40 - Bridal Chamber

Chapter 40 – Bridal chamber

In fact, Yeqing was the innocent one among the three men. He was serious about putting up an obstacle for Lord Di, but it was just that they ignored him. As for Gong Changxiao, of course, he would not be so stupid as to go against the Governor and the four constables but he must at least put up an appearance. So he had put forth a tactical formation that the constables would surely be able to solve. As for Ling Wang, he has always appreciated Lord Di, and besides, this Lord Di is marrying the eldest senior sister of his wife. In the future, Lord Di will be regarded as his brother-in-law, so he should start developing their affection.

“Lord Di, going easy on you just now was ‘courtesy first, followed by soldiers*’. The three of us are not the soldiers, so Lord Di must exercise caution.”

(Courtesy first, followed by soldiers mean diplomacy is used before the onslaught of violence.)

Although Bai Yuxiao is a secret constable, she is now a Wangfei and she is the only one qualified to lead the sisters to make things difficult for Lord Di.

Di Jing smiled and said. “Di Mou will do his best. Please put forth the question.”

When they heard him, the three women no longer showed politeness. Since Lord Di did not know martial arts, they could only put forth literary questions but their literary knowledge was not as good as Lord Di’s, so Bai Yuxiao’s question was solved at once.

The challenge that Hua Qianqian threw out was on playing dice and requested Lord Di to guess whether the total sum is big or small *. However, Lord Di was able to make a correct guess. Hua Qianqian immediately glared at Lei Feng.

He must have used some kind of method to secretly signal the answer!

(Big small was an ancient guessing game that the Chinese people played with three dices. After the dices are rolled, the numbers on the dices that are facing up will be totaled. If the sum added up is 10 and below, it is considered as small and if the sum added up is 11 and above, it is considered as big. At present, this game can still be found In casinos but with some differences as bets can be placed in a variety of ways.)

Lei Feng turned his face away in embarrassment.

He can’t be blamed! The Emperor had given orders that he must help Lord Di marry his wife!

Gong Wuhuan did not raise a riddle nor play dice, instead, she asked Di Jing a question.

“A beauty grows old easily and beauty will fade. How can my Lord prove that in this life, my Lord will marry only my Eldest Senior Sister, never leave her nor abandon her?”

This question sounded very simple but it was the most difficult to handle. After all, no one can prove anything of the future.

Facing Gong Wuhuan’s question, Di Jing’s eyes shone brightly and said in a serious tone. “In this life, Di Mou wishes to be single-hearted until my hair turns white and does not wish to be separated. If you wish to know the future, you must go to the future. Di Mou and his wife will look forward to everyone’s visit in the future.”

As soon as the words were spoken, everyone clapped and applauded. The answer given was absolute and excellent, not filled with falsehood. However, he had expressed his lifetime commitment to his wife. They have to look towards the future, they must move towards the promising future and they will both spend this time together hand in hand.

Gong Wuhuan and the two sisters smiled.

As expected, this Lord Di is not someone simple. No wonder he can marry their Eldest Senior Sister as his wife.

After the bridegroom had passed the obstacles, he led the bride to offer tea to his Father-in-law and Mother-in-law. Old Madam Shangguan could not hold back her tears and Old Master Shangguan’s eye rims had turned red. Although he could not bear to see his daughter get married, he still had to marry her off.

The Eldest Master of Shangguan Family carried the bride piggyback to the bridal sedan. When the bridal sedan set off, the ear-splitting drums and firecrackers sounded again, and all along the way, the people’s joyful laughter resonated.

The bride was welcomed into the new mansion and following the ceremonial officer’s singsong voice, the new couple prayed to heaven and earth before they were finally sent to the bridal chamber.

Her bridal veil was suddenly lifted and Shangguan Yan slowly raised her shy face to meet Di Jing’s gaze.

He was staring at her and even though she usually has thick skin, her cheeks involuntarily turned crimson at this moment, looking very charming like spring water with bright waves of light.

Di Jing looked at her eyes. He seemed to like these eyes from a long time ago. They were as quiet as a clear spring, glittering like stars.

When he was in the Qin Mansion, he had already developed affections for her but at that time, he did not immediately act on it for he always thought that he had time. However, he did not expect that the delay would end up being two years long. Fortunately, Heavens had allowed him to meet her again.

Shangguan Yan noticed that his gaze had become more presumptuous than before and it seemed he did not have the slightest intention to hide the deep meaning within. She could not help but bow her head and lowered her eyes in shyness.

As the womenfolk in the bridal chamber chanted auspicious words, the two people drank the Wine of Togetherness * amidst the laughter of everyone. Then Di Jing went out to entertain the guests and the womenfolk also retreated leaving only Gong Wuhuan and the two sisters in the bridal chamber with the bride.

(Drinking Wine of Togetherness by the bride and bridegroom is one of the traditional customs observed in a wedding ceremony. The bride and bridegroom will each hold a cup of wine then drink half of the wine before crossing their arms to drink the balanced wine from the cup in their hands. This symbolizes togetherness, love, and respect for each other and growing old together.)

The maids first fetched water for the bride to wash her face and helped her to remove the heavy phoenix crown on her head. Then she took off her wedding dress and changed into normal lightweight clothes. Following that, the four sisters sat down at the table and ate dim sum as they talked about private matters regarding women.

Hua Qianqian had been eagerly waiting to talk about this matter with their Eldest Senior Sister and Bai Yuxiao provided the exquisitely drawn erotic paintings while Gong Wuhuan listened to them talk.

Regarding the love between men and women, the four sisters already understood it a long time ago. They were secret constables, therefore, the more they listened the more they understood. The discussion on this topic was naturally much bolder. When the discussion touched on something interesting, everyone would burst into laughter.

The time passed very quickly and as the sky darkened, a man’s laughter drifted in from outside. They knew that the bridegroom had returned.

Bai Yuxiao relied on her status as the Wangfei and forbade anyone to cause a disturbance* in the bridal chamber since Lord Di is also a serious person. Besides, the Four Great Constables were standing guard at the door like door-gods, so no one dared to cause any ruckus in the bridal chamber.

(To cause a disturbance in the bridal chamber is very normal during weddings but it is not compulsory therefore, it cannot be regarded as a custom. The guests will banter with the new couple, tease them and play pranks on them. Usually, the guests are the new couple’s friends and/or relatives.)

Two old women supported Di Jing into the bridal chamber and a strong thick scent of alcohol wafted in. The old women helped to put the bridegroom on the bed and after receiving the red envelopes *, they retreated. Then the maids helped the bridegroom to take off his wedding robe, then fetched water to help him clean his face and feet. After helping him to put on his regular clothes, the maids also retreated.

(Red envelope is money wrapped in red paper. Usually, red envelopes are given out by elders to the children during Chinese New Year. During happy events like birthdays, weddings, etc., red envelopes are also given out as gifts or well-wishes.)

Finally, only both of them were left in the bridal chamber.

Shangguan Yan turned her head to look at the person sitting on the bed with his back against the bed column and he was resting with his eyes closed. It was obvious that he had drunk a lot tonight. She could not help but wonder and thought that based on his stern temperament, he would not let himself be forced to drink too much. Besides, the Four Great Constables were present and they were responsible for blocking the toasts of wine! However, he was still forced to drink and got drunk!

She relaxed subconsciously. Originally, she was nervous about the consummation of the marriage, after all, it is the first time for her and with him……..

Thinking up to here, she blushed.

She walked lightly to him and asked. “Are you alright? Do you want someone to prepare sobering soup?”

Di Jing slowly opened his eyes and they were as deep as midnight. The corners of his lips slowly curved and he smiled at her.

Her face turned red under his gaze. She threw a glance at the teapot on the table and then said softly to him. “I’ll pour you a cup of warm water to quench your thirst.” After speaking, she poured a cup of water and used her actions to cover the shyness and embarrassment in her heart.

Di Jing took the teacup she handed over and sipped the water to moisten his throat. “You’re tired. Come to bed and rest.”

As he spoke, he got up and walked to the round table where a set of red candles was sitting. Although his footsteps staggered a little, he was still steady.

After he reached the side of the table, he turned his head to look at her. She knew that he was waiting for her to lie down properly on the bed before blowing out the candles. So she bowed her head and took off her embroidered shoes. Then she lay down on one side of the bed and after a while, the candle was snuffed out and the room immediately plunged into darkness.

She listened intently and knew that he had returned to the side of the bed. After a while, her eyesight adjusted to the darkness and she could dimly make out his figure. She saw him take off his shoes then let down the bed curtains before he laid down beside her.

Her heartbeat suddenly raced. The darkness heightened her six senses and she could even detect the smell of his breath. The bed was quite spacious but when he laid down on it, it seemed to be much narrower.

It turned out that this is the mood of a bride when she is about to consummate her marriage!

She had heard her Junior Sisters talk about the secrets of the boudoir more than once and whenever she listens to them, she likes to make fun of them by saying that their hearts were stolen by men and they were love-struck.

When she turned around to ask Wuhuan how was her wedding night in the bridal chamber, although Wuhuan just glanced at her, that look of hers was hiding a feeling of shame that was better not mentioned.

Now it is her turn.

Her heart was not heeding her command and it was like a deer was bumping chaotically around endlessly. In the past, no one had ever made her lose herself in reverie, and even if Pan Zeming is her partner in the bridal chamber, he would not be able to make ripples in her heart but once the partner is changed to Di Jing…….

Ai…….is this still considered as heartbeats? This is simply drumming!

“Go to sleep.” His low husky voice drifted over from the side.