Chapter 281: Chapter 281
In this way, Pei Shenyan and the Great Princess were standing almost face to face.
Pei Shenyan looked up and saw the Great Princess.
The Great Princess was wearing a light pink satin dress today, her hair shiny black, appearing charming and lovely like the Peach Blossom Fairy.
She stood out noticeably among the crowd.
Pei Shenyan’s gaze was fixed.
When the Great Princess looked up, she caught Pei Shenyan staring at her with an unwavering gaze, and she angrily glared at him fiercely, frightening Pei Shenyan into lowering his head hurriedly.
The newlyweds stood in the middle of the hall, and after the Ritual Officer and matchmaker Qin Lizheng cheerfully recited the blessing words, he continued, "Newlyweds, bow first to heaven and earth..."
First bow to heaven and earth, second bow to parents, husband and wife bow to each other.
Amidst laughter from everyone, the two wedding matrons urged the couple to enter the bridal chamber.
The veil covered most of Chai Eying’s vision, leaving her unable to distinguish direction.
She only felt that wherever she went, she saw her feet; wherever she went, she heard laughter.
Luckily, with a wedding matron supporting her and the Princely Heir holding her hand, she managed not to stumble blindly.
In a daze, Chai Eying heard the wedding matron laughing, "Newlyweds, here we are at the bridal chamber."
Then there was a creaking sound, and the door blocking Chai Eying’s sight was opened.
The wedding matrons escorted Chai Eying into the room, both laughing and saying, "Congratulations to you both, may you soon have a precious child, and may you have a harmonious union for a hundred years."
"Thank you, both mother-in-laws," the Princely Heir said with a smile, taking out two red envelopes from his sleeve and handing them over.
The two elderly women left excitedly, having said many congratulatory words.
The Princely Heir closed the door and came holding Chai Eying’s hand.
He noticed Chai Eying’s hand was trembling slightly and couldn’t help but laugh softly, "It’s just us here."
Chai Eying’s face reddened again.
It’s just the two of them; is he planning to do something?
Nanny Jiang had told her a lot about those things between husband and wife.
She had heard it so much her ears almost grew calluses, yet now the day had come, she felt nervous and uneasy.
It was only just past dusk, with the lamps barely lit, and they hadn’t yet served tea to their parents-in-law; Li Xingmao surely wouldn’t be so hasty?
She was nowhere near prepared...
Chai Eying’s heart was in turmoil.
Li Xingmao led her to the bedside, pulling her hand to sit alongside her.
Chai Eying grew even more flustered.
Her hand gripping the skirt was almost tearing it.
"Li... Brother Li..." she nervously reached for Li Xingmao’s wrist.
Li Xingmao uncovered her veil and looked at her in wonder, "What’s up?"
After Chai Eying’s illness completely healed, her complexion returned to normal, her once thin face grew rounder, and her hair thickened, the pearl headdress on her bun flashing brightly under the glow of a pair of joy candles on the table, her face, painted with delicate eyebrows and a touch of light rouge, was like a pink lotus petal.
Her drooping eyelashes quivered chaotically, betraying her inner panic.
"It’s not dark yet..." Chai Eying whispered, her hands anxiously clutching Li Xingmao’s hand, "Let’s wait for night..."
Li Xingmao was taken aback, then quickly understood.
He gently reversed his grasp on Chai Eying’s trembling hand and chuckled, "Alright, I know, we’ll just chat."
"Oh..." Chai Eying breathed a sigh of relief, her heart relaxing a bit.
Still, she dared not look up at Li Xingmao and kept her head down, smiling faintly.
The usually glib and bold Chai Eying, who dared to fight and bicker with Miss Chai, dared to disrupt Miss Chai’s wedding banquet, and firmly demanded her dowry back from Second Master Chai, was now at a loss for words.
Li Xingmao lowered his head and gazed at her face, teasing her deliberately, "Did I marry the wrong bride?"
"Ah?" Chai Eying didn’t understand, raising her head to see an unbelievably handsome young man’s face, smiling softly at her.
From today on, this man was her husband.
Chai Eying’s heart thumped wildly again.
"Wh... What?" she blinked, looking at Li Xingmao in confusion.
"I remember, the bride I was supposed to marry was always bold, but today I married a timid girl like a little rabbit; did I marry the wrong person?" Li Xingmao teased her with a smile.
Chai Eying’s face turned red, and she retorted, "Li... Brother Li."
The tone was a playful pout.
Li Xingmao smiled a gentle grin.
"We’re married now, you should call me by my name," Li Xingmao said, holding Chai Eying’s hand and looking at her, "I was born in Jin, and a paternal uncle gave me a courtesy name, Jin; you can call me Jin."
Chai Eying blinked, "Jin? I’ve never heard Yu Zhu and the others talk about it."
"The younger sisters are little, of course, they don’t know. My parents only call me Dalang or Lao Da, and the younger siblings call me Brother. But you are different from them, you are my wife, and you should call me by my courtesy name." Li Xingmao said with a smile.
Chai Eying bit her lip, her gaze was deep as she looked at Li Xingmao, "Who else knows your courtesy name?"
Li Xingmao saw the unease in her eyes.
He squeezed her hand tightly, "I haven’t heard people call me that much, whether others know or not, I’m not sure."
He was speaking the truth.
Due to his identity, ever since he was born, everyone has called him the Heir of Prince Luling.
His parents call him Dalang, his siblings call him Brother.
The courtesy name "Jin" bestowed by the late Emperor hasn’t been much used, and likely not many know it.
"Then... does Mother Guoguo know?" Chai Eying thought for a while, quietly asking, feeling unsure inside.
Li Xingmao shook his head, "She probably doesn’t know, as she has never called me that."
Chai Eying softly let out a breath of relief; she felt considerably relaxed. She bit her lip, softly calling, "Jin Lang."
She bowed her head, not daring to look at Li Xingmao.
Looking at her, Li Xingmao smiled, "Is E Ying being jealous?"
Chai Eying blushed, glanced at him quickly, then swiftly lowered her head again, not answering.
Li Xingmao pulled her into his embrace, holding her gently.
He said, "The Xue Family has long been in the past. Our whole family already acts as if she doesn’t exist. You are my wife now, and from now on, it’s only you in my heart. If you’re happy, I’m happy. If you’re not happy, I’m not happy either. Don’t ask such ridiculous things next time, and don’t compare yourself to her. It’s belittling yourself. I would be unhappy, and I’d tease you."
Chai Eying leaned her head on his shoulder, "Is that what you think?"
Li Xingmao earnestly said, "Yes, I don’t like dragging on matters. I do things straightforwardly, without getting muddled with the past."
Chai Eying reached her hand around his neck, apologetically said, "We are a couple now. I shouldn’t doubt you . From now on, I won’t say such things anymore."
Li Xingmao pinched her chin, "That’s right."
They exchanged a smile.
Outside, the night gradually fell, and the sound of firecrackers rang out from time to time.
In the distance, many people were chatting and laughing.
Blushing, Chai Eying nudged Li Xingmao, "It’s time to pay respects to Father, Mother, and the guests."
Li Xingmao released her, tidying her collar and hair, smiled lightly, "Alright."
Chai Eying stood up, took a small key from her sleeve, and opened a box in the room.
This box was her dowry chest that was carried over by the escort team from her maiden family when she came in the bridal sedan.
Apart from this box, there were three other boxes.
All the furniture in the room, like the bedframe, cabinets, tables, and chairs, were also just delivered. Follow current novels on 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭·𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮·𝙣𝙚𝙩
During Chai Eying’s wedding ceremony, Second Young Master Li and Li Xing’an, along with the others, helped assemble them.
Nanny Jiang, who came along with the dowry, led Lady Liu, Second Lady Liu, and the village chief’s wife to make the bed.
The beddings were also brought by Chai Eying, all new cotton quilts, bright red auspicious peony sheets, and covers.
Light blue drapes with crimson silk flowers were hung everywhere, all showing festivity.
When the boxes were moved, things inside got shaken out of place. Chai Eying squatted by the box searching through it.
Li Xingmao stood by, watching her busy herself with interest.
"What are you looking for?" He asked with a gentle smile.
"Gifts for everyone." Chai Eying rummaged for a long time and finally found what she wanted, a maroon cloth bag embroidered with ginger yellow winter jasmine, which she handed over to Li Xingmao, "This is for the younger siblings."
Li Xingmao weighed it; the bag was heavy, indicating it contained quite a lot.
He said, "There’s indeed quite a lot. This will spoil the younger ones. You’re very generous."
Chai Eying laughed, "It’s not much, just two silver ingots per person. We have many siblings, so it adds up."
Li Xingmao opened the bag to look—each gift was about four taels, with five siblings, making it over twenty taels in total. She was indeed generous.
Li Xingmao was very surprised.
Chai Eying smiled, playfully glancing at him, "Don’t be surprised, they are your brothers and sisters, not strangers. We’ll be family from now on. If I had more money, I’d give more. Right now, this is all I can give."
Li Xingmao caressed her face, looking intensely at her, "E Ying."
Chai Eying clasped his hand, smiled softly, "Alright, stop dawdling, or everyone will laugh at us."
Li Xingmao smiled gently, "Alright."
The heavy bag was held by Li Xingmao, who also picked up the tea kettle from the joy table, while Chai Eying carried the tea tray with several small tea cups on it.
Li Xingmao stepped forward to open the door, and the two headed towards the North Courtyard Main House.
The village people watching the festivities hadn’t dispersed much, many either chatted in the courtyard or listened to the Prince Luling and the village chief chatting in the main house.