Top Scholar

Chapter 393 The bridal chamber
(This chapter has to be a bit more civilized.)
Inside Chun Ge'er's bridal chamber.

The thick, long dragon and phoenix candles had burned down to their lower half, and the candle wax dripped down the candle body, piling up into delicate candle flowers.

Inside the bridal chamber, brocade curtains hung high, their tassels cascading down. On the table were nuptial wine, steamed buns symbolizing offspring, peanuts, and longans. The room was filled with the lingering fragrance of osmanthus, incense, and the scent of young girls.

Zhu Yin, holding the phoenix coronet, peeked out through the crack in the door. She saw the groom finally arrive at the backyard, only to be entangled by those wretched classmates, who kept wasting his time. Frustrated, she stamped her feet and said, "Don't you know that a moment of bliss on the wedding night is worth a thousand pieces of gold? How much money have you wasted of me?"

"Hurry up, hurry up, don't listen to any of that. My passion is like a fire; even if you're a block of ice, I can set you on fire..."

Just before she was about to rush out and yell, "Will this ever end?", the groom finally entered the bridal chamber.

Athena Chu quickly rushed back to the bedside, grabbed the veil, and put it over her head...

The moment the veil fell, the tassels still swaying, Su Man entered the bridal chamber and saw his bride sitting quietly by the bed, her bright red wedding dress and veil dazzling in the glow of the red candles.

Originally, a matchmaker would guide the bride and groom step by step, but tonight's situation is special. It's already late at night, so the eldest aunt asked the matchmaker to leave to save time for the newlyweds.

As a result, her son stood there, at a loss, not knowing what to do next.

"Hurry up and lift the veil!" Zhu Yin finally couldn't help but urge in a low voice.

"Oh, oh." Su Man quickly stepped forward, took a deep breath, and carefully lifted the veil.

Zhu Yin's beautiful face, which could express both joy and anger, and was bright and dignified, appeared before him.

The bride shyly turned her head away, glancing at the groom out of the corner of her eye, and asked nervously, "Why doesn't my husband use a silver carrying pole? Do you feel that my humble appearance is not pleasing to your heart?"

"Ah? Oh." Su Man then noticed a small silver scale on the table beside him and quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, junior sister, I'm inexperienced and forgot I needed to use this..."

He then put the veil back on her, picked up the scale rod and lifted it up again, smiling at the bewildered Athena Chu, "Alright, it's fixed now."

"..." Zhu Yin was speechless for a moment. Who lifts someone's veil twice? But then she thought, being able to experience her senior brother lifting her veil twice is a great deal, isn't it?
However, she still asked in a soft and weak voice, "Senior brother hasn't answered my question yet?"

"Absolutely not." Su Man shook his head decisively and said, "I am very happy to be able to marry my junior sister."

"What do you like about everything?" Athena Chu looked at him excitedly, her face beaming with praise.

“My master is very kind to me. The Zhu family and our Su family are close friends. And your Ninth Uncle is a loyal and upright official whom I admire…” Su Man then counted on his fingers and said, “My master’s wife is also very good to me. Oh right, Zihe and Zigong are the same age as me, and we get along very well.”

"So, I'm not involved at all?" Athena Chu was deeply shocked.

“Although we’ve met a few times, it’s all been superficial. I think it’s too hasty to judge you now. Let’s get to know each other better before discussing what needs improvement and what to continue to develop,” Su Man said seriously.
"Of course, junior sister, you should also give me a serious evaluation and speak frankly. I will definitely admit my mistakes and correct them as soon as possible to meet your requirements."

"Ah..." Athena Chu was stunned. She thought to herself, "I was just being a little coquettish, hoping you'd praise me, and then I'd shamelessly flirt with you. How did it turn into criticism and self-criticism?"
"What's wrong? Is there something you don't understand?" Su Man, who had been a teacher, saw Zhu Yin's expression and asked, "Do you need me to explain it again?"

"No, my husband, you've misunderstood. I just wanted to ask you if you like my looks?" Athena Chu said with an embarrassed smile.

"I don't have any requirements for my partner's appearance..." Su Man shook her head and said.

"Yeah, anyway, no matter how pretty she is, she's not as pretty as you." Athena Chu gave a self-deprecating laugh.

“No, junior sister, your thinking is wrong.” Su Man said seriously, “Actually, everyone has the same nose and two eyes, and there is no particularly big difference in appearance. Even if you are good-looking, there is no need to be complacent... People will get old, sick, and injured, and no one can stay good-looking until old age. As the saying goes, those who serve others with their beauty will lose their love when their beauty fades.”

"Therefore, we cannot be so superficial; we should value inner beauty, such as moral character and academic excellence..."

"Oh, oh..." Zhu Yin was stunned, and without realizing it, she changed her sitting posture to be upright.

~~
At the foot of the wall, the audience members had similar expressions to Athena Chu.

"This is the first time I've ever been able to eavesdrop without any distractions."

"Yes, I feel like my whole being has been elevated."

"Brother Yingzhi, are you treating the women's quarters like a classroom?"

"Zi and his sister are lucky; they might even be featured in the Biographies of Exemplary Women in the future."

"Does Brother Yingzhi intend to give his sister-in-law a lesson all night?"

"No, the teacher will have breaks between classes..."

~~
Xia Ge'er's wedding night.

Su Tai pushed open the door and saw She Yunluo sitting at the table eating and drinking heartily, her sleeves rolled up, revealing her fair arms...

"If you don't come soon, I'll eat it all." She Yunlu snorted, her way of expressing dissatisfaction was to finish off Su Tai's food.

"Leave me some!" Su Tai exclaimed anxiously when he saw that there was really only the bottom of the plate left. "I haven't eaten anything properly all night, I'm starving!"

"Then why don't you come back sooner?" She Yunlu asked.

"I've already caused everyone so much trouble, how can I make an exception?" Su Tai sat down next to her, then realized there were no chopsticks for him, and said sadly in a muffled voice, "Why am I so clumsy? I'm almost as clumsy as my uncle..."

“Isn’t it normal to be a bit slow? Your family has produced a top scholar and a successful candidate in the provincial examination, and Sister Zhu and Sister Huang are both incredibly smart. We need to balance things out for them.” She Yunluo was quite open-minded.

“What you said makes sense, but it’s not entirely correct,” Su Tai said.

"Where did I go wrong?" She Yunlu asked.

“You’re saying your family, no, that’s not right,” Su Tai said seriously. “You should say our family.”

"Mmm!" She Yunluo nodded happily; she was charmed by Su Tai's rustic, sweet talk. "Okay, I was wrong, it's 'our family'."

"Could you give me a pair of chopsticks too?" Su Tai asked timidly, like a child who had done something wrong.

"Is that even a question?" She Yunluo's maternal instincts kicked in, and she stuffed a pair of dragon and phoenix chopsticks into his hands.

Su Tai was so hungry that he picked up the plate of leftovers and started shoveling food into his mouth. In the blink of an eye, the plate was empty.

"Slow down," She Yunluo said helplessly, "I haven't served you your food yet."

As he spoke, he lifted the red silk tablecloth embroidered with twin lotus flowers and brought out plate after plate of main dishes... Dongpo pork was shiny with oil, braised pork knuckle lay horizontally on the plate, and lion's head meatballs were as big as Su Tai's fist.

"Hey hey..." Su Tai grinned from ear to ear: "I knew you weren't that heartless."

"How could I possibly lose out on your words?" She Yunluo smiled as she carried a bucket of rice to the table and scooped a large bowlful for him.

"Hey hey hey!" Su Tai happily took the rice bowl, picked up a piece of lion's head meatball with his chopsticks, and began to eat it with relish.

"You still love eating lion's head meatballs so much." She Yunluo cupped her cheeks and leaned on the table, looking at her man.

"Mmm. Big, round, and bouncy, I could eat it forever!" Su Tai said happily.

~~
Those eavesdropping under the wall are all getting hungry...

From Ma Qianli to Su Dan, everyone's stomachs were rumbling, one after another.

Because of those damned uninvited guests, everyone only ate half of the wedding banquet. It wouldn't have been a big deal, but the couple ate so deliciously... it made everyone's mouths water.

"How about we go to the kitchen and find something to eat?"

"I want to eat lion's head meatballs!"

"Come on, what's more important than eating?" The brothers all had an epiphany after being inspired by Su Tai and his wife.

~~
Listening to the eldest brother taking a lesson by the wall; listening to the second brother complaining about being hungry by the wall; listening to the third brother by the wall... good heavens, they've turned it into poetry appreciation.

They strained their ears, pressing them against the window cracks, listening intently to the endless stream of words coming from inside, afraid of missing a single one...

First, Su Lu softly recited: "A silver hairpin lightly lifts the crimson gauze, her eyes, like autumn waters, reflect the candlelight. Her cheeks are flushed red with overwhelming emotion..."

The people outside whispered their admiration: "The veil has been lifted. How beautiful the bride's eyes must be!"

"What's even more beautiful is that shy and alluring charm..."

Then Huang E's clear and melodious voice sang: "We drink the nuptial wine, grow old together, our love endures through the sound of the jade water clock..."

Everyone thought to themselves, 'They're starting to drink the nuptial wine.'

Then Su Lu said, "The beaded curtain is drawn in the still of the night, the mandarin duck quilt and phoenix quilt are warm. The silk robe is shrouded in cloud shadows, and soft autumn waves are secretly conveyed..."

The crowd chuckled to themselves: "The young couple drew the curtains, and the bed was warm and cozy. The woman began to remove her jewelry, leaving only a ribbon to tie her hair, and she gave her husband a flirtatious look..."

Huang E said: "The bright moon is hidden behind the embroidered curtain, I drunkenly play with my hat beneath the flowers. The rain and clouds of Wushan, day and night, the phoenix follows the luan..."

Everyone loved to hear it and whispered, "He's starting to whisper sweet nothings."

Su Lu wrote: "In the quiet courtyard, under the shade of osmanthus and green bamboo, swallows fly in pairs, their necks intertwined..."

The crowd whispered excitedly, "They're embracing! They're embracing!"

Then Huang E cried out, "Tears of parting, the bitterness of longing, are the most poignant. I have no regrets in this life, for our fate is sealed on the Stone of Three Lifetimes."

"This is a reflection on the past and present in her husband's arms, lamenting the hardships of their love..." Zhu Zihe said, and also took the opportunity to share the couple's love poem with everyone.

"With green hair in her fragrant boudoir and dew-kissed lips..." Su Lu said.

The audience fell silent; no further explanation is needed. Figure it out for yourselves.

"A bright cherry blossom rests in my mouth. A warbling oriole sings sweetly, its voice carrying the delicate beauty of spring. Soft jade lies laid out like silken brocade, dark clouds swirl and flow like rippling waves..."

"Green candles and silver lamps in the smoke. Faint tassels, jade dew clinging to her face."

"The twilight mist hangs over Wushan, a gentle breeze blows. Most enchanting is the setting sun."

"Tonight, the garden is full of fallen red petals; the new buds cannot withstand the sudden rain and the strong evening wind."

"The lotus after the rain, its beauty undiminished, now even more lustrous and translucent. The sky is clear and the clouds are light, yet a touch of frost lingers..."

It's time for a moment of reflection.

"Graceful and charming. Embracing the musk deer in her bedchamber, her eyes shimmer with a subtle light, as she gently arranges her silken robes. The peach and plum trees stand silently, silently observing the changing seasons."

Wear simple clothes, and then it's time for sweet talk afterwards.

"Youth fades quickly, and youth is fleeting; I fear it will slip away before I know it. I wish to make my feelings my boat, and set sail straight down to Wulingyuan," Huang E said.

"Tell my wife, the night is late, and I fear the good night is too short. At the dressing table, I whisper to my lover as he paints my eyebrows, his ink-like brows like stained silk. When love is at its peak, we are tender and affectionate. Life is but a fleeting dream, like flowing water." Su Lu said, then sighed again:
"Life is but a dream, time flows like water. Let the tides rise and fall as they may, and cherish this brief moment of leisure..."

P.S.: I'm posting this first and editing later, hoping it won't get approved. Please vote with your monthly tickets!
(End of this chapter)