No matter how unpleasant the rumors were, Prince Xian's fu placed great importance on this wedding and did not slack off at all in terms of etiquette. A few days later, other than the betrothal gifts arranged by the Department of Household Affairs, the betrothal gifts sent to the marquis fu also included items that the wang fu had added themselves. These items were not there to make up the numbers, but were truly good items.
When Hua Hesheng and the Lu Clan saw the list of betrothal gifts, their discontent finally decreased slightly. No matter what Prince Xian thought, at least there was nothing wrong with the numbers. If their daughter married over, the other party would not do something as troublesome as favoring the concubine and neglecting the wife.
The one who delivered the betrothal gifts for Prince Xian was Xu Wang Fei, a woman of virtue and prestige in Jing who was already over sixty years old. Xu Wang Fei's words revealed that Prince Xian was not at all unhappy with this betrothal. She even promised Prince Xian that he would treat Hua Xi Wan well. This caused the Lu Clan's view of Prince Xian to improve.
However, while the Lu Clan's personality was straightforward, she was still a woman born in a large family. She could more or less hear that Xu Wang Fei was asking about her daughter in a roundabout way. She smiled and pushed it away. Seeing this, Xu Wang Fei did not insist. The betrothal had already been bestowed. No matter if this Miss Hua was ugly or not, the matter was settled and there was no point in saying more.
After Xu Wang Fei left, Hua Xi Wan walked out from the back. The Lu Clan said to her, "The people of the Imperial Family are all like this. Each of them is eloquent and each word is pleasant to hear, but you don't know that there are traps hidden in their words. Today, I had you hide in the back and listen, not to let you know how wealthy Prince Xian's fu is, but to let you know what the people of the Imperial Family are like. "
Hua Xi Wan looked at the long list of betrothal gifts. A beat later, she said neutrally, "Prince Xian … is as considerate as the rumors say." If word of this got out, everyone in the capital would praise Prince Xian for his generosity. Even when Prince Sheng married Grand Tutor He's granddaughter last year, he didn't have such a big entourage.
If they didn't get along well in the future, others would only say that she was vulgar and jealous, ruining such a good man.
The Lu Clan members saw that her expression was neither happy nor angry, and thought that she was unhappy because she was getting married. They comforted her, "In the future, if you suffer any grievances, you still have us and your two older brothers. Although our marquis fu is not as prominent as Jun Wang fu, Prince Xian will not dare to go too far."
"Mother, what are you thinking about?" Hua Xi Wan touched the hair ornament in her hair and smiled. "I'm not the kind of person who will easily lose out. Don't worry."
The Lu Clan nodded. As a mother, she knew her daughter's personality. In the end, she could only sigh and say, "In these days, follow the nannies and learn about the affairs of the Imperial Family. There are no simple people in the Imperial Family. It will be beneficial for you to know more."
Hua Xi Wan nodded. Seeing that the Lu Clan still had matters to attend to, she bid farewell and left the zhengyuan. She returned to her own yard and learned some court etiquette from the nannies. After eating lunch, she started to take a nap as usual.
There was no use in worrying about such an important matter. When the boat reached the bridge, it would cross the bridge.
The twenty-eighth year of Qilong, the twenty-eighth day of the third month. It was a good time to marry and move.
Even though she liked to sleep in, Hua Xi Wan had to get up early in the morning to dress and change into a dragon and phoenix auspicious robe. Looking at the servant girls and women who were busy around her, she became the most idle person.
There were still lights in the room, and the word "happiness" had been pasted on the doors and windows. Even the servant girls had changed their clothing and jewelry into festive colors to symbolize auspiciousness.
At this time, the Lu Clan personally came over with a bowl of peanut glutinous rice balls. Her eyes were slightly red as she said, "It's round and smooth."
Hua Xi Wan took the glutinous rice balls from the Lu Clan's hands and then looked at her eldest brother, eldest sister-in-law, and second brother behind Fahrenheit. Her eyes were slightly sore as she smiled. "Mother has worked hard."
When a woman got married, the elders of the family would personally cook a bowl of something that symbolized auspiciousness and then eat it with their peers or juniors. This represented the blessing of the maternal family to the married woman. It was also telling the married woman that the maternal family would always be behind her. This custom was rarely seen in prestigious families. Or rather, many prestigious families could not make this promise for the sake of the family's benefit. But now, her parents and elder brother had given her a promise that a prestigious family would not easily make. She was very fortunate.
The peanut and sesame glutinous rice balls were a bit sweet, but the sweetness reached Hua Xi Wan's heart. She blinked and found that her vision was a bit blurry.
After eating the glutinous rice balls, the blessed woman touched up Hua Xi Wan's makeup and then began to style her hair. The moment she put on the phoenix coronet, Hua Xi Wan felt that the top of her head was heavy. Then, she heard the blessed woman say something auspicious.
The blessed woman, Madam Gao, was also a person of status in the capital. If it weren't for her friendship with the Nghi An Marquis, she wouldn't have been willing to be the blessed woman. After all, she had heard the rumors in the capital and didn't want to get involved in these matters.
Who knew that after seeing Hua Xi Wan's true appearance, Madam Gao would understand what it meant to hear was false. If someone with this kind of appearance was still called an unattractive woman, then there would be no beautiful woman in the world. The Nghi An Marquis really could sit still. The rumors outside had already spread like this, but they still didn't clarify anything. However, when she thought about Hua Xi Wan's appearance, she had to admit that this situation was actually better for Hua Xi Wan.
When the sound of firecrackers came from outside, the blessed woman, under the reluctant gazes of the Hua family, congratulated Hua Xi Wan, then put the veil over her head.
After the veil was put on, all that was left in front of her eyes was red. Hua Xi Wan slightly lowered her head and saw the Lu Clan's embroidered shoes a few steps away. She seemed to take two steps towards her, but in the end, she reluctantly returned to her original position.
"Jun Wang Fei, please rise."
"From this step forward, glory, splendor, wealth, and rank will depend on you."
The Lu Clan covered her mouth and used a handkerchief to wipe the corners of her eyes. She didn't want her daughter to see that she was crying, but she couldn't hide her reluctance.
"From this step forward, you won't have to worry about living a long life."
Hua Xi Wan's head turned towards the Lu Clan. Even though there was a veil over her head, everyone in the room knew that the person she wanted to see was definitely the Lu Clan.
"From this step forward, you will have children and grandchildren."
Even though she could not see the road ahead, Hua Xi Wan was supported by the whole-fortune matron and walked steadily step by step. Then she stopped at the door and listened to the noise outside gradually come closer. Then she heard Xian Junw.a.n.g's voice.
"Zi Ling greets Niangzi. Niangzi, please get on the sedan."
Prince Xian's name was Yan Jinqiu, courtesy name Zi Ling. He was the son of Xian Qinwang. Four years ago, Xian Qinwang had died of illness, and Yan Jinqiu had been demoted to inherit the throne. The rumors said that this person's appearance was outstanding, and he was cultured and refined. He was a rare good man.
Yan Jinqiu's voice was soft and pleasant, but under the veil, Hua Xi Wan's face was expressionless. After Yan Jinqiu respectfully invited them three times, Hua Xi Wan's eldest brother, Hua Changbao, opened the door. After exchanging greetings with Yan Jinqiu, Hua Xi Wan was carried by her second brother, Hua Ding Rong, and was supported by the blessed woman out of the room.
The members of the Imperial House who had accompanied Yan Jinqiu to invite the bride laughed and said that the bride had come out. They crowded around the bride as they left the fu. Their enthusiasm was not affected at all by the rumors outside.
When the dowry was carried out one by one from the marquis fu, the people watching on the street gaped. They had all heard that the Nghi An Marquis doted on his daughter, but they hadn't thought that he doted on her like this. From the looks of it, the first batch of dowry had already entered the wang fu, and the last batch had not yet left the marquis fu's gates.
Some people also felt that the Nghi An Marquis had prepared so much dowry for Princess Xian in order to give her confidence. Her appearance was not very good. If the dowry was not rich, wouldn't she be looked down upon even more in the Imperial House?
No matter what, if a woman had more gold and silver, she would have more confidence. So some of the matrons watching were envious. No matter how ugly Princess Xian was, to have such a good paternal family, that was the good fortune of a lifetime. That was something that many women could not have even if they begged for it.
Thinking of this, the crowd looked at the proud Prince Xian riding on the back of a tall horse. His face was full of excitement, as if he was not marrying a woman with no beauty, but a fairy from the ninth heaven. Seeing this scene, the crowd sighed again. As expected of Prince Xian. His temperament was not something they could compare to.
The double-top bridal sedan circled around the main road of the capital. Amidst a wave of congratulations, it finally arrived at the gates of Jun Wang's fu. Hua Xi Wan heard the crackling of firecrackers outside the sedan and felt that her ears were about to be deafened.
When the curtain of the sedan was lifted and she was carried up, she realized that the person carrying her didn't seem to be the matron of honor, but more like a man.
"Wife, we're going in."
The person carrying her was Yan Jinqiu. Hua Xi Wan's lips curved. She didn't say anything and only used her fingertips to lightly scratch the other's shoulder, indicating that she had heard.
Hearing the praises of Prince Xian's deep affection and consideration, Hua Xi Wan's smile became even more obvious. Yes, what a good man. He didn't mind his wife's ugly appearance, and even personally carried her down the sedan because he was worried that she would be looked down upon. He was so considerate that it moved her to tears.
If she really was ugly and didn't live for another lifetime, then just based on Yan Jinqiu's actions, she would have already secretly fallen in love with him and would not be moved.
Entering the gates of the wang fu, Yan Jinqiu put down Hua Xi Wan and took the red silk from the matron of honor. He held one end tightly and put the other end in Hua Xi Wan's hand. Then, he carefully led Hua Xi Wan inside.
Stepping through door after door, turning through corridor after corridor, listening to the auspicious words, Hua Xi Wan's expression became more and more indifferent under the veil. By the time they reached the main hall and prepared to bow to heaven and earth, she had already recovered her calm expression.
After the envoy sent by the Emperor finished reading the decree, the bow to heaven and earth truly began. The first bow to heaven and earth, three bows. The second bow to the parents, three bows. The husband and wife bowed to each other, three bows.
After the blessed matron invited by Jun Wang fu helped her into the bridal chamber to rest, the other unrelated people left. Only Hua Xi Wan's four personal servant girls stayed with her.
Finding a comfortable position to lean against the head of the bed, Hua Xi Wan knew that there were definitely people guarding the door, so she didn't speak. She only covered her mouth to yawn and closed her eyes to rest, waiting for the bridegroom who was still being forced to drink outside to remove the veil.
Yan Jinqiu usually had good relations with people. After being forced to drink, he was let go. The younger generation who originally wanted to disturb the bridal chamber thought of the rumors outside and were afraid that he would be embarrassed, so they didn't clamor to see the bride. In the end, only the matron of honor and a few elders accompanied him to the bridal chamber.
He pushed open the half-closed door of the bridal chamber and saw Fahrenheit sitting demurely on the bed. From the outside, she looked like a very graceful woman. Four beautiful servant girls stood on either side of the bridal chamber. When they saw him enter, they all bowed slowly towards him. Their postures were elegant. It could be seen that the marquis fu had trained them well.
She had an ordinary appearance but dared to choose four beautiful servant girls to serve by her side. This Fahrenheit had a good attitude.
"Prince Xian, please remove the veil." The matron of honor saw Prince Xian staring at the bride and smiled as she handed over the wedding scale with both hands.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
