Chapter 301: Grand Wedding
In the thirty-sixth year of Tianqi in the Feng Lan Kingdom, on the morning of the thirtieth day of the third month, a pair of magpies flew into Yu Qing Palace from outside and chirped noisily on the branches, attracting the palace maids to watch!
In the evening, the Xunyang Prince’s Mansion was brightly lit, and tomorrow would be the joyous day when the Si Kingdom Princess and the Grand Marshal’s family’s thousand gold would marry the Feng Lan God of War Prince together.
Fengjing City inside and out was celebrating universally, the servants and maids in the prince’s mansion were all extremely busy without a moment’s rest, cleaning, preparing meals, greeting guests, and the masters even more so!
Seeing that night had fallen, Li Xi’er knocked on the study door again.
“Come in!”
“Mm, stand there first and wait for this prince a moment, wait until I finish official duties!”
Feng Qingcheng didn’t even look up, thinking it was a maid coming to confirm wedding matters and chores with him, and didn’t see who it was.
Li Xi’er stood quietly to the side, observing his appearance as he worked with his head down and brows furrowed.
Flipping through the memorial, the paper rustled, watching him exhausting his mind and energy for the Feng Lan Kingdom.
After half a shichen, Feng Qingcheng finally remembered that a maid seemed to have come into the room, then suddenly realized and lifted his head.
Seeing the person standing to the side looking at her own toes, already swaying unsteadily, bored to the point of falling asleep, he sighed: “How is it you? You came and didn’t call senior brother?”
“Hehe, senior brother, wasn’t I seeing you busy with official duties? I didn’t have the heart to disturb you!”
Feng Qingcheng shook his head, “No matter how busy, if senior brother knew it was you, this brother would still attend to you first! Right, how did you think to come find me?”
Feng Qingcheng was quite surprised, after all, she hadn’t seen him for this period of time, ever since returning from the bar last time, he had felt a bit awkward afterward and deliberately evaded a little!
The atmosphere between the two became a bit subtle,
“Wait, you’re not in the way, senior brother, I came today to return the silver to you, here, one thousand taels of gold!!!”
Li Xi’er hurriedly handed him a stack of one thousand taels banknotes, Feng Qingcheng was startled, but felt it was natural to accept, her glazed ware had sold so well, in just over half a month since borrowing, she had already gathered the owed amount!
If this were on someone else, it would be simply unimaginable.
Feng Qingcheng took it in hand and casually put it in the drawer, Li Xi’er looked at him strangely, “You’re not going to count it?”
“Do I not trust you and I?”
These words left Li Xi’er not knowing how to respond, the man also looked at her suddenly not knowing how to speak, the air was filled with silence!
She stood there, bit her lip, and said: “Senior brother, I’ve already bought a house outside the mansion, you’re getting married tomorrow, it’s not appropriate for me to stay in this Yu Qing Palace, so I want to move out!”
Feng Qingcheng was stunned, so soon?
“When?”
“Tomorrow!”
Feng Qingcheng tugged at the corner of his mouth, and with difficulty said one word: “Good!”
His original intention was to protect her, to keep her by his side where he could see her at any time, but things had spiraled out of control, even the Emperor was having someone investigate her.
Consort Li had specially talked to him yesterday, if he was interested, keep her and confer the title of concubine, if not, send her away and return her freedom.
Moreover, even if conferred as concubine, she would forever be below those two, they could use their status and background at any time to make her follow rules, without background, without a powerful maternal family to support her, it would be very difficult in the prince’s mansion!
He could protect her, but based on her experience, the more he protected, the more dangerous she would be, others could casually find a mistake to put her to death!
Consort Li said she had tested her, this girl was a good young woman, she had originally wanted to take her as a goddaughter, but she refused!
That girl said,
“Consort, you have only one daughter, that is Princess Luoning!” This was to avoid hurting Princess Luoning’s heart!
Now with two female masters suddenly entering the mansion, she was getting old and her health wasn’t great, sometimes she couldn’t help it, even if she wanted to protect there would be negligence.
Li Xi’er had actually gone to see the consort before coming to see Feng Qingcheng, and made her delicious durian ice cream and durian pizza!
Gave her a set of glazed ware tableware, and also gave Grandma Zong a glazed ware cup.
Also handed the recipe for making durian foods to Yi Nan, and explained some ways to eat mutually clashing foods.
“Where is your house?”
“Near the new Glazed Ware Factory, a private residence!”
“Good, I know!” Feng Qingcheng had actually prepared a house for her too, he knew she didn’t like others causing trouble, to prevent her from being harassed, but hadn’t had time to tell her yet.
After she left, Feng Qingcheng called Bu Wei and gave some instructions.
The next day, before dawn, Feng Qingcheng dressed properly and first went to worship ancestors, after worshiping ancestors he immediately joined the wedding procession and went directly with gongs and drums to the Grand Marshal’s Mansion to pick up the bride.
The Xunyang Prince’s Mansion was packed with people, because it was two wives entering the door on the same day, one at chenshi in the morning, one at youshi, guests came successively to the mansion to congratulate the God of War’s new marriage, from princes and princesses in the imperial palace, ministers of various ranks and their family female relatives, down to local gentry and rich tycoons, guests filled the door with clamor!
In the morning, no one noticed a young woman lightly hopping out from the backyard side door.
She brought nothing, came empty-handed and left empty-handed.
Bu Wei tailed her figure as she went.
And she didn’t go back to her residence first after leaving, upon exiting the door she heard little children making a fuss: “Go watch the God of War get married!” Young and old were all squeezing in one direction.
She regretted not leaving the prince’s mansion earlier, got pushed by the crowd to the side of the main avenue, and together with the commoners watched the grand scene of the God of War getting married!
At this time, the streets were packed with commoners watching the excitement on both sides, they had no chance to go to the prince’s mansion for the ceremony, but they could watch on the avenue, from early morning people squeezed standing on both sides of the street waiting for the wedding procession to appear!
At this moment they personally watched the God of War Prince riding a tall horse, with a big red flower on his chest, gongs and drums sounding, majestic and impressive as he passed by, everyone whispered in discussion.
Heard that the God of War Prince first welcomed the Grand Marshal’s family’s thousand gold Nianwei!
This eldest miss was quite dominant, liking to suppress others first in everything.
Thought that this Si Kingdom Princess, because she entered the door first and someone lost face, would make a fuss, unexpectedly she was quite magnanimous, quietly accepted the arrangement, waiting for noontime to enter.
This bearing really isn’t something ordinary people can achieve, as expected of the Si Kingdom Princess, though suffering a bit of grievance, but she seems wise and righteous, gaining even more popular support! The hearts of these commoners had mostly leaned toward this Si Kingdom Princess.
Nianwei’s dowry could be called a ten-li red procession, dowry of two hundred twenty carts, carved flower bed, ten-thousand crafts sedan, red kitchen wardrobe, rosewood cabinet, dressing table…
Gold and silver jewelry ten thousand pieces, top-grade stationery four treasures, paintings, precious collections, top-grade silk clothes, auspicious jade ruyi, gold-inlaid bronze mirror, other precious items etc., simply dazzling.
Just the accompanying dowry maids were a full twenty, Chu Yao prominently among them, looking arrogantly at the surrounding crowds who had not seen the world, showing the Grand Marshal’s cherishing and importance toward his daughter!
Consort Li and the Ninth Princess in full joyous formal attire personally welcomed the bride’s arrival at the Xunyang Prince’s Mansion doorway to show importance.
For good luck, matchmakers at the door scattered red envelopes with candy and wedding cakes, little children scrambled at the doorway!
Then the groom led the bride to step over the fire basin, worshiped heaven and earth, ceremony completed, sent into the bridal chamber.
Not even a moment to rest, the prince then went to the official family residence to welcome the princess into the mansion.
In contrast, this Si Kingdom Princess’s dowry was proper and rule-abiding, not as dominant as the Grand Marshal’s, one hundred twenty carts, just like an ordinary wealthy family marrying off a daughter, not extravagant or wasteful.
Regarding this, Hua Yan in the flower sedan had nearly torn her handkerchief to shreds, her father had tried his hardest but couldn’t gather so many fine dowry items, plus the Si Kingdom Emperor’s bestowal, total one hundred twenty carts.
Not too much, not too little, who let that Grand Marshal be so annoying, showing off, all at once two hundred twenty carts, fully exceeding hers by one hundred carts, this was riding on her neck to shit, making her lose so much face.
Moreover, regarding this matter Tuoba Yi didn’t think much of it, men unlike women don’t care so much about this dowry business, he thought sending so much dowry to the prince’s mansion was wasteful, better to use it for proper matters reliably, thus didn’t add to Hua Yan’s dowry to show off!
