Chapter 225 Harmonious Union, Everlasting Prosperity
The Emperor and Empress arrived so suddenly that everyone present was taken aback, and even Fucha Yingjun, who was about to reach out, paused.
Seeing this, Hongzhao knew that she was still nervous. He lowered his head and smiled slightly, then firmly reached forward with his hand, supporting her forearm through her cold fingertips, and gently pulled her out of the sedan chair.
After this back and forth, apart from the Emperor and Empress, there was no one left standing. Hongzhao helped Fucha to his feet and slowly bowed under the increasingly kind and gratified gazes of his father and mother.
"Your subject greets Father Emperor and Mother Emperor."
The Empress was naturally pleased to see her children getting married one after another, but when she turned her head slightly to look at the Emperor beside her... she had to admit that the person who was more pleased than her was someone far away but right in front of her.
"Get up, get up quickly."
As he spoke, Yinzhen took two steps forward, bent down slightly, and gently supported Hongzhao's shoulder. His smile deepened the wrinkles on his face, and he even gestured to Fucha beside him.
He was so happy he was almost dizzy. Fucha's head was covered by a veil and she couldn't see the gestures she had just made. It was only when Hongzhao held her arm and lifted her up that she realized she could stand up.
Yinzhen squinted and looked Hongzhao up and down with a smile. His features had lost their childishness, and he stood there with a tall and straight figure exuding a sense of energy. He had naturally deep-set eyes, a high nose and thin lips, a restrained brilliance, and an outstanding temperament. He was truly handsome and pleasing to the eye no matter how you looked at him.
Yinzhen reached out to pat his shoulder, but when he raised his hand, he could only touch Hongzhao's arm where he remembered shoulder position. He paused and then gently patted him with the force of the movement. "Good, very good. Go in quickly, don't delay the auspicious time."
Perhaps because he had plenty of time to see him every day, Yinzhen had never really felt Hongzhao's growth before. But thinking about it carefully, from the little dumpling that could be picked up and carried at will, to the little child who often let him have a rub on his head.
From the boy who left the capital alone for the Mulan Hunting Grounds to the young man who now raises his arm even when being patted on the shoulder, there are always too many references to prove it.
Watching Hongzhao chatting and laughing with guests with ease and joy, Yinzhen, with his hands behind his back, inexplicably thought of a completely unrelated question.
From which specific day did I last lift him into my arms and carry him on my shoulder?
Even though he prided himself on knowing his son best, having raised him from infancy, he couldn't find a definitive answer to his confusion after a moment's thought. He only knew that it would be a peaceful and uneventful day.
It turns out... at the time, it seemed like nothing special.
Seeing that all the main characters of the wedding banquet had arrived, Zhengli said that it was time to begin.
The Emperor and Empress sat in the seats of honor, and the master of ceremonies recited auspicious words in different verses, leading the Crown Prince and Crown Princess into the hall.
"First bow to Heaven and Earth—"
Hongzhao and Fucha each held one end of the red silk and, following the master of ceremonies' instructions, turned around and bowed to the heavens.
Fucha peeked out through the gap in her veil. The man beside her was doing the same thing as her. As he bowed, half of his chiseled face was partially visible. The two gold and jade buttons on his braid, which hung down with the movement, glittered in the sunlight.
After this day, she will marry him, but she will be more than just a wife.
She is also the Crown Princess in the Eastern Palace, and the future Empress of the Qing Dynasty. She is destined not to be like others, with her mind full of petty love and pursuing herself.
Inheriting the ancestral temple, continuing the imperial line, managing the harem, and handling domestic affairs—that was what she was supposed to do. She was older, and having spent several years in the palace, she had seen things clearly. She didn't believe the emperor had any feelings. Fortunately, the Crown Prince was the best man in the world.
Although she did not believe in the emperor, she believed in her crown prince.
"Second bow to the parents—"
The two slowly turned around and bowed again to the Empress Dowager, who was smiling broadly and whose eyes were filled with joy, and to the Emperor Father, whose tears were becoming more easily shed with age.
Hongzhao's eyesight has always been excellent; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to shoot three birds with one arrow. In just a blink of an eye, he not only saw the undisguised melancholy on his father's aged face, but also clearly saw Fucha's hands, tightly clutching a red silk cloth, hidden in his sleeve.
Fucha will definitely be a good wife, a good crown princess, and in the future, she will also be a good empress. This is something that Hongzhao has always been certain of.
She was beautiful, kind, intelligent but not ostentatious, calm but not dull, disciplined but not rigid. She seemed as gentle as water, but little did people know that water also has its sharpness. All these qualities were embodied in one person, which is why Hongzhao was attracted to her from the very beginning.
Listening to the soft clinking of the jade pendant next to him against the ground, Hongzhao thought to himself, "Fucha is my wife, and I will definitely give her enough respect and dignity."
He never expects the people around him to be perfect or saintly.
He firmly believes that everyone has a shameful side, and that he himself has done his share of unethical and despicable things along the way. Therefore, he is willing to give her as much tolerance and freedom as possible.
Because she was not only the Crown Princess, not only the future Empress, but also his wife.
"Husband and wife bow to each other—"
The red ribbon drew the two of them involuntarily a step closer to each other as they turned around.
Since coming into this world, apart from his limited number of elders, no one else has made him bow down. From today onwards, there is one more.
"We became husband and wife, our love unwavering. Tonight we revel in this joyous occasion."
"The ceremony is complete—"
The two straightened up and remained standing face to face, waiting for the auspicious words from the master of ceremonies during the ceremony. But to their surprise, the voice they heard did not come from the master of ceremonies.
Yinzhen was making more small movements than usual. He first moved his legs, then raised his hand and patted his knees, then groped for his palm and spoke, his voice low and hoarse with a deep quality.
"Today is the Crown Prince's wedding day, and I am deeply pleased. May you two live in harmony, and may the Qing Dynasty prosper forever!"
Hongzhao turned to meet his father's encouraging gaze, and everyone in the hall bowed and echoed, "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Crown Prince!"
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