The prince is more stable

Chapter 189: Bringing the Bride Home
With Zhao Xiaoqian's temporary addition, the rhythm of the wedding became a bit chaotic.

Not only is the timing messed up, but the etiquette process is also messed up.

Who has ever seen a groom riding on a horse, munching on hazelnut cake with a smug look on his face?

Zhao Xiaoqian may be the first person in history who doesn’t care about other people’s opinions.

Whether it is shock or ridicule, that is other people's business. He cannot compromise himself just to live up to what others say.

The hazelnut cake was quite large, and Zhao Xiaoqian felt a little full after eating two. He burped for a long time, wrapped the remaining cake in oil paper, and stuffed it into his arms.

The auspicious time was approaching. Outside the Di Mansion, the Di family's relatives stood on tiptoe at the door, looking around anxiously.

For a wedding ceremony, missing the auspicious time would be a serious accident. At this time, the wedding procession has not appeared yet, and the relatives of the Di family cannot help but start to have wild thoughts.

A moment later, the sound of gongs, drums, and flutes came from afar. The Di family finally showed joy, and someone quickly turned around and ran back inside to report the news.

However, the Di family, who had just shown a look of joy, suddenly froze. Although they had not seen the wedding procession yet, the rhythm of the drums and music seemed a little wrong when they heard it.

The originally cheerful drum and wind band suddenly had a much faster tempo for some reason. It was more like a march than a joyous one, making the listeners excited and unable to help but want to sway their bodies to the rhythm.

Then, we finally saw the wedding procession.

This team also made the Di family change color. The team was quite large, with hundreds of people accompanying them, and there was no shortage of betrothal gifts and guards, but this team was rushing towards the Di family...

Yes, they were running at full speed. It didn't look like they were getting married, but rather like they were coming to kidnap the bride. Everyone in the team was running at the pace of a forced march, and the entire team had become loose and slack. However, the drum and music band was still working hard to play fast-paced joyful music, which seemed more like an encouragement to the wedding team.

The Di family at the door were stunned. What the hell was going on? Did your life just fast forward 1.5 times?

In the middle of the team, Zhao Xiaoqian, dressed in a bright red auspicious robe, was riding on a horse. He didn't seem tired. He was chewing something in his mouth while riding the horse, and looked quite relaxed.

The Di family members looked at each other in bewilderment. Of course, they chose to forgive. What else could they do? At this critical moment, do you dare to regret the engagement?

But why does the Chu Palace do things in a way that seems out of place?
A moment later, the wedding procession arrived at the gate of the Di family. Everyone was bent over and panting, as if they had just finished a marathon. Not only were their clothes soaked with sweat, but they were also almost out of breath.

The official from the Ministry of Rites who was acting as the wedding's officiating officer breathed in the fresh air, looked up at the sky, and said with a look of relief, "Finally, finally... we didn't miss the auspicious time. This official doesn't have to die as an apology!"

My eyes were sore and I wanted to cry for some reason, but it was definitely not because I was moved by the wedding of the Prince of Chu.

The official secretly vowed that he would never serve as a celebrant at any grand wedding again in his lifetime. It was too exciting and his body couldn't take it.

I'll stop after I finish this order today.

Seeing the wedding procession breathing heavily and looking like a nobody, the Di family's relatives looked at them with increasing strangeness. An elderly female guest asked hesitantly, "Do you... want to rest for a while before welcoming the bride?"

The official from the Ministry of Rites jumped up and shouted sternly, "No! We can't miss the auspicious time any longer. We must welcome the bride now, quickly!"

Grabbing Zhao Xiaoqian and pushing him into the Di Mansion, the official from the Ministry of Rites shouted, "Marquis, please stop being so willful. If you make any mistakes today, I will never be able to atone for my sins even if I die a hundred times. Hurry, go in and pay your respects to the girl's parents and elders."

Zhao Xiaoqian staggered into the room. Inside stood a group of female bridesmaids, each holding a wooden stick wrapped in silk cloth. They laughed and symbolically tapped Zhao Xiaoqian a few times, then covered their mouths and ran away.

This is also one of the wedding ceremonies. The general meaning is that the bride's family gives a warning to the new son-in-law, telling him that there are people in our bride's family, so you should not bully her after marriage.

Then he tidied up his clothes and entered the main hall of Di Mansion.

The hall was bustling with people. All the relatives of the Di family, near and far, had arrived. Di Zi and his wife sat in the middle. Zhao Xiaoqian knelt on both knees when he entered. Di Zi calmly stroked his beard and gave a few words of advice on loving each other and treating each other with respect. Then he waved his hand and asked Zhao Xiaoqian to go to Di Ying's boudoir to pick up the bride.

The most difficult stage was getting into the boudoir. A group of beautiful girls blocked the door, not to ask for red envelopes, but to ask Zhao Xiaoqian to write a poem to urge her to get ready.

This was also part of the ritual. How could Zhao Banque, a renowned figure in Bianjing, fear this? He recited the two makeup-urging poems without hesitation, drawing applause from the female guests.

To be honest, Zhao Xiaoqian didn't write the urging poems. The day before the wedding, Zhao Xiaoqian approached Li Zhongyi, the palace's chief secretary, and asked him to write two poems for him. He memorized them overnight. Today wasn't the time to show off his literary talent. The real business was to quickly carry his wife home. What was there to show off about literary talent?
Amidst laughter and noise, Zhao Xiaoqian finally entered Di Ying's boudoir.

In the boudoir, Di Ying was dressed in red and covered her face with a veil. Her maid Yuan'er stood obediently beside her. When she saw Zhao Xiaoqian, Yuan'er's face turned red, but her eyes were full of tenderness.

After the last night of pleasure, Yuan'er returned to Di's Mansion the next day. After all, the young lady was not married yet. As a personal maid, it was enough for her to have a taste of the food. She couldn't stay in the Prince Chu's Mansion forever.

A group of female guests followed behind, and the boudoir suddenly became crowded. According to the rules, Zhao Xiaoqian should carry Di Ying on his back and walk out at this moment. This was also an important part of the wedding ceremony.

Zhao Xiaoqian had just bent down to carry Di Ying on his back when he suddenly remembered something. He suddenly reached out and lifted a corner of the veil. Amid the panicked screams of the crowd, Zhao Xiaoqian nodded with satisfaction.

That’s right, the Di family is very particular and didn’t secretly replace my wife.

The kind where, after the veil is lifted in the bridal chamber, one discovers that the father-in-law has set them up, replacing the beautiful wife with a chubby-looking guy with a face full of beauty marks. In the end, the lovers can't get married, and there are all kinds of melodramatic plots like "you love him, he loves me, I love her"...

What are the root problems of these plots?

The reason is that the groom is too concerned about his reputation and is too embarrassed to lift the veil to inspect the bride before the formal wedding.

If you just lift the veil and take a look, these bloody plots will never happen.

The goods did not match the description, so I refused to get married and the marriage fell through.

Zhao Xiaoqian felt that he was not wrong. Wasn't it reasonable to verify his identity before getting married?
But his actions caused the female guests in the boudoir to exclaim in surprise, and they all covered their mouths and looked at him in shock.

Yuan'er was horrified and said, "Marquis, the veil can only be lifted during the bridal chamber, you..."

"What are you talking about! She's my own wife, let's see what's wrong with her first?" Zhao Xiaoqian said righteously.

Di Ying trembled slightly under the veil, not knowing whether she was angry or amused. She stretched out her little hand and pinched his waist quietly and hard.

This strength, this sourness...

Zhao Xiaoqian became more and more certain, yes, it was her.

Bending down and carrying Di Ying on his back, Zhao Xiaoqian walked out of the boudoir surrounded by a group of female guests.

Back at the main hall of the Di family, Di Ying covered her head with a veil, knelt on her knees sobbing, and thanked her parents for their years of raising her.

Zhao Xiaoqian also knelt down, and finally, with Di Zi and his wife watching in tears, Zhao Xiaoqian carried Di Ying out of the Di Mansion and put her on the bridal sedan. The wedding procession immediately played drums and music and marched towards the Chu Palace in a mighty manner.

Di Ying sat in the swaying sedan chair, feeling shy and nervous.

The future should be happy and fulfilling, right? He should love and care for me, right?
We trust each other with our heart and soul, and hope we will not let each other down.

A piece of object wrapped in oil paper passed through the curtain of the sedan chair and fell into her hand.

Zhao Xiaoqian's familiar voice came from outside the sedan chair.

"I've been busy today and I'm sure I won't have time to eat. You can take advantage of this opportunity to have a few bites to fill your stomach, otherwise you'll be hungry until midnight. The hazelnut cake outside Daxiangguo Temple is delicious."

"Because of this hazelnut cake, I almost missed the auspicious time for the wedding. Didn't you see the look on the face of that official from the Ministry of Rites? He wanted to kill me with a knife..." Zhao Xiaoqian muttered while riding on his horse.

Di Ying held the hazelnut cake in both hands. Under the veil, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but rise slightly, and her expression was no longer nervous.

Yes, the future will definitely be happy and fulfilling.

(End of this chapter)