Chapter 40: Sending the Bride Off
Despite her disappointment, Yuezhi still had things to do.
I woke up early intending to have a simple meal, but I found that today's steamed dishes were quite plentiful. In addition to the mushroom crystal shrimp dumplings and golden cake that she liked yesterday, there were also some new varieties.
Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, glutinous rice balls filled with red dates and red bean paste, candied glutinous rice lotus root, steamed pork ribs... She ate a little of everything, never knowing what the next bite would taste like, enjoying herself and feeling full.
Only after finishing the meal did they ask, "Has the imperial chef not returned to the palace yet?"
Huachun: "The imperial chef returned to the palace last night. These are the recipes he left behind. The cooks in our household have been learning to make them. Does the princess like them?"
Of course she liked it. With every bite, she couldn't help but smile. She never knew that eating could be such a wonderful thing.
Yuezhi nodded and then asked, "Did the Prince Consort have breakfast before leaving? Making so many steamed dishes just for me is too much trouble. Next time, I'll have the kitchen reduce the variety of dishes by half for each meal."
"The prince consort ate before leaving. He instructed the kitchen to prepare a few more dishes to test your tastes, so that the variety of dishes would be just right when a new menu is drawn up."
Hearing this, Yuezhi smiled warmly, "He's so thoughtful, even though he's busy on duty, he still thinks about my meals."
Hua Chun served her medicine, without mentioning that two hours earlier, the young emperor had rushed back to the palace to attend court without even having time to eat; and that an hour earlier, the real imperial son-in-law had eaten a simple breakfast in his room, changed into his official robes, and taken the carriage from the mansion to the Hanlin Academy for his shift.
The princess's residence was very large. The two men, one in the open and one in the shadows, lived in the main courtyard through the west gate and the other in the east courtyard through the main gate. Living here, they could ensure that neither of them would disturb the other.
Although Hua Chun had seen many strange things with her former masters, this drama of a woman marrying two husbands and a king taking a subject's wife was still a once-in-a-century event.
Yuezhi was unaware of all this. After taking her medicine and drinking some sweet soup to mask the bitterness, she asked her maid to fetch a gift from the storeroom and also ordered someone to arrange for the largest eight-chariot carriage in the mansion to be used for her trip.
This time, we're going to make a big splash and go in style.
At this moment, inside the Cui residence.
Cui Xianglan's courtyard was deserted and quiet, with hardly any red ribbons inside or out. There was no indication that a wedding was being held in the mansion today, and that she was the bride who was about to get married.
On the day of the princess's wedding, she made an appearance at the princess's residence. Everyone knew she was the princess's honored guest, and even those who didn't like her in their hearts still gave her plenty of respect and courtesy.
Today is my wedding day, and the family has received many congratulatory gifts. Although the gifts are not expensive, they all come from the heart.
Unfortunately, none of these gifts reached her. Her stepmother told the guests that all the treasures would be added to her dowry, but in reality, only one of the ten dowry chests was actually heavy, containing the reward that the princess had specifically requested to be given to her. The other nine were either empty boxes or filled with old clothes to make a show of it.
The wedding gifts given to her were intended to be passed through the family storeroom and then ended up in her stepmother's and sister's rooms. Her father knew this, but he didn't tell her anything.
Because she was a daughter who was married off to a distant place, and her dowry was sold for three thousand taels, she would be of no use to him after she went to Qingzhou.
Cui Xianglan looked at herself in the mirror. Her face was covered with cheap makeup, and she wore the headdress and jewelry that the princess had bestowed upon her. At least she could maintain a respectable appearance and not lose face on the most important day of her life.
Life is full of ups and downs, but as long as you live well and get through the hardships, you will surely live a good life.
She wiped away her tears and covered her head with the veil herself.
Without the blessings of relatives and friends, without the entourage of servants, the bride left home, and the courtyard was deserted, with no one except her personal maid.
The maid helped her out of the courtyard. Outside, the matchmaker was chatting and eating melon seeds. When she saw Cui Xianglan come out, she realized that the auspicious time had arrived.
He cleared his throat and announced, "The bride is leaving her home!"
The two wedding attendants led her outside without saying a single auspicious word. Cui Xianglan knew that her stepmother was holding a grudge against her because of her sister's punishment and was deliberately trying to annoy her on her wedding day.
She wasn't angry at all; she wanted to live her own good life and it wasn't worth ruining her health over such a despicable person.
As she entered the front yard, Cui's mother and Cui Qingqing, who were chatting and laughing with others, caught sight of her red figure. They gave her a disdainful look, then pretended to be reluctant to part with her in front of the guests, and hurried over to her, pulling on her sleeve to say goodbye.
Looking through the semi-transparent veil, the mother and daughter, dressed in red and green, appeared much more festive than she did.
Cui Xianglan snorted coldly and pulled their hands away.
"On my big day, my stepmother and sister are so kind to me. They carefully collect all the wedding gifts from the guests so that when I go home to visit them, I can see what kind of wedding gifts everyone gave me, so that I won't drop or break them on the way to my wedding. Don't you think so?"
Her voice wasn't quiet, and some of the guests heard it. Mr. Cui, sitting at the head table, was stared at by a group of suspicious eyes, and immediately lost face, only able to force a smile.
“My daughter was just joking with her mother and sister. That’s just her personality; she doesn’t know how to hold her tongue. Please forgive her, everyone.”
Cui Xianglan overheard a few bits and pieces and thought to herself: She really has no restraint. Her father has long been imprisoned for bribery, attempting to form a clique, and private lending. How could he still be sitting here?
Ultimately, the three of them were a bunch of snakes and rats, and they didn't take her, their motherless daughter, seriously.
Cui Xianglan did not want to be the daughter of a disgraced official, nor did she want the princess to be implicated in her bad reputation and gossiped about behind her back because of her association with her.
He had no choice but to swallow his anger, stop arguing or venting, kneel down to bid farewell to his parents, and then get up to walk towards the bridal sedan chair.
Just as they reached the center of the front yard, a loud shout of congratulations came from outside the door.
"Princess Ning'an has arrived!"
Upon hearing that the princess had arrived, all the guests rushed to the door to kneel and greet her. Even Cui's parents hurried over, leaving only Cui Xianglan standing in the courtyard.
"We warmly welcome the princess! We pay our respects to the princess, may she live a thousand years!"
A large number of people knelt inside and outside the narrow gate of the Cui residence, blocking the bride's way out.
The master of ceremonies stood outside the princess's carriage. "The princess is about to enter the palace to visit her bride and present her with gifts to bring her good fortune. All subjects, please step aside and make way—"
The crowd hurriedly knelt down to make way, and the maid helped the princess down from the carriage. They walked all the way to the Cui family courtyard, where the maid helped the kneeling bride up and took a red gold silk bracelet from her own hand and put it on her wrist.
He whispered, "I knew your parents wouldn't take your wedding seriously, so I came here on purpose. Luckily, we didn't miss the appointed time."
Cui Xianglan looked at the princess in front of her, dressed in pink and wearing simple silver and jade jewelry, and her eyes gradually became moist.
The princess, who rarely wore gold jewelry, made a special trip to support her. She brought this pure gold bracelet for her and personally put it on her finger.
"Princess, what virtue or ability do I possess to deserve your favor?" Her voice choked with emotion.
“We are friends.” Yuezhi took her hand. “I have also been down on my luck. I know that people will reveal their true nature when they are bullied. You have never complained to me about your family’s suffering and asked for help. You came to my house to congratulate me on my wedding despite the cold treatment from others. I know that you are a proud person who treats others with sincerity.”
He leaned close to her ear and said, "I can't let the good girl I admire suffer from other people's mistreatment on her big day."
“Princess…” Tears blurred the bride’s heavy makeup, and Cui Xianglan lowered her head and sobbed softly.
"My name is Yuezhi. You can just call me by my name, and I'll call you by your name, Xianglan, okay?"
"Hmm." Cui Xianglan wiped her face with a handkerchief, making her makeup even more smudged.
Yuezhi couldn't see, so Huachun reminded her from the side, "Princess, the bride's makeup is ruined. Why don't we ask her to move to the side hall for a while, and we'll help her redo her makeup?"
"Alright." Yuezhi smiled and agreed, then instructed, "I intend to redo the bride's makeup. Does Lord Cui have any objections?"
Upon being called upon, Mr. and Mrs. Cui hurriedly lifted the hem of their robes and stood up. They rushed from the door to Yuezhi's side, knelt down, and replied, "It is our family's honor that the princess is willing to go to such lengths for our daughter."
Hua Chunyue took the two maids who were following her and invited Cui Xianglan to the side hall.
Yuezhi stood still, looking towards Cui Xianglan's biased parents, and chuckled: "Xianglan is willing to marry far away because of her parents' wishes, but I can't bear to see her helpless and alone after leaving home. I wonder what kind of dowry you and Madam have prepared for Xianglan, is it enough for her to establish herself in her husband's family?"
"This...this..." The two stammered, thinking for a long time but still couldn't figure out what valuable things they had added to the dowry chest.
Yuezhi had expected them to mistreat Cui Xianglan with her dowry, but she never imagined that the couple wouldn't give her a single valuable item, which made her furious.
Yesterday, the prince consort taught her the art of "combining kindness and severity" in bed, urging her to calm down.
The Cui family's reputation is also Cui Xianglan's reputation. With so many guests present, Cui Xianglan will still need to maintain contact with her family when she returns to the capital. She can't expose all the Cui family's misdeeds; she has to leave some room for maneuver.
She raised her hand, and the master of ceremonies behind her stepped forward. "The princess is adding to the bride's dowry. All ten loads of dowry have been recorded in the official register. The bride is not able to come forward at the moment. Please ask Your Excellency and Madam to express the bride's gratitude on her behalf."
The two crawled forward on their knees, knelt down, and bowed deeply in respect.
"Your humble servant/wife thanks Your Highness for bestowing gifts and adding to your dowry."
Yuezhi didn't rush to tell the two to get up, but instead asked Cui's mother, "May I ask, Madam, on Xianglan's joyous occasion, why didn't her younger sister come out to see her off?"
Madam Cui panicked and secretly glanced around the courtyard. Not seeing Cui Qingqing, she dared to answer, "Your Highness, Qingqing is guilty and dares not show herself at the wedding banquet. She has been keeping Your Highness's teachings in mind and has been reflecting on her mistakes in her room."
Upon hearing that the princess had arrived, everyone rushed to kneel and greet her, but Cui Qingqing ran back to her own courtyard and dared not come out now.
Yuezhi nodded in satisfaction. She didn't care whether what they said was true or false. Her warning was meant to make them think twice before trying to bully Cui Xianglan again, to make sure they could withstand her punishment.
Before long, the bride had redone her makeup, removed her cheap, semi-transparent red veil, and put on a red veil embroidered with dragons and phoenixes.
The maid helped the bride walk to Yuezhi.
"Yuezhi." Cui Xianglan couldn't hide her excitement and whispered to her, "I heard everything you said and did for me in the house just now. Thank you for coming. Today is the happiest day of my life."
"You'll have plenty of good days ahead of you." Yuezhi gently squeezed her arm, then released her and stepped aside to make way for her.
As they were about to part, Cui Xianglan didn't know what to say to her, so she could only remind her: "Princess Shen has a bad attitude towards you. She has harassed Prince Consort Liang several times before. You must be careful of her."
Shen Xian? Yue Zhi only remembered the time she was blocked by the bridge, and it seemed that she hadn't seen her much since.
Although she didn't know where Cui Xianglan's words came from, she still smiled and replied, "Don't worry, I'll remember."
"On this day of your marriage, may he treat you like a precious jewel, may you be a loving and harmonious couple; may you always have a smile on your face, may your home be filled with beauty and joy, and may you be safe and sound year after year."
Amidst Yuezhi's blessings, Cui Xianglan stepped out of her home, boarded the bridal sedan chair, and amidst the joyous sound of firecrackers, the sedan chair moved steadily forward, bathed in golden sunlight.
The princess's servants carried ten chests of dowry and followed behind the Cui family's wedding procession. With them there, they could protect her twenty chests of dowry, and the servants of the Cui family dared not disrespect Cui Xianglan.
As the wedding procession receded beyond the city gates, Yuezhi saw only a vast expanse of white light and shadow.
She didn't even know what Cui Xianglan looked like.
I'm going to Qingzhou now, and I don't know if I'll ever have the chance to see her again in this lifetime. If I can't see her again, it would be a real pity not to know what she looks like.
People come and go, all sorts of people, and our time together is always short, while our separations are long.
Fortunately, she was not alone when she was feeling melancholy. Her husband stayed by her side that night. Even though she was saddened by her friend's marriage and had no mood for intimacy, her husband did not complain. He simply held her tightly and stayed with her.
Listening to his breathing and feeling the warmth of his arms, my spirits gradually returned.
They slept in each other's arms for three days. On the fourth night, she took a bath and cleansed herself, thinking that she would try again with him that night.
Unfortunately, the prince consort did not return to his room tonight.
The servant returned to the mansion with a message, and a maid came back to report: "His Majesty issued an edict today, transferring the Imperial Son-in-Law to the Ministry of Personnel and promoting him to the position of Vice Minister of Personnel. The Imperial Son-in-Law is very busy today. After his shift, he was invited to a banquet by his colleagues and will not return until 9 PM. He said he was afraid that his smell of alcohol would offend the Princess, so he will not enter the main courtyard tonight."
Yuezhi's expectations were dashed. She stroked her long hair, which had just been moisturized with gardenia oil, and said with a hint of irritation, "Then let's not wait for him and go to sleep first."
A talented young man should prioritize his career, and the fact that the prince consort doesn't return to his room to sleep is also for her sake...
Lying in bed, Yuezhi held an embroidered pillow in her arms. The embroidered pillow, which she used to be able to sleep peacefully with, was no longer effective today.
Having only shared a bed with the prince consort for a few days, she had already grown accustomed to his breathing and heartbeat. Now that there was no one beside her and it was exceptionally quiet, she found herself unable to fall asleep.
My pillow is empty, and so is my heart.
Yuezhi felt as if she had returned to the darkness where no one was around. She anxiously hugged her embroidered pillow, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.
Hua Chun, who was keeping watch outside, was already yawning from sleep. Her eyes were half-open as she stared at the person behind the screen, waiting for her to fall asleep before she could finally sleep peacefully.
Nearly two hours later, the person in the bed not only didn't become obedient, but instead suddenly sat up.
He muttered to himself, "I've been drunk before, I'm not afraid of the smell of alcohol, so why doesn't he go back to his room after drinking?"
After saying that, he groped his way out of bed and called out to Huachun.
Hua Chun immediately came to her senses and went to help her, "Princess, where are you going? It's already late at night, and it's cold outside."
“I don’t feel cold. I want to bring the prince consort back.”
Yuezhi felt that his not returning to his room tonight was not as simple as drinking. Could it be that her lack of response to his kisses these past few days had caused him to misunderstand something?
Yes, everyone has self-esteem. He didn't get what he wanted on their wedding night, and she refused to share a room with him in the days that followed. Although he didn't show it on his face, he must still be bothered by it.
Whether she guessed correctly or she was being cynical, she had to talk to him and make things clear.
Hua Chun advised her, "The prince consort came back drunk and is already asleep. Even if you go to find him now, he won't be able to walk back in a sober state. It would be better to have someone carry him over."
"Then let's send someone to carry it," Yuezhi blurted out.
Hua Chun was dumbfounded. The Emperor was tied up with matters in the palace today and had not yet come over. The Imperial Son-in-Law had indeed been invited to a banquet by his colleagues and was already asleep in the side courtyard.
If they send someone to carry the real imperial son-in-law over, and the emperor finds out, they'll lose their lives.
He stammered, trying to salvage the situation, "The frost outside is heavy, and he's hot from being drunk. He's most vulnerable to the cold wind. For the sake of the prince consort's health, you should let him sleep there."
Why was Huachun, who used to obey her every word, suddenly becoming so hesitant and reluctant? Yuezhi was inexplicably flustered.
"Then, I'll go find him."
She tried to leave without even putting on her outer garment, leaning against the wall, which frightened Huachun and the maids outside the door, who all came to help her.
"Princess, be careful."
"Where is the prince consort? I want to see him."
The princess, who was usually gentle and easy to talk to, was not easy to fool once she insisted on something. Huachun could no longer make excuses, so she gave her maid a wink. After the maid quietly left the courtyard, she comforted Yuezhi.
“Princess, you are dressed too lightly. Let me put a coat on you first, and then I will take you to find your husband immediately.”
Yuezhi obediently put on her coat and went out with her. On the way, she noticed that Huachun's pace was too slow, and she became anxious and scolded her: "What's wrong with you tonight? Something is wrong with you. Did the prince consort do something that you are deliberately hiding from me?"
Hua Chun lowered her head, "This servant dares not."
He helped her quicken her pace, hoping in his heart that the messenger going to the palace would arrive soon, otherwise the truth about the real and fake prince consorts would be impossible to keep secret.
*
In the stillness of the night, Liang Zhang, drunk, lay in his room, his breathing erratic, staring silently at the bed curtains.
It has been six days since the wedding, and he has not even seen the princess's face. The only place he can move around in the princess's mansion is this small courtyard.
The princess's lover wasn't always in the mansion. She would go out alone or stay in the mansion. But whenever he returned home after his shift and tried to sneak a peek at the princess, he was always stopped by the servants from afar.
Especially when the princess was with that man, the servants were even more vigilant, wishing they could keep him outside the mansion or confine him in this small courtyard.
To this day, he has never seen the man's true face.
Sometimes, one might even praise the man for his meticulousness and cunning, for winning the princess's favor so much that even the emperor spoke up for him, while she herself could only play second fiddle to him.
Feeling slightly aggrieved but not wanting to share it with anyone, I took the opportunity of the banquet to drink a couple more cups—just two—becoming slightly tipsy.
In a daze, he heard a knock on the door.
Liang Zhang thought he was dreaming. Why would someone knock on his door in the middle of the night? Could it be the princess's lover coming to cause him trouble?
He rubbed his temples and sat up in bed. The knocking hadn't stopped; it wasn't a dream…
Liang Zhang, still dressed, walked straight to the door. The moonlight outside cast a slender shadow on his door—a shadow that resembled that of the princess.
He opened the door, and there stood a delicate figure in the corridor—Princess Ning'an, whom he had been longing to see day and night.
“Princess…” he murmured softly.
The prince consort's voice sounded strange, likely due to being drunk. Yuezhi took two steps forward, leaning against the doorframe, and looked up at him with a wronged expression, "Are you still holding onto those feelings from that night...?"
Before she could finish speaking, a strong aroma of wine wafted towards her, and a cold embrace, as cold as an autumn night, enveloped her.
Liang Zhang regretted his impulsive actions as soon as he did so. He hurriedly let go of her, but because he moved too much, he accidentally pulled off the clothes that Yue Zhi was wearing, revealing her snow-white and delicate nightgown, and taking in her full curves outlined by the moonlight.
He thought to himself, "Don't look at what's improper," and turned his face away.
He was so excited that he thought the princess had long forgotten him. He never expected her to come in the dead of night, dressed so lightly. What difference was there between that and meeting her in person?
Liang Zhang took off his outer garment and draped it over her, intending to pull her into the room before speaking. Just as his hand touched her elbow, the delicate and lovely woman softly leaned into his arms, her fingertips weakly grasping his sleeve.
"You forbid me from talking about it, so you must be bothered by it."
Her voice was soft and gentle, which softened Liang Zhang's heart. He suppressed his heartbeat, which was about to burst out of his chest, and gently placed his hand on her waist, his voice hoarse.
"Although I have some reservations, they are minor, and I am willing to do it."
Yuezhi smelled the scent of wine on him, her mind filled with thoughts of what she had wanted to do but hadn't been able to tonight. She nestled against his chest, her face flushed, and murmured, "The things we couldn't do on our wedding night, we can do now."
The moonlight illuminated her softly contoured profile, and Liang Zhang almost lost his breath: it was truly a blessing from heaven that the bright moon had been sent into his arms.
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