Ceremony Completed, Send to Bridal Chamber
The Emperor’s mouth was still stuffed with meat. Suddenly hearing Imperial Concubine Yun say this, especially the word “home,” it caused him to become so emotional that he could not say a single word.
Home, this word was very alien to him. Ever since he was young, he had been raised inside the Imperial Palace. He had one father and many mothers. Later on, he became the ruler and had a country. He had the world; however, he did not have a home. He had taken many women into his palace, right, this place was called a palace and not a home. The women in the palace belonged to him, but before he met Yun Pian Pian, he did not feel as though any of them fit the title of “wife.” This included the Empress.
In this life, his happiest days were from 20 years earlier, when he had left the palace and met Yun Pian Pian in a mountain village. If it was not for needing to worry about the world, he really would have wanted to remain in that mountain village for the rest of his life, taking care of this woman and the peaceful life.
He swallowed the food in his mouth and looked up at Imperial Concubine Yun. This woman had an awkward look on her face while ignoring him; however, it was no longer that same coldness that had been there in the past. She said to him: “Was your childhood very bitter? Eating so desperately just from seeing some meat. Not even worrying about choking yourself to death.” After saying this, she pushed a cup of sour plum drink over to him. Although it was pushed without any refinement and was done with some anger, it was done for his sake.
The Emperor wiped his face and chuckled. Without saying anything, he picked up the cup and took a sip. When he moved his chopsticks once more, he did not continue with the meats. Instead, he went to grab some vegetables.
“Then I will come home for every meal.” The Emperor happily thought to himself, “Can I sleep at home each night?”
Imperial Concubine Yun, however, did not reciprocate, only saying: “I have become accustomed to living alone. I do not wish to share this peaceful place with anyone.”
The Emperor did not press the issue. After all, compared to being separated by a wall for so many years, the current situation was already too many times better. He could not ask for too much at once. Thus he nodded, “I won’t come, I won’t come. You can do as you like. I will just come over for three meals each day. Don’t exhaust yourself. It’s fine to leave the cooking to the servants.”
Imperial Concubine Yun rolled her eyes and did not say anything; however, there was a chilling aura that made her feel unapproachable, as she gently said: “Ming’er and A-Heng are getting married. My Ming’er is finally getting married…”
In the South, the wedding sedan arrived in Jue Ping City before evening. There was a timezone difference in the desert, as the sun continued to shine as bright as the middle of the day, even during the evening.
The sounds of joy never ceased along the way. After entering Jue Ping City, the sound of fireworks immediately filled the air, combining with the loud voices of the celebrating citizens. The cheers never died down even after they reached the residence that Xuan Tian Ming had prepared. Wang Chuan said to Feng Yu Heng from outside the sedan: “Young Miss, it really is lively. The citizens are all carrying baskets with things that they have brought from home as wedding gifts. They said that they wanted to present them to you and His Highness the ninth prince to celebrate the wedding.”
Huang Quan also said: “Although the poor do not have any money, their feelings are very important. Thinking back to when Jue Ping City still had not accepted us, it was Young Miss that had the best idea, leisurely having them all become so close.”
Feng Yu Heng covered her mouth inside the sedan and smiled; however, she thought to herself, how was that leisurely? For the sake of taking Jue Ping City, she had to put in a great deal of effort. If there had been a single misstep, it was possible that the opposite effect would have occurred. Going to kill enemies on the battlefield had its strategies; however, capturing the people’s hearts was completely different!
While she thought, the words “Set down the sedan” came from the outside. The wedding sedan was gently lowered. It was very steady, as there were no signs of any swaying. Feng Yu Heng was very inexperienced when it came to marriage. In her previous life, she had never gotten married, and in this life, it was her first time. It was just that she had heard that before the bride got out of the sedan, the man would make an initial show of strength by shooting an arrow at the sedan. Of course, the arrow must not injure the bride, and most were arrows wrapped in a red cloth. The man would shoot the arrow at the frame of the sedan, and it was the thought that counted.
She had also heard that she needed to step over a brazier, which would signify all unlucky elements being burned away. From that moment forward, her days would be prosperous.
Also, there were some families that had even more events to go through. Most were to let the girl know that she would be the daughter-in-law after getting married. Regardless of how favored a young miss was in their family, after getting married, they would need to take good care of their man. They also needed to be filial to their parents-in-law, and they must not have any unfaithful intentions. It was the same as cutting ties with their family to set up a life with their husband’s family.
But her mother-in-law was not here. In the future, there was no need for her to be extra filial. After all, she lived in the Imperial Palace. As the daughter-in-law, always going into the palace was not good. These matters could be skipped. Thinking about it, Feng Yu Heng had heard that the girls in the ancient eras needed to remove any fine hairs from her face before getting married, using silk to remove the facial hairs. This would signify that she was a proper wife and no longer the young miss of a prominent family. She had always felt that such a thing would be rather painful, and she had been worried about it; however, who knew that the sedan would already reach this place, yet nobody had even mentioned anything about it to her. Thinking about it, it must have been Xuan Tian Ming that knew that she did not like those sorts of common traditions, thus she was provided with this treatment!
While she was thinking about nonsensical things, she suddenly felt the curtain in front of her get lifted. It seemed as though someone was standing in front of her, looking at her with a bright smile. Even though her vision was blocked by the veil, she could still feel the smile. It was so bright and direct.
The girl’s face turned red with embarrassment as she slightly lowered her head. She then heard a voice gently laugh and quietly say: “Little girl, you still know how to feel shy?”
That voice naturally belonged to Xuan Tian Ming; however, an unknown voice said from the side: “Your Highness, according to the rules, an arrow should be shot first.”
Just as these words were said, that person was scolded by Xuan Tian Ming: “What arrow? This prince’s princess will be walking alongside this prince. There’s no need for any show of force.” After saying this, he reached into the sedan, “Heng Heng, give me your hand.”
The words “walking alongside” expressed the ninth prince’s, Xuan Tian Ming’s, attitude. This also made Feng Yu Heng’s standing clear. The people that heard it were envious. To be able to walk alongside her husband, that was a desire that many girls hoped for but could never obtain!
Feng Yu Heng reached out with her small hand, and it was caught by a large hand. She stood up and got out of the sedan wearing the wedding dress made of commoner’s brocade. The people were immediately dazed by the sight! This was the world’s most beautiful sight. It was as though all of the nice things that had been mentioned in stories were gathered in this one place. Not a single blemish could be found, and this caused everyone to applaud and express their heartfelt congratulations.
Feng Yu Heng heard Xuan Tian Ge say: “My ninth brother really is cool!”
She laughed from under the bridal veil but heard Xiang Rong say: “My second sister really is beautiful.” Very well! One brocon and one siscon, but she had a decent understanding of Xiang Rong’s final destination; however, she still did not know where Xuan Tian Ge would land. She just hoped that she would not marry too far away! At the very least, they would be able to see each other more frequently to be able to lean on each other.
While she was thinking about these wild thoughts, her entire body was sent airborne, as she had been picked up by the man at her side. In fear, she reached out with both hands and wrapped her arms around his neck; however, her heart was beating quite quickly.
At the same time, the people all around were exclaiming in shock, as someone said: “What is His Highness the ninth prince doing? Is he carrying the bride inside? This doesn’t conform to the rules!”
Xuan Tian Ge’s voice could be heard once more: “What rules? My ninth brother has never paid attention to those troublesome rules. Moreover, our A-Heng is not your average bride. A girl that is able to set foot on the battlefield and produce steel. She’s worthy of being held by my ninth brother!”
Her words were met with everyone’s approval. It was only now that the people of Gu Shu realized that the rumored “steel” that had been made in Da Shun and was stronger than Zong Sui’s iron essence, which could cut through iron as if it was mud, was actually something made by Imperial Daughter Ji An! This sort of girl was not just worthy of being held by her husband! Even the girls that had come to attend this celebration were able to understand. It turned out that if they wanted to stand on equal footing with their husband, it would require them to have the ability. It was not based on their beauty nor their family’s influence.
Feng Yu Heng was held by Xuan Tian Ming and heard the discussions going on. The corners of her lips never drooped once. She slightly opened her mouth and whispered to Xuan Tian Ming: “Thank you.”
That person froze then replied: “Between us, there should be no thanks. Heng Heng, this is something that ought to be done.”
The groom carried the bride into the residence. Although this was a temporary residence in Jue Ping City, for the sake of completing the wedding, it had been carefully fixed up and decorated. Although it could not be compared to the capital’s residences in terms of magnificence, nor could it compare to the exquisite residences in the South, but it was filled with decorations from the desert. Even the music sounded quite refreshing. It was very much to Feng Yu Heng’s liking.
Xuan Tian Ming carried her all the way to the wedding hall. When he put her down, the person presiding over the wedding had already announced the official start of the wedding ceremony.
It was Xuan Tian Hua’s voice. It was the world’s only refined deity; however, he also felt quite sacred. Feng Yu Heng heard Xuan Tian Hua exclaim: “First, bow to the heavens and earth!”
At her side, Xuan Tian Ming helped her turn around to face out of the hall, kneel then kowtow. She did as instructed and did it very earnestly.
“Second, bow to the parents.”
Feng Yu Heng did not know who to bow to because the parents had not come. It was improper to bow to anyone! But Xuan Tian Ming had her turn around and kneel facing forward.
Perhaps he had sensed her confusion. As they stood up, he quietly whispered into her ear: “Your three aunts.”
A feeling that was hard to describe welled up inside Feng Yu Heng’s heart. Substituting parents with aunts, it was something that only he could come up with. But here, there were only Xu shi, Qin shi, and Miao shi who could be considered their elders. If they needed to bow to someone, why not them? After all, they were her relatives from her mother’s family. After a girl got married, if she needed to bow to the parents, it would be the husband’s parents! Moreover, Xuan Tian Ming was a prince. To have a prince bow to his wife’s aunts, this really was a unique occurrence.
But Xuan Tian Ming dutifully kowtowed, and he did it very wholeheartedly. Everyone present, not just Feng Yu Heng, was in awe of this prince’s magnanimity. They could only begin to envy Feng Yu Heng’s standing in the ninth prince’s heart once more.
They had bowed to the heavens and earth. They had bowed to the parents. Next, it would be the couple bowing to each other.
When the seventh prince, Xuan Tian Hua, exclaimed “Bow to your partner,” a hallowed feeling suddenly filled her heart. It felt as this bow was the most important of important matters. After they bowed, they would be a married couple. She would no longer be a daughter of a large family. Instead, she would be the princess of a prince. As for the time and experiences from when she was an unmarried girl, they played through her mind like a movie in a modern cinema.
This bow lasted a long time. Neither of the two wanted to get up. It was only after some laughter could be heard that Xuan Tian Ming helped Feng Yu Heng stand back up. As for Xuan Tian Hua, something very important came from his mouth: “The ceremony has been completed! Send them to the bridal chamber.”
Feng Yu Heng’s heart tightened up. She could hear it. When those final words came out, Xuan Tian Hua’s voice had trembled…
