I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"The 30th day of the 12th month of the 3rd year of Wenjiu".

"Husband: Minamoto no Tachibana no Sukone Aoto Seishun."

After Qingdeng finished speaking, the three women followed up loudly:

"Wife: Chiba Sanako."

"Wife: Mai Kinoshita."

Wife: Okita Tsukasa.

*******

*******

There was a misunderstanding in the previous chapter. The three girls' parents should be referred to as their "maternal family," not their "in-laws' family."

Virgin leopard, so clumsy! (Tearful leopard head.jpg) Leopard has already fixed this mistake at lightning speed!

Another 7 words of updates today! Please be sure to vote for this book with your monthly tickets, considering I've updated for two consecutive days!

Chapter 795 After the Wedding [4400]

After reading the oath, Aoto suddenly understood why Kiryu-sensei had written it in classical Japanese.

Compared to simple and direct vernacular language, classical Chinese is undoubtedly more sophisticated and dignified.

The "339" ceremony and the "reading of vows" are the most important rituals in a Japanese wedding.

Its significance is similar to the exchange of rings in a Western wedding or the mutual bowing between husband and wife in a Chinese wedding.

With these two ceremonies concluded, the next part is basically just wrapping things up.

As soon as Qingdeng put away the oath in his hand, the shrine maidens who had been waiting nearby immediately rushed forward, preparing to hold the "Family Cup".

Guided by the shaman, the bride and groom, along with their relatives and friends, stood up and raised their glasses.

The shrine maiden poured in the sacred wine, which everyone drank in one gulp—a ritual to deepen the bond between the two families.

The next step is called "prayer".

The priestess, holding a very precious piece of silk in both hands, slowly paced and respectfully handed it to Qingdeng.

Upon receiving this silk, the bride and groom rise and go to the temple to place the silk, after which they perform "two bows, two claps, and one bow".

Two bows, two claps, and one bow – a very classic Shinto worship ritual.

As the name suggests, this etiquette consists of three parts:

The second ritual: Facing the deity, bow deeply twice.

Second clap: Clap your hands twice, then put your hands together in prayer and make a wish to the gods. After you're done, put your hands down.

First bow: Finally, perform a deep bow to complete the entire worship process.

The matchmaker and relatives and friends of both the man and woman also need to perform a "worship ceremony" to the gods.

After the ceremony, everyone returned to their seats.

Next comes the final ceremony: "The Master of the Vegetarian's Blessing".

The wedding is coming to an end, but the bride and groom cannot relax yet—if they do, they will waste this precious and sacred atmosphere.

Although the traditional wedding ceremony is very complicated and full of fancy steps.

However, to be fair, these diverse ceremonies and events subtly enhanced the atmosphere of the event.

The priests at Inari Shrine are so dedicated that even Qing Deng wanted to give them extra pay.

Whether it's the master of ceremonies who presides over all the rituals, the master of purification who is in charge of the cleansing, or the shaman who steps forward to perform the dance, they all keep their facial expressions taut and solemn, performing each movement meticulously and perfecting every detail.

At first glance, it looked less like a wedding and more like a solemn religious ceremony.

Thanks to these numerous rituals and the hard work of the clergy, the atmosphere was always filled with a sacred feeling that made people subconsciously hold their breath.

Under the influence of this atmosphere, the three women's fear and nervousness gradually subsided.

They unconsciously straightened their backs, raised their necks, and crossed their hands in front of their abdomens.

Almost at the same time, the solemnity on Qing Deng's face deepened.

He stood upright, his hands hanging naturally at his sides, exuding an imposing presence without anger.

Coincidentally, they both had the same thought in mind right now—to be in the best possible condition for the last second of the wedding!

The so-called "host's blessing speech" is simply the "host"... that is, the host who is responsible for hosting the entire wedding offers blessings to the bride and groom, saying things like "May you be happy forever", "May you have a long and happy marriage", and "May you have a son soon".

After the host finished speaking and withdrew... Thus, today's unprecedented grand wedding with "one groom and three brides" officially came to an end!

These four newlyweds, under the witness of the gods, embark on a new chapter in their lives!

From this moment on, the three women were no longer Chiba Sanako, Kinoshita Mai, and Okita Tsukasa, but Tachibana Sanako, Tachibana Mai, and Tachibana Tsukasa.

Such a brief description of the wedding process makes it seem as if time passed very quickly, and the wedding ended in no time.

In reality, from the initial "samjin" upon entering the shrine to the final "saishu shoku" (prayer of the shrine master), nearly two hours passed in total!

“Purification”, “Dance Offering”... these are all extremely time-consuming major projects.

Because the bride and groom and their "family and friends" had to get up and stand up frequently, instead of just sitting, their situation was slightly better.

On the other hand, the guests watching the ceremony from the outside were in a much worse situation.

This is a Shinto-style wedding, and it's the Shinto-style wedding of "Nioh" Tachibana Aoto, so naturally, one cannot make rude movements such as "crossing one's legs" or "squatting on the ground".

If one sits improperly and without any humility, it is not only disrespectful to the gods, but also to Qingdeng.

Nobody wanted Qingdeng to have a bad impression of them.

Therefore, the guests could only sit upright with their knees together respectfully.

Even if your legs go numb and lose all feeling, you dare not move. It's as torturous as it gets.

Fortunately, the weather is great today, with clear skies.

Although there were occasional cold winds, there was no snowfall.

Otherwise, several people might have frozen to death in the snow.

……

……

As we all know, the banquet is an essential part of a wedding, both in ancient and modern times, and in different countries.

Banquet, let's begin!

Today, the place is truly a gathering of guests and a full house of distinguished people.

In such a situation, serving plain soup would undoubtedly be laughable, inadvertently lowering the prestige of Seido, Hatajin-han, and the Shinsengumi.

While frugality is a noble virtue, there are times when one should never cling to the purse strings—a lesson Qingdeng learned after years of navigating the treacherous waters of officialdom.

Therefore, Qingdeng, who has never liked extravagance, gritted his teeth this time and made a grand gesture that he hadn't done in a long time.

Rice, sea bream, broth, matsutake mushrooms... bring it all!

With Qingdeng's lavish spending, the guests' plates were incredibly luxurious, filled with rare delicacies.

The so-called "dazzling array" is nothing more than this.

Although the guests present were mostly wealthy and influential, the lavish cuisine still surprised many of them.

A very few people even gasped in shock, their faces filled with disbelief.

For example, the envoy of Yonezawa, known as "the poorest domain in the world," went through a process of "starting mad, then becoming mad, and finally becoming mad" after seeing the sumptuous dishes in front of him.

He hurriedly picked up his bowl and chopsticks, shoveling rice into his mouth with gusto, eating with great gusto, just like a starving ghost who had just been reincarnated.

According to custom, during the banquet, guests who are familiar with the bride and groom can go up to them one by one to toast and offer their blessings.

Qingdeng straightened his clothes and composed himself, ready to "drink heavily from now on."

The three women continued to sit side by side with him in the order of "Kinoshita Mai, Souji, and Sanako".

It's worth mentioning that they've all changed into brand new clothes.

Shiromuku is a wedding dress.

Now that the wedding is over, it's no longer appropriate to wear it.

So, as soon as the wedding ended, the three women temporarily retreated to the inner area and changed into colored jackets with their husbands' family crest—that is, gentian leaves—to signify that they were influenced by their husbands' family traditions and were reborn in their new family.

[Note: Colored wedding attire: A colorful wedding attire, typically used for weddings. The colored wedding attire symbolizes joy and good fortune, so the accessories worn with it are often also brightly colored. Colors include red, gold, black, and many other options, and patterns feature a variety of auspicious motifs such as phoenixes, cranes, plum blossoms, and pine, bamboo, and plum blossoms.]

Overall, the iro-uchika is one of the most gorgeous styles of kimono, comparable to the furisode.

No longer just uniform white, you can freely choose your favorite colors and patterns...

It's no exaggeration to say that the three women were already itching for a fight two months ago!

Even Sanako, who usually presents herself as "untouched by worldly affairs," has a strong interest in beautiful clothes.

While they were carefully preparing their colorful jackets, they also kept Qingdeng in suspense.

They didn't let Qingdeng know the color and style of her tunic, saying they wanted to save the surprise for last.

Even so... Qing Deng could roughly guess what the three women's colorful robes would look like, even if he thought with his butt.

He knows their preferences too well.

As expected—Sanako wore blue, Kinoshita Mai wore red, and Souji wore purple…

However, the colored jacket is indeed a first-class, gorgeous garment.

For example, Sanako's blue dress is decorated with many green, white, and blue lines, making it look exceptionally vibrant.

From a distance, the three women, each with their own unique colors and patterns, exuded a captivating beauty that drew people in.

Qingdeng felt the jealous gazes falling on him growing heavier and heavier...

And so, the three women sat side by side with Qingdeng, receiving blessings from those who came forward to offer them a toast.

……

"Tachibana-kun! Congratulations!"