Xuan Tian Ming's words caused Feng Yu Heng to roll her eyes in an extremely exaggerated manner. She then suddenly recalled something and leaned forward. Reaching out, she hooked her arm around his neck and said in a mysterious tone: "Then are there any negative reactions in the affected area? For example, is there any pain?"
Xuan Tian Ming did not know what she meant, thus he frankly went along with it and continued: "It hurts, of course, it hurts. Is there any illness that doesn't hurt? Dear wife, you should also provide husband with some treatment."
His wife closed her eyes and said with a mischievous tone: "Since ancient times, Eastern medicine has always said that external injuries should be treated from the inside, but there is another saying in our medical field."
Xuan Tian Ming was puzzled: "What is that saying?"
"Cut off whatever hurts!"
"... Damn girl!" The sound of teeth grinding could be heard coming from a certain person.
Feng Yu Heng let out a loud laugh. Jumping off the table that she was sitting on, she dodged behind Bai Ze, "Your master is about to bite someone!"
Bai Ze held down a laugh, nearly causing some internal injuries to himself. Cut off whatever hurt, princess really is fierce!
While they were laughing and joking, they saw Lady Zhou come into the courtyard with a note. Feng Yu Heng went over and took a look, "Is it an invitation to a banquet?"
Lady Zhou smiled and said: "Princess is correct. It is indeed an invitation." She then said to Xuan Tian Ming: "That secondary princess of the Xiang Palace has sent an invitation to our palace, inviting your Highness and county princess to attend the ceremony together."
Huang Quan heard this and laughed, saying: "That secondary princess, what ceremony is there to attend!"
Wang Chuan, however, was a little more thorough, asking: "Was this invitation sent by his Highness the third prince?"
Lady Zhou shook her head, "This wedding will be organized by Princess Xiang. The invitation was also sent by Princess Xiang."
Xuan Tian Ming cast an inquisitive glance at Feng Yu Heng. He knew that this girl and Princess Xiang had a friendship. Perhaps there would be something that he did not know about in this.
Sure enough, going over to take a look, he saw a mischievous smile on Feng Yu Heng's face. Xuan Tian Ming developed an understanding and immediately felt his mood improve. Handing the invitation to Bai Ze, he loudly said: "Take good care of it. When the time comes, this prince will bring my beloved consort to go and watch."
Da Shun Country, during the 22nd year of Tian Wu's reign, the eldest daughter of the prime minister's manor, Feng Chen Yu, was wed on the 24th day of the seventh month.
There was no grand procession, and there was no music. There was no getting up early and sleeping late to complete all kinds of work. In fact, the matriarch did not even provide her granddaughter with any advice on becoming a wife. Right before Feng Chen Yu exited the manor, she kowtowed to the matriarch and Feng Jin Yuan three times, saying: "Farewell, grandmother. Farewell, father." Then, with the support of her maidservants, she stood up, and a red veil was placed on her head. Without any fanfare, she left the manor.
At the entrance of the manor, a large, red wedding sedan was waiting there. Duan Mu Qing was riding a large horse, acting as Xuan Tian Ye's representative and coming to pick her up.
Feng Jin Yuan was quite satisfied with this matter. Although she was to become a secondary princess, with Duan Mu Qing appearing to welcome her, it had provided some face to the Feng family.
Aside from Feng Yu Heng, who had gone with Xuan Tian Ming to the Xiang Palace ahead of time, the rest of the Feng family's members gathered around to send Feng Chen Yu out of the manor. Even Fen Dai, who never got along with her, did not cause her any trouble. She just quietly watched Chen Yu bend at the waist and climb into the sedan after Duan Mu Qing lifted the curtain. Duan Mu Qing then waved his hand, and the sedan was raised, quickly going in the direction of the Xiang Palace.
Jin Zhen stood at An shi's side and subconsciously said: "How does this feel like a wedding? This is even more unlucky than a funeral."
An shi stared at her, her eyes filled with a warning. Jin Zhen also knew that she had spoken out of turn and lowered her head. She no longer said another word.
But everyone understood that Jin Zhen was speaking the truth. Even the matriarch looked at the departing sedan and shook her head while sighing. She then asked Feng Jin Yuan: "Was this truly the best choice for the Feng family?"
Feng Jin Yuan gritted his teeth: "We cannot know what will happen tomorrow. We can only take one step at a time." While saying this, he looked in the direction of Xiang Rong. The balance scale in his heart had already begun to shift without him noticing.
The Feng family's side was quiet because they did not receive any invitations, they could not send any guests. After the entire family sent Chen Yu to the sedan, they returned to Peony courtyard's main hall. Everyone sat there, but the air remained silent.
Unlike the Feng family, the Xiang Palace was extremely lively. There was no shortage of princes and officials that had gone to attend. Even the other large families of the capital had received invitations. Carrying expensive gifts, they came to enjoy the festivities. For a while, the Xiang Palace was brimming with people.
When Feng Chen Yu's wedding sedan arrived at the entrance, the person inside the sedan heard a sudden joyous cheer come from ahead. The sound of singing and music came from ahead, and it sounded very lively. She was a little puzzled and slightly lifted the curtain to ask the granny in charge of taking care of her: "What is this sound? Have we run into another family's ceremony?"
The granny said: "We have arrived in front of the Xiang Palace's gates. Young miss is enjoying this joyous event. Don't look at how the Feng family's side was quiet, the Xiang Palace is very lively. In order to bring in eldest young miss, his Highness the third prince put in a great deal of effort!"
Hearing that this music and singing was to welcome her, the heart that had already sunk to the lowest point possible quickly began to recover. She knew that the third prince cared for her. She trusted that when the veil was lifted, this care would reach its apex.
Finally, the sedan stopped in front of the Xiang Palace. It was still Duan Mu Qing that lifted the curtain of the sedan, while the granny helped her walk into the manor, one step at a time. From the age of ten, Feng Chen Yu began practicing all of the procedures and courtesies of a wedding in preparation for her own. No matter if she married a prince, a noble, a general or a high-ranking official, she could guarantee that she would not make a single mistake.
Unfortunately, absolutely nothing that she had prepared was used when leaving her family. There was no kicking of the sedan door, no shooting of arrows, no leaping over braziers, and there wasn't even a groom there to welcome her. Every single thing had gone differently than she had anticipated. Although she heard the lively and joyous sounds, and she felt much happier than when she had left the Feng manor, her heart became filled with panic for some reason. This panic caused her feet to stumble.
The granny quietly reminded her: "Eldest young miss, do not fear. This is something that every girl must experience when getting married. Right now, there are great plays taking place on your two sides. The guests have come from the yard to the entrance. If it was not for the Xiang Palace being sufficiently large, it truly could not hold all of them."
The servant that had come with Chen Yu also said: "Young miss, his Highness the third prince is truly quite serious. Even if this was to welcome the official princess, perhaps it would not be as lively as this, right?"
Chen Yu's heart tightened once more, and she became even more panicked.
At this time, the princes were already seated in the banquet hall. The third prince, Xuan Tian Ye, was also wearing a wedding outfit and was seated in a wheelchair, waiting for his new wife to arrive. But his brow was furrowed tightly, and there did not appear to be any air of celebration on his face. No matter how one looked, he did not look like the groom. Instead, it was Princess Xiang that appeared to be taking care of things, sparing no effort.
Xuan Tian Ming sat to the side with Feng Yu Heng. While waving his fan for his wife, he quietly asked: "What sort of play do you have planned with Princess Xiang?"
Feng Yu Heng raised an eyebrow: "What? There isn't. There isn't any play to be had."
Xuan Tian Ming expressed his doubt: "Princess Xiang hates old third to the point that her teeth itch. If it was not for you planning a play with her, would be putting in so much effort to help bring in a secondary princess?"
Xuan Tian Hua sat at the side and heard the conversation between the two and smiled. Leaning over, he said: "Whether or not it is a play, it is immediately clear. Ninth brother, if the play is exposed beforehand, it will not be as entertaining."
Xuan Tian Ming rolled his eyes then looked at Yu Qian Yin, sitting to the side, and his expression sank a little.
Feng Yu Heng naturally also saw Yu Qian Yin coming with Xuan Tian Hua. That girl wore a simple purple gauze dress and had her hair tied up very simply with a bit being tied up behind her head. The rest remained loose. This was quite a good look. Xuan Tian Hua came over to speak with them, thus Yu Qian Yin also came over. Tugging at Xuan Tian Hua's sleeve, she gently said: "Seventh brother, I heard that the Feng family's eldest young miss is a peerless beauty. Is this true or false?" Her eyebrows and disposition caused Feng Yu Heng to feel a little bit flustered.
At this time, Princess Xiang quickly entered from the outside and went to Xuan Tian Ye's side, saying to him: "The bride is about to enter the banquet hall. Your Highness, quickly prepare yourself."
Xuan Tian Ye still had an angry expression. He was completely unable to understand why Princess Xiang absolutely had to put in this much effort into a grand ceremony. He had refused once, but the other side had used the reasoning of "We must give the Feng family and county princess Ji An face" to casually block his refusal. In addition to his later thoughts, he truly could not be too cold to the Feng manor. In any case, he had to borrow the rumors of Feng Chen Yu's aspect of the phoenix to regain power, thus he agreed to her request and allowed this play to unfold.
But today, all of the princes and officials within the capital, and even some of the higher-ranked citizens appeared in the palace, Xuan Tian Ye suddenly caught a whiff of a conspiracy. But what exactly was this conspiracy?"
While thinking, the bride had already entered the banquet hall with the help of the granny. Yu Qian Yin suddenly said in a quiet voice: "No matter how beautiful the person, if their heart is filled with venom, they are beyond salvation." She then put on a look of disdain and jutted out her small chin. This had an uncanny resemblance a proud Feng Yu Heng.
Xuan Tian Hua turned his head and looked at her, his gaze filled with questions; however, this gaze did not linger and very quickly shifted away. As for Feng Yu Heng, however, she very accurately noticed the flicker of unhappiness in Yu Qian Yin's eyes along with a bit of anger.
This wedding would be officiated by the second prince. Originally, this job should have been handled by the eldest prince, Xuan Tian Qi. Helplessly, however, he was currently lying on a bed in the Yu Palace. He could not move, much less come and officiate.
But the second prince, Xuan Tian Yan, also felt quite awkward. It was just a secondary princess, yet there was still this much activity. Paying their first respects to the heaven and earth would be easy to handle, but what about one's parents? Who would they pay respects to?
While he was worrying about this, Fei Yu, the young imperial grandson that had been sitting there impatiently, suddenly spoke in a clear voice: "The book said that only the official wife is allowed to perform the marital rites with the husband. Third uncle, do you not want third aunty?"
The young child spoke without inhibition, directly asking the words that everyone was thinking.
Xuan Tian Ye glared at his princess then heard Princess Xiang say: "Although his Highness will be bringing in a secondary princess, this secondary princess is the eldest young miss of the prime minister's manor. If the most beautiful person in the capital and the country cannot perform these rites, would she not feel quite aggrieved for the rest of her life?" After saying this, she turned to Xuan Fei Yu and said: "Fei Yu, the book is indeed correct, but a human's decision is what ultimately matters. You will understand when you grow older." After she said this, she turned to Feng Yu Heng and asked: "County princess, was I correct in what I said?"
Feng Yu Heng smiled and nodded, "That's right. Many thanks, third sister-in-law for being magnanimous. To be able to help fulfill my eldest sister's greatest dream, this is my Feng family's most beautiful daughter, and she is the most well-raised daughter of my Feng family. Third brother, you are quite fortunate."
Just after she said this, a servant outside suddenly shouted: "The gift of her Highness the Empress has arrived!"
TN: Kicking the sedan door is a process where the groom kicks the sedan door then the bride replies by also kicking the door. This is to show that the man will not be dominated by the woman, and the woman will not show weakness.
Leaping over braziers is meant to get rid of ill omens and bring in good fortune.