It was getting late, and He Qiuwen still had her duties as a wedding maid to attend to.
She washed her hands and hurried back.
The dishes, prepared by the army cooks, were brought out one by one and served on the tables in the threshing ground.
The West Liang people gathered in the threshing ground, clustered in small groups, chatting and laughing.
When the auspicious hour arrived, the wedding officially began.
Ah Qi had changed into a new red outfit for the occasion.
The clothes had been scrounged from a villager’s ho, and since the size wasn’t quite right, they were a bit small on him.
When the crowd saw Ah Qi appear, they whistled and broke into raucous laughter.
No one was taking the wedding banquet seriously.
In their eyes, Ah Qi looked like a monkey in his red clothes. The very sight of him was comical.
Ah Qi himself felt deeply uncomfortable.
He knew Hua Manman had been forced to marry him.
’He was just a contemptible person taking advantage of soone’s plight.’
The crowd surrounded Ah Qi, shoving him toward the door of the house where Hua Manman was staying.
Eager for a spectacle and hoping for trouble, they urged him to kick the door down.
Ah Qi ignored their taunts. He straightened his lapels, took a deep breath, and only then raised his slightly trembling right hand to knock three tis on the door.
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.
The sound was neither too light nor too heavy, the rhythm unhurried.
A mont later, He Qiuwen opened the door.
She bead. "Ah, the groom has arrived!"
The crowd craned their necks to peer inside. They saw a woman with a slender figure sitting on the bed, her head covered by a red wedding veil that completely hid her face.
Another wave of jeering laughter erupted.
Ah Qi was shoved through the doorway.
Once inside, he froze, too nervous to know what to do.
He only snapped out of it when He Qiuwen pressed one end of a red silk ribbon into his hand.
The other end of the ribbon was placed in the bride’s hand.
Ah Qi walked in front, leading the bride out with the red silk ribbon.
One behind the other, they left the room.
Outside, the jeering grew even louder.
Soone tried to lift the bride’s veil, but the quick-thinking He Qiuwen blocked him.
Suppressing her fear, she said loudly, "Only the groom can remove the bride’s veil! Don’t break tradition!"
At that, everyone began goading Ah Qi to lift the veil.
They all wanted to see what Princess Consort Zhao would look like, forced to marry another man. Would she be crying under her veil?
’The thought alone was thrilling!’
Afraid that Ah Qi might actually lift the veil in front of everyone, He Qiuwen quickly told him,
"The bride’s veil can only be lifted in the bridal chamber."
Ah Qi nodded solemnly. "I understand."
He ignored the crowd’s jeers and led his new bride toward his quarters.
Seeing this, He Qiuwen quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
’Thankfully, Ah Qi has a mind of his own. He wasn’t swayed by the crowd’s taunts.’
Next ca the wedding ceremony.
Since no parents or elders were present, when it ca ti to bow to their seniors, they could only kowtow in the direction of Xiliang.
After the bows were completed, the couple was escorted to the bridal chamber.
The West Liang n wanted to continue their raucous wedding gas, but Ah Qi forcibly pushed them out.
SLAM.
The door was slamd shut.
The jeers and curses were shut outside.
Ah Qi wiped the sweat from his brow.
He turned to look at the bride sitting on the bed.
Now, only he, the bride, and He Qiuwen were in the room.
The bride must have been extrely nervous; her hands were clenched tightly around the fabric of her skirt.
Ah Qi was even more nervous than she was.
He walked to the bedside with a stiff, unnatural gait.
Even though everyone else treated their marriage as a joke, he still clung to a sliver of hope.
’Maybe... maybe this marriage could have a happy ending.’
As he sat down on the bed, he distinctly felt the bride shrink away from him.
It was a small, telling gesture of resistance.
The smile on Ah Qi’s face faded, and the sliver of hope in his heart turned to ash.
’So it wasn’t just outsiders who looked down on this marriage. Even Hua Manman herself, one of the two people involved, refused to accept it.’
Never a man of many words, he now fell completely silent.
He didn’t speak, and neither did the bride.
The atmosphere in the bridal chamber grew heavy and oppressive.
Finally, it was He Qiuwen who broke the silence.
"Tonight is your wedding night! Don’t just sit there. Co, drink the nuptial wine. Drinking this ensures a long and happy life together."
She picked up two cups of wine that had been poured earlier. She handed the one on the left to the bride and the one on the right to Ah Qi.
...
Dish after dish was brought to the tables.
The West Liang people gathered around the bonfires, eating delicious food and laughing boisterously.
It was a sha the Young General had strictly forbidden alcohol; otherwise, they would have seized the opportunity to drink their fill.
They were all young, able-bodied n with huge appetites, and they quickly devoured all the food on the tables.
So were still shouting that they hadn’t eaten enough, demanding the army cooks prepare more dishes.
The threshing ground was filled with joyous laughter and festive cheer.
No one noticed that a group of Great Zhou n had already gathered at the foot of the mountain.
In the swaying shadows of the trees, these n were all clad in black leather armor and black cloaks.
The night wind billowed their long cloaks, making them rustle and flap.
They sat silently on horseback, one hand holding the reins, the other holding a torch.
From a distance, they looked like a giant, fiery dragon lying dormant in the darkness.
Had Xiao Hong been there, he would have recognized the leader at a glance: it was none other than Prince Zhao of the Great Zhou Dynasty!
Li Ji looked up at the towering mountain before him and gave a hand signal.
The Royal Guards behind him imdiately extinguished their torches, dismounted, and vanished swiftly into the forest.
In a matter of monts, their figures were swallowed by the darkness.
Li Ji issued an order to Chen Wangbei at his side.
"You stay here and provide support. I will go into the mountains to rescue her."
Chen Wangbei said hastily, "Your Highness, allow to go instead."
’The situation in the mountains is unknown. What if Prince Zhao runs into danger?!’
Li Ji said coldly, "You will do as I say."
Seeing that the prince’s mind was made up, Chen Wangbei, though still worried, dared not say more. He could only reply dutifully,
"As you command."
...
Xiao Hong was not one for festivities, so he did not attend the wedding banquet.
He remained in his room, studying a map laid out before him, pondering which route to take to leave Great Zhou.
Just then, there was a light knock on the door.
"Young General, it’s ti for your evening al."
Xiao Hong answered casually, "Co in."
Aming entered, carrying a tray of food.
He glimpsed the map in front of the Young General and knew it was not sothing he was permitted to see. He quickly averted his gaze, set down the food, and silently withdrew.
The door closed once more.
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