On a fine and auspicious day in midsummer, Tuan Yun was married.
From the very start of the bridal procession, the departure point was the Earl’s Manor, once again, unmistakably Cui Jianying’s handiwork.
Whether by intention or coincidence, the original imperial edict granting the marriage had stipulated that after Tuan Yun and Ji Zhiwei dissolved their union, Tuan Yun was to be regarded by the Earl’s Manor as a member by sworn kinship. His former mother in law would, in name, become his godmother; his former husband, his sworn elder brother. Since he now bore the status of an adopted son, it was only proper that he should set out from the Earl’s Manor.
Tuan Yun had long since moved into the Cui residence yet for the sake of propriety on his wedding day, he deliberately came over from the Cui estate the night before. The entire Earl’s Manor, for its part, donned polite smiles that did not quite reach their eyes and obediently “put on a show” under imperial command. No matter what thoughts they harbored or what schemes they worked behind the scenes, outwardly the manor was bustling with festivity in the end.
The sisters in law and female relatives who once looked upon Tuan Yun with cold eyes and barely deigned to acknowledge him now surrounded him in a tight circle, helping him open his face and apply his bridal makeup. The eldest sister in law, who had once delighted most in mocking him, personally draped the bridal veil over his head and sang a wedding send off song filled with blessings.
It was no wonder Consort Miao had described the Earl’s Manor’s expressions when they secretly went to lodge their complaint as “so amusing you wouldn’t believe it.” The scene in the boudoir, sending off the bride, was truly beyond what words could fully capture, rich, vivid and endlessly “interesting.”
Though the matron of the Earl’s Manor appeared only briefly before claiming illness and withdrawing, the rest of them made up for it with their dramatic shift from former arrogance to present deference. Their changed attitudes alone were enough to make Zhu’er snicker nonstop into Tuan Yun’s ear.
Amid the bustling noise, they reached the door of the bridal chamber.
They had not gone far before encountering Cui Jianying at the second gate.
The man was clad head to toe in brilliant wedding red, scattering handfuls of coins to block the way as custom demanded.
He first took Tuan Yun by the hand, leading him all the way up to the bridge. After that, his tall horse rode at the front.
The bridal procession, a hundred strong, advanced with music and fanfare, circling the capital along a carefully planned auspicious route three full times. Every passerby who paused to watch received a generous handful of multicolored fruits and coins of shared fortune.
The joyous music filled the air for half the day. Only then did four or five matchmakers cluster around Tuan Yun, escorting him through the doors of his new home. In the main hall, under the witness of countless noble and powerful guests, the grand wedding rites of three bows and nine prostrations were solemnly completed.
Looking back afterward, it had truly been an overwhelmingly noisy day, voices rising like a tide. Everyone was congratulating Tuan Yun, each with different words and flourishes. To miss even a single line would have been a pity.
Yet immersed in it all, Tuan Yun could neither hear clearly nor take it all in. From the moment he entered the bridal chamber, he began to cry.
Why was he crying?
Because after he entered the Cui residence, the person supporting him as he walked had changed. At first, he assumed it was simply another matchmaker or matron and paid it little mind.
But once inside the room, that matron suddenly called him “little lad.”
At the sound of her voice, Tuan Yun recognized her at once. She was none other than Granny Li, who had once looked after him so kindly back in the village.
Granny Li should have been thousands of miles away. Tuan Yun’s amber eyes filled with tears, which spilled forth unceasingly.
So much so that when Cui Jianying later lifted his bridal veil, he let out a soft laugh at once.
“This is serious,” Cui Jianying said. “The bride’s eyes are even smaller than mine.”
He said it while struggling to hold back his laughter.
The maids and matrons around them, seeing the young groom’s swollen red eyes, burst into laughter as well. Even Tuan Yun could not help laughing himself.
After laughing, he shot Cui Jianying a reproachful glance, a little embarrassed and indignant now, boldly glaring at his own husband as if he finally had the right to do so.
Urged by the matchmakers, the two sat together on the bed. The women tossed red dates, peanuts, longans and lotus seeds into the bed curtains, chanting a rapid string of blessings for good fortune and the early birth of noble children.
They then brought out a split gourd fashioned into a pair of cups, joined by colored threads. Each took one half, lowered their heads and drank together. Afterward, Granny Li herself cut a lock of hair from each of them, tied the two together with red silk into a knot of shared hearts, placed it into a brocade pouch and set it beneath the pillow.
Husband and wife binding their hair,
a lifelong rite.
They did no more than was proper, then went out to toast the guests and endure the customary revelry in the bridal chamber.
There were not many who dared to stir up trouble in Cui Jianying’s bridal chamber. Leading them was the young emperor himself, who had changed into plain clothes and come out of the palace. Cui Jianying’s relationship with his biological father and the matron of his household was unremarkable at best.
The emperor’s personal presence was clearly meant to lend him prestige, to prove before all under heaven that ruler and minister were in perfect accord. With such a guest present, the occasion naturally took on a character all its own, distinct, unprecedented and unforgettable.
Twin dragon and phoenix wedding candles flickered through the night, swaying in pairs from dusk until deep into the dark hours.
Moonlight lay like gauze as the crowds gradually dispersed. At last, the groom gained a moment of private quiet, able to gaze upon his delicate spouse amid the vivid red glow of the wedding lights.
Tuan Yun had already removed the heavy ceremonial crown and wore only his wedding robes, sitting upright at the edge of the bed. For a while, neither of them spoke. In the end, it was Tuan Yun who could not bear the scrutiny any longer. His cheeks flushed, his ears burned and he finally spoke first.
“Lewd fellow.”
Cui Jianying laughed. “Worthy indeed of my wife, perceptive from the smallest detail, seeing straight through to the truth.”
Tuan Yun’s face grew even redder. He shot Cui Jianying a light sidelong glance and caught the faint scent of wine. Just as he was about to ask, Cui Jianying answered first.
“I didn’t drink much. Wine clouds the mind and leads one astray and it also alters a person’s nature. Since I have taken you as my wife, I would never treat you lightly.”
Tuan Yun truly admired his way with words. He often felt that Cui Jianying’s mouth was formidable beyond measure yet it was hard to say that he did not like hearing him speak this way.
The two of them gently clasped hands. Tuan Yun asked softly, “When did you bring Granny Li here? The journey is so long, over mountains and rivers without end and yet she still made it in time.”
Cui Jianying replied, “Someone who longs for you, when and where could they ever fail to arrive?”
“She’s always been very good to me,” Tuan Yun said.
Though the words clearly carried a double meaning, the young man praised only one of them. Cui Jianying’s smile deepened further. He nodded and said, “Very good. My wife is learning to be sly as well.”
They both laughed.
As the laughter faded, Tuan Yun suddenly called out softly, “Husband.”
Cui Jianying answered, “Wife,” his voice gentle.
“Why do you still call me wife?”
“You are my wife. If I don’t call you that, what else should I call you?”
Tuan Yun paused for a moment. Thinking it over, he realized that it truly made sense.
Only, wait. When had Cui Jianying begun calling him “wife”?
For a while, Tuan Yun couldn’t recall. He remembered clearly that when they first met, Cui Jianying had addressed him as “sister in law.” He didn’t know exactly when that form of address had quietly changed.
As he was pondering this, he heard Cui Jianying let out a soft chuckle right in front of him. Tuan Yun asked in confusion, “What are you laughing at?”
Cui Jianying didn’t answer. He merely placed a steadying hand on Tuan Yun’s shoulder and reached toward the silver curtain hook at the head of the bed.
The newly hung canopy embroidered with blessings for countless descendants fell into place, concealing a scene of deep affection and tender springtime warmth.
Though Cui Jianying said nothing aloud, inwardly he laughed for quite some time.
In how he treated Tuan Yun, he was like a tree offering shade, unwilling to let him face wind or rain and so he kept silent about a small incident that had occurred earlier that day.
At the banquet, everyone had congratulated him on finally winning a beautiful spouse and becoming a matched pair. Everyone, that is, except his legal mother, Ji Zhiwei’s blood related aunt, who openly mocked him to his face, accusing him of immoral conduct like a beast, of treating kinship as worthless as filth.
Cui Jianying had replied on the spot, “When have I ever slighted my cousin? I have no lack of blood relatives. Why is it that among all others, I did not set my sights on anyone else’s wife but only on my cousin’s? It is precisely because I hold my cousin in high esteem.”
“Mother, do not wrong me. My cousin’s discernment is unmatched, his talent outstanding. I respect my cousin more than anyone.”
His words were sincere enough to nearly make his legal mother faint with rage.
Yet what Cui Jianying said was truly from the heart.
Leaving aside all else, just consider the name Ji Zhiwei had given Tuan Yun.
Tuan Yun, Tuan Yun, a cluster of clouds drifting across the sky and where there are clouds, how could an eagle not appear?
It was only right that he should belong to him. Cui Jianying plunged into that mass of clouds and carried Tuan Yun along, soaring away together.
Outside, Zhu’er and several maidservants on night duty were each counting their portions of wedding money.
When faint, indistinct sounds drifted out from within the room, the maids’ faces all flushed red.
“Zhu’er jie, Madam is still carrying a child right now, this…” one of them hesitated.
Zhu’er cut her off at once. “Don’t worry. Our young master, our lord, treasures Madam’s body more than anyone.” There are plenty of ways that won’t harm the child and still won’t waste the wedding night. More than enough.
Just then, a continuous chorus of cicadas rose from the courtyard. The women all picked up poles, afraid the noise might disturb the newlyweds’ sweet night. Zhu’er was quick and nimble, swiftly knocking one down yet another call immediately sounded nearby, chirping without end.
“Oh my,” Zhu’er said and no one was annoyed. Instead, everyone burst into laughter and teasing. “Truly a fine and auspicious day, even the cicadas come in pairs.”
“Exactly,” someone echoed. “Paired and matched, just at the right time.”
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Fleurveil
[Translator]
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ChaptersChapter 1 · How can you, so crude and vulgar, be a match for me?Chapter 2 · Children don’t just appear out of thin air if you want themChapter 3 · I also grew up reading the classicsChapter 4 · I am willing to dress up as the Goddess of MercyChapter 5 · If Cousin Ji doesn’t like me, do you not like me either?Chapter 6 · He actually summoned such a YamaChapter 7 · Am I not worthy of your attention, Madam?Chapter 8 · I think Lord Cui likes you very muchChapter 9 · Dragon and phoenix twinsChapter 10 · I will never allow anyone to belittle or despise you againChapter 11 · If that’s true, then marry your wife to meChapter 12 · Well, it really is true that one thing can subdue anotherChapter 13 · Extra 1Chapter 14 · Extra 2Chapter 15 · Extra 3Chapter 16 · Extra 4