The Princess's Notebook

The 24th day of the third month of the 13th year of Kaiyuan. The eve of the Crown Prince's marriage.

Qiu Shuangju had been busy for the past few days. Everyone in the house was busy. It was unknown whether it was because of the coming of a happy event, the influence of God, or some other reason, but the usually crazy Shangguan concubine had been sober for several days in a row. Together with concubine Feng, they talked to Shiqi Niang about the details of marriage.

Speaking of the two of them, one was from an ordinary family, and the other was from an official family, but in the end they were both concubines, and apart from how to serve their husbands, they had nothing to say. Moreover, Shiqi Niang's husband was extraordinary, so it was probably useless to serve him or not.

The two of them simply put aside their pride and started talking about having kids.

They know a little about this.

The night was long and dark, maple leaves rustled, Aunt Feng was a little embarrassed, she lowered her head and seemed to mutter, "Anyway, you... just be obedient, it's no big deal. I heard that the royal family already has servants, so there's no need..."

Aunt Shangguan took Aunt Feng's trembling hand and came closer. "Your aunt is right, it's no big deal. That booklet is a thing at the bottom of the box. Whether you read it or not, whether you understand it or not, it doesn't matter. I know more about the rules of the palace than your aunt. The princes and grandchildren of the emperor are no more than sixteen or seventeen years old. They already have maids to serve them. They must know more than what is written above. You..."

Mustering up the courage to say this, Aunt Shangguan, a former official's wife, had already turned purple in the face and was gasping for breath.

I don't know how much Seventeenth Lady beside me heard. Aunt Feng looked at Aunt Shangguan and saw that she was not in good shape either. She muttered and looked for help, "Madam, why didn't you send someone here at this time?"

"Madam, you might be practicing tomorrow's etiquette with the maids in the palace right now, how can you care about us..." Aunt Shangguan seemed to remember something, or more like evasion, and immediately changed the subject, "Madam, didn't you send something here three days ago? I think it was a treasure for the girl, where did you put it?"

These days, Aunt Feng had been so busy that she had forgotten her last name, so how could she remember, "I... I..."

Aunt Shangguan sighed, "Oh, hurry up and look for it. It's already this late. Don't tell me that I put it in the wrong place. If I find out, it will be a joke for the whole Daye."

Therefore, the two concubines walked away in a gust of wind, as if they were fleeing and not looking for something at all.

Only Seventeenth Lady was left, sitting on the couch in a daze, staring at the green gauze cabinet. Her face flushed, her eyes blurred, she really didn't take the two concubines' words to heart. What booklets, what treasures, she, Wang Seventeenth Lady, couldn't use them all, there were too many in the storybook. What's more, she, Wang Seventeenth Lady, had written a book herself, The Little Eunuch's Special Bridal Chamber.

It doesn't matter, don't do that.

After comforting herself in this way, Shiqi Niang finally found a chance to catch her breath. She slowed down her mind and took a final look around her territory. A small green gauze cabinet, a table with a raised head, a bunk bed, and a few boxes and closets were all Shiqi Niang's belongings. Of course, these were not worthy of the title of Crown Princess.

Wang Kang and Qiao Xin knew all this, and they collected a lot of things a few months ago, one to add to her makeup, and the other to decorate Qiu Shuangju.

So as to avoid the wedding day being too shabby and causing laughter.

Shiqi Niang put her hand on the broken skin of the headrest. The broken skin was raised, which hurt and itchy. It was hard to describe what the feeling was, but I knew it spread all over my body along the meridians.

Everything will be gone, and I don’t know what the future will be like.

After a sleepless night, Shiqi Niang was dragged up from her couch before the morning hour and dressed up. She put on three layers of wedding clothes, and it took her about two hours to dress up. Then she went to the ancestral hall to worship and comfort her ancestors... There was no need to go into details about the various ceremonies. By the time Shiqi Niang had packed up and was waiting for Zhao Feiran to come and pick her up, it was already afternoon.

Speaking of Zhao Feiran, he was also very busy today. He got up at 11:00 a.m., dressed up, led the people to worship at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and then returned to the Imperial City to listen to the instructions of His Majesty and His Majesty.

Today's match will be held in Zhengyang Palace. Your Majesty said that this is a family matter and does not require the monarch and his subjects.

The parents sat at the head of the table. His Majesty's eyes were red for a rare moment, and he sighed repeatedly, "Well, my son is going to get married, it's really great. When you grow up, you will be someone else's husband, so don't be like before, with bad words and unlovable behavior. Seventeen is a good child, who is in a quagmire, but he is tenacious and unyielding. From now on, your mother and I only hope for the best for you..."

The queen couldn't bear to see the usually stern Zhao Kun suddenly become sentimental, "The child is getting married today, why are you saying this? Besides, we can still see each other tomorrow morning. You are crying and look worthless." After saying that, Zhao Kun turned around and warned Zhao Feiran, "What your father said just now is not good, but there is one good thing - you should change your bad habit of talking nonsense. Last year, you made the young lady angry..."

Before the queen could finish her words, His Majesty quickly took over the conversation, "You are still blaming me. Why are you talking about those unlucky things on such a happy day? How can a young lady like her live in the future if she doesn't know how to be considerate of her husband..."

"Zhao Kun! You also know what day it is today. Can't you say something nice..."

The emperor and the empress quarreled as if no one was around.

Zhao Feiran, who was still bowing respectfully in the hall, changed his posture and touched his belly. He hadn't eaten anything for half a day, and he still had to listen to his parents quarreling.

This is great joy, really great joy.

At the beginning of the hour of Wei, the left and right road cleaners led the way first, and the streets were on alert, sweeping everywhere. Then the left and right guards led the way, and the heroic men and horses, with servants and ceremonial guards, slowly came in. After the people of the East Palace walked for about an incense stick of time, they saw Zhao Feiran, wearing a bright red wedding dress, sitting on a saddle, and coming towards the light.

Behind him, the hexagonal carriage that belonged exclusively to the Crown Princess was drawn by four horses, palace bells swayed, and gauze curtains fluttered.

The people separated by the left and right guards chatted in groups of three or two, talking about the chariot and the hexagonal carriage. Our dynasty has never valued luxury, and the imperial city is much more frugal than the previous dynasty. The custom of using a hexagonal carriage to pick up the bride was only in the previous dynasty. In an instant, word spread from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred, and everyone came to see the Crown Princess's elegance.

There is no other reason. There is already the hexagonal carriage of the previous dynasty. Then there must be the closing of the door and beating of the son-in-law, three poems urging the bride to get dressed, and the golden boy opening the door.

Sure enough, Zhao Feiran barely greeted Wang Kang and was allowed to go in to welcome the bride. As soon as he entered the front yard, he suddenly saw the people behind him closing the door in unison.

He was born and raised in the palace, and had never heard of the rules of the previous dynasty, so he was a little confused.

At one point, all the boys and girls in the front hall gathered together and shouted, "What good day is today?"

"The day when the son-in-law comes to visit!"

"Son-in-law, son-in-law, what is a son-in-law?"

The young ladies shouted in unison: "The son-in-law is the dog of his mother's family, and it doesn't matter whether he is beaten or killed."

Zhao Feiran looked around, wondering if he was really going to be hit, but the next moment, everyone just tapped the ground with their sticks. With the prince of a country here, no one would dare to hit their son-in-law with a stick even if they had a hundred or eighty courageous people.

Zhao Feiran was relaxed, smiling happily, looked around and walked towards the backyard.

The backyard was now filled with young ladies. Zhao Feiran saw this and thought they were timid and would not dare to do anything. But unexpectedly, the Crown Prince wrote three poems to urge him to get dressed and recited "Taoyao" and "Jiangjia"... The young ladies were very confident, "This place is not far from Qiu Shuangju, and the prince can hear the poems he recites." Zhao Feiran had no choice but to do as he was told. He secretly wrote down the young ladies' names and planned to deal with their family members.

After going through so many difficulties, we finally arrived at Qiu Shuang Ju, and it was the last excitement of the day.

The golden boy opens the door.

The two children, aged five or six, twisted their chubby bodies and pulled the red silk in their hands with great effort, trying to open the door of Shiqi Niang's boudoir. The effort they made and the young age they looked made Zhao Feiran feel that he might not be able to take the bride back today.

It seemed like a long time had passed before the door slowly opened, and half of the young lady's back was revealed under the south window.

She sat properly, with her hair full of pearls and jade, much bigger than Shiqi Niang's head. Zhao Feiran was in a trance, and saw Shiqi Niang move, as if she couldn't hold on, and immediately jumped forward, wanting to take off the golden crown for her. But she didn't expect to be blocked by someone.

Suddenly there was a burst of laughter. Zhao Feiran took a step back and realized that he was wrong.

A person who looked like a bridesmaid said with a smile, "Your Highness, you cannot see her now, so please wait." Then, she called two golden boys over, bent down and asked, "Golden boys, golden boys, is it okay for the son-in-law to come to the house to welcome the new bride?"

"This marriage is a gift from heaven, and everything will go well." After saying this, the matchmaker and the golden boy both made way.

Realizing that he could enter, Zhao Feiran strode forward and entered the inner room.

The light was dim in the afternoon, and golden light shone through the south window and onto Shiqi Niang's cheek. She seemed to be bathed in golden light, bright and shining, waiting for someone to come. Perhaps she knew the hustle and bustle outside, and when Zhao Feiran entered the room in a daze, Shiqi Niang turned around and smiled brightly. As if dazzled, Zhao Feiran only felt that the light outside the window fell into Shiqi Niang's eyes.

She has a charming smile and beautiful eyes.

Zhao Feiran lost his balance, his legs weakened, and he staggered towards Seventeen. The next moment, the bridesmaid who followed him in called out, "Don't rush this!"

Blushing, ashamed, and with nowhere to explain, Zhao Feiran could only stand there, waiting for the bride's instructions. The longer he waited, the more irritated and anxious he became. His Highness the Crown Prince had only spent half a day to welcome his bride, and he had completely lost all the face he hadn't lost in the past ten years.

Who set the rules for the wedding agenda? As soon as he had packed up and went to court, he was immediately exiled.

You can't stay in Kyoto.

In a daze, Zhao Feiran felt something stuffed into his hand. He looked down and saw it was the red silk handed over by the matchmaker.

There was a small piece of red silk, with him on one end and Shiqi Niang on the other.

Three or five steps, just a stone's throw away.

Just raise your eyes and you can see it.

(End of this chapter)