To Be A Virtuous Wife

74

On the day of He Ming's marriage, Qu Qing Ju and Jin An Princess received the womenfolk who'd arrived for the celebration as the mistresses of the house. Now that Ning Wang Fei was under house arrest in Bright Moon Tower, Qu Qing Ju held seniority among the wang fei. For this wedding of He Ming, her little brother-in-law, even if she wanted to be lazy, she couldn't avoid it.

The womenfolk were fine. Order a few cheerful plays, put out some fruit and refreshments and chit chat. It wasn't very difficult. But it was more complicated on the men's side. It didn't just touch on the personal interests of some, they had to pay attention to people who were drunk and would cause an unfortunate disturbance. Additionally, He Yuan wasn't willing to demean himself by receiving guests so He Heng and some of the officials of the Ministry of Rites had to organize the guests.

Even if it seemed busy, most of those who came were smart. They wouldn't cause a disturbance at this kind of setting, and wouldn't try to find trouble. Most of them respectfully sat down and waited for the wedding to begin.

Jin An Princess paid attention to the time. Not long after, a taijian ran over and reported that the wedding sedan was almost at its destination. A crowd of women stood to walk to the front hall and waited for the couple to bow to the Heaven and Earth.

Qu Qing Ju and Jin An Princess stood together. She swept a gaze across the hall. The men and women stood at their own sides, the men on the left and woman on the right, clearly divided. In a short while, the music sounded. She tilted her head to look and saw He Ming wearing the bright red wedding clothes, his hand holding one end of a red silk cord as he walked in from the outside. On the other side of the red silk cord was Luo Wen Yao, who was wearing a phoenix crown and cape.

While Qing De Emperor and the Empress didn't personally attend, their gifts had been sent down very early beforehand. Qu Qing Ju watched as the couple bowed to the empty seats above them and once again looked down on the Imperial House. The father wasn't present when the son got married. Was there even any meaning left when the Imperial father and son were like this?

When the three brothers in front of He Ming had married, Qing De Emperor had personally written out a celebratory speech to be read at each of the ceremonies, expressing the regret of his absence and wished to make up for such a deficiency. Why wasn't there one when it was He Ming's turn?

After the ceremony, Qu Qing Ju and the others followed the newly wedded pair to their bridal rooms and waited for He Ming to lift the bride's veil.

The bridal rooms were very busy. Qu Qing Ju even saw Jin An Princess' two children. She watched as He Ming slowly lifted the bride's veil. Underneath it, Luo Wen Yao's face was full of bashfulness, like a flower just before blooming.

Some said that a woman was most beautiful on the day of her marriage. Qu Qing Ju smiled at the bashful Luo Wen Yao and had to admit it was true. She and Jin An Princess smiled as they came forward to say some lucky words. After the children received their red packets, they ushered everyone out and left a silent space for the newlyweds.

Coming out of the bridal room, Jin An Princess looked at the darkening sky. She smiled as she reminisced: "That year I was married, the didi were still all children. Now, all of them are married."

Qu Qing Ju guessed that Jin An Princess was thinking of her failed marriage, comforting: "Time is like flowing water, jiejie doesn't have to be sad."

Listening to the noise from the banquet in front of them, Jin An Princess smiled as she glanced at Qu Qing Ju: "You are assuming that I am sad over what happened with the Count of Bei Lu?" She laughed, "Right now, I am the Princess Royal, I have a son and daughter, and they have their titles. What do I need to be sad about?"