28. Marriage (Part 1)
◎"I've come today to see you off on your wedding day."◎
The month of Guihai, the day of Jimao, is auspicious and suitable for marriage.
Before dawn, the Shen residence was already bustling with activity, as bright red lanterns illuminated the entire place.
Shen Suqin, still half asleep, was pressed in front of the bronze mirror by Ju Tao, and the matchmaker opened her face. Fine silk threads twisted and pinched her smooth face, and in no time, her face became much more rosy and radiant than usual.
"I've married so many young ladies, but I've never seen one as naturally beautiful as Miss Shen." The matchmaker had a sweet tongue.
Jiang Yao smiled happily and hurriedly told Ju Tao to give the matchmaker more money later.
Shen Suqin yawned and said lazily to Ju Tao, "Give me less, I'm poor."
The matchmaker's face stiffened, and her lips twitched.
Don't think she didn't see the dowry filling the courtyard, so crowded that there wasn't even room to put her feet down.
Ju Tao chuckled to herself. Her young lady was making a fortune every day, her wealth was frightening, and she always talked about making money.
"Let's change into our wedding attire, it's getting late," Jiang Yao reminded him.
Shen Suqin had fair skin, and the bright red wedding dress accentuated her beautiful features. Her hair was as black as ink, and her bright, clear eyes seemed to draw people in, making it impossible to look away.
At this moment, everyone in the room slowed their breathing and watched her quietly.
Jiang Yao looked at her daughter and smiled with relief, but tears welled up in her eyes again as she smiled. "It's my fault for not letting you marry the person you wanted to marry," she said, choking back sobs.
Shen Suqin smiled and leaned over, gently cupping her face to wipe away her tears, saying, "General Xiao may not be a bad match, so don't worry."
She is very gentle with Jiang Yao now. Although she can't bring herself to call her "Mother," she does everything she should and says.
Jiang Yao felt it was inappropriate to shed tears on such a joyous occasion, so she forced herself to hold back her tears. She wanted to say a few more words to her daughter, but there was a sudden knock on the door.
"Second Madam, a messenger has come to say that the wedding procession from the General's Mansion will be arriving soon," a maidservant reminded her.
Jiang Yao's heart tightened. "Quick, quickly put the veil over the young lady's head."
Shen Suqin was hurriedly pulled by Ju Tao and made to sit on the bed. A red silk cloth was put over her head, and her vision was immediately filled with red. She could only see a narrow area around her feet through the gaps.
She was forced to sit quietly, and her emotions gradually calmed down.
The room was filled with hurried footsteps, but a red silk cloth seemed to isolate her from the outside world.
"I'm really getting married." She felt strange, unable to describe the feeling, like scratching an itch through a thick cotton coat, unable to grasp the real thing.
Just then, the matchmaker suddenly clapped her hands and shouted, "Oh no! Who will carry the young lady out to the bridal sedan chair later?"
Jiang Yao was also taken aback. After working for several days, how could she have forgotten such an important matter?
According to custom, the bride's feet cannot touch the ground when she leaves the house; she must be carried by her brothers from her own family all the way to the main gate and into the bridal sedan chair.
Jiang Yao only has one daughter, Shen Suqin, and there are no other male descendants in the Shen family.
She quickly calculated that the only brothers within three degrees of kinship were from the Pei family, specifically Pei Tingfeng, the eldest son of the Pei family, who was nineteen years old and one year older than Shen Suqin.
But the Pei family is connected to the princess's side, and Pei Ruhai is the prime minister, several ranks higher than theirs. The princess has always looked down on this side, so she definitely wouldn't send her own family. Even on such an important day as today, the Pei family didn't send anyone.
Thinking of this, Jiang Yao paced anxiously in circles.
"If all else fails, just pick anyone," Shen Suqin said, her head covered by a red veil. "Ju Tao will do; she's strong."
Ju Tao also said, "Yes, I can carry Miss on my back."
“Talking nonsense will break the rules,” Jiang Yao said.
"Matchmaker, how can a woman get married if she doesn't have any brothers from her own family?" Shen Suqin asked.
The matchmaker hesitated, saying, "It would be best if it were a cousin or a brother from the same clan. This means the bride will have someone to back her up and won't be bullied after marriage." She hadn't really encountered this situation much. "If there really isn't one, we can ask Mr. Shen to come over, but that will probably give us something to talk about."
Shen Suqin thought for a moment and said, "Then please invite Master Shen..."
Just then, a maid's voice came from outside the door, "The eldest young lady and the young master of the Pei family have arrived."
Jiang Yao and Ju Tao were both taken aback, and Shen Suqin also lifted her veil and looked at the two people who walked in.
"Second Madam," Shen Suqiu greeted her politely, "I knew no one would come to the door, so I specially invited my cousin to come."
The man beside Shen Suqiu, as elegant and upright as cold jade, also spoke gently: "Madam, I've come to see my cousin out."
“Suqiu, you…” Jiang Yao didn’t expect her to come back.
“No matter what, the Shen family’s reputation is paramount,” Shen Suqiu walked up to Shen Suqin, raised her hand to straighten the crooked phoenix hairpin, and said, “Let’s put aside our grudges for now. I’m here today to send you off on your wedding.”
Shen Suqin looked up at her, and after a long while said, "Thank you."
"Um."
After speaking, Shen Suqiu waved to the person behind her. When the person came closer, she introduced him to Shen Suqin, saying, "He is Pei Tingfeng, my cousin from the Pei family."
Shen Suqin stood up. "Thank you for your help, Young Master Pei."
Pei Tingfeng smiled gently, "It's no trouble at all."
"Qiu'er, does the princess know about this?" Jiang Yao asked. If the princess didn't know, there might be trouble when they went out later.
"She doesn't know, but she can distinguish between what's important and what's not."
Ultimately, today's wedding between the Shen and Xiao families is not only a matter of face for both families, but also for the royal family. No matter how much her mother resents Jiang Yao, she would never joke about the Shen family's reputation. This is the upbringing she received from a noble family since childhood.
As the auspicious hour approached, a messenger came to announce that the bridal sedan chair had arrived.
"Let's go." Shen Suqiu helped Shen Suqin put on the red veil.
Just as the veil was about to fall, Shen Suqin suddenly grabbed her wrist and said, "I will remember what happened today."
“It’s okay if you don’t remember,” Shen Suqiu said.
Shen Suqin released her hand.
Pei Tingfeng bent down. "Let's go."
"Um."
As the group walked out of the courtyard and into the midst of the guests, Shen Suqin suddenly heard people whispering among themselves.
"When did this member of the Pei family return to the capital?"
"It's been a while, and I heard he actually traveled all over Daliang."
"He is quite diligent in his role as the clerk in charge of household registration and agriculture."
Shen Suqin's heart skipped a beat. She was lying on Pei Tingfeng's body, her vision blocked by a red curtain. She could only see Pei Tingfeng's straight shoulder line and sky-blue robe through the gap below.
“Sir,” she suddenly heard Pei Tingfeng call her softly.
"Um?"
"I would like to ask you about the equal-field system when I have time."
Shen Suqin was somewhat dazed, and after a while she replied, "Okay."
The wedding procession from the General's Mansion consisted entirely of cavalry, each one exuding a commanding presence. Leading the procession was Xiao Pingchuan, who rode a tall horse, his sharp and imposing aura barely concealed by his festive red wedding attire.
Behind him was a sedan chair carried by eight men, proceeding according to the highest protocol for welcoming a general's wife. The sedan chair was adorned with two road-clearing flags and four red gauze lanterns, along with several palace attendants. With the addition of a suona and drum band playing music, the wedding procession stretched for almost half a street.
According to custom, after leaving the General's Mansion, the wedding procession cannot go directly to the Shen Mansion. It must pass through the main street and circle at least half of Tu'an City before it can pick up the bride.
As a result, most of the people in Tuan witnessed this magnificent and impressive wedding procession. Merchants, vendors, and pedestrians passing by couldn't help but come and join in the fun.
"General, great news!"
Someone in the crowd shouted this.
At first, everyone thought Xiao Pingchuan wouldn't reply, but unexpectedly he tightened the reins and stopped, his eyes fixed on the person who had called out, and he returned the greeting with a bow, saying, "I thank this brother."
The crowd erupted in cheers, with congratulations pouring in. Xiao Pingchuan smiled and responded to them; the journey was quite lively.
Regardless, today's wedding is his first and last, and he doesn't want to make it look bad.
Upon arriving at the entrance of the Shen Mansion, the crowd of onlookers, three or four deep, completely blocked the entrance.
Xiao Pingchuan sat upright on his horse, waiting for the Shen family to send out their new bride.
At this moment, the sky was high and the clouds were light, and the warm sunlight illuminated everything clearly. Xiao Pingchuan could even see the missing half-tooth in the mouth of the stone lion at the entrance of the Shen Mansion.
As the sound of firecrackers rang out, the bride went out.
Xiao Pingchuan leaped off his horse with one hand on the saddle, his movements clean and swift, drawing gasps from those around him.
According to custom, he only needs to take two steps forward, and then a member of the Shen family will carry the bride into the sedan chair.
He had assumed it would be any random man surnamed Shen, but to his surprise, he saw it was Pei Tingfeng.
Pei Tingfeng was a true scholar; even standing still, he exuded an air of profound learning. Coupled with his decent-looking face, his martial arts skills seemed even more mismatched with the Second Miss Shen.
Seeing that they were still some distance from the bridal sedan chair, Xiao Pingchuan impatiently tossed the riding whip in his hand to Xu Youcai, took two steps forward, and directly lifted Shen Suqin off Pei Tingfeng's back.
Everyone present was stunned.
Pei Tingfeng was also taken aback and subconsciously stopped him, saying, "This is against the rules."
Xiao Pingchuan's gaze swept over him coolly, and he said in a cold voice, "Rules are made by people." After saying that, he asked Shen Suqin in a low voice, "Do you mind?"
This was the first time Xiao Pingchuan had spoken to her since their falling out, and judging from his tone, it seemed they had moved on.
Shen Suqin, hidden beneath the red veil, calmly replied, "It's alright."
Now that he had no more scruples, Xiao Pingchuan carried Shen Suqin toward the bridal sedan chair.
Pei Tingfeng recognized Xiao Pingchuan, as well as General Xu who was always by his side. Despite his honest and simple appearance, General Xu was a man of absolute authority and ruthless in the military camp.
They are a very special existence for the Great Liang. As he often said, the Great Liang is fortunate to have Xiao Pingchuan.
At this moment, Shen Suqin, who was being held in Xiao Pingchuan's arms, was far less composed than when she was speaking. In both her lives, this was the first time she had ever been held in a man's arms.
Xiao Pingchuan was stiff all over, making her feel pain all over.
But his arms were very strong, as if cast in iron and remained completely still.
“I know you don’t want to, it’s just a formality, a show,” Xiao Pingchuan suddenly whispered to her. “Just… bear with it for now.”
Shen Suqin gripped her sleeve tightly and responded softly.
"I won't restrict you in anything after we get married, don't worry."
"Thank you, General."
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