Hearing her ask this, Ah Cai's face flushed instantly. She bit her lips tightly and whispered:
"I don't know. I just think General Liu is a good man. He remained single for over a decade because of his late wife. This kind of relationship is rare. I admire him from the bottom of my heart."
"A Cai, we are just little girls. You can't expect General Liu to look at you straight in the eye, nor can you expect him to like you. Please stop imagining things, okay?"
"I don't have any extravagant expectations. Last night, I saw him calling out for his wife. He looked so pitiful, and I felt so bad for him. Ah Hong, I know I shouldn't have such thoughts. I know I was wrong. The princess has also advised me. Please don't tell anyone about this, okay?"
Ah Hong's face was calm, he sighed, and said:
"My Lady Princess is very magnanimous. If it weren't for this, I would have punished you, this whimsical little girl. General Liu drank too much last night and probably couldn't tell whether he was dreaming or awake. So, let's just pretend this never happened. You should also be more careful about what you do in the future and don't have any unreasonable thoughts anymore."
"I see."
Ah Cai lowered her head and her voice was as soft as a mosquito.
…
More than ten days passed quickly. Luo Lan lived a comfortable and happy life in the Duke's Mansion. Leng Yu would come to accompany her in her spare time.
In the blink of an eye, it was the eighth day of the second lunar month. Early in the morning, the Duke's Mansion was bustling with activity. First, the Emperor sent a large amount of rewards to congratulate the Duke of Hu on his daughter's marriage, and then various officials in the court sent valuable gifts one after another. Liu Dechang decided to send these gifts together with the dowry he prepared for Luo Lan to Prince Yu's Mansion. Therefore, outside the Duke's Mansion, there were already dozens of carriages full of items, waiting to accompany the bride on her wedding.
Luo Lan, wearing a phoenix robe, sat in front of a bronze mirror. Through the mirror, she watched two matchmakers busying themselves with her head and face.
Today's makeup looks particularly rich and gorgeous, with lightly dyed eyebrows, rosy lips, and lightly spread rouge on the cheeks, making the fair and rosy skin look clear.
The woman, who is usually beautiful, becomes charming and dignified at this moment.
The bright red phoenix robe was even more eye-catching. It had double-layered wide sleeves made of gold-thread gauze, and the edges were embroidered with auspicious images of mandarin ducks. A bright red embroidered belt was tied at the waist, perfectly emphasizing her delicate and graceful figure.
After some preparations, the matchmaker covered her head with a red scarf, stroked her arm and whispered:
"Miss, the groom has arrived. It's time to pay his respects to the Duke and get into the sedan chair."
Luo Lan nodded and slowly stood up with the help of the matchmaker. Leng Yu was already waiting outside the house in a dark red robe embroidered with a dragon pattern. Seeing her come out, she hurried over, took the big red silk in her hand, and under the guidance of the matchmaker, strode forward with a smile on her face.
Luo Lan could only see the area under her feet through the veil, and she could also see Leng Yu's heels.
This man seemed to walk much more briskly today.
They first went to the main hall in accordance with the regulations of Daning State and kowtowed three times to Liu Dechang. Liu Dechang gave Leng Yu some instructions before they walked towards the gate.
The bright red sedan waiting at the entrance of the Duke's Mansion was particularly eye-catching with its colorful silk decoration. The colorful balls dotted on the four corners, the tassels hanging down to the bottom, and the auspicious cloud patterns embroidered on the sedan... This sedan exuded nobility from head to toe.
The eight sedan chair bearers in bright red robes were beaming with joy. The maids standing on either side of the sedan chair were all beaming with smiles. The drummers and musicians were also ready at any moment...
The people who came to watch the excitement formed circles around it.
The dowry prepared by the Duke's Mansion for their eldest daughter's marriage spread across the entire street. It would not be an exaggeration to describe it as a ten-mile-long dowry.
Today's bride, Luo Lan, is exceptionally beautiful, seeming to make the bustling city pale in comparison.
She looked at Leng Yu through her bright red veil. He led her to the sedan chair and smiled softly at her. That smile was warmer and softer than the spring sunshine...
He watched her get into the sedan chair, then took the reins handed to him by Xiao Lingzi, stepped on the horse with one foot, rode forward, and returned to Prince Yu's Mansion in glory with his bride and the dowry that lined the street from one end to the other.
He had once jokingly promised her that he would marry her in a sedan chair carried by sixteen people, but as a prince, he could only marry in a sedan chair carried by eight people. He had already known this to Luo Lan, and Luo Lan did not care about it. As long as she could marry the man she loved, even a sedan chair carried by four people would not matter.
Leng Yu, who was riding on horseback, had a handsome face, and the guards following behind him were all extraordinary in appearance.
The most handsome man in the capital, the mighty general who was the guardian of the Daning Kingdom at the time, married a peerless woman who combined talent and beauty, and was the eldest daughter of the Duke's family.
This wedding ceremony is bound to become a hot topic of conversation among the dignitaries and common people in the capital.
However, this wedding ceremony was missing the Emperor and Concubine Chang, two people who were not important but should have been present. Although they had not arrived in person, their gifts arrived early. This was probably because they were afraid of gossip!
Leng Yu didn't care about this, and Luo Lan cared even less, because seeing them coming would affect her mood.
In the crowd, Shui Youcai was watching all this with red eyes. Early in the morning, Leng Yu ordered someone to drive him over. This really surprised and made him very happy.
Of course, he didn't know that Liu, Shui Chunhua and Shui Dabao were controlled by Leng Yu's people. Otherwise, they would definitely come to join in the fun as the bride's family members, and might even make some shameful jokes. The most important thing was that Luo Lan didn't want to see them in such an important occasion.
The wedding ceremony was complicated and tiring. Luo Lan and Leng Yu completed all the ceremonies under the guidance of the matchmaker. When Luo Lan was sent to the bridal chamber, Leng Yu stayed to greet the guests.
As soon as she entered the bridal chamber, Luo Lan was about to lift the veil from her head, but Ah Hong hurriedly stopped her and said,
"Princess, the matchmaker just told me that the groom has to lift the veil. Please be patient."
"But I'm so tired."
Luo Lan muttered helplessly, "The prince is still outside greeting the guests. I'll be exhausted if I don't sit here like this until he comes back and lifts the handkerchief."
"That won't do either. Just bear with it. Today is your big day. It's unlucky to lift the veil too early."
All right! Just bear with it for a while. She doesn't want anything unlucky like this to happen.
At this moment, the sound of a door opening was heard outside, followed by a brisk and familiar sound of footsteps.
Luo Lan was overjoyed. It seemed that her groom had come to lift her veil.
At this time, Leng Yu came to Luo Lan under the guidance of the matchmaker, raised the scale with the tray in front of him, and said loudly:
"The first is to raise the case and make the eyebrows level, the second is to make the husband and wife harmonious, and the third is to make the house full of grandchildren."
As the matchmaker's last words fell, Leng Yu lifted the veil on Luo Lan's head with the wedding scale in his hand. When he saw the delicate woman under the veil, the corners of his mouth suddenly rose slightly, and then he couldn't wait to wave to the people around him and said:
"Everyone, step back."
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