The room was filled with people, with Jiang Meier sitting in the center as if surrounded by stars. Some were applying rouge to her cheeks, others were adjusting her wedding dress, and still others were selecting jewelry for her.
Hou Furen stood cheerfully at the doorway, momentarily stunned upon seeing Jiang Suihuan.
“What’s wrong, Mother?” Jiang Suihuan asked knowingly.
Hou Furen frowned. “Today is Mei’er’s wedding day. Why are you wearing white? It’s rather inauspicious. You should go change immediately.”
There was another thought Hou Furen didn’t voice: Jiang Suihuan looked far too dazzling today, even more beautiful than the bride Jiang Meier herself. What if she stole Jiang Meier’s spotlight?
“If two people truly love each other, what does it matter what color others wear? When I married Chu Jue, I wore bright red wedding robes, but was I happy in the end?”
Jiang Suihuan’s words left Hou Furen speechless.
Sitting before the mirror, Jiang Meier’s radiant smile vanished the moment she saw Jiang Suihuan.
She had spent three hours on her makeup, yet she still couldn’t compare to Jiang Suihuan’s simple, natural beauty. The realization nearly made her grind her teeth to dust.
“Sister, let me comb your hair,” Jiang Suihuan said, walking past her as if she didn’t exist. She picked up a comb with a smile. “First comb to the end, second comb for growing old together…”
As she spoke, her hand moved subtly, letting a sprinkle of white powder fall from the comb into Jiang Meier’s hair, unnoticed by anyone.
Her smile deepened. “Ninth comb for many descendants, tenth comb for a lasting marriage. There, it’s time to leave now.”
The sound of gongs and drums filled the air, accompanied by firecrackers. The servants of the Houfu were bustling with activity, and outside, the streets were crowded with commoners eager to witness the spectacle.
Chu Jue arrived at the Houfu’s gate on a tall horse, followed by hundreds of guards and servants. The betrothal gifts alone filled fifty chests, drawing envious sighs from the onlookers.
An elderly woman in the crowd remarked jealously, “As expected of Nan Ming Wang. This is already his second time marrying a Zheng Fei, yet he can still offer so many betrothal gifts. The Houye is truly blessed—both his daughters have married Nan Ming Wang.”
A man nearby added, “You don’t know the whole story. I was there when Nan Ming Wang married the Marquis Family’s Daughter. There weren’t nearly this many betrothal gifts then—everything was kept simple.”
“Really? How unfortunate for the Marquis Family’s Daughter.”
“The pitiful often have their own faults. The Marquis Family’s Daughter must have done something wrong; otherwise, why would Nan Ming Wang agree to a Heli with her?”
After the man spoke, the women around him shot him disdainful looks and moved away.
…
Jiang Meier, dressed in fengguan xiapei and veiled in red, slowly emerged from the Houfu supported by Hou Furen. The smiling Houye walked beside them, while Jiang Suihuan followed behind, equally beaming.
Ying Tao scratched her head in confusion. Nan Ming Wang had only recently finalized his Heli with her mistress, yet he was now marrying Jiang Meier as his Zheng Fei. Why wasn’t her mistress the least bit sad? Instead, she seemed genuinely happy.
Ying Tao quietly voiced her doubts. Jiang Suihuan chuckled softly and whispered, “There’s a good show today. You’ll see soon enough.”
Chu Jue helped Jiang Meier into the bridal sedan, then glanced at Jiang Suihuan before mounting his horse. He had expected to see her heartbroken, but instead, she wasn’t even looking at him—she was chatting with her maid, her bright, radiant smile painfully glaring.
“Hmph!” Chu Jue snorted coldly, thinking to himself that Jiang Suihuan must be putting on a brave front. Wearing white robes and dressing so beautifully on his wedding day was surely just a ploy to capture his attention.
So scheming and cunning—far inferior to the pure and kind-hearted Mei’er.
Little did Chu Jue know that the “kind-hearted” Jiang Meier in his mind was sitting in the bridal sedan, sneering viciously. “Jiang Suihuan, what use is your pretty face? In the end, I’m the one who becomes the Zheng Fei!”
“Even though you’re Father and Mother’s biological daughter, today you still have to give up your courtyard for me! You even have to dress my hair and see me off to my wedding, haha!”
As Jiang Meier laughed, she suddenly felt her scalp itch. She casually scratched it, only to pull out a large clump of hair.
She froze for a moment, then instinctively touched her scalp. Discovering a bald patch in the middle, she let out a terrified scream, completely distraught.
Hearing this, Chu Jue ordered the procession to halt and approached the sedan to ask concernedly, “Mei’er, what’s wrong?”
Fearing that Chu Jue would see her in such a state, Jiang Meier quickly replied, “Your Highness, this humble wife is fine. I was just startled by a small insect.”
“This prince will come in and drive the insect away for you.”
“No need!” Jiang Meier refused in a panicked shriek, then softened her tone. “Thank you, Your Highness, but the insect has already flown away. Let us hurry along so we don’t miss the auspicious hour.”
Unsuspecting, Chu Jue returned to his horse and ordered the procession to continue.
Jiang Suihuan and the others followed behind the sedan in a carriage. Upon hearing Jiang Meier’s scream, Hou Furen grew worried. “What happened to Mei’er? Why would she scream like that?”
Houye comforted her, “Since they’ve continued on, it must be nothing serious. Don’t worry.”
Sitting by the carriage window, Jiang Suihuan rested her cheek on her hand, a faint, imperceptible smile curling at the corners of her lips.
The real show was about to begin.
When they arrived at the prince’s residence, Jiang Suihuan found it even more extravagantly decorated than the Houfu. Double happiness characters were pasted everywhere—it seemed they’d only stopped short of sticking them on the servants’ faces.
In the wedding hall, dignitaries streamed in one after another, offering congratulations to Houye and Hou Furen. As Jiang Suihuan glanced around, she noticed a familiar figure seated in the Grand Tutor’s chair.
Gu Jin—what was he doing here? And why was he sitting in the Grand Tutor’s chair, which should have been reserved for Chu Jue’s parents?
After a moment’s thought, Jiang Suihuan understood. Chu Jue’s mother had died in childbirth years ago, and his father was the current Emperor, too occupied with state affairs to attend his son’s second wedding. As the Emperor’s most favored younger brother and Chu Jue’s Imperial Uncle, it made sense for Gu Jin to sit in that chair.
But then something felt off. During Chu Jue’s first wedding with the original host, Gu Jin hadn’t appeared, and the Grand Tutor’s chair had remained empty throughout.
She clicked her tongue in annoyance and turned away, refusing to look at Gu Jin any longer.
Gu Jin, who had been sitting in the Grand Tutor’s chair with little interest, observed Jiang Suihuan’s changing expressions clearly: from surprise to understanding, then to confusion, and finally an eye-roll. What did that mean?
Then he watched as Jiang Suihuan walked over to a maid fanning nearby, whispered something in her ear, slipped her a silver ingot, and swaggered back to her seat with a sly smile playing on her lips.
Suddenly, Gu Jin found this utterly boring wedding becoming rather interesting.
Soon the ceremony began. Chu Jue supported Jiang Meier as they entered from outside and stood before Gu Jin.
The master of ceremonies called out loudly, “First bow to heaven and earth!”
The couple turned and knelt toward the doorway. Jiang Meier lowered her body, but her neck remained stiff, fearing the wedding veil might fall from her head.
“Second bow to the parents!”
Another loud call. Chu Jue presented a cup of tea to Gu Jin, then knelt with Jiang Meier before him. Just then, the maid fanning nearby suddenly increased her effort, and a cool breeze lifted Jiang Meier’s red veil, causing it to drift slowly to the ground.
Jiang Meier’s partially bald scalp was exposed to everyone’s view.