Beyond the Galaxy

Chapter 1 - A Wonderful Night in Hua County

The first thing Shaoshang saw as she opened her eyes the next morning was the light shining onto Buyi's face. She pulled her hand out of the quilt they shared to softly brush his nose as a cheeky smile radiated from her face. "Husband" she said almost silently as he started to open his eyes. It was still unreal to her that the man infront of her, the same man that proposed his marriage to her over 5 years ago, was now her husband. Still drowsy from his rest, he mouthed "wife" before sliding his arm under Shaoshang's head and pulling her closer to his chest. They stayed cosily huddled until Yuanyi called them from outside. "Niao Niao, General Huo, everyone is setting off soon". The sudden interruption shocked Shaoshang, who bolted into a sitting position instantly. A low chuckle appeared at her side and before she could respond to her mother, the chuckle turned to a very calculated "We'll be there soon Mother". Shaoshang sat in shock at this while her mother walked away giggling. Yuanyi had already seen 2 of her children marry, starting with Cheng Yong, her oldest, who later moved far away to a station by the border. Then 4 years ago, Cheng Song married the only daughter of the Wan family, later moving into her home so that she could stay close to her family. Shaoshang's marriage was much more uncertain to Yuanyi, they'd been engaged for such a long time that she didn't know whether it would actually happen. She also reflected on her relationship with her daughter a lot over the years. She has an appreciation for all of her children but although they'd been through many challenges, she has a special place in her heart for her only daughter.

Shaoshang and Buyi eventually got up and started preparing themselves for their journey back. With the exception of Cheng Zhi and his wife, who were hosting the event, everyone else had travelled from the capital and had responsibilities to get back to. Song and Qiqi would be returning to the Wan Manor to reunite with their nearly 3-year-old twins, who had been left under the care of Qiqi's family while they were away. Qing Cong and Yangyang would be also returning to their respective residences. The only people who weren't leaving Hua County so soon were Shaoshang's parents, who would return to see Matriarch Cheng at Qiuling Manor a few days later. All of the Cheng family understood why they were waiting. Cheng Shi very rarely got the chance to catch up with his youngest brother, and Matriarch Cheng could be a handful at the best of times. Shaoshang and Buyi had their own responsibilities to take care of. They would return to the capital and head straight to the palace so that they could pay their respects to His Majesty and Consort Yue, though they worried about how he would react to the news that they had married by themselves.

After she had finished getting ready, Shaoshang left Buyi to try and find her mother. In her third uncle and aunt's residence, there was a beautiful yard with a small pavilion as its centrepiece. Her aunt and uncle sat with her mother in the pavilion having a conversation. Shaoshang managed to crouch behind a large rock, which came to roughly her height, and knowing they hadn't seen her yet, she decided to keep quiet and listen to what they were saying. At first, they discussed how each of the guests were getting back, but that quickly turned into a full conversation about Buyi; everything from their first impressions of him to his past. When they got onto their first impressions of him Shaoshang stood up carefully, intrigued by what they were going to say but still making sure she was concealed by the rock. As she was getting into a comfortable position a booming voice appeared at her side "Shaoshang, what are you doing?". She leapt up in shock to see Buyi in his favourite navy robes with a wide grin spread across his face. There were gasps from Shaoshang's family, as well as a distinct calling "Niao Niao" from her mother.

She came out from behind the rock like a sad puppy before grinning at her mother and heading towards the pavilion, desperately trying to act like she hadn't been eavesdropping on their conversation; she knew she had failed to convince them otherwise. As they approached their family her aunt made a comment that got them all laughing. She simply joked about how Shaoshang had matured in so many ways, but not all, but that lead to an uproar of laughter, particularly from Buyi. Instinctively, Buyi wrapped his arm around Shaoshang's shoulder before she quickly shook him off and rolled her eyes at him. This made her family laugh even more at her sudden childish attitude. Buyi looked at her once again in adoration. He'd been around many women when he had missions as general but never once was he so captivated by their each and every action. He vowed to himself that he would always be captivated by Shaoshang and Shaoshang alone.

It took a minute for her family to catch their breath again but once they had, Shaoshang's mother told them that people were starting to leave. Song and Qiqi had already left together along with Shaogong, who wanted to visit his niece and nephew. Shaoshang and Buyi talked for a bit before saying their goodbyes to her aunt and uncle. If they wanted to greet Their Majesties they knew that they would have to leave soon. Buyi was about to lift Shaoshang onto a horse for their journey back when her father approached them. They both turned towards him as he wished her a safe journey back. Cheng Shi then turned to Buyi before clearing his throat "you too General". Another calculated "thank you Father" shocked Shaoshang, who instantly smiled at his comment. Cheng Shi tapped on his shoulder enthusiastically, a sense of pride in his son-in-law painted ear to ear across his face. As Shaoshang watched the interaction taking place, she thought about how hesitant all of her family was of him when they were first engaged and the sheer difference to what it's like now. She also noticed how much more relaxed Buyi is around her family than he was.

They finally said their goodbyes to her Father. Buyi helped Shaoshang onto the grand stallion before leaping up behind her. Liang Qiu Qi and Liang Qiu Fei joined them with a carriage later, though they agreed that it wasn't necessary. For Shaoshang, having Buyi's aids on their flanks made the journey incredibly awkward. Although she was used to them being around all of the time, some of the comments they made went a little far sometimes, particularly A'Fei. On the way back he wouldn't stop bringing up the fact that their small, intimate wedding went against all kinds of traditions that were important to the imperial family. Even as the adopted son of the emperor, Buyi was still expected to follow the wedding traditions for the sake of the face of the imperial family as well as his Huo family. It was a topic that Shaoshang and Buyi had discussed in great detail, so his comments were not taken well at all. Shaoshang glared at him when he made each comment, which he completely ignored, much to her disappointment. Finally, Buyi turned around himself, silencing A'Fei instantly. Before they knew it, they had reached the grand gates of the palace. They entered together as A'Qi took the horses to rest, preparing themselves for how the emperor would react when they told him that they had married without him being present.