IHOEAYSTTTIW Chapter 52

Chapter 52: Experiencing the Authentic Ancient-Style Wedding Ceremony…

The bridal sedan chair for the wedding procession was much wider and taller than those of ordinary families, requiring eight people to carry it. The roof of the chair had double eaves with upturned corners, and bells were hung from the corners of the eaves, producing crisp and pleasant sounds in the gentle breeze.

The servants were very nervous, afraid of bumping or scraping anything and displeasing Prince An, and even more afraid that Prince An’s displeasure would enrage the Emperor.

Lin Yan was quite calm. He had seen such scenes many times, in… in those cookie-cutter ancient town scenic spots.

Different ancient towns, the same setup: stinky tofu in Changsha, grilled cold noodles in Northeast China, lamb skewers in Inner Mongolia, plus a wedding experience, and the ticket price could be sold for three digits. If you wanted to explore further, you’d have to pay extra.

Lin Yan was still dignified and quiet when he was helped into the bridal sedan chair, but as soon as the curtain was lowered, he immediately revealed his true colors. He touched the carvings on the window frame and tugged at the silk peonies.

“The phoenix crown is three-dimensional! And there’s a hidden compartment for storing things? There are even melon seeds inside?”

A shout of “Lift!” came from outside, and the porters immediately and steadily lifted the sedan chair, heading towards the Prince’s residence with gongs and drums.

The noisy sounds of gongs and drums dispelled the last bit of Lin Yan’s sleepiness and also completely drowned out the voices of passersby on the street.

“This husband is just a man from an ordinary family, which shows that the Emperor doesn’t care much about this brother.”

“You can’t say that. Look at the wedding gifts for Prince An’s wedding procession, you can’t see the end of it at a glance.”

“What if you can’t see the end? He still has to give up that position.”

“Have you heard of idle princes? Maybe Prince An doesn’t like that position and just wants to enjoy the scenery and wealth!”

The road to the Prince’s residence was not far, but getting married wasn’t about rushing, it was about making a grand show and attracting as many onlookers as possible.

The person who arranged this sedan chair really put his heart into it. Lin Yan had already found six hidden compartments and rummaged out a handful of melon seeds, two kinds of candied fruit, and three toys. But the road seemed extraordinarily long. Lin Yan finished the melon seeds, ate the candied fruit, and got tired of the toys, but the Prince’s residence was still not in sight.

“Is Prince An’s residence so remote? Didn’t they say the new Emperor values this brother very much? Is this banishment to the border to guard it?” Lin Yan muttered, opening a slit in the curtain and peering through the crowd, seeing lanterns and decorations on both sides of the street, a lively scene.

The crowd, who had been discussing how unlucky Prince An was, quieted down for a moment and then re-boiled.

“I think I understand why Prince An wanted to marry this Ge’er.”

“He’s really good-looking, with that red mole on his brow. He looks like he’s blessed and can give birth.”

“Let me see, let me see.”

The situation gradually spun out of control. The guards following the sedan chair saw that the number of onlookers was increasing, and they were frantically squeezing in, not knowing what they were crowding for.

The guards pushed and shoved the people who kept surging forward, but the crowd was like a tide, wave after wave, overwhelming them. The head guard looked back worriedly and instantly found the source of this chaos.

Lin Yan had opened the curtain and was looking out through the gap in the veil.

What is more attractive than a beauty who can bring down a country? It’s holding a pipa half-hidden, seeing flowers in the mist, vaguely.

Through the layers of people, the An Prince’s features were not clear, but the hand reaching out of the car was as white as snow and delicate to the point of being almost transparent. Based on this hand alone, one could judge that the person sitting in the car must be a beauty, not to mention that the beauty’s eyes and brows were full of charm, and the red mole on her brow added even more flavor, making her unforgettable.

The guard wiped his sweat and quickly walked to the side of the sedan chair, whispering, “Your Highness, please close the curtain. Look…”

Lin Yan reluctantly lowered the curtain. He estimated the time in the sedan chair and thought that the crowd was almost gone, so he put his hand back on the window frame, wanting to see the street scene outside again. The curtain was successfully opened, but the window on the car was closed. Lin Yan tried pushing it twice, but it wouldn’t open, so he could only listlessly withdraw his hand and pass the time with the toys in the car.

When Lin Yan was so bored that he was about to fall asleep, the sedan chair finally stopped at the gate of An Prince’s residence. A servant lightly knocked twice on the closed window and then slid it open to the side: “Your Highness, we have arrived at An Prince’s residence.”

Lin Yan: …

So, this window is a sliding window, not a flip window? No wonder he couldn’t open it after pushing it for so long.

The servant of the Prince’s residence had already opened the curtain of the car and helped him into the Prince’s residence, stepping over the threshold. Lin Yan had just sighed that the rules of this Prince’s residence were so many when the servant who was supporting him let go of his arm.

So, all the respect just now was just for show? They don’t care after entering the Prince’s residence?

Lin Yan didn’t even lift his veil and walked inside in a fit of pique until he felt a gust of hot air coming from in front of him and stopped.

“Be careful, be careful.” An old woman’s voice came from the side. A brazier had been placed on the clean blue flagstone road in front of him at some point.

Lin Yan had heard of this custom, it was said to be…

“Stepping over this brazier means that the days ahead will be prosperous, evil will not invade, and misfortune will turn into good fortune.” The woman, who had both sons and daughters, shouted, and Lin Yan immediately understood, lifting his robe and stepping over the brazier.

Congratulations and well wishes sounded from all around. Lin Yan vaguely saw a familiar figure walking towards him and taking his hand.

It was Yun Qi!

Lin Yan and Yun Qi walked hand in hand into the main hall, which was decorated with great care and festivity, and red candles were burning brightly. The Minister of Rites, who was about to retire, was in charge of Prince An’s wedding banquet. The old minister coughed lightly and bowed slightly to the two of them: “Your Highnesses, it’s time to start the ceremony.”

“The Emperor has arrived—”

The lively main hall instantly fell silent, and everyone respectfully retreated to both sides, shouting “Long live the Emperor!”

The new Emperor came in person?

Lin Yan was shocked and wanted to retreat to the side with the servants, but Yun Qi held him back.

Yun Song, wearing a dragon robe, entered the main hall surrounded by a group of people. Yun Qi led Lin Yan to bend their knees and salute, saying “Long live the Emperor.”

“Spare the formalities, spare the formalities.” Yun Song waved his hand at the people around him and personally helped Yun Qi and Lin Yan up. “Today is Imperial Brother’s great day, so naturally I have to come.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“Imperial Brother, you don’t have to be so polite, continue.” Yun Song waved his hand and didn’t sit directly in the main seat but instead sat on the side of the memorial tablet.

“Yes, yes, yes, continue, continue.” The old minister tremblingly picked up the marriage certificate, wiped a handful of cold sweat, and looked at the upside-down marriage certificate in front of him. The old minister tried hard to identify the words on it for a long time but couldn’t recognize them. “Where, where are we?”

The steward of the Prince’s residence whispered a reminder: “First bow…”

“Yes, yes, yes.” The old minister tapped his head and continued the unfinished process.

“First bow to heaven and earth, thanking heaven and earth for bestowing this fate.”

Yun Qi and Lin Yan knelt down and bowed to heaven and earth.

“Second bow to the ancestors, thanking parents for their upbringing.”

The new Emperor didn’t like the late Emperor, so only the memorial tablets of the late Emperor and Empress were offered on the table. Lin Yan’s relatives were not in Great Zhou, but Yun Qi had specially asked someone to make a memorial tablet for his grandmother.

The old minister quietly glanced at the two memorial tablets on the table and the new Emperor’s upturned mouth, wiped another handful of sweat, and continued the next process: “Husband and husband bow to each other—”

Lin Yan and Yun Qi turned to face each other and bowed deeply.

Finally, it’s over.

The old minister winked at the servant behind Lin Yan and shouted, “The ceremony is complete, send them to the bridal chamber.”

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