Chapter 12 Crossover
With a roar, Wen Zhiming snatched the long sword from his guard and slashed straight at Guan Yi'an.
"Help!" Guan Yi'an covered his head and ran around frantically, no longer caring about his dignity, desperately running around his bridal sedan chair.
He originally intended to feign magnanimity to cultivate a good relationship with Prince Wen, hoping to make plans for the future. He also wanted to take advantage of the fact that this fool couldn't understand human speech to subtly criticize the guests and salvage his reputation.
Who knew that Prince Wen, this fool, wasn't completely stupid; he was rather insane, and at the slightest provocation, he drew his knife to attack him. If he hadn't run away quickly and someone hadn't intervened, he would have nearly died today.
Given Prince Wen's status and illness, even if he were killed, it wouldn't have much of an impact. It would be truly a pity and a lamentable loss if such a brilliant talent were to die unjustly before he could realize his ambitions.
"Your Highness, no, no! Blood must not be shed on our wedding day. Please don't take offense at his actions."
Meng Xingyuan pulled Wen Zhiming aside, took the knife from his hand, and patiently advised, "Young Master, the time has come. You should take your bride back to the Prince of Anshun's residence."
"Yes, marrying Xiaoling is the priority, I need to get married first." Wen Zhiming was forgetful, and upon hearing about getting a bride, he immediately forgot about Guan Yi'an.
He muttered about marrying a bride, Xiao Ling'er, and without saying another word to Meng Xingyuan, he walked to the front of the wedding procession, mounted his horse, and led the bridal sedan chair away.
He was tall and handsome, and now, dressed in a red robe and riding a fine horse, he was incomparably radiant. He even outshone Guan Yi'an, who was known as the most talented and handsome man in the capital.
He walked in the sedan chair at the front, followed by a long procession of wedding partys. Large pieces of furniture were carried by two people, while smaller pieces of dowry were carried by one person. A carriage also carried valuable items. All the items, large and small, were painted in red lacquer, shimmering and dazzling.
The journey was lively and festive, attracting everyone's attention.
It was nearly an hour later when the entire wedding procession had left the Prime Minister's residence. During this time, Guan Yi'an and Meng Huanyan tried to join the procession, but were pushed back several times.
The well-mannered maid from the Prince of Anshun's residence even came over to tell Guan Yi'an to learn some manners and wait until the Meng family's eldest daughter's wedding procession had finished before setting off.
No matter how angry and unwilling Guan Yi'an was, he dared not provoke the Prince of Anshun's Mansion any further. He could only stare with reddened eyes, shrink into a corner, and watch the commotion that had nothing to do with him.
When it was finally over, he was utterly dejected and weakly said to Meng Xingyuan, "Father-in-law, I am grateful for your trust. The time has come, I need to..."
He stammered, feeling that nothing he said would be right.
If he were to marry Meng Lingge, he would promise to treat her well in the future. With such a large dowry, he would certainly use his silver tongue to express his gratitude.
But now she's just a dispensable illegitimate daughter who hasn't received any benefits, so there's really nothing to say. He's feeling both resentful and bitter, and his usual sharp tongue is useless now.
"Since it's your own choice, just live your lives well."
Meng Xingyuan waved his hand, not wanting to exchange pleasantries with him any further. He also had no intention of helping them whatsoever.
Guan Yi'an left with his wedding procession, feeling both disappointed and relieved, without a single person following behind.
Once outside the Prime Minister's residence and onto the street, he was subjected to a barrage of gossip and ridicule.
Wherever he went, there were sighs and lamentations. Meanwhile, Meng Lingge's journey was filled with lively celebrations all the way from the Prime Minister's residence to the Prince of Anshun's residence.
From the time Princess Anshun and Meng Xingyuan finalized their marriage until the newlyweds entered the mansion, only two or three hours had passed. Yet, the wedding preparations at the Anshun Prince's Mansion were all complete, and the mansion handled everything smoothly without any panic or haste.
As soon as Meng Lingge stepped down from the bridal sedan chair, Wen Zhiming took her hand. The bride's entrance ceremony was successfully completed with Wen Zhiming's assistance.
Wen Zhiming had attended many grand weddings of prominent families and was very familiar with these procedures.
He used to be unable to patiently finish a task, but today, without anyone urging or guiding him, he took the initiative to fulfill his duties as the groom, so naturally that no one could see anything wrong with him.
When Princess Anshun saw the once-foolish Wen Zhiming bowing to heaven and earth, then to his parents, and finally to each other like a normal person, she was moved to tears.
She truly never expected that simply sending Wen Zhiming to a banquet today would lead to such a wonderful marriage.
Meng Lingge was escorted to the bridal chamber, with Wen Zhiming following behind. As soon as he entered the room, he tried to lift Meng Lingge's veil to speak to her, which startled the head maid in the courtyard, who quickly stopped him.
"Your Highness, you can't lift the veil now. This veil can only be lifted at night. You should go to the banquet and keep the guests company first, and come back after dark. Don't worry, we'll take good care of the bride for you."
The head maid was an old servant in the household and knew how to speak in a way that would make the young master more receptive.
Upon hearing this, Wen Zhiming indeed abandoned his intention to lift the veil. He simply touched the edge of the veil with his finger and whispered, "But I've been cooped up for so long, won't Xiaoling feel uncomfortable? I don't want to entertain the guests, I want to stay here with my wife."
"This is inappropriate..." The head maid was pacing anxiously. How could the groom stay in the bridal chamber after the bride had been sent there? The guests outside would laugh at him for being too eager. Although the young master's situation was special, what kind of behavior was it to hide in the bride's room on the wedding day?
"Your Highness..." As soon as she said it, Meng Lingge realized that they had already completed their wedding ceremony, and it was no longer appropriate to call him Your Highness. So she blushed and said, "Husband, this is the custom for marriage. We are only considered married after everything is completed. Please listen to the nanny."
"It's only considered a marriage when everything is completed," Wen Zhiming muttered, then readily nodded and said, "Then I'll listen to my wife. I'll go entertain the guests and come back to keep my wife company tonight."
After taking a few steps, he added worriedly, "My wife hasn't eaten anything yet. Don't forget to bring her something good to eat."
"This old servant understands, please rest assured, Your Highness." The head maid assured him repeatedly, and only then did Wen Zhiming reluctantly leave, turning back every few steps.
“Your Highness, this old servant is Granny Chu, the head of the Prince’s residence. From today onwards, I am Your Highness’s person. If there is anything you need to know or do, just give me your orders.”
Granny Chu had watched the young master grow up since he was a child, and now she was genuinely happy to see him get married. Because of her love for Meng Lingge, she also felt more affection for her.
"Thank you, Granny. I'm sure I'll need your help sometime in the future. Dongqing, take some silver and treat Granny to tea."
Dongqing grabbed a handful of loose silver from the prepared purse, and Granny Chu smiled even more sincerely, "Oh, Your Highness is too kind, this old servant thanks Your Highness for the reward."
After exchanging pleasantries, Granny Chu took out a white brocade cloth from the cabinet and spread it in the middle of the bright red quilt. Several of the maids who had accompanied her in the dowry looked on with shy expressions.
"The Princess Consort said this is an essential part of the wedding ceremony, but the Crown Prince's situation is special. We can't rush him and make things difficult for the Crown Princess. We have to guide him slowly to understand. If we can't do it today... the Crown Princess can simply cut the Crown Prince's finger to complete the task..."
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