GTB Chapter 152

Chapter 154: Ji Shutíng’s Wedding

Jiang Jiuchu looked at Green Willow with a mischievous smile and said, “I have to coax His Highness first before showing it to him. Then we’ll see if he chooses or not!”

“That’s right! Miss is so thoughtful. But once Miss coaxes His Highness, he definitely won’t choose.”

“That also depends…” Jiang Jiuchu was interrupted by a shout from behind before she could finish her sentence.

“Miss Jiang…”

Jiang Jiuchu stopped and looked back to see Shí Xiu quickly walking over from behind. “Fifth Prince… How come Fifth Brother is leaving the palace so late?”

“Oh! I had some matters with Father Emperor, so I was delayed until now. Miss Jiang, is this… coming from the Empress Dowager’s palace?”

“Yes.” Jiang Jiuchu replied and continued walking forward.

Shí Xiu followed beside Jiang Jiuchu and asked, “Why did the Empress Dowager keep you so late? Did she make things difficult for you?”

Hearing this, Jiang Jiuchu looked surprised and tilted her head curiously at Shí Xiu. “Why does Fifth Brother think that way?”

Shí Xiu looked around before leaning closer to Jiang Jiuchu and whispering, “I just heard that the Empress Dowager isn’t easy to get along with. Since Seventh Brother just left Kyoto, the Empress Dowager summoned you to the palace, so…”

He smiled embarrassedly as he said this, “It seems I was overthinking it.”

“Fifth Brother was indeed overthinking it. The Empress Dowager didn’t make things difficult for me. We were just chatting and lost track of time.” As Jiang Jiuchu spoke, she unconsciously quickened her pace.

Shí Xiu watched Jiang Jiuchu’s quickened pace, his eyes paused for a moment. He wondered, if she weren’t the Seventh Prince’s consort, and was still unmarried, would she still keep such a distant relationship with him?

He thought probably not. It was mostly because of worldly etiquette. After all, she didn’t seem so distant from him in the royal gardens last time.

“This is… a portrait of a woman?” Shí Xiu asked, looking at the portrait in Green Willow’s hands.

Seeing Shí Xiu ask, Green Willow answered truthfully, “Replying to Fifth Highness, these are portraits of daughters of officials below the third rank.”

Shí Xiu’s eyes shifted slightly before looking at Jiang Jiuchu. “This wouldn’t be… the Empress Dowager asked you to choose concubines for Seventh Brother, right?”

Jiang Jiuchu looked at Shí Xiu in surprise, not expecting him to guess correctly in one shot.

Indeed, dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes, the minds of royal family members turn quickly.

Seeing Jiang Jiuchu’s expression, Shí Xiu smiled and said, “It seems I guessed right. What, are you really planning to listen to the Empress Dowager and take concubines for Shí Yan?”

Jiang Jiuchu felt somewhat uncomfortable looking at Shí Xiu’s teasing smile.

“I can’t make decisions for my prince. It all depends on his own preferences. I’m just following orders to deliver the portraits to him.”

Shí Xiu’s eyes paused for a moment because of the words ‘my prince’ that Jiang Jiuchu said, and then he asked with a smile, “Then if Seventh Brother chooses, you won’t be jealous?”

“What’s the use of being jealous? Women don’t have much say in this matter.”

Shí Xiu looked at Jiang Jiuchu’s profile in the setting sun, and seemingly casually expressed his own views as a man, “But if a man truly loves a woman, he won’t make her jealous, let alone marry another woman.”

Jiang Jiuchu was a little surprised to hear this, but after thinking about it, Shí Xiu grew up in a Taoist temple since he was a child, and it was normal to have different views from the young masters in Kyoto.

What he said was good, but it was difficult to find a man with true love, and even more difficult to find a man who could resist temptation.

She didn’t plan to chat with Shí Xiu about this, so she said directly, “It seems that the future Fifth Princess is blessed.”

Shí Xiu was stunned. He thought Jiang Jiuchu would chat and discuss this with him because of his male status, but he didn’t expect her to say that.

He raised his hand to his lips and coughed, “Miss Jiang is calling it too early. There’s no sign of it yet!”

Jiang Jiuchu smiled, “It will come sooner or later.”

She said, looking at the carriage at the palace gate ahead, and said to Shí Xiu, “It’s getting late, I’ll take the sedan back to the mansion first. Fifth Brother should also go back to the mansion early!”

“Okay,” Shí Xiu looked at Jiang Jiuchu, who was eager to say goodbye to him before even leaving the palace, a trace of obscurity flashed in his eyes, and he murmured softly looking at the direction of the carriage: “I hope, it will come sooner or later…”

Ten days later, the seventh day of the seventh month

On this day, the Ji mansion was decorated with lanterns and colored banners, and many people gathered around. Gu Changxuan stood in front of the sedan chair in a red robe, looking at the bride on Ji Huaizhou’s back, and felt a momentary daze in his eyes.

He became the enviable *zhuangyuan* and married a beautiful bride of equal social status, but all of this was not the beauty he craved in his heart.

Time waited for no one, and everything had changed. He could no longer marry the person he loved.

Watching the bride enter the sedan, he suppressed the emotions buried deep in his heart, mounted his tall horse, and headed towards the *zhuangyuan* mansion, surrounded by the crowd.

At Emerald Bamboo Courtyard, Jiang Jiuchu saw that the time was almost up, so she took Mu Qing and Aunt Xing out.

Shí Yan was not here. If it was someone else’s wedding banquet, she could just send a gift without necessarily attending. But she still had to go to Ji Shutíng’s wedding.

But it was her first time attending a wedding as the Seventh Prince’s consort, so she couldn’t lose etiquette. Therefore, she brought Aunt Xing with her.

Gu’s mansion’s banquet was distributed in the left and right gardens outside the courtyard, with men and women in different seats, separated by screens.

The *zhuangyuan*’s wedding banquet naturally had many guests. Madam Ye and Jiang Jiuche were also there.

When everyone saw Gu Changxuan leading the bride appear, they all got up and followed to the hall to watch the ceremony.

Under the happy matchmaker’s loud singing, everyone watched the newlyweds kowtow to heaven and earth before returning to their seats at the banquet.

Jiang Jiuchu and Madam Ye sat together, watching Gu Changxuan leading the bride to the bridal chamber in the backyard, and suddenly curiously leaned to Madam Ye’s ear and whispered:

“Mother, don’t you know how to read men? What do you think of Shutíng’s *zhuangyuan* husband?”

Madam Ye was already looking at Gu Changxuan. She had heard of his name long ago, but it was her first time seeing him. “Since he is a *zhuangyuan*, his talent must be good. He also has a handsome appearance, but I think the *zhuangyuan*’s mother is not easy to get along with.”

Madam Ye also wanted to say that there was joy and happiness in Gu Changxuan’s eyes, and tenderness in his eyes when he looked at Ji Shutíng, but there was a lack of infatuation.

This kind of feeling that can only be understood but cannot be expressed cannot be called love, but it is a kind of instinct. She can’t say it well, maybe it is more accurate to say that it is interest.

This kind of feeling Jiuchu sees in Qingya, even Shí Yan, who hadn’t seen her daughter much at the time, also had a strong interest in his eyes when he picked up her daughter on the bridal sedan chair.

Following her mother’s words, Jiang Jiuchu looked at Gu’s mother, who was smiling happily in the seat, and felt that she didn’t seem like she was very understanding of general principles.

However, her son soared to the sky, so it should be normal to be a little something. Shutíng is not a young lady from a small family either, no matter what, she wouldn’t make things difficult for Shutíng!

Besides, with Gu Changxuan around, he would definitely not let Shutíng be wronged.

Jiang Jiuchu and her mother and brother reluctantly went through the motions before leaving the banquet early.

The sky gradually darkened, leaving only a few close friends who moved the banquet to the hall to continue drinking.

And Gu Changxuan continued to accompany them. With no one to take the drink for him, he was already staggering after seeing off all the guests, and was helped into the bridal chamber.

He looked at Ji Shutíng, who was covered with a big red veil, walked over unsteadily and sat beside her, raising his hand to lift Ji Shutíng’s veil.