The Crown Prince of a country kneeled down in public to propose marriage.
This has been the grandest wedding proposal in the world. Even in the marriage of common people, the man may not be able to take the initiative to lower his stance to this level.
Everyone understood, Sui Heng was indicating a position in front of the whole world.
With that last sentence solemnly falling, countless red Kongming lanterns adorned with the word “happiness” suddenly floated above the Yellow River. The red lanterns, like sparks, covered the sky, beautiful and spectacular, surrounded by a bright moon in the sky, illuminating the magnificent long river below, just like this golden wedding ceremony, shining brightly and shaking the nine provinces.
The people on both sides of the river let out thunderous cheers, looking up at the boundless sky adorned with bright lights. The world is vast and peaceful. Many people also spontaneously go to the river and release their prepared prayer lanterns to pray for the wedding of the two Crown Princes, for the interoperability of the north and south, and for peace in the world.
Sui Heng kneeled down on one knee, not looking at the bright lights in the sky nor listening to the cheers of the people or the cheers of the generals around him. His gaze was fixed straight on the figure on the city gate tower that he had been longing for.
Jiang Yun was also watching him smile, his eyes shining brighter than countless bright lights.
The Chen Kingdom’s Guozhu, along with other subordinate Guozhu, stood in the welcoming procession. He looked at the scene in front of him and couldn’t help but sigh, “Who would have thought that three months ago, there was still a 300,000 strong army at the foot of the city, and a great war was about to break out and now it has become an eternal marriage alliance between the two countries. It’s really unpredictable, isn’t it, Brother Yuping?”
Jiang Yuping rubbed his fingers and did not respond.
The Chen Kingdom’s Guozhu was happy and didn’t mind. Originally, he had been anxious and restless about defecting to Sui Heng and offending Jiang Yun and couldn’t sleep all night. But when he thought about it, the things that Jiang Yuping had done were much more than his. With such a reference point as a comparison, he inexplicably received some comfort and didn’t feel anxious in an instant. And the food tasted good.
Moreover, this time when Sui Heng went to hunt the geese in the Chen Kingdom, he rounded the place up; it can also be considered a great contribution.
The officials of the Jiang Empire who came to attend the wedding ceremony clearly did not expect that the rumored Crown Prince of Sui, who was known for his martial prowess, belligerence, and tyranny, would kneel down in public and propose to their Crown Prince. They’re all shocked and surprised.
The last hint of concern in Fan Zhou’s eyes finally dissipated. He smiled and took a bow tied with red silk and a feather arrow tied with red silk from Yun Huai’s hand, handing them to Jiang Yun.
Above the feather arrowhead, there is a pair of lotus flowers tied together with red silk.
According to current customs, if noble young men or women agree to the proposal of the other party, they should shoot a lotus in front of the groom to show their agreement to the proposal. Jiang Yun took the bow and arrow, raised his arms, and the wide sleeves of the red-embroidered golden phoenix fluttered up. Under countless gazes, he bent the bow and arched the arrow towards his handsome lover in big red wedding clothes under the gate, who came from afar to marry him. His eyes curved lightly, and his fair fingers hooked the bow strings, shooting the feather arrow.
Sui Heng had been waiting for a long time. Before the feather arrow could be shot down, he chuckled lightly. His body was as agile as a leopard, and he jumped up, directly holding the feather arrow in his hand in mid-air and spinning down.
The whole process is smooth, neat, and well coordinated.
The sound of cheers and excitement echoed again, from the soldiers on both sides and from the people along the coast, spreading from Muyun Pass to the north bank of the Yellow River for a long time.
Jiang Yun put the bow and arrow down and smiled again.
As the emcee, Fan Zhou finally ordered the city gate to be opened to welcome the wedding procession into the pass! At the same time, the lingering and moving wedding song on the city gate tower also took a sharp turn and suddenly jumped with joy.
Big beads and small beads rolled down the jade plate1Referring to the moving vocal music., and the air was heated by the sound of music, overflowing with joy.
Jiang Yun also left the city gate tower and sat in the pre-arranged wedding hall. According to the wedding ceremony, Sui Heng only passed the first hurdle. Afterwards, he had to deal with the questioning and difficulties of a group of generals, advisors, and guests from the Jiang Empire in the pass before he could enter the wedding hall and fetch the pride.
Composing poems is essential, and with such knowledgeable people as Jimo Qingyu and Fan Zhou around, it is natural that there is no shortage of other knowledge tests. Sui Heng was also well prepared. Before coming, he had been busy cramming for several days, memorizing many poems about newlyweds. This time, in addition to his generals, he also brought a group of knowledgeable advisors and civil service officials with him to fetch the pride.
Two members of the royal family in the Sui capital, King Changning and King Ruining, were also accompanying him in the fetching the pride ceremony. According to their seniority, Sui Heng has to call them Imperial Uncles. It can be seen that Emperor Sui attached great importance to this wedding.
Fan Zhou naturally won’t let go of this opportunity to make things difficult for Sui Heng. He forced Sui Heng to write ten poems in a row, and Jimo Qingyu was no less impressive. He personally asked a few difficult and out-of-the-way questions. He personally asked Sui Heng to answer, but Sui Heng couldn’t come up with an answer and could only seek help from his fellow civil service officials and advisors. Qi Ziqi, Zhao Yan, Yun Hao, and Luo Changqing also joined in the fun. The four of them worked together to think of a few lantern riddles and wrote the answers in Xiao Jiang Nuo’s palm, allowing Sui Heng to guess the riddles. Sui Heng barely guessed one. Looking at the cold-faced little boy sitting high on Gongsun Yang’s neck, he frantically winked at the little boy, wanting him to spill something out and give him the answer. The little one had a cold and ruthless face, tightly clenching his fists. No matter how hard Sui Heng tried to intimidate and lure him, he refused to let go.
This scene elicited a burst of laughter from the guests.
After nearly half an hour of verbal altercation between the two sides, Sui Heng finally passed the five hurdles, successfully passed the examination and questioning session, and gained the qualification to enter the wedding hall.
The palace doors slowly opened, and Jiang Yun was already wearing a red wedding dress, with a jade-tall body, standing in the hall. His black eyes were clear and bright, and he looked at Sui Heng with a smile. Sui Heng was not very nervous all the way, but at this moment, his heart suddenly began to beat wildly, and his palms were slightly sweating. He stepped on the soft red carpet, caught the guests’ attention, and slowly walked into the main hall amidst the fluttering colored paper in the sky, walking step by step towards Jiang Yun.
This moment is so sacred and solemn.
The ceremonial officials quickly presented the colored silk, and the two of them looked at each other with a smile. They each grabbed one end of the colored silk, met the gaze of the crowd, and walked out of the wedding hall side by side.
The two Crown Princes’ wedding attires were sewn by 300 embroiderers from the Sui Empire’s Imperial Clothing Bureau for a full three months. On top of the bright red wedding attires, exquisite patterns of the sun, moon, stars, and phoenix were outlined with gold thread, creating a beautiful and dazzling scene under the night lights. Two wedding dresses, one with a male phoenix and another with a female. The back of the wedding dress worn by Sui Heng was a golden phoenix spreading its wings and soaring, while behind Jiang Yun was a golden phoenix singing towards the morning sun with its neck drawn out. The two Crown Princes held both ends of the red silk and walked towards the Qinglu2In ancient times, the bedchamber during wedding was called Qinglu and not bedchamber, since I don’t want to change their original words, I’ll just use Qinglu., and the phoenix patterns on their backs finally merged into one.
The Qinglu is located within the pass.
The Crown Princes of the two countries have special identities. Tonight, the two will hold a wedding ceremony at Muyun Pass to welcome the generals, officials, and guests from the Jiang Empire’s side. Tomorrow morning, Jiang Yun will take a boat with Sui Heng to the Sui capital to hold another wedding ceremony.
The Jiang Empire’s side is naturally Jiang Yun’s home ground.
Emperor Jiang was suffering from heart disease and was seriously ill, making it difficult for him to travel. Jiang Yun, who had no blood relatives, sat in the high hall and, together with Sui Heng, bowed to his master, Jimo Qingyu. After the ceremony, all guests entered, and the banquet officially began.
The Jiang Empire’s generals, advisors, and officials all knew that Jiang Yun had a stomach disease and should not drink too much alcohol. They consciously replaced tea with wine to congratulate the Crown Prince on his wedding. On the other hand, there were a large number of generals in the Qinglang Battalion who could drink freely and had a straightforward personality. They quickly joined forces with the generals of the Jiang Empire, and both sides engaged in drinking and matching, creating a lively atmosphere.
Although it is already March, the night air is still cold.
Sui Heng was afraid that Jiang Yun would not be able to hold on. Seeing that time was almost up, he asked Jiang Yun to return to the Qinglu to rest, while he stayed and accompanied Fan Zhou, Yun Huai, and Jimo Qingyu to entertain guests.
The people inside and outside the pass also received a package of imperial candies, pastries, and melon seeds as gifts, all of which were personally made by the imperial chefs in the palace and were not available to ordinary households.
After the banquet ended, it was already late at night, and naturally no one dared disturb the two Crown Princes’ Qinglu.
Liu Gong, along with Ji An and Gao Gong, personally guarded the entrance of Qinglu. Liu Gong was mainly responsible for serving Jiang Yun, while Ji An and Gao Gong were mainly responsible for serving Sui Heng.
The two of them were elderly people who had been staying in the private courtyard all along. They were familiar with Sui Heng’s habits of clothing, food, and daily life, but they were also reliable and steady. Every move they made was perfectly balanced.
Although Liu Gong was appointed as the chief steward of the inner palace, but he knew that the two were specially sent by the Empress Dowager and Empress Yan from the other side to help, so he was also very polite to them.
Although Sui Heng had drunk a lot of wine, but he was still full of energy, with bright eyes and no signs of drunkenness. Ji An and Gao Gong saw their Highness returning and immediately welcomed him, while Liu Gong instructed the palace attendants to prepare hot water for bathing and Hejin3wine Wine drunk by the bridegroom and bride on wedding night to signify mutual devotion..
Those who could be selected to prepare for the Crown Prince’s wedding were all elderly people in the palace, familiar with various etiquette, and extremely agile with their hands and feet. In no time, everything was ready.
Liu Gong, Ji An, and Gao Gong, along with the palace attendants, retreated outside to guard.
Sui Heng entered the Qinglu, and Jiang Yun did not sit in the wedding bed. Instead, he sat by a small table, next to him were cups of wine, propping his chin up. His eyes curved slightly, filled with a gentle smile, and he fixed his gaze on him.
He was already extremely beautiful and elegant, more graceful than the most noble porcelain and jade in the world. Now, wearing a wedding attire embroidered with bright red and gold, he is even more stunning and captivating, making people unable to take their eyes off him.
Sui Heng finally had the opportunity to appreciate the appearance of his little lover dressed in wedding attire up close. His heart was pounding uncontrollably again, and he strode forward, as usual, holding the person by his waist and placing him on his lap, slowly admiring him.
Jiang Yun supported his shoulder, tilted his head to look at him, and couldn’t help but say, “There’s no such impatient groom like you.”
Sui Heng didn’t feel embarrassed at all. The joy and excitement surging in his chest couldn’t be described in words. He looked at his particularly delicate and beautiful little lover and said, “Of course Gu is in a hurry. From now on, Gu will finally be able to come into your room and hug and kiss you openly. Gu no longer has to be a thief and look at your advisors’ faces anymore, Gu almost overjoyed to death.”
Jiang Yun’s ears warmed up.
“Even if we get married, you can’t kiss me in front of my advisors and generals.”
“Gu must do it.”
“Assh*le.”
Jiang Yun gave him a gentle bite, knowing that this unreasonable wild tyrant would not listen to him in such matters. Sui Heng raised his eyebrows. “You still dare to bite? You forgot how you cried and begged after biting Gu last time.”
Now, Jiang Yun’s face began to heat up as well.
Knowing that he was referring to that time in the bathroom, he couldn’t help but grit his teeth and say, “From now on, I will never bathe with you again.”
“This is not up to you.”
“Gu has decided, when we return to the Sui capital, Gu will make them build a bathing pool in the front yard and wash with you every day.”
Jiang Yun saw that this guy was becoming more and more vulgar and shameless, he didn’t want to talk to him anymore. He wanted to go down but was held back by Sui Heng. Sui Heng turned serious and said, “Rongyu, today Gu is very happy.”
“Gu has never believed in supernatural beings, but for the first time, Gu wants to thank God for letting Gu meet you.”
Jiang Yun was taken aback.
He had always felt that Sui Heng had given more than him in this relationship, and he had instead been feeling guilty about him because of his previous deception. It was not until this moment, hearing him say these words, that the joy of the newlyweds surged to his heart, like honey, enveloping his entire heart.
Jiang Yun reached out and slowly hugged Sui Heng, then leaned onto his shoulders. His eyes curved and he asked with a smile, “Then does Your Highness like me as much as I like Your Highness?”
How familiar is this question?
The last time, Sui Heng didn’t have a chance to answer. This time, he solemnly said, “That’s right, just like how you like Gu. Gu likes you, Gu’s heart is happy with you. Gu only regrets one thing.”
“What is it?”
“Gu was biased before and didn’t meet you sooner.”
If Gu could have met you earlier, Gu would have brought you back early, protected you, and prevented you from suffering so many frustrations and hardships.
Jiang Yun, however, as if he had understood the voice deep in his heart, once again smiled gently and said, “Not too late, it’s just right.”
If Jiang Rongyu had not experienced those pains and hardships and was in a disheveled state, would he still be attracted by the vigorous and enthusiastic Sui Jichu?
The two embraced each other quietly, both cherishing this moment very much.
Sui Heng suddenly said, “You have never formally called Gu’s name. In the future, you can call Gu, Jichu, alright?”
“Not alright.”
Jiang Yun said.
Sui Heng was surprised.
“Why?”
Does he think that his name doesn’t sound good?
As soon as this terrible thought flashed, the person on his shoulders whispered softly, “I like to call you Your Highness, I like to be pampered and favored by you.”
Just as I love those dreamy spring days in general.
Sui Heng was taken aback and felt his heart tremble fiercely.
After calming down for a while, he said, “Fortunately, you are a Crown Prince.”
Jiang Yun couldn’t understand what he meant.
Sui Heng continued, “If you’re really a little fox spirit, Gu will have to be entangled to death by you.”
Jiang Yun raised his eyes lightly and smiled silently. He crossed over his shoulder and held the two already filled cups of wine on the small table in his hands, saying, “Let’s drink Hejin wine, alright?”
Sui Heng hesitated. “Is your stomach alright, or should we switch to tea?”
Jiang Yun, however, did not allow it.
“Only by drinking these two glasses of Hejin wine can the wedding be truly completed. If it’s tea, it doesn’t work.”
“Don’t worry, Divine Physician Meng has already given me the antidote to the wine in advance. I will only drink a small cup, it’s fine.”
Sui Heng naturally wanted to drink this wine, which had a very beautiful meaning for him. He nodded in agreement and was about to take the wine cup from Jiang Yun’s hand. However, Jiang Yun said, “Let’s go somewhere else to drink.”
“Where are we going?”
“You will know once you’re there.”
A moment later, the two of them each held a cup of wine and arrived at the bank of the Yellow River.
The Crown Prince got married, and at dusk, Muyun Pass’s gate remained open, and the lights stayed on all night. The two of them instructed Liu Gong, Gao Gong, and others to remain silent and leave the city gate unobstructed, coming to the magnificent Yellow River.
The starry Kongming lanterns still spread in the sky, like a magnificent Milky Way.
Jiang Yun held Sui Heng’s hand and kneeled down towards the Yellow River, saying, “To the mountains, to the rivers, to the sun, to the moon, to the gods. Today, Jiang Rongyu voluntarily formed an alliance between the two families by getting married to Sui Jichu. After drinking the Hejin wine together, we wish to be together for generations and never be separated.”
Sui Heng smiled and looked at the turbulent Yellow River in front of him. He said sternly, “Life after life, never to be separated.”
The two of them picked up their wine cups, interlocked their arms, and drank their Hejin wine together under the majestic pass and in front of the mighty river. After drinking, they looked at each other and smiled while throwing the wine cups into the river.
Sui Heng stood up and reached out to pick Jiang Yun up. The two of them pressed their foreheads against each other, their wide wedding robes swayed and intertwined by the river wind. Sui Heng whispered, “We have respected the mountains and rivers, and we have also respected the gods. Now, shall we do our own business?”
Returning to the Qinglu, the third watch had already passed, and the previous bath water had already cooled. Fortunately, Liu Gong was already prepared and immediately ordered the palace attendants to change to new bath water. Sui Heng carried Jiang Yun straight to the bathroom. Jiang Yun felt a bit ashamed of what happened last time and insisted on washing separately from Sui Heng.
This time, Sui Heng did not shamelessly demand to take a bath together, this whole night is his, it won’t be late for this while. He said, “Gu will be guarding outside. If you need anything, just call Gu.”