The commotion finally alerted the front courtyard, and the guards of the Ying Guo Gong Manor quickly sprang into action. Wei Ling stood outside the flower hall and asked in a low voice, “What’s happening in the inner courtyard?”
“We’re not sure yet… It doesn’t seem like anything was stolen. But we don’t know where the intruders are…”
With the wedding festivities today, many gifts and food items had been sent to the inner courtyard. Someone could sneak in amidst the chaos. Moreover, the security in the back courtyard wasn’t as tight as the front… Wei Ling’s expression darkened considerably. How could this happen now? These audacious fools must think he, Wei Ling the Ying Guo Gong, was here for nothing.
Wei Ling coldly ordered, “Take my token immediately and bring troops from the Shen Ji Camp.”
Luo Shenyuan, surrounded by guests, had a few words whispered in his ear. He set aside his socializing and walked towards the Ying Guo Gong. The joyous atmosphere was abruptly interrupted, and the smile vanished from his face. His tall stature was accentuated by the auspicious red wedding attire he wore.
He approached Wei Ling and said, “Father-in-law, let’s not be hasty. Are Yining and the others in the inner courtyard? How are the guards positioned?”
Wei Ling sighed and replied, “She’s in the inner courtyard. There are three teams of guards patrolling.” However, since the inner courtyard was where the women resided, these guards couldn’t get too close and only patrolled the exterior.
“We can’t send people in immediately,” Luo Shenyuan advised. “Even if security is lax, whoever got in isn’t likely to be a common thief. If they’re desperate criminals with nothing to lose, they might do anything when cornered.” His time at the Da Li Si had exposed him to such individuals who, after committing murder, no longer cared about taking more lives.
His son-in-law was usually quiet, but when it came to cunning, several Wei Lings couldn’t match one Luo Shenyuan. Wei Ling naturally trusted him: “Then what should we do? Should I surround the manor with troops?”
Luo Shenyuan shook his head silently, then suddenly said, “This situation is strange. They wouldn’t risk their lives just for money. Do you have any confidential items in your manor, something that could be a matter of life and death for some official?”
Otherwise, why would they sneak into the inner courtyard?
Wei Ling shook his head, indicating he had nothing of the sort. Suddenly, as if remembering something, he frowned: “Now that you mention it, Lu Jiaxue just returned from Shanxi… He even sent several boxes of gifts for Yining. I thought he was acting a bit oddly. Could these intruders be after him?”
“How long has he been here?”
“About half an hour.”
Luo Shenyuan’s expression darkened upon hearing this: “I’ve sent people to the Wu Cheng Bing Ma Si, but I fear they won’t arrive in time. Father-in-law, may I borrow some of your guards?”
Wei Ling immediately called for Shen Yue and followed his son-in-law. Luo Shenyuan, with a grim face, headed towards the inner courtyard, still wearing his festive wedding attire.
The people outside found it strange to see the groom emerge, followed by the Ying Guo Gong.
The bolted hanging flower gate suddenly burst open, and a group of people rushed in. Luo Shenyuan, walking in with his hands behind his back, ordered, “Search now. Arrest anyone who doesn’t belong here immediately.”
The guards scattered in all directions, causing an uproar in the manor as people wondered what was happening. Wei Ling frowned, recalling that they had just discussed not alerting the intruders. Why was there such a commotion now? “Shenyuan, what are you doing? If this causes a disturbance…”
“They came with a purpose, not for the Ying Guo Gong Manor, so they won’t act rashly,” Luo Shenyuan glanced at his father-in-law, realizing that not every military official was as cunning as Lu Jiaxue. “But if we don’t find them soon, something terrible might happen.”
Shortly after the search began, the Shen Ji Camp troops Wei Ling had summoned arrived.
Under his command, these elite soldiers, armed with long spears and cannons, surrounded the Ying Guo Gong Manor, creating an imposing presence. A squad entered the inner courtyard, led by Wei Ling. The old madam and others were escorted to the outer courtyard for safety. The guests, unaware of what was happening, began to panic. Fortunately, it was the Shen Ji Camp; otherwise, given the circumstances, one might have thought the Ying Guo Gong Manor was being raided.
As Luo Shenyuan and Wei Ling were about to head to the main hall, someone hurried over, sweating profusely, and bowed before them.
“My Lord, son-in-law, there’s a fight breaking out where the young miss is arranging her dowry. There seems to be an issue with the gifts the Commander sent… Please come quickly!”
The struggle continued, but more people soon joined in. The opposing side quickly found themselves at a disadvantage.
Yining glanced at the box and asked, “Is there a corpse inside?”
Lu Jiaxue shook his head.
He said, “Not a corpse, but a head.”
Yining wanted to ask whose head it was and why he had put it in her wedding gifts. Was she supposed to take it to the Luo family? On second thought, she decided not to ask. She wasn’t particularly close to Lu Jiaxue, and knowing too much wouldn’t be good.
Lu Jiaxue led Yining to the main hall and sat down. He drank tea silently, ignoring her as the sun shone brightly outside. A man in a Chengzi robe entered and reported, “…We’ve caught six of them. The others, realizing the situation was dire, escaped in the chaos.”
“Pursue them,” Lu Jiaxue simply said, and the man left.
Yining had no tea to drink and felt thirsty after being in the sun. But with the current chaos outside, she felt safest staying near Lu Jiaxue rather than wandering around. She gazed at the sun outside, idly worrying whether Wei Ling knew about the incident in the back courtyard.
This unexpected event had indeed interrupted her wedding. Otherwise, she would have been on her way to her new home by now.
Lu Jiaxue glanced at her, wondering why she had been running around, especially on her wedding day. If he hadn’t happened to save her, she might have been a ghost under the blade by now.
He had originally intended for Cheng Lang to marry Wei Yining, but somehow it ended up being Luo Shenyuan.
The room was adorned with lanterns and decorations, with red silk hanging from the eaves. The silent girl in her red wedding attire gazed at the sunlight beyond the screen. The setting sun cast an orange glow, reflecting off the gold bracelets on her wrists. She looked elegant and solemn, though the bridal hairstyle seemed a bit ill-fitting, accentuating her youthful features.
The festive wedding atmosphere reminded him of his marriage long ago.
Lu Jiaxue had only been married once in his life.
It wasn’t as grand an affair as this. Back then, he was just an unremarkable son of a concubine with limited means. He had prepared everything he could afford, but when he brought her home as his bride, he was elated and happy, though she probably didn’t know. When he lifted her veil and she looked up at him, he couldn’t help but smile.
Now, he held a high position and possessed everything – wealth, power, status. He could give her anything.
But that person was no longer here.
Lu Jiaxue closed his eyes heavily as the sunlight outside began to fade.
Yining found the atmosphere unsettling. With no one coming in to speak, and the sky gradually darkening, they were running late.
She walked towards the door, intending to call for a servant to check on things, when she heard him suddenly say behind her, “Her name was also Yining.”
Her heart skipped a beat, leaving her momentarily speechless. Her hand gripped the doorframe until her knuckles turned white, her nails digging painfully into her palm.
A tumult of emotions, indistinguishable between anger and sorrow, churned within her. Lu Jiaxue, who had weathered so many rebellions and wars, standing now at the pinnacle of power with the ability to determine life and death at will, still remembered the wife he had married when he was just an ordinary son of a concubine in the marquis’s household.
Why bring this up now?
Yining forced her voice to remain as neutral as possible: “Foster father, I don’t quite understand what you’re saying.”
Lu Jiaxue had simply felt the urge to speak. Perhaps it was the stillness of the approaching night that made his memories so vivid. The person he had struggled so hard to obtain, whom he had loved so dearly, was now gone. The anger and despair he once felt, the desire to destroy everything, had now been reduced to a simple, emotionless statement in the fading evening light.
“You don’t need to understand,” he said flatly. “It should be about time now. Go call your father in.”
Yining gazed at the setting sun, then turned to look at him.
In the intense golden light, half of his face was shrouded in shadow inside the room. The once smiling man now wore an expression of stern coldness.
“Alright,” Yining replied, then stepped out of the room.
She intended to find a servant to fetch her father but leaned against a pillar and remained still for a long while.
Until a voice gently called out to her: “Yining.”
Yining turned to see Luo Shenyuan walking along the corridor in his red wedding attire. His strides were long, his tall figure gilded by the golden sunset, followed by men from the Shen Ji Camp.
Yining felt a moment of disorientation, this man’s silhouette overlapping with that of another smiling figure. But he wasn’t smiling; his wedding attire even carried a hint of solemnity.
He approached Yining with his hands behind his back, then took her hand, examining her to ensure she was unharmed. Seeming relieved, he said, “I’ll have someone escort you back to the East Courtyard. Rest a bit before getting into the bridal sedan. We mustn’t miss the auspicious time.”
Yining, still concerned about the earlier intruders, asked, “Third Brother, have those men been caught?”
“They’ve been captured and are being questioned,” Luo Shenyuan replied. “You should go back now. Before the wedding, you shouldn’t see me.”
“In the dowry, Commander Lu sent… there’s a head,” Yining told Luo Shenyuan before leaving. “I guess he must have killed at least a deputy commander, otherwise he wouldn’t have brought the head back. You should inform Father.”
“I know everything,” he stroked Yining’s head, his voice softening a bit. “You’re the bride now, about to leave for your new home. Others will handle these matters. Go back quickly.”
Yining suddenly felt a lump in her throat upon hearing this. She then followed the Shen Ji Camp men back to the East Courtyard.
The old Madam Wei and others were relieved to see her unharmed. Noticing that Yining’s makeup had faded a bit, they hurriedly called for someone to touch it up. Then she was adorned with a full set of jewelry, and the Ding Bei Hou’s wife, as the most senior woman present, formally inserted a golden hairpin for her, completing her bridal attire.
The manor once again erupted with the sounds of gongs and drums, and the guests who had come to offer congratulations only knew that something had happened, but not what exactly.
Wei Ling, leading the Shen Ji Camp men, had surrounded and captured those intruders, binding them and throwing them into the woodshed. There was no time now to question Lu Jiaxue about who he had killed or what these people were after. After all, it was time for the auspicious hour. Wei Ling stood in the front hall, waiting for the most senior woman and the attendants to bring his daughter to bid him farewell.
Yining knelt to kowtow to him and her grandmother. Seeing everyone looking at her, she smiled faintly.
It was as if nothing had happened earlier. They needed to set off for Fu Xue Hutong, or they would be late for the wedding ceremony.
Wei Ling’s eyes flickered with emotion as he stepped forward to help his daughter up, finding himself at a loss for words. It was the old Madam Wei who took Yining’s hand, smiling and saying some auspicious words, then calling for Cheng Lang to come and carry her to the bridal sedan.
Yining looked back one last time. Wei Ling and the old Madam Wei were watching her. Even Zhao Mingzhu stood beside her grandmother, smiling at her. Little Ting, held by Nanny Tong, gazed at her with a mix of reluctance and sadness.
The boy, without a mother or older brother, had always been lonely. Zhao Mingzhu wasn’t his real sister, and Yining had cared for him for a year. He had just begun to feel attached, and now she was getting married.
She could still come back after marriage, but she would be someone else’s wife then.
Yining patted little Ting’s head, and he tilted his head up high, not saying a word.
The senior woman covered her with the bridal veil.
Yining could no longer see anything. Amidst the swaying red, she felt herself being carried on a solid back, his steps steady as he carried her.
The sedan bearers lowered the bridal sedan, and Yining, holding a treasure vase, sat inside. The person who had escorted her in briefly held her hand, then let go. The sedan was then lifted.
She took a deep breath and slowly relaxed into her seat.
Yining remembered that from Yu Jing Hutong to Fu Xue Hutong, they had to pass three intersections. At one of them, there was a famous mutton soup shop; you could tell where you were just by the smell.
The half-hour journey wasn’t too long, but perhaps due to her nervousness, it felt incredibly drawn out. The light from the ram’s horn glass lanterns hanging on the sedan filtered in, casting a dim red glow.
After what seemed like an eternity, she finally heard a burst of commotion. Compared to the emotions of departure on the other side, this side was much more lively. Even the suona horns sounded more cheerful, accompanied by the laughter of children and the sound of firecrackers. She was helped out, hearing the senior woman instructing her to step over a horse saddle, then a fire basin, and warning her to mind the threshold.
She had never been to the residence in Fu Xue Hutong before.
Yining stepped into the main hall, unable to see anything under her veil. She only heard the ceremonial official chanting the rites. She bowed following the chants, and when she rose, she swayed slightly. He immediately reached out to steady her, but she regained her balance on her own. He paused, then withdrew his hand.
Yining was ushered into the bridal chamber, which seemed to be bustling with people. She heard the senior woman, the Ding Bei Hou’s wife, say cheerfully, “The groom will now lift the veil.”
Several ladies started to tease, “Lift the veil, let’s see how pretty the bride is!”
We’ve already seen each other, what’s there to see, Yining thought to herself. But she suddenly felt nervous. She heard the room go quiet for a moment, then the beam of the bridal scale was extended, and her veil was lifted.
She suddenly saw him, while everyone else wore broad smiles. He merely pressed his lips together in what passed for a smile but kept his gaze fixed on her.
“The bride is so beautiful!” a few ladies giggled. The second half of their thought went unspoken – she was still quite young, probably not even of age yet.
This newly appointed Minister of Works had married someone so young; that he would have his work cut out for him.
Yining finally saw the people around her. Lin Hairu stood beside the senior woman, along with Luo Yixiu and Luo Yiyu, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time, both now dressed as married women. Aunt Chen stood next to Luo Yixiu, and two unfamiliar, beautiful young women must be the wives of Luo Huaiyuan and Luo Shanyuan. She didn’t recognize the other ladies and madams.
The lively wedding continued unaffected. Luo Shenyuan walked over and stood by her side. The fortunate woman chanted auspicious words and scattered dry fruits like longans and peanuts over the bed, along with a copper coin that landed on Yining’s collar. One of the madams remarked, “The bride will manage the household finances in the future!”
What kind of custom is this? Yining was bewildered. She glanced at Luo Shenyuan, who nodded with a smile and said, “If she wants to manage, let her manage.”
Although he had some doubts about Yining’s ability to handle money, remembering how she was too lazy to manage even her dowry as a child, he still smiled supportively.
Soon, a young boy brought in the nuptial wine. A lady in a gold-embroidered sleeve pulled Yining to her feet. She saw her third brother lift the wine cup from a large red lacquer tray and offer it to her. It was only then Yining realized she was to drink the nuptial wine with Luo Shenyuan. She took the cup, intertwined her arm with his, and noticed how much thicker his arm was compared to hers. She watched as he drank it down without changing his expression. She, not accustomed to drinking, took a small sip and immediately choked, feeling the burn from her throat to her stomach, blushing furiously as she coughed.
Several madams laughed and patted her back, deliberately giving her a thin layer of wine while filling Luo Shenyuan’s cup to the brim.
The Marchioness of Dingbei then recited with a smile, “Heaven bestows its blessings on the newlyweds. This night, one drink brings ecstatic joy. May the couple’s love last until old age, harmonious and happy from dawn to dusk.”
Yining thought silently that it was quite a crude poem. There was still some wine left in her cup. “You must finish this,” the fortunate woman from the groom’s side said with a smile.
Just as Yining was about to lift her cup, Luo Shenyuan took it from her hand.
His drinking capacity was impressive; no matter how much he drank, his face remained unchanged. He finished it in one gulp.
“Alright, you don’t have to drink anymore,” Luo Shenyuan said, placing the cup back on the red lacquer tray.
Yining whispered a thank you. With that, the bustling festivities of the bridal chamber came to an end, and the ladies and madams departed.
Luo Shenyuan paused for a moment and then said softly, “I’ll be back shortly.”
Yining nodded and smiled. “Go ahead.” She sat back on the bed, watching him close the partition. His tall figure disappeared, leaving her alone.
The room was quiet, lit by dragon and phoenix red candles. The red brocade quilt was embroidered with mandarin ducks playing in the water, and the canopy reached the floor, made of red jacquard. The new rosewood vanity inlaid with ivory still bore the double happiness character.
Looking at her red wedding attire and thinking of his strong arm, Yining felt more nervous with each passing moment.
She had no idea how to face him on their wedding night.