Chapter 259: First try on wedding dress, laughter fills the room
In the courtyard of Shufangzhai, the snow had been swept to the corners, revealing the messy footprints left by children the previous night on the bluestone slabs. The red lanterns hanging in the corridor swayed gently in the breeze, making the newly painted red "happiness" character on the eaves shine even brighter.
Xiaoyanzi was sitting at her dressing table, letting Mingyue and Caixia comb her hair. The girl in the mirror had curved eyebrows and eyes, and the red marks on her face had faded almost to the point of being invisible, with only a faint trace remaining at the corner of her eye, which only added a touch of cuteness to her.
"Slow down, slow down!" She shrank her neck and avoided the peach wood comb in Mingyue's hand, "You're hurting me!"
Mingyue smiled and stopped, "Princess, this is a bun that symbolizes the auspicious symbol of dragon and phoenix. It needs to be combed tighter to look good, otherwise it will be loose when I wear the phoenix crown later."
Ziwei walked in, carrying a neatly folded crimson wedding gown, followed by Jinsuo, who held a jewelry box. The gown was made of the finest brocade, embroidered with phoenixes and peonies in gold and silver thread. The stitching was so fine that it shimmered in the sunlight.
"Try it on now. The embroiderer just brought it over." Ziwei placed the wedding dress on the bed, her eyes full of admiration. "The material feels wonderful to the touch. It's even more exquisite than the one I have."
Little Swallow turned her head and glanced at the complicated wedding dress, wrinkled her nose and said, "There are so many beads, it's heavy, it must be inconvenient to wear." Having said that, her eyes were staring at the phoenix with wings spread out on the wedding dress, and she couldn't hide her joy.
"A bride's wedding dress should naturally be more solemn." Ziwei picked up the dress and shook it gently, causing the pearl tassels on the hem to rustle. "Look at this phoenix embroidery, how majestic it is, it seems like it is about to fly out of the cloth."
Xiaoyanzi was so moved by what she heard that she took off her outer garments and changed into her wedding gown, helped by Mingyue and Caixia. The brocade material felt slightly cool against her skin, but when the layers of the skirt unfurled, the girl in the mirror was instantly enveloped in a dazzling crimson. The lively expression in her eyes and eyebrows, paired with the solemn wedding gown, created a strange harmony.
"Beautiful! Really beautiful!" Jinsuo couldn't help clapping her hands. "Princess, in this wedding dress, is even more beautiful than the fairies in the paintings!"
Xiaoyanzi looked left and right in the mirror, raised her hand and touched the phoenix embroidery on her chest, her mouth wide open, but she deliberately kept a straight face: "It looks good, but it's too heavy. It's hard to walk." As she spoke, she tried to turn around, and the hem of her skirt swept across the ground, bringing up a faint puff of gold powder, which made everyone laugh.
"Princess Huanzhu loves beauty but is afraid of trouble." A clear voice came from outside the door. Yongqi lifted the curtain and walked in, followed by Xiao Jian and Qing'er.
Yongqi was wearing a prince's dragon robe with a bright yellow belt around his waist. Seeing Xiaoyanzi in her wedding dress, his eyes lit up instantly. He walked quickly to her and looked her over carefully. "It's really beautiful." He admired her sincerely and reached out to touch the hem of her skirt, but was afraid of damaging it. His hand paused in mid-air and finally just gently pinched her sleeve. "It's even more beautiful than I imagined."
Xiaoyanzi felt a little embarrassed by his gaze and said angrily, "What's the point of looking good? It feels like I'm dragging a big rock when I walk. How am I going to greet my father and mother later?"
Xiao Jian stood aside, looking at his sister in her wedding gown, his eyes filled with satisfaction, but he jokingly said, "Our Fang Ci looks a bit like a royal consort in her wedding gown. But with her temper, Prince Rong will have to bear with her."
Qing'er agreed with a smile: "Xiaoyanzi, it's good like this. She's lively and cheerful, and life in the mansion can be happy." She walked to Ziwei, and they smiled at each other, both with a vision of the future in their eyes.
Ziwei picked up the phoenix crown on the dressing table and carefully put it on Xiaoyanzi's head: "Don't move it. This phoenix crown is the heaviest. You have to wear it properly." The pearls on the phoenix crown swayed gently with Xiaoyanzi's movements, making her cheeks look as white as jade.
"Ouch, my neck is about to break!" Xiaoyanzi shouted exaggeratedly, but when no one was paying attention, she secretly looked at Yongqi in the mirror. Seeing that he was staring at her and smiling, her cheeks couldn't help but turn red.
Yongqi pulled out a small brocade box from his bosom and opened it. Inside was a pair of red gold earrings inlaid with rubies. The style was simple but very delicate. "I'll give you these instead. They're lighter than the ones on the phoenix crown and more comfortable to wear."
Xiaoyanzi raised an eyebrow: "Are you dissatisfied with the phoenix crown given by the Emperor?"
"How dare I?" Yongqi smiled and picked up the earrings, carefully putting them on her. His fingertips accidentally touched her earlobe, and both of them shrank as if burned. The air seemed to have a little more sweetness. "I just thought it would be better to wear something light in private, so as not to tire you out."
Little Mosquito and Little Stool came in with tea. As soon as they entered the room, they were dazzled by the red that filled the room. Little Mosquito blurted out, "Wow! This wedding dress is so bright! It's dazzling my eyes!"
Xiaodeng also came over, nodding and bowing, "That's right! When Princess puts on this wedding dress, she looks like... like the Red Luan star from the New Year pictures descended to earth!"
Everyone laughed out loud at their amusement. Xiaoyanzi smiled and waved her hand: "Go away, you are just sweet talkers! Little Stool, bring me my jewel-encrusted dagger. I want to wear it on my waist."
"Ah?" Xiaodiao was stunned. "A dagger is stuck on the wedding dress?"
"Why not?" Xiaoyanzi said confidently, "What if there's an assassin later? I can't run fast in this outfit, so I'd rather have a dagger to protect myself."
Yong Qi shook his head helplessly and took her hand. "Don't worry, the palace is heavily guarded. How could an assassin come from here? Put down the dagger quickly, before it damages your wedding dress."
Xiao Jian also laughed and said, "That's right, with Yongqi and I here, who would dare to hurt you?"
Xiaoyanzi pouted, but still obediently let Mingyue put away the dagger. The sunlight shone through the window lattice, falling on the red wedding dress, reflecting a warm halo and making everyone's face smile.
Ziwei looked at the scene in front of her and said softly to Qing'er, "It's so good, everything is so good."
Qing'er nodded, tears in her eyes: "Yes, that's great."
The red lanterns in the corridor were still swaying gently, as if they were also whispering a song of blessing for the upcoming wedding. The laughter in Shufangzhai came in waves, mixed with the occasional bird song outside the window, weaving a most beautiful prelude to the wedding.
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