Has the Han Dynasty been restored today?

A wedding ceremony, also known as a "dusk ceremony," is held at dusk, symbolizing the transition from yang to yin and the alternation of yin and yang.

Du Qiong, the Grand Master of Ceremonies who organized the entire wedding for Chen Zhi, was acting on the emperor's orders. For him, it was an official business, so Du Qiong handled everything in accordance with the "Hunyi" and "Shihunli" to ensure that it conformed to the Zhou rites.

It's fine to be a bit cumbersome outside, but it's not pleasant to be cumbersome inside the room. Chen Zhi cut out many of the tedious procedures, leaving only three steps: the maids laying out the pillows and mats, untying the tassels, and drawing out the candles.

Of course, the key point of these three steps is untying the ribbons, and the subsequent removal of the candles is just a metaphor for the couple consummating their marriage.

The maid who had laid out the pillows and mats had slowly left, and the door was closed, leaving only Chen Zhi and Fei Zhen alone in the room.

As Chen Zhi untied the tassels hanging from Fei Zhen's red hair ornament, he carefully examined Fei Zhen's face. The flickering candlelight made her already fair face appear even more delicate. Her thick eyelashes drooped, her lips, painted with crimson, were slightly pursed, and the edges of her cheeks swayed gently with her breath.

"Is this the second time you've seen me today?"

Chen Zhi noticed Fei Zhen's unease and apprehension, held the tassel in his hand, sat down beside her, and asked with a smile.

"It was the second time." Fei Zhen lowered her head even further, her voice becoming somewhat muffled, and her fingers under her red sleeves clenched tightly together. "The first time was when my husband came to my house to deliver a book. I only saw him for a moment before I hid."

With a mixture of curiosity and a hint of teasing, Chen Zhi leaned closer and asked in a slow voice, "I know about that time. You asked Fei Cheng to find Ayou, and Ayou then begged me. I was about to go to Wu at the time, and I only had time that morning, so I took a carriage to your house. Now that you've seen me, are you satisfied?"

Fei Zhen couldn't help but blush: "The book that my husband gave me is excellent; I have already read it carefully once."

Chen Zhi smiled and said, "Since we're reciting poetry, do you remember Zijing?"

Fei Zhen softly hummed in agreement: "Green are your robes, deep is my longing..."

Fei Zhen wanted to continue speaking, but when she saw her husband taking off the red crown from her head, so close to her, she couldn't help but feel shy again. Her heart was pounding, her eyes were lowered, and her cheeks turned even redder.

"Even if I don't go to you, will you not send me a message? Even if I don't go to you, will you not come to me?" Chen Zhi removed the red crown from Fei Zhen's head and recited the following lines of poetry: "A day without seeing you is like three months. You haven't seen me for three months, is it only like a day?"

"Indeed." Fei Zhen nodded slightly. Seeing Chen Zhi place the red crown on the table beside him, Fei Zhen somehow mustered up some courage, looked directly into Chen Zhi's eyes, and whispered, "My lord, are you satisfied with my appearance today?"

Chen Zhi smiled and nodded: "There is a beautiful woman, graceful and charming. Our meeting is exactly what I wanted. Today we are husband and wife. Your name is Zhen, so I will call you Zhen'er, shall I?"

Fei Zhen replied softly, "It's all up to you, my lord."

"Is that so?" Chen Zhi sat down beside Fei Zhen, wrapped his left arm around her slender waist, and said softly, "Zhen'er, I need to explain something to you. When I went to Hanzhong in September with the imperial insignia, I acted appropriately, and your master valued me and wanted to arrange a marriage between us. I did not agree at the time, but after returning to Chengdu, I obtained His Majesty's decree, and only then was the marriage confirmed. After the wedding, after the New Year, we court officials will depart first, and our families will be settled later. By the time you arrive in Hanzhong, it will probably be three or four months."

"Zhen'er".

"My lord." Fei Zhen turned slightly to the side and leaned on Chen Zhi's shoulder without any instruction.

Chen Zhi asked, "What are your aspirations?"

"Me?" Fei Zhen was flustered by the question. She opened her mouth but didn't know what to say. She just replied, "Since I'm married, I should follow my husband. Before I got married, my mother also told me to be considerate of my husband, be a good wife and mother. I have no other thoughts."

Chen Zhi nodded: "Very good."

"What are your ambitions, young master? Can you tell me?" Fei Zhen asked in return.

Chen Zhi reached into Fei Zhen's sleeve and gently held her hands in his: "As for ambition, if I were to tell outsiders, I would of course say that I want to assist His Majesty in restoring the Han Dynasty, achieving great things, and leaving a lasting legacy. But if I were to tell Zhen'er, I would only say that I will not betray my own heart."

Fei Zhen, with her slender fingers, placed Chen Zhi's right hand in her palm and asked, "My lord, what does it mean to remain true to one's heart?"

Chen Zhi gazed at the flickering candlelight in the distance, slightly lost in thought: "Zhen'er, you are a learned man, with insightful views. There are some things I can say to you. We were both born during the Jian'an era. Although we are young, we can still glimpse a silhouette of that era. Cao Cao, Sun Quan, and Liu Bei fought each other, and the flames of war spread across the land. Famous ministers and brave generals gathered under the king's banner, all to realize their heart's desires."

"The late emperor entered Jingzhou from Xinye, then went to Shu, resisted Cao Cao in the north, and was promoted to king, all within twelve years. Those who were mere lowly officials and nobodys in Xinye became generals, ministers, and governors after the founding of the state. Even just these achievements, when I reflect upon them during the Jianxing era, already feel incredibly rich and fill my heart with surging emotion. If one were like Emperor Gaozu or Emperor Guangwu, rising from a single place and sweeping across the world in a few years, and I am now a high-ranking official, how abundant would my achievements and gains be if I could assist the monarch in governing the realm? How do I compare to Liang and Ping, to Deng Yu, or to Xiao He?"

"When the time is right, heaven and earth lend their strength. Since I have come into this world, it is destined that I will do the things of this world, destined that I will achieve great things and be remembered in history!"

"My lord," Fei Zhen clenched his fist even tighter, "cultivate oneself, manage one's family, and then govern the country and bring peace to the world. Since you have such lofty aspirations, I should take care of the family for you and not let you have any worries."

Chen Zhi sighed softly: "I received that bundle of reeds. Did you return it to me?"

"Yes," Fei Zhen replied, "The reeds are as resilient as my heart."

Chen Zhi nodded slightly, pulling her waist tighter and tighter: "I shall be a rock, and you shall be a reed. The reed is as resilient as silk, and the rock will never move."

Fei Zhen's voice trailed off: "Everything is up to you, my lord."

"I heard you." Chen Zhi finally chuckled: "Before Zhen'er got married, did anyone in your family teach you the principles of marital relations?"

"I...my husband...has..."