Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Wedding Night

Wind slipped in through the window crack, swaying the candlelight.

The night was deep and dark, the stars brilliant.

The covered walkways were brightly lit with candles, everywhere showing the festive scene of welcoming a bride. Outside the newlywed Chunbo Court, lanterns shone like daylight, adorning the flowers and trees with radiant color.

Ever since inheriting the title, Xie Ting had often been so busy he could not touch the ground, and his daily life was spent in the outer study. Apart from visiting his old grandmother and his mother Wu, he rarely set foot in the inner courtyard. This Chunbo Court had been renovated by Wu for him to take a wife. Inside were lake stones, flowers, and trees, a world of its own, but to Xie Ting it was still unfamiliar—

Today’s bowing ceremony was the first time he had set foot here.

At this moment, the lights blazed before his eyes. Compared to the lively bustle of the day, only the soft chirping of grass insects remained around him, much quieter.

Xie Ting stepped into the courtyard, his robe fluttering slightly.

Serving women stood respectfully under the corridor. Exquisite red paper cutouts were pasted on the windows, and the rosy candlelight shone out through them. The formerly cold, silent courtyard now seemed to glow with a touch of vitality. He stepped into the room as the serving woman held up the curtain, and saw in the side chamber red silk soft curtains hanging low, the dowry maids standing with hands folded and heads bowed, and the bride sitting upright on the couch, pearl crown magnificent, flower fan covering her face.

The wedding dress was extremely beautiful, outlining her graceful figure.

Xie Ting’s gaze swept over Yu Lu and Yu Quan. The two understood, quickly bent their knees in salute, and silently withdrew.

The door creaked shut. There were no others in the room.

A Yan gripped the jade handle of the flower fan tightly. Through the thin gauze she saw the man walk slowly over. The wedding attire outlined his lean waist and long legs, his figure upright as a peak. His steps were steady. He stopped half a step from her and did not chant poetry or compose verses like other bridegrooms. He only gave his wide sleeve a slight wave and lightly touched the flower fan with the pad of his finger.

Wind slipped in through the window crack, swaying the candlelight.

A Yan held her breath slightly. She watched the flower fan slowly move aside, and the man’s clear, cold voice entered her ears along with it. “You have waited long.”

That businesslike tone made A Yan almost think he was receiving a guest, rather than coming to see the bride he had married through proper matchmaking. But the dragon-and-phoenix wedding candles flickered, a faint scent of wine lingered, and this was unmistakably the bridal chamber. She summoned her courage and raised her eyes. By the flickering bright candlelight, she finally saw Xie Ting’s appearance clearly.

He was actually extremely handsome.

His brows were finely cut, his eyes clear and bright. In the exquisitely tailored, dignified wedding attire, he seemed as elegant as jade, splendid and upright. It was only that his expression was very cold. Those eyes were clear as a cold pool, revealing no emotion yet hiding a pressing, cold sternness that made one not dare look directly at him.

After all, he had walked out of seas of corpses and mountains of blood.

A Yan felt truly uneasy being looked down at by him from above, so she stood up and said gently, “Your Highness.”

“Yes.” Xie Ting nodded slightly, his gaze roving over her face.

When the marriage was granted, the court had sent a portrait of Chu Qiang, painted by a palace artist, capturing both form and spirit. Her looks were only considered upper-class. The young woman before him had indeed been swapped. Though of similar age, her appearance was exceedingly beautiful, with snow-white skin and jade-like features, like a crabapple just beginning to bloom. Especially those eyes beneath her dark brows, truly like a spring pool holding waves, lively and illuminating when she glanced about.

A new bride, with light plum-blossom makeup, she wore a heavy crown of pearls and kingfisher feathers, and her wedding dress was slightly loose, which only made her figure seem delicate and frail, as if it could not bear to be broken.

She was, after all, just a young girl, only just of age, not yet fully grown.

Xie Ting glanced around the newly decorated bridal chamber and said, “Coming from Chang’an, the journey was a thousand li of jolting. It has been hard on you. There were many guests at today’s grand banquet. I am a little drunk. I will return to the study to rest first. You should settle in early as well. The servants and maids outside are yours to command.” Having spoken these barefaced lies with his eyes open, he did not linger a moment longer. Bearing A Yan’s slightly stunned gaze, he turned and walked straight out.

A moment later, his voice came from outside the window—

“Take good care of the princess consort. Tomorrow morning, we go to see Grandmother.”

“This servant obeys. I will do my utmost to serve the princess consort. Farewell, Your Highness.” The leading matron, Old Mrs. Tian, responded respectfully and led the others in salute to see him off.

Inside the room, A Yan let out a long breath.

She had originally thought that Xie Ting would surely be displeased upon seeing her.

After all, Grand Tutor Xu had also said that this marriage was a deliberate test by the imperial family, with no good intentions from the very beginning. Given Xie Ting’s pride, being forced into a marriage was already something he had endured patiently. Today, in front of so many guests and subordinates, receiving an imperial edict that swapped the bride at the last moment would surely have added fuel to the fire.

She had even prepared herself to anger a tiger or wolf and receive a show of authority on her wedding night. Who would have thought it would be so lightly brushed aside?

Even knowing she was marrying in her cousin’s place, he had shown no change in expression.

It seemed Xie Ting did not take this marriage to heart either.

He was merely marrying by imperial decree, treating her as a decoration.

A Yan could not say whether she felt joy or sorrow, but being able to pass the wedding night safely and without incident did finally loosen the knot in her heart somewhat. So she removed the phoenix crown. After Old Mrs. Tian had hot water prepared, she removed her light makeup and bathed and changed clothes.

The fatigue of the whole day dissolved in the warm, fragrant water. She put on soft thin silk sleepwear, dried her hair, and crawled into the warm, fragrant, soft blankets. The drowsiness that had accumulated all day pressed down on her overwhelmingly, making her head heavy, and she wished she could fall dead asleep immediately.

A Yan had someone keep the wedding candles lit and extinguish all the others.

Yu Lu took down the reunion curtains hanging from the golden hooks. Seeing that the servants of Chunbo Court had all withdrawn outside, she exchanged a glance with Old Mrs. Lu, squatted by A Yan’s bedside, and said worriedly in a low voice, “On the first night of marriage, this lord went to sleep in the study and would not stay even a moment longer. At this rate, the young lady’s days ahead may be somewhat difficult.”

“I knew before I married. It is fine.”

“It is only hard on the young lady…” Yu Lu’s eyes reddened slightly.

She was the personal maid who had grown up with A Yan, and their bond was extremely close. Having seen the looks of women throughout the capital, Yu Lu knew very well in her heart that her own young lady’s outstanding beauty could be sent into the palace itself, and probably no second could be found in all of Weizhou. Especially with her moth-like brows and light makeup, having married from far away, any man with eyes who saw her would feel some tenderness, and at the very least would not leave her alone in an empty room.

Who would have thought the Prince of Fenyang would be so iron-hearted?

If she had married anyone else, she would never have been neglected like this on her wedding night.

Yu Lu both secretly hated Chu Qiang’s selfishness and worried about A Yan’s future. Her throat choked up, and tears rolled down.

Old Mrs. Lu was, after all, older and did not want A Yan to be too frightened. She only comforted her gently. “At least we have seen the man. Whether good or bad, the stone in our hearts has landed. The road ahead is still long. From the way they conduct themselves, I think they do not intend to make an enemy over this marriage. As the days slowly pass, there will always be a turn for the better.”

“Yes. If everything were smooth, why would Cousin have fled the marriage?”

A Yan’s black hair lay scattered across the pillow. Curled under the blanket, she lifted one eyelid. “This marriage was mismatched to begin with, and then the bride was swapped in haste. The Xie family is a prince’s residence that commands a region. They need their dignity too. Tomorrow I must meet the Xie family elders. By then I will be able to see what their attitude really is. Go to sleep early. Tomorrow, when I explain the reasons, I will still need to keep my spirits up.”

As she spoke, she yawned repeatedly.

Old Mrs. Lu could not bear to see it, so she tucked in the corner of the blanket for her, lowered the bed curtains, then checked all the lamps and candles in the room, left Yu Quan on night watch, and each went to rest.

When she woke the next morning, the sky was faintly bright.

A Yan turned over and wanted to sleep some more, but Old Mrs. Lu did not dare let her lie in. She lifted the bed curtain and slipped inside, coaxing gently, “My young lady, this is the first day of marriage. It cannot be treated carelessly. Get up quickly and dress. In a little while you still have to go see the elders of the whole household. You can sleep more when you return.”

“Just a little while.” A Yan mumbled softly.

She burrowed deeper into the blankets, intending to wrap herself into a silkworm cocoon.

Old Mrs. Lu had no choice but to call Yu Lu and Yu Quan in. She held A Yan around the waist and back while the two took clothes to put on her, her mouth never resting. “It has been years since I dressed the young lady. My skill has grown rusty. You really are no longer a child. A waist is a waist, legs are legs, and your figure has filled out. Fine and tender-skinned. All these years of careful raising were not in vain.”

A Yan’s eyes were still not open. She felt for her mouth and covered it.

How embarrassing. What nonsense was she saying!

But even so, most of the clinging drowsiness was startled away. A Yan painfully abandoned the blankets, closed her eyes, and put on her undergarments herself. After washing up, she was fully awake.

The daylight gradually brightened, and birdsong came through the window.

The red candles in the room had long burned out. The dressing table in the side chamber was also neatly arranged. After dressing her hair and eating some warm, sweet porridge and dishes, the sun’s shadow had already moved into the courtyard.

A Yan, in bright, fresh brocade, stepped out of the room.

Outside, Old Mrs. Tian had been waiting for a long time. Seeing her, she smiled and bowed. “If the princess consort is ready, please follow this old servant to Zhaoyue Hall. His Highness just sent someone with a message, saying he is waiting at Lanfeng Pavilion and will not make a detour to fetch the princess consort. Going together from there will be the same.”

“Then I will trouble you, Matron.”

A Yan had Yu Lu and Old Mrs. Lu with her. As she walked out of Chunbo Court with the matron, she saw pavilions, terraces, and towers all around, with corridors and buildings interlaced. A murmuring stream had even been diverted here, with arched bridges like flying rainbows. It was built exquisitely and spaciously.

Weizhou City was not like the capital, where every inch of land was precious. This prince’s residence was boundless. Her Chunbo Court alone was equal to the entire Chu family estate. After walking for quite a while, she finally caught sight of Xie Ting’s figure.

He stood in the pavilion with his hands behind his back, seemingly lost in thought.

The morning light fell on his dark ochre, forthright garments, making his figure seem towering and steep, like a jade mountain standing tall, full of flourishing bearing. It was only that his expression was somewhat cold. Having shed the festive red bridegroom’s attire and changed into a dark brocade robe, he gave off an even greater air of majesty that made one not dare approach.

After all, he held great power and dominated a region. He was naturally not comparable to ordinary people.

A Yan did not dare be negligent. She greeted him first. “Your Highness.”

Xie Ting turned his eyes. He saw her dress dignified and beautiful, her light makeup fresh and lovely, a faint smile at her lips, and those eyes looking at him bright and gentle. Though she had already married as a new bride, with her double coils of hair subtly joined, the maidenly air about her was still strong, like a jasmine bud on a branch, trembling and swaying lightly in the morning breeze, both light and radiant.

“It seems you rested well last night.”

He said this flatly, then stepped toward Zhaoyue Hall, as if official business were pressing behind him and not a moment could be delayed.

A Yan quickly followed, silent the whole way.

Weizhou’s climate was more humid than Chang’an’s. Walking among the flowers and trees in the morning before the dew had dried, the air itself felt sweet and cool, refreshing to the spirit, and even the faint pressure around Xie Ting was diluted quite a bit.

Only when she entered Zhaoyue Hall, where the old grand consort lived, and saw the room full of elders and sisters-in-law with varying expressions, did A Yan’s face finally show a touch of gravity.

So many people. It was quite a formidable gathering.