As the boat approached the Tongzhou port, the servants from Houfu who had accompanied them visibly grew excited. Yun Niang instructed Xi Huan to freshen up, redo her makeup, and change into her wedding dress. After applying rouge, even the bridal attendant was momentarily stunned.
“Miss Xia, with such beauty, I’m afraid the Son-in-law will be smitten at first sight.”
The bridal attendant was Chen Niangzi, the most famous in Huzhou, invited by Lady Zhen. Accompanying them on this journey, she certainly expected a generous reward, but she also possessed genuine skill in reading people and situations.
Lady Bian appeared flawless on the surface, but beyond that, she offered no real benefits and held no expectations for this marriage. Just moments ago, when the bridal attendant asked Lady Bian whether the Son-in-law would come to meet them upon arrival in Tongzhou, she hadn’t even responded. Could it be that no one would come to welcome their young lady?
The bridal attendant privately sought out Nanny Hu to discuss the matter, hoping this experienced Mama by the young lady’s side could take charge, as she appeared steady and reliable.
Nanny Hu, however, said, “There’s no need for the bridal attendant to worry about this. This marriage was decreed by the Emperor—a match made in heaven. How could they dare openly disrespect the Emperor?”
“That makes sense,” the bridal attendant realized, adding, “After all, you are an official household’s managing Mama, more knowledgeable than us.”
Nanny Hu felt embarrassed. In truth, the young lady had already addressed this last night, telling them not to panic. If anything was amiss, it would be Jianguo Houfu disrespecting the Emperor, and it had nothing to do with them.
That was why she remained so calm, unworthy of the bridal attendant’s praise.
Lady Bian had assumed the Xia family would be panicked and flustered, but unexpectedly, they remained composed and unruffled. She herself, however, grew uneasy. Lady Hou had sent her to fetch the bride with strict orders to ensure everything went smoothly. If Third Master truly failed to arrive, the blame would fall on her—for not calculating the days properly.
Upon reaching Tongzhou, sure enough, no one from Houfu had arrived.
Nanny Hu whispered in her ear, “Young lady, the people from Houfu haven’t arrived yet.”
“Don’t rush, let’s wait.”
Yun Niang rarely had the chance to stand on solid ground and longed to savor this sense of security. She almost wished she didn’t have to board the bridal sedan so quickly. That large, ornate sedan was dizzyingly unsteady. Having been rocked on the boat for nearly two months, she was overjoyed to finally feel the ground beneath her feet.
A bride dressed in red wedding attire, veiled and standing there, drew searching glances from all around, watched by many pairs of eyes.
Lady Bian grew so anxious in the bitter winter cold that beads of sweat the size of soybeans dripped from her forehead.
Nanny Hu smiled warmly, “Lady Bian, please wipe your sweat.”
Now Lady Bian couldn’t bear it. While she was frantic, the Xia family acted as if nothing was wrong. Displeased, she said, “Who knows what’s going on? Third Master still hasn’t arrived.”
Nanny Hu didn’t see any issue: “We all defer to you, Lady Bian. You were sent by Lady Hou, and I believe a noble household like Houfu would never miss an auspicious time.”
But when was this auspicious time? Who could say?
Lady Bian forced a smile, not daring to show weakness in front of Nanny Hu.
But turning away, she said to Yun Huan, “Tell Wang Cheng to ride swiftly and check whether the wedding procession has arrived.”
She had clearly sent word ahead, so why hadn’t they come? She had intended to make the Xia family nervous and fearful, but in the end, the one frightened was herself.
While they were speaking, a procession arrived at the shore. At the front were red-lacquered wooden plaques made of chicken-wing wood, announcing the wedding procession. The man leading the group, though travel-worn and riding a tall horse, still looked exceptionally dashing.
He wore a purple-gold crown to tie up his hair, dressed in an exquisitely embroidered red robe adorned with red phoenixes. The palace tassels hanging on either side of his face accentuated his sharp, well-defined features—his temples were as if carved by a knife, his eyebrows like ink paintings, and his nose like a suspended gall—making him an exceptionally handsome young man.
Madam Bian finally broke into a smile. “Third Master has finally arrived.”
Nanny Hu also perked up, her stern face beaming like that of Maitreya Buddha. This Third Master was truly too good-looking, so spirited and vibrant. Such an outstanding man was indeed worthy of her young lady.
Mu Shi dismounted and first addressed Madam Bian, “I apologize for being slightly late. Please do not blame me. You have worked hard along the way.”
Hearing such an acknowledgment of her efforts warmed her heart.
Before Nanny Hu could think of how to speak to the son-in-law, she saw Mu Shi approach directly, his face radiant with a smile, as if he were genuinely delighted about this marriage.
“It was my fault for being late. My apologies to everyone.”
At this moment, the wedding matron stepped in. “As long as the son-in-law and our young lady have a good relationship, any time is an auspicious day.”
Yun Niang could not see the groom’s expression, but judging by his tone, he seemed like a rare, considerate person. She breathed a sigh of relief, and soon after, smoothly boarded the bridal sedan chair.
The journey from Tongzhou to the capital would take another day and night.
Efficiency was now in full swing. Perhaps because Mu Shi himself had come, after Madam Bian stepped back, everything was directed by Mu Shi personally.
He gave off a very reliable impression, and Nanny Hu was delighted for Yun Niang.
Yun Niang, however, was not as optimistic as them. Such a meticulous and ambitious man—where would he be willing to stop here? As the saying goes, “rise in rank, get rich, and the wife dies”—her life might even be in danger. The current so-called goodness was nothing but a reflection in water or a flower in a mirror, illusory and fleeting.
Mu Shi himself truly thought this way. In just one day, he had roughly understood what kind of family the Xià Jiā was.
To call them a middle-class family would be an overstatement—they were merely a humble household. The dowry of the Xià Jiā girl consisted of only sixty-six trunks, sixteen of which were sent by the Houfu. There were few useful servants, the steward mama was too emotionally expressive, the bride had been slighted yet foolishly remained there stomping her feet, and the maids seemed as if they had never seen the world.
Tsk tsk, who knew how long this marriage would last.
Marrying her was not his wish, but now that he was forced into it, he could not show any displeasure.
Each harboring their own thoughts along the way, they soon arrived in the capital from Tongzhou. In no time, Nanny Hu said, “Young lady, we have reached the capital.”
Yun Niang finally perked up. “It’s good that we’ve arrived.”
This wedding was utterly exhausting.
The hardships of travel were not meant for humans to endure. She was also starving, wishing she could quickly have a hot meal.
Unfortunately, even wanting a full meal was not peaceful. Midway, another wedding procession approached.
From that side came a shout: “Our Changfeng Marquess’s Mansion’s Seventh Master is getting married. Make way quickly!”
What a twist of fate—today was also the wedding day of Yun Niang’s former fiancé, Chen Mingyu. After compensating his fiancée to Mu Shi, Marquis of Changfeng, to prevent others from looking down on his son, specifically arranged a noble marriage for this illegitimate son. With the high status, and through the matchmaking of Consort Chen in the palace, the eldest daughter of Prince Qinghe, Princess Shumin, was betrothed to him.
Prince Qinghe is an iron-hat prince, and although Princess Shumin was born to a concubine, the principal wife had no sons. Instead, her own younger brother from the same mother was established as the Heir Apparent.
Marrying someone like this into the family, how could Changfeng Marquess’s Mansion possibly step aside for others?
Changfeng Marquess’s Mansion refused to yield, and the people of Jianguo Houfu, already harboring old grudges and new resentments, were even less inclined to give way.