Chapter 20 Chapter 20 [Three Chapters in One] Wedding
In the capital city, drums and music cleared the way and red silk covered the streets.
The wedding procession of the Yongding Marquis's Mansion set out from Jiqingfang in the west of the city in a grand manner. When Chengqingfang in the east of the city heard the news, the place became lively.
The wedding procession of the Marquis's Mansion went north from Jiqingfang, then circled the Imperial City from the north and headed to Chengqingfang, attracting the attention of most people in the capital.
Every year, people speculated whether Marquis Lu would marry his wife, but the wife never showed up.
This year, almost without any warning, Madam Lu appeared.
The imperial decree was finalized on August 16, and the Marquis married his new wife on September 6.
With such a grand occasion, everyone would come to take a look, not to mention that Lord Lu was very generous and anyone who came forward and said auspicious words would be rewarded.
However, no matter how bustling the capital was, there was an inexplicable sense of silence in the west courtyard of the Du Mansion.
The clouds in the sky are pressing low, and it may rain at any time.
The palace aunt appointed by the imperial concubine personally did the makeup for the bride.
Her black hair was tied up and she wore a golden phoenix crown, coral red hairpins on her temples, and pearl earrings. She wore a gold and mutton-fat jade necklace given by the Empress Dowager around her fair and slender neck, making her look like a fairy in the sky. Even the aunts who were used to seeing many beauties in the palace could not help but take a few more glances at her.
But the bride just looked out silently.
The aunt who was dressing up couldn't help but ask, "What are you looking at, madam?"
She asked, and the bride was silent for a moment before she whispered, "It's going to rain outside."
The dresser said, "But those who are touched by water are all nobles. Even the gods can't help but send rain to clear the streets, for fear of soiling the lady's new clothes."
She said go, and saw the bride slowly withdrew her gaze, without any shyness or joy on her face, she just said it very lightly.
"Yeah."
Her response caused the aunts to look at each other and sigh.
Last night, everyone was in the west courtyard room preparing for today's wedding ceremony, but unexpectedly, when they turned around, they saw the Marquis.
Everyone was startled, and Auntie quickly reminded them, "Why is the Marquis here? It's the wedding day, the Marquis and the bride can't be seen together."
The Marquis knew it, "I just came to ask, how has she been these past two days?"
"The girl is getting married, and has a lot of things to do, so she eats less."
This made the Marquis lower his eyebrows, "Tomorrow will be even busier, so persuade her to eat more."
Everyone knew it and were about to urge the Marquis to leave quickly, but the Marquis asked another question.
"Did she... cry?"
Everyone could see how the girl felt, but as for whether she shed tears, "I really didn't."
When everyone said this, the Marquis' eyes lit up.
Aunt Dressing could no longer keep him.
"My Lord, don't worry about these things. Just be a good groom."
He responded, "Okay."
As he said this, he couldn't help but look towards his bride's room.
The aunts hurried forward to stop him, "If you want to be together forever, you must not bear to see this morning and evening!"
Everyone tried to stop him, but he didn't dare to look anymore. He just said "I know", and then "Please help me, aunts", thanked them and left...
Everyone saw with their own eyes what the Marquis looked like yesterday. In contrast, everyone also saw the mood of the Marquis's new wife.
How can you see the new one if you are still thinking about the old one?
I'm afraid that My Lord will suffer a lot.
But since even the Imperial Concubine couldn't persuade him, no one would say anything more.
At this moment, the rain outside had not yet stopped, but the impatient voice of the second master of the Du family could be heard coming from the main courtyard next door.
Du Zhiqi asked this question several times, and even Du Lingjing, who was in a trance, heard it.
Just then, several aunts finished dressing her and went out, and she asked Qiulin a question.
"What's going on with uncle? What happened to my second sister?"
After Du Runqing's plan to remarry failed, she became seriously ill, locked herself in her room and refused to come out, crying all day long.
But the wedding on the sixth day of the new year was a big event and Du Zhiqi couldn't take care of her.
On the other hand, Madam Wan's side, Master Gu Yangsi was nearly beaten to death by the Embroidered Uniform Guards and is now hanging on by his last breath. Madam Wan asked the imperial physician to save his life, but his injuries are seriously serious and it is unknown whether he can save his life.
Now Madam Wan only has her son in her eyes. She stays by her son's side every day and has not even sent anyone to ask about her granddaughter Du Runqing, whom she had pushed to marry off.
Qiulin shook his head and said neither.
"It's my master's business."
Du Zhanming, the young master of the Du family and the legitimate son of Du Zhiqi, has been studying in the academy in Baoding and rarely returns home.
However, there is a big happy event in the family this time. No matter whether it is the eldest sister or the second sister who is getting married, he, his own brother, must come to see her off.
Du Zhiqi sent someone to Baoding a few days ago to call his son back.
"Who knows what happened to the young master? It's almost the auspicious time today, but he hasn't come back yet. The second master is in a bad mood."
Not to mention Du Zhiqi's impatience, even Qiu Lin frowned, "This girl's marriage is really difficult, there's not even anyone to send her off."
Du Lingjing didn't care.
When she was in Qingzhou, ever since she had given birth to her father, her uncles, aunts and cousins would always come to ask her when she was going to marry Sanlang, and they would arrange a large group of brothers to accompany her on the wedding.
They laughed and said, "We have to let Jiang Jieyuan see that our Du family has a lot of people. If he wants to bully our girls in the future, he won't be able to do that."
Du Lingjing's face was so hot at that time.
It was a pity that Sanlang's illness had not improved. She had suggested setting a date for the wedding many times, even to use their marriage to bring him good luck, but he never agreed. While he was putting it off, he suddenly left her.
The grand wedding procession that her uncles, aunts and sisters wanted to prepare for her at that time was of course not possible.
And now, she is getting married.
Since she was not marrying Sanlang, it seemed appropriate that there was no one to send her off.
Du Lingjing told Qiulin that it didn't matter, and then called her, "I think this is good, and you don't have to worry about it."
Unexpectedly, just as she said this, Ruan Gong suddenly came back and said that the Marquis's Mansion had found a brother to accompany her in marriage.
"It's Uncle Cang, he just came from Jinan!"
As they were talking, Du Lingjing saw someone coming into the yard.
A drizzle started outside. The man who came in was of medium build, nearly thirty years old. He walked in quickly and saw her from the window.
"Jingniang!"
"Brother Cang?"
He is Du Jicang, Du Lingjing's brother.
He was still covered in wet dust. Du Lingjing asked someone to bring him some tea and heard him say.
"I have been in Jinan with my master until someone from the Marquis' Mansion said that the Emperor has granted you and Marquis Lu a marriage, and then I hurried over here."
"Master?" Du Lingjing glanced at Brother Cang, "Brother, did you pass the imperial examination this autumn?"
She understood the meaning immediately after she said it, and Du Jicang laughed, "That's right, in early August of this year, I took the eighth place in the Autumn Examination."
Even though Du Lingjing was in a low mood, she couldn't help but feel happy for him at this moment.
"Brother, you have passed the imperial examination and you have ranked among the top. I didn't even know that. This is a happy event for you. Congratulations to you."
Apart from this branch of the Du family that was well-known for its literary talent, no one from the other branches had ever passed the imperial examination and even only a few had passed the provincial examination.
In fact, even her uncle Du Zhiqi was just a fellow Jinshi.
This time, Du Jicang from the side branch also passed the imperial examination, which is a good thing for the Du family.
But Du Jicang said it was not a big deal. He mentioned Du Lingjing's father Du Zhili.
"When my great uncle was alive, he gave me many pointers. Like many other scholars in the literati circle, I admired his profound knowledge and wisdom, and I deeply agreed with his thoughts on politics. Others also envied me for being his nephew, but unfortunately I was too stupid and could not even pass the imperial examination. Now my great uncle has been gone for six years, and I am now nearly thirty years old and have just passed the imperial examination."
Du Lingjing said that it was not too bad, "Brother, you have won a high place in the imperial examination next spring, and you may be able to win the first prize."
Du Jicang laughed. He was indeed planning to give it a try next year. But now he looked at his sister and saw that she had finished dressing up and was wearing silk wedding clothes.
"Today is my sister's wedding day. But I have heard about the previous events and the rumors in the capital."
He said to Du Zhiqi, "Although Second Uncle Qi is your biological uncle, his behavior is unacceptable in any family. When I return, I will tell the family what happened in Beijing, and he will not cover it up."
But even so, it doesn't matter now that things have come to this point.
Du Lingjing looked at the sky outside. The autumn rain was falling sparsely, interweaving together like a rain curtain that could catch everyone in one net.
But as the time approached the auspicious hour, the sky gradually brightened.
The sound of gongs and drums outside was not affected by the heavy rain at all and came into my ears with the wind.
She lowered her eyes and said nothing. Du Jicang looked at her twice.
"Although this imperial decree of marriage cannot be changed, my sister needs to look forward. Be it my uncle or Mr. Jiang, I think they don't want you to live in silence for the rest of your life."
He said that with his sister's talent and courage, "Perhaps there is a wider world and higher sky beyond the Mian Building."
The autumn rain outside fell on the eaves, but then condensed into thin streams in the depressions of the tiles and fell down with a thud.
Du Lingjing watched the rain falling in the yard for a long time.
She spoke slowly, "Thank you, brother."
While the brother and sister were talking, the sound of celebratory drums and music coming from around the city was approaching the gate of the Du Mansion.
An aunt from the palace came forward quickly holding a big red veil.
"Girl, the Marquis has arrived, and the auspicious time is just around the corner, so put on your veil quickly!"
*
Outer courtyard.
Du Zhiqi was at a loss as to what to do when he greeted the marquis' son-in-law.
From being a niece's son-in-law, he dreamed of becoming a son-in-law, and finally he became a niece's son-in-law. No one understood the embarrassment better than him.
At this moment, the people in the wedding procession behind Marquis Lu were all from high-ranking families, including clan members, nobles, and generals with outstanding military achievements. Even though he was the only one who could be the head of the Du family, none of these nobles looked at him twice.
Even the Marquis was drinking tea by himself.
It was Du Jicang who rushed over from the west courtyard. Everyone was quite polite to this new scholar from the Du family's branch.
Everyone greeted him, even the marquis.
Du Zhiqi was so embarrassed that he wanted to get up and leave, but unfortunately he couldn't.
Lu Shenru didn't care about him much and just asked about going to Du Jicang.
"My wife... has everything been prepared?"
Du Jicang nodded, "My Lord, just wait for an auspicious time."
As these words were spoken, less than half a cup of tea later, singing began outside.
It means the auspicious time for the wedding has arrived and the bride is here!
The man couldn't help but stand up and saw that the rain outside had slowed down at some point.
She was wearing a splendid wedding dress and walked in the light rain.
A large red veil with round oriental pearls hanging on it covered her phoenix crown and face.
Others couldn’t see it, and Lu Shenru couldn’t see it either.
Just looking at her slightly slender and tall figure, the wedding dress made of the same brocade material as his, embroidered by the same needlework maid in the Marquis's mansion, and dripping with pearls that he had specially asked someone to buy, fell on her body perfectly.
She just walked up to him wearing the wedding dress he gave her.
It's her and no one else.
The man's eyes trembled slightly.
The aunt in the palace handed the red string of the hydrangea in the bride's hand to Du Jicang, and then Du Jicang handed it over personally.
"From now on, I'll trouble you to take care of my little sister."
"Lu will keep it in mind."
The man steadily took the red string with the hydrangea hanging on it and held it tightly in his hand.
On the other side, across from him was a big red hydrangea.
The man's eyes were fixed on her veil.
I don’t know if it’s because it’s been a while, but among the group of people getting married, someone brave enough said something.
"My Lord, you've been watching for so long, are you worried that you might have picked the wrong bride?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the hall became subtle.
All the noble young men who came to marry looked at the Du family members.
Du Jicang managed to keep his composure, but Du Zhiqi was already extremely embarrassed, and now being touched upon so explicitly and implicitly, he felt his face getting hot.
Do we have to lift the bride’s veil for everyone to see?
That is of course impossible.
Lu Shenru would not allow it either.
But he noticed that the other side of the red rope was loose.
He couldn't help but feel certain in his heart.
If this matter was mentioned and the red rope was tightened, he would be surprised.
But at this moment, someone loosened his grip on her. He looked at her quietly, and his hand holding the red rope tightened.
The red rope was pulled slightly, and she felt it vaguely. She turned her head to look at him, but she couldn't see anything through the veil. She turned her head back immediately, and her hands stopped moving and ignored him.
However, Lu Shenru was sharp enough to notice this slightly cold action.
This is definitely her.
The corners of the man's mouth slightly raised.
Even with the veil between them, he would not marry the wrong bride.
He clenched the red rope tightly in his hands, and the bold man just now spoke again.
"Yeah, it seems that the Marquis has chosen the right person."
Everyone laughed, and Lu Shenru turned around and saw that it was the boy from the Jing'an Marquisate. Although the Zhou family of the Jing'an Marquisate and the Lu family of the Yongding Marquisate were allies in the same trench, they had been quarreling and fighting against each other since the old marquises of the two families, and only the boy from the Zhou family dared to bring up the issue.
Lu Shenru was too lazy to pay attention to him and just glanced at him. He then decided to quit and hide in the crowd.
Outside, people were urging them to say goodbye to their relatives and leave the house and get into the sedan chair.
Du Lingjing's parents had both passed away. There were people placed in the hall, with Du Zhiqi and Du Jicang sitting at the bottom respectively. Du Lingjing kowtowed again and again to her parents on the tablets.
Then Du Jicang personally carried her on his back, walked all the way to the door, and stepped out of the gate of the Du Mansion in Chengqingfang.
... ...
The marriage was granted by imperial decree, and the Marquis married.
The carriage procession that picked up the bride no longer went north around the imperial city. On the way back, the gates of East and West Chang'an Avenue were wide open, and it passed in front of Chengtian Gate, running from the east to the west of the city.
The rain could not hinder the festive atmosphere of the marquis's mansion's wedding. The colorful sound of falling rain and the symphony of drums and music turned the quiet late autumn into a noisy spring day.
The man was wearing a red silk robe and sitting on a tall horse, while Du Lingjing was wearing a veil and sitting in the wedding sedan beside him.
She felt as if she had walked on this apparently shorter and more accessible road for a very long time, as if she had walked on it for half her lifetime.
The time became blurred in her mind until the wedding sedan slowly stopped and she had entered the tall and spacious Yongding Marquis Mansion in Jiqingfang.
Not only was the seat for parents vacant in Du Lingjing Hall, but the same was true in the Marquis' Mansion.
Standing in front of her parents' tablets, she sensed some silence on the other end of the red thread. The man seemed to pause and called his parents in a low voice, "Weishi got married today."
Lu Shenru, Lu Weishi.
After paying respects to heaven and earth and their parents, when people in the hall were singing the song of greeting each other, Du Lingjing staggered when she stood up for some reason.
She swayed slightly, and the man reached out and immediately held her.
"Be careful, lady."
There was a faint laughter in the hall, and someone said, "Why are you in such a hurry, Lord? We are about to enter the bridal chamber!"
Under the big red veil, Du Lingjing pursed her lips and immediately withdrew her hand.
The man's hand hovered in the air.
The red veil concealed her expression.
But after paying homage to heaven and earth, she was already his, Lu Shenru's wife, and had nothing to do with anyone else!
Someone sang as they entered the bridal chamber, the veil was lifted, and the couple drank the wedding wine.
The crowd surrounded them and went to the bridal chamber.
Lu Shenru was afraid that someone would step on the corner of her wedding dress and trip her in the crowd, so she called Qiulin and the others to protect her, which made the group of boys laugh again. It was not until they entered the bridal chamber, which was filled with female relatives who had come to watch the ceremony, that the group of annoying boys were stopped outside the door.
My ears feel a little quieter.
The matchmaker came forward and led them to sit down on the bed. The bed was indeed soft enough. Lu Shenru looked to her side and saw that she sat down with her head down.
The matchmaker came forward and said some auspicious words.
"... Red candles light up the flower hall, the phoenix faces the sun forever, wealth and love last for a hundred years, the marquis and his wife are more beautiful than mandarin ducks..."
This string of auspicious words came out in a row, a total of thirty-six sentences, six six is smooth, Lu Shenru was impressed, "Reward."
After he gave such a reward, another matchmaker also sang. The auspicious words from this matchmaker were more pleasant to hear and smooth to hear, saying that the Marquis and his wife were like a pair of wings flying together and a tree growing together, a perfect match made in heaven, so Lu Shenru gave her an even greater reward.
The matchmaker just now was not to be outdone, and she improvised another thirty-six sentences. The next matchmaker followed with forty-eight sentences. The beams of the bridal chamber were filled with auspicious words, and all the women laughed, "The Marquis has married a new bride. I am so happy. I give you rewards again and again!"
Lu Shenru didn't think too many auspicious words like these, but it was time to choose the veil.
The matchmaker immediately brought the scale over. Everyone in the room looked along the scale to the bride under the veil.
The man also looked down.
Her fair chin was first revealed under the red veil, and her lips were dotted with a thin layer of red, making them tender and rosy like red cherry blossoms after the rain.
The man's heart skipped a beat. Her straight white nose appeared before his eyes, and then her watery eyes were hidden under her thick eyelashes, reflecting the quiet light of autumn water.
Someone in the room couldn't help but say, "The bride is really like a fairy from a book."
She didn't have a strong scent of rouge on her body, but she had a faint scent of books that was unique to her.
Lu Shenru felt as if a clear spring of water was flowing through his heart, and he just looked at her steadily.
But he continued to lift her up and opened the veil. The bright light from the dragon and phoenix wedding candles fell on her face. Her long eyebrows were lightly frowned above her watery eyes. There was no shyness on her face as a bride. She just sat there quietly, never looking up at the husband in front of her. There were no tears in her eyes, but there were traces of tears in the corners of her eyes.
The room fell inexplicably quiet. The two matchmakers stopped talking, and even the crackling sound of the wedding candles burning high up ceased to be heard.
No one dared to speak out this time.
But everyone knew that the girl from the Du family was originally destined to be with the scholar Jie Yuan from Concubine Jiang's family. Unfortunately, Jie Yuan died young, and the girl remained unmarried and waited for Jiang Jie Yuan for three years.
She was going to stay with him forever, but unexpectedly, an imperial decree granted her marriage to the Marquis, and the Marquis only wanted this girl and had no interest in anyone else in the Du family.
At this moment, she got on the bridal sedan, bowed to heaven and earth, and lifted her veil. The girl became the marquis's wife, but she refused to even smile in front of the marquis.
No one dared to speak. The dragon and phoenix wedding candles were shaking, as if they were about to be extinguished by the tense atmosphere.
Everyone was afraid that the marquis would change his expression.
But the man still had the same expression as before, his eyelids just drooped slightly, then raised again.
He slowly reached out his hand, half-holding her face as if holding a piece of porcelain as thin as a cicada's wing, and gently wiped away the remaining tears from the corners of her eyes with his fingertips.
She still sat there quietly, but her eyes were increasingly looking away.
No one had ever seen such a scene in someone else's bridal house, and no one dared to say anything.
But the Marquis didn't seem to be offended by this at all, and asked her in a very gentle voice.
"Let's drink the wedding wine, okay?"
She didn't respond, but she didn't refuse either.
The man looked at the matchmaker, and the two men came to their senses and hurriedly came forward with the wedding wine.
There were two jade cups with lotus flowers tied at both ends with colorful threads, and the man took one.
The matchmaker presented the gift to the bride, fearing that she would refuse to accept it. She thought that the Marquis was gentle to his bride, but might not be so gentle to others.
But the bride did not embarrass them and took the glass of wine.
The two matchmakers breathed a sigh of relief. Their fluent speech just now was choked up. They quickly moved their tongues and spoke quickly.
"We will drink the wedding wine together and be together forever!"
Lu Shenru raised the cup to toast her, but she still refused to look at him. However, he toasted her back and drank the wine.
The ceremony is complete.
It was the first time for everyone in the room to watch a ceremony so thrilling that they almost all breathed a sigh of relief in unison.
In a short while, everyone in the room emptied out, leaving only Du Lingjing and him sitting by the bed.
The people outside were calling him to go out for a drink, but for some reason he didn't leave immediately and just sat on the edge of the bed looking at her.
Du Lingjing admitted that she had been quite rude to the marquis in the past, and now she had no intention of trying to please him. In this situation where she was at the mercy of others, it made no difference whether she tried to please him or not.
He didn't speak, so she didn't say anything either.
Somehow she heard him sigh softly, smile to himself, and speak.
She thought he was going to ask her something, but he just asked, "Are you hungry? You haven't eaten much since yesterday, you can't stand it."
These words made Du Lingjing finally look up. How did he know that she hadn't eaten since yesterday?
He seemed to understand what she meant immediately and explained, "I heard it from my aunt in the palace."
Du Lingjing shook her head. She was indeed not hungry.
"Then you should eat a little at least." He advised her again.
The strange mansion room, the strange curtains and candles, made her feel more and more unfamiliar with this man whom she had only met a few times.
A high-ranking prince, a powerful minister with the power of life and death, he wanted to marry her either because of the imperial decree or for various considerations.
No matter what, in his eyes, what was important to her was only her identity as the eldest daughter of the Du family, not her as a person, Du Lingjing.
Why did he need to speak to her so patiently and softly?
She doesn't understand.
It’s just that if people respect me, I will respect them too, no matter whether they do it on purpose, out of hypocrisy, or for some other reason.
Du Lingjing responded to him.
"Thank you, my Lord. If you need anything, I will send someone to find you."
As he was speaking, he heard voices outside urging him to go to the wedding banquet to toast, and this time he finally decided to leave.
But he still smiled and nodded at her, "Okay, if you are hungry, feel free to call for help. The two maids specially sent to the bridal chamber are named Yingbi and Xiangyi. You can call them, or anyone else."
After giving her these instructions, he looked at her twice before leaving after repeated urging.
Du Lingjing was still sitting by the bed.
The dragon and phoenix candles were a little dazzling, so she closed her eyes and her mind was empty for a while, until Qiu Lin came over.
Qiu Lin took out a few bags of snacks from his sleeve and gave them to her. "Girl, please eat something."
Du Lingjing was really not hungry, so she waved her hand.
Qiu Lin still stuffed a piece of cake into her hand and said, "Girl, eat something, or you will be hungry tonight. Tonight... I don't know when it will end..."
Du Lingjing was stunned for a moment.
Qiulin's words were cryptic, but she understood his meaning.
So this is what the marquis meant when he asked her to eat more?
So he must get it at night?
She fell silent, and the candlelight flickered.
Qiulin didn't know what to say.
If she were to marry Mr. Jiang Sanye, any situation would be fine, but the man in front of her is not Mr. Sanye, but Mr. Hou.
Who can stop the Marquis from doing what he wants?
It was Du Lingjing who called her, "Nothing, you go first."
"Girl..."
"No problem."
As soon as Qiu Lin left, the room became quiet again.
The hair crown made her scalp hurt under her thick hair.
She still sat there, looking at the festive red color, and suddenly thought of the day when she and Sanlang got engaged.
It was clearly just an engagement, but many people came that day, including people in the city who were on good terms with the two families. The Jiang family also brought a set of Song Dynasty books with exquisite official seals given by Empress Dowager Jiang.
She followed her father, waiting for Sanlang to come. That day, eldest brother Ri Cang's mother picked out a daylily yellow dress for her. She seldom wore such a bright color and was a little uncomfortable with it. She was afraid that Sanlang would laugh at her when he saw her.
But the color was bright and perfect for the occasion of an engagement, so she wore it anyway.
But she never expected that Sanlang would come wearing a bright red brocade robe with a Ruyi pattern.
At that time, several of her aunts and sisters-in-law laughed, and even her father looked at Sanlang and laughed.
She didn't see what happened to Sanlang, but she was the first to feel angry.
Does he regard engagement as marriage? !
At this time, Jiang Jialiu Lang, who had always been the best friend of San Lang, suddenly spoke up for San Lang, "Don't laugh at me, my uncles, aunts, and sisters-in-law. My third brother was so happy that he accidentally wore the wrong clothes. No, no, he wore the right clothes!"
It was already somewhat funny that Sanlang was wearing red, and when Liulang said this like a storyteller, everyone burst into laughter.
Du Lingjing felt that her face was getting very hot, but she saw that although Sanlang lowered his head and pulled Liulang to stop talking nonsense, his usually pale and handsome face turned red as if it had fallen into a dye vat.
He lowered his head and said nothing, but he couldn't help but look at her. The moment his eyes met hers, he pursed his lips and smiled gently at her.
It's like the spring breeze blowing all the flowers into bloom.
She had forgotten how to respond to him, and it was Rokuro who ran over.
Liu Lang had secretly changed his tone a long time ago, and now he called her in a low voice and made eyes at her.
"Sister-in-law, tell me, my brother is wearing red today, what else will he wear on your wedding day?"
Yes, what should I wear that day? She also wanted to know.
But the marriage that had been arranged long ago suddenly disappeared due to his repeated procrastination.
Just like him, he disappeared from the rest of her long life...
It was dark, very dark.
Qiulin came again, and the little maid mentioned by the marquis also came and brought her two boxes of food.
Her thoughts had already flown away, away from the capital, back to Qingzhou, and then to the ends of the earth.
Just as the drums and music outside had almost faded away, someone pushed the door and walked in.
Lu Shenru turned her head to look at the bedside. She was still sitting in the same place as before.
Didn't it move?
He reeked of alcohol and changed his outer clothes first. His eyes swept across the table, but he left the snacks untouched and the box unopened.
He couldn't help but sigh and walked forward, "Didn't you eat anything? Then would you like some water?"
He poured her a cup and handed it to her.
"Thank you." She took it but put it aside.
Her eyes were red and her lips were a little dry.
Did you cry? For a long time?
The man pursed his lips and picked up the teacup again, "Drink some."
He insisted that she drink it, so Du Lingjing could only take a sip.
He frowned slightly, seeming not very satisfied with the shallow drink she managed.
But at this time, a maid knocked on the door, "My Lord, Madam, please wash up."
He responded, and the nanny pushed open the door. Seven or eight maids came in one after another, some bringing water, some holding towels. The old nanny smiled at the two of them, then walked over to the tent and lit a stick of incense.
The fragrance of cassia.
really.
Du Lingjing lowered her eyes and let the maid take off her elaborate wedding dress. However, when she took off the phoenix crown, she felt a pain on her forehead.
She took a deep breath and the man turned his head to look at her. He saw a long blood mark on her forehead caused by the phoenix crown.
The man frowned, and the maids below didn't dare to say a word. Even the nanny was surprised, probably because they didn't expect that the lady didn't take off her hair crown.
Du Lingjing had to speak up, "I forgot, it's okay."
The man said nothing. The nanny immediately asked the maid to fetch water from the well. She soaked a handkerchief in the cold water and applied a cold compress to her for a while.
But just as she was about to step forward, the Marquis took the handkerchief away from her.
He walked over, pulled the embroidered cushion and sat down beside her, and silently wiped her forehead with a handkerchief.
Seeing the two of them acting like this, the nanny and the others all retreated.
There were only her and him left in the room. Du Lingjing was not used to such a distance. She sat next to the dressing table but could not move back. She wanted to take the handkerchief from him, but he refused to give it to her.
The fragrance slowly burned up, swirling out of the incense burner, rising and spreading as she and he got closer.
The room was quiet with only the sound of the lights blooming.
Lu Shenru smoothed the bloodstain on her forehead, and his eyes couldn't help but pass by her red eyes.
She avoided his gaze and refused to look at her. He was used to it, so he just passed the cool handkerchief over and placed it around her eyes.
The marks of crying around her eyes gradually faded, and she sighed almost imperceptibly.
But he remembered the summer he spent in Mianlou in Qingzhou that year.
She spent the entire summer arguing with the mice that were chewing books in the library. She couldn't catch them or stop them, so she stood under the window and sighed.
Through a secret door, he could count how many times she sighed every day.
Until one day, when she was catching mice, she accidentally broke into the secret door.
That day, the morning light outside was gradually growing, but the compartment was still dark.
She just barged in like that, and he was startled. He held his breath and tried not to be discovered by her, but she just caught the mouse and caught it on his wrist.
He closed his eyes helplessly, shook his head and laughed.
Only then did she suddenly realize that there was someone hiding in the compartment.
But before he could explain, she ran downstairs in shock.
When she came back, she already knew, and stood outside the cubicle shyly apologizing to him.
"Sorry, I mistook you for a bookworm in the building..."
That day, she mistakenly thought he was a mouse chewing on a book, but this catch actually caught his heart.
Never let go...
After many twists and turns, Lu Shenru couldn't tell whether marriage was destined by heaven or man, but she was his wife after all.
The handkerchief was warmed by his hands, and the alluring fragrance in his breath became stronger and stronger.
When the handkerchief passed over the corner of her eyes and fell down, it somehow fell on her lips.
Du Lingjing didn't know why he wanted to rub it on her lips, but when the cloth rubbed against her lips, she felt a peculiar numbness and she couldn't help but want to turn her head away.
But the next moment, he suddenly held her face.
The warm lips fell lightly on her lips.
The moment his lips touched hers, she froze there.
The fire flickered and her heart trembled. She wanted to avoid it, but she also knew that this was what was supposed to happen tonight.
But the kiss that had just been as light as the falling of a leaf gradually became more intense.
The next breath, he pecked her lips and she took a deep breath.
This made Lu Shenru's breathing disordered. Her soft lips were like wine made from nectar, and the sweetness was enough to make people intoxicated.
He couldn't help but continue to explore, and after a little exploration, he touched her pearly teeth.
Her teeth seemed to tighten subconsciously, and her hands could not help but press against his chest.
The man paused for a moment, but then he suddenly grabbed the man's legs and lifted him up.
The moment her feet left the ground, she couldn't help but gasp in surprise, and he seized the opportunity to pry open her pearly teeth.
Her breathing became more and more rapid. The light from the dragon and phoenix wedding candles that were lit high up just for them shone under her furrowed brows, and her eyes were rippling with tears.
He held her in his arms and strode towards the bed, reaching it in just two steps.
The maids spread layers of soft quilts for them, and he put her in and wrapped her in the quilt.
He leaned over and supported her face, and before she could escape, he pecked her lips again. She closed her eyes in confusion and helplessness.
Du Lingjing understood that the wedding night was the perfect time for union.
She suppressed the unspeakable choking in her heart and untied the strings of her undershirt.
If this is bound to happen tonight, then let her take the initiative, at least to make her look decent.
The man paused, his eyes showing some surprise.
His lips finally slowly left hers, his eyes first falling on her face, following her thin clothes that were gradually sliding off, his eyes swept across the tender ups and downs that no one had ever seen.
"Okay." His voice was so hoarse that it couldn't be any hoarseer.
He turned around and sat up, his chest like a stone wall now in front of her.
Du Lingjing didn't want to see anything anymore, so she closed her eyes completely.
His palms were even hotter than before. He gently brushed off the half of the thin shirt hanging on her shoulders. The moment the shirt slipped off, he held her shoulders.
His other hand fiddled with her slightly, and the cool breeze in the room filled with the fragrance of cassia bark blew over her waist, abdomen and legs.
As if he felt her body stiffen slightly in the cool breeze, he lowered the curtain with his backhand, blocking the cool breeze outside. Inside the bed, between the quilt, only he and she were left, naked facing each other.
He picked her up, and his thinly calloused thumb rubbed and circled below her navel. Her back couldn't help but relax, and she let him half-hold her and sit on the large soft pillow.
He suddenly called her in a hoarse voice.
"Quanquan," he said, "is my wife..."
Du Lingjing didn't pay attention to the second half of his sentence, but he... ...how did he know her handwriting?
That was the nickname that Sanlang gave her.
She frowned and looked at him intently.
Lu Shenru knew what she meant.
But only Jiang San could get that word, so why can’t he get it?
He ignored her sudden questioning look, grasped her ankle with his palm, and then moved his palm to her knee.
Du Ling couldn't help but take a deep breath.
But the man seemed to be holding back anger and resentment that had been suppressed for who knows how long. He moved his hand upwards, scraping the fairest skin with the thin calluses on his fingertips, lingering for a moment at the bottom of the depression, and finally reaching to the waist.
The next moment, he suddenly came over, closing the last distance between them and knocked on the door.
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