At the hour of Yin the next day, the diamond-paned window framed the duck-egg blue sky. Dawn had not yet broken when Baoying was pulled up by a group of bridal attendants.
Leading them was a matron in palace attire, around forty or fifty years old, said to have been sent from the palace to perform the face-threading and makeup rites. Baoying had spent the night tossing and turning with restless thoughts and had only fallen asleep in the small hours. She had not slept two full hours before being dragged up to be dressed and made up. Dazed and drowsy, she sat before the vanity like an obedient doll, letting the attendants fuss over her face and person.
It was only when the makeup was complete and the compliments rose and fell around her that Baoying finally woke up a little. She caught an inadvertent glimpse of the young lady in the flower-branch bronze mirror—and all her drowsiness flew straight out the window.
Th-this was her?
The maiden in the mirror had finely drawn brows and painted temples, a gleaming golden flower ornament on her forehead, lips painted a luscious cherry red, and cheeks dusted with peach blossom powder. Between the glances of her black glass-like eyes, there was an inexplicable air of coquettish charm, as if she had something to say but held it back.
The attendants heaped praise upon praise: "No wonder the young lady is to be a princess consort—with such beauty, you couldn't find another like her in all the capital."
Amid the chorus of praise, the attendants dressed her in layers upon layers of phoenix crown and embroidered bridal robes—red silk gauze, gold-threaded brocade, and a jade-studded leather belt.
So heavy, so burdensome. Baoying could barely lift her head.
But when the moment came to step out the door, and the double doors swung open to reveal the morning sun spreading like a golden ribbon all the way to her feet, she felt it was all worth it.
This was exactly the wedding a maiden dreamed of in her boudoir. The embroidered twin lotus pattern on her bridal robes shimmered gold in the sunlight, and as she stepped out into the light, it was as if each step carried her toward a bright and brilliant future.
Baoying had no full brothers, so it was her elder cousin Wei Ji who carried her on his back into the bridal sedan.
By protocol, a prince need not personally fetch his bride. The one who came to receive the bride was the chief steward of the Prince Yan's mansion, a man surnamed Xiao—a refined, steady, middle-aged scholar. The mansion's ceremonial procession was solemn and orderly, and the bridal sedan traveled all the way to the main hall of the Prince Yan's mansion before stopping.
The bridal attendant helped Baoying out of the sedan and placed a length of red silk into her hand.
Baoying took it. The red silk had a flower knot tied in the middle, and she could feel that someone else was holding the other end.
That must be the person she would walk through life with.
Baoying could not suppress her curiosity, but her head was covered with a red veil hung with tassels and gold beads. She could only steal glances downward through the gap in the veil, catching sight of a pair of black satin cloud-climbing boots embroidered with gold thread.
His steps were extremely steady. Above the boots was the hem of his red wedding robes, swaying gently with each stride.
"Watch your step."
A deep, mellow male voice sounded by her ear—magnetic, with a cool clarity like rinsing snow. It was a pleasant voice. Baoying's attention wavered, and her foot immediately caught on the step, sending her pitching forward.
Her heart skipped a beat. In that split second, a hand reached out and firmly caught her arm, steadying her toppling form.
The bridal attendant beside her immediately laughed: "They're already supporting each other before they've even crossed the threshold—clearly they're destined for harmony and bliss."
Even with the attendant smoothing things over, Baoying still heard some snickering among the guests. With her vision blocked, she could hear the whispers all the more clearly:
"I hear the bride comes from a small, humble family. No wonder she can't carry herself properly."
What nonsense! Baoying bit her pearl-white teeth in irritation. It was Zong Duo who had suddenly spoken and made her lose focus!
"Well, that's to be expected. A little sparrow turned phoenix—a momentary lapse is only natural."
How infuriating. She hadn't been trying to marry above her station—Zong Duo was the one who had begged to marry her.
Entering the wedding hall, the couple performed the bowing ceremony under the direction of the officiant, then was led by the bridal attendants into the bridal chamber for the nuptial cup ceremony.
Baoying sat obediently on the bed. Through the red veil, she could dimly make out a crowd gathered in the chamber, with the officiant presiding over the sitting-on-the-bed and curtain-scattering rites…
Red dates, peanuts, longans, and lotus seeds rained down on her like droplets. The officiant chanted: "First scattering, wealth and honor; second scattering, gold and jade fill the hall; third scattering, success in the three examinations; fourth scattering, dragon and phoenix bring auspiciousness…"
Baoying nearly fell asleep listening.
Finally, she heard the words "The groom lifts the veil," and her spirits soared. The main event had finally arrived.
She could not wait to look up, but then remembered what the bridal attendant had taught her before she left—her first meeting with the groom must be demure and graceful: lower her eyes, gaze up with tender affection, meet his eyes once, then slowly cast her gaze down again.
She quickly lowered her eyes. Suddenly, light flooded before her as the veil was lifted with the ceremonial scale.
"Ah…" The attending guests let out several exclamations of admiration.
Baoying's heart fluttered in panic. Gone was any thought of playing coy—she dumbly raised her eyelids and crashed headlong into a pair of calm, luminous eyes.
Those dark pupils tinged with gold clearly reflected her own image—her round little face, pointed chin, and the nervous bewilderment flashing through her large, round water-chestnut eyes… It was almost like looking at herself.
Baoying froze for a moment before snapping back to attention to take in his appearance.
A strikingly handsome face came into view—narrow features with a straight jaw, thick brows slanting into his temples, slightly upturned phoenix eyes, a tall and straight nose bridge, and thin lips with a subtle curve.
He looked down at her with an impassive expression, flanked by a pair of blazing dragon-and-phoenix red candles, their golden flames flickering. Amid the festive, fervent bridal chamber, that handsome yet expressionless face was like a cold, clear moon—aloof and distant.
Baoying was momentarily dazed.
"The bride isn't shy at all—staring at the groom without blinking!"
The matchmaker teased from the side.
The roomful of guests burst into laughter.
Amid the teasing and admiring laughter, Baoying shyly lowered her head and looked away, but couldn't resist stealing another glance at him from the corner of her eye.
Zong Duo sat down beside her. The attendant brought the nuptial cup—two halves of a split gourd filled with clear wine.
According to custom, the couple was to each drink half of the wine from their own gourd, then exchange and drink the remainder from the other's, symbolizing shared joy and hardship, and eternal union.
Baoying took the gourd before her and carefully sipped half. The wine was clear, sweet, and mellow—not unpleasant at all. Seeing him offer his half-empty gourd, she quickly returned hers in exchange.
As they traded, their fingertips brushed. His fingers were long and lean like jade chopsticks, and the hand holding the gourd showed faint veins on its back—steady and firm, the wine not even rippling.
Baoying couldn't help but sneak another glance at him, only to see Zong Duo holding the half she had drunk from, deliberately avoiding the red lipstick mark, and drinking the rest from the other side.
What was that! Was he disgusted by her? If he had the guts, he'd better not kiss her mouth tonight.
Baoying was displeased. Unfortunately, her half of the gourd had no lip print, so she couldn't retaliate in kind. She could only secretly leave a sip undrunk as a protest.
After the nuptial wine, the guests were invited to the front hall for the feast, and the groom had to go out to receive them, leaving Baoying alone in the bridal chamber.
Only then did she have a chance to look around the room. The bed she sat on was a thousand-work canopy bed made of golden nanmu, its carved railings draped with crimson silk ribbons. Paired dragon-and-phoenix red candles burned on silver stands, and glass prisms set into the surrounding panels reflected the candlelight, making the entire room as bright as day.
What a huge room! Baoying marveled—it was even larger than her family's reception hall. Just this bed alone could fit her, Ruyin, and Xiaolian with room to spare, even roll around on.
Baoying happily flopped onto the bed, only to be jabbed in the waist by the red dates and peanuts scattered on the mattress. She sat up sulkily, peeled a peanut, and popped it into her mouth—only then realizing she hadn't eaten all day and was famished.
"Xiaolian!" Baoying called out.
The beaded curtain lifted, and several palace maids walked in gracefully. At the lead was a round-faced matron in her forties, who gave Baoying a proper bow: "This servant pays respects to the Princess."
The round-faced matron was surnamed Sun, Zong Duo's wet nurse, who had followed him when he established his own household and now managed the inner affairs of the prince's residence.
Nanny Sun had a kind and gentle appearance, yet carried an air of authority in her gaze—her bearing surpassing that of many officials' wives.
She introduced the four maids behind her to Baoying:
They were all around seventeen or eighteen, named Bailu, Qingshuang, Hongxia, and Suxue—first-rank palace maids assigned from Consort Xu's palace.
Nanny Sun told Baoying that the quota for first-rank maids beside a princess consort was eight. By convention, the bride's family would provide four as dowry, and the palace would supply four more. The Shi family had only sent Xiaolian, so the main courtyard currently had just five first-rank maids.
"This servant will report to Consort Xu, and three more will be sent to fill the quota."
Baoying quickly waved her hands: "No need—five is already plenty."
Good heavens! Her family's maids, servants, and errand boys combined numbered only six or seven, yet this prince's residence assigned eight maids to a single mistress—there was no justice in the world!
Of course, she hadn't noticed that this was only the quota for first-rank maids. In fact, the main courtyard alone had dozens of palace maids and eunuchs handling various duties.
Nanny Sun was easygoing and said with a smile: "Then the Princess can gradually promote whoever proves useful in the future. This servant must go attend to the guests up front. If the Princess needs anything, just instruct Bailu and the others."
With that, she gave another graceful bow and retreated with light, elegant steps.
People from the palace really had such refined bearing! Baoying watched Nanny Sun's retreating figure until it disappeared completely, then slowly turned her gaze to the four maids before her.
For some reason, she had a feeling these four wouldn't be as easy to deal with as Nanny Sun.
"Um, could I get something to eat?" Baoying asked cautiously.
Hongxia bowed to her: "This servant is in charge of food and medicine. If the Princess wishes to eat something, just instruct this servant."
"I want braised pork hock, roasted squab, crystal fish slices, and a big bowl of soft, fragrant steamed rice."
Baoying was careful, only ordering dishes she'd seen served at wedding banquets.
"Pfft—" The four maids let out a strange-sounding laugh.
Bailu, the lead among the four maids, spoke up: "Your Highness, do you think you're here to attend a wedding banquet? His Highness may arrive at any moment. Your top priority is to remove your makeup and bathe, and grab a bite to eat to fill your stomach."
Hongxia suppressed a smile and said, "I'll fetch a plate of pastries for Your Highness."
Baoying felt quite frustrated. Bailu spoke with such an overbearing air that one might mistake her for the mistress! However, since she was sent by Consort Xian, it was better not to quibble with her.
So she obediently allowed Bailu and the other two to remove her hairpins and earrings, strip off her layers of wedding attire, and head to the bathing chamber at the back to bathe and change.
After all that fuss, she changed into soft red silk nightclothes, her long hair loose and flowing. It was much more comfortable now, except her stomach was growling with hunger more than ever.
Hongxia brought over a plate of peach blossom pastries and a plate of crystal cakes, and Baoying devoured them all.
With her stomach full, Bailu and the others withdrew. Baoying sat upright on the bed, waiting quietly for her groom to return.
The flames on the half-human-tall dragon-and-phoenix red candles flickered and danced, wax tears gradually pooling in the silver candle holders. Even the music and singing from the front had slowly faded away.
Baoying grew so drowsy that she dozed off several times leaning against the carved bedpost. Rousing herself, she glanced at the Western clock on the wall—a rare novelty she had never seen before. Fortunately, the clock marked the hours, and it looked like it was only two quarters short of the hour of Hai.
Unable to contain herself, she called someone in: "Hasn't the banquet in the front hall ended yet?"
Bailu said casually, "Reporting to Your Highness, the banquet ended long ago. However, His Highness is discussing matters in the study and may not return anytime soon. Please make yourself comfortable and rest."
Baoying's eyes widened: "What matter is so urgent that it must be discussed on the very night of the wedding? Go fetch him back. I want to consummate the marriage."
Bailu shot her a surprised look and said grudgingly, "Your Highness is too unsparing of us servants. That is His Highness's arrangement—how would we lowly maids dare to interfere?"
Knowing this was a troublesome maid, Baoying didn't waste words with her. Instead, she called in her own dowry maid, Xiaolian: "Xiaolian, go fetch the young master back!"
"Me?" Xiaolian pointed at herself in astonishment.
Baoying glanced down at her red nightclothes and spread her hands helplessly: "It can't be me, can it?"
After saying this, fearing Xiaolian might not handle it well, she beckoned her closer and gave her detailed instructions.
"Huh? Do I really have to say it that way?"
Xiaolian scratched her head in distress, but for the sake of her young mistress's happiness, she had no choice but to steel herself and head out.