Chapter 156 The Grand Wedding (2)
The children were all frightened to tears. Even the makeup artist, who was usually so stubborn, couldn't hold back any longer. She had no choice but to have someone bring water to wash off the thick layer of powder, and then apply a thin layer as Li Xiaoxiao had requested.
It's supposed to be thin, but the powder is an eerily white color that just doesn't match Li Xiaoxiao's skin tone. Lacking both natural advantages and the right tools, there's nothing the makeup artist can do; she's done her best.
After reapplying her makeup, Li Xiaoxiao mischievously picked up Rui Rui and said, "Look how pretty I am! Still crying?"
Rui Rui's little brows furrowed tightly, and for the first time in her life, she pushed her away with her little hand, refusing to be held. This amused Li Xiaoxiao, who burst into laughter. The makeup artist had never seen such a lively bride before, and was worried that the powder on her face would fall off with the slightest movement, and that the lipstick would get on her teeth. She stamped her feet anxiously, saying, "Oh dear, young lady, please be a little more demure! I finally managed to get this makeup done!"
It took a while to calm her down. She put on the phoenix crown bestowed by the Crown Princess and changed into her wedding dress. Once she was fully dressed, Li Xiaoxiao touched the heavy embroidery on her body, which was all handmade, and the magnificent phoenix crown on her head, which was inlaid with gold, silver, jade, and pearls. She felt that even if she were an ugly monster, she would look beautiful in this gorgeous dress, not to mention that she was not bad-looking to begin with.
She was tall and slender with a straight back, her almond-shaped eyes sparkling. She exuded energy and spirit, and with her gorgeous robes, she radiated a unique and heroic beauty. Unlike the shy and charming beauty of other brides, her beauty was even more captivating.
After she put on her formal dress, she could only sit on the bed and couldn't get down. She couldn't even go to the toilet in the middle of the night. She had to wait for Meng Guanqi to come and pick her up, carry her out of the mansion and into the sedan chair, and only after entering the Meng family's house in the east of the city could she get off the bed.
She had just sat down on the bed when Madam Pang and Madam Qi rushed in: "The Crown Princess has arrived."
The Crown Princess herself came to escort Li Xiaoxiao to her wedding!
The maidservant was so startled that she dropped the comb from her hand. Turning around, she saw the Crown Princess, dressed in magnificent robes, entering under the guidance of Lady Liu. Everyone in the room immediately lowered their heads and said, "Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Princess!"
The maidservants hurriedly followed suit, bowing and paying their respects. The Crown Princess smiled and told them to rise. She sat down next to Li Xiaoxiao, carefully examined her elaborate makeup, and said with a smile, "They say clothes make the man and a saddle makes the horse. I almost didn't recognize you after you got all dressed up. Madam Meng is truly blessed to have such a capable and beautiful daughter-in-law."
Madam Liu quickly added with a smile, "Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty. I also think it is my son's good fortune to marry Xiaoxiao. I would also like to thank Your Majesty for the dowry for Xiaoxiao. My whole family is flattered."
The Crown Princess said nonchalantly, "These few possessions are nothing to worry about. Madam is busy today, so I won't cause any trouble. I would like to have a private chat with Xiaoxiao. Would Madam be so kind as to grant me this request?"
Lady Liu hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, please go ahead." She then immediately gestured for everyone in the room to leave.
The room was empty. Ta Xue stood guard at the door, and naturally no one dared to approach. Li Xiaoxiao looked at the Crown Princess, who seemed to have something on her mind, and asked with her large, clear eyes, "Does Your Highness have something to say to me?"
The Crown Princess seemed quite troubled, but after careful consideration, she finally spoke: "After you get married, do you plan to stay at home and be a wife and mother?"
Li Xiaoxiao didn't understand why she asked such a question, but she figured the Crown Princess wouldn't make a fuss over nothing, so she simply asked directly, "Your Highness, please speak frankly. Is there anything you need my help with?"
The Crown Princess's face quickly darkened: "Have you heard? His Majesty is preparing to release Li Chengyao. He has also instructed Liang Qisheng to renovate the former prince's mansion in Yongning Ward, presumably for Li Chengyao."
Li Xiaoxiao immediately understood her implication: "Is Your Majesty afraid that he will continue to harm the Crown Prince after he comes out?"
The Crown Princess nodded: "The Crown Prince has Pang Shi by his side, and he has become much more cautious, so strangers can't easily get close to him. However, Ze Zhi and I lack someone we can entrust with our protection who is just as skilled as Pang Shi. So I wanted to ask if you would be willing to come and serve by my side?"
She immediately added, "You only work during the day, and you can still go home at night. Besides, if my son and I don't go out, your time is free. If we go out, you can just stay by our side."
In the Eastern Palace, she didn't have to worry about anyone harming her, but once she left the capital, things were different. Now, she only had Aze as her child, so naturally she cherished him more than her own eyes.
Moreover, although Li Xiaoxiao said that the poison in the Crown Prince and her body had been expelled, almost a year has passed and there has been no good news from the Eastern Palace. Perhaps the poison stone has affected the Crown Prince's fertility. Aze is likely to be the only child of the Eastern Palace. His life is related to the fate of the entire Eastern Palace and cannot be taken lightly.
The Crown Prince did find skilled guards for Aze, but she didn't trust them; she only wanted to trust Li Xiaoxiao.
However, she was not young, and she was afraid that she would get pregnant and have children after getting married. The Crown Princess was worried that she would not be able to take care of it and would refuse, so she hesitated and did not say it.
But if she doesn't ask, she'll always think that there might still be a chance, so she might as well hear her opinion in person since she can see her this time when she's getting married.
Li Xiaoxiao's eyes lit up: "If I work in the Eastern Palace, will I have an official position?"
The Crown Princess noticed her interest and immediately perked up: "If you are willing to enter the palace, I will ask His Highness to grant you a military officer position. With your skills, you are more than capable of handling it."
Li Xiaoxiao became even more interested: "How much salary will it be? More than three taels?"
What does "more than three liang" mean? The Crown Princess was a little confused: "What does this mean?"
Li Xiaoxiao sighed and told them about Meng Guanqi's meager salary of only three taels of silver a month as a seventh-rank official, her voice filled with worry: "He only earns so little. If we rely on him to support the family, I doubt we'll even have enough to eat. Although we're not short of money right now, who knows when we might be? I definitely need to go out and earn money to support the family."
The Crown Princess almost burst out laughing, and couldn't help but poke her forehead: "You, how can you be so honest? If you really relied on that meager salary to live on, none of the officials in Dawu could support their wives and children, so how would they buy houses and land? Meng Guanqi's official annual salary isn't much, but he gets all sorts of bribes in private... However, the Hanlin Academy is fine, there are fewer opportunities there. Once he finishes his studies in three years and enters the Six Ministries, there will be more..."
She laughed at Li Xiaoxiao for a while, then immediately remembered the important matter: "However, if you want to earn money to support your family, as long as you are willing to enter the Eastern Palace, His Highness will grant you a military officer position. In addition to receiving the salary of a military officer, I will also give you an extra subsidy, how about that?"
Li Xiaoxiao's eyes lit up even more: "How much?"
The Crown Princess held up two fingers: "Twenty taels a month, and if you make any contributions, I'll double the reward, is that alright?"
Li Xiaoxiao was extremely satisfied and gave the Crown Princess a high five: "Deal!"
Meng Guanqi, riding a tall horse halfway to pick up his bride, had no idea that his new wife would find him a high-paying job on their wedding day, with a salary five or six times that of him!
Pang Shi found him twenty tall, strong, and imposing soldiers, and together with the men led by Meng Mao and Meng Wenli, the wedding procession was grand and full of energy. The sound of gongs and drums could be heard far and wide, and even faintly reached the ears of Wang Liuniang, who was locked in the house and could not get out.
June 13th was an auspicious day. The capital was a large city, and Meng Guanqi was not the only one getting married. The sound of gongs and drums that Wang Liuniang heard might have come from another house, but she felt that it was his.
Ever since she learned that he had a fiancée, she went crazy, wanting to find Meng Guanqi to break off the engagement and marry her. But no matter how much she made a scene, argued, or cried, Madam Wang kept the door tightly locked, completely contradicting her previous promise to come and help her find a husband.
Now he must be wearing a red robe, riding a white horse, and beating drums and gongs to welcome his bride, but unfortunately, she is not the one he is looking for.
She hated everyone. She hated that Meng Yueniang's coachman had run away without a care, causing her to break her leg and miss her chance during the four months she spent recovering. She hated that Madam Wang had promised to arrange a marriage for her, but immediately changed her attitude upon hearing that Meng Guanqi was engaged to her maid. She hated Minister Wang even more. He was the head of the household. She knelt on the ground begging him to keep his promise. He had personally promised her that she could marry him, but now he only locked her up and wouldn't let her out. No matter how much she cried and made a scene, he simply replaced all the people around her with those who served in the outer courtyard study. None of them were afraid of her, listened to her, or heeded her threats.
Today he is finally getting married, and she has no last chance.
She fiercely tore at her long, well-grown nails, ignoring the blood streaming down her fingers, and secretly resolved, "Just you wait, all of you who have wronged me. Once I get out, I won't let any of you get away with this."
Meng Guanqi's horse finally stopped in front of the Li residence. Firecrackers went off, and the handsome groom, dressed in a red robe and adorned with confetti, arrived with rosy lips and white teeth, smiling broadly, to personally fetch his bride.
How could Qi Shi's few simple questions stop the newly appointed third-ranked scholar? Even the Crown Princess's playful questions were easily solved by him. Finally, the door to the bridal chamber opened, and he immediately saw Li Xiaoxiao, dressed in a phoenix coronet and wedding gown, sitting motionless on the bed. The surrounding noise seemed to be shut out, leaving only the sound of their heartbeats.
He stepped forward in a daze, reached out and took her hand. Suddenly, he wanted to see with his own eyes whether she was as nervous and expectant as he was under the wedding robe. So, in front of everyone, he lifted the wedding robe and covered their heads. His eyes met her face under the robe.
Uh, why is my face covered up like this? I almost want to laugh, what should I do?
But the people outside had no idea what he was thinking. When they saw him lift the veil and cover himself up, they immediately started making a fuss.
Pang Shi led the commotion, and the dozens of soldiers, not being exactly obedient, immediately started whistling. The soldiers holding gongs and drums banged them frantically, and the screams and jeers almost lifted the roof off.
Meng Mao squeezed through the doorway, crossed his arms, and picked his ear: "I didn't expect Brother Qi to be so impatient, he can't even wait to take him back~"
The main problem is that the bride wasn't exactly stunningly beautiful, so why couldn't he resist her all of a sudden?
However, after glancing in the direction of the Crown Princess, he turned around and said a few words to his personal attendant, Changsong. Changsong immediately ran away after hearing what he said.
Meng Wenli was also watching the commotion and didn't notice what was happening.
Meng Guanqi emerged from the bridal gown with a flushed face, trying to suppress his laughter, but to others it looked as if he had kissed his bride in front of so many people!
The jeers grew louder. Meng Guanqi smiled and squatted down in front of Li Xiaoxiao, picked her up, and walked straight out the door.
She had no parents and no brothers or sisters. Originally, Liu was thinking of asking Asheng to carry her out, but Meng Guanqi refused. She was his bride, and since she had no brothers or sisters to accompany her to her wedding, he would carry her out himself.
He gently placed her into the sedan chair, then mounted his horse. His long legs lightly gripped the horse's back, and the sound of hooves echoed as four sedan chair bearers lifted the chair. The wedding procession began playing music again, heading step by step towards the Meng family mansion in the east of the city.
Aze hurriedly pulled Rui Rui's hand, wanting to get into the East Palace carriage as well, and chased after the sedan chair. The Crown Princess took his hand and said, "Your mother has already seen your sister Xiao Xiao off at her wedding. We're going back to the East Palace now. Aunt Taxue will stay here to take care of you. Your father will probably go to the Meng residence later. Do you want to go back to the East Palace with him?"
Aze shook his head repeatedly: "I don't want to, I want to go back tonight."
He took a full day off, so how could he possibly return to the Eastern Palace with the Crown Prince at noon?
The Crown Princess smiled helplessly, instructed her attendants to keep a close watch on the situation, and then returned to the East Palace.
After seeing his mother off, Aze immediately pulled Rui Rui into the carriage and chased after the sedan chair.
On the way, he exclaimed, "Little brother, your house is so small! Why doesn't Sister Xiaoxiao put her new house here?"
Rui Rui seemed to understand but not quite: "Come back to sleep tonight."
Aze's eyes widened: "You're coming back to sleep tonight?"
Rui Rui nodded: "I won't sleep over there."
Aze was both amused and exasperated, and gently pinched his little nose: "You'll be sleeping here tonight, right? Your brother and Sister Xiaoxiao are getting married, so they'll definitely be staying over there."
Rui Rui panicked: "I'm not staying there! I'm not staying there!"
Aze quickly coaxed him, "Okay, okay, don't stay there, come back here to sleep."
Seeing that he had finally stopped fussing, Aze shook his head repeatedly: "What a spoiled little brat! He's so young and already knows to complain about the house being too small!"
Changsong drove the carriage at breakneck speed, finally arriving back at the Meng residence. He threw down the rope and rushed to the tea room to find Minister Meng, panting heavily as he ran: "Grandpa, Fifth Master said that you and the Old Madam must hurry to the east of the city to attend Sixth Young Master's wedding! We need to be quick!"
Minister Meng's eyes flashed with anger: "What did you say? Fifth Brother went to Meng Guanqi's wedding? Who gave him permission to go? Didn't I say that no one in the family is allowed to go?"
Changsong said tremblingly, "Fifth Master said that the Crown Princess will personally escort Li Xiaoxiao to her wedding, and the Crown Prince will also go to the east of the city to attend the wedding banquet later. If our Meng family still wants to save face, we should immediately act as if nothing has happened and hurry to the east of the city before the Crown Prince arrives."
Minister Meng felt as if he had been slapped hard across the face, his head was spinning, and he felt completely disoriented.
His face turned pale and then red, and after a long while he gritted his teeth and said, "You fool! Hurry up and go into the inner courtyard to inform the old lady, and tell her to bring the congratulatory gifts and greetings to the east of the city immediately! Lu Xiang, prepare the carriage, go to the two old masters' residences to pick them up first, and we'll go to the east of the city first."
Madam Meng was extremely anxious. She was only just being told to rush to the east of the city, and she hadn't prepared anything!
But what could be more important than seeing the Crown Prince? She gritted her teeth and asked the old nanny to find her a decent set of clothes to change into. She didn't even bother to choose a gift; she just picked the best one from the storeroom. She hurriedly dressed and was about to leave when her daughters-in-law received the news later than she did. They rushed to change their clothes and followed her, even combing their hair in the carriage. They were in a terrible mess.
They rushed to the east of the city, and thankfully, the groom hadn't yet brought the bride back, so they could finally calmly and quietly tidy themselves up.
When Zhao Jian received such a large group of people from the three branches of the Meng family, he was completely overwhelmed.
Didn't they say they weren't coming? We haven't even prepared a feast for them, what are we going to do?
Unfortunately, Liu was still at the Li residence and hadn't returned yet, so he had no choice but to grit his teeth and invite her in. Then he sent Ah Sheng to book ten more tables at a nearby restaurant, not knowing if they had prepared that much food.
How could the Meng family go back on their word? They pulled this stunt on the day of the young master's wedding. They're in a really tough spot now.
Meanwhile, the Meng family arrived at the east side of the city and sat down in their house. Meng Guanqi was still on his way to the wedding, and the Crown Prince had not yet arrived. They felt a little relieved, but they couldn't help but start to find fault. They felt that the house was too narrow and cramped, the bridal chamber was not elegant enough, and the dining table and tableware were not expensive enough... In short, everything about it exuded a petty and stingy atmosphere, and there was no trace of the demeanor of a noble family.
But now it's a matter of life and death, and there's no time to change it. If they had known that the Crown Prince and Crown Princess would come to congratulate them in person, they should have let Meng Guanqi hold the wedding banquet at the mansion. The mansion is spacious, has many servants, beautiful scenery, and perfect etiquette...
He could only sigh that he hadn't said so sooner, while hoping that the Crown Prince wouldn't take offense.
When Meng Guanqi's wedding procession returned in a lively manner, they discovered that all the members of the third branch of the Meng family had arrived, with the old Minister Meng and his wife sitting upright in the hall.
Meng Guanqi: ...
Could it be that news of the Crown Princess's marriage has finally reached their ears? They've finally come to their senses for once!
Meng Guanqi glanced at Meng Mao casually and unexpectedly caught a glimpse of satisfaction on his face. A thought suddenly struck him: Could it be that he was the one who called the man over?
This fifth uncle is quite interesting. Although he has no official rank, he is a truly intelligent man.
But since they had already come, and they were all elders, Meng Guanqi had no choice but to welcome them. He helped Li Xiaoxiao out of the sedan chair, stepped over the brazier, completed the wedding ceremony, and escorted Li Xiaoxiao into the bridal chamber.
The bridal chamber was packed with the women of the Meng family. Amidst a series of auspicious words from the best man, Meng Guanqi lifted Li Xiaoxiao's veil. As soon as Li Xiaoxiao opened her eyes, she met the gazes of the Meng family women who filled the room.
In no time, all sorts of superficial praises came pouring in, and her arms were filled with so many purses that she could hardly hold them all.
Her outward appearance wasn't as convincing as Meng Guanqi's; she remained in a state of shock. Meng Guanqi coughed and began to introduce her to the people in question.
After being introduced to so many aunts, cousins, and other female relatives, she only remembered two: her eldest aunt, Madam Nie, and Madam Nie's daughter, Meng Yueniang. She had interacted with these two before. As for the others, she had a bit of face blindness and thought they all looked similar, so she didn't remember any of them.
Anyway, since Madam Nie is the daughter-in-law of the eldest son's family in the Minister's mansion and is currently the head mistress in charge of the household affairs, she felt that as long as she knew her, that would be enough.
So many relatives said they couldn't come? Why did they all suddenly show up? Did something happen?
Just as she was wondering, she heard a commotion outside: "His Highness the Crown Prince is here!"
Li Xiaoxiao then noticed that the eyes of the women in the room lit up in unison, and they all began to tidy their appearance. Li Xiaoxiao then realized that their real intention wasn't the wedding banquet; they hadn't known the Crown Prince would be attending, so they hadn't come. But later, somehow they heard about it and then, contrary to their own words, all came.
Meng Guanqi stepped forward to help Li Xiaoxiao up. The two were only one step away from completing their wedding ceremony by drinking the nuptial wine together. Going out to pay their respects to the Crown Prince at this time would not be considered breaking the rules.
The newlywed couple walked in front, followed by a large group of women like a string of fish, all going out together to pay their respects to the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince, who had arrived earlier, had already spoken with Minister Meng. The two chatted and laughed, like old friends who hadn't seen each other for years. Minister Meng was radiant and spoke eloquently. The other men in the Meng household looked up to Minister Meng with respectful expressions.
Seeing the newlyweds arrive hand in hand, the Crown Prince stopped talking to Minister Meng, smiled and helped the two who were bowing to him up, teasing Li Xiaoxiao: "I just bestowed a house upon you, why didn't you get married there? Why did you have to squeeze into such a small courtyard? Do you think the house I bestowed upon you isn't big enough?"
Upon hearing this, the people of the Meng family present felt a pang of unease. Minister Meng had originally intended to disregard past grievances and take them back to his residence, but now, after hearing the Crown Prince's words, how could he possibly take them back?
Li Xiaoxiao quickly said, "That's enough, that's enough. We're just getting married here, and we'll be going back to live here in three days."
The Crown Prince smiled and said, "That's good. I thought you were going to follow the common people's custom of 'marrying a chicken and following the chicken,' leaving your big house and insisting on squeezing in here. You'll have to travel for an hour or two to get to the palace later. You're just asking for trouble."
All the guests pricked up their ears to listen to the Crown Prince speaking to Li Xiaoxiao. What was going on? Why wasn't the Crown Prince speaking to Meng Guanqi, but directly to Li Xiaoxiao? Also, what was this about entering the palace to serve? Who wanted to enter the palace to serve? Li Xiaoxiao?
Even Meng Guanqi couldn't help but glance at Li Xiaoxiao several times. What did she mean by serving in the palace? How come he didn't know?
The Crown Prince chatted with Li Xiaoxiao for a few more minutes. At this moment, Aze finally saw him and rushed over, "Father, you've come?"
The Crown Prince caught his son as he rushed towards him and said with a smile, "I'm leaving now. Do you want to come back to the palace with me?"
Aze pouted: "I'm not leaving yet. I've already told my mother that we'll play until tonight before going back to the palace."
The Crown Prince said, "From now on, you will be able to see your sister Xiaoxiao every day, and you won't need to ask for leave from school anymore, so as not to upset your grandfather."
Aze was overjoyed: "Really? Sister Xiaoxiao is going to work in the palace?"
The prince asked, "When have I ever lied to you?"
Aze cheered and ran towards Li Xiaoxiao: "Sister Xiaoxiao, when are you coming to the palace to keep me company?"
Li Xiaoxiao thought for a moment: "When Ren Shu comes down?"
The Crown Prince laughed and said, "Alright, I understand. I'll issue you your appointment letter when we get back to the palace. Today is your special day, so I won't steal your thunder here. Let's leave it at that for now."
It was already quite remarkable that the Crown Prince could appear at Meng Guanqi's wedding banquet for even the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. No one dared to hope that he would actually stay for a meal. But in that short time, a fact was clearly conveyed—Li Xiaoxiao seemed to be the person the Crown Prince truly favored.
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