Chapter 658 The Grand Wedding
The wedding procession moved much faster than before, and in no time they arrived at the Duke's Mansion.
Amidst the crackling of firecrackers, the curtain of the carriage was finally lifted, revealing the bride inside, looking serene and content.
Gu Qianhan had already dismounted. He walked to the carriage and personally helped Shen Wantang down.
Then, he took her hand, led her across the brazier, and entered the gate of the Duke's mansion.
The onlookers were quite disappointed that they couldn't get into the Duke's mansion. Fortunately, the Duke's mansion was extremely generous, scattering countless copper coins and wedding candies. Everyone's pockets were bulging, and they wished that there would be happy events at the Duke's mansion every day.
"Oh my, the bride is really here!"
"That's right, I thought it had been snatched away by Prince Xiao!"
"How strange! Am I seeing things? I clearly saw Prince Xiao snatch a bride away, so why is there another one in the carriage?"
"Are you seeing things? I saw it too. Prince Xiao did indeed snatch one, but who it was is hard to say!"
"But why are there two brides in the carriage? How did Second Young Master Gu know that Young Master Xiao would come to abduct the bride? And how did he know which one would be taken away?"
"Young Master Gu is the number one child prodigy in Dafeng. It's not surprising that he foresaw today's events! If Young Master Xiao is allowed to act crazy and snatch the bride, why isn't Young Master Gu allowed to take precautions in advance?"
"Tsk, did you see that? How much Young Master Gu values his bride! He personally helped her out of the carriage and led her over the fire basin!"
"That's right! Young Master Gu treats her like she's his precious darling. Originally, all of this should have been done by the wedding nanny, but he took over her job and helped the bride himself! The bride is so lucky, I'm so envious!"
"It seems the rumors were true. Young Master Gu really fell in love with Miss Shen at first sight, so he couldn't wait to propose marriage!"
"Hey, wasn't it said that the Duke's mansion proposed marriage because the Duchess was grateful to Miss Shen for saving her?"
"Oh dear, your explanation is outdated! The Duchess is grateful to Miss Shen for saving her, but she didn't come to propose marriage because of that. It's because Young Master Gu is in love with her!"
...
Shen Wantang naturally couldn't hear the discussions outside; all she could hear were the sounds of firecrackers and drums.
The noise and bustle subsided slightly once they entered the main room.
Following the instructions of Granny Xi, she bowed to her parents, then bowed to Gu Qianhan in return, and then heard a loud "The ceremony is complete!"
Then, she was helped by the nanny and left the main room, heading towards Gu Qianhan's courtyard.
Having visited the Duke's mansion many times, Shen Wantang was generally familiar with the roads, but she didn't know where Gu Qianhan's courtyard was.
The Duke's mansion was truly magnificent; the entire residence was astonishingly large. Shen Wantang was helped through several corridors before finally entering a courtyard.
She heard Gu Qianhan beside her say softly, "We've arrived."
Shen Wantang secretly breathed a sigh of relief; she was about to faint from the heat if she hadn't arrived soon.
Could his place be any more remote? It's way too far from the main courtyard!
Once inside the house, Shen Wantang was helped to sit on the wedding bed.
Even the usually stern Granny Yan smiled as she handed a scale to Gu Qianhan, saying, "Please, groom, lift the veil."
Gu Qianhan took the scale rod and steadily lifted the cover.
Shen Wantang's eyes lit up, and she looked up at Gu Qianhan.
He was dressed in red, wearing a groom's hat, and his eyes were smiling, his joy was palpable.
"Wow, the bride is so beautiful! They're a perfect match, a truly perfect couple!"
A clear, familiar voice rang out, and Shen Wantang turned her head with amusement, only to see Gu Qianning beaming with joy, unable to stop smiling.
With her shout, the other women from the Duke's mansion who were watching the ceremony also smiled and said auspicious words, praising the bride.
Afterwards, Granny Yan handed Shen Wantang and Gu Qianhan a cup of wine, and the two drank it together, arm in arm.
Next came the hair-tying ceremony. Granny Yan took a lock of hair from each of them and combined them into one, symbolizing the union of husband and wife, and that they would never be separated for life.
After all the ceremonies were completed in an orderly manner, Granny Yan reminded Gu Qianhan, "Second Young Master, you should go to the front courtyard."
Gu Qianhan looked at Shen Wantang and said softly, "Atang, you rest for a while, I'll be right back."
"Um."
Shen Wantang responded and watched him leave. Then the women crowded around her to talk to her.
Shen Wantang was the bride, so she didn't need to respond to anything. All she needed to do was lower her head and give a shy smile.
Gu Qianning knew that she had worked very hard today and was afraid that she would get tired. She also didn't let her relatives bother her for too long, so she quickly took everyone away.
The room quickly fell silent.
It was already dark outside, but the red candles inside the house were burning brightly.
Du Juan and the others crowded around, wanting to serve Shen Wantang, but for a moment they didn't know where to start, so they all looked at Granny Yan.
"Bring over a large cushion so that the second young mistress can rest on it for a while."
"Go and get more ice to cool the room down."
"Use a damp cloth to wipe the Second Young Mistress's face. Those cumbersome makeups are unnecessary. The Second Young Mistress is beautiful even without makeup!"
"Xiao Tao, go to the kitchen and get a bowl of bird's nest soup for the second young mistress, and also get a few more refreshing side dishes."
"Anyone else who's free, come and give the Second Young Mistress a shoulder massage and a leg rub."
Granny Yan quickly got all the maids in the room to work. Whether they were the maids Shen Wantang brought herself or the maids from the Duke's mansion, everyone found something to do.
Granny Yan then helped Shen Wantang support the heavy headdress herself, letting her lean against the pillow. To prevent the headdress from pulling her hair, she specially placed a small pillow on top of her head.
Shen Wantang felt much better now; she thought that even the emperor's treatment was probably no better than this.
Worried that she might be thirsty, Granny Yan handed her another cup of tea. Before Shen Wantang took a sip, she carefully asked, "Second Young Madam hasn't eaten yet, so you won't get drunk from the tea, will you?"
Shen Wantang smiled at her: "Don't worry, Granny, I'm not drunk on tea."
As she spoke, she drank the cup of tea in one gulp.
Seeing that she still wanted more, Granny Yan poured her another cup.
As Shen Wantang sipped her tea, she thought to herself, "No wonder she's a nanny in the Duke's mansion; she's both prestigious and meticulous."
No, she had to get the person to her side; she couldn't let Gu Qianhan return Granny Yan.
An ice chest was placed in the room, and a maid was fanning it. The heat quickly disappeared, and the whole room became cool.
Shen Wantang ate a bowl of bird's nest soup and a few bites of side dishes, but then she couldn't eat anymore.
After rinsing her mouth and wiping her hands, Shen Wantang lay back down.
She originally thought that Gu Qianhan would be busy dealing with guests and that she would have to wait a long time for him to return, but she didn't expect that he would come back so soon after she had rested.
Shen Wantang sat up abruptly, staring blankly at him: "Have all the guests left?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
