Wedding
The prince's wedding day was August 21st.
The finger-sized hole on the bright red wedding dress had been repaired by the embroiderer.
Qi Qinghe couldn't help but sigh, she is worthy of being the best embroiderer in Beijing, her craftsmanship is impeccable.
She gently stroked the exquisite wedding dress and yawned.
On the day of the wedding, everyone in the Qi family was extremely nervous. Even Qi Xu and Aunt Zhou did not come to cause trouble.
Even Qi Qinghe became nervous and stayed awake until the middle of the night before falling into a deep sleep.
Even when he was dragged out of bed by the maid and the nanny, there were dark circles under his eyes.
She yawned and sat in front of the dressing mirror, allowing the maid to wash and dress her.
The exquisite tasseled hair crown, with dazzling golden color, seemed to weigh a thousand pounds when worn on her head, almost making her breathless.
Qi Zhang arrived very early and stood in the corner of the main hall. Her eyes subconsciously followed the maids coming in and out, and soon fell on her daughter.
Qi Qinghe was so sleepy that she couldn't even open her eyelids and suddenly slammed her head against the table. Fortunately, several maids were quick to support her. She raised her head in a daze and saw her mother who was at a loss through the dressing mirror.
"Why are you standing, mother? Come and sit for a while." She waved her hand, signaling her mother not to go so far away.
At this time, all the people coming in and out of the main hall were members of the Qi family, so there was no need to pretend to be strangers.
Qi Xu hesitated and sat down beside her daughter. "Now that you've entered the palace, I'm afraid we won't be able to spend much time together. Please take good care of yourself and your health. Put yourself first in everything, and don't worry about me..."
Qi Xu had imagined several times how her daughter would look like when she got married, but none of them matched the current situation. She tossed and turned sleeplessly all night, constantly reminding herself not to cry on such a happy day as it would be annoying.
But when that day really comes, how can I bear it?
As Qi Xu spoke, her eyes gradually turned red, and a thin layer of tears accumulated in her cloudy pupils.
Qi Qinghe responded with a smile at first, but as A Niang spoke, the corners of his mouth gradually smoothed out. He opened his mouth several times to say something, but he didn't know where to start.
"Don't worry, mother. I understand." A myriad of thoughts were turned into a simple sentence. She raised her head and looked at her mother in the mirror.
Qi Xu nodded repeatedly and said nothing more.
The complicated wedding dress matched the exquisite hair crown very well, but it was too heavy and made her almost unable to stand up.
"Today is the wedding day, and His Majesty, the Empress Dowager, and the Empress Dowager will all be present. Princess Consort, please remember what you have learned in the past and do not be disrespectful and bring shame to the royal family." After giving a few final words of advice, the two maids left the hall and waited.
The procession for the bride has already set out from the palace. Every quarter of an hour, the servants would call out to announce the direction of the procession.
Qi Qinghe listened to the bursts of cheers, her heart beating unusually fast, rising little by little, hanging in her throat. She kept looking around, as if she was extremely interested in everything in the hall.
Qi Lin and Qi Qingyu came in at this time.
When Qi Lin saw his niece dressed so gorgeously, a flash of surprise passed through his eyes. He spoke in a high-sounding manner about other things, saying that if she became favored in the future, she should not forget her brothers and sisters at home.
Qi Qinghe was annoyed by what he heard, so he just nodded as a way of agreeing.
After her father finished speaking and left the main hall, Qi Qingyu took a deep breath, pulled something out of her sleeve, and stuffed it into her cousin's hand. "It was not my intention to implicate you. This amulet was obtained with great difficulty at the Wanguo Temple. I hope it can protect you and bring you a safe and smooth life."
Qi Qinghe lowered her eyes and saw a gouache amulet with the word "peace" engraved on the front and a soaring bird on the back, flying over the shimmering lake.
"Thank you, sister. I'll remember your kindness." She said softly, carefully putting the thing away in her sleeve.
Qi Qingyu looked at her, her lips trembling, wanting to say something but stopping herself.
The servant's cry interrupted the two girls, "The wedding procession has arrived!"
"If you want to talk to someone, you can ask someone to pass a message to me. If I have nothing to do, I will invite you to the palace to talk." Qi Qinghe was supported by the maid and slowly stood up. He took a last look at A Niang and went straight out of the house.
According to custom, she should bid farewell to her parents, ride in the wedding sedan, and go all the way to the palace. In front of the wedding procession, her parents are naturally Qi Lin and Qi Zhang.
In the front yard, Qi Lin and Qi Zhang were sitting in the middle, wearing red robes and green shirts, with their hair tied up in buns and their heads full of hairpins and jade, looking extremely solemn.
Qi Lin's expression remained normal, and she cleared her throat twice. "As the Crown Princess, I should set an example, serve His Highness well, manage the Eastern Palace, and be cautious in my words and actions..."
Qi Lin said a few simple words and turned his head to look at Qi Zhang.
Qi Zhang looked straight ahead, not directly at Qi Qinghe. She rubbed the handkerchief in her hands unconsciously, her face flushed red and she couldn't speak, she just nodded repeatedly.
Forced by the presence of outsiders, Qi Qinghe acted well-behaved, responded to every word, knelt down to say goodbye to her nominal parents, covered herself with a big red veil, and, supported by her left and right, slowly got into the sedan chair.
The ceremonial guard with drums and gongs was in front, and the bearers carrying the sedan chair were strong and powerful, and there was not a single bump.
Qi Qinghe listened to the hustle and bustle of the Qi Mansion, which became farther and farther away until she could no longer hear any sound. She blinked and a tear fell.
Since leaving Heyuan, she has never seen A'niang again. There are unfamiliar faces all around her. Even Qin'er, Shuya and Shuqing stayed with A'niang and were never taken away.
Be careful with what you say and do, be careful with what you say and do, be careful with what you say and do, she repeated to herself several times, forcing herself to recall her wandering thoughts and close her eyes to rest.
The bridal sedan chair entered the palace and stopped in front of the gate of the East Palace.
Qi Qinghe slowly opened his eyes, stood up and carefully stepped out of the sedan, with his left hand folded to the side.
Unexpectedly, the hand she was holding was not that of a delicate maid, but a man's hand that was more than a circle larger than hers, with distinct knuckles.
The man helped her out of the sedan chair steadily without saying a word.
"Please ask the newlyweds to hold hands and step over the fire basin to drive away evil spirits and bring prosperity." The palace maid's voice was loud and deep.
Qi Qinghe swallowed, silently recited the nanny's instructions, and stepped over the brazier with the support of the man beside her, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
The two of them went to the main hall surrounded by a group of palace maids.
In the main hall, His Majesty and the Queen arrived in person, said a few words of blessing, and the ceremony officially began.
Qi Qinghe was covered with a veil, and could only hear the voice but not see the person. His Majesty's voice was low and the Queen's voice was charming, which was a perfect contrast. She suddenly came to her senses and, at the signal of the palace servant beside her, she first bowed to heaven and earth, then to her parents, and finally to each other as husband and wife.
She half bent over and glanced subconsciously, only to see a pair of official boots with black base and silver threads.
She thought calmly that he was a perfect match for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
Even though she had only seen the Crown Prince once or twice, his serious expression was still fresh in her memory.
After the greetings, she was escorted to the bridal chamber. As she sat on the soft mattress, a belated sleepiness finally washed over her body.
Qi Qinghe's ten fingers were deeply buried in her palms, and the pain made her still a little clear-headed despite her drowsiness.
She especially remembered that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince attached great importance to palace rules and etiquette.
After drinking the wedding wine, the spicy liquid slid down his throat and made his body hot.
When Qi Qinghe heard the subtle sound of His Highness picking up the scale, his heart began to beat like a drum.
The bright red veil was slowly lifted, and her gaze slowly moved upwards.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince really suited himself to such bright colors, which made his shoulders look broad and his legs long, with his slender waist right in front of her. His dark and calm eyes looked down at her, and his thin lips were slightly pursed, which made her feel as if she was being seen naked.
She shuddered all over, her heart pounding wildly, and she called out "Your Highness" in a trembling voice. Her mind was blank, and she had forgotten everything about what the nanny had taught her, and what she should do on the wedding night.
The bright red veil fluttered to the ground. Xiao Junbai gently lifted the chin of the person in front of him, telling her not to avoid his gaze.
The girl's delicate and soft face in his hands made him feel a little at a loss. He slowly leaned over, and the warm breath sprayed on his face, which felt a little itchy and a little novel.
"You're very nervous." The prince paused. "These should have been taught by the nanny. Don't you know how to do it?"
The calm words fell into Qi Qinghe's ears, with a hint of blame.
She said in a trembling voice, "Mammy taught me."
As she spoke, she raised her hand tremblingly, trying hard to recall the instructions of the nanny, and changed the clothes and bathed His Highness.
Xiao Junbai held her hand and said, "Take off the hair crown first."
The golden crown on her head seemed to be about to fall off.
Qi Qinghe responded softly, taking off her hairpins and hair crowns one by one and placing them on the low table beside the bed.
Xiao Junbai pushed the person down on the bed.
The two people's noses touched, their breaths intertwined, and in the bedroom with ice on the four corners, the air was filled with heat, and a blush gradually crept up their cheeks.
When Xiao Junbai looked at people from such a close distance, her slender neck and her fair skin wrapped in the bright red wedding dress aroused people's imagination.
He pulled down the gauze curtain beside the bed with one hand, leaned over to her ear, put his hand on her waist, and gently pulled, and the belt loosened instantly, "Do you know what to do next?"
Qi Qinghe blushed and nodded slightly.
The candlelight on the low table flickered continuously until late at night.
After taking a bath, Qi Qinghe, who was tired after a day of work, felt sore all over that she couldn't even stand. Her eyelids were so sleepy that she couldn't even open them. She fell asleep as soon as she touched the pillow, not even caring about how the Crown Prince was doing.
Fortunately, Xiao Junbai didn't care much. It was the first time he experienced the sexual pleasure described in the book, and he was in a very good mood. He pulled the quilt over and casually put it on the person who was sleeping soundly beside him, and fell into a deep sleep.
The next day, at daybreak, palace servants knocked on the door, asking the two masters to prepare for an audience.
According to custom, today we should worship our ancestors and then pay homage to His Majesty, the Empress, and the Imperial Concubine.
Qi Qinghe felt like she had just fallen asleep when she was dragged out of bed. When she was made to wash up in front of the dressing mirror, she was in a daze, unable to open her eyes, and her speech was slurred.
Xiao Junbai was used to this and there was no trace of impatience on his face. He allowed the palace maids to change his clothes and tie his hair.
After changing into his robes, the prince saw that Qi Qinghe was still exhausted, so he said calmly, "Today is the day for the ancestral worship and audience. There are many things to do. You need to be polite and considerate. Be careful with your words and actions. Don't rush and act rashly, or you will be disrespectful in the face of adversity."
The prince's words were like thunder, waking Qi Qinghe up.
She sat up straight and responded repeatedly, "Don't worry, Your Highness, I understand."
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