"Grand Commander."
ng Qianqian spoke softly.
"Hm."
Lu Yuan responded flatly, "What is it?"
ng Qianqian asked, "Can the wedding veil be removed now?"
Lu Yuan rested his hands on his knees and calmly let out a simple "Hm."
And then, nothing happened.
ng Qianqian reminded him again, "Grand Commander, lift the veil."
Lu Yuan paused for a mont. Finally, he reacted. He raised his hand, reaching toward ng Qianqian’s veil.
Through the shadows cast on the veil, ng Qianqian saw his hesitant movents and said, "Grand Commander, the Jade Ruyi."
Lu Yuan got up and left.
He left with such a flourish that ng Qianqian thought he might say: "This is such a bother, do it yourself! I’m out of here!"
Who would’ve guessed that he ca back, seemingly holding sothing in his hand? The next mont, under a flash of golden light, a Jade Ruyi appeared before her eyes and lifted her veil.
Was it an illusion?
Why did it feel like the Grand Commander’s hand was trembling a little?
After lifting the veil, soone imdiately tossed the Jade Ruyi aside.
No trembling hands, didn’t see anything clearly, so there wasn’t anything to see!
ng Qianqian watched as he "tossed" the Jade Ruyi back onto the tray, thinking that using his hand would’ve worked just as well.
"Grand Commander."
"What now?"
Lu Yuan asked coldly.
ng Qianqian said, "The wine, shall we drink it or not?"
Lu Yuan’s face darkened, "You still want to drink wine? What, are you planning to get drunk and have your way with ?"
ng Qianqian opened her mouth but was at a loss for words. The veil was already lifted; shouldn’t they drink the wedding wine? Besides, it’s just a small cup of wine, and not even a strong one—how could it cause intoxication?
As for having her way with him, even if she wanted to, she would need his cooperation. It’s not like he’s so feeble that a gentle push would let her do as she pleased.
"I wouldn’t dare," said Little Nine.
After speaking, ng Qianqian’s gaze fell on him. She looked him up and down, then sincerely flattered him, "Grand Commander, you look exceptionally handso in your wedding robes."
In the past, he always wore either a purple brocade robe or a purple official robe, with a faint smile that exuded danger to his core.
She couldn’t pinpoint when, but he had stopped smiling as much around her. Now he always maintained a cold and aloof deanor, impossible to read.
Privately, she had once asked Shangguan Ling about it, and Shangguan Ling told her that the deeper the Grand Commander’s smile, the heavier his intent to kill.
Thinking about it, it seed like him not smiling at her wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Lu Yuan casually replied, "You’re not bad yourself."
ng Qianqian blinked. Huh, was that a complint?
"Grand Commander."
"ng Xiaojiu, how many tis are you planning to call in one day?"
So fierce.
ng Qianqian muttered internally and fiddled with the tassels on her wedding dress as she said, "I’m hungry. Can I have sothing to eat?"
She had eaten in the morning and again before setting out at noon, but she was still growing and got hungry quickly. Not to ntion, the food served at the banquet had slled so tantalizing that she’d started craving it back when they were performing the wedding rituals.
Lu Yuan got up and headed for the door.
ng Qianqian thought to herself, Did I say sothing wrong again?
"Aren’t you coming along?"
Lu Yuan clasped his hands behind his back, his expression icy as he spoke.
ng Qianqian looked at him, puzzled. "Hm?"
Lu Yuan said, "Weren’t you hungry? How are you going to eat if you just stay in the room?"
ng Qianqian’s eyes lit up. "Are you saying... I can leave the room to eat? Really?"
Lu Yuan cast her a sideways glance. "If you don’t want to, then forget it."
"I want to, I do!"
ng Qianqian quickly stood up and very eagerly opened the door for him. "After you, Grand Commander!"
Standing in the corridor, Nanny Li was startled when she saw ng Qianqian leave the bridal chamber with Lu Yuan. "Miss! Why have you co out?"
On the day of the wedding, the bride was supposed to stay in the bridal chamber. It was tradition, a rule.
During her five years in the Lu Family, Nanny Li had learned one thing: the grander the family, the stricter the rules, especially for won marrying into the household. They had to be extrely cautious with their behavior.
Before ng Qianqian could explain, Lu Yuan spoke, "We’re just going to grab a bite to eat. We’ll co back after. Nanny, if you’re tired, you can rest."
Nanny Li was shocked to hear that he was taking the bride out to eat. "Young Master, that’s quite improper."
Lu Yuan replied, "The Governor Mansion doesn’t have such pointless rules."
With that, he led ng Qianqian away.
Nanny Li stood there, dumbfounded.
Ban Xia nervously watched them leave hand-in-hand and mumbled softly, "Nanny Li, doesn’t the Young Master know that the bride isn’t supposed to leave the bridal chamber?"
Nanny Li quickly summoned one of the maids from the Governor Mansion and asked, "Has the Grand Commander ever attended another household’s wedding banquet before?"
"Never," the maid answered with a shake of her head. "The Grand Commander has no interest in other people’s weddings. He never goes to wedding banquets."
"Oh dear!" Nanny Li smacked her thigh.
She had thought he was being unruly, but it turned out he was just inexperienced!
She knew the new groom was marrying for the first ti, but she figured even if he’d never eaten pork, surely he’d seen pigs run! As it happened, he really hadn’t!
She quickly instructed Ban Xia, "Hurry after them to keep an eye out. Don’t let the Young Master take her right into the banquet hall!"
Ban Xia ran to the door and looked around. "I... I can’t catch up to them."
Nanny Li’s vision darkened, and she nearly fainted.
Thankfully, Lu Yuan did not bring ng Qianqian to the banquet. After all, the banquet was crowded with guests, and if they went, they’d be surrounded and unable to enjoy a proper al.
Instead, he took ng Qianqian to a nearby pavilion.
The pavilion stood close to the stage, where they could listen to opera. It was also near the kitchen, so the dishes brought in were still steaming hot.
Lu Yuan had the servants lower the curtains around the pavilion. The shadows cast provided enough privacy to keep her beauty hidden from prying eyes.
The attendants placed a large round table over the stone table, which was soon filled with various dishes symbolizing fortune and happiness.
ng Qianqian was reminded of her wedding to Lu Lingxiao. The Lu Family had organized a grand wedding, but she, having traveled a long distance, suffered from acclimation issues. She had felt miserable, and Lu Lingxiao didn’t even bother lifting her veil before heading off to entertain the guests.
A twelve-year-old her had spent the entire day alone in Haitang Courtyard’s bridal chamber, her stomach growling with hunger.
Ban Xia had dared to sneak her a bit of pastry, but she’d eaten it so quickly in her hunger that it made her tear up.
Looking back, she realized how pitiful she must have been back then.
In a completely unfamiliar place, no one understood how scared and out of place she had felt. All the guests were celebrating the joy of the Lu Family, and the Lu Family was jubilant about no longer being financially burdened.
All the while, she had been nothing more than a tool to complete the festivity.
Lu Yuan noticed her stop eating all of a sudden and asked, "Does it not taste good?"
"It’s delicious, all the flavors I like," ng Qianqian lifted her clear, spring-like eyes to him. "Grand Commander, aren’t you going to entertain the guests?"
Lu Yuan said indifferently, "What’s there to entertain?"
After a pause, he added, "I’ll go in a bit."
ng Qianqian smiled, "Then, should you eat sothing first to fill your stomach?"
Once he went to the banquet, there’d inevitably be drinking. Of the guests, she couldn’t speak for others, but Zhang Feihu and the others were certainly heavy drinkers.
Lu Yuan casually replied with a "Hm."
ng Qianqian began to serve food onto his plate.
Lu Yuan said, "Eat your own food. I have hands."
"Oh."
ng Qianqian returned to her seat and happily resud her feast.
After ng Qianqian had her fill, Lu Yuan escorted her back to the bridal chamber. He even brought the sleepy Treasure Piggy along to accompany her before heading off to the banquet.
Treasure Piggy, with its little golden tuft of fur, wore an expression that said, "Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?"
Reviews
All reviews (0)