Wanyan was exceptionally beautiful, with captivating eyes like autumn water. In her bridal attire, she outshone all the other women in the room, young and old.
Yinzhen looked up and his cheeks instantly flushed. Yihua, watching from the side, couldn't help but laugh. She hadn't expected that this domineering figure was actually so easily embarrassed.
The little girl, Liu Liu, gave a perfunctory, fake smile, rolled around vigorously on the wedding bed, and finally landed in Yin Zhen's arms.
Yinzhen pointed to his profile: "Six-Six, come here and give your Fourteenth Uncle a stick of incense."
Liu Liu covered her mouth with both hands and shook her head: "No."
"Why?" Yinzhen expressed his sadness, feeling disliked by his little niece.
Liu Liu said in her childish voice, "Father said that from now on, Uncle Fourteen belongs to Auntie, and Liu Liu can't kiss him anymore."
"Little devil." Yinzhen affectionately rubbed her little head, then handed Liu Liu to Yi Hua. Her mission of rolling around on the bed was now a complete success.
"Yinzhen thanks all my sisters-in-law for their help. I will be hosting a family banquet at the manor in a few days. Please come and relax at my home." Although Yinzhen was arrogant, he was also a man of good manners. Knowing that all his sisters-in-law had contributed to today's wedding, he bowed and said.
Dong Eshi laughed out loud: "That's why you're considered an adult after the wedding. Fourteenth Brother, there's no need for such formalities. In the future, you and your wife can have a few more nephews and nieces to entertain us aunts."
Wanyan blushed deeply at the teasing, but kept her head down and remained silent.
Looking down, she saw the tattered dates under the blanket. Actually, most of them were good, but Liu Liu was small and had no strength left after picking a few.
However, since no one paid attention to such a small matter except for the wet nurse, no new ones were replaced.
The grains scattered on the wedding bed symbolized "early birth of a son," but now the little maid rolling around on the bed had ruined the dates. Wanyan pursed her lips in displeasure, but she couldn't show it now.
Knowing it was the Fourteenth Prince's auspicious day, the people in the bridal chamber gradually left, and Yi Hua began preparing for the evening banquet. Only then did she feel relieved. She sat in the flower hall, and Yu Xiao knelt down to massage her ankles.
"Ever since the little princess was born, your health has been poor. Seeing you standing all day today, your feet are indeed swollen."
Yi Hua took a sip of tea, unable to eat anything, feeling a sour taste in her stomach, which she forced down: "If today goes smoothly, it's just that I've accomplished nothing, and I'll just need to recuperate for a while longer."
At first, Yihua didn't want to take on everything, but Consort De hinted and reminded her repeatedly.
"The ninth brother's wedding was handled very well. He is indeed a brother. The fifth brother's wife has the Empress Dowager's support, so no one dares to neglect her."
“Look at the tenth prince’s wedding. Although he married a noble Mongolian woman and it looked grand, it was full of flaws because his mother didn’t manage it. It was only after the emperor couldn’t stand it anymore and personally consulted the Imperial Household Department that it was barely acceptable.”
"The Fourteenth Prince has doted on Honghui the most over the years. In the future, he will live outside the palace. You two must take good care of him and make sure he doesn't go astray."
"..."
It's not that I can't refuse, it's just that there's no need. Considering the Fourteenth Prince's protectiveness towards Honghui, I can't stay out of it. It's better to curry favor with Consort De.
Through the screen, Su Peisheng jogged over, followed by a young eunuch carrying a food box steadily: "This servant greets the Princess Consort."
"Why has Eunuch Su come over? Does the master have any instructions?" Yi Hua was entertaining the female guests, while Yinzhen was entertaining the male guests in the front courtyard. His day was just as busy.
"Don't worry, Madam. The Master didn't use wine, but water." Su Peisheng first looked at Madam's expression. Although she was a little pale, she was in good spirits, so he was relieved. "This is ginseng soup that the Master personally ordered to be prepared. He said that Madam's health is the most important thing. Drink a bowl first. If you feel unwell, go back to the manor. As for the women's affairs, I will talk to the First Madam and the Third Madam. I can handle it."
"Thank you for your trouble, Father-in-law. Ah Bao, please get some snacks for you." Yi Hua finished her drink in one gulp and said, "Father-in-law, you must not have had a drop of water all day. Please have something simple for now, as the banquet will be over soon."
Su Peisheng was naturally very grateful. He was indeed starving and finished a plate of snacks in less than half a cup of tea.
"This servant thanks the Lady for the reward." Su Peisheng quickly finished eating, wiped his mouth, and jogged away.
Yi Hua sat for a while, feeling better: "Did the Fourteenth Prince go to the front yard to offer toasts?"
"Yes, after the toasting, it'll be time for the wedding night. You don't need to keep an eye on things; we can go home now." Seeing that Yi Hua was in a good mood, Granny Chen joked.
However, Granny Chen spoke too soon. Yi Hua waited in the back but Yin Zhen did not return to the backyard, so she asked A Bao to go to the front yard to see what was going on.
A short while later, Abao rushed back: "Reporting to the Madam, the gentlemen in front are drinking heavily, and this servant can't stop watching."
"What do you mean by 'can't stop'?" Yi Hua asked, somewhat surprised. Didn't she just say she was drinking water?
It all started when the tenth brother saw that his fourth brother had drunk a round of drinks without changing his expression or skipping a beat. He was a little surprised. Was his fourth brother really a natural at drinking without getting drunk?
With this question in mind, the tenth prince leaned closer to Yinzhen and took a sniff, then said casually, "Fourth brother, this isn't wine either."
Led by the tenth prince, the younger brothers below immediately surrounded him, demanding that Yinzhen punish himself by drinking three cups in turn.
Normally, these younger brothers are afraid of Yinzhen's cold face, but today they were all a bit drunk and acted recklessly, saying all sorts of nasty things.
Yinzhen, naturally, couldn't be outdone by the younger ones, so he started drinking wine like water.
As they began their drinking session, the others also started drinking in twos and threes. The eighth brother pulled the ninth brother aside and, while drinking, complained, "Ninth brother, you've all started to distance yourselves from me lately. I'm suffering."
Old Jiu didn't like hearing this, but since they had once been in a honeymoon period, he didn't refuse and drank it cup after cup.
Prince Zhi had been in a bad mood ever since Consort Hui was demoted. Seeing his younger brothers drinking together, he poured himself a drink as well.
In no time, the men in the front yard were drinking with each other, and things got chaotic.
The Fourteenth Prince was the main character today; he had to drink with everyone, and slowly he drank until he was lying on the ground unconscious.
When Yi Hua heard A Bao's report, she led people with hangover soup to the front yard, where she saw a group of people lying on the ground and another group still drinking heavily.
She quickly directed her servants to drag the Fourteenth Prince back to the backyard, where Lady Wanyan was waiting for him.
However, Yi Hua had some doubts. Could she still consummate the marriage in this state?
Yinzhen was also quite drunk. He sat quietly, accepting every toast offered to him without fuss or making a fuss, somewhat resembling Honghui's obedient nature. When he drank the hangover soup from Yihua's hand, his eyes were watery and he looked straight at you, melting your heart.
After taking care of Yinzhen, Yihua instructed the eunuchs to separate the men and carry them out to sleep in their own rooms.
Looking at the room full of leftovers, Yi Hua shook her head. This... was truly an unconventional wedding.
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