Time flew, and in the blink of an eye, it was the day that Guan Liang Han led his troops back to the court. The defeated Tian Jin sent an envoy to deliver a letter of surrender. The Emperor was greatly pleased, and Guan Liang Han received many rewards. But now, people did not pay attention to this, and instead focused on Jiang Ruan's marriage. On the fifth day after Guan Liang Han returned to the court, it was the wedding day of Jinying Wang and Hong 'an Junzhu. Because Hong 'an Junzhu was now considered half a member of the imperial family, it was handled by the Empress Dowager. The official's real family, the Minister's fu, did not make any moves.
Na Cai, ask for the name, na ji, ask for the date. On this day, it was snowing lightly in the River East, and snowflakes sprinkled down. Jiang Ruan sat in the inner room, and the Zhao family's Second Grandmother, Yao shi, sat in front of her, watching the matron of honor give her a multicolored cotton thread to make dough. Second Grandmother Zhao had always been grateful to Jiang Ruan for saving Zhao Feizhou. Speaking of which, the women of the General fu were all very gentle and kind. Knowing that she was Zhao Mei's daughter, they had continuously sent her gifts over the years. Now that she was married, the Minister's fu was deserted, and Jiang Quan simply did not care. Xia Yue was a member of the Xia family. On the surface, she had done her best, but in reality, she was not particularly warm. On the other hand, the Zhao family had sent a total of twenty congratulatory gifts. Zhao Guang had also sent over ten thousand taels of banknotes and land deeds. He said that it was the dowry that Zhao Mei had not sent out when she married into the Minister's fu, and now it was all given to Jiang Ruan.
How could she refuse? The Zhao family treated her with absolute sincerity. Yao shi looked at her as she talked about how to get along with married husband and wife, which really made Jiang Ruan blush with shame. With great difficulty, Yao shi went out. Lin Zi Xiang ate the fruit on the table with the red letter and said, "You probably didn't listen to a word that your aunt said. To be honest, I am a little curious, how will you and Xiao Shao get along after you become husband and wife? Tsk tsk, I can't think of anything. "
Wen Fei Fei facepalmed, "What nonsense are you talking about? You are not married yet, so you will naturally know after you are married. Ruan Meimei, your temperament is so gentle and you are born beautiful. Moreover, there is no mother-in-law or younger aunt in Jinying Wang fu, so your days will only get better and better. "Ever since Wen Fei Fei had nearly fainted at the Jiang fu's entrance, she had discovered that she was pregnant upon returning to the fu. Originally, her life in the mansion was not very smooth. Once she got pregnant, she was almost worshipped by her husband's family. Now, she could be considered to have some experience in the inner courtyard. Seeing that Jiang Ruan did not need to serve her mother-in-law and youngest aunt, she was naturally happy for her.
"What does this have to do with beauty?" Lin Zi Xiang immediately said, "Can't I get married if I'm not beautiful? Where did this twisted logic come from? Those who only care about their outer appearance are short-sighted people! "Lin Zi Xiang had always been a loner. Wen Fei Fei could not win an argument against her and could only helplessly shake her head.
Zhao Jin smiled and tried to smooth things over. "What's the point of saying this? Today is Ruan meimei's big day, so I'd better take out the dowry first. Ruan meimei has seen many good things, so don't think I'm too shabby." As she spoke, she took out a small box from her sleeve. The box looked dark and swarthy, and there was nothing special about it. In fact, it even looked a little stupid. When Jiang Ruan took it, Zhao Jin spat out a mouthful of tea and said, "What is this thing that you're giving? A stone? In any case, you should have found a better looking box. "
"What stone?" Hearing this, Zhao Jin anxiously said, "This is the dark black stone that my eldest brother brought back from Xi Rong. It looks a little stupid, but when it comes to sturdiness, no one can compare. If you take it and burn it in a fire for three days and three nights, there won't be any damage. It's a treasure that's hard to find even with a thousand taels of gold. "Giving such a stone as a dowry was really in line with Zhao Jin's temperament. However, Jiang Ruan felt helpless in her heart. What was the use of holding such a box? She could not possibly use such a box to store jewelry.
"Open it and take a look. The thing inside was personally made by me at Bao Yue Lou." Zhao Jin's face was full of anticipation. Jiang Ruan opened the box according to her words and discovered that there was a ring inside. For the time being, it could be called a ring, but to be more precise, it was a black ring with a gold lump on top. On the other hand, no matter how calm Jiang Ruan usually was, when she saw such an intuitive piece of jewelry, she could not help but choke.
When Wen Fei Fei and Lin Zi Xiang saw it, they both coughed. They really did not agree with Zhao Jin's taste in choosing jewelry. Normally, it was fine if her sisters looked at her, but if she completely followed her heart's desire, it would not be pleasing to her eyes. For example, the pile of gold beads on the ring made everyone feel somewhat powerless. Even if Jiang Ruan wanted to owe her a favor, this kind of jewelry was really eye-catching.
Jiang Ruan smiled slightly, "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Zhao Jin smiled and said, "This ring is also made of black gold stone and is very sturdy. In the future, if you encounter any situation, you can probably use it as a knife. But after thinking about it, you are still a girl after all. You can't just wear a plain ring, so I asked Bao Yue Lou's master to add some decorations. Is this gold flower beautiful? "
It would have been better not to add it. Lin Zi Xiang had already turned her head away as she could not bear to look. The corners of Jiang Ruan's mouth were somewhat stiff, but she still took it and said, "It's very beautiful." Zhao Jin choosing jewelry was the same as choosing a weapon. As long as it was hard, sturdy, and sharp, it was beautiful.
Zhao Jin was relieved, "As long as you like it, it couldn't be better."
Lin Zi Xiang and Wen Fei Fei pulled Zhao Jin away and handed over their own additions to the dowry. Wen Fei Fei's was a head made of South Sea pearls. The beads were big and round, very beautiful. Lin Zi Xiang, on the other hand, had a rare ancient book. She eloquently said that this was their family's heirloom, and there was only one such book in the world. She felt that it was fated with Jiang Ruan, so she gave it to her. Jiang Ruan looked at the worn-out pages of the book and felt extremely helpless.
When Yao shi returned, the matron of honor finished wringing the dough and began to apply Jiang Ruan's makeup. As she did so, she said, "Miss is already very beautiful, so there is no need for heavy color makeup. I, the matron of honor, have done so many brides, but I have never seen such a beautiful one."
Lian Qiao and the others stood behind Jiang Ruan and laughed heartily. After the matron of honor finished tidying up, she smiled at Yao shi and said, "It's done now, quickly come and see if the bride is beautiful or not?"
Jiang Ruan stood up. Today, she was wearing a crimson wedding dress. Previously, when she was sitting, she did not notice it. However, when she stood up, she felt as if her whole body was overflowing with light and vibrant colors, so bright that it almost burned one's eyes. Her facial features tended to be bright and beautiful, and her usual smile was somewhat gentle and distant, which somewhat suppressed her flamboyance and made her appear less frivolous. Now that the matron of honor had drawn her eyebrows and applied a little rouge, her skin was whiter than snow, her lips were like cherry petals, and her eyes were raised up, sprinkled with gold powder. Unexpectedly, she was astonishingly charming. That wedding dress was like fire, but she was like an enchantress in a cluster of flowers, each and every movement was lively and fragrant. There were only a few womenfolk in the room, and they could not help but stare.
"Ruan meimei, you are so beautiful." Zhao Jin was somewhat infatuated, "It's as if you walked out of a painting."
"I originally thought that I was already very beautiful on the day of my marriage, but seeing you today, I know what it means to pale in comparison. I already knew that Ruan meimei was born beautiful, but I did not know that you were this stunning." Wen Fei Fei said.
Yao shi could not help but exclaim in admiration. Previously, she had heard from Zhao Yuan Ping that the youngest sister of the Zhao family, Zhao Mei, had been passionate and moving when she was young, as dazzling as a ball of fire. Now, looking at this niece, she could roughly see Zhao Mei's graceful bearing from that time. Jiang Ruan, who usually deliberately suppressed her charm, had now completely let it go, causing people to be extremely shocked. They only felt that this kind of color could bring calamity to the country and bring suffering to the people.
Lin Zi Xiang had always been picky, but at this moment, she was silent for a long time before she said, "This wedding dress makes you look somewhat like a beauty."
Everyone did not know whether to laugh or cry. A few womenfolk of the Zhao family came in to say a few words, and when the sky brightened a little, the wedding procession arrived.
The matron of honor hurriedly said, "Miss, please rise." As she finished speaking, she placed the exquisite phoenix coronet on Jiang Ruan's head and covered the wedding veil. Yao shi also came over to help her out of the door.
The wedding procession from Jinying Wang fu arrived at the entrance of the Jiang fu. After all, the Jiang family was the paternal family, so the bridal sedan had to be carried to the entrance of the Jiang fu. Empress Dowager Yi De did not appear to attend the ceremony, but sent Yang GuGu to bring the wedding gift, which could be considered as supporting the scene. As soon as Jiang Ruan stepped out, the surrounding people were dazzled by the gorgeous and stunning wedding dress. The young ladies present, even those who were already married, could not help but suck in a breath of cold air. Just as Lu Zhu had said, even if one wore the whole of the Minister's fu, the Empress's court dress would not necessarily be as expensive.
When the bridal sedan arrived at the entrance, Jiang Ruan had just followed a group of people to the entrance when she heard the sound of firecrackers being set off outside. Opening the unlatched main door, the 'sedan sedan door', the Zhao family's First Grandmother, Zhou shi, stood up with a red candle in one hand and a mirror in the other. She walked to the sedan door and shone the light inside, expelling the wronged ghosts hidden in the sedan and 'searching the sedan'.
Outside, a large sedan with eight carriers was waiting. It was a soft sedan that was sufficiently gorgeous. The sedan was embroidered with a picture of a hundred children and a thousand grandchildren, all drawn with fine gold thread. Even though the sun was not very bright today, under the reflection of the deep snow on the ground, it actually looked like a thin, shining golden fan. Purple crystals hung down from the top of the sedan, and each one was worth a thousand taels of gold. Jinying Wang fu's extravagance was really too great. Even this soft sedan was enough to feed a third-ranked official's entire fu for a year.
The eight people who were carrying the sedan were all dressed in green and were tall and handsome. Their entire bodies were very imposing, and they appeared very imposing. They had never seen a manservant carrying a sedan before, so they attracted the attention of the womenfolk. However, among the crowd, there were young girls who blushed when they saw the sedan bearers.
Jiang Quan stood to one side, and in the midst of the bustle, there was a smile on his face, as if he was also very happy. However, upon closer inspection, one could see that the smile was forced.
Following this was the 'weeping sedan'. Originally, the bride should have sat on her mother's lap, and her mother should have fed her sedan rice. However, Zhao Mei had already passed away many years ago. If Xia Yue were to be the one to feed the sedan rice, in the eyes of the crowd, it would be a huge mockery. Naturally, Xiao Shao would not allow such a thing to happen. He had already discussed this with the people of the General fu. The sedan rice would be personally fed by the General's wife, Madam Li.
Madam Li was Jiang Ruan's maternal grandmother. Jiang Ruan was sitting on her lap. Madam Li had just scooped a spoonful of rice and brought it to Jiang Ruan's mouth when her eyes immediately reddened. At that time, Zhao Mei and Jiang Quan could be considered to have eloped to become wives. However, when her only daughter got married, she was not able to feed her even a mouthful of sedan rice. This was the eternal regret and pain in Madam Li's heart. Now, as she watched her own granddaughter ascend the bridal sedan, it was as if she was once again looking at her bright and enthusiastic youngest daughter. Madam Li's heart ached, and her words of exhortation were even more sincere, "Nan ah nan, Nong can carry it, ah, it's so warm ah! Nong go alone ah, ah, bring a wave ah! "
After the 'weeping sedan' was the 'carrying sedan'. The bride's elder brother would carry the bride into the sedan. Today, Jiang Xin Zhi was dressed in a lotus-green embroidered auspicious robe with a multicolored ribbon tied around his waist. This had been given to him by Jiang Ruan when she had been bored. He walked to Jiang Ruan's side, bent down, and picked her up. He moved closer to her ear and whispered, "Ah Ruan, are you ready?"
"I'm ready, Eldest Brother." Under the wedding veil, Jiang Ruan smiled slightly. She only felt Jiang Xin Zhi's arm, which was holding her, tighten, as if some kind of emotion was about to burst forth. However, in the end, he only said, "Ah Ruan, from now on, you are someone else's. If he bullies you, you tell me. Never let yourself suffer any grievances. "
His words were heavy and forbearing, not like an elder brother marrying off a younger sister, but more like a father marrying off a daughter. Jiang Ruan wanted to laugh, so she stretched out her hands and hugged his neck tightly. However, she recalled the grievous news of Jiang Xin Zhi's previous life, and the mournfulness and despair in her heart at that time. In this life, she had always protected Jiang Xin Zhi. Jiang Xin Zhi was still by her side, and that was enough. She smiled and said, "I know, Eldest Brother. No matter who I marry, you will always be my Eldest Brother. "
Jiang Xin Zhi did not speak again, and carried Jiang Ruan towards the bridal sedan. He had watched the young girl in his arms grow up, from a babe learning to speak to the slender and elegant young lady today. Even if she was about to become someone's wife, in Jiang Xin Zhi's heart, Jiang Ruan would always be a little sister who had not grown up.
After Jiang Ruan sat in the sedan, the person at the front of the wedding procession appeared in front of everyone.
Xiao Shao sat on a white horse. It was probably his precious steed, as there was not a single strand of hair out of place on its entire body. It was glossy and smooth, and even standing there, it gave off a sense of pride. He held the reins in his hand, and his wedding attire was new. It was really very eye-catching, and almost immediately, he attracted everyone's attention.
Xiao Shao was a person who kept a low profile. Normally, he did not often appear in front of people, and he had always liked to wear black. They had never seen him wear such a gorgeous color. Now that he was wearing a bright red wedding attire, even if his thin lips were tightly pursed and his expression was indifferent, he actually revealed a little bit of exquisite charm. His appearance was outstanding. At this moment, he was sitting high on the horse, and his eyes were lowered towards the door of the sedan. His eyes were like dots of paint, and his eyebrows were like an ink painting. Unexpectedly, he did not have the romantic elegance of a mortal. This beauty was really shocking, and it caused people to stare blankly.
When Madam Li saw his appearance, although her eyes were filled with tears, she was also sincerely happy. She had long heard of Jinying Wang's cold and cheerless temperament. Originally, she had been worried that Jiang Ruan would be wronged after marrying him, but now it seemed that she had thought too much. Xiao Shao's appearance was not completely heartless. She was someone who had been through it, and there were some things that she could see clearly. Xiao Shao's appearance was outstanding, and his family background was also there. For a moment, Madam Li was very satisfied with this grandson-in-law of hers.
Jin Er, who was distributing wedding candies among the crowd, shook his head and said, "The four leaders of the Jinyi Guards have all become sedan bearers. The Young Master really values women too much."
When Steward Lin heard him say this, he immediately gave him a kick without a trace of politeness, "What are you saying? The sedan bearers represent the face of Jinying Wang's fu. How can it be like other fu, where you can just randomly find a few people? Look at the people we find to carry the sedan, their pace is also uniform. With one look, you can tell that they are martial artists. Young Furen is also very comfortable inside. Her face is also good, and just looking at her makes people like her. If you say this, I am afraid that you are jealous of others, and that they did not let you carry the sedan bearers. "
"Thank you, Old Lin," Jin Er smiled, "It's all because I am too ugly, and I really can't represent the face of our fu. I am very ashamed."
"Oh, you're quite self-aware." Lu Zhu was busy distributing the naked silver, and when she heard Jin Er's words, she was delighted, "Indeed, self-awareness is important."
"That's still better looking than you." Jin Er grinned as he replied.
"What's there to argue about," Steward Lin shook his head, "It doesn't matter who it is. In short, everyone is here today to serve as a foil to Young Master's beauty. Young Master is born so good, if Furen and Master's spirits in heaven were to see you, they would be very happy."
Those were all sacrifices that served as a foil to Xiao Shao's beauty. Everyone was completely unaware that in the eyes of this old steward of Jinying Wang's fu, they were the same as the surrounding flower vases and paperweights. Jiang Xin Zhi followed the sedan bearers. The sedan bearers circled around Thousand Year Lane and San Fa Qing, taking the meaning of 'thousand year' and 'three hair'. Along the way, the people of Jinying Wang's fu also displayed their rich and overbearing side. As they walked, they scattered silver, attracting everyone to snatch it.
The saying 'ten li of red makeup' was not false. Even when a princess was getting married, there would not be such a grand scene. The people of Jinying Wang's fu were born to be upright and handsome, and with Steward Lin's arrangements, they were a feast for the eyes. In addition, they were generous. Almost everyone in the capital turned out to see the wedding. The women all came to see the men of Jinying Wang's fu, and the men all came to see the silver of Jinying Wang's fu. The hearts of unmarried young ladies shattered all over the ground could be used to build a capital. Even though Jiang Ruan was in the bridal sedan, she still felt the countless envious gazes piercing her back.
After this day, there was a saying in the Great Jin dynasty, "Rather be a servant of the Xiao family than an official's daughter." She would rather be a servant of the Xiao family. Every day, she would probably see more beauties and silver than the beauties and silver of an official's daughter.
Jiang Ruan did not know what the situation was like outside, but she could tell from the noise that it was certainly very ostentatious. This kind of ostentatious action did not seem to be Xiao Shao's doing. Presumably, it was Steward Lin's arrangement. Steward Lin had been preparing for the marriage for an entire year, and he had done everything in detail. Now that the opportunity to display his skills had finally arrived, he would not let go of this opportunity. Jiang Ruan was truly puzzled. How did Xiao Shao, who had such a low-key temperament, raise such an ostentatious steward like Steward Lin?
At this moment, she was sitting in the middle of the sedan bearers. The sedan bearers moved very steadily, almost to the point that one could not feel them moving. Inside, there was even a small table, and the box was filled with some exquisite pastries to prevent her from starving on the journey. She smiled faintly. In her previous life, when she entered the palace, she had become the Emperor's woman. Thus, she had lost the opportunity to wear a bright red wedding dress. Now that this experience was unfamiliar and novel, it could not be considered too bad.
After welcoming the bride for an entire week in the capital, the sedan bearers finally arrived at Jinying Wangfu. There was already a large wave of people waiting at the door. Xiao Shao did not have any relatives, and Jinying Wangfu did not have any other clans. The people who had come were all Xiao Shao's own friends. Most likely, they were Xiao Shao's martial brothers from the same sect and some officials of the court. The Embroidered Uniform Guards were neatly organized, and it actually looked very lively.
Guan Liang Han lifted the corner of his robe and began to release firecrackers and play music to welcome the sedan bearers. Stopping at the back of the sedan bearers to unload the sedan bearers, a five or six-year-old maid stepped out to welcome the bride out of the sedan bearers. Jiang Ruan went out, and with the help of the maid of honor, she stepped over the saddle of the horse and walked on the red carpet. The maid of honor supported the bride to the right side of the wedding hall.
The people in the wedding hall had already stood to one side to greet the bride in the temple. Jiang Ruan and Xiao Shao stood to one side, holding incense sticks and candles in their hands as they began to light the incense. Zhao Guang and Madam Li sat on the high seats, their gazes somewhat moved. However, Jiang Quan and Xia Yue's expressions were somewhat stiff. Most likely, they were trying their best to appear moved, but they appeared especially stiff.
If it had been anyone else in the crowd, it would have been fine. However, as Jiang Xin Zhi was looking, his gaze fell on one person in the crowd. Today, the handsome youth was only wearing a moon-white long velvet brocade robe, with a snow wolf fur cloak draped over his head. His entire person was as handsome as jade, as if he was a young master carved from jade in some family's manor.
That person was Xuan Pei. Beside Xuan Pei stood Liu Min, but he did not know why these two people had come. The invitations that Steward Lin had personally made were all made of gold. Naturally, it was not a small sum of money, so they were all recorded in the book and were extremely precious. Jiang Xin Zhi had also seen them before, but he did not remember these two people. In fact, when Steward Lin had drafted the list of guests, he had invited Liu Min, but in the end, he did not know why he had crossed them out.
He also did not know why Liu Min and Xuan Pei had come uninvited. Previously, Jiang Xin Zhi had heard people say that he seemed to have some feelings for Jiang Ruan, but what was up with Xuan Pei? A prince had actually come out of the palace to pay his respects to Jiang Ruan. He frowned and asked Steward Lin, "Why has Thirteenth Prince come?"
"How would I know?" Steward Lin stroked his beard, "It is probably because of Young Master's face. Speaking of which, this Thirteenth Prince is really generous, actually gifting Young Madam sixty-six shops of He Hanfang. Even the Jiang family cannot compare to this generosity. "
He Hanfang was a food and restaurant business, and there were shops all over the Great Jin dynasty. With just one shop, it was a guaranteed profit, not to mention sixty-six shops. Every year, there would be countless customers, and they would not have to worry about food and clothing for the rest of their lives. Not to mention how a prince like Xuan Pei would have the ability to obtain so many shops, even Xuan Li might not have the ability to do so. What was even more shocking was that he had handed over this monstrous wealth.
Jiang Xin Zhi's frown deepened, "Those shops all have Ah Ruan's name written on them?"
Steward Lin clapped his hands, "Now that you mention it, it is indeed written under Young Madam's name. This is a little strange. If it was for good relations with Young Master, there was no need to write Young Madam's name. "
While the two were talking, Jiang Ruan and Xiao Shao had already completed the three kneeling and nine kowtows, the six ascending bows, and finally, the husband and wife bowing to each other. Xiao Shao turned around, and Jiang Ruan also turned sideways. The two of them faced each other. Jiang Ruan could not see anything with the veil covering her head, and her movements were somewhat hesitant. Suddenly, she felt her hand being held. She did not know when, but Xiao Shao had already grasped her hand. His hand was slender and cold, but it contained some kind of reassuring strength as it steadily supported her.
"Husband and wife bowing to each other — —" the announcer sang loudly.
The two of them bowed together. Jiang Ruan could only see her crimson skirt through the veil. She could not describe the feeling in her heart. This seemed to be a farewell, but also seemed to be a new beginning. No matter what, the person in front of her was the person who would live with her in the future. No matter what happened, he would always be by her side.
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