April 26th
Auspicious: Favorable day according to the Chinese calendar
Inauspicious: No particular taboos
As the sky was just starting to brighten, Qin Yuanxi got up. The palace had been redecorated with red silk everywhere, adorned with large red double happiness characters. Ding Yi brought a set of brand new bright red clothes for Qin Yuanxi to change into, everything from inside out was replaced with festive colors. Qin Yuanxi looked down at himself, all radiant in red, and couldn’t help but smile.
“Ding Yi, what’s the deal with this tradition? Why do we have to change into red clothes even underneath during the wedding?”
Seeing His Majesty in a good mood, Ding Yi went along with him and said, “Of course, it’s all about bringing good luck. Red symbolizes joy and happiness, so everything from inside out should be festive. Today is a day of great joy, so let me congratulate Your Majesty, wishing you and the Empress a lifetime of happiness together.”
“You’re quite clever. Well done,” Qin Yuanxi said, already donning the new wedding attire.
This wedding attire was somewhat special. In the past, even if the emperor wore wedding attire, it was mainly a dragon robe with some festive touches added. But Qin Yuanxi’s outfit was completely different. None of the designs presented by the Ministry of Rites satisfied him, so they ended up redesigning it based on folk wedding attire.
The two sets of clothes only had some minor differences in details. His attire was embroidered with dragon patterns, while Lu Bohuan’s had phoenix patterns. Initially, Qin Yuanxi had some reservations about this pattern. He had been influenced by some modern perspectives and felt that the notion of dragons and phoenixes implied hierarchy, which felt strange.
He wanted it changed, but didn’t know how to do it appropriately. Throughout history, emperors compared themselves to dragons, and empresses to phoenixes. Now, if they were to change it, how should they do it? Changing everything to dragons wouldn’t be appropriate either.
In the end, it was Lu Bohuan who convinced him, saying that the phoenix is the male and the peacock is the female. It was perfectly fitting for him, as a man, to use the phoenix pattern, which was entirely appropriate. Only then did Qin Yuanxi nod in agreement.
With the wedding attire on and time still early, Ding Yi had someone prepare breakfast specifically. Seeing His Majesty distracted, Ding Yi carefully advised, “Your Majesty, have some breakfast. The Empress instructed me before leaving the palace that I must serve Your Majesty breakfast. Today’s wedding is quite exhausting, and if Your Majesty doesn’t eat breakfast, the Empress will worry.”
“He instructed you?” Qin Yuanxi chuckled. “I never said I wouldn’t eat. You’re quite something. What time is it? When are we leaving the palace to greet the bride?”
“It’s still early, Your Majesty need not worry,” Ding Yi replied quickly. “The officials from the Ministry of Rites are all present, and the wedding procession has been ready for a while. We’ll be notified before the auspicious hour, and I’ll be watching closely, ensuring we don’t miss the timing.”
“That’s good,” Qin Yuanxi nodded absentmindedly and had a few sips of congee. “I wonder how things are on his side.”
The day before the wedding, Lu Bohuan followed the tradition and left the palace to stay elsewhere. Originally, he was supposed to return to the prince’s mansion for one night and then proceed with the wedding procession the next day. However, Qin Yuanxi arranged a separate mansion for him, insisting that it’s customary for them to buy a house before getting married. He even said that the house should be registered in his name, which left Lu Bohuan both amused and exasperated.
And that’s not all. When leaving the palace, Qin Yuanxi also gifted him a prized sweating blood steed, saying it was also a family tradition. Even though he wasn’t with his family anymore, Lu Bohuan couldn’t miss out on anything that was supposed to be given to him, just because others had it.
By now, Lu Bohuan had also changed into his wedding attire and was taking a stroll in the courtyard while waiting for the auspicious hour.
The old-fashioned courtyard was decorated with great joy, adorned with red lanterns and double happiness symbols everywhere. The servants in the mansion were directly transferred from the prince’s mansion, each wearing a red belt around their waist and sporting genuine smiles on their faces.
The steward from the prince’s mansion approached, “My Prince, oh, I misspoke again, it should be addressed as the Empress now. The auspicious hour for the Empress is approaching. It’s better for My Prince to go back and wait, lest there be any delay later.”
“Alright,” Lu Bohuan nodded, feeling a bit overwhelmed. He adjusted the golden crown on his head and asked, “Has His Majesty left the palace yet?”
“The wedding procession has already passed through Shun Tian Gate. It’s quite lively along the way,” the steward said cheerfully. “It’ll take a while longer. His Majesty ordered the procession to circle the imperial city three times. My Prince, oh, I mean, the Empress should go back and wait. You’ll be notified when the wedding procession arrives.”
The idea of the wedding procession was also Qin Yuanxi’s brainstorm.
Traditionally, the Empress would enter the palace herself and the grand wedding ceremony would be held inside. But as soon as the Ministry of Rites mentioned it, Qin Yuanxi refused outright, without any room for negotiation. He insisted on leaving the palace to greet the bride himself.
This was unprecedented.
The officials from the Ministry of Rites were at a loss. They wanted to persuade him, but His Majesty’s stance was firm. They had to go along with it, but they didn’t know what to do. In the end, Qin Yuanxi resolved the issue himself.
It was just a matter of greeting the bride. In folk customs, the groom rides a high-headed horse to meet the bride. As an emperor, he couldn’t do that, so they just replaced the horse with a royal carriage.
With the emperor’s procession and the wedding entourage, it was truly splendid, just as he desired.
And that’s not all. The wedding procession had to circle the imperial city three times so that the people of the capital could feel the joy. Only then could they proceed to the destination to underscore the importance he placed on this wedding.
The music and procession were lively. Qin Yuanxi sat in the carriage, holding a basket filled with candies of various colors, along with silver coins intentionally wrapped around them. He scattered the candies along the way, reaching the destination.
Looking at the red silk hanging on the gate, Qin Yuanxi felt a bit nervous. When he got off the carriage, he felt his legs go weak, but luckily, the attendant by his side helped him.
Inside, Lu Bohuan had already heard the commotion outside. According to tradition, he was supposed to wait in the bedchamber. He felt a bit restless, first sitting on a chair and then feeling it wasn’t quite right, hastily getting up to sit on the bed. He noticed wrinkles on his wedding attire and quickly smoothed them out.
While he was fussing over there, Qin Yuanxi had already arrived at the door.
Outside the door, the officials were singing and shouting. Lu Bohuan instinctively clenched his sleeves, and then the door opened, and he saw Qin Yuanxi, dressed in the same festive red wedding attire, walking in.
The color suited him well, making him look even more youthful, with skin as fair as jade, like a finely carved little deity.
The little fairy had already walked up to him, but Lu Bohuan was still lost in thought.
“Hey, snap out of it. Remember what I taught you? You have to give me two tough questions,” Qin Yuanxi whispered, reminding him softly, “Can’t let me take you away easily, remember? Have you prepared them?”
Lu Bohuan had indeed prepared.
During the wedding process earlier, Qin Yuanxi had mentioned this part to him, saying it was also a custom in his hometown. The bride had to pose a couple of difficult questions to challenge the groom as a way to express his sincerity. Qin Yuanxi even hinted to Lu Bohuan that he could use this opportunity to express his love.
At the time, Lu Bohuan agreed readily and had thought about it later.
But now, looking at him, Lu Bohuan couldn’t remember how to make it challenging. He bit his lip, seeming a bit embarrassed, and glanced at Qin Yuanxi before speaking, “Today, Your Majesty welcomes me into the palace. Have you brought something to show your sincerity?”
“I have, my true heart. Is the Empress satisfied?”
“Satisfied,” Lu Bohuan smiled. “Would Your Majesty be willing to show a little more sincerity?”
“Of course.” Qin Yuanxi leaned forward and kissed Lu Bohuan, right in front of the wedding officials, the kiss quite passionate that the officials dared not look.
“Is the Empress satisfied?”
“Satisfied.”
“Is the Empress willing to accompany me into the palace and spend a lifetime with me?”
“I am willing.”
This sentence was also taught to him by Qin Yuanxi. Since then, Lu Bohuan knew that this phrase held a special meaning, making it the most appropriate choice for this moment.
The officials timely handed over the red silk. Holding the red silk, the two boarded the royal carriage amidst the ceremonial music, circling the imperial city three times, amidst a lively and festive atmosphere.
On the way back, a red canopy covered the royal carriage. Qin Yuanxi disregarded the rules a bit, leaning on Lu Bohuan’s shoulder and pinching the red silk, teasing him with a smile, “You’re nervous.”
“So, you get nervous too?”
“It’s only natural,” Lu Bohuan replied, touching Qin Yuanxi’s face, feeling content.
He was more than just nervous. Since last night, he had felt an unreal sensation, and it was even more pronounced now.
“I just feel like everything is too good to be true, too beautiful to be something that’s actually happening,” Lu Bohuan embraced Qin Yuanxi tightly. “I’m afraid that when I wake up, the physician will tell me that this is all a dream, just a figment of my imagination.”
“It does feel a bit unreal,” Qin Yuanxi murmured, then pounced directly.
The royal carriage was very spacious, and he didn’t hold back at all, simply throwing Lu Bohuan down, pressing him down, and leaning down to bite.
“Does it hurt?”
Lu Bohuan’s expression was a bit dazed. “No, it doesn’t.”
But his heart was beating a bit fast.
Doesn’t hurt? Clearly someone isn’t applying enough force!
This time, Qin Yuanxi didn’t hold back with his bite, sinking his teeth into Lu Bohuan’s lips with force, not easing up at all. After biting, he didn’t waste any words, letting his tongue slide in on its own.
They shared a sticky kiss.
“If it weren’t for the grand ceremony later, we’d definitely have to have some fun in the carriage!”
After the kiss, Qin Yuanxi’s breath was a bit unstable, his eyes and eyebrows full of springtime, tugging at Lu Bohuan’s collar, looking a bit aggrieved.
Lu Bohuan was now sure he wasn’t dreaming, but there was one thing he didn’t quite understand. “What’s a carriage fun?”
Qin Yuanxi whispered a few words in his ear, and then he saw Lu Bohuan’s earlobes blush, so he helped him straighten his wedding attire.
The two of them had a bit of fun in the carriage. The procession was already on the main road back to the palace. After returning to the palace, it was time for the grand wedding ceremony, with civil and military officials present to witness. The wedding officials chanted, and the two bowed to the heavens, earth, and imperial ancestral temple. With that, they were officially married. That night, there was a grand banquet for the guests, but nobody dared to misbehave at the Emperor’s wedding banquet. They just came to toast.
Traditionally, when entertaining guests, the Empress would wait in the palace. But Qin Yuanxi changed that too. The two of them changed into simpler clothes and came out together to entertain the guests. What’s more, Qin Yuanxi even pulled Lu Bohuan to toast with him, which scared the courtiers quite a bit. Except for the Prime Minister, who drank the Emperor and Empress’s toast with sincerity, no one else dared to.
After three rounds of toasts, the guests were free to leave, and the newlyweds retired to the bridal chamber.
Of course, it was the Emperor who was in a hurry to enter the bridal chamber. He wasn’t willing to waste this precious time drinking. As long as the meaning was conveyed, after a few drinks, he led Lu Bohuan, who was a bit drunk, to the bed.
The dragon and phoenix candles gradually dyed the room, the candle tears piled up on the candlestick like a pair of intertwined lovers. Inside the palace canopy, the entwined figures and the hurried breaths echoed throughout the night, illuminated by the flickering candlelight.
“Ah Tuo, are you happy?”
“Happy.”
【End of the main text】
The author has something to say: The main text ends, and there will be few extras.
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