Outside the imperial court, the most important activity on New Year’s Day was the ancestral worship at the family temple.
The Wei family was no exception.
On the first Xin day of the tenth month, the winter wine brewed for the New Year’s ancestral worship was ready.
Three days ago, Madam Xu began bathing and changing clothes, purifying her body and mind.
The clan’s ceremonial officials had arranged all the sacrificial matters, just waiting for the day to arrive.
Last New Year’s Day, Wei Shao was delayed by war and stayed in Xindu with his newly wedded Xiao Qiao, missing the worship.
Madam Xu had thought they would miss it again this year. Unexpectedly, they returned home a day early, much to her delight.
They arrived home late last night, well after midnight. They hastily tidied up in the west room and took a bath, and Xiao Qiao and Wei Shao went to sleep. Exhausted from the journey, Xiao Qiao fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Early the next morning, while it was still dark outside and before the fifth watch, Xiao Qiao, with something on her mind, suddenly woke from her sleep. Opening her eyes, she saw the silver candles burning quietly in the room, but Wei Shao was no longer beside her.
With the early morning ancestral worship at the family temple, he had many tasks today. She thought he must have quietly risen at some unknown time.
Xiao Qiao sat up, hugging the blanket and falling into a daze.
On this day last year, she was in Xindu and didn’t participate in the Wei family’s clan worship.
By rights, now that she was back, as Wei Shao’s wife, she should naturally participate in today’s family activity.
But Xiao Qiao hadn’t forgotten that when she first arrived at the Wei family as a new bride last year, Wei Shao hadn’t taken her to pay respects at the family temple at all.
According to custom, her wedding ceremony was still missing the final, crucial step: paying respects at her husband’s family temple as a new bride.
Only after paying respects at the family temple would she truly be considered accepted by her husband’s family.
Of course, Xiao Qiao herself didn’t care about such formalities. A year had passed, and she had long forgotten about this matter.
But today was a special day. As she once again faced the possibility of being excluded from the family temple, she inevitably recalled the events of that time.
Because they had arrived too late last night, when news of their return reached Madam Xu, they had only kowtowed to her briefly and given a cursory account of their journey before retiring to the west room to rest. So at that time, Madam Xu hadn’t mentioned anything about this morning’s events.
Xiao Qiao guessed that Madam Xu should lead her to participate in the family temple worship.
But regarding Wei Shao, Xiao Qiao wasn’t so sure.
From the fact that he had quietly risen and left early without saying a word to her, she increasingly felt that he probably still didn’t want her, a member of the Qiao family, to set foot in the Wei family temple.
As Xiao Qiao hesitated, suddenly there was a soft sound of footsteps outside the door, then the door opened, and Chuniang led a maid in from behind the screen.
“My Lady should get up now. If you sleep any longer, you might be late for the family temple worship.”
Chuniang came to the bedside with a smile, lifting the bed curtain and gesturing for the maid to set down the clothes she was carrying.
Xiao Qiao glanced at them.
It was a set of cyan-white piaosi deep robes, women’s attire for worship.
Chuniang said, “The Lord rose at the fourth watch, instructing me not to wake you and let you sleep a bit longer. Seeing that it’s about time, I’ve come to wake you, My Lady.”
Xiao Qiao remained silent, threw off the covers, and got out of bed. After washing up, she changed into the piaosi deep robes. She ate a few bites of the breakfast that was brought up. By this time, it was still dark outside. Just as she was about to go to the north room, she heard a servant at the door call out “My Lord,” and turning her head, she saw Wei Shao enter.
He too was wearing a complete set of black ceremonial robes. A long cap, outer dark deep robes, with an inner garment of crimson-edged collar and sleeves.
The ceremonial robes made him appear even taller and more upright, his eyes bright and spirit vigorous, exuding the dignified air of a family head.
Xiao Qiao went to greet him, calling him “husband.”
Wei Shao looked her over and smiled, saying, “Grandmother should be ready soon. We should go over now.”
Xiao Qiao nodded. She followed him out the door, and they headed towards the north room.
Rising at the fifth watch, all the main gates of the Wei mansion – the main gate, ceremonial gate, and inner gate – were already open. Lanterns were lit from the main gate, like a fire dragon along the path leading inside, the entire Wei mansion ablaze with lights.
When they reached the hanging flower gate of the west room, Xiao Qiao could see in the distance that the inner courtyard was also brightly lit. As she climbed the steps, she habitually lowered her head to lift her skirt slightly but saw a hand extend from the side. Looking up, she saw Wei Shao had stopped and was turning to look at her.
It was early and cold. But Xiao Qiao felt a warmth in her heart and placed her hand in his equally warm palm.
Wei Shao held her hand, leading her up the steps, across the threshold, all the way to Madam Xu’s main room before letting go.
They entered the room. Madam Xu had already risen. She received their bows, her gaze sweeping over their faces, nodding with satisfaction. She smiled and said, “Very good. You should go now. The clan members must all be waiting.”
…
The Wei family ancestral hall was in an independent large courtyard to the west of the Wei mansion. The five-bay vermilion main gate, usually closed, was wide open this morning. The Wei clan members had all gathered here, waiting in the side halls on both sides, men and women separated, filling two rooms, all holding their breath and remaining silent without making the slightest sound.
It was Xiao Qiao’s first time crossing the threshold of this hall which gave her an initial feeling of gloomy coldness.
She followed Madam Xu and Wei Shao, under the gaze of many eyes, along the wide cyan stone path into the ancestral hall. The pine and cypress trees were lush and green, solemn and dignified. On either side of the hall entrance platform stood two huge ancient bronze incense burners, half as tall as a person. Incense was already burning vigorously in the burners, two plumes of blue smoke rising steadily from their mouths, the air heavy with the strong scent of incense.
The Wei clan’s ceremonial officials had already brought people to wait. They respectfully welcomed Madam Xu and the lord and lady inside. Inside, the candles blazed brilliantly. Above the ancestral tablets hung a horizontal plaque reading “Ancestral Virtue Flows Fragrant,” with couplets on either side: “Respectfully Revere the Bright Sleeves to Deepen Their Blessings; The Ancestral Line Shines with Bestowed Light.” Below is the offering table. Behind the table were the ancestral tablets of the Wei family’s past generations. The founding ancestor was in the center, followed by each generation, fathers and sons arranged alternately on the left and right according to their order.
At the end of the two dense rows of ancestral tablets, Xiao Qiao saw two names she knew all too well: “The spirit tablet of the late respected Wei Gong, given name Jing.” “The spirit tablet of the late elder brother Wei Bao.”
These two tablets were set up in Wei Shao’s name, omitting all honorific titles, simple and clear.
Xiao Qiao glanced quietly at Wei Shao beside her.
His expression was solemn, almost without emotion. His eyes looked past Madam Xu’s back as she sincerely prayed and offered incense to the ancestors, fixed on those two black-lacquered wooden tablets.
After Madam Xu finished offering incense and praying, it was Wei Shao and Xiao Qiao’s turn. Xiao Qiao knelt on the cushion laid before the ancestral tablets, performed a grand bow, then with no distracting thoughts, calmed her mind and respectfully offered incense and a libation, closing her eyes to pray sincerely for a while.
As the worship ceremony ended and they finally walked out of the family temple’s main gate, Xiao Qiao unconsciously looked back.
By then it was broad daylight, and the first rays of the New Year’s sun were bursting forth from behind the clouds, shining on the chiwen ornament atop the main ridge of the great hall, bright and glorious, instantly dispelling the gloomy coldness that had initially settled in Xiao Qiao’s heart.
…
On New Year’s Day, after worshiping at the ancestral temple, Wei Shao went directly to the government office to receive New Year’s greetings from the officials of various counties and his subordinate officers in the main hall.
Xiao Qiao was hardly less busy than him on this day.
Madam Zhu was still under house arrest, using the excuse of being too ill to see people, and hadn’t even shown up for the morning ancestral worship.
Madam Xu rarely saw guests now. Moreover, having risen early for the ancestral temple worship, she was somewhat tired upon returning and went to rest. So Xiao Qiao completely took over Madam Zhu’s duties as the mistress of the Wei mansion, entertaining the ladies of various families who came to pay New Year’s respects from early morning until evening. It wasn’t until dusk that she finally had some free time.
After drinking some tea, she went to the north room to serve Madam Xu her meal. Madam Xu asked about her trip back to Yanzhou. Xiao Qiao told her what she could. Hearing that Madam Ding’s illness was no longer serious, Madam Xu was also pleased. After the meal, she looked Xiao Qiao over and said with concern, “You were already tired from traveling, arrived late last night, and have been busy since early morning until now. You should go back now. When Shao returns from outside, tell him he doesn’t need to come see me either. You two should rest early.”
Xiao Qiao agreed. Seeing Madam Xu urging her repeatedly, she finally got up and left, returning to the west room. After bathing and changing into casual clothes, she finally let out a sigh and relaxed.
Wei Shao finished his banquet and returned home at the end of the dog watch when it was dark.
He must have drunk quite a bit, as his steps were unsteady.
Xiao Qiao had been waiting for him in the room. Hearing the servants’ voices outside, she hurried out to greet him.
Wei Shao leaned on her shoulder as they entered the room, then fell back onto the bed, closing his eyes and not moving.
Seeing that he was heavily drunk, his face flushed red, and reeking of alcohol, Xiao Qiao didn’t bother to reproach him. She helped him remove his boots and socks, personally wrung out a hot, damp towel, and carefully wiped his face. After wiping his face, she also wiped his hands and feet, tucked him in, then went out. Chuniang and the maids had all dispersed, so she returned to the room, closed the door, undressed, and got into bed, slipping under the covers to lie gently by his side.
She breathed in the air in the bed curtains, which gradually filled with the faint aroma of mellow wine from his breath, and slowly closed her eyes.
In the latter half of the night, she was awakened by the man beside her.
In the darkness, Wei Shao explored her body with his burning hands, then pressed down on her, urgently parting her legs without any foreplay. He entered her.
The two had gradually become familiar with each other’s bodies. But every time he first entered, even if she was already moist, it often took a while to fully adapt to his invasion.
He had gradually begun to consider her feelings. Previously, he would always be tender with her first.
But now, in the darkness, he seemed to have reverted to the Wei Shao from the beginning who didn’t care about her.
His breathing was rapid, his breath falling on her face. Xiao Qiao could still smell the alcohol. His skin was very hot, like a furnace warming her moist skin. When his chest pressed tightly against her soft breasts, Xiao Qiao heard a low moan of extreme comfort from his throat.
He kept entering her, very fiercely, his hands gripping her waist as if to break it. He was panting like an ox. Finally, Xiao Qiao was whimpering softly from his thrusts. When he finally finished and his breathing slowly calmed, Xiao Qiao also gradually stopped sobbing. Feeling her face and body covered in a wet layer of what might have been tears or sweat, very uncomfortable, she removed his arm that was embracing her and sat up from his embrace, intending to go wash.
But Wei Shao’s arm suddenly reached out again, pulling her back against his chest.
“From the day you married me, you became a member of the Wei family. From now on, don’t have any more dealings with Yanzhou. I will protect you for life.”
In the darkness, Xiao Qiao heard Wei Shao say this.