Fortunately, her makeup was enough to cover up the heat completely.
She followed his pace along a long road, ascending step by step to higher ground.
There was no sound or people on either side of the road, yet she felt as if two rows of people were standing in separate lines, watching the two walk away into the distance.
She didn't see anything clearly, only had a faint illusion, which would disappear completely once she focused her attention.
Don't worry about it.
Don't worry about it.
Don't worry about it.
This illusion was like a fleeting dream; what she was seeing now was reality.
Their destination was not the Cheng family's main hall, but a high platform.
She and he will worship the heavens, the earth, the mountains, and the sea.
This was something Jiang Geyun had mentioned to Cheng Xi. Cheng Xi told her that this was a custom of the wedding ceremony in the Great Zhou Dynasty, with the sun and moon as witnesses, and that she and her son had made their promise.
Before letting go to pay her respects, she gently squeezed his hand, and he returned the squeeze. After waiting a while, as the bells rang, the two finally let go of each other's hands.
Kneel and stand up.
The flower tree canopy bowed heavily three times, signifying the completion of the ceremony.
She heard his prayer, clear and steady, echoing across the high platform, saying, "Bless this person, may he live a long and healthy life, and be filled with joy and peace."
When the prayer ended, he looked down at her.
Jiang Geyun whispered, "Why did you only wish me well?"
Aside from some things that she couldn't remember because they were just going through the motions, the only thing she remembered was a pure blessing for her.
The person before her also transgressed the bounds of propriety, replying softly, "Prayers should come from the heart; every word and phrase comes from my own wishes."
Jiang Geyun tilted her head slightly and said softly, "Now that I have met you, my beloved, I wish you endless happiness and that I will follow you year after year."
The person in front of me immediately filled their eyes with a smile.
He was about to say something when he heard gasps of surprise coming from all around.
The distant sunlight was suddenly blocked, the sky darkened, and the wind seemed to be picking up, which was not a good sign.
Jiang Geyun's heart tightened.
Of course she knew that the sky didn't mean anything, and she was prepared to create such a sky herself. However, others might not share her opinion, and if an ominous sky appeared, their wedding would inevitably be subject to gossip.
The date must have been carefully chosen when the date was set, which shows that the weather forecast of the Great Zhou Dynasty was rather poor.
She was pondering how to respond, but the person in front of her remained unmoved.
He naturally has nothing to worry about.
The officials standing by knew that even if the weather was extremely bad, what would be recorded and passed down by word of mouth would only be a blessing from heaven and earth, and a first-class good omen.
However, this time there's no need for anyone else to cover it up.
After the sky was filled with turbulent waves and clouds, a white dragon's shadow appeared to be moving among them!
What was originally bad weather suddenly turned into an extremely auspicious sign.
The Great Zhou Dynasty and the White Dragon have a long-standing connection. Even without considering the appearance of the dragon, it is an extremely rare and perfect omen. As for the sky? Wind and rain follow the dragon. This strange phenomenon is merely a backdrop for the White Dragon and is nothing special.
Jiang Geyun and the others saw the shadow of a white dragon in the distant sky.
As if some memory was stirring within her, and now was the perfect opportunity for it to sprout, her eyes gradually became blank.
The next instant, the person next to her suddenly gripped her hand tightly.
A faint medicinal fragrance wafted from my side.
Not only on him, but also on her, as they spent a lot of time together, she also picked up the scent of the medicine.
Jiang Geyun smelled this extremely familiar and relaxing fragrance on herself.
Something that was about to emerge was pushed back down.
Jiang Geyun gently shook her head, looked up, and saw the person beside her looking at her with concern. She smiled.
The prayer ceremony has ended.
The white dragon appeared for only a moment before disappearing, and the sky returned to normal. However, since it was already sunset, it would be difficult to notice anything unusual.
Guided by the servants, the two arrived at a magnificent tent draped with blue curtains. Inside the tent, a banquet was set up, and the two sat facing each other.
The cooked and chopped sacrificial meat was served in front of her. Jiang Geyun had been hungry for a day and should have been happy for this hard-won food. However, the sacrificial meat was not seasoned and tasted like wax in her mouth.
I'm so tired, but, sigh, it's come to this...
She chewed slowly, preparing to properly complete this final ritual of sharing a meal and drinking from the same cup.
A waiter poured light wine into a halved gourd, and the two drank it together.
After the ceremony, a servant stepped forward and tied the two's sashes into a complex love knot. Jiang Geyun lowered her eyes to watch the servant's actions. Suddenly, the person beside her turned his head and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "I haven't asked my wife yet if she is willing to form a bond with me?"
Jiang Geyun paused for a few seconds, then leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Isn't this what forming a contract is?"
Should we ask her now?
What were they doing before? Playing house?
Those around her knew she had misunderstood him and chuckled softly, "What I meant was, we've formed a bond of life and death, and from now on, we'll be together through thick and thin. If my wife is in any danger, I'll sense it immediately."
So that's how it is. It involves a real contract, not a ritual.
Jiang Geyun said, "If you want to do it, I will find a way in the future, but... it may take a while."
Finding a formation that allows one to share life and death is not too difficult for her, and the operation itself is certainly not difficult for her either.
The "only" she didn't finish wasn't because doing this was time-consuming or laborious, but because her life was still in the system's hands, and she really didn't want to drag him down with her.
She could accept him becoming a widower, but she didn't want him to die with her; she always felt that living was good.
Those around him said, "My wife's thoughtfulness is enough."
Jiang Geyun smiled at him again and said, "There's plenty of time in the future."
He thought to himself, "Just you wait, if you can't solve the system, you won't find a solution."
...
The clamor eventually subsided, and the red candles shone brightly.
Jiang Geyun finally sat down in front of the dressing table. With the help of the servants, she removed the flower crown. Her black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, and an unprecedented sense of ease swept over her. After the relaxation came a deep sense of exhaustion.
She tried her best to stay alert, and after washing up, she sat on the edge of the bed. But due to exhaustion, she couldn't muster the energy to observe her surroundings, and didn't even notice when the servants left.
Then the familiar footsteps sounded.
Jiang Geyun called out lazily, "My lord."
She only just realized that, without knowing when it started, she had been able to recognize his footsteps.
The person who came stood in front of her. He had clearly worked hard with her all day, but he showed no signs of fatigue and remained as gentle and refined as ever.
She was truly exhausted. With no one else around and no need to worry about any potential crises, she suddenly lay back, her mind completely blank, wanting nothing more than to fall asleep.
He sat down, adjusted her position, and let her rest her head on his lap, then slowly massaged her aching temples.
Jiang Geyun sighed, thinking to herself that her husband was indeed considerate.
After the name appeared firmly in her mind, she belatedly realized that she had indeed gone through with the wedding with him.
The day's ceremonies were merely formalities; only now did she truly grasp the reality of the covenant between her and those around her, a contract that bound them closely together.
Her hair meandered across his knees.
Her jet-black hair and snow-white skin were bathed in the warm glow of the red candlelight, creating a breathtakingly beautiful scene that seemed almost within reach.
Unaware of the man's thoughts, she simply raised her smiling eyes and looked at him under the red candlelight.
Jiang Geyun thought he would smile at her, but instead, he sighed helplessly, raised his hand to cover her eyes, and said slowly, "My wife, please don't look at me like that."
Puzzled, she reached out and gently tugged at his sleeve, asking, "Why?"
"My lady, don't you want to rest tonight?"
With her eyes covered, Jiang Geyun couldn't see his expression, but she heard a sentence that was ambiguous. After thinking for a moment, she realized something, and her face flushed red again.
She whispered, "It's not that it's impossible..."
The hand covering her eyes paused for a moment.
She heard a soft sigh.
...
Jiang Geyun thought her face was already extremely red and her body temperature had reached its peak, but little did she know, it was all going on.
...
Everything was dark before her eyes, and she couldn't see anything. In her dizziness, her hand, which was clutching his sleeve, kept tightening. She was clearly holding onto something, but she felt completely lost and helpless.
After an unknown amount of time, she breathed a sigh of relief.
She was so tired today that she didn't even have the strength to tug at his sleeve.
Her physical strength is not bad.
But today is really... he again...
Jiang Geyun felt as if he had melted into the bed, but what he had done was only the first step.
She thought for a moment, then tried to straighten up and reached out again to the hand that was covering her eyes.
The moment her hand touched him, she felt the person beside her lower their head and gently kiss her forehead and the back of her hand.
She heard his voice, which was tinged with laughter, but now it was much lower and hoarse.
He said, "My wife, rest now, there's plenty of time in the future."
These were the words she spoke to him during their wedding ceremony.
The bed curtains were drawn, keeping the candlelight out.
He closed her eyes with his hands and held her in his arms.
She was exhausted after a long day, and the activities she had just done had also taken a toll on her energy. She felt a strange sense of embarrassment, as if she was ignoring him, but she was just too sleepy to bear it.
Jiang Geyun closed her eyes following his movement. She wanted to open them again, but she didn't have the strength to do so. She lay in his arms and fell into a deep sleep.
Red candles burned all night, and the two slept in each other's arms behind the bed curtains.
-----------------------
Author's Note: It got locked! I didn't write it very obviously, and it wasn't even that bad. I was just trying to be helpful and then stopped…! Anyway, I'll just use ellipses for now [crying emoji]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com