Chapter 398: Chapter 398
The sky was bright, with rays of morning light everywhere.
The Great Qing’s wedding tradition starts with fetching the bride in the morning and hosting a banquet in the afternoon. So, as soon as dawn broke, the gatekeepers were busy because the brothers and friends helping Song Zhiyu fetch the bride had arrived.
In the eyes of others, Song Zhiyu was marrying into the bride’s family, but he and Niu Pan’er’s wedding was conducted traditionally, held at the Prime Minister’s Mansion, thanks to the consideration from Prince Dingbei’s Mansion and the support of Commandery Princess Dongyang.
The entourage forming the bride-fetching party was composed of noble offspring familiar and friendly with Song Zhiyu, along with a few of his young nephews. This team was both scholarly and martial, well-prepared to handle anything. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on novelꞁire.net
At that moment, the scene at Fufeng Pavilion was lively; the young kids were chirping and bouncing around, while the older ones discussed strategies to tackle the "door-blocking" tricks set by Prince Dingbei’s Mansion to enter smoothly and whisk away the bride.
"I’ve already heard that the team sending off the bride, led by the Commandery Princess, consists entirely of personal soldiers from the Prince’s Mansion. They’re fully armored young soldiers; we might not be able to beat them physically, but we can out-talk them. We won’t need to lift a finger," Bao Chengxuan said, rubbing his hands with excitement.
Not far away, Song Ci heard this and laughed so hard her eyes crinkled, thinking, "You youngsters, using your sharp tongues to defeat them? What are you, all iron-mouthed and bronze-toothed?"
Don’t ask why Song Ci was still there. In fact, with her youngest getting married, and guests not yet arrived, she didn’t need to entertain anyone. Even if she did, didn’t she have a socially adept stepdaughter to handle things first?
She was, of course, there to guide the bride-fetching team on how to effectively fetch the bride quickly.
Nanny Gong: Come on now, you’re just here to enjoy the view of the young, handsome lads.
Song Ci: Life is tough but let’s not expose it. My face may be old, but my heart is full of raging hormones.
Bao Chengxuan, known as Bao Datong, wasn’t wrong; he had even scouted out a direct and fast route to the inner courtyard of the Prince Mansion—
"Bao Datong, are you trying to make me laugh to death so you can inherit my 150 pounds of fat? Song Si’s wedding, and you want him to crawl through a dog hole to fetch the bride? Does he call the shots?" Liu Ning laughed heartily, pointing at Bao Chengxuan.
Song Zhiyu gave him a sidelong glance: "I invited you to help break down the door for the bride-fetching, and as the groom, I must enter through the main door, grand and upright. You, as the groomsman, if you crawl through the dog hole, you’ll help me open the big door from inside, and our past grudges will be wiped, I’ll tell my wife not to beat you."
Why invite Liu Ning, who had a history of friction? Actually, it wasn’t much but occasional verbal spats; his family was still trustworthy, and Liu Ning himself could drink and hold his liquor, so he had to be invited.
Liu Ning glared: "Then let the Commandery Princess beat me to death."
"Pah, cowardly grandson."
Liu Ning pretended not to hear, thinking, if he really crawled through the dog hole, his dad would beat him to death.
"That’s just a backup plan. If we can’t handle it in the front, we’ll manage from the back; achieving the goal is what matters," Bao Chengxuan said.
"Handle from the back? I didn’t expect you to be this kind of Bao Datong!"
Everyone laughed suggestively, this comment was quite risqué.
Song Ci burst out laughing.
This Bao Datong really knew how to jab, a seasoned driver indeed.
As expected, only the young can bring such joy, making her laugh like a blooming chrysanthemum.
"Madam, we should return; the guests are arriving one after another," Nanny Gong whispered, noticing certain someone’s reluctance to move.
Song Ci looked at her wistfully, stood up holding her hand, and said, "Nanny Gong, how about I share a beauty secret with you?"
Nanny Gong instinctively felt it wouldn’t be anything good and replied righteously, "If it’s about replenishing yin from yang, might I remind you, madam, we’ve stopped menstruating!"
You nasty old woman, your mouth is truly vicious!