After sending Awuge away, Emperor Pingjia still had a worry in his heart, namely Pan Wei.
He had bestowed upon Pan Wei's daughter the title of Princess for a political marriage, but then he lost her. In truth, he, as the emperor, had somewhat failed his subject. Therefore, he further conferred upon Pan Wei the title of Duke of Zhenguo.
Pan Wei entered the palace to express his gratitude for the emperor's favor and expressed his desire to return to the north. Emperor Pingjia offered a few perfunctory words of advice and then nodded in agreement.
He was naturally happy, otherwise he would have to face a minister who felt guilty from time to time, which would have left him feeling uneasy. Being able to return to the border was the best thing that could happen.
On the day that Duke Pan Wei and Marquis Sun Xingjian were about to depart, Emperor Pingjia personally saw them off, unaware that the princess he had been searching for for nearly a month was in their procession leaving the palace.
Wei Shuwan saw her uncle and Pan Wenjun off at the city gate. Li Qingchen and the Duke of Zhenguo were talking beside them, watching the two girls cry and laugh at the same time.
Watching her uncle and Sister Pan's carriage leave the city gate, Wei Shuwan stood there for a long time, unwilling to leave. Li Qingchen took off his cloak and draped it over her shoulders: "The spring chill is still in the air, be careful not to catch a cold."
It seemed that only after he reminded her did Wei Shuwan realize that spring had arrived without her noticing.
With the arrival of spring, their wedding day was drawing near.
For the next two weeks, both the Qiaochuan Prince's Mansion and the Wei family were extremely busy, decorating the new house with lanterns and colorful decorations while taking stock of the dowry.
Before they knew it, the wedding day arrived.
Wei Shuwan was pulled out of bed before dawn, bathed and changed, and sat in front of the bronze mirror to do her makeup. Finally, Ziqiao and Miaoxiang helped her put on her heavy pheasant robes, and then her mother, Sun Lurong, personally put the phoenix crown on her head, saying, "Be careful and respectful, and do not disobey day and night."
Then, guided by his mother, they went to the front yard.
Although Li Qingchen was the heir apparent, he was also the current emperor's adopted son. The wedding ceremony followed the rules for princes. The bride was brought into a lavish carriage, and then music and festivities filled the streets for miles, with the red bridal procession illuminating the entire city of Shengjing before finally entering the gates of the Prince's Mansion.
After the two bowed three times in the front hall, they were escorted to their bridal chamber.
The new house was in the Ziwei Garden, quite far from the front yard. Once they entered the bridal chamber, the noisy atmosphere immediately disappeared, and the surroundings suddenly became quiet.
On the way, Li Qingchen was holding Hongshou's hand, but after entering the house, he was afraid that Wei Shuwan would trip over the screens, tables and chairs, so he simply put Hongshou aside, took her hand which was tucked in her sleeve, and led her to the bed.
He could feel her hands trembling slightly, and asked softly, "Nervous?"
Wei Shuwan did not answer, but the red veil in front of her moved slightly. Li Qingchen knew that she was a little shy because there were too many people. He turned to Fu Ma and the others and said, "Go down and receive your rewards. There is no need to serve us here."
"But Your Highness, you haven't yet chosen a bride to drink the nuptial wine and seal your love."
"I know all that you're saying. Just do it yourself."
Seeing Li Qingchen's firm resolve, the others did not hesitate any longer, bowed, and withdrew.
Li Qingchen then took the golden scale rod, lifted the red veil off Wei Shuwan's head, and asked considerately, "Are you feeling suffocated by this?"
Wei Shuwan shook her head, looked up at him and said, "No."
Li Qingchen smiled, took her hand again, and led her to the table. Then he picked up a glass of wine and handed it to her: "After we drink this together, we will be husband and wife."
Wei Shuwan felt her cheeks burning, but she still held the cup, wrapped it around Li Qingchen's arm, and drank the nuptial wine with him.
The two returned to the couch and sat down. Seeing that Li Qingchen had not taken the next step, Wei Shuwan whispered a reminder: "Fu's mother just said that we still need to tie the love knot."
After saying that, she took out a strand of hair from her hair bun, intending to find scissors to cut it off, but Li Qingchen stopped her: "No need, I have some here."
Wei Shuwan stared at him in shock, only to see him lower his eyes and take a strand of hair from the sachet she had given him at his waist. He intertwined it with the strand he had just cut off, tied it with a red string, and placed it under the soft pillow.
Wei Shuwan was very confused: "Whose hair is this?"
"It's naturally yours."
"Mine? Then why is it on you?"
Li Qingchen just looked at her but didn't speak for a long time. Wei Shuwan seemed to read the answer in his eyes. She suddenly remembered the strand of hair that Miaoxiang had hung on the eaves of the pavilion and disappeared without a trace.
At the time, we thought it had been stolen by the naughty cat, but it turns out it was actually him who stole it?
Her gaze fell on Li Qingchen's sachet. She remembered that he had asked her to mix a fragrance for him, but when she finished, she found that his sachet was already filled with something else. He had said it was something important, but it turned out to be this lock of her hair...
It turns out that he already had feelings for her back then.
A warm smile appeared on Li Qingchen's lips, and then he said, "After we finish these things, there is one more thing, and then we will become a real husband and wife."
Last night, the nanny secretly slipped a fire-avoidance chart to Wei Shuwan. She immediately understood what Li Qingchen meant, and two blushes rose to her cheeks as she whispered, "My lord, could you please blow out the lamp first?"
“On a joyous occasion, the red candles should burn until dawn for good luck. But since you don’t like light, there’s a way.” With that, Li Qingchen stretched out his long arm and pulled down the bed curtains hanging on the snow-silver hooks. Layer upon layer of brocade curtains fell, instantly shutting out the dazzling candlelight.
The night was filled with the shadows of lanterns and the swaying of brocade curtains, which continued until dawn.
As she surrendered herself to Heaven, Wei Shuwan seemed to finally find the meaning of her rebirth. Perhaps Heaven pitied her for her unfortunate encounter in her previous life and wanted to make up for her regret in this one.
She secretly made up her mind that no matter what path Li Qingchen would take in his life, she would walk hand in hand with him and advance and retreat together.
How much longing and passion can one night evoke? Even the ends of the earth are not far enough to express our feelings.
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