The abstinent and powerful minister is cold and aloof during the day, but he adores her in his dream

Chapter 315 The Bridal Chamber (Part 1)

Dingguo Gongfu.

Amidst the sounds of gongs, drums, suonas, and firecrackers, Zhiwan, supported by the matchmaker, stepped down from the bridal sedan chair.

Lu Zhan, dressed in a bright red wedding robe, stood in front of the bridal sedan chair, watching his bride slowly walk towards him. Her usually aloof and cold eyes were now softened and filled with tenderness.

Zhiwan's head was covered with a bridal veil, limiting her vision, but when she looked down, she could still see a large red robe hem and satin boots embroidered with auspicious clouds.

It's my cousin.

Zhiwan felt a sense of relief, with only sweetness lingering in her heart.

At this moment, the matchmaker placed one end of the wedding silk into her hand.

"Please have the groom lead the bride across the fire pit and over the saddle!"

As the master of ceremonies' voice rang out, Zhiwan, holding the wedding silk, followed by her cousin, stepped over the brazier, over the saddle, and entered the gate of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion step by step.

Afterwards, the two of them went through the wedding ceremony witnessed by their relatives and friends.

"The ceremony is completed and sent to the bridal chamber!"

As soon as the master of ceremonies finished speaking, the newlyweds were escorted to their bridal chamber.

In the bridal chamber, as Lu Zhan helped Zhiwan sit down, he leaned close to her ear and whispered, "There will be no one in the room for a while, so Madam can relax and rest. You can also have something to eat. I will come to lift the veil later."

Sensing her cousin's approach, Zhiwan's heart pounded wildly. Upon hearing the words "Madam," her face flushed with embarrassment, though thankfully her bridal veil concealed it.

She nodded slightly. "Mm."

Lu Zhan paused, somewhat reluctant to leave.

"The guests are still waiting, the groom should go and offer toasts first," the matchmaker urged with a smile.

Lu Zhan had no choice but to leave the new house.

According to the custom of Dachen, after the bride enters the bridal chamber, she must first sit under the canopy and wait for the groom to return with the toasts before lifting the veil.

This process is quite lengthy and exhausting, as the bride can only sit motionless on the edge of the bed.

Feeling sorry for her young mistress, Chen, the wet nurse, used the excuse of letting the matchmaker and servants go drink first to send them away from the bridal chamber.

Once there were no outsiders left in the bridal chamber, Nurse Chen smiled and said, "Miss, I've sent everyone away, so you can relax now."

Shuang'er also brought Zhiwan a glass of water, saying, "Miss, please have some water."

After drinking some water, Zhiwan felt a little better.

The wet nurse took a pillow and placed it by the bedpost so that Zhiwan could lean against it.

Zhiwan really wanted to remove the phoenix crown and veil, but Chen, the wet nurse, said that would be unlucky, so she had to give up.

Having not slept well last night and having gotten up early this morning, Zhiwan was exhausted.

Not long after, she fell asleep leaning against the bedpost.

Upon seeing this, Chen the wet nurse and Shuang'er left the bridal chamber together and stood guard outside the door.

Unlike the quiet of the new house, the front yard was bustling with activity, filled with the sounds of clinking glasses and lively conversation.

The Lu family's relatives and friends all came, and many officials from the imperial court also arrived.

In addition, Prince Rui, Xuanyuan Hongrui, and Princess Changle also came.

After toasting everyone in the circle, Lu Zhan was already slightly tipsy.

"Old Lu, today is your big day, you should have a few more drinks." Duan Ling, always eager for a good show, shouted, picking up a wine jar and handing it to him.

Ouyang Lei chimed in, "You're not allowed to go back to the bridal chamber until you finish this jar of wine."

Seeing this, the other officials also joined in the commotion.

"Lord Lu has a huge capacity for alcohol, how could a mere jar of wine stump him? I think even another jar would be no problem for him!" Lu Zhan's eye twitched slightly, and he glanced indifferently at his two mischievous friends. He nodded and said to everyone, "Everyone's hospitality is much appreciated, and I, Lu, will certainly comply. However, Duan Ling and Ouyang Lei can drink for me. You can make them drink as much as you want, no problem." With that, he placed the two jars of wine on the table in front of Ouyang Lei and Duan Ling. "Drink up."

Their eyelids twitched. "When do we...?"

"Duan Ling and Ouyang Zhenzhu's marriage has been arranged. It seems that Lei Zi's good news is also coming soon. When you get married, I will definitely come to congratulate you!" Lu Zhan interrupted the two of them. When he said the word "congratulations", his tone became more serious, with a hint of threat.

Duan Ling: "..."

Ouyang Lei: "..."

"Good brothers, you've worked hard." Lu Zhan patted the two men on the shoulders, a smile on his lips, and turned to leave the banquet.

"Who drinks for someone else? Lord Lu, this is too much of a cheating." The officials realized what was happening and hurriedly tried to stop Lu Zhan from leaving, but Duan Ling and Ouyang Lei blocked them both. "It's just drinking, right? We'll drink with you all. Let's all drink to our hearts' content today!"

After drinking for a while, everyone suddenly remembered and slapped their thighs, saying, "Wait a minute, we haven't started the wedding night pranks yet."

However, when they arrived at the new house, they found that the door was already locked.

Chen Jiu and Jiang Shi stood outside the door like door gods.

"Is this going to turn into a disaster?"

Everyone returned to the banquet with dejected expressions.

Inside the new house.

Lu Zhan had already lifted the veil from Zhi Wan's head, and under the arrangement of the matchmaker, the two tied their hair together and finally drank the nuptial wine.

The matchmaker, beaming with joy after receiving her reward, led the maids out of the bridal chamber.

For a moment, the new house fell silent.

Only the crackling sound of the dragon and phoenix wedding candles burning.

Although Zhiwan was a little shy, she was filled with joy when she looked at her cousin dressed in a bright red auspicious robe.

My cousin always wore dark-colored robes, giving him an air of solemnity, majesty, and unapproachability.

Today, his bright red wedding robe softened the stern and cold look in his eyes, giving him a more gentle and refined air.

No wonder the young women and wives exclaimed in admiration during the wedding procession.

My cousin is indeed good-looking.

After taking a good look at her cousin in his wedding attire, Zhiwan's heart pounded wildly, like a deer running wildly in her chest.

"What are you looking at?" Lu Zhan lifted her chin and looked at her with a smile.

Her delicate, butterfly-like eyelashes blinked. She was too embarrassed to admit she was looking at her cousin, so she asked, "Have you been drinking a lot?"

"It's alright." Lu Zhan shook his head, reached out and took off the phoenix crown from her head, placing it on a small table beside her.

Without the constraints of the phoenix crown, Zhiwan felt much more relaxed.

However, she had been sitting for so long that her body was numb. Just as she was about to get up and move around, her cousin's slender fingers suddenly ran through her hair, and then he lowered his head and kissed her lips.

"Cousin, I've been waiting for this day for so long..."

The man's deep voice came from between their intertwined lips.

Zhiwan's heart skipped a beat.

The next moment, she was pinned down on the bed by her cousin.

Zhiwan suddenly let out a painful groan.

Lu Zhan paused, then hurriedly helped her up. "What's wrong?"

With teary eyes, Zhiwan grabbed a handful of peanuts, longans, and lotus seeds, saying, "They hurt so much..."

Looking at what was in her hand, Lu Zhan paused, reached out and took it from her hand, his voice low and husky, with a hint of teasing, "This is to wish us to have a son soon."