Chapter 103: Stop making trouble and never hear any other sound again.
It has been many years since the last wedding in the Xie family.
In any case, in Xie Yuchao's impression, there has never been a happy event in his family, and it has never even been a lively occasion.
Although the wedding was scheduled in a hurry, his preparations were not sloppy.
On that day, the mansion was filled with joy, and guests flocked in like clouds, the door threshold was almost broken by the people. It was a grand scene that he had never seen before.
Even though most people came because of Lord Xie, Xie Yuchao didn't care. As long as it was grand enough to show his intentions, it was fine.
He was wearing wedding clothes and stood in the dark, looking around for a long time.
Until Xiao Si came over holding the groom's hat, "Master, it's time to go out and pick up the bride."
"Walk!"
In contrast, the Jiang Mansion was empty and deserted, and the yard was overgrown with weeds.
Liu'an ran back from outside and walked around several times before finding Jiang Keyu drinking alone in a corner of the study. The latter's face was pale, and fatigue was hard to hide in his eyes.
"My dear, why are you still drinking?"
"I can't sleep. It's so noisy outside."
There was clearly no sound outside. Liu'an doubted himself for a moment, then finally sighed, "The young lady has been safely delivered to the Eastern Palace. The Empress said you should come back to pick her up in two days."
"knew."
Jiang Keyu poured herself some wine, shook it twice, and found that the jug was empty.
He climbed up and sat on the chair. "Go get me a new pot."
"You'd better not drink it."
"But I can't sleep."
Liu'an was helpless, "No matter how much you drink, it will hurt your body."
"What should I do then?" Jiang Keyu was a little annoyed and threw the useless wine glass in his hand away.
The wine glass fell to the ground and shattered. The sound was so sharp that it made him more sober. "What day is it today?"
The seventh day of the fourth month is an auspicious day for getting married.
"April 5th." Liu'an said seriously, "Nothing special."
"Who are you trying to fool?" Jiang Keyu said angrily, "You said it was the fifth day of April the day before yesterday, and you said it was the fifth day of April yesterday, and you're still saying it's the fifth day of April today. Can't you just let this day pass?"
Liu'an: "..."
Did he say the same thing yesterday?
"It's the seventh day of the first lunar month, is there anything that can't be said?"
"I remembered it wrong. It's the seventh day of the Lunar New Year." Liu'an remained calm. "Nothing special."
Jiang Keyu scoffed, "Isn't your young lady's wedding day special to you?"
Liu'an felt like he was being fooled. "You remember everything, and you still ask me why?"
"I don't want to remember it at all. If only I could sleep and it would be over." Jiang Keyu muttered to herself, "But it's like being branded, a red-hot iron brand that has imprinted this day on my mind."
Liu'an felt bad. Even in the most difficult times in the past, he had never seen his husband so depressed.
"The wedding of the Xie family's only son must be a lively one," Jiang Keyu rambled on. "All the dignitaries will be there, even the ladies in the palace will send gifts. So many people wish them a happy marriage and a long and happy life together. I never gave her any of these, so maybe that's why she doesn't forgive me."
Liu'an sighed silently, "My dear, now that things have come to this, you have to move on."
"Look forward?" Jiang Keyu's eyes went out of focus, and she suddenly smiled. "Jumping forward is more appropriate."
He stood up and strode out, "I'll go find a well and jump in."
"Ah?" Liu'an was startled and quickly pulled him back, "My dear, you are drunk!"
Jiang Keyu shook him off. "I'm not drunk. I was just joking with you. You're so boring. I have children to support. How could I possibly commit suicide?"
Liu'an followed closely, not daring to let him out of his sight.
"Eh?" Jiang Keyu turned around in place, "Where's my child?"
"Playing in the East Palace." Liu'an whispered.
Jiang Keyu frowned, "Look at my memory."
He staggered out.
"Where are you going?"
"Find a well."
"Stop making trouble!" Liu'an was really anxious.
Jiang Keyu laughed, "I was just kidding, you believe it again."
Liu'an: "..."
Although Jiang Keyu said this, she did not stop walking out.
"My dear, you are really drunk. Let me help you go back and rest." Liu'an said worriedly.
"Don't worry." Jiang Keyu pushed him away again, "I'm not drunk, I know what I'm doing."
"If you're not looking for a well, where are you going?"
Jiang Keyu stood on the steps, looked at the sky, and squinted as if she was pierced by the sunlight.
"Go, see the excitement."
*
The old house was also filled with joy, with red silk spread all along the way.
Song Baoyuan sat in front of the bronze mirror, looking at herself in her wedding dress, feeling as if she were in another world.
Six years ago, she was also sitting here, feeling nervous but also waiting for her husband's arrival with great anticipation.
At that time, she had just come of age, her face was full of youthfulness, and she could not hide her nervousness at all.
But at this moment, she was much calmer and more composed than she had imagined.
"Our young lady is so beautiful, like a fairy." Qiao Yue stood behind her and praised her generously.
Qiao Yin squatted aside, adjusting her belt, and echoed, "Our young lady is like a fairy from heaven!"
Song Baoyuan laughed.
"Thank you for sending me the beautiful wedding dress and jewelry," Qiao Yue said, picking up the hairpin. "Back then, my young lady and my husband got married in such a hurry that we didn't have time to prepare anything. I always felt it was a pity..."
"Ahem!" Qiao Yin frowned and said.
Qiao Yue was shocked to realize that she had said the wrong thing. She stole a glance at her mistress's expression, then quickly pursed her lips, pretending that she had said nothing.
Song Baoyuan didn't react much.
People should look forward and not always cling to the past, she thought.
"People are coming."
Cen Zhou, who was guarding the door, suddenly reminded him.
Qiaoyin and Qiaoyue quickly picked up the red veil, put it on Song Baoyuan, and helped her walk out.
Without parents and relatives, a lot of procedures can be saved.
Song Baoyuan, who was not nervous at first, could only look down at her feet on her way out of the old house, and her heart was inexplicably filled with confusion and sadness.
Until Xie Yuchao's hand reached out to her.
"Don't be afraid."
In front of the old house, Xie Yuchao leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Don't be afraid, I'll take care of everything."
Suddenly feeling reassured, Song Baoyuan held the warm and strong hand, and her heart slowly calmed down.
After entering the sedan chair, Song Baoyuan could hear no other sound except the deafening sound of gongs and drums.
*
At the Xie Mansion, Xie Mingru personally welcomed the guests.
"Master Xie has raised a good son. He ranked first in both the provincial and palace examinations. He might even be more outstanding than you, Master Xie, in the future!"
"Don't let him hear this, or he'll be so proud." Xie Mingru smiled and shook his head. "But I have some talent. It's just luck that I caught your Majesty's eye. I don't deserve such praise."
"Hey! Sir Xie, why are you being so modest? Mr. Xie's talent is obvious to everyone! Sir Xie, why don't you tell us how you raised this child so I can follow your example and see if there's any hope for my naughty monkey!"
It was hard to refuse everyone's kindness, and Xie Mingru was also very happy. Today he was unusually kind. "Children have their own destiny, and it's up to them. My son is just starting out in the official career, and he will have to rely on you adults to take good care of him in the future. If he gets into trouble, you must not tolerate it. Just teach him like your own child!"
"It seems that this Mr. Xie has been influenced by Lord Xie. If he has some of Lord Xie's style, perhaps a young man like Mr. Xie will be able to give us old folks some pointers."
"Yes, yes."
“…”
As the wine flowed, Xie Mingru saw Steward Lin standing in the corner nodding at him, so he said, "Everyone, enjoy yourselves. I'll be leaving for a while."
Xie Mingru walked alone into a room that outsiders could not enter. Not long after, Butler Lin also came in and closed the door.
"How is it?"
Steward Lin replied, "Our men have successfully lured out the individuals secretly following and protecting us, and have restrained them. The rest has been arranged."
Xie Mingru nodded, "There are a lot of people here today, so keep a close eye on them and make sure nothing goes wrong."
"yes."
*
To get from the Song family's old house to the Xie Mansion, you need to cross three streets.
Xie Yuchao, who was riding in the front, was in high spirits. Although he knew that he could only see the sedan chair and not the people inside, he still couldn't help looking back frequently.
After crossing the intersection ahead, it’s only one street away from Xie’s house.
"Miss, are you hungry?"
Qiao Yin, who was following the sedan chair, holding a food box, approached the window and asked.
Song Baoyuan in the sedan chair could not hear these questions and naturally did not respond.
Are all the gongs and drums for a wedding reception this loud? Song Baoyuan wondered, her head buzzing.
Before, the wedding took place at home, and there was no such thing as riding in a bridal sedan and showing it off everywhere.
"Mmmmm!"
As Qiao Yin was walking, she lowered her head to check if the snacks in the food box had cooled down, when suddenly someone covered her mouth with a cloth from behind.
She opened her eyes wide with fear, dropped the food box, and used her hands to break free.
But not only was the man covering her mouth very strong and powerful, and she was not strong enough to move him, but there was also a sleeping pill on the cloth, and she quickly lost consciousness.
On the other side of the sedan chair, Qiao Yue was also unconscious and was carried away.
Song Baoyuan covered her ears because of the loud gongs and drums and didn't notice anything.
She couldn't open the curtains to look outside, and it became increasingly painful for her to stay there.
At the intersection, we ran into another wedding procession, and the sedan chairs were quite similar.
Xie Yuchao thought to himself that today was a really good day, especially suitable for getting married. Some people shared the same opinion as him.
He turned the corner first on his horse, wanting to look back to see if the sedan chair had caught up, but the accompanying servant stepped forward to remind him, briefly drawing his attention away.
"Master, cross this street and you will reach our Xie Mansion."
"I know."
"The master said that there are many guests coming today, so we don't need to rush, so as not to disturb the bride."
"OK."
After saying a few words, Xie Yuchao looked back and saw that the sedan chair had caught up. He couldn't hide his smile.
*
In front of Xie's house, in addition to the guests, there were also many people gathered to watch the fun.
The Xie family was generous. On the one hand, they wanted to celebrate, and on the other hand, they could pick up some of the copper coins they lost.
Liu'an grabbed her husband's sleeve and refused to let go, blending into the crowd, fearing that something might happen.
"My dear, just watch from here," he said apprehensively. "The guests at the door are all well-known figures. Your face is already eye-catching, and they may even be familiar with you. Don't get spotted."
"I can't see." Jiang Keyu wanted to move forward.
"How can you not see it? You're not born for nothing!" Liu'an said in a low voice, "Besides, the bride's escort hasn't returned yet, what do you want to see?"
Jiang Keyu turned around and glared at him, "So what if we're discovered?"
"It's causing gossip!" Liu'an looked around. "It's not just you, the young lady too. I heard that aristocratic families like the Xie family place great emphasis on reputation. The young lady comes from a disadvantaged background, so we can't cause her any trouble!"
Finally, these words made Jiang Keyu calm down and stand still.
"The sedan is coming! The bride is coming!"
Someone in the crowd said excitedly.
Jiang Keyu, with an expressionless face, looked at the sedan chair that had just arrived, just like all the other irrelevant people.
As soon as he landed, Xie Yuchao dismounted from his horse with swift and vigorous movements. He could not wait to walk to the sedan chair, lifted the curtain, and extended his hand to invite his bride to get out.
"We're here," he said softly.
Resting on his palm was a fair, beautiful hand that looked pampered.
This scene was too eye-catching. Jiang Keyu stared at it intently, feeling as if a thorn had pierced his heart, leaving his most vulnerable part riddled with holes.
"The bride gets out of the sedan chair!"
Amidst the cheers, Xie Yuchao walked past everyone holding the bride's hand.
Jiang Keyu's gaze followed, her brows slightly furrowed, and then she suddenly opened her eyes wide, with a sudden hint of clarity in her eyes, as if she had just woken up from a dream.
He walked forward.
"Eh? Eh?" Liu'an quickly stopped him, "Didn't we agree to watch it here?"
"That's not Ayuan." Jiang Keyu murmured.
Liu An was tired, "My dear, please stop making trouble."
"That's not Ayuan's hand."
"How can it not be so handsome?" Liu'an had no choice but to use all his strength to hold him tightly to prevent him from showing off.
Jiang Keyu was furious, "How could I not recognize Ayuan's hand!"
"Don't you know how much you drank today?" Liu'an struggled to remain calm. "Have you forgotten that you misjudged the threshold when you left the house and nearly fell?"
"That's really not Ayuan!"
"My dear husband!"
If it weren't inconvenient, Liu'an would have wanted to kneel down and beg him, "If you get drunk and make a fool of yourself at this time, it will be embarrassing for us, but it will be a big trouble for the lady! I beg you, please..."
"No, no more trouble!"
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