The weather today was unbelievably good. Even by evening, the sky was still bright, and clouds in the distance were tinged with red.
In front of the Princess of Jin's residence, the wide marble road was spotless and orderly. A long red carpet had been laid from east to west. Red silk hung along the walls and trees, winding off into the distance.
Many people were already gathered at the entrance and along both sides of the road, craning their necks in anticipation.
The empress and several princesses stood at the main gate, with few people around them.
There were many more people lining the roadside: Shen Changyin's subordinates, Xie Yu's subordinates, Xie Yu's teachers, the little beggars who had once been imprisoned together and were later dragged by Xie Yu into studying and joining the army, little Wan holding Little Flower, the old village chief from Jingshui Village who had constantly lost money to Xie Yu…
Both Shen Changyin's Mighty Army and Xie Yu's special battalion had sent representatives. Each had two red silk ribbons tied around their shoulders as they guarded both sides of the road. The display was grand.
At the far end of the street, many ordinary townspeople had gathered to watch the excitement. Many children held sweets handed out by the residence's steward, sucking on candy while waiting for the two brides to appear.
The setting sun was still dazzling, making the red carpet on the ground gleam brightly.
Two carriages appeared at opposite ends of the street, and the crowd erupted into cheers.
The two carriages, both tied with red silk, slowly approached each other.
Attendant Zhang stood at the entrance of the residence and shouted, "Raise the silk curtain—!"
Immediately, two people used long poles to prop up a curtain made of pale pink and white gauze, placing it perfectly between the two carriages.
Attendant Zhang called out again, "The brides descend from the carriages—!"
Everyone widened their eyes as two bright-red figures appeared—one leaping down from her carriage, the other slowly stepping down.
Both brides wore wedding robes of vivid red fabric embroidered with gold thread. A circle of golden embroidery lined the hems of their skirts, trailing on the ground and making even the brilliant Persian-red carpet look dull in comparison.
Old Jin and Zhu Ting waited below the carriage for Shen Changyin, while Xie Yu was immediately surrounded by Jiang Fang and little Wan.
They pressed a half-meter-long strip of red silk into Xie Yu's hands, instructing her to hold it with both hands and reminding her to look forward.
Only then did Xie Yu notice the enormous pale pink gauze curtain before her. A light breeze stirred only its lower edge, allowing her to glimpse the red trailing hem of a skirt on the other side. The figure beyond was hazy and indistinct—she could only see a blur of fiery red through the veil.
Attendant Zhang announced loudly, "Lower the curtain—one glance, a lifetime bond—!"
Xie Yu took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled, feeling nervous.
Two agile workers climbed up the poles and cut the ropes holding the curtain.
The massive gauze curtain drifted down slowly, like clouds falling to the earth, revealing the radiant and elegant figure behind it.
It was the first time Xie Yu realized how perfectly Shen Changyin suited red.
From the gold-and-jade hair crown hung swaying red agate ornaments, resting against her black hair.
That face—which was already captivating without makeup—now had carefully drawn brows, a light wash of rouge, and softly gleaming lip color.
At the center of the collar of her bright red silk wedding robe was a ruby clasp set in gold thread, precisely where the embroidered phoenixes on either side converged.
Those eyes—always dark and deep like a cold pool—were now quietly gazing at her.
She was already perfect in your heart in countless ways, and now she was dressed up entirely for you.
Xie Yu held the red silk in her palms, pressed a hand to her chest, and tilted her head to the side—clearly indicating that Shen Changyin looked so good she was about to have a heart attack and die.
Shen Changyin, usually composed and inscrutable, laughed softly and gently pressed a hand to her own chest as well.
Attendant Zhang called out again, "The brides step forward—joined as one forever."
The two walked toward each other and met at the main gate of the Princess of Jin's residence.
At Attendant Zhang's signal, they tied the red silk in their hands into a knot, symbolizing eternal unity.
After tying it, Xie Yu even tugged at it to make sure it wouldn't come loose. When she looked up and realized how close Shen Changyin's face was, her cheeks flushed silently.
Fortunately, the rouge concealed it well enough.
"The brides enter the residence—!"
Each holding one end of the silk, she and Shen Changyin walked inward.
The empress and the princesses blocking the entrance consciously stepped aside.
The threshold had been painted vermilion. The two stepped over it lightly and discovered that the red decorations inside were even more extravagant than outside—everything in sight was adorned with red silk.
Shen Changyin happened to be standing on the side closer to the empress. Their gazes met, and she merely nodded politely.
The empress spoke in a low voice, her expression somewhat irritated. "Being able to bewitch her like this means you do have some skill."
Shen Changyin didn't quite understand what she meant, but on her wedding day, she couldn't be bothered to dwell on it.
Inside the residence, red carpets had also been laid, stretching all the way to the main hall. On either side were numerous round tables prepared for the banquet.
The guests had not yet taken their seats. On both sides of the carpet stood maids and matrons holding bronze basins filled with mixed grains—rice, wheat, sorghum, red beans, and more.
As Xie Yu and Shen Changyin descended the steps, the grains were scattered over them.
The matrons smiled and spoke auspicious words: "Blessings and descendants without end, a hundred years unbroken."
Both brides squinted slightly and smiled, tilting their heads to avoid the grains.
Continuing forward, maids brought trays holding two pomegranate blossoms.
In May, pomegranate blossoms shine brightly. This was the season when the earliest blooms opened, blazing red.
The two exchanged glances, picked up the blossoms, and pinned them on each other.
Xie Yu didn't dare look at Shen Changyin the entire time. She focused only on the flower as she gently tucked it into Shen Changyin's black hair.
After that, they entered the main hall. The guests followed in an orderly stream and waited inside.
Attendant Zhang hurried over to the two brides and announced that the bowing ceremony would begin.
In theory, the bows should be: first to Heaven and Earth, second to the elders. Yet after waiting for a while, the empress did not take the main seat in the hall.
Had she left early due to state affairs?
Attendant Zhang and Xie Yu seemed to have anticipated this; neither showed any surprise.
Attendant Zhang called out, "First bow to the Heavenly Deities—!"
Shen Changyin frowned slightly at the empress's sudden departure but still bent forward with Xie Yu in a bow.
"Second bow to the Vast Earth—!"
They bowed again.
"Spouses bow to each other—!"
Holding the same strip of silk, the two faced each other. After a few seconds of eye contact, both lowered their gazes and bowed their heads, identical faint blushes rising on their cheeks.
They bowed to each other.
Attendant Zhang declared, "The ceremony is complete—!"
"Guests, take your seats—!"
As the crowd dispersed to find their seats, Shen Changyin finally lowered her head and asked softly, "Where is the empress?"
"She left. It's for the best," Xie Yu said lightly. "If she stayed, it would be even more awkward. I know you wouldn't want to bow to her."
She spoke casually, but Attendant Zhang stormed over, clearly annoyed. "Crown Princess, next time you want to send such a letter to Her Majesty, please find someone else."
Xie Yu rubbed her nose. "Got it, got it."
After Attendant Zhang left, Shen Changyin looked at her with curiosity.
Xie Yu said, "It's nothing."
Shen Changyin stared.
Xie Yu sighed. "Really, nothing. I just wrote her a letter saying that if she insisted on acting as the elder at the ceremony, no one would bow to her—me included—and it would only embarrass her."
"And I was thoughtful enough to offer a solution. If she stayed but didn't act as the elder, it would still be awkward. I suggested she leave early so she could use 'state affairs' as an excuse and save face."
"Judging by the outcome, she accepted my suggestion."
Shen Changyin pressed her lips together and glanced around. Everyone was busy taking their seats, no one paying attention to them.
She swiftly lifted her sleeve and, under its wide cover, kissed Xie Yu on the cheek.
Then she calmly lowered her sleeve, stood straight again, and resumed her composed, cool demeanor.
Only Xie Yu was left covering her face with both hands, ears burning red.
After much effort, all the guests were finally seated. Attendant Zhang hurried back and called out, "Sharing one table, sharing one meal—peace for a lifetime—!"
Two maids carried in a small square table from the side door of the hall and placed it before the two brides.
Another long bench was set behind the table.
Attendant Zhang said, "Esteemed brides, please be seated."
Only then did Xie Yu lower her hands, though she still looked awkward.
She sat on the far left of the bench, deliberately keeping her distance from Shen Changyin.
Seeing her like this, Shen Changyin inexplicably felt a little uneasy, wondering if she had been too rash just now.
—Ridiculous as it was, she had once taken the initiative to kiss Xie Yu on the lips and hadn't worried this much.
This time, it was only a kiss on the cheek, yet she felt strangely anxious.
She sat on the far right of the bench, also maintaining the greatest possible distance from Xie Yu.
Attendant Zhang looked at the two of them, didn't even bother to comment, and simply urged the maids to serve the dishes.
The guests had already begun tasting the food. Xie Yu and Shen Changyin both stared straight ahead, neither lifting their chopsticks.
Then Xie Yu quietly, carefully, inch by inch, scooted a little closer toward Shen Changyin.
At the same time, Shen Changyin made the exact same movement.
In a hall filled with guests, the two of them were both secretly nervous, like thieves. Each time, they only inched closer by about five centimeters, then had to pause and rest for a moment. After dozens of breaths like this, they finally continued edging toward each other again.
They didn't stop until they were separated by roughly half a meter—the minimum distance for polite social interaction.
To appear more natural and avoid drawing attention, Xie Yu picked up her wine and took a sip, while Shen Changyin adjusted her hair ornament.
Once they finished their motions, both of them reached out toward each other, each wanting to be the one to initiate holding hands—only for their hands to unexpectedly collide in midair.
Their fingertips touched, and like magnets, they immediately clung tightly together, fingers interlacing.
At their own wedding, they secretly held hands—and smiled because of it.
Neither of them picked up their chopsticks. They simply held hands, their two clasped hands swaying gently in the air like a swing.
—
However, they soon realized they had made a mistake—they should have eaten more while they still had the chance.
Because after tasting all the dishes, the guests began coming over to toast them.
Xie Yu and Shen Changyin had no choice but to deal with them one by one. By the end, they were half full from alcohol, yet hadn't eaten a single bite of food.
Xie Yu couldn't tolerate hunger at all. Her stomach felt like it was on fire. But today was her own wedding day—she couldn't possibly lose her temper on such an auspicious occasion—so she could only endure it.
As she endured and endured, the worst of the hunger passed. Only then did she notice that Shen Changyin also seemed to be barely holding on, her gaze drifting toward the fermented rice buns on the table several times.
No one knew how much time passed before, finally, after several rounds of drinking, everyone had more or less finished eating.
Only then did Minister Zhang clap his hands to draw attention.
"Escort the two newlyweds back to their chambers!"
All the guests inside and outside the hall immediately burst into cheers and teasing.
Xie Yu and Shen Changyin walked shoulder to shoulder back to their courtyard amid blessings and playful shouting.
As everyone watched their figures slowly disappear into the darkness, their gazes were inevitably filled with knowing amusement—after all, this was the wedding night.
No one knew that the very first thing Xie Yu did after closing the door was pull two fermented rice buns out of her sleeve.
"I'm pretty good to you, right?" Xie Yu said smugly. "When I stole buns, I even stole one for you."
Shen Changyin clasped her hands to her chest. "Deeply grateful."
Their bridal chamber was Xie Yu's room. The red wedding quilt was scattered with chestnuts, peanuts, and similar items.
The two of them sat on the edge of the bed, one bun each, slowly peeling chestnuts to eat.
Shen Changyin suddenly said, "Minister Zhang mentioned that she's already sent the ledger of today's wedding gifts to the bridal chamber."
Xie Yu immediately jumped up excitedly, found the small booklet, then sat back down on the edge of the bed. She leaned her head against Shen Changyin's as they looked through what everyone had given them.
"Two red coral displays, each half a person tall," Xie Yu read slowly, pointing at a line with her finger.
"I can't imagine what these are even for," she complained. "Living coral under the sea is the best-looking. What use are these coral bonsai besides being expensive?"
"Oh right, didn't we agree to go to the seaside during our honeymoon? I'll teach you how to dive—it's really fun."
"And if this family has a happy event later, don't we have to return a gift of equal value?" she added, very practically worried.
Shen Changyin pointed to another line and blinked at her. "This person gave a yellow coral display one meter wide. We can alternate gifts in return."
When the red coral family has an event, send them the yellow coral. When the yellow coral family has one, send the red coral.
The total number of items doesn't increase, but through circulation, both sides fulfill the need for social courtesy.
Xie Yu said sincerely, "You're a genius."
She was quickly distracted by something else. "A pair of glowing pearls from the Eastern Sea—this is great. I've always wanted to know if glowing pearls can really be used as lamps."
"Two green peacocks—are they specimens? Oh—alive! I'm raising peacocks now!"
She chirped excitedly, happier than anything.
Shen Changyin smiled as she watched her, and suddenly realized that she used to always call Xie Yu her fiancée.
But now, they were each other's lawful wives.
She tested the word softly:
"Wife?"
—
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