Just as Pei Jing'an had said, the carriage and horses traveled for two full days.
Near dusk that day, the procession slowed considerably.
Sitting in the carriage, Suiying vaguely heard the sound of drums carried over by the wind, like the drums announcing curfew.
She leaned forward and lifted the curtain to look outside. Her gaze froze at once.
Within her field of vision, city walls stretched broad and imposing, spreading majestically through the harsh world of blowing sand until their boundaries seemed impossible to discern.
The closer they drew to the city gates, the faster Suiying's heart began to beat.
This was the most remote protectorate in Great Yuan.
After looking for a moment, she lowered the curtain, then pushed open the window and glanced behind her. The road they had traveled was already concealed by the blowing sand, completely out of sight.
Suddenly, the carriage rocked slightly and came to a stop.
The next moment, the sound of hooves approached and halted beside the carriage.
Immediately afterward, a man's deep voice came from outside. “Despite hurrying all the way, we've still missed the auspicious time for touring the streets and receiving the people's blessings. We can dispense with the remaining rituals and return to the residence to perform the nuptial cup ceremony. That should count as completing the wedding rites. What does Madam think?”
His tone was as calm as usual as he tossed the question to her.
Suiying had traveled a long way, and with so many matters weighing on her mind, her thoughts were already in disarray.
Hearing him say this, she unexpectedly grew even more flustered. After collecting herself, she replied in an even tone, “I don't know much about these rules. We'll do as the Grand Protector says.”
He had made his meaning clear: the remaining rituals would be omitted. Presumably, they would not even pay respects to Heaven and Earth or to their parents.
She understood what that meant. He was dissatisfied with this marriage.
Naturally, he was dissatisfied with her as well.
She knew her own circumstances well enough and had never expected him to think highly of her.
Outside the carriage, Pei Jing'an heard her indifferent voice, yet there was also a hint of complete obedience and docile reasonableness in it.
But he knew that her calm attitude in the face of events did not belong to someone who meekly accepted whatever happened to her.
He glanced twice at the carriage window, then gave the reins a flick. “Then we'll return to the residence.”
The carriage started moving again and entered the city at an unhurried pace.
It was curfew, so the people had already dispersed from the streets. Yet the lanterns on both sides shone brightly, and faint voices drifted over.
Even from inside the carriage, she could tell from the sounds alone that the city was no less lively than Luoyang.
But Suiying had not entered Luoyang in three years, and she no longer knew what the city was like now.
Of course, sitting in the carriage, she also had no idea what sort of bustling scene this unfamiliar city presented.
The carriage and horses proceeded down the long street, their steady clatter echoing out, accompanied by one greeting after another from outside:
“Grand Protector.”
Suiying could not hear any reply from inside the carriage. She thought to herself that he truly was respected by his subordinates.
The farther they went, the greetings gradually fell behind.
After roughly two quarters of an hour, a sudden brilliance spilled in from outside, as bright as daylight. The carriage stopped immediately afterward.
“Please enter the residence and receive the formal welcome, Madam,” Zhao Wende called from outside.
So she was already the wife of the Anbei Grand Protector? This was far too simple. She had not even changed her clothes and was still wearing that plain outfit.
Suiying collected herself, picked up her personal bundle and strapped it to her back, then put on her veiled hat and leaned out of the carriage. Through the hanging veil, she saw the tall, pine-straight figure of a man beneath the broad, lofty lintel.
On either side below him stood rows of armored guards, their armor severe and their weapons sheathed as they welcomed the newlywed into the residence.
At the far ends of the two lines of soldiers stood several officials dressed in blue official robes. Behind each of them were female family members wearing foreign-style clothing. When they saw her leave the carriage, they hurried forward.
“Madam, the journey by carriage must have been exhausting. You have worked hard. Please, come inside.”
One of the women reached out to take Suiying's bundle, but Suiying remembered that her needle case contained sharp instruments, including willow-leaf knives, and quickly stepped back.
The women were startled and promptly retreated two steps as well, staring at her in bewilderment.
“They're all women, not rough men like us. Why did Madam avoid them as though they were snakes and scorpions?” Seeing this, Zhao Wende found it even more baffling.
Suiying looked him over twice. He was tall and broad, with a knife scar twisting horribly across the left side of his face. Under the bright torchlight surrounding them, he looked even more frightening.
Along the journey, she had also detected displeasure in his expression. Since she was an inauspicious person, she had tried to avoid them whenever possible.
As if she had not heard him, Suiying simply climbed down from the carriage and walked toward the residence's gate.
Pei Jing'an's gaze had fallen on her the moment she leaned out of the carriage. When he raised a hand to invite her inside, his eyes paused briefly on her bundle.
“Go in.”
Suiying nodded, gathered her skirts, and entered the residence alongside him.
Servants carrying lanterns formed two lines and bowed to welcome their newly arrived mistress.
The residence was brightly lit, and its courtyards were spacious. From the lacquer alone, it was clear that the Grand Protector's Residence had only recently been established. Even the flowerbeds in the courtyards stood empty.
Only after they entered the hall did the little maid who had accompanied them, A-Tao, finally come forward and ask, bending at the waist, “Madam, please give the bundle to this servant.”
Suiying glanced at her through the veil, then took off her veiled hat and handed over the bundle as well. Taking the opportunity, she quietly surveyed the servants gathered in the courtyard.
There were not many of them, but whether they were the servants of the front courtyard or the maids of the rear courtyard, every one of them was sturdy.
Pei Jing'an's parents were nowhere to be seen in the place of honor. Suiying thought to herself that the residence had only just been established, so perhaps they were still at the old family home.
A maid brought over a bronze basin and bent before her. “Please wash your face and hands, Madam.”
Suiying withdrew her gaze, then glanced again at the tall figure beside her. As he washed his hands, he was looking at her, a faint, nearly imperceptible smile still resting at the corners of his mouth. He appeared amiable, but she knew that this amiability was only a facade. His smile had never reached his eyes.
Standing so close to him made her uncomfortable.
When she took the damp cloth to wipe her face, she turned away and quietly moved two steps aside.
Pei Jing'an noted her actions, and his certainty that she disliked this marriage grew stronger.
Yet they had only just met, and there were some things he did not dare say plainly. He feared that, having married from so far away, she might be sensitive and let her thoughts run wild.
After she had finished washing, she went to the first seat and sat down in a chair. He was still watching her.
Pei Jing'an walked over, flicked up the hem of his robe, and sat down on her left.
Suddenly sitting side by side made Suiying deeply uncomfortable. Her gaze fell to her skirt, and within her field of vision was one of his long legs, stretched over domineeringly, his riding boot coated with a layer of yellow sand.
The residence's servants came forward one by one to pay their respects, which took quite some time.
After the ceremony was complete, Pei Jing'an waved a hand, rose, and gestured invitingly toward Suiying.
“Let's go to the dining hall and eat.”
Suiying rose and gave him a composed curtsy, her tone neither warm nor cold. “Thank you for taking the trouble to make the arrangements, Grand Protector.”
“It was only proper.”
Pei Jing'an lowered his eyes to look at her. He thought that she truly was a noble lady of the Central Plains. Her manners were almost excessively proper—and that very propriety also revealed the rejection beneath it.
A banquet had been laid out in the dining hall. In families with married couples, two dining tables were set up, with the husband and wife seated together.
Naturally, the same arrangement had been made at the place of honor.
Pei Jing'an waited until she was seated before tucking up his robes and sitting beside her. He then beckoned.
Pei Huan understood the signal, stepped out from his place at the table, and solemnly clasped his hands in greeting.
“Greetings, Sister-in-law.”
Pei Jing'an turned his head toward Suiying's profile and introduced him in a measured voice. “He is the child Father adopted. His name is Pei Huan.”
Suiying nodded, then gestured to a maid beside her. When a wine cup was brought to her hand, an apologetic smile immediately appeared on her face.
“Forgive my discourtesy. I failed to bring a gift for my Younger Brother-in-Law.”
After a pause, she added, “I'll punish myself with a cup first. Once I've settled in and consulted the Grand Protector, I'll leave the residence to look around and choose a gift. Younger Brother-in-Law, don't take offense.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she raised her sleeve to cover her face and drained the cup with her head tipped back.
Her forthright manner was completely beyond everyone's expectations. Every gaze in the hall fell upon her.
Her bearing was graceful and refined, yet she had only just taken the seat of honor and already carried herself like the mistress of the household.
The most astonished of all was Zhao Wende. Madam had been silent otherwise, but once she opened her mouth, she had so much to say—and every word was so thoroughly considerate that it left him speechless.
Pei Huan immediately lifted his own cup, raised it toward her in invitation, and drained it with his head tipped back.
“Ah, we're family. Why talk about gifts and formalities? Sister-in-law, rest for a few days first. Whenever you want to leave the residence, come find me. I'll show you around.”
Suiying wanted to refuse, but felt that it would be improper, so she could only say, “Then I'll trouble you, Younger Brother-in-Law.”
After Pei Huan had paid his respects, people began stepping out from behind the tables one after another.
Pei Jing'an continued patiently introducing them from her side. As he spoke, he took away her wine cup and replaced it with hot soup.
It was not until the man she had grown familiar with during the journey came forward that she learned his name was Zhao Wende, Pei Jing'an's right-hand man.
No wonder he had looked displeased throughout the journey. Presumably, he was simply indignant on Pei Jing'an's behalf.