Chapter 268 Brother and Sister-in-law’s Wedding
The Yin hour was just coming to an end and the morning light was beginning to break through.
Inside the Wen residence, the bustling voices and the bustling figures of servants intertwined, dispelling the chill of dawn.
Wen Zhiyan stood in front of the mirror, his posture as straight and upright as a green pine on a cliff.
A dark gold-woven brocade robe wrapped around his slender figure neatly. The cloud and wild goose patterns embroidered on the robe glowed faintly under the flickering candlelight.
It made him look even more heroic, and his brows were filled with calmness and anticipation of welcoming his bride.
Wen Tingkuan and Liang Yuhe stood on one side, their eyes filled with relief and emotion.
Liang Yuhe raised her hand to straighten her son's collar, which had already been meticulously done, and gave him instructions again.
"Yan'er." Her voice was slightly hoarse, carrying the delicate exhortations that only a mother could give.
"When you go to welcome the bride, be sure to be courteous and don't be impatient. Ziyun... has had a difficult life. You must not let her feel wronged in the slightest."
Wen Zhiyan nodded calmly: "Don't worry, mother. I will remember this."
Outside the mansion, the wedding procession had already been lined up, with a grand and magnificent style, attracting crowds of people on both sides of the long street.
At the front were two teams of eunuchs and palace maids in palace costumes, holding bright yellow gift boxes.
The box contains rare treasures personally sent to the Su Mansion by the Emperor and the Imperial Noble Consort, demonstrating the grace of the royal family.
Since the tragedy of the Nangong Mansion was made public, the emperor bestowed upon Princess Nangong Ziyun the title of Princess Fu'an.
He was also granted a princess's mansion in the capital.
But Nangong Ziyun was grateful for the care the Su family had given her over the years, and she also recognized Minister Su and Madam Su as her godfather and godmother, so it was most appropriate for her to marry out of the Su family.
Following closely behind the palace maids and eunuchs was a bridal sedan carried by eight strong bearers.
The sedan chair is finely carved and decorated with auspicious symbols. The hanging red silk curtains dance lightly in the morning breeze, which is extremely festive.
The drummers and musicians held their breath, waiting for the auspicious moment.
The auspicious time has arrived!
Wen Zhiyan jumped onto his horse swiftly and shouted.
In an instant, drums and music were loud, firecrackers were deafening, and red confetti fell like a rain of flowers from the sky.
The ceremonial procession was huge, stepping on the scattered red petals as it moved towards the Su Mansion.
Inside the Wen residence, the noise was even louder.
Although Liang Yuhe had been preparing for today for a long time, she still felt overwhelmed. As she walked hurriedly, the tassels of the red gold filigree and kingfisher feather hairpin in her hair swayed rapidly, adding a bit of spirit to her beautiful face.
The entire set of headgear she wore today was bought by Wen Lier from Linglong Pavilion yesterday.
There were ten sets in total, one was given by my mother, and one was given to each of the nine women in my maternal grandmother's family.
Everyone wore it on their heads today, and Wen Li'er was very happy to see it.
Liang Yuhe told Liu Ma:
"The crab meat in the East Kitchen must be cooked thoroughly!"
"Is the box of 'Dragon and Phoenix' pastries in the back packed and sealed?"
"Count the official celadon cups used at the banquet again. Don't miss any!"
Uncle Liu, the housekeeper, was extremely busy, holding a thick list of gifts and a book of favors, and directing the servants in a booming voice:
"Light up the front yard! Prepare the feast in the backyard! Be careful unsealing those jars of 'Yuquanchun' (Yuquanchun) given by the emperor in the storeroom! Also, be sure to handle the set of gilded steamers that the Empress brought back with care. Don't let them get even slightly bumped!"
Inside the mansion, servants were moving about like a weeds, and the air was filled with the rich aroma of steaming food, the subtle spiciness of newly lacquered wooden utensils, and the rich, pervasive atmosphere of joy.
Here, the wedding procession arrived at the gate of Su Mansion.
The vermilion lacquered door was closed tightly. Su Muyang and his men set up the first "difficulty" and threatened that Wen Zhiyan would not be able to marry his sister easily today.
Wen Zhiyan was able to pass the imperial examination and rank third, which naturally meant that he was well-educated and intelligent.
He also brought Gu Jinxiu, who was the top scorer in the imperial examination in the same year, as his best man.
No matter how tricky the questions were from Su Muyang and the group of Su family members behind him, they could always deal with them.
The two of them took turns reciting aloud a dozen poems to celebrate the proposal of marriage. Their words were beautiful, the parallelism was neat, and every word was a gem, which attracted applause from the onlookers.
The heavy door finally opened slowly with a creaking sound.
There were checkpoints at the second and third gates of the inner courtyard.
Wen Zhiyan said that when the enemy comes, we will stop them; when the water comes, we will block it with earth.
When they finally arrived in front of Nangong Ziyun's boudoir, the guests who had followed them all the way were laughing and talking loudly.
Inside the boudoir, there is warm fragrance and bright red candles.
Nangong Ziyun sat on a bed covered with a bright red quilt, dressed in gorgeous clothes, with a dazzling glow that was breathtaking.
She was wearing a princess-grade wedding gown that was meticulously sewn by skilled craftsmen from the palace's clothing bureau.
The wedding dress is made of the finest brocade and is a rich and solemn red color, symbolizing the grace of heaven and the ardent joy of the wedding.
Her sitting posture was dignified and graceful, her back was as straight as a bamboo, and she exuded a calm and elegant temperament.
Listening to the noise and cheers outside the door getting closer and closer, feeling the familiar and approaching breath.
Under the veil, Nangong Ziyun's long eyelashes trembled gently like butterfly wings, and her tightly pursed cherry lips slightly curved into a shy and sweet arc.
Wen Zhiyan leaned over and held her hand, smiling and saying, "Yun'er, your husband is here to pick you up."
Nangong Ziyun's face turned red in an instant. She wanted to pull her hand away, but he held it tightly.
Before the bride got into the sedan chair, Madam Quanfu, who was invited by the Su family, held grains and cinnabar beans to ward off evil spirits in her hands and muttered something.
Colorful objects that symbolize a good harvest and ward off evil spirits are scattered on the top of the dazzling sedan chair.
Nangong Ziyun, supported by the matchmaker, walked slowly and dignifiedly into the sedan chair.
She was dressed in an intricate and gorgeous phoenix coronet and bridal robe, the gold and silver embroidery sparkling in the morning light. Every step she took was extremely solemn, as if carrying the weight of the past and the expectations of the future.
Wen Zhiyan mounted his horse again and took his bride back home amidst the even more exciting drum music and the colorful confetti flying in the sky like butterflies.
The gorgeous sedan chair moved slowly on the long street, like a flowing, blazing flame, illuminating half of the street and countless envious eyes.
Outside the Su Mansion, Nangong Mu watched the backs of her niece and niece-in-law, and the tears that she had been holding back for a long time finally burst out.
Madam Su Qi Yao, standing by, quickly took out a silk handkerchief to wipe her tears, softly comforting her, "Sister Mu, you can't cry on this happy day for your child. This is a blessing, a day you've been waiting for for so many years!"
Nangong Mu nodded heavily, her voice choked with sobs, "Yes, these are tears of joy... I'm just so happy. If my grandparents, father, mother, brother, and sister-in-law were still alive and could see Ziyun's grand wedding today, knowing that she had such a happy marriage, they would surely smile in their graves and truly rest in peace."
Her words were filled with endless longing and comfort for her deceased loved ones.
When Qi Yao heard this, he also felt sad.
She knew very well that Nangong Mu had survived alone with Ziyun after going through countless hardships.
That tenacity and perseverance are moving.
Fortunately, now the hard work has paid off.
The Emperor not only granted the title and fief to Princess Ziyun;
It was also agreed with the Wen family that in the future, Ziyun's eldest son would inherit the Wen surname, and the second son would inherit the Nangong surname, to continue the Nangong lineage.
Qi Yao, a wealthy merchant in Dayan, was very generous to his goddaughter.
In addition to the old treasures found in the secret room of the old house of Nangong Mansion, Nangong Mu used almost all the valuables as Nangong Ziyun's dowry.
The huge procession of dowry was truly a hundred miles of red dowry, the envy of others.
The sedan chair landed steadily in front of the Wen residence, and Wen Zhiyan dismounted.
He stepped forward, slowly parted the curtain of the sedan chair, and helped his bride step into the mansion.
In the Wen Mansion, the number of guests who came was more than five times the number of families who sent invitations.
this……
Guests are welcome, so it’s not good to refuse them entry.
Fortunately, the Liang family's uncles, aunts, and cousins are all capable.
In addition, there are the palace maids and eunuchs brought by Wen Li'er, and the capable Qin Ma.
The originally chaotic situation soon turned into order.
…
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