Top Scholar

Chapter 394 The early bird catches the worm
The spring night is too short. The newlyweds, who had just fallen asleep after a long night of hard work, were already awakened by the crowing of the rooster and the first light of dawn.

The red decorations on the corridor, after a night of cold dew, had a deep, intoxicating color. The large red "囍" (double happiness) characters on the windows remained as bright as ever, echoing the still-burning red lanterns under the corridor, continuing the festive atmosphere of last night.

The maids had already quietly gotten up. They were dressed in pink jackets and skirts, with delicate but inconspicuous pearl flowers in their hair. Some took down the big red lanterns and blew them out, some carried copper kettles filled with boiling water, and others carried warm tea. They walked steadily along the corridor toward the different bridal chambers.

These maids were part of the dowry for the three brides. In those days, if a bride's family could afford it, they would send maids as part of her dowry. These maids were the bride's own people in her husband's family, helping her to gain a foothold and prevent her from being bullied by her husband's family.

As for the number of maids accompanying the bride, it naturally depended on the financial situation of both families. Moderately well-off families typically had one, while very wealthy families had dozens, with clearly defined roles: concubines, personal attendants, stewards, and menial servants…

If someone like She Yunluo were to marry a chieftain of equal social standing, she would even be given hundreds of maids and servants as a dowry.

However, considering the actual situation of the Su family and the two good sisters' families, the three brides only brought eight maids with them as part of their dowry. Among them, each bride had two personal maids: Zhu Yin's maids were Haitang and Moli, She Yunluo's maids were Acai and Ahua, and Huang E's maids were Guanqi and Ruhua. All of them were maids who had followed them since childhood.

Six personal maids, carrying washing utensils, gently pushed open the door to the bridal chamber to help their respective young mistresses and sons-in-law get up.

Actually, in principle, the grooms weren't under their responsibility, not because they didn't want to do any extra work. Rather, the grooms' families already had maids; which son of a wealthy family wasn't raised by maids? After the marriage, these grooms' close associates would naturally be retained, and the two sides would keep to themselves, each serving their own masters.

If the woman's maid oversteps her bounds, the man's maid will see it as an infringement on his sovereignty, which will inevitably trigger the first major feud in the family.

However, none of the three Su brothers had maids, so the right to serve the male master was given to the female master's personal maid...

~~
Inside the bridal chamber, the red candles had long since burned down to mere wisps of wax, replaced by the faint morning light that cast a hazy glow upon the room.

Inside the carved canopy bed, Su Lu had already opened his eyes. He had a strong inertia; no matter how hard he worked last night, he would wake up at the first crow of the rooster.

He turned to gaze at her, and saw the morning light filtering through the window, its warm glow gently covering her pillow. His newlywed wife was still asleep, her black hair loosely spread across the brocade pillow, a few strands of hair falling to her cheeks, making her skin appear as white as jade.

Although Su Lu and Huang E had known and been in love for many years, to be honest, this was the first time he had ever been able to admire his bride so closely and without restraint.

Her nose was small and straight, with a touch of childlike innocence. Her lips were a natural cherry pink, with a perfectly soft lip line, as if she were smiling gently in a sweet dream, making one reluctant to disturb her.

Her breathing was even and gentle, carrying a faint fragrance of orchids, mixed with the warm scent of the mandarin duck quilt, making one intoxicated and unwilling to get up.

Huang E's pearly eyelashes trembled, the corners of her mouth turned up slightly, and she finally couldn't help but chuckle, saying shyly:
"Is it really that good-looking? It makes me blush."

“Beautiful, of course it’s beautiful.” Su Lu chuckled softly, “Now I know why ‘the spring night is too short and the sun rises too high, and from then on the emperor no longer holds morning court.’”

"You're just talking nonsense. I'm not Yang Guifei, and you can't be like Li Longji." Huang E laughed. "Otherwise, if you don't pass the imperial examination next year, everyone will blame me for dragging you down."

"No, you won't accompany me to the capital for the imperial examination. Even if I resent Eunuch Liu, I can't blame you," Su Lu said with a soft laugh.

"Stop being cheeky." Huang E gently poked him with her slender fingers and whispered, "You're ready to play chess and paint. It's time to get up and wash up."

"I'm not used to it..." Su Lu said somewhat awkwardly, "How about I get up after you all leave?"

“My husband isn’t some moralistic scholar,” Huang E said with a smile. “What’s there to be embarrassed about in front of a maid?”

Guan Qi Ru Hua, who was waiting outside the bed, chuckled: "Young master, just pretend we don't exist."

As they spoke, they both rolled up the bed curtains, letting the morning light shine into the bed.

Two personal maids, along with two young maids, gracefully stepped forward, curtsied, and said in soft voices, "Miss and son-in-law, may you live in harmony, enjoy long life, and grow old together in blissful union!"

"Thank you." Su Lu still needs time to adjust.

Huang E sat up gracefully and instructed the maid, "From today onwards, change your address to Young Master and Young Madam."

"Yes," the four people watching the chess game and entering the painting replied softly.

"Furthermore, the young master prefers peace and quiet, so you should serve him simply and properly, so as not to bother him," Huang E instructed.

"Yes, this servant will remember the young mistress's instructions." The four responded again.

"Husband, is there anything else you need to tell me?" Huang E asked Su Lu softly.

"No, no, my wife is right. Just be at ease," Su Lu said with a smile.

"Then let me help my husband get up." Huang E gently reached out and pulled him up.

~~
The couple, served by Guan Qiru Hua and others, washed their faces with cypress leaf water and brushed their teeth and rinsed their mouths.

Ru Hua then asked Su Lu to sit down and began to comb his hair. She had practiced for several months specifically to serve her new son-in-law.

First, loosen the hair and comb it smooth. Then, tie the hair at the roots with a net and twist the long hair into a bun. With a nimble twist of the wrist, a neat and tidy scholar's bun is created. Finally, take a jade hairpin and slowly insert it into the bun to secure it.

Although Su Lu was not used to being served by a strange woman, he sat upright and remained calm, showing no signs of unease.

Of course, Ruhua was also well-trained and had proper manners. She served with her eyes lowered and her gaze focused. Her fingertips occasionally touched her master's hair, but only lightly and quickly, with appropriate restraint.

In a short while, a neat and elegant scholar's bun was completed. It was indeed much more presentable than Xiaoyuer's bun, making Su Lu look even more handsome and refined.

Huang E's dressing up was much more elaborate. She changed into a pomegranate red cross-collar shirt, covered with a peach pink vest, and wore a lotus pink horse-face skirt. She looked beautiful but not vulgar, joyful but not noisy, just like a bride.

Then she sat down in front of the dressing table and let Guanqi do her hair. Guanqi combed her long hair, tied it into a bun, secured it with a gold hairpin, and then inserted a jade hairpin at an angle. Next, she applied a little powder and a few simple pieces of jewelry.

Su Lu stood behind her and saw that the person in the mirror had a dignified hairstyle and elegant makeup, unlike the glamorous look she had yesterday... This was the stunning beauty he had been dreaming of.

After Huang E finished dressing, Su Lu reached out and helped her to her feet. Two maids silently pushed open the door; it was already daylight outside the courtyard.

As Huang E crossed the threshold, she tried to lift her leg normally, but her delicate brows furrowed slightly, and Su Lu quickly supported her. Huang E blushed and gently pinched him, saying, "It's all your fault."

"It's my fault, it's my fault." Su Lu smiled very obediently.

The maid behind her covered her mouth and chuckled.

However, once Huang E stepped out of the room, she completely regained her composure. There, Su Tai and his wife were already waiting in the courtyard.

She Yunlu jumped around Su Tai, chattering away to him.

"Little sister, you're out?" Upon seeing Huang E, She Yunluo darted over like a deer. Sports students are really something; she showed absolutely no sign of anything amiss…

"Yes, Second Sister-in-law, you're here so early." Huang E said, giving Su Tai a graceful curtsy. "Good morning, Second Brother."

"Good morning, sister-in-law." Su Tai chuckled and scratched his head.

The two sisters-in-law then held hands and talked in the courtyard, waiting for their elder brother and sister-in-law to come out.

The two Su brothers were also whispering to each other on the side.

"Brother, you're amazing! You stayed up all night..." Su Lu exclaimed in admiration.

"Huh? You heard everything!" Su Tai's face turned red.

“You should ask the people in the front yard if they heard that,” Su Lu sighed. “I’ll have to live further away from you from now on, otherwise I won’t be able to rest well.”

"Sigh, then I'll be less noisy in the future," Su Tai said with shame.

"No need, no need, our house is big enough." Su Lu quickly waved his hand. Actually, the fact that the noise kept him from sleeping was secondary; the main problem was his damn competitive spirit.

As they were talking, the door to the main room finally opened, and Su Man helped Zhu Yin out.

"Good morning, elder brother and sister-in-law." The two newlywed couples quickly bowed.

"Good morning..." Su Man opened her mouth, but her voice was weak.

Athena Chu was indeed as beautiful as a peach blossom, delicate and charming, but she just couldn't move her feet.

The three couples then walked along the corridor towards the front yard.

The three brides walked in front, supported by their maids, while the three grooms walked side by side behind.

As Su Man walked, she gently rubbed her lower back and sighed softly, "Lust is a knife that can cut to the bone; the ancients were right. If one wants to live a long life, one must practice moderation in sexual activity."

“Brother is right, but it shouldn’t be like this after just one time,” Su Lu whispered. “You’re exaggerating. I’ve done it seven times already…”

"Once?! It's a whole night!" Su Man exclaimed, her eyes wide.

"Huh?" Su Lu was dumbfounded. So he was even worse than his older brother. "When did you call it a day?"

"I'll withdraw my troops once the second brother withdraws," Su Man said, then asked, "Aren't you the same?"

"Ah, this..." Su Lu changed the subject, "No one sets a number of rounds, just do what you can."

"Nobody told me I could call it a day early..." Su Man slapped his forehead, looking like he'd been tricked.

"Is it my fault again?" Su Tai asked, feeling extremely uneasy.

"No, no, it's a misunderstanding, brother." Su Lu quickly comforted his second brother, then said to his eldest brother, "Second brother is a martial arts champion who can practice spear fighting all day without getting tired. We mortals can't compare to him, brother."

"Understood." Su Man breathed a sigh of relief. "We will be more restrained in the future."

"Oh..." Su Lu suddenly realized, "So it's because your sister-in-law won't let you off the hook?"

"Hmm." Su Man nodded shyly and whispered, "She said that as the eldest brother, I have to set a good example for my younger brothers and can't be the first to back down."

"Big brother, you don't need to take the lead in this kind of thing." Su Lu was sweating bullets, feeling that Huang E would be corrupted by his two sisters-in-law sooner or later.

As they spoke, the three newlywed couples arrived at the front courtyard. Maids and servants came forward to greet them, and Steward Tian also came over with a smile and asked, "Young masters and mistresses, did you rest well last night?"

"Okay, where are Grandpa and Grandma?" Su Lu nodded and asked.

"Everyone's up. They're waiting for you in the hall for dinner," Steward Tian replied.

"Come on, let's go inside," Su Man said, calling to her younger brothers and sisters-in-law.

P.S. The wedding night poems in the previous chapter were not generated by AI; they were written by my old friend, Mr. Qingheng, and even included explanations…

Acknowledgments.

(End of this chapter)