Chinese martial arts! Grandmaster

Chapter 395 A Married Couple! An Auspicious Time

Li Lingyue returned to her residence in the palace—Mingyue Palace—from Ziyun Pavilion.

for the rest of the time,

Following the wedding customs of the Great Qian Dynasty, Ximentang sent the princess's wedding favors, including a floral headdress, veil, and flower fan.

of course,

Chen Jie didn't understand these things; they were all handled by officials from the Ministry of Rites within the palace.

This concerns the face of the royal family, so it cannot be taken lightly.

the next day,
That is, the day before the wedding to the princess.

According to the wedding customs of the Great Qian Dynasty, the princess's side in the palace would arrange for people to go to the prince consort's residence to decorate the bridal chamber.

In other words, it's commonly known as "shop building"!
The Bright Moon Palace sent Princess Lingyue's personal maids, namely Chunlan, Xiahe, Qiuju, and Dongmei, to serve her daily life.

The four of them, carrying their dowries, bedding, curtains, and other items, including some jewelry, arrived at the main courtyard of the Ximen Hall on Ximen Street to prepare for their new home.

Chen Jie chose Ximentang's main courtyard in the capital as the venue for his wedding.

These four personal maids, although they had no status or position in the palace, were merely maids.

but,

They came with Li Lingyue as part of her dowry.

Zeng Xuanhuai, who was in charge of handling all matters related to Chen Jie's wedding, dared not neglect the four of them.

Furthermore, Aunt Thirteen and Liu Bamei helped the four of them decorate Chen Jie's new house.

Deeply ingrained class consciousness meant that neither Aunt Thirteen nor Eighth Sister had any complaints.

Inside the new house, a double happiness character was pasted above the headboard, and red curtains were hung.

A large red silk ribbon depicting mandarin ducks playing in the water is laid out on the bed, bringing joy to the door.

On the table, on the floor, on the curtains, on the walls, on the windows—and so on.

The new house was decorated with large red "double happiness" characters.

Unlike inside the palace, red candles were lit in the bridal chamber.

but,

However, they used electric lights for illumination.

Several women spent an entire afternoon decorating the new house, making it look like a dream.

After the new house was furnished, Aunt Thirteen and Eighth Sister left the room.

Chunlan, Xiahe, Qiuju, and Dongmei were the princess's dowry maids. According to the wedding customs of the Daqian Dynasty, they were all required to stay in the bridal chamber and rest in the maids' side room next to it.

Before the wedding, no one is allowed to enter the bridal chamber.

Even when Chen Jie arrived at the new house and wanted to go in early to see what was going on inside, Chunlan stopped him.

Chunlan blocked the door to the bridal chamber and said with a smile:
"Young master, no one is allowed to enter the bridal chamber before the wedding; it's considered unlucky!"

"After today, after tomorrow, you will be the prince consort and only then will you be qualified to enter the bridal chamber."

"Don't make things difficult for me—!"

Chen Jie was taken aback upon hearing this, then shook his head and laughed awkwardly.

Is there such a rule?
He peeked into the new house, but unfortunately his view was blocked by the curtain.

The new house is quite large, divided into several rooms. Only an outline can be seen, and the details inside cannot be clearly seen at a glance.

After glancing at it, Chen Jie said:
"Miss Chunlan, is there anything missing from the new house?"

Chunlan blinked and smiled as she said:

"Don't worry, everything is almost ready."

"However, everything was brought from the palace, and many of them were the princess's personal items and jewelry."

"Shouldn't some of the young master's belongings also be placed in the new room?"

what?
Chen Jie was stunned.

Personal belongings!?
He shook his head helplessly and said with a smile, "Since everything is almost ready, there's no need for me to put anything in the new house, right?"

"Besides, I don't have any personal belongings!"

Chunlan had been by Li Lingyue's side for many years and was the eldest among the four maids.

She came as part of her dowry; she'll be serving Chen Jie from now on.

Therefore,
She wasn't afraid of Chen Jie, and she had already investigated Chen Jie's personality and knew that he wasn't difficult to get along with.

Therefore, she deliberately joked, "This is the bridal chamber, and tomorrow is the wedding night. How could you not have any personal belongings, young master?"

The three maids, Xiahe, Qiuju, and Dongmei, were all quite young and dared not speak in front of Chen Jie.

but,

Seeing Chen Jie's embarrassed expression, they couldn't help but laugh.

Chunlan continued, "Young Master will be the rightful son-in-law tomorrow, shouldn't you show some respect?"

"Just consider it a memento for the princess. It doesn't need to be very precious, the key is that it has commemorative significance."

"What is it that the young master always carries with him, keeps close to his body, and values ​​most?"

"I believe the princess will love it if we put this most meaningful thing in the new house."

Chen Jie thought for a moment, wondering what he could possibly value?

"I don't have anything that's meaningful to me! What should I put there?"

Who would have thought there would be such a custom on the wedding night?
No, this shouldn't be a rule.

Chunlan said it on purpose so that she could place a precious item in her new house that would have sentimental value.

At this time,

Xia He, standing beside Chen Jie, whispered:

"Isn't the young master wearing a belt around his waist?"

"I noticed your waist was bulging the whole time you came in; it must be something you never take off, right?"

"Wouldn't it be meaningful to put this in the new house?"

After seeing Xia He speak up, Qiu Ju relaxed and smiled, saying:
“That’s right. What’s that on your waist, young master? It must be your most precious possession, which you always keep close to your body. It would be most appropriate to put it in the bridal chamber.”

"On her wedding night, the princess will surely be very happy to be able to see her husband's most intimate possessions."

The thing around your waist?
Chen Jie glanced down.

Holy crap!
pistol!

On their wedding night, is it possible to place a pistol under the pillow in the bridal chamber?
Chen Jie couldn't help but give a wry smile and said:

"Are you kidding? Who keeps a handgun in their new house? It's a weapon for self-defense."

Li Lingyue is a super master who has reached the Great Perfection of the Marrow Transformation and Energy Transformation realm.

With her abilities, she doesn't need a pistol for self-defense at all.

Chunlan said with a smile, "Wouldn't a weapon for self-defense be better? The princess is skilled in martial arts, so it would be perfect for the young master to put a weapon for self-defense in the bridal chamber."

"Young master, please take it off and let us see what kind of gun it is."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie was speechless.

He thought for a moment, took the pistol from his waist, removed the bullets, and handed it to Chunlan.

The gun was the first Glock pistol he had ever brought over, equipped with four magazines, each holding 33 rounds.

He carried a total of four at the time, and always had two more on him at all times.

have to say,

This Glock pistol is indeed of commemorative value.

Although his current spiritual refinement realm has broken through to the 'late stage of guarding the acupoints'.

but,

Handguns remain highly effective for self-defense.

With his current Refinement of Spirit realm combined with the saturation attack of the pistol, even a 'Blood Pill Force' expert would have a hard time hurting him.

Chunlan took the pistol, a hint of surprise in her eyes.

She had never seen this kind of pistol before, so she asked:
"Young master, what kind of gun is this? How do you use it?" The four maids were all martial artists, and their skills were quite high, all of them stronger than Aunt Thirteen's.

Chen Jie said with a smile, "I'll teach you how to use them later. When that time comes, I'll give each of you two pistols."

Chunlan turned to the other three and said, "Let's go! Let's find something to wrap up the gun and put it away."

finished,

They turned and went into the new house, closing and locking the door.

At this time,

Zeng Xuanhuai came in from outside and said to Chen Jie:

"Young Master, the Sixth Prince, Eunuch Cao, Xu Shichang, and others have all arrived and are having tea in the banquet hall. You should go and see them first."

Chen Jie nodded, left the new house, and headed to the banquet hall.

Zeng Xuanhuai followed behind him, along with Liu Qi and others.

-

The next morning.

With the help of Aunt Thirteen and Eighth Sister, Chen Jie put on a bright red suit, a red hat, and a bright red cape, looking dashing and spirited.

He rode a tall horse, followed by a bridal sedan chair, leading over a hundred elite soldiers from the Ximen Hall, in a grand procession to the 'Mingyue Pavilion' in the imperial palace to fetch his bride.

Zeng Xuanhuai, Xiong Chao, Yan Kuangtu, Zhang Changfeng and other senior members of Ximen Hall followed behind Chen Jie, all dressed in bright red formal attire.

All of the Ximentang guards were dressed in brand-new silk uniforms and draped in red.

Each of them carried flower baskets, gifts, candles, sachets, and so on. Two rows of elite members even carried large baskets of candy.

To create a lively atmosphere, a lot of children were specially arranged to follow around and grab the candy.

The meaning is—many children, many blessings!
The wedding procession stretched for miles, with fireworks and firecrackers going off non-stop along the way.

Bands were arranged at the front, middle, and back of the procession, playing drums and gongs, creating a lively atmosphere along the way.

The entire capital was in an uproar!

Today is a joyous day, the most important day of the Great Qian Dynasty.

The people of the capital have known since yesterday that Princess Lingyue has married Chen Jie, the Grand Commander of Ximen Hall.

then,

Almost all the people took to the streets, adding to the festive atmosphere.

The wedding procession continuously scattered sachets and candies along both sides of the street and set off fireworks.

More importantly, every now and then, a lot of silver coins would be scattered, winning cheers and jubilation from all the onlookers.

That's right,

In Ximentang's wedding procession, silver coins were scattered directly on the street.

A silver dollar has considerable purchasing power; if you're lucky enough to find one, you'll be laughing in your sleep.

Moreover, the continuous scattering of copper coins from among the silver coins caused the crowds along the wedding street to scream and shout incessantly.

Once inside the palace, the imperial guards opened the gates and dared not obstruct them in any way.

On this auspicious day, all the imperial guards have been mobilized.

Ximen Tang and the Imperial Guards are a powerful combination, and any force should avoid their sharp edge.

Upon arriving at the gate of Mingyue Pavilion, one would see that the pavilion was already brightly decorated and everything was arranged in a completely new way.

Li Ke, the youngest prince of the Daqian Dynasty, wearing a yellow robe and with a bright red brocade draped over his shoulders, stood at the gate to greet them.

Thump thump—thump thump—!
Upon seeing the wedding procession, fireworks and firecrackers were immediately set off at the entrance of Mingyue Pavilion.

Music filled the air, creating a lively atmosphere.

The young prince Li Ke, who was there to fetch the bride, quickly stepped forward to greet Chen Jie and led him to the main hall of Mingyue Pavilion, arranged by the ceremonial staff.

At this time, Emperor Li Zheng and Empress Xie were sitting in the hall waiting.

Following the wedding ceremony, Chen Jie stepped forward, knelt on both knees, and paid his respects to Emperor Li Zheng and the Empress.

Next,
Under the introduction of officials from the Ministry of Rites, Prince Li Ke began to introduce Chen Jie to the core members of the royal family.

Fortunately, there weren't many members of the royal family. Apart from a few royal uncles and elders in the capital, none of the other elders came, which saved Chen Jie a lot of trouble with kowtowing and kneeling.

After the ceremony concluded, the bride, Princess Lingyue, dressed in bright red silk and with a red veil draped over her head, emerged from her boudoir in Mingyue Pavilion, led by several palace maids.

Next,
She stood beside Chen Jie.

The two then began to bow to the Emperor and Empress, as well as the elders around them.

Following the etiquette of the imperial harem, the empress privately instructed the bride again that she must abide by the virtues of womanhood, serve her husband, and be filial to her family elders, etc.

in addition,

The more Empress Xie looked at Chen Jie, the more satisfied she became.

A mother-in-law likes her son-in-law more and more the more she looks at him.

Although Li Lingyue was not her biological daughter, she had watched her grow up from a young age and loved her dearly, treating her as her own daughter.

The grand wedding ceremony in the palace did not end until 10 a.m.

for the rest of the time,

Chen Jie led the bride into the sedan chair, left Mingyue Pavilion, and set off back to the main mansion of Ximentang.

Before their wedding night, the groom is not allowed to lift the bride's red veil.

Therefore,
Chen Jie was itching to see what Li Lingyue looked like.

But in the end, he held back and proceeded in an orderly manner according to the etiquette of the Great Qian Dynasty, not daring to act recklessly for fear of causing any unnecessary misunderstandings.

After the bride boards the bridal sedan chair, according to the wedding ceremony, the groom must first ride a horse home, open the gate, and welcome the bride's arrival.

Chen Jie left Zeng Xuanhuai and Liu Qi with the wedding procession, while he himself rode a fast horse and led his personal guard of over a hundred men back to the main compound of the Ximentang headquarters.

Upon returning to the Ximen Hall headquarters, officials from the Great Qian Dynasty who came to offer their congratulations, leaders of various martial arts factions, Yang Xihe of the Cao Gang, and others gathered together.

Among them were the leaders of major forces in Jiangnan, such as Tongbeimen, as well as businessmen like Zeng Yongxiang and Zhang Ming, who all came forward to greet Chen Jie.

Xu Shichang and his entourage arrived early, along with many officials from Tianjin.

That's one way to put it.
Almost everyone who was influential in the Great Qian Dynasty and had a relationship with Chen Jie came.

Even people who had no connection with him attended the event as long as they were invited.

When they saw Chen Jie, they all went up to congratulate him.

Chen Jie was very polite and returned the greetings one by one.

The ordeal left him utterly exhausted, far more so than fighting a life-or-death battle.

When the sun reaches its zenith, it will be an auspicious time.

The bride's sedan chair procession finally arrived at the main courtyard of the Ximentang headquarters.

Chen Jie let out a long breath and went to the front door to personally greet the bride as she stepped out of the sedan chair.

Crackling——!
Firecrackers went off at the entrance, and drums and gongs filled the air, creating a lively and festive atmosphere.

this moment,
The wedding has reached its most exciting and anticipated moment.

After entering the main courtyard of the altar, the two newlyweds began to kowtow to heaven and earth.

Since Chen Jie's parents did not appear, at Chen Jie's request, the "bowing to the elders" part of the wedding ceremony was deliberately omitted.

The newlyweds bow to each other to complete the marriage ceremony.

Immediately afterwards, the etiquette officer stepped forward, cut a lock of hair from each of theirs, intertwined them, and tied them into a knot.

—A married couple!
After the wedding ceremony, the matchmaker from the palace stepped forward and helped the bride into the bridal chamber to wait.

Once the bride enters the bridal chamber, she is not allowed to leave.

She had to wait until the ceremony the next day before she could leave the room again.

and,

She wore a red veil the whole time, waiting for the groom to lift it that night so that her face could be revealed.

The four maids who had previously decorated the bridal chamber in the room were also to accompany the princess and serve her daily life.

The prince consort was required to entertain guests outside until the banquet ended in the evening before he could enter the bridal chamber.

(End of this chapter)