Drunk Bamboo

During the Waking of Insects, all things emerge from the ground and are full of vitality.

The main street of Zhongdu, Zhuque Street, is ten miles long with red silk, gongs and drums beating, and it is very lively.

Prince Feng is marrying the third daughter of the Xie family of the Nanmi Ming clan today. The Emperor, Empress, and Imperial Noble Consort will all leave the palace to attend the wedding banquet. Civil and military officials will also be present. The scene is so grand that it can only be compared to the prince's wedding ten years ago.

The common people had been waiting on both sides of the street since early morning, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Emperor and the Empress from afar and to get some good fortune.

From afar, a group of people came. The leader was a tall man, riding a tall horse, with thick eyebrows and bright eyes, and a full beard. He was wearing a bright red wedding dress, but he still gave people a sense of majesty that made people stay away from him. He was like the King of Hell walking out of the stage, making people afraid to approach him and dare not look directly at him.

That was King Wind’s wedding procession.

At this moment in the villa, Xie Yuzhu was wearing a brocade wedding dress with cloud patterns, a phoenix crown on her head, long curved eyebrows, and bright phoenix eyes. Looking at the person with red lips and fair skin in the mirror, she seemed to have added a bit of color than usual, and looked more energetic and beautiful.

"The auspicious time has arrived. Princess, it's time to put on the red veil."

The nanny slowly lowered the red veil embroidered with a phoenix pattern in her hand.

Xie Yuzhu's eyes suddenly turned red. The phoenix crown pressed her down so that she couldn't lower her head. She lowered her eyes and could only see her patterned red shoes and the ground less than three inches around her. She suddenly felt uneasy and nervous.

At this time, Yunling gently lifted her hand: "Princess, Yunling will support you, please be careful and walk slowly."

She responded softly, feeling more at ease.

People around were shouting words of congratulations, and people were scattering flower petals to add to the festivity. Xie Yuzhu lowered her eyes and stared at the red shoes with petals occasionally falling. Her mind was blank, and she let Yunling lead her out.

"Your Highness." Yun Ling called respectfully.

Her hand fell into a large, thick palm.

At this time, spring thunder was heard in the sky, and gongs and drums sounded almost at the same time. The thunder and music complemented each other, as if God was also congratulating the newlyweds, and the whole world was celebrating together.

Xie Yuzhu was startled and her body trembled uncontrollably.

"Don't be afraid, Princess. Hold on tight." A deep voice came from above her head and sounded familiar.

His palms were calloused, and he felt a little uncomfortable when he clenched his hands, but his arms were steady and strong, and he felt more secure than Yun Ling's support.

When Hua Qinfeng first saw Xie Yuzhu, he thought she was so small. When he got close to her, he realized that she only reached his chest. Her hands were slender and white, and they seemed so light in his rough and broad hands that they weighed nothing at all.

He is very timid and starts shaking all over at the sound of thunder. He is really fragile.

Since last night, Nanny Bai has been telling him to be gentle and considerate when welcoming the bride, to hold the bride's hand tightly, and not to let her bump into anything or fall.

Chao Yanggang was still whispering in his ear that women's hands are not like men's hands and he shouldn't grab things too hard.

This is too difficult!

Hua Qinfeng could only be more careful, holding it tightly, but not daring to hold it too hard for fear that it would break if squeezed. He tried his best to control his strength and helped her into the sedan chair.

When they arrived at the palace, he carefully helped her out of the sedan chair.

"There are steps..."

“There is a threshold…”

"There is a brazier..."

Walking up the stairs, crossing the threshold, passing the fire basin... As long as there is an obstacle ahead, Hua Qinfeng will inform her in advance, while also controlling the strength of his hands. From outside the mansion to inside the mansion, and then to the wedding hall and the bridal chamber, the bride's hand finally left his palm, and he breathed a sigh of relief. His palms were already sweaty, and his arms were sore. It was much more tiring than practicing martial arts.

Xie Yuzhu didn't know how he got through the day. When he came to his senses, he was sitting on the bed and everything around him was quiet.

She couldn't remember the complicated wedding process, she only knew that the person holding her hand would lead her forward, and he would remind her what she needed to do, and she felt safe and at ease along the way. This was the first impression Hua Qinfeng gave her, which seemed different from what the outside world had said.

She didn't know how long she had been sitting there. There was no movement in the room, but her stomach started to rumble.

"Yunling?" she called softly.

"I am here, what do you want, princess?"

Xie Yuzhu asked in a low voice: "Is there anyone else?"

"There is only this servant in the room, and my two sisters are waiting at the door."

His straight back relaxed, and he raised his hand to tap his sore shoulder: "I'm hungry, can you find me something to eat?"

Yun Ling did not answer immediately.

Xie Yuzhu couldn't see her expression or the layout of the room, so he could only guess: "Is it against the rules? Is there any food or drink on the table? If so, take less from each dish, and no one will notice."

Yun Ling immediately said nervously: "The things prepared on the table are all for a good reason. They are indispensable before the prince and princess drink the wedding wine. If the princess doesn't mind, I have brought some cakes with me."

"I don't mind, I don't mind. Yunling is really thoughtful."

Yun Ling knelt down, holding a white scarf in her hand, revealing two mung bean cakes: "Princess, please don't let the veil fall down, it's unlucky."

"I'll eat it carefully." Xie Yuzhu swallowed the mung bean cake in two bites. Just as she was about to reach out for the remaining piece, she hesitated and pushed it to Yun Ling, "You haven't eaten or drunk anything for a day, so this piece is for you."

Yun Ling stared at the mung bean cake in front of her for a moment, feeling warm in her heart.

She quickly shook her head and said, "I'm not hungry. Please eat, Princess." She grabbed the cake and put it in Xie Yuzhu's hand. She untied the embroidered bag at her waist and took out a small bottle and a small cup. She also took out another white handkerchief from her sleeve and said, "Princess, drink some water. There is also osmanthus cake. Eat slowly."

"You've been ready for this?"

"I have asked an experienced maid. There is no rule that the bride should not eat before the veil is lifted. However, it has become a custom out of courtesy, fearing that it would be inconvenient to go to the toilet after eating and drinking, and fearing that the veil would easily slip off if it was shaken casually. But the maid also said that they have seen some couples who have a harmonious relationship before marriage or the parents of both families are familiar with each other, and the husband's family will prepare some food for the bride in advance. I am worried that the princess will have to eat on the first day of entering the palace..."

Yun Ling opened her eyes wide and stopped talking, realizing that she had said too much. She always spoke her mind unconsciously in front of Xie Yuzhu, losing her sense of propriety as a servant.

Xie Yuzhu couldn't see Yun Ling's panic at the moment, so she continued, "Are you afraid of losing face and losing etiquette? Or are you afraid that the prince will blame you and punish you? Yesterday you praised the prince for being a generous and open-minded person."

Yun Ling knelt down in fear: "I am not afraid of being embarrassed, nor am I afraid of being punished by the prince! The prince is a person who does not care about trivial matters, but the prince leads troops outside all year round, and may not be in the mansion often in the future. I am afraid that the people in the mansion will neglect the princess. I am also afraid that the princess will go hungry, so I brought some food with me. The princess did not ask, and I did not dare to take it out, for fear that the princess would think that I did not know the rules and made decisions without authorization!"

But just a casual remark actually frightened Yun Ling to the point of kneeling down. Xie Yuzhu sighed softly, "Get up, don't kneel casually in the future, at least don't kneel in front of me. I'm wearing a red veil, so I can't help you."

Yun Ling stood up quickly: "I dare not."

"Yunling, how old are you?"

"Seventeen."

"She's only seventeen, but two years older than me." Xie Yuzhu felt pity for her. "Is it hard to live in the palace? Have you suffered a lot? Seventeen years old is not considered an adult in our place, but here she has to think ahead and behind even to do a good deed. She has to think and consider so much, and she keeps expressing her fears."

Yun Ling wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled: "I am not miserable. This is the path I chose."

Suddenly, there were bursts of noisy and chaotic noises outside the house.

Xie Yuzhu: "Yunling, what's that noise outside?"

"I'll go and take a look." Yun Ling quickly packed up and pushed the door open to go out to inquire.

After a while, she replied: "Princess, it seems that something happened at the banquet in the front hall. The prince seems to be looking for something."

"The Emperor and Empress are here today, why do you have to look for something so valuable now? Besides, looking for something won't make such a big noise. Go to the front hall and ask carefully. I'm afraid something has happened."

"Slave, go now."