The sedan chair didn't get off the mountain until the sun was about to set. They could hear music and firecrackers outside. Mi Niang was the kind of person who would normally cover her ears when she heard the sound of firecrackers was too loud, because she was particularly afraid of the sound of firecrackers, and was most afraid of them exploding on her face. But now she had no choice but to wait.
After the door of the sedan chair was lowered, a five or six-year-old girl in gorgeous dress came forward and gently pulled Mi Niang's sleeve three times. Such a little girl was called a "married girl". After Mi Niang counted to three, she was helped out of the sedan chair by the maids.
The first step out of the carriage is to step on the saddle and walk on the red felt. After that, the bridesmaid will help her to go to the wedding hall, which is the place for the wedding ceremony.
Ever since Mi Niang got out of the sedan chair, Fang Weiyan's heart finally settled down.
The two of them stood on the left and the right. Mi Niang saw the red skirt of the person standing next to her through the veil and felt relieved for some reason. She only heard the person who was celebrating the ceremony shouting, "Xing Miao greets you, play the music."
Then it was a constant ritual. Mi Niang, who usually kept a calm demeanor, was almost driven crazy by the three kneelings, nine kowtows, and six bows. She was very hungry. The jewels on her head were so many and so heavy. She also embroidered a lot of pearls on her wedding dress to make it look beautiful. It was very complicated and heavy, but she still had to maintain her graceful manners.
Originally, Second Mistress Ding had instructed Mi Niang to kneel in front during the wedding ceremony, as this represented her future status in the family. But she really didn't care that much, as she was just like a puppet.
When she stood up and walked out, Fang Weiyan personally handed a colorful ribbon to her, and two servants were leading the way with dragon and phoenix candles. When Mi Niang took it, her stomach suddenly rumbled. She clearly saw Fang Weiyan's hand holding the colorful ribbon pause. Mi Niang was so embarrassed that she only heard Fang Weiyan say, "Hold it for a while. Once we enter the bridal chamber, we will immediately remove the wedding veil and change our makeup. Then there will be food."
"Okay." Mi Niang answered a little aggrieved.
There are five sacks placed in front, which are constantly being replaced. The bride must keep her feet off the ground, and the five sacks represent the meaning of "continuing the family line" and "five generations meeting each other".
After finally being helped into a courtyard, Chuntao whispered in her ear: "Miss, this is the 'Fengwu Courtyard'."
Mi Niang had known the story of "Fengwu Courtyard" for a long time. Originally, Xu had chosen Zhenxia Courtyard for her son. It was said that the place was extremely quiet and peaceful, and had its own small garden, which was a great place. However, the plan was ruined by the young lady from the Fang family who came to Guining, and the place was given to Fang Weiyan's third brother Fang Weiting for his marriage.
Because Xu was not convinced, she named the courtyard Fengwuyuan, which means "the phoenix lives on the wutong tree branch." Even if my son lives in a bad place, he can still be blessed by God and have a bright future.
After entering the bridal chamber, men sit on the edge of the bed with women on the right. This is commonly known as sitting on the bed.
Madam Quanfu brought the scale and said to Fang Weiyan with a smile, "Please open the lid, Fourth Master."
Fang Weiyan lifted it without hesitation, and the veil slipped off, and the bridesmaid put it away.
Mi Niang was about to let her take a closer look at her makeup and be amazed for a while, but Fang Wei Yan said, "In that case, I'll go out first. You guys help the bride change her makeup."
Then he lowered his head and said to her, "I'll ask them to bring some tea and snacks."
He was really worried that Mi Niang was hungry, but Mi Niang whispered, "Don't you want to look at me?"
Even though I was very hungry, I couldn't let my carefully applied makeup go to waste. Otherwise, if I changed my clothes and went out immediately, he wouldn't be able to see it.
Fang Weiyan finally reacted. He bent down slightly and looked at her again. She was wearing a tiara and a bridal gown, looking radiant and dazzling. Her pair of sharp autumn eyes looked at him as if she could see into his heart. Her nose was steep and her lips were cherry red, and every detail of her face was extremely beautiful, especially when she smiled, with a faint curl at the corners of her mouth.
This reminded him of a scene in a poem: "Suddenly, as if overnight, a spring breeze came, and thousands of pear trees blossomed." No wonder the ancients said that there was a beauty that was so beautiful that the moon was ashamed of the flowers. I always thought it was an exaggeration before, but now I have seen the real thing.
“It’s beautiful.”
He spoke as if whispering in her ear.
Mi Niang's face suddenly turned red. She didn't expect this idiot to be like this.
Fang Weiyan immediately said considerately: "I'm going to go out first, you can change your clothes slowly, don't rush."
Man Man'er meant that she should fill her stomach before leaving, but she didn't say it out loud. Mi Niang couldn't help but nodded, "Got it."
As soon as he left, Xia Lian hurriedly said, "Miss, I will help you change your clothes."
"good."
The clothes that the bride had to wear were almost all red. After taking off the bright red wedding dress, Mi Niang changed into a bright red madder skirt with layered beads and gauze. Inside, she had a milky white satin lining with pomegranate flowers. Her waist was tied with a soft gauze of a lighter smokey color. She took off the big crown from her bun, and on her head was a hollow double phoenix and peony pattern inlaid with gold thread and gemstones and green jade.
A girl was holding a target mirror, while Mi Niang was touching up her makeup in front of a small mirror, especially the nose where she sweated the most. She pressed it down with Roland powder and re-combed the messy parts of her hair.
Just then, a maidservant came in with some tea cakes. These tea cakes were very delicate and had no strong smell. Mi Niang asked someone to bring her a red envelope.
The maid said happily, "Thank you very much, Fourth Madam."
Mi Niang smiled and ate several of them in a row with tea. She shared the rest with Chun Tao and Xia Lian.
"Put some weight on your stomach first, we'll be busy later."
She had never been married in such a formal way in her previous life, and she had no idea about all these formalities.
For example, she only then realized that after entering the bridal chamber, she did not have to wait quietly for her husband to come back, but had to change her makeup and then go to meet the elders, paying respects in order of closeness or distance from her husband.
The elders will give red envelopes and gifts to the newlyweds, while the newlyweds will give red envelopes to the younger generations.
This is why Mi Niang attached more importance to her clothes and makeup this time. She was hidden by a veil before, and only Xiniang and Fang Weiyan saw her after the veil was lifted. But this time it was different, as she was truly meeting the Fang family.
Not long after, the nanny beside Xu came to ask Mi Niang to come over. Mi Niang put on lipstick again, pursed her lips in front of the mirror, and then took the maids out.
As they walked along, the servants all showed expressions of amazement, and some even bumped into each other because they were so fascinated by the sight.
Because the bride was not allowed to speak much on her wedding day, Mi Niang held back her smile and just pursed her lips.
Beauty cannot be judged by appearance alone, one must also look at her manners, conversation and temperament, which are more important than appearance.
Needless to say, Mi Niang's demeanor was excellent. Because she often danced in her previous life, it was difficult for her to break the habit of walking on tiptoes in this life. So when she walked, others always felt that she was as graceful as a dragon as described in a book.
The days are long and the nights are short in summer. It was still light in the sky, but candles had already been lit in the inner hall. Fang Weiyan had gone to the banquet outside and had drunk a lot of wine, but he couldn't get drunk because he and Mi Niang were about to toast to the elders again.
Not far away, a beautiful woman was seen walking towards me leisurely. Who else could it be but Mi Niang?
Seeing that he had come to wait for her, Mi Niang couldn't help but feel caring. Before the two of them could say much, they were urged to go in by the maids.
This is the inner hall of the Marquis's mansion, which is specially used to invite very close relatives, elders, classmates and good friends. But even so, there are probably about ten tables set up.
I don't know who shouted, "Here comes the bride."
On the men's side, most people see Fang Weiyan, but fewer people see Mi Niang. Moreover, since the engagement, Mi Niang has almost never come. She is not part of the social circle of the Marquis' Mansion, so many people don't know her.
Little did they know that everyone in the brothel was also looking at them. They saw a perfect couple walk in through the door. The man looked like Wei Jie and the woman looked like Yang Fei. They were a perfect match.
A dignified woman came over. She was about 20 years old, with a pretty face and the air of a lady from a wealthy family. Fang Weiyan introduced her as "my eldest sister-in-law."
Mi Niang hurriedly bowed, knowing that this was Fang Weiyan's elder sister-in-law, Shen, and also the wife of the son of the Marquis of Dong'an.
Although she had never met Shen, she had heard of her great name for a long time. She heard that her family had a tradition of taking a concubine after the age of 40 without any children. Therefore, Xu was delighted when the prince of the marquis's mansion chose Shen.
If Shen cannot give birth to a son and Crown Prince Fang Weichang cannot take a concubine, then his position as Crown Prince will sooner or later return to the hands of the legitimate wife.
This marriage was arranged by old lady Weng herself. Her maiden family, the Weng family, was a prominent family in Shu, and their ancestors were also old friends of the Shen family. Later, as the Weng family gradually fell into decline, the Shen family became very successful. However, due to the family tradition, it was difficult for Shen to marry a man of equal status, so old lady Weng suggested that Fang Weichang marry Shen.
Fortunately, Shen was a good person. She gave birth to two sons and a daughter after marriage, and Xu had no way to deal with her.
While she was observing Shen, Shen also looked at Mi Niang.
Before, she didn't know why Xu fell in love with Miss Ruan at first sight. They all said it was because of her appearance. Now that she is dressed up, no one can match her.
Shen smiled and said, "Come with me, sister-in-law."
She said, "We have too many relatives in our family. It won't be too late to meet them formally tomorrow. Today, I have already met my uncle, aunt, and other relatives."
"Sorry for the trouble, sister-in-law."
As the saying goes, the older one is from the mother's uncle, Fang Weiyan's uncle Xu Zhongmao is also approaching the age of knowing the destiny, and now he is an official in the Beijing Supervisory Council. He is of medium height and thin physique, but he has a gentle face. As for his aunt, Mrs. Xu, although she has a smile on her face, she looks very serious.
Fang Weiyan brought Mi Niang with him to pay his respects. The two of them gave her generous red envelopes, and Aunt Xu also gave her a pair of jade bracelets.
Everyone was observing the bride's every move. The Fang family was originally from Zhejiang, and many officials from Zhejiang had come today. They all attached great importance to hometown ties, and almost all of them looked for people from the same province for marriage. For example, the third generation of the Marquis's family, the eldest grandmother Shen and the second grandmother Yu were both from Zhejiang. Even the third grandmother was a lady from the royal family, and her stepmother was also from Zhejiang.
Even Mrs. Weng was able to get married because her father was the Governor-General of Zhejiang.
Therefore, Xu's unconventional marriage plan really left everyone confused.
Fortunately, Mi Niang performed the ceremony properly, and then went to meet her aunt and uncle, the Nanping Earl and his wife. When the Nanping Earl's wife saw Mi Niang like this, she forced away the disgust in her eyes. This girl was really amazing. She first hooked up with her own son, and then hooked up with her own nephew. She had two boats at the same time, and yet she still had such a grand wedding.
On the contrary, her daughter-in-law, a daughter of a noble family and born of a legitimate wife, seemed to be outshined when she stood next to her.
The relatives came and went like a revolving lantern. Mi Niang tried to write down a few of them at first, but later she was too lazy to write them down again. She swore that she had never kowtowed so many times in her life. She even looked a little unhappy. She had never kowtowed like this since she entered the palace in her previous life. Being a bride was too much of a torture.
Little did they know that the second and third wives of the Fang family were not in a good mood. When Xu arranged their wedding, although it was lively, there were not so many red tape. For example, they met with the elders the next day, and only met with a few female relatives.
Xu wanted to save face for her son and daughter-in-law, while Marquis Dong'an felt sorry for Fang Weiyan. After all, Fang Weiyan was the eldest son, but he could only take the imperial examinations and establish his own family, and could not inherit the title. Therefore, he also wanted to save face for his son.
It so happened that Fang Weiyan felt that Mi Niang was criticized by certain people in her family for marrying him, which made him feel that Mi Niang was suffering, so he also became high-profile.
He invited several of his teachers, colleagues from the Hanlin Academy, and even a noble like Zhang Ao to come and drink, which made his influence even greater.
Madam Jian and her husband were also there. Mi Niang and she looked at each other without saying a word. If Madam Jian still had a mother-daughter relationship with Second Madam Ding, then she had no feelings for Mi Niang, and even felt that she was very difficult to deal with despite her young age. The two of them were so plain, but those who wanted to see excitement breathed a sigh of relief.
Then a middle-aged man and woman came over.
"This is my master and his wife." Fang Weiyan introduced Mi Niang personally.
His teacher was the Minister of Rites Lu Rufa. Mrs. Lu smiled and said, "Wei Yan is so lucky to have such a beautiful woman."
Mi Niang smiled shyly, with a blush on her face, but her posture was very graceful, and Mrs. Lu was mesmerized by her. She was often praised for her beauty, but now she had finally seen a real beauty.
According to the usual practice, Guining's sister-in-law and Xu's sister, Aunt Jin, should be there. Although they both lost their husbands, they just left the seats on the left vacant and sat alone on the right. It was strange that they were not seen today.
Before they had time to ask more questions, it was time for toasts. Mi Niang only toasted once to the female relatives and went to another place to drink, leaving Fang Wei Yan to toast alone. There was also a strict distinction between men and women here.
As the saying goes, there is no distinction between the young and old in the first three days of marriage. Everyone said, "Why didn't you let your sister-in-law come over to toast? I'm sure I'll make trouble in your bridal chamber."
Fang Weiyan thought to himself, I've taken out the aged wine today, you guys are probably all drunk and have no time to mess up my bridal chamber.
As for He Tinglan, ever since Fang Weiyan passed the imperial examination, he had gradually become familiar with him. But thinking of Mi Niang whom he had just seen, he held back his feelings. Fang Weiyan saw his expression clearly and hated him in his heart.
Four women will accompany the bride at the banquet and encourage her to eat. Before the people at the table get to know each other, they have to go to the kitchen to perform the "circumcision ceremony", which means that the bridegroom will accompany the bride to the kitchen to pick up vermicelli, touch loaches, etc., to show that the bride is a good cook.
Even someone as energetic as Mi Niang couldn't laugh in the end. Not to mention her, even the girls around her who were doing the rough work couldn't help but complain.
"Fourth Grandma, we can go back to our room now." Chuntao said weakly.
"Okay, let's go back." Mi Niang was already sore all over and felt like she was about to fall apart. Getting married was really too tiring.
Fang Weiyan was in high spirits today. He toasted dozens of glasses of wine and looked very energetic. The laughter and joy outside had nothing to do with the mother and daughter of the Jin family.
Aunt Jin was a widow, and she never wanted to go to such occasions. She lost her husband when she was young, and when she was a widow she was repeatedly told not to attend wedding banquets. Even after being a widow for many years, she still didn't want to join in the fun.
Jin Shuqin has always been afraid of heat, and she recently met a family, so it is not convenient for her to go out. Jin Shuhui has been writing something at the desk.
Suddenly, the light of fireworks illuminated the entire room, and the mother, daughter and three members of the Jin family looked outside at the same time.
"Your aunt held a grander wedding for your cousin than the prince's. You see, the old lady and their aunt were very angry, but the marquis agreed."
Aunt Jin laughed and said, "No matter how much trouble the women in this family make, they still have to listen to the men."
Even though it seems that the Marquis listens to whatever Madam Weng says, or that the Madam Auntie is overbearing, the real head of this family is still the Marquis of Dong'an.
Jin Shuhui said, "Auntie, you are such a fool. The situation has been decided. Why are you still trying to fight with the prince?"
Aunt Jin still spoke for her sister: "Your aunt is the legal wife, but the son she gave birth to got nothing. Your cousin Wei Yan is fine, he can pass the imperial examination with his own son, but what will Wei Jun do in the future? Will Wei Jun have to depend on others for his livelihood in the future?"
In front of her daughter, Aunt Jin was embarrassed to say that when Xu came into the family, she fought fiercely with Aunt Ding. Although Aunt Ding was only a concubine, before her younger sister married into the family, she was able to take charge of half of the family, or even the entire family. The reason why the younger aunt had a good relationship with Aunt Ding's sons was that Aunt Ding helped her a lot.
But from Xu's own point of view, she is the legal wife, but her son has to live under the rule of his illegitimate son. Moreover, given her relationship with Ding, the people of the prince's lineage will definitely take revenge. If she just doesn't deal with them, who will they, the orphan and widow, rely on when the marquis is gone in the future?
Aunt Jin is a widow herself and understands this feeling best.
Jin Shuhui still shook her head: "But my daughter thinks that since my fourth cousin has made it big now, shouldn't he just live a good life? If things go wrong, I'm afraid even my fourth cousin will be implicated."
People are defeated by greed. Aunt Jin has always known that her youngest daughter is very opinionated. Although the eldest daughter in the family is versatile, she is very timid. The youngest daughter has the character of a chivalrous woman. Aunt Jin has a weak character and did not argue any further.
Jin Shuqin tried to smooth things over: "Today is a good day for our fourth cousin, so let's not say anything so that no one can hear us."
Therefore, Jin Shuhui didn't say much.
In Fengwu Courtyard, several maids also saw the grand fireworks, as if night had turned into day. They stared blankly at the sky and said, "It's really beautiful."
Bichang sneered: "These fireworks are fleeting, what's so good about them? Only you like this kind of thing."
Seeing her like this, Pixiu couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong with you?"
"She's already controlling the Fourth Master before he even gets married. Now that he's married, I don't know how we're going to live in the future?" Bichang sighed.
In the past, Bichang was jealous of Pixiu because of her outstanding craftsmanship, dexterity, and kindness. But now it seems that they are all grasshoppers on the same rope and are all thorns in the eyes of others.
She added, "I don't mind. Although I don't obey you on weekdays, you are the most caring and the best at serving the Fourth Master. Are you going to be sent away in the future?"
No one wants to leave Fengwuyuan, but they can imagine what day they will be leaving.
Just as Bichang finished speaking, there was a noise outside the door, and someone said: Fourth Grandma is back.
Pixiu hurriedly stood up and took Bichang's hand and said, "Let's go, we'll go and serve. What if the master comes in and we hide away? If the lady finds out, what will she say to us?"
Bichang said sarcastically: "I'm afraid if we go to serve them, they will think we are asking for trouble."
"Okay, okay, stop talking and go." Pixiu winked at Shuxiang, not wanting Bichang to continue talking.
Shuxiang also came up to persuade Bishang: "Good sister, let's go quickly."
When Mi Niang entered the room, she saw several maids coming forward to greet her. The leading maid said, "Fourth Madam, I am here to welcome you in with my sleeves."
Mi Niang heard the name of Pinxiu and heard Zhou Shi say when she sent her dowry that the maids serving in Fang Weiyan's courtyard were Pinxiu and Bishang, so she said, "So it's Miss Pinxiu, Chuntao, give her a reward."
Chuntao and Xialian would never make mistakes in giving red envelopes to different people no matter how tired they were. The rewards given by the older maids such as Pixiu were very generous. Of course, these deputy young ladies might not be interested in such little reward money.
But if you are rewarded as soon as you enter the door, it will show who is the master and who is the servant.
In the main room, dragon and phoenix candles as thick as arms were being lit, and the candlesticks illuminated the entire bedroom. Pinxiu could see the new grandmother's face clearly. She was so beautiful. She had a calm expression, and was not in a hurry to establish a relationship with her. She also did not put on airs. She just looked normal and did not say much.
Suddenly, I heard outside that the fourth master had returned.
Suddenly, she stood up, and the moment she saw the Fourth Master, her smile was like a pearl shining in the dark night.
"Husband."
She went to meet him, and when Fang Weiyan saw her coming, he quickly asked, "Are you hungry? Do you want to eat something?"
Then he said to Pixiu, "Ask the kitchen to bring some food. I drank too much and my stomach is not feeling well."
Seeing that he was defending her, Mi Niang smiled and said, "It's okay. I ate some tea fruit when I changed my makeup. I feel much better now." She sniffed him again and asked, "Did you drink too much wine?"
"What's wrong? Are you smelling the stink?" Fang Weiyan didn't actually drink much wine, and he added a lot of water into the wine glass, but he liked to chat with Mi Niang because she didn't usually chat about family matters.
Mi Niang shook her head: "The taste of the wine is mixed with the fragrance of pine leaves. It's not unpleasant, but it's rare to find it elegant."
It was late at night. As the saying goes, a beauty becomes more beautiful when viewed under a lamp. Fang Weiyan studied hard when he was young and vowed not to be tempted by anything. Later, he got engaged to Mi Niang and kept himself clean, so it was rare for him to be so close to a girl.
Mi Niang knew that they had to drink the wedding wine and wash up before they could get intimate in bed. Now seeing his look, she couldn't help but stand up and first instructed the servants to put things away. Fang Wei Yan then leaned on the bed and looked at her.
In fact, it was the first time that Mi Niang saw him in such a state, so she went around to squat in front of him and said, "You look like a playboy."
She just looks into your eyes gently, but like countless little hooks.
Although Bichang had seen a lot, she had never seen anything like this. She thought that the new grandmother was a person with a bad temper, who relied on her beauty to make things difficult for others. She was petty and not like Jin Shuqin and Ye Jiayin who used to come here all day long, waiting for the Fourth Master to come back and talk. She was very flattering to the girls.
She was none of those. She didn't seem to want fame from the beginning and looked very casual. But when Fourth Master came back, she pounced towards him and her eyes seemed to light up. She was still doing her own thing just now, but she turned around and squatted down to talk.
It's like teasing you at any time and anywhere, but also keeping a distance from you.
Fang Weiyan wanted to touch her rosy face, but Mi Niang smiled secretly and pretended to leave: "The meal hasn't arrived yet. I'll go sit over there first."
Fang Weiyan was angry, but afraid that others might hear him, so he lowered his voice and said, "You heartless little thing, I was just asking for food because someone said I wanted to eat, and you, on the other hand, are still..."
"But I'm so tired today..." Mi Niang acted coquettishly and rubbed his face gently with her face.
Fang Weiyan was stunned on the spot, feeling numbness in all his limbs and his voice was a little hoarse: "Let me help you to lie down on the beauty couch. You are really tired today. Don't worry, I will send them all away, and no one will know that you are resting."
Mi Niang was as obedient as a little girl of five or six years old. She looked at him with her innocent big eyes and said in a soft voice, "I will listen to you in everything."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
