Chapter 262: Returning home after the ceremony, red candles illuminate the tent
The red candles in the Shufangzhai burned brightly, illuminating the entire room with a vibrant crimson glow. Little Swallow sat before the mirror, letting Mingyue remove her heavy phoenix crown. The pearls from her golden hairpins dangled down her shoulders, leaving a cool touch.
"Gege... no, Princess," Mingyue's voice was choked with sobs, and the comb in her hand slowed down a beat. "Now that you're gone, Shufangzhai will be deserted."
Caixia brought a bowl of lotus seed soup, her eyes red: "Yes, from now on, no one will drag us to climb trees and rob bird nests in the middle of the night, and no one will force us to sit on a small stool and read "Journey to the West" to relieve boredom."
Xiaoyanzi held their hands, her fingertips warm. "Silly girl, Prince Rong's mansion is outside the palace, just across the wall from the Fang family. My father specially had a corner gate opened in the back wall of the mansion. Pushing it open is the Fang family garden. From now on, if I want to eat the osmanthus cake in the kitchen, it won't take me more than a pack of cigarettes to run back through the corner gate."
As he spoke, Yongqi entered, his court attire replaced by his everyday royal blue brocade robe. Hearing this, he approached with a smile, "Just now in the palace, I was calling you Princess, and now you're thinking of running back to your parents' home through the Corner Gate?" He took the phoenix crown from Mingyue's hand and gently placed it on the dressing table. "But honestly, that Corner Gate is a good idea. Later, I'll accompany you back to the Fang family to visit your parents-in-law, saving you the trouble of taking a detour."
Xiaoyanzi glared up at him, the blush still lingering in the corners of her eyes, adding a touch of naivete. "You're just sweet-talking!" Before she could finish her words, Yongqi gently embraced her waist. His palm pressed against her wedding dress, burning hot. The candlelight fell into his eyes, shimmering with an indelible tenderness.
"It's time to go, Princess." He lowered his head and whispered in her ear. His breath brushed against her earlobe, causing a slight blush on her neck.
When leaving Shufangzhai, Xiao Table and Xiao Stool led a group of eunuchs and palace maids to kneel at the door to see her off. Xiao Wenzi shouted at the top of her voice: "Good boy, long dong! Princess, please come back often! I have saved the sweetest candied haws for you!" Xiao Yanzi turned around and waved, her eyes a little hot - this palace carried too much joy and concern since she entered the palace.
At that moment, the sadness of parting weighed even more heavily on the Cining Palace. Qing'er, clad in her bright red wedding gown, knelt before the Empress Dowager, her hands tightly clasped in hers. "Qing'er has been with the Empress Dowager for seventeen years, having entered the palace at the age of three. Now I'm leaving..." Her voice trembled, tears falling like pearls from a broken string onto her wedding gown.
The old Buddha wiped her cheek with a handkerchief, her eyes reddening as well. "Silly child, getting married is a blessing. Xiao Jian is reliable, and the Fang family is a good family. Live a good life in the future." She took off a mutton-fat jade bracelet from her wrist and put it on Qing'er's hand. "This bracelet has been with the old Buddha for thirty years. Wear it, and it's like the old Buddha is by your side."
The Empress stood by and handed over a brocade box: "Here are some home-cooked remedies. You've been weak since childhood, so they'll be useful in the future." Concubine Ling also smiled and said, "The door of the Cining Palace is always open for you. If you miss the Empress Dowager, you can come back to the palace anytime."
Qing'er thanked everyone one by one, and as she stood up, helped by her bridesmaid, she turned back and took a deep look at the plaque of the Cining Palace. The red glazed tiles on the walls gleamed in the sunlight, and every blade of grass, every brick and tile here was engraved with her youth. Only when she got into the bridal sedan, as the curtain swayed, did she see the old Buddha still standing at the palace gate, her figure stretched out in the morning light.
In Prince Rong's bridal chamber, red candles burned brightly, bringing the Hundred Children embroidered on the curtains to life in the candlelight. Yongqi removed Xiaoyanzi's last golden hairpin, and her long black hair cascaded down her shoulders. "Are you tired?" He stroked her hair, his fingertips tenderly.
Xiaoyanzi shook her head and looked up at him. The red candlelight reflected on his face, his brow bones distinct, his eyes gentle as a pool of spring water. "Yongqi," she suddenly stood on tiptoe and pecked him lightly on the lips, as quick as a butterfly touching water. "I always thought that getting married was the most terrible thing, but now..."
Before she could finish her words, Yongqi had already pulled her into his arms. His kiss was deep and cherishing, carrying a long-suppressed affection, from forehead to nose, and finally to lips. The flickering red candlelight cast the image of their intertwined figures swaying against the wall. The night dew outside the tent tapped against the window lattice, like a gentle prelude for the newlyweds.
The Fang family's new house had a touch of the Jianghu atmosphere. Xiao Jian undid Qing'er's wedding gown and saw a thin layer of sweat on her temples. He took a handkerchief and gently wiped it away. "Did you cry in the Cining Palace?" He said in a low, knowing voice.
Qing'er nodded and leaned against his chest: "The old Buddha has been so kind to me, I can't bear to leave."
"From now on, I'll accompany you back to the palace every month to visit you." Xiao Jian held her hand, the calluses on his palm caressing her fingertips. "After a while, I'll take you to Jiangnan to see where I grew up."
Qing'er looked up and met his smiling eyes. Suddenly, she stood on tiptoe and kissed his chin: "Okay." The light of the red candle fell on their clasped hands. A plain silver ring gleamed with a warm light in the candlelight - it was made by Xiao Jian himself after melting his own sword.
In both bridal chambers, identical red candles burned until dawn. When Xiaoyanzi awoke, she saw Yongqi gazing out the window, lost in thought. The morning light fell on his profile, soft as a painting. "What are you thinking about?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.
Yongqi turned around, a smile in his eyes. "I was thinking, 'It'll be nice to wake up and see you every day.'" He walked over and gathered the corners of the quilt for her. "Why don't you go check out that corner door? Push it open and you'll see the Fang family's crabapple tree. It must be in full bloom right now."
Xiaoyanzi smiled and nodded, and her heart suddenly became extremely certain - in this life, she had her family by her side and her lover by her side, and even the distance between inside and outside the palace walls became a tenderness hidden in time.
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