At the palace gate, Chun Tao was riding a donkey, leisurely strolling. When she saw Shen Weiwan, she immediately jumped down excitedly, her skirt raising a cloud of dust: "Miss! The news from the palace has been passed back to the mansion! The old housekeeper was so happy to hear that His Majesty was urging us to get married that he moved all the gold bars out of the treasury and carefully wiped them three times with loofah!"
Shen Weiwan held her forehead helplessly and sighed: "He is going to stuff gold bars into the dowry box again? Last time, he almost crushed the servant who was carrying the dowry."
Xiao Yu couldn't help but chuckle: "Let him be, the housekeeper is happy for the general." He suddenly approached Shen Weiwan mysteriously and whispered: "By the way, this king has prepared a special dowry for you, I guarantee that you will want to beat someone up when you see it."
"Isn't it another pigskin raft?" Shen Weiwan stared at him suspiciously, her eyes full of vigilance.
"Of course not." Xiao Yu deliberately kept the secret, then jumped onto the horse with a swift and agile posture: "You will know when the time comes."
In the days that followed, the General's Mansion and the Seventh Prince's Mansion seemed to have been fast-forwarded, a bustling and joyful atmosphere permeating the air. The old butler, wearing reading glasses and squinting, carefully stacked the gold bars in the red-lacquered dowry chest. As he did so, he secretly slipped in a fragment of the General's old iron helmet, muttering, "This is what the General used to kill an enemy general in Mobei. It will ward off evil spirits!" While tidying her closet, Chun Tao accidentally revealed a lilac-colored skirt. She exclaimed in surprise, "Miss, look at this skirt! It's the same one she wore at the Spring Festival Banquet to trap Chen Ruorou!"
"Go, go!" Shen Weiwan quickly snatched the skirt and said angrily, "If you keep rummaging around, I'll stuff you into a pigskin raft and let you drift to Taiye Lake!"
On the day of the wedding, the capital was completely deserted. The procession stretched like a long, winding dragon, stretching from the Seventh Prince's residence to the General's. At the front of the procession, a large chest, carried by eight men, stood out. Affixed to it was a striking red plaque in gold lettering: "A Pair of Golden Pigskin Rafts Given by the Emperor." Commoners crowded the streets, curiously peering at the chest, pointing, and laughing until tears welled up in their eyes.
"Hahaha! The Seventh Prince's Consort is indeed worthy of her reputation. Even her dowry is so unique!"
"I heard that the Seventh Prince took out all the pigskin rafts from the warehouse, saying he wanted to use them as drifting toys for the princess!"
Shen Weiwan in the sedan chair heard it clearly and was so angry that her teeth itched. She shouted through the curtain of the sedan chair: "Xiao Yu! Did you collude with His Majesty?!"
Xiao Yu's stifled laughter could be heard from outside: "Unjust, Princess! This is what father wanted!"
During the ceremony, the emperor sat high up in the hall, his beard curling with laughter. He leaned close to the empress's ear and whispered, "Look at these two children, how well-matched they are! I can't wait to have a grandson. I hope he's as full of ideas as Weiwan!" The empress smiled and gently patted the back of his hand, "Your Majesty, you're more eager to have a grandson than to get married."
After being escorted to the bridal chamber, Shen Weiwan finally saw what Xiao Yu called her "special dowry"—the entire side hall was filled with all kinds of candied haws! Hawthorn candied haws were coated with finely crushed sesame seeds, each one plump and exuding an alluring sweet and sour aroma; orange candied haws were drizzled with crystal-clear icing sugar, like ice flowers in winter, with a refreshing fruity aroma; there were even rare strawberry candied haws, with fresh and tender strawberries wrapped in icing, the fruity aroma and sugary sweetness perfectly blended, the fragrance almost making people dizzy.
"Xiao Yu!" Shen Weiwan was angry and amused, her eyes full of surprise: "You bought all the candied haws shops in the capital?"
Xiao Yu pulled out the largest candied haws from his bosom. The sugar coating shimmered brightly in the candlelight, like a dazzling gem. "I know you love it." His fingertips gently brushed the corner of her mouth, and he said softly, "From now on, I'll have the imperial kitchen make it every day until you get sick of it."
In the dead of night, the red candles crackled and the dancing flames illuminated the entire room with a warm and romantic atmosphere. Shen Weiwan stared quietly at the peanuts and longans placed on the wedding bed. Suddenly, she remembered what the emperor said, and her cheeks couldn't help but feel slightly hot. Xiao Yu saw her in a daze, gently approached, and asked softly: "What are you thinking about?"
"I was thinking..." She deliberately put on a stern face and pretended to be serious: "His Majesty said he wanted to have a grandson, what do you think?"
A sly glint flashed in Xiao Yu's eyes. He suddenly stretched out his arm, put his arm around her waist, and gently pulled her towards him: "Then... hurry up?"
"Go to hell!" Shen Weiwan smiled and punched his chest, but he hugged her tighter.
"Weiwan," Xiao Yu lowered his head slightly, gently rubbing the tip of his nose against the top of her hair, his voice low and gentle: "Thank you for appearing in my life."
She leaned in his arms, listening to his strong heartbeat, as if it was the most beautiful melody in the world. At this moment, she suddenly felt that being urged to get married by the emperor seemed like a great blessing. Outside the window came the sound of the night watchman beating the night watch, as well as the faint sound of laughter - it must be the people making up new jokes for them. Shen Weiwan couldn't help laughing. In this life, she went from being a lonely and helpless soul in the snow to becoming the pampered consort of the seventh prince step by step. She avenged herself, protected her home, and gained a husband who was willing to accompany her in "sand sculptures". All of this was really worth it.
Later, more anecdotes about this couple circulated in the capital: the Seventh Prince's wife, disliking the weight of the Golden Pig Raft, transformed it into a unique decoration for the palace's fish pond; the Seventh Prince, to impress his wife, meticulously arranged the word "trick" (deception) with candied haws at a palace banquet; and the Emperor, cradling his newborn grandson, would cheerfully remark, "Look at how clever he is! He takes after his mother. He's sure to be a skilled trickster when he grows up!"
When Shen Weiwan heard this, she would always shake her head helplessly, but secretly hold Xiao Yu's hand tightly. The sunlight shone through the window lattice, gently falling on the two people's clasped hands. The warm feeling was just like their days - full of unexpected surprises and laughter that never failed, warm and beautiful.
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