Chapter 24.2 - Wedding

  When she saw Song Chaoxi wake up, Dong’er let out a heavy sigh of relief. Somehow, she just felt that no matter how big the situation, as long as Miss was there, there was nothing to panic about.

  "Miss, you're finally awake! wuwuwu... I had just arrived at the hour of the tiger (around 3–5 a.m.) when Qingzhu woke me up. She wouldn't sleep and wouldn't let me sleep either!"

  Song Chaoxi raised her eyebrows. “What are you two panicking about?”

  Qingzhu let out a sigh. It wasn't that she was panicking—she was just nervous. She had originally been just a second-css maid in the household and had never imagined she’d be assigned to serve the Eldest Miss during her marriage preparations. At the time, no one had wanted the job, and she'd been maniputed into it. Who could’ve predicted that the young dy had pns of her own and would soon be marrying the Duke? A low-ranked maid like her had never seen such grand occasions. Even though she’d been consulting with the senior housekeepers these past few days, she was still inexperienced.

  “What’s there to be afraid of? In a bit, the Lady of fortune [1] will come by to handle the formalities—you just need to follow her instructions.”

  The young dy's tone was calm and composed, without a hint of turbulence. This unknowingly affected Qingzhu, and her panic eased a bit. Under the young dy's instructions, she began preparing in a calm and unhurried manner.

  After the time of the rabbit (around 5-7 am) had passed, Jiang shi indeed arrived with the Lady of fortune (Lady Quanfu), Madam Dong. Both Jiang shi and Madam Dong were dressed in brand-new robes. Jiang shi wore a golden-colored, intricate-patterned silk robe with dark motifs, while Madam Dong wore a dark red robe with woven gold and intertwined floral patterns. Both of them had their hair neatly styled, each wearing a long, ornate hairpin with pearls and gems embedded, gleaming brilliantly.

  It wasn’t Madam Dong’s first time meeting Song Chaoxi. She had previously considered marrying Chaoxi to Rong Heng. But now, with the emperor himself decreeing that Chaoxi marry Rong Jing instead, Madam Dong couldn't help comparing the two. With hindsight, she realized Chaoxi and Rong Jing were truly well-matched. Fortunately, she had never spoken her previous intentions aloud—not even to Jiang shi, whom she'd only vaguely hinted at. Otherwise, both families would be embarrassed today. Now she only had to cim that the Duke's family had pnned to have Rong Jing marry to dispel ill fortune all along.

  “Good child, I knew you were special the st time I saw you. Your skin is so clear and delicate—I’ve never seen anyone with skin better than yours. Even a luminous pearl wouldn't shine as bright as you.”

  Song Chaoxi gave a gentle ugh. “You ftter me. It’s truly a lot of work for you today.”

  Madam Dong felt comforted. Though she was the official dy of fortune, she was old, and rising early and working on the wedding day was exhausting. Being appreciated made her happy.

  “Look at her—so lovely and sweet-spoken. Who wouldn’t like Chaoxi? Once you're in the Duke’s household, good days await you.”

  Jiang-shi’s expression was unreadable. She had reflected much in the past few days and was no longer as angry. After Song Zongming’s dramatic outburst, she had finally learned of the disgraceful things done by Song Chaoyan and Shen-shi behind the scenes. It was no wonder Chaoxi had made her own pns. Jiang-shi had even wondered: if she were in Chaoxi’s pce, could she have done any better? Likely not. Though Chaoxi had schemed against her, Jiang-shi had truly failed to fulfill the role of a proper grandmother.

  Still, it was her duty as the household madam to pn for the marquisate. In the high-ranking families of the capital, wasn’t it the same everywhere? Daughters were married off to pave the way for the next generation. Since ancient times, women had always been the stepping stones and sacrifices of the family—no exceptions. Though Jiang-shi felt conflicted about her granddaughter, she had to admit: among all the children of the house, Song Chaoxi was the most outstanding—in both appearance and temperament. She had no doubt that once in the Duke’s household, Chaoxi would win everyone over. Running the inner household would be no trouble for her.

  Jiang-shi lowered her eyes and said ftly, “Once you’re married, you’ll be part of another household. The Duke’s health is poor—you must care for him well. Be filial to your mother-in-w, affectionate with your husband’s siblings, kind to the younger generation, and treat your husband as your sky. Matters involving the Duke’s first wife must be handled cautiously. Be careful when dealing with the heir. Once he marries, you will be his mother-in-w—be gracious, and don’t give anyone an excuse to criticize you or bring shame to the marquisate.”

  Her tone was strict and not at all warm. Though these words sounded like a lecture, it was Chaoxi’s wedding day. She took it as concern, smiled, and agreed politely.

  Her demure and obedient demeanor made Jiang-shi’s heart skip a beat. To someone like Madam Dong, it seemed the more she looked at Song Chaoxi, the more she was pleased. She thought Chaoxi was just naturally gentle and obedient—unaware it was all a front. Jiang-shi had seen firsthand how sharp-tongued Chaoxi could be behind the scenes.

  And yet, she admired her. Whether elder, younger, family, or outsider—anyone Song Chaoxi wanted to win over would end up liking her.

  A little while ter, the maids came in to thread her face. After working at it for a while, one looked puzzled and said, “There’s nothing to thread on Eldest Miss’s face—her skin’s already like a peeled egg.”

  The celestial herb had healing effects, cleansing all blemishes. A scar on Chaoxi’s knee from childhood disappeared overnight after she took it. Except for her hair, brows, and shes, the rest of her body hair had grown so light and fine that there was no need for threading.

  Madam Dong took one look and said, “Then skip the threading. She’s truly like someone sculpted from jade. In all my years, I’ve never seen someone more beautiful than Chaoxi.”

  The gold-threaded red bridal gown made Song Chaoxi’s complexion glow. Her features shimmered like water under sunlight. She didn’t need heavy makeup—just a touch of rouge and red lips. The maids inserted a red hairpin into her styled hair.

  Madam Shen and Madam Lan entered with the secondary madams of the marquisate, instantly crowding the room. Everyone praised Song Chaoxi’s beauty and blessed Shen shi for her fortune. Yet with every compliment, Shen shi’s face darkened—it all felt like sarcasm to her.

  Unable to bear it any longer, she found an excuse and stormed off.

  Song Chaoxi was gd she left—better than ruining her mood. She was about to head to the Duke’s estate, where she would finally be free—and able to resume her medical practice.

  Before she realized it, the sky was already fully bright. Suddenly, firecrackers exploded outside, followed by a maid’s cry: “The bridal procession is here!”

  But Song Chaoxi wasn’t excited. After all, the man she was marrying was still lying in bed—he wouldn’t be here.

  Soon, the maids returned and said that it was the Duke’s younger brother, Rong Ling—the third young master of the Duke's household—who had come in his stead. Song Chaoxi had never seen him before, but assumed he must somewhat resemble Rong Jing.

  She had thought the door-blocking games would drag on until afternoon before the bridal sedan would leave. But the people who came were all very imposing. Just the two generals—Xiong Si and Lu Xiao—who served under the Duke, were enough to overwhelm the situation.

  The maids said both had just earned military honors and were at the height of their careers. Tall and burly, they had no trouble pushing aside the bookish schors attempting to block the door. Clearly, the Duke’s household hadn’t come to waste time on wedding games.

  Their pn was swift and decisive.

  Someone in the procession even revealed that the emperor himself was waiting for the bride to be brought to the Duke’s estate—he intended to personally attend the wedding banquet. Once this was said, the room fell silent. No one dared utter a word. Block the door? Who would be foolish enough to dey and keep the emperor waiting?

  So, everything was done simply—those who came to escort the bride arrived in a hurry and left just as quickly, practically snatching the bride away and carrying her into the bridal sedan like a heist.

  It wasn’t just Song Chaoxi who was stunned—even the entire Marquis’ household hadn’t recovered from the shock. Song Fengmao, in all his years, had never seen a wedding proceed so fast. The sun hadn’t even risen high, and the bride had already been taken away. Wasn’t this too much of a bargain for Duke Rong? But then again, Duke Rong was still bedridden—this was a wedding meant to bring good fortune, so of course it had to be kept simple. Even so, the essential formalities were all observed, preserving the dignity of the Marquis’ household and the bride. The Duke’s household had handled things with enough thoroughness and respect.

  It was said that even the Emperor would attend the wedding banquet personally. Guests visiting the Marquis’ residence all offered congratutions to Song Fengmao. Though he spoke modestly on the surface, inside he was thrilled. Duke Rong was unconscious, yet the Emperor was still willing to show him such honor—this wasn’t ordinary favor, but special regard.

  After all, Duke Rong had been injured and had fallen into a coma because of the Emperor. It could only be said that their bond was far deeper than most people realized.

  Just as Song Chaoxi was seated in the bridal sedan, before the dowry had even left the Marquis’ residence, a commotion broke out in the crowd.

  She didn’t know what was happening and couldn’t lift the sedan curtain to look. She only heard people on the roadside gossiping excitedly:

  “What are all those carts carrying?”

  “Look at those impressive carriages—even the horses are straining, the chests must be very heavy.”

  “There are bright red silk ribbons draped over the wooden chests, and big red wedding characters pasted at the seals—could these be part of the bride’s dowry?”

  “That can’t be right. The dowry clearly came out from the Marquis’ residence. When a marquis marries off a daughter, there’s at least dozens of sedan loads of dowry. Add these carriages, and even the Emperor’s daughter didn’t have such a grand dispy!”

  Song Chaoxi’s heart stirred with a sudden guess. The next moment, the sharp crack of a horsewhip rang out, followed by the increasing sound of galloping hooves. A guard outside the sedan shouted, “Who goes there?”

  Then she heard her eldest cousin’s warm voice reply, “We’re the bride’s family. These are dowries we’ve come to deliver for the bride!”

  Song Chaoxi’s eyes welled up with sudden heat. It had been a long time since she’d seen her cousins. Everyone in the capital said she had returned to her family, but only she knew the truth—this pce wasn’t her home. The Yangzhou home where she lived for eight years was her real home. She hadn’t wanted to worry her aunt, so she purposely hadn’t sent any word back. Yet somehow, her aunt had still found out—and not only that, she had sent her cousins to bring a dowry.

  It seemed the guards were inspecting the dowries now, and the carriages came to a halt.

  Then her eldest cousin’s voice came through the sedan curtain: “Chaoxi, what you did really wasn’t fair. How could you get married without telling us? You just secretly snuck off and got yourself married! I always thought you’d bring me a sister-in-w one day. Who knew you’d go and get married yourself? Still, I’m very proud of you.”

  Song Chaoxi: “……” She felt like there were a thousand question marks in her head. Why did her eldest cousin have such deep misunderstandings about her?

  Her second cousin shouted gruffly, “Everyone says our family has five young masters, and now we’re missing one—you! What are we supposed to do? And seriously, Sis, you’re really something. You went and married a comatose old man. You’ve got unique taste!”

  Song Chaoxi: “……”

  Her third cousin said regretfully, “Without you, roast duck, roast goose, soup dumplings, chestnut pastries, and tea eggs all taste bnd. Even leaf cards aren’t fun anymore.”

  Yeah, right. You probably haven’t missed a single bite.

  Her fourth cousin sighed long and loudly through the curtain, his tone full of reproach: “Sis, Susu is still waiting for you. She said she’ll marry no one but you in this life. If you don’t return, she’ll be your woman in life and your ghost in death. She even told me to deliver a message—do you still remember Susu by the ke in Yangzhou that year?”

  “……” Song Chaoxi held her forehead. On this day of joyous marriage, brides were supposed to cry during the wedding. Yet here she was—unable to cry, and struggling not to ugh.

  Susu was the Yangzhou courtesan her fourth cousin had sent her. He said she had come of age and needed to “unleash her nature” a little and stop suppressing herself. Susu was very attentive and could surely keep her happy. Song Chaoxi had no idea why they all so badly misunderstood her, each ciming they were open-minded and would never look down on her. She’d originally pnned to let Susu go and find her own path, but Susu fell for her at first sight and became quite the nuisance.

  And he dared to bring it up now! If it weren’t her wedding day, she really would have given him an earful.

  Holding her forehead, Song Chaoxi spoke softly through the curtain, “Dear cousins, it’s my wedding day—can’t you at least let me save a little face? There’s a saying: ‘Leave room for each other, and you’ll meet again kindly.’ Are you all pnning to stay unmarried forever?”

  The four cousins flinched, and the eldest finally spoke to mediate: “Seriously, you guys. How could you tease your sister like this? Be careful or she’ll get so mad she won’t even take the dowry.”

  Song Chaoxi paused, then quickly said, “I’ll take the dowry.”

  ————

  [1] -"全福太太" literally transtes to "Lady of Complete Blessings" or "Madam of Full Fortune."In traditional Chinese culture, 全福太太 refers to an older married woman who is considered especially fortunate and auspicious—she has living parents, a living husband, children and grandchildren, and a harmonious family. Because of her "complete blessings," she is believed to bring good luck.On a bride’s wedding day, such a woman is often invited to lead or participate in ceremonial preparations—like helping the bride dress or perform rituals—because her presence symbolizes a blissful and prosperous marriage.