Another month passed, and the autumn heat was still oppressive. Yun Niang, who had always been sensitive to heat, wanted to go to the estate to escape the weather, but unexpectedly, the people from the Jianguo Houfu had already arrived, making it impossible for her to leave.
A wedding typically involves six rituals: proposal, name inquiry, divination, betrothal gifts, date selection, and the wedding ceremony itself.
However, their wedding was somewhat special. Since it was arranged by the Emperor’s decree, the steps of proposal, name inquiry, divination, and betrothal gifts had already been omitted. Now, the people from the Jianguo Houfu had arrived with generous betrothal gifts to complete the betrothal ceremony, presenting them to the bride’s family before directly escorting Yun Niang to the capital for the wedding.
Lady Zhen prepared an unusually lavish breakfast. Seated at the head of the long table was the head of the household, Xia Shiyan. At thirty-eight years old, he sported a handsome beard and was known as a distinguished gentleman. He was clearly displeased.
“He claims to be busy, but a wedding is a major life event. How could catching bandits be more important than this? I think he’s clearly resisting this marriage and doesn’t take our Xià Jiā seriously.”
Indeed, it was originally expected that Mu Shi himself would come to Huzhou to escort the bride, but it was said that he had gone north to suppress bandits and could not come in person.
Lady Zhen spoke frankly, “The Changfeng Marquess’s Mansion acted unfairly, so it’s no wonder the Jianguo Houfu is responding this way. Although they returned the land they had seized, the Emperor showed favoritism. The Heir Apparent of Changfeng, who shot and killed someone, faced no consequences, while Third Master of the Jianguo Houfu lost his fiancée and was forced to marry the fiancée of his enemy. It’s no surprise he’s unhappy.”
The situation was complicated from the start. After all, the Xià Jiā was merely a humble Prefect’s family, not a prominent household. If the Jianguo Houfu intended to slight them, there was little they could do.
Even if her husband was angry, it wouldn’t change anything.
After breakfast, Xia Shiyan had to go to his official duties, but his anger lingered. Only after the children had left did he voice his regret: “We should have betrothed her to the son of Zhou Tongs instead.”
Zhou Tongs’ son was Zhou Yun’s older brother. The two families were close friends, and their daughter was also close friends with Zhou Yun. Huzhou and Hangzhou were nearby, so such complications wouldn’t have arisen.
But Lady Zhen shook her head. “Madam Zhou is a good person, but she only spoke of it casually and never formally proposed. Zhou Bin is decent, but he’s too obedient to his Niang, and he’s thin and short. With our Yun Niang’s character and talents, how could she marry someone like that?”
Perhaps once bitten, twice shy. For Lady Zhen, there was no such thing as “don’t underestimate a young man’s potential.” She didn’t want her daughter to suffer any hardship and preferred her to marry into a higher status whenever possible.
Moreover, Madam Zhou knew full well that her nephew had a childhood sweetheart he loved, yet she insisted on marrying Zhou Yun to him. This showed she was someone who only cared about her own interests. In such a household, Yun Niang would have no chance of a peaceful life.
Xia Shiyan was merely venting his frustration and knew Lady Zhen was right. He simply said, “When the people from the Jianguo Houfu arrive, make proper arrangements. Don’t embarrass our Xià Jiā.”
Lady Zhen understood this perfectly well.
The person who came to welcome Mu Shi in his stead was the wife of General Wuwei, Lady Bian. This Lady Bian spoke warmly, “Our Old Dowager and Lady Hou said to let Third Master hand over his duties to someone else before coming, saying that work is never-ending. The three great joys in life are passing the imperial examination, the wedding night, and meeting an old friend in a distant land. Establishing a family before building a career is a major event. However, our Third Master is stubborn by nature, a man who knows only loyalty to the sovereign and love for the country. He said he is already handling the suppression of bandits in the Northwest, and if he were to leave, others might not fully understand the situation, which could delay His Majesty’s affairs. So, our Old Dowager and Lady Hou asked me to fetch the bride first. It won’t be too late to hold the ceremony once we reach the capital.”
She also reassured Lady Zhen, “Don’t worry, by the time we arrive in the capital, Third Master will surely have returned long ago. Please don’t blame him. The Houfu will handle everything properly.”
After all, Lady Bian was the wife of a Rank 4a official, while Lady Zhen was only the wife of a Rank 4b official, technically of a lower rank. However, the court valued civil officials over military ones, so to some extent, the wives of civil officials held higher status. Moreover, Lady Bian had no airs about her and spoke candidly to Lady Zhen, making Mu Shi’s absence sound perfectly reasonable.
She gave a stick and then a sweet date, showing herself to be a thoughtful and thorough person.
Lady Zhen also smiled and said, “Loyalty to the sovereign and love for the country are good things. How could we possibly blame him? As they say, a thousand-mile marriage is tied by a single thread. Let the past be carried away by the wind. Now, with His Majesty bestowing this marriage, it is the highest honor. We only hope this union proceeds smoothly, so we as parents can rest assured.”
With hidden thorns in her soft words, Lady Zhen pointed out that this marriage was no ordinary one—it was bestowed by the Emperor. They might be dissatisfied, but the marriage must proceed smoothly for both sides to save face.
No matter how powerful your Jianguo Houfu may be, you must still obey the Emperor’s command.
Lady Bian naturally understood this. She took a sip of tea, casually said a few more words, and then sized up Lady Zhen. Lady Zhen truly hailed from the Zhen family of Hebei, a descendant of the Cao Wei beauty Zhen Mi, as stunning as the Goddess of the Luo River—graceful as a startled swan, elegant as a swimming dragon, her beauty transcending the mundane.
If the mother was so dazzlingly beautiful, what about the daughter? With this in mind, the daughter must surely be a peerless beauty. However, for a man like Third Master, interests far outweigh women. No matter how beautiful a girl might be, she was of little consequence.
Lady Bian’s arrival made it even more impossible for Yun Niang to leave the house. Her dowry had been prepared long ago, and recently, the sixteen betrothal gifts sent by the Jianguo Houfu were added, bringing the total to sixty-six, symbolizing smoothness.
As for the rest, Feixu and Shuangyan, her two personal maids, were definitely to be taken along. The family also provided two households of servants as part of the dowry, totaling ten people, roughly the same number as Yuanniang’s dowry.
However, Yuanniang had taken four maids, one household of servants, and an old Mama.
Why was there such a difference?
The reason was that Yuanniang was the daughter of the former principal wife, Lady Cheng. After Lady Cheng passed away, the Cheng family reclaimed half of her dowry. When the Cheng family came, many servants begged to return with them. This was only natural. At the time, Xia Shiyan was merely a low-ranking official, and Yuanniang was just a girl. Serving Yuanniang offered little benefit. Moreover, Xia Shiyan was young and would inevitably remarry. Once a new mistress took charge, what future would there be for the old servants? Thus, many of them fled.
Therefore, Yuanniang only had two maidservants and an old Mama attending to her. It was only after Lady Zhen entered the household that two more attendants were added, and the old Mama’s son was arranged to marry and have children, counting as one household to accompany her as dowry. This essentially meant they were all Yuanniang’s own people.
Lady Zhen took charge of arrangements for this eldest daughter but could not interfere too much. However, when it came to her own daughter, she could take full responsibility.
Since Yun Niang was marrying into the Jianguo Houfu, her personal maidservants were especially important. Lady Zhen estimated that the Son-in-law, being a young master of a marquis household, likely already had concubines and tongfang. Bringing too many might not be advantageous, as even one defection could cause trouble.
Thus, the dowry maidservants for her daughter had to be controllable—quality over quantity. As the saying goes, “Once you enter a marquis household, it’s as deep as the sea.” Therefore, sending two households as dowry would ensure that, while running errands outside, her daughter would not become blind and deaf, unable to hear or see anything.
Additionally, having a Mama who had given birth to help make decisions, especially in attending to her daughter during childbirth, would be even better.
Yun Niang had Shuangyan prop open the window lattice. “This way, we can get some fresh air. I’ve been nearly suffocated these past few days.”
Feixu brought over a chilled dessert bowl. “Miss, please try this chilled dessert. The kitchen staff added cherry sauce and drizzled honey over it—it couldn’t be more delicious. Here, you’ll know once you taste it.”
In the past, the young lady had been very fond of delicious food and even often cooked herself. But now, because the wedding came so urgently and she was marrying into a household like the Houfu, the Madam was afraid the young lady might get splashed with oil or injured somewhere. She didn’t even allow Yun Niang to move around freely, let alone tinker in the small kitchen.
“Alright, let me try it.”
Just as she was about to taste it, Shan Ling, a maidservant from Lady Zhen’s side, arrived. Seeing the chilled dessert, she quickly said to Shuangyan and Feixu, “Even though it’s the height of summer, how can you give the young lady something so cold? What if it upsets her stomach?”
Shan Ling, Shuangyan, and Sanyan were originally all from Lady Zhen’s side, but Shuangyan and Sanyan had been assigned to Yuanniang and Yun Niang respectively.
Thus, Shan Ling was not only a senior maidservant but also experienced, considered the head among all the maidservants and a trusted confidante of Lady Zhen. She clearly knew that at this moment, Lady Zhen least wanted anything to happen to Yun Niang—not even the slightest issue.
Yun Niang sat upright above and smiled. “I haven’t started eating it yet! Never mind, what brings you here?”
Shuangyan and Feixu both breathed a sigh of relief.
Although the young lady usually acted coquettishly in front of the Madam, she was extremely authoritative in front of the servants. With just one sentence, she made Sister Shan Ling dare not ask further. If Shan Ling had gone to Young Master Qi, she would surely have delivered a long lecture.
It wasn’t that Shan Ling was bad; it was just that she managed many affairs and inevitably tended to be a bit nagging.
Shan Ling quickly replied, “Miss, Madam asks you to go over. The Lady Bian sent by the Jianguo Houfu is also there.”
She was to leave for her new home tomorrow, so why did Lady Bian want to see her today? Yun Niang chuckled lightly. “Could it be that she wants me to go over to verify my identity, afraid I might run away midway?”
Lady Bian indeed had this intention, and at the same time, she thought that since they would be spending one or two months together on the journey—no short period—she needed to first understand the bride’s temperament.
She was currently enjoying tea at Lady Zhen’s place. Lady Zhen took care of her with utmost attentiveness. Though it was a small Prefect’s residence, the rules were strict, and the servants spoke little, which showed it was quite well-managed.
Soon, Lady Bian met the second young lady of the Xià Jiā.
When she entered, it seemed as if the entire room dimmed, with her alone being that beam of light—an indescribable beauty. Lady Bian, being the wife of a military officer, did not know how to describe it, but it reminded her of the lantern depicting the beauty of Yang Guifei she had once bought; it was likely just like that.
Like a bright pearl in the night sky, her entire person seemed to glow with a halo.
Lady Bian thought to herself that Lady Zhen was skilled in scheming, only wanting her daughter to marry into a higher status, never caring about the girl’s happiness. Clearly, they knew nothing about the Jianguo Houfu, yet they were eager for their daughter to marry into the Houfu, all for the sake of wealth and glory. Not to mention Lady He, the wife of Physician He, whom she had also met before—she was absolutely a social climber. Lady Bian thought, where was there any sisterly affection? It was likely that wealth and glory had blinded them.
But she did not understand why the Xià Jiā was so confident in marrying into a high-ranking family. Xia Shiyan was merely the Prefect of Huzhou, born into a humble family—what kind of insight could his daughter possibly have? Yet upon seeing this face, Lady Bian finally understood what it meant to possess a beauty that could topple cities and captivate nations. With such beauty, marrying into a higher status was only natural.
Seeing Lady Bian looking at her like this, Yun Niang hurriedly performed the proper greeting, “I pay my respects to you, Madam.”
Only then did Lady Bian awaken as if from a dream, “Please rise, young lady.”