Chapter 100 Chapter 100 Marriage
It was almost noon when Chen Qing finished dressing up.
When she looked in the mirror, she felt no joy at getting married, only a slight irritation and resistance, because the clothes she was wearing were too heavy.
Whether it was a few months ago when the palace maids brought the nine auspicious items of cassia bark, golden crops, donkey hide gelatin, cattail, red reed, double stones, cotton wool, longevity thread, and dry lacquer to the Chen residence to complete the betrothal ceremony, or when he asked for the name and betrothal gift, Chen Qing had no feeling of being engaged, and only regarded it as a formality that had to be done.
It is still the same today.
What's more, her mother was still at the border and couldn't get away. She felt very uncomfortable that her mother was not around at such an important occasion, and she felt that the battle at the border would never end.
Fortunately, Li Yu and Zhang Miaoyin were there to accompany her.
The three of them huddled together in the boudoir. Li Yu sighed, "I thought I was the oldest and would be the first of us to get married, but I didn't expect you to be the first to marry our Ah Man."
Chen Qing held his head stiffly and smiled numbly.
"By the way, has the marriage between Miaoyin and the Crown Prince been finalized?" As a member of the royal family, Li Yu had naturally heard about the Crown Prince and Zhang Miaoyin.
When Chen Qing heard what she said, he instantly became alert, his eyes fixed on Zhang Miaoyin, his eyes full of curiosity.
She remembered that in her previous life, Zhang Miaoyin married into the Eastern Palace and became the Crown Princess, but she couldn't recall the exact time. After all, so many variables had changed in this life, and many things were different from her previous life. Her own memories of her past life were already fragmented.
Zhang Miaoyin blushed and said coquettishly, "Don't make fun of me. Aye hasn't even expressed his opinion yet."
Li Yu raised his lips and said jokingly, "Yes, I haven't expressed my stance yet. I guess I'll have to wait until the matter between you and the Crown Prince is completely finalized before announcing it to the world—"
"Ayu!" Zhang Miaoyin's cheeks were burning hot and she felt extremely shy.
Several people laughed and chatted together. The topic suddenly fell on Li Yu again. Chen Qing suddenly asked: "Li Yu, do you have someone you like?"
Li Yu was startled, his eyes wandering as he said, "No."
Chen Qing said: "But I remember last time at Mount Li, you said you seemed to have a crush on..." She frowned and thought for a moment, "It seemed to be Gu——"
"No!" Li Yu interrupted her, implying that he was trying to cover up his mistake.
Chen Qing said: "Really not?"
Li Yu: "Really not!" She bit her lip, but felt a sense of loss in her heart.
In fact, since the first meeting in Mount Li, Gu Ze's image was so profound that Li Yu could not forget him at all after returning.
After that, Li Yu and Gu Ze had a few more chance encounters. Each time, he seemed to ignore her, politely performing the formalities and then brushing past her. His manners were impeccable, leaving Li Yu unable to find an excuse to talk to him. It was as if she was the only one who broke the rules that day at Mount Li.
Because of this, Gu Ze's figure became like a brand, becoming more and more deeply engraved in Li Yu's heart. After returning to the mansion, Li Yu's dreams were completely occupied by that snow-white figure, which could not be shaken off.
So when mid-autumn came, the strange feelings in her heart took over, and Li Yu's desire for him became stronger and stronger. At the full moon, she could no longer restrain herself. While Gu Ze was boating on the lake with his friends, she intercepted him and mustered up the courage to express her feelings.
Gu Ze only said after hearing this: "Princess, respect yourself."
What a self-respect!
She angrily stopped Gu Ze who was about to leave, and uttered some threatening words in a fit of rage.
It was simply: "If you don't follow me, I will ask my father to dismiss you from your post and forcibly take you back to the palace!" She said it in anger, but she regretted it as soon as she said it, but her pride got the better of her and she refused to give in.
In reality, she knew full well that these words were merely angry ramblings. If she were to act on them, even before Gu Ze despised her, her father would be furious and punish her severely, perhaps even grounding her for months.
However, Gu Ze seemed to take it seriously. There was a hint of anger and sarcasm in his eyes, and his words were like a thorn. "I am terrified. I don't know how I have offended the princess. If the princess thinks that power can manipulate the fate of others at will, then I have nothing to say. I can only die to prove my resolve."
These words left Li Yu speechless.
As a descendant of a wealthy family, Li Yu had always had everything she wanted, treasures and curiosities within her reach. But now, she had fallen for a man, and while she was furious, she didn't want anyone to know that she had been rejected several times by him.
Now that she heard Chen Qing mention it, she could only deny it flatly.
Shen Qing was about to tease, but she heard a commotion outside, "Madam Shen!"
A few people were startled. Cui Ya opened the window and saw a group of young men gathered on the courtyard wall, their faces full of joy. They were all wearing purple or blue round-necked, narrow-sleeved shirts with a horizontal hem, leather belts around their waists, and black leather boots. Overall, they looked dignified, steady, and youthful.
Gu Yun adjusted his headband and waved towards Chen Qing and the others, saying, "Sister! Madam Chen! Madam Zhang!"
Several other young men followed suit and greeted, "Princess! Madam Shen! Madam Zhang!"
After seeing Chen Qing's appearance, they all stared and exclaimed in amazement.
"A'man is so lucky! She is able to marry someone as good as Madam Shen!" a young man exclaimed.
Li Yu asked in surprise, "Why are you here? Where is Ah Man?"
Gu Yun chuckled, "They should still be offering sacrifices to their ancestors!"
"A'man has no shortage of people. Today, we are Madam Shen's 'family!' Besides, it was A'man who knew that Madam Shen's mother was stationed at the border and had not returned, so he went to Dongshan Temple to ask us to be Madam Shen's bridesmaids!"
Chen Qing's eyelashes trembled, begging?
She couldn't help but rethink how sincere Li Daoxuan was to her now. Could it be that because she blocked an arrow for him, he suddenly came to his senses?
Aye had separated from the main family a long time ago, and A Niang had no family members. Ye Niang had originally planned to leave after A Ye got married, but due to the frequent emergency documents from the border, Ye Niang had to leave early. Originally, Ye Niang wanted to ask the county magistrate and his wife of Wannian County to witness her marriage, but was rejected by Chen Qing. So Ye Niang had to settle for the second best and asked her senior brother to come.
I thought this wedding would be deserted, but unexpectedly Gu Yun and the others came.
Gu Yun said, "Don't worry, Madam Shen. Whether it's finding a son-in-law, repelling the fan, or blocking the carriage, we brothers have already taken care of it. We will definitely not let Ah Man take you away easily!"
Chen Qing's eyes flickered, revealing a bright smile as she said, "Thank you, Master Gu and all the young gentlemen!"
“You’re welcome, Madam Shen!”
"Of course I should!"
Gu Yun's eyes rolled, and he jumped down from the courtyard wall. He sneaked up to the window and asked, "Madam Shen, do you know when Ah Man first met you?"
Shen Qing thought for a moment and said, “Is there a restaurant?”
Gu Yun clapped his hands and said, "That's right! It seems that Madam Shen also noticed Ah Man. So guess what Ah Man said when he saw you?"
Shen Qing thought about it seriously, then shook his head.
Gu Yun said, "I'm ashamed to say that when we saw Madam Shen, a stranger who happened to be a nun, we brothers jokingly asked Ah Man, 'Madam Shen is a nun, and our Ah Man is a Taoist priest. You two are destined to be together, and you are of similar age. Ah Man, take a good look at her and see if you like her.'"
Having said that, he paused, bowed to her and said, "Let me first apologize to Madam Shen on behalf of the brothers. I shouldn't have teased Madam Shen at that time. I shouldn't have said such nonsense after drinking."
Chen Qing knew that these young men had no ill intentions, and his curiosity was piqued, so he said, "Ah Man and I are getting married soon anyway, so it's not a problem. What did he say?"
Gu Yun said, "Thank you, Madam Shen, for your understanding." He paused, as if pondering Li Daoxuan's original words, "I remember now. He said: 'Beneath the skin and flesh are bones. This king has no interest in such vulgar people.'"
A few teenagers on the wall started to jeer: "That's what he meant by not being interested!"
Gu Yun said, "But he turned around and agreed to marry Madam Shen. He really is just saying one thing and doing another!"
Chen Qing's eyes widened, "Did he really say that?"
Gu Yun said, "It's absolutely true. He was extremely disdainful. But later on, Madam Shen, didn't you see how he humbled himself and asked us brothers to be best men? It was hilarious!"
Chen Qing's heart was filled with suspicion. Since Li Daoxuan had said such things, he must not like her. But his sword spirit had already clung to her so tightly on their second meeting. She couldn't help but doubt whether Wu Niang's words about "the sword spirit follows its master" were true.
Could it be that he has two personalities?
Chen Qing waited until the afternoon, full of doubts.
The rain stopped early today and it was a sunny day with no clouds in the sky.
The sound of gongs and drums could be heard faintly in the distance, and several young men sitting on the wall immediately stood up and looked into the distance.
“It’s coming, it’s coming!”
Several people took out strange and bizarre talismans, which were given to them by Chen Qing.
There are immobilizing talismans, itching talismans, and "lightning talismans". As the name suggests, when the talismans are attached to people, they will make them feel like being electrocuted, but there is no abnormality at all from the outside.
When they listened to Chen Qing's introduction of these talismans, they were all dumbfounded. Some of them were new to them. After asking and learning that they were created by Chen Qing herself, they were completely stunned. They all admired her ruthlessness towards Li Daoxuan, and were even more amazed at her attainments in talisman techniques.
The current dynasty advocates the use of force, and the weapons of the soldiers and imperial guards are all heavy armor and cold weapons. Taoists also respect the way of the sword. For this reason, the Qimen Bagua technique that was popular in the past has gradually retreated behind the scenes, and it is rare to see someone who has mastered this technique so well.
After they got the talismans, Gu Yun broke off a branch from the tree, plucked off the leaves, and ran out of the mansion like a gust of wind.
After a while, the sounds of laughter, anger and scolding came from far away, but there was no voice of Li Daoxuan.
Shen Qing couldn't help but look up and look towards the door.
A mass of dark shadows were intertwined on the door, coming from far away.
This is the time to "put on makeup".
Cui Ya brought in the nanmu box handed over by the best man and said, "Madam, are you satisfied with the gift from my son-in-law?"
The box was only the size of a palm. Li Yu was immediately dissatisfied when she saw it. She said, "Why are you so stingy with You'an? How many good things can fit in such a small box?" Then she asked Cui Ya to return the things. "If he's not satisfied today, tell him to write a few more poems and make him anxious to death!"
Chen Qing was curious about what he would give her, so she pulled Cui Ya and said, "Open it and take a look."
Cui Ya did as she was told and opened the box.
The others were all surprised when they saw what was lying inside, and secretly sighed that the Fourth Prince was so petty.
Only Chen Qing and Li Yu looked stunned.
Li Yu said in disbelief, "This is the jade pendant he has treasured since he was a child. I heard it was left to him by his mother, and no one is allowed to touch it."
The Pisces jade pendant that Li Daoxuan had treasured since childhood was now broken into two pieces. One half was missing, and the other half lay quietly in the fine silk. The chubby fish body was smooth and delicate, warm and moist, with a red rope tied at the fish eyes.
Chen Qing picked up the jade pendant and looked at it, then suddenly curled his lips.
"You'an, A'man he--" Li Yu thought Shen Qing didn't know the weight of the jade pendant, and thought she was laughing out of anger, and wanted to defend her brother.
"I know." Chen Qing lowered her eyelashes, tucked the jade pendant into her sleeve, and said, "Cui Ya, tell him I'm very satisfied with this gift."
Cui Ya pushed the door open and walked out. Outside, a group of people were noisily talking about something. Soon, a voice was heard:
“Don’t let the painted fan out from behind the curtain, to block the talent of the spring mountains. If reunion is like the bright moon, sweet osmanthus flowers must bloom here.” The young man’s voice was a little hoarse, and the ending tone trembled slightly, as if he was still sick.
The room fell silent for a while, and Gu Yun started to jeer, "The bride is not satisfied! Not satisfied! Ah Man, write a new poem!"
Li Daoxuan stared straight at the thin door and said, "I don't know what night it is, but I'm rushing to the balcony to get closer to the mirror. Who said that lotus flowers grow in water, and a branch blooms in the bronze mirror?"
The house remained silent.
This time, Gu Yun didn't need to remind him. He continued, "The white flowers in the sky don't avoid autumn. Tonight, the Weaver Girl is getting married..."
There was no movement in the room, so he kept writing poems and reciting them until his mouth was dry and his voice was low, determined to wait for the person in the room to respond.
"It is said that you should apply rouge under the candlelight, and not act like a prostitute in front of the mirror. You don't need to make up your face, but leave your eyebrows to be painted."
As the last sentence fell, the girl suddenly said in a crisp voice: "Okay, I'm satisfied."
.
Chen Qing pinched the half-fat jade pendant, his eyes thoughtful. When he heard Li Daoxuan's slightly hoarse voice, he suddenly felt an urge to listen to him continue reading.
As he wished, Li Daoxuan kept reciting poems to urge her to get ready. In fact, she had already finished dressing up and was waiting here, so there was no need to rush her.
Just listening to his voice when he recited the poem, which was clear yet a little hoarse, was like an invisible hand gently hooking her heartstrings, making her feel itchy.
I want to hear him chant until his voice is hoarse. Chen Qing thought with such evil taste.
But things have their priorities, and she still has things to do. The longer she put it off, the more anxious she became. When he had read countless poems, Chen Qing finally showed mercy and said, "Alright, I'm satisfied."
The door was opened, and Chen Qing suddenly felt a direct and enthusiastic gaze falling on her. She followed the source and looked into a pair of surprisingly dark peach blossom eyes.
Li Daoxuan today seems to be no different from usual, but he is also different.
He rarely wore a red rope to tie his hair, and instead wore a black fu hat and a bright red gauze robe with gold embroidery on the collar, cuffs and hem. The wide cuffs made him lose his strong youthfulness and look more stable.
Chen Qing suddenly realized that he looked slightly different from when they first met. To be more specific, he had become taller and stronger in the past few months. He looked like a teenager and a young man, and his immaturity had gradually faded. The lines on his face had become more three-dimensional.
He exudes an indescribable, seductive aura.
When Li Daoxuan raised his eyes and looked at Chen Qing steadily, he raised his eyebrows slightly, and a hint of surprise flashed across his eyes.
Chen Qing looked back at him through her round fan without any hesitation, calculating in her heart how much Li Daoxuan had suffered because of the talismans she had given him.
It was not until everyone started to joke and make noise that she raised her fan to completely cover her eyes.
"You'an." It was Liu Jiuyue's voice.
Chen Qing blinked, and a sweet smile appeared on his face hidden behind the round fan. He said to the person beside him, "Senior Brother."
Seeing Chen Qing's cheerful smile, Liu Jiyue couldn't say anything. In the end, all her words came together into one sentence: "Brother and your mother will always be by your side. If you are wronged, come to Brother. You will always be my sister."
Shen Qing's throat choked, and her eyes instantly turned red, "Yeah."
Liu Jiuyue's eyes also turned red. He turned his head to look at the blue sky, his heart filled with mixed emotions, and finally he crossed his arms.
Chen Qing held a round fan in one hand and supported Liu Jiuyue's arm with the other, and walked towards Li Daoxuan step by step.
After Li Daoxuan took her hand, Liu Jiyue said, "Xuanji Pavilion and I will always stand behind You'an. I hope King Cang will treat her well and not let her suffer any grievances."
Li Daoxuan rarely choked today, but said seriously, "Of course."
After Chen Qing got on the car, Li Daoxuan rode his horse around the car three times. Just as the wedding car was about to set off, it encountered a "blocking car".
Gu Yun and his companions had moved the screen across the road without anyone noticing.
Chen Qing thought Gu Yun was joking, but she never thought he would actually do what he said. She burst out laughing.
The only people who dared to block the royal wedding car were probably those who had been friends with Li Daoxuan since childhood.
Chen Qing felt suffocated by the weight of his attire. After watching the excitement for a while, he lowered the carriage curtains and closed his eyes to rest. He just hoped that the day would pass quickly.
Arriving at Prince Cang's mansion, Chen Qing walked on the felt mat all the way in without touching the ground, and went straight to Qinglu, where he performed the wedding ceremony with this guy. Just when Shen Qing thought it was finally over, the matchmaker and the maids and servants began to throw money and colorful fruits at them. The matchmaker seemed to be using all her life's blessings and spoke about the wedding for a full quarter of an hour.
Shen Qing's head was smoking when she heard this. She said, "That's enough, let's move on to the next step."
The matchmaker smiled awkwardly and then shut up. Cui Ya handed over the wedding wine, and the matchmaker handed the wine glasses to the two of them. Chen Qing was quite absent-minded. While Li Daoxuan was taking the wine glass, she secretly looked at Cui Ya.
Cui Ya lowered her head and shook it slightly.
The wedding wine glass is too small and can't fit in.
Chen Qing's heart sank, and he just hoped he wouldn't make any mistakes. While he was dazed, his wrist was suddenly firmly grasped by a large, warm hand. The palm was still sweaty, and Chen Qing shuddered so much that he almost dropped his wine glass.
When she raised her eyes, Li Daoxuan stared at her with a serious look and said, "Youan, concentrate."
Chen Qing was startled by his deep gaze, which instantly aroused her rebelliousness. She pursed her lips and wanted to pull her hand back, but he held her down tightly and she couldn't move it.
"I don't want to drink, let go!"
The people in the room were frightened when they heard this, and the bridesmaid tried to smooth things over by saying, "The bride is just being shy, hahahaha—"
Li Daoxuan said unhappily, "Youan, stop making trouble."
Chen Qing snorted coldly, "I didn't—"
He suddenly pressed Chen Qing's xue, and Chen Qing's body stiffened. Then Li Daoxuan half-forcefully held Chen Qing's hand to perform the wedding ceremony. One hard and one soft arm intertwined, and they each put the wine glass into their mouths.
Li Daoxuan drank the wine happily, and then used his strength to bring the glass to her lips.
Chen Qing closed her eyes subconsciously, but when the sweet liquid entered her mouth, she opened her eyes in surprise.
Li Daoxuan whispered in her ear, "I know you can't drink strong liquor, so I asked someone to replace it with non-intoxicating fruit wine."
Chen Qing thought to herself: You are smart. She rolled her eyes and signaled him to untie her.
Li Daoxuan understood what she meant and chuckled, "If you don't obey, there's no way."
Chen Qing rolled his eyes in anger and simply stopped looking at her and turned to look at Cui Ya.
Cui Ya wanted to cry but had no tears, and her eyes turned to the table beside her.
There were three plates of meat: pork, fish, and bacon. She quietly poured the food in. But King Cang ordered his wife's blood.
Chen Qing looked at the three plates of meat and thought something was wrong.
She glared at her, and Cui Ya secretly stretched out her food and pointed at the plate in the middle.
Chen Qing took a closer look and saw that it was pork. Her eyes went dark.
The pork was divided into four even pieces on the plate, and it was impossible to tell which piece of meat the thing was in.
I was hit in the acupoint again, and I was helpless.
Just as she was despairing, Li Daoxuan came close to her, pulled out a strand of her hair, and cut it off without mercy.
Chen Qing was so angry that she saw stars. Her favorite hair! He just cut it off like that! Bastard!
The bridesmaid didn't care about that. She happily tied their hair together, completing the bun and chanted, "May you two grow old together in happiness!"
An unknown amount of time passed, but when it was time to "eat meat together", Li Daoxuan only took one look at the pork and told everyone to leave.
Shen Qing blinked furiously, and Li Daoxuan noticed and asked, "Do you like pork?"
She closed her eyes and said nothing.
Li Daoxuan picked up another piece of fish with chopsticks and put it to her lips. Chen Qing clenched her teeth and refused to open her mouth. Li Daoxuan decisively put down the jade chopsticks and said lightly: "Madam, if you don't want to eat it, put it aside and wait for me to come back."
He stood up and was about to leave, but turned back and said, "Everyone get out."
The bridesmaid hesitated and said, "This? Isn't it too early, Your Majesty?"
Li Daoxuan glanced at her, and Xiniang said with a bitter face, "Not early, not early." She called the other maids to go out.
Only Cui Ya was reluctant to leave. Seeing this, Xi Niang grabbed her and pulled her out, "Hey, you ignorant girl, why are you joining in the fun?"
Cui Ya: "My wife——"
The bridesmaid covered her mouth and said, "Call me princess!"
The door slammed shut, leaving Chen Qing and Li Daoxuan staring blankly.
Chen Qing looked at Li Daoxuan with a tense look on his face, screaming in his heart, "Don't come over here."
Li Daoxuan pretended not to see it and said in a cold voice, "Are you really that unwilling to marry me?"
Chen Qing angrily lowered her eyes and glanced at his feet.
"If you don't want to marry me, why did you agree to the marriage? Why did you get close to me? Why did you say you liked me? And why did you take the blame for me?"
“Sometimes I really don’t understand you.”
The person above her sighed and moved closer to her. Shen Qing pursed her lips in displeasure, her whole body emitting resistance.
Li Daoxuan raised his hand and quickly but gently took off her headdress.
As the weight on his head gradually lightened, Chen Qing secretly looked up.
The boy's delicate face was illuminated by the flickering candlelight, making the lines of his facial features appear extremely soft, and his pupils, which had been dark for years, now seemed to have a hint of warmth.
The last piece of headdress was taken off, and the girl's scalp suddenly relaxed. The girl's smooth black hair fell on her shoulders. At this time, Li Daoxuan suddenly lowered his eyes, and his gaze met hers.
His expression was so gentle that it could almost drown one, yet it seemed like an illusion.
Shen Qing stared at him blankly.
Li Daoxuan stretched out his big hand towards her collar. Shen Qing suddenly woke up, opened his eyes wide and shouted: "Get out!"
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