The winter days were short. By the time the soldiers returned to their camps and Wei Shao entered the city, darkness had already fallen completely.

Flaming torches flickered in front of the main gate of the Xin residence. Wei Shao, wearing heavy armor still covered with a layer of ice, strode up the steps, his footsteps crunching on the snow beneath. Wei Liang, who had gone to the city gate to welcome him back and was now walking alongside him, suddenly remembered something. He hurried forward and whispered, “My lord, Lady Qiao has arrived! She’s been staying at the Yuyang Pavilion for over half a month now.”

“According to Madam Zhong, Lady Qiao is exceptionally quiet. She mostly stays indoors during the day, occasionally ascending the Sandalwood Tower at dusk for a brief moment. No unusual behavior has been observed, so we haven’t intervened,” he added after his initial report.

Wei Shao merely gave a faint “Hmm” in response, not slowing his pace at all as he strode across the threshold, heading directly towards his usual residence, the Sheyang Pavilion.

Wei Liang watched his retreating figure. After a few steps, he saw Wei Shao suddenly stop and turn his head to look in the direction of the Yuyang Pavilion.

From where they stood, separated by heavy doors, it was impossible to see that far. Only the massive dark silhouette of the nearby Sandalwood Tower was visible, rising towards the sky. In the night, it looked like a giant beast crouching on the ground, ready to leap up at any moment.

“Tell Madam Zhong to make preparations. The wedding will take place tomorrow,” Wei Shao suddenly said, turning his gaze away.

“Tomorrow?” Wei Liang was startled. “I’m afraid there won’t be enough time to prepare…”

“Keep everything simple,” Wei Shao replied, turning to continue on his way without further pause.

Wei Liang watched his retreating figure, hesitated for a moment, then turned back to hurriedly consult with Madam Zhong.

…

After half a month of interaction, Chunniang gradually became familiar with the two tight-lipped servant women and managed to extract some information from them.

According to the servants, Madam Zhong was a person from Wei Shao’s grandmother, Madam Xu. She hadn’t been in Xin City for long, and her purpose was to prepare for the wedding between Wei Shao and Xiao Qiao. The reason Wei Shao hadn’t been in the city recently was due to renewed fighting in Boling, from which he had now returned victorious.

In these times, with chaos approaching, local warlords were becoming increasingly independent. Except for a few exceptions like the former Governor of Ji Province, Gao Tang, who had jumped out to become a target before amassing enough strength, various regional lords like Wei Shao still outwardly remained loyal to the Han court and had to obey the Emperor’s commands. As for their conflicts with each other, it was entirely a matter of who had the stronger military might, as the imperial court had long lost the power to restrain them.

Xiao Qiao wasn’t particularly interested in what Wei Shao had been doing. After being cooped up here for half a month, now that he had finally appeared, she was most concerned about what would happen next.

Normally, according to what the two families had previously agreed upon, it should now be time for the final and most substantial step: the wedding ceremony.

“My lady, please be at ease. Now that Lord Wei has returned, things will be settled soon. Tomorrow, I’ll go find Madam Zhong and ask her when exactly the wedding date will be set,” Chunniang said softly, trying to comfort Xiao Qiao, who seemed lost in thought.

“My lady, please open the door!” Just then, the voice of a Wei family servant woman came from outside.

Chunniang squeezed Xiao Qiao’s hand reassuringly before going to open the door. To her surprise, she saw Madam Zhong, who hadn’t shown her face for several days.

Madam Zhong entered, bowed to Xiao Qiao, and then straightened up to say, “The Lord has returned, and the wedding date has been set for tomorrow. I’ve come specially to inform my lady.” After speaking, she bowed slightly again and turned to leave.

…

Wei Shao had just returned, and now the announcement came that the wedding would be held tomorrow!

This was unexpectedly fast!

Xiao Qiao was still trying to process this information when Chunniang and the other maids became jubilant, kneeling before her one by one to offer their congratulations.

Xiao Qiao understood their perspective.

Now that she was here, all that was left was the wedding ceremony. Only with the ceremony would she truly become a member of the Wei family and Wei Shao’s wife. Without this step, no matter how many formalities had been observed before, her status would remain ambiguous and awkward.

So upon hearing this news, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

Xiao Qiao smiled and accepted their congratulations one by one, but inwardly, she felt conflicted.

With the wedding imminent, there was no turning back now. Once they were officially married, it meant that from now on, her fate would be tied to this man named Wei Shao.

Would he treat her the same way he had treated Da Qiao in her previous life?

If so, how should she conduct herself?

This question had been turning over and over in her mind since the first day she left Yanzhou, but even now, she still had no answer.

…

Chunniang’s joy didn’t last long. She soon learned that this wedding would not have the thoroughness and grandeur she had expected for the daughter of a governor.

It was understandable, after all. What could be prepared in just one night?

Chunniang held back her disappointment, not daring to show it in front of Xiao Qiao for fear of upsetting her. As she helped Xiao Qiao bathe, she said with a smile that the wedding would be held in the Shaoyang Hall, with many distinguished guests in attendance. Most importantly, Lord Wei was young and handsome, brave and decisive. Countless girls in the city had fallen in love with him just from a distant glimpse, but from what she had heard, he didn’t seem to have any favored concubines.

“My lady is so beautiful, how could Lord Wei not adore you?” Chunniang said encouragingly as she repeatedly applied fragrant ointment to Xiao Qiao’s soft skin, her gaze falling on her lovely figure.

Under the care of Chunniang and the maids, Xiao Qiao went through the same routine as she had on the day she left home.

Bathing, dressing, hair-styling, and adorning. She stood before the mirror, looking at the reflection of a bride with cloud-like green hair ornaments and a face as fresh as a flower, suddenly feeling a bit unfamiliar with herself.

…

According to the Zhou Dynasty rites, “hun” (marriage) was originally written as “hun” (dusk).

As the sun set in the west, the Sandalwood Tower in the Xin Palace, which had been silent for so long, lit up from bottom to top. Against the backdrop of the night sky, it looked like a brilliantly lit pagoda from afar, appearing even more majestic.

People in the city looked up at it, passing on the news: the lord was getting married tonight.

Red lanterns were also lit along the corridors of the Shaoyang Hall. Inside the main hall, it was as bright as day. In the center, a large black lacquered table with gold inlay was neatly set with items for the wedding ceremony: millet, sorghum, meat dishes, pickles, minced meat, and soup. The guests who had come to observe the ceremony were dressed formally, and seated on low couches behind the table according to their rank. They conversed in low voices with those beside them while waiting for the auspicious time to arrive.

Most of these people were Wei Shao’s retainers and family servants who had followed him here, along with local officials from Xin City. They had only learned about this wedding during the day. Although some of them had known beforehand about Wei Shao’s marriage alliance with the Qiao family from Yanzhou, the suddenness of the wedding still surprised them. After all, just last night at this time, Wei Shao had only just returned from the battle in Boling.

Most of those present had heard about the old affairs between the Qiao family of Yanzhou and the Wei family. It was precisely because of this that Wei Shao’s marriage to the Qiao daughter after ten years sparked even more speculation. They couldn’t help but be curious about this Qiao girl and were all waiting for her to appear momentarily.

When the auspicious time arrived, Xiao Qiao entered the ceremonial hall.

As she appeared before the guests, holding her hands level at her abdomen and gently spreading her wide sleeves, the hall, which had been filled with a low murmur, suddenly fell silent. Many pairs of eyes turned towards her, some scrutinizing, some amazed, and some with intentions known only to themselves.

Xiao Qiao didn’t feel nervous. She kept her eyes slightly lowered, her gaze calmly fixed on the ground in front of her feet. Following the rhythmic chanting of the ceremonial official, under the watchful eyes of those around her, she was led forward by two attendants at a steady pace. Finally, she stopped in front of the table in the center of the hall, a few feet away from it.

A person stood opposite her.

She felt two gazes from the person across from her—unlike the gazes from the sides that she could completely ignore, this person’s gaze was direct, unapologetic, carrying a pressure she found difficult to describe.

She felt as if her skin beneath her heavy clothes could sense this pressure, her pores slowly dilating, her body hair seeming to stand on end one by one.

She slowly raised her eyes, meeting the gaze of the man opposite her.

…

Compared to his status and reputation, Wei Shao was still quite young; but compared to her, he was undoubtedly a fully grown man. His shoulders were broad, his back straight. Standing opposite each other like this, she appeared even more petite next to him, to the extent that she had to tilt her head slightly upward to meet his direct gaze.

Just as Chunniang had described, he was a very handsome man. Dressed in the nine-chapter ceremonial robes of a feudal lord from Longshan, with a black outer robe and red inner garment, he exuded an imposing aura of dignity beyond his calm demeanor. As the ceremonial official chanted, he gazed straight at Xiao Qiao, who was just an arm’s length away, his eyes unblinking, his gaze as dark as the deepest part of the night.

Xiao Qiao’s eyelashes trembled slightly, and she lowered her eyes once more.

As the ceremonial official finished his chant, someone brought forward a red silk cloth. One end was placed in Xiao Qiao’s hand, the other in Wei Shao’s. They held the cloth together and walked to the table. The red cloth was then taken away, and the two knelt facing each other on either side of the table. Under the guidance of the ceremonial official, they performed the hand-washing ritual, the sharing of food ritual, and the wine-drinking ritual in sequence.

After the long and complex series of preliminary rites, it was time for the final hair-binding ceremony to signify their union as husband and wife.

Attendants lightly cut a lock of hair from each of them and tied them together. At this moment, the people around them broke into smiles, and congratulatory words filled the air. The man opposite her kept his back straight, his posture unwavering, but Xiao Qiao noticed the corner of his well-defined lips curl up almost imperceptibly.

If she wasn’t mistaken, this was a slight smile that revealed a hint of impatience and a touch of nonchalance.