This was a simple and uninteresting task for Wei Hong; he just had to follow the instructions of the master of ceremonies step by step.
But after he and Yao Youqing had paid their respects to heaven and earth, when it was time to pay respects to their parents, he stared blankly at the memorial tablet in front of him for a long time.
His mother was a concubine of Emperor Gaozong. During her lifetime, she was titled Consort Shu, and after her death, she was posthumously honored as Consort Gui.
Emperor Gaozong had countless concubines, but perhaps in order to consolidate the empress's position, he never appointed a concubine as a high-ranking consort.
In other words, whether he was alive or dead, he only had one imperial concubine, which was his mother, Lady Xiao.
Wei Hongning would rather not have this honor.
Everyone said that Lady Xiao followed Emperor Gaozong's last edict and died by drinking a cup of poison in Xuanjing Palace, but he knew that was not the case.
My mother died on her way out of the palace. To avoid implicating others, she ran into a pillar and died.
According to someone who knew the inside story, his mother made the fatal impact, causing blood to splatter everywhere, and she died on the spot.
Although he didn't see it with his own eyes, he knew that the scene must have been extremely tragic.
The once-famous beauty of the capital city passed away without leaving behind even a complete picture of her face.
"Your Highness, Your Highness!"
Seeing that he remained lost in thought for a long time, the official in charge of ceremonies found the situation rather awkward and had no choice but to tug at his sleeve.
Wei Hong's chaotic thoughts instantly dissipated. After completing the remaining rituals and escorting the bride to the bridal chamber, he turned back to the banquet to entertain the guests outside.
His confidants and friends rarely had the chance to get him drunk, so they naturally didn't let it go, offering him one drink after another, and Wei Hong accepted them all without hesitation.
He's always had a high alcohol tolerance and it's not easy to get him drunk, but even so, he got a little tipsy by the end of the day.
Cui Hao couldn't stand it any longer, so he stopped the people who wanted to keep pouring wine, citing the groom's need to consummate the marriage.
Everyone laughed and pretended to understand, then went off to make merry and stopped surrounding Wei Hong. Only then did Cui Hao hurriedly help Wei Hong walk back.
There is an unresolved feud between Wei Hong and Yao Yuzhi. His marriage to Yao Youqing was arranged by the late emperor and was not of his own volition.
Cui Hao had followed him for many years, and even though he was more rational and calm than Guo Sheng and others, hoping that he could let go of the past and live a good life with Miss Yao, he knew that this was wishful thinking. The prince had never had any intention of getting close to Miss Yao.
Therefore, he subconsciously led Wei Hong to his own room in the front yard, instead of going to the bridal chamber.
Wei Hong stopped at a fork in the road that led to the back of the mansion and stood at the intersection for a long time without moving.
Cui Hao stopped immediately. Seeing him looking in that direction, he felt a slight unease and whispered, "Your Highness, why don't you go to the main courtyard to rest? Today is your wedding night with the Princess. If you don't go, the Princess might be criticized by the people in the manor."
Wei Hong didn't speak, but just looked in that direction. The scene of that woman talking with the people on the street that day came to mind, as well as the way she praised and happily said in the ear of her personal maid that the prince was quite capable, like an innocent and naive little girl.
No, she was just a little girl to begin with.
That was the first time Wei Hong clearly realized that she was different from Yao Yuzhi, that she was herself, and that Yao Yuzhi was Yao Yuzhi.
He took a small step in that direction, but a gust of wind swept through his mind, scattering the previous images and replacing them with the cold imperial city, blood everywhere, and a woman lying in a pool of blood, her face unrecognizable...
The silent gust of wind completely blew away his remaining drunkenness. Although his face was still slightly flushed and he appeared slightly tipsy, his eyes had become clear.
He withdrew his foot and went back to his room the same way he came, without stepping into the inner courtyard again.
Seeing this, Cui Hao sighed, shook his head, and followed.
...
While Wei Hong was entertaining guests in the front yard, Yao Youqing sat on the bed covered with longan, peanuts, and other treats, waiting for him to return.
Although the two had already entered the bridal chamber, according to custom, Wei Hong should still lift her veil, drink the nuptial wine with her, and only then could people remove these things from the bed.
She was pampered since childhood, and her bed was always covered with the softest bedding. She had never sat on such a uncomfortable bed before.
But the rules were there, so she couldn't move and could only sit quietly.
Yao Youqing thought she would be sitting for a long time, but soon there was a commotion outside. Someone came looking for Zhou's mother and whispered a few words to her.
Yao Youqing couldn't see because of the veil, but she could still vaguely hear a few words: "Go to sleep first, no need to wait."
She wanted to hear more, but Zhou's mother closed the door, and she couldn't hear a single word.
It seemed that Zhou's mother had been talking to that person outside for a long time before she pushed the door open and came in again. Although Yao Youqing couldn't see, she could tell from the sound of her footsteps that she was unhappy because her steps were much slower than usual.
“Mother Zhou,” she said, lifting her veil slightly, “the Prince won’t be coming, will he?”
Just as Zhou's mother was about to tell her to put down her veil, as it was considered unlucky, she remembered what the maid from the Prince's mansion had just told her and swallowed her words back.
Neither of the princes will come, so are we supposed to keep the young lady sitting there with her veil on, waiting?
She forced a smile, trying her best to reassure the princess: "Many of the prince's friends have come to the manor. He can't get away for a while and is afraid that the princess will have to wait too long, so he asked you to rest first."
Even he himself couldn't believe what he was saying.
Yao Youqing knew she was being coaxed, but she didn't care. Instead, she breathed a sigh of relief, immediately got out of bed, and took off her veil, throwing it aside.
"This bed is too uncomfortable, I don't want to sit on it for another second."
Zhou's mother hurriedly had the things on the bed cleaned up, then helped her remove the phoenix crown and the elaborate wedding dress, and brought over the food that had been prepared beforehand.
The bride is not allowed to eat during the wedding, and Yao Youqing was hungry early on, so she ate more tonight than usual.
After eating, she rested for a while and then took a shower. After drying her hair, she prepared to go to sleep.
After a moment's hesitation, Zhou's mother said, "Your Highness, perhaps we should wait a little longer?"
Perhaps the prince will arrive soon...
Yao Youqing smiled and said, "There's no need to wait, Mother Zhou. The Prince won't be coming. You don't need to be sad for me because of this. I knew this would happen, and I don't think there's anything wrong with it."
"Although the prince and my father are not on good terms, he has not treated me harshly because of it. Isn't that already very kind of him?"
Mrs. Zhou frowned, thinking to herself that not valuing someone is the same as mistreating them.
But then I thought about the enmity between the prince and the master. Since they were enemies, I couldn't expect him to treat the enemy's daughter well.
So, not treating them harshly seems to be the same as treating them kindly...
With a troubled expression, Zhou's mother helped Yao Youqing to rest, then quietly retreated to the outer room after putting down the curtains.
Yao Youqing listened intently to the sounds in the room until her footsteps completely disappeared before letting out a long sigh of relief from under the covers.
Actually, she was more afraid of the prince coming than of him not coming.
The wedding night and all that... Although Zhou's mother had already shown her the booklet, she was still a little scared when she thought of the prince's gloomy face.
So it's really good now; she can finally sleep soundly.
Yao Youqing smiled and closed her eyes, quickly falling asleep. Outside, Zhou Mama still wanted to wait, but the banquet in the front yard ended before the Prince of Qin arrived.
She sighed and returned to her room, where she found her young mistress fast asleep, showing no sign of worry about the future.
Looking at her sweet sleeping face, she shook her head and chuckled, wondering whether her mistress's temperament was good or bad...
Author's Note: Wei Hong: I didn't come to your wedding night, you must be very sad, right?
Yao Youqing: No, I'm so happy!
Wei Hong: ...
The later plot is generally in the style of short skits—the male lead is arrogant and the female lead is soft and cute, and their personalities won't change much. The female lead will grow, but overall she'll still be quite gentle. This is my first time writing a soft and cute female lead—I don't know if it's well-written—I hope you like it! If you don't like it… emmm… there's nothing I can do, just please don't criticize too harshly! Thanks!
Chapter 14 Arrangement
Emperor Gaozong had been gone for a long time, and Wei Hong's birth mother, Lady Xiao, had also passed away. The entire Prince Qin's mansion only had two masters, Wei Hong and Yao Youqing, so Yao Youqing naturally did not need to pay her respects to her elders.
She slept until her usual wake-up time, and with the help of Qiongyu and Zhou Mama, she washed up, ate, and then sat in the main room to receive the greetings of the servants of the Prince's Mansion.
The Prince of Qin's mansion had few servants, and even fewer maids in the inner quarters. Most of them were lowly servants who did menial tasks, and there were only three respectable young maids.
"This servant is Han Qing."
"This servant is Chizhu."
"This servant is Chu Yan."
They announced their names, but Zhou's mother's gaze paused when it fell on Chu Yan.
It wasn't because she was the only one who still kept her surname, but because this person looked somewhat familiar.
Chu Yan was taller than the other maids and had a more outstanding appearance. Even though she stood there with her head bowed and eyes down like the others, she still stood out more.
She seemed to notice that Zhou's mother was looking her over, and she raised her eyebrows slightly, but quickly lowered them again, without doing anything inappropriate.
Chi Zhu chuckled softly and, before Zhou Mama could speak, said, "Madam Chu is the Prince's concubine. Although she has only been in the manor for two years, she is more favored by the Prince than any of us."
Upon hearing this, Han Qing frowned slightly, reached out and tugged at Chi Zhu's sleeve, shook her head, and signaled her not to speak out of turn in front of the princess.
Chizhu, however, didn't take it to heart and just shrugged, waiting to see what would happen.
There's only one concubine in the entire household, so the newly arrived princess will definitely not like her, and who knows how she'll make things difficult for her in the future.
Moreover, the prince didn't stay overnight in the main courtyard on their wedding night, but this woman surnamed Chu had already gotten close to him. The princess's anger would definitely be directed at her.
Chu Yan naturally understood Chi Zhu's intention. She turned her head and glanced at her indifferently. Although she did not speak, her expression already displeased Chi Zhu.
She waited for the princess to make things difficult for her, but the still-childish princess only glanced at Chu Yan curiously a few times and said nothing.
However, Zhou Mama, who was beside her, scolded, "How dare you speak so rudely in front of the Princess? Considering this is your first offense, and it is also the Princess's wedding day, you will be fined three months' salary! If there is a next time, it won't be so simple!"
These words were naturally not spoken to Chu Yan, but to Chi Zhu.
Chi Zhu was taken aback and opened her mouth to retort, but Han Qing pulled her back again, giving her a series of meaningful glances.
She then remembered that the person in front of her was the Princess Qin, whom the late emperor had bestowed upon her and whom the prince had formally married, and not someone else.
She could only swallow her words of rebuttal, and reluctantly curtsied with a stiff face: "This servant knows her mistake!"
Zhou's mother ignored her and gave Yao Youqing a lecture before dismissing everyone.
After leaving the main courtyard, Chizhu turned back and glared at him resentfully, muttering, "What's with the princess airs? The prince didn't even stay here last night. If it were me, I would have stayed in my room and refused to see anyone! That's embarrassing enough!"
Han Qing frowned: "Stop fooling around. Even if the Princess Consort is not favored, she is still the Prince's lawfully wedded wife and is to be listed in the imperial register. Didn't Lord Cui instruct us yesterday to serve her well and not to neglect her? If Lord Cui finds out about your behavior, even if the Princess Consort doesn't punish you, he will!"
Chizhu had been serving in the Prince's mansion for quite some years and knew that although Cui Hao was usually kind and gentle, he would never tolerate servants who made mistakes. She could only snort and turn away.
Meanwhile, Chu Yan returned to her courtyard. Her maid, Wan'er, closed the door and, after making sure no one could hear, complained, "Chizhu is really going too far. My lady, you didn't even wear your jewelry to see the princess, and you even wore the same maid's clothes as them, just so the princess wouldn't notice you."
"She's really something, deliberately pointing out your identity in front of the princess, trying to make the princess resent you!"
Although Chu Yan was nominally a maid, no one had ever treated her like one since the day she entered the mansion.