The prince is more stable

Chapter 188 The Wedding Date (Part )

On the wedding day, offering sacrifices to ancestors is one of the rituals.

But it’s not enough to just kowtow a few times in front of the ancestral tablets.

In fact, Zhao Xiaoqian had to kneel from early morning to afternoon to show his piety to his ancestors, and then come out of the ancestral hall and go directly to his father-in-law's house to pick up the bride.

Zhao Xiaoqian knelt in the ancestral hall all day long, his legs numb. He felt that this was not a marriage but a torture.

Perhaps the ancestors in the underworld were telling him in this way that if he wanted to taste the sweetness of love, he must first taste the bitterness of kneeling down to worship his ancestors.

Zhao Xiaoqian gritted his teeth and endured the pain in his legs, and patiently knelt in the ancestral hall for the entire day.

Of course, if no one saw the process of slacking off, just pretend it didn't happen. It doesn't matter if the ancestral tablets saw it, they won't blow up the graves for such a small matter.

By the afternoon, the wedding procession from the Prince of Chu's Palace was already waiting outside, and all the ceremonial items had been prepared. Even Zhao Xiaoqian's mother, Feng, was brought into the palace. Only then did Zhao Hao personally take Zhao Xiaoqian out of the ancestral hall.

It was almost dusk when the wedding procession set out in a mighty procession, making their way straight to the Di Mansion with banging and drumming.

The ceremony was very grand. Not only did the royal palace mobilize 500 imperial guards, but Zhao Xiaoqian also called on the Imperial City Bureau and borrowed hundreds of imperial guards from Zhao Zongsheng's mansion to finally hold up the occasion.

A team of hundreds of people passed through the city of Bianjing, and the common people took to the streets to watch. When they saw Zhao Xiaoqian riding on a tall horse with red lips and white teeth, and a handsome appearance, the people immediately started whispering about him.

It turned out that this was the Prince of Chu who had recently become famous in Bian Jing. He seemed to be very favored by the emperor and had made considerable contributions to the Song Dynasty. No wonder the emperor broke the ancestral rules for him. Just looking at the prince's handsome appearance, it was worth breaking the rules.

The so-called "Six Rites" are the necessary rituals for a wedding in ancient times. If any one of them is missing, it would be considered improper and people would even call it "illicit marriage", which is unpleasant to hear.

In fact, the first five of the six ceremonies, such as Naji, Nazheng, and Qingqi, have been completed before the wedding day. On the wedding day, only the last step is required, which is to welcome the bride.

Zhao Xiaoqian was riding on his horse, and not long after he left the palace, he felt uncomfortable all over.

It wasn't because I was nervous, but because there were too many ordinary people watching along the street. It felt bad to walk through the crowd and ruin my reputation without realizing it.

The Di family is actually not far from the Prince of Chu's Palace. If you use the navigation, it will take about two quarters of an hour to walk there, but the purpose of the wedding is to announce it to the world and to make it legitimate.

Therefore, the wedding procession deliberately took a long detour, making a big circle around several blocks near the Imperial Street with banging and banging, for fear that others would not know that the Prince of Chu was going to legally sleep in the same bed with the girl of the Di family today and do shameful things with them.

When passing by the gate of Daxiangguo Temple, Zhao Xiaoqian smelled a strong fragrance. He turned his head and saw a stall selling hazelnut cakes on the side of the road. Plates of hazelnut cakes were just coming out of the steamer. As a white mist swirled, the fragrance filled the air.

Zhao Xiaoqian swallowed secretly.

He got up early in the morning and was dragged into the ancestral hall to kneel for the whole day. He only had a few snacks in the morning. According to the rules, one must abstain from food when worshiping ancestors and can only drink water. Zhao Xiaoqian was now very hungry.

Things like weddings can be put off until later, but one’s belly must never be left in suspense. This is Zhao Xiaoqian’s principle in life.

"Chen Shou, Chen Shou!" Zhao Xiaoqian called out several times.

However, Chen Shou was even busier than Zhao Xiaoqian today. Not only did he have to direct the wedding reception arrangements of hundreds of his imperial guards, he was also responsible for security work.

Zhao Xiaoqian shouted for a long time, looked around, and found that Chen Shou was not by his side at all.

"I can't rely on anyone, I can only rely on myself!" Zhao Xiaoqian gritted his teeth.

So, amid the noisy and lively sound of gongs and drums, the groom Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly reined in the horse under his crotch, and then, under the horrified gaze of the wedding party, Zhao Xiaoqian quickly jumped off the horse and rushed to the stall selling hazelnut cakes.

"Give me two, no, three!" Zhao Xiaoqian completely ignored the shocked looks of outsiders and took out money from his pocket. As soon as he took it out, he found that he had no money.

Zhao Xiaoqian cursed inwardly and turned to look at the hundreds of imperial guardsmen in the wedding procession. "Anyone of you, give me the money, and I'll pay you back later," Zhao Xiaoqian said loudly.

The vendor selling hazelnut cakes was stunned and looked at him stupidly.

Never, absolutely, have I seen such an outrageous incident.

Halfway through the wedding procession, the groom actually stopped the procession, dismounted, and ran to the roadside to buy cakes.

Are you wealthy people so careless and casual when it comes to getting married? This damn sense of relaxation, ordinary people really can never learn it in their lifetime...

"What are you waiting for? Give me the hazelnut cake quickly, I'm in a hurry!" Zhao Xiaoqian glared.

The dealer had a blank expression on his face, and his hands moved as if without thinking, as he foolishly packed up three hazelnut cakes and handed them to him.

"How much? Can I buy it on credit?" Zhao Xiaoqian asked without any embarrassment.

The dealer said dully, "Okay, no... no need to pay. I'm giving it to you for free. Just consider it a gift to congratulate the prince on his wedding."

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled happily and patted the dealer on the shoulder: "Good people will have a peaceful life. You will definitely get rich. Thank you very much."

Taking the slightly hot hazelnut cake, Zhao Xiaoqian took a big bite of it, ignoring the shocked and numb looks of the wedding party behind him.

Really fragrant!

When you are extremely hungry, the taste of the first bite of food you take is guaranteed to be unforgettable for the rest of your life.

Such is the case at this moment.

The wedding procession was still stopped in the middle of the road, even the music band had stopped. Hundreds of people just stared blankly at the prince wearing a groom's suit, standing on the roadside and eating heartily.

After a long time, an official from the Ministry of Rites, who was originally walking at the end of the team, hurried over and ran towards Zhao Xiaoqian with a pale face, as if he was running towards a reckless love. However, the official's face was full of anger and frustration, which completely betrayed his mood.

"Marquis of the County, you actually...this is outrageous!" The official from the Ministry of Rites stamped his feet in anger, not daring to hit him or scold him.

It’s so outrageous!
If it were someone else, the official from the Ministry of Rites would have run up from a distance and then kicked him in the air.

On the wedding day, in full view of everyone, the groom was eating hazelnut cake on the roadside...

The official from the Ministry of Rites had presided over important court ceremonies and also worked part-time as a wedding master of ceremonies, but he had never seen such an outrageous groom.

"Marquis, the time for welcoming the bride has been calculated in advance. Not a single moment can be wasted, otherwise the auspicious time will be missed. But you stopped the procession and stood on the roadside to eat... Alas! The rituals and music are in tatters!" The official from the Ministry of Rites stamped his feet in grief.

Zhao Xiaoqian was also a little embarrassed, but he was really too hungry just now and couldn't help it.

"Sorry, I just took care of some personal matters. Let's continue with the wedding. Hey, relax and smile. I have learned my lesson today. I promise not to cause trouble next time I get married."

The official from the Ministry of Rites continued to resist the urge to kick the Marquis. He gritted his teeth, turned his head, and shouted at the team ahead, "Hurry, no more detours, take the shortcut and rush to Di Mansion immediately. The auspicious time is almost over!"

So the wedding procession, which had been solemn and dignified just now, suddenly changed its style. Everyone surrounded Zhao Xiaoqian and rushed towards the Di Mansion at full speed.

The originally joyous atmosphere suddenly became murderous. It didn't look like a wedding at all, but rather like a group of bandits coming down the mountain to rush to the Di Mansion, determined to move swiftly and wipe out the entire family.

(End of this chapter)