Time flew by swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, the cicadas’ song could no longer be heard.
The sixth day of the eighth month was an auspicious date for marriage, perfectly chosen for Prince Xiang’s grand wedding.
The wedding procession had already halted outside the General’s mansion. Gongs and drums resounded throughout the sky, firecrackers exploded in unison, and handfuls of wedding money were tossed out, eliciting waves of cheers from the children.
The capital’s citizens loved nothing more than observing joyous red or somber white occasions, with the most favored being the celebrations of wealthy families. Such events not only provided a spectacle but also the chance to snatch some wedding money if lucky, or at the very least, secure festive steamed buns to placate the children.
Prince Xiang sat astride his chestnut steed, waiting silently beside the bridal sedan chair.
In the main courtyard of the General’s mansion, General Cui Xu and Princess Rongyang sat side by side, having just completed their instructions to their daughter.
Cui Mingyue performed a deep bow to her parents, saying, “Daughter will remember your words.”
The bright red wedding veil concealed her delicate features, but beneath it, her expression suddenly turned cold.
Prince Xiang had not come in to escort her.
She had heard that when that despicable Jiang woman got married, Prince Yan had entered the inner courtyard himself to escort his bride out.
In the capital, it was acceptable for the groom to either wait outside or enter to escort the bride on the wedding day. However, the vast majority of grooms chose to wait outside, unwilling to appear overly eager towards the bride’s family. To be overshadowed by the bride’s side before even completing the wedding ceremony was unthinkable.
Only in rare cases where the groom’s family status was far inferior to the bride’s, or when the groom held his bride in exceptionally high regard, would he choose to escort her out personally.
This made Prince Yan’s actions during his wedding particularly noteworthy.
As a prince, his status far exceeded that of the bride’s family. Prince Yan’s gesture could only mean one thing: he truly cared for his bride.
This act had made countless young women envious.
Princess Yan was indeed fortunate. She had caught the prince’s eye with her beauty, truly a case of a sparrow transforming into a phoenix.
With Prince Xiang’s wedding following so closely after Prince Yan’s, Cui Mingyue couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable at the stark difference in how these two men treated their wives.
Of course, she suppressed this discontent, only allowing it to surface when her face was hidden behind the wedding veil, unseen by others.
Cui Mingyue quickly adjusted her mindset, a smile curving her lips.
Temporary setbacks meant nothing; the true victor was the one who laughed last.
Recalling her recent failed scheme against Jiang Si, Cui Mingyue felt a fire of determination ignite within her.
She would see how the new Princess Yan fared against her in the royal court. She refused to believe that her opponent could always turn danger into safety.
Cui Mingyue was well-versed in the art of manipulation from behind the scenes.
“Cui Yi, hurry and carry your sister to the sedan chair,” General Cui urged in a deep voice.
In the blink of an eye, his children had grown into adults.
At this moment, General Cui felt a myriad of emotions welling up inside him.
Years ago, he had been the same age as his son, dreaming only of marrying his childhood sweetheart, A’Ke.
But a chance encounter with Princess Rongyang had turned his life upside down, altering not only his fate but also that of A’Ke and Princess Rongyang.
It had been an unfortunate change.
Now, with his daughter about to be married and his son of marriageable age, he could only hope that they would be luckier than he had been.
Though Cui Xu felt no spousal affection for Princess Rongyang, he couldn’t suppress his paternal instincts towards their children.
Cui Yi feared no one except his perpetually stern-faced father. Hearing the command, he immediately responded and bent down to hoist Cui Mingyue onto his back.
Caught off guard, Cui Mingyue nearly cried out in surprise.
Lying across Cui Yi’s back, she desperately wanted to pinch her brother hard.
This fool! How could he be so rough? He had nearly caused her to lose her composure.
“Elder Brother, be more careful!” Cui Mingyue warned in a low voice.
With people lining the path from the room to the courtyard, Cui Mingyue dared not let anyone overhear. She brought her lips close to Cui Yi’s ear, her voice barely above a whisper.
As she issued her warning, her breath ghosted over the back of Cui Yi’s ear, causing his hair to stand on end.
It had been mentioned before that Cui Yi felt inexplicably uneasy around his sister.
He couldn’t explain why, but whenever his sister spoke to him with that expressionless face, he felt an inexplicable chill.
Surely he was just being paranoid.
Cui Yi tried repeatedly to convince himself, but he couldn’t overcome his instinctive reaction.
When Cui Mingyue whispered in his ear, he stumbled, nearly throwing the bride off his back.
As the bright red wedding veil flew up, there was a thud of a heavy object hitting the ground.
The scene fell silent in an instant.
Cui Mingyue braced herself with her hands, nearly biting through her lip to keep from screaming.
Damn, Cui Yi! What on earth was he doing?
At that moment, Cui Mingyue felt the urge to take a whip and give her brother a sound thrashing.
“A’Yi!” Princess Rongyang barked.
Cui Yi hurriedly picked Cui Mingyue up again, apologizing profusely, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Brother was careless for a moment—”
Having made such a blunder, Cui Yi felt both embarrassed and flustered. He carried Cui Mingyue away at a run.
The wedding attendant chased after them frantically, “Wait, you can’t leave yet! The wedding veil isn’t properly in place—”
For a moment, what should have been a joyous occasion turned into a tragicomedy.
Those present didn’t dare voice their opinions openly but exchanged meaningful glances.
Encountering such an incident on one’s wedding day was not a good omen. Lady Cui’s life in Prince Xiang’s household might not be so smooth sailing…
People of that era placed great importance on such matters. The bride falling to the ground and losing her veil was extremely inauspicious. Moreover, who had ever heard of a brother carrying his sister to the bridal sedan only to drop her?
Many couldn’t help but glance at General Cui and Princess Rongyang’s expressions.
Cui Xu’s face revealed little emotion.
In his view, a good marriage depended on how the couple interacted, not on omens.
However, his son had indeed made quite a fool of himself.
Of course, Cui Xu was already accustomed to this.
Princess Rongyang, being more concerned with appearances, didn’t share Cui Xu’s equanimity. Her face had taken on a faint bluish tinge.
This wretched boy! There wasn’t a single day he didn’t cause her worry! Poor Mingyue’s special day had been ruined by this unfilial son…
Thinking this, Princess Rongyang felt a pang of guilt towards Cui Mingyue.
Fortunately, with her influence, she didn’t worry about Mingyue being mistreated by the royal family.
Prince Xiang, standing outside the General’s mansion, was growing impatient.
The stone lions at the entrance of the General’s mansion were adorned with red ribbons, with festive decorations everywhere. Yet, as Prince Xiang had made his way here, his mood had been particularly gloomy.
He had initially consoled himself to accept this marriage with anticipation, accepting a wife with a tarnished reputation. But just as he rode here on horseback, he overheard a piece of gossip from the crowd.
“I heard Prince Yan was raised outside the palace and recently married a woman of unparalleled beauty as his princess. How come when it’s Prince Xiang’s turn—”
He never imagined someone would dare to mention this openly.
But with thousands of spectators, how could he possibly find and punish the speaker?
Prince Xiang could only swallow this bitter pill, staring coldly at the entrance of the General’s mansion.
“The bride is coming out!”
Cui Yi carried Cui Mingyue to the bridal sedan chair. Once the bride was safely inside, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at Prince Xiang.
Prince Xiang returned a forced smile.
“Lift the sedan chair—”
The festive sound of suona horns began to play, and the wedding procession started to move forward. However, it had barely gone any distance before suddenly coming to a halt.