Fireworks continued to burst in the sky one after another, their resounding echoes seeming endless. Illuminated by the glow that painted the clouds, the wedding procession moving through the streets appeared especially magnificent.
“I thought the daytime fireworks at the burial beneath Maoyuan Mountain were the finest, yet here is an even more spectacular sight!”
“Isn’t this what they call ‘the student surpassing the master’?”
“It should be called ‘a great teacher produces a brilliant student’!”
The streets were crowded with people – talking, laughing, shouting, and exclaiming. Children were perched on shoulders, pointing small fingers toward the fireworks in the sky.
It wasn’t until the end of the road that those setting off the fireworks finally came into view.
The Li Family Fireworks craftsmen were busy at work, each occupied with their tasks. Li Mao, dressed in new robes, watched the approaching procession and bowed respectfully.
“Master Li,” someone from the wedding entourage couldn’t resist leaning forward from their horse to ask, “are these fireworks new products from the Li Family Shop?”
“Yes,” Li Mao replied.
These daytime fireworks, capable of dazzling with vibrant colors, were something never seen before. It was certain that even before the wedding procession ended, the Li Family Fireworks shop would be flooded with eager customers.
However…
Suddenly, a thought struck one person, and their brows furrowed.
“Are these perhaps a one-time display, not for public sale?” they blurted out.
Li Mao smiled faintly.
“Yes,” he said. “They were specially crafted as a congratulatory gift for my master’s wedding.”
As soon as these words were spoken, those nearby who heard them let out a collective sigh of disappointment. Those who hadn’t caught the exchange quickly asked and learned the news, causing the wave of sighs to spread like ripples.
“Not again!”
“Truly, a master shapes their disciple – always creating such marvelous things, yet refusing to sell them!”
“You whet our appetite, only to leave us unable to see or touch them, left to reminisce in our dreams!”
Amid the clamor around him, Li Mao’s expression remained unchanged. With a composed smile, he maintained his respectful bow as the wedding sedan and the dowry procession slowly passed by. Yet the fireworks in the sky continued unabated, their brilliance undiminished.
From a small teahouse overlooking the street, Gao Lingjun withdrew his gaze. Bathed in the glow of the fireworks, his expression turned complex.
“What a pity,” he murmured.
“Exactly – what a pity that she still managed to steal the spotlight,” Young Master Gao chimed in, nodding in agreement as he glanced down at the street below. Though the crowd had surged forward with the wedding procession, the street remained packed with people chatting and laughing excitedly.
Seeing such a scene, Young Master Gao felt a surge of frustration and spat in disdain. “With such an extravagant display and so many guests invited, I wonder if fifty thousand are even enough.”
Once he finished speaking, he looked up at his father, only to find his father gazing back at him with an odd expression.
“Father?” he asked.
What a pity we were just one step too late. If we had approached Lady Cheng earlier, perhaps it would be our Gao family hosting such a magnificent wedding today.
Gao Lingjun let out a soft sigh and turned his eyes toward the direction of the Duke’s residence. The wedding procession had already filed inside, one after another.
The matter was settled now, the dust had settled – once they entered, there would be no turning back.
“What a pity,” Gao Lingjun sighed once more.
Pity that such an extraordinary talent – had they met earlier, and had he been open and sincere, he believed this woman would have married into their Gao family.
No… perhaps not a pity.
One misstep, but that must not lead to a series of mistakes.
Precisely because she was such an exceptional talent, there was no room for regret.
“Has everything been arranged?” Gao Lingjun asked.
Young Master Gao promptly nodded. Gao Lingjun lifted his gaze once more to the still-blossoming fireworks.
“Fireworks are dazzling,” he remarked with a touch of melancholy, “yet their brilliance is so fleeting.”
Once inside the Duke’s residence, the clamor from outside faded away. Yet the residence itself buzzed with excitement as everyone talked about what they had witnessed along the way.
“…It was truly spectacular… Not like any ordinary celebration we’ve seen before…”
“…When I saw people along both sides of the street begin writing characters, I got goosebumps. Somehow, it reminded me of Confucius traveling with his seventy-two disciples…”
“…Don’t talk nonsense! If anything, it should bring to mind Laozi riding his ox through the pass…”
“…Shh, better not say more. What if it reaches the palace…”
“…Even if it does, there’s nothing we can do – it wasn’t our arrangement anyway…”
Whispers and discussions swirled from all sides, but to the ears of the Cheng family, these words brought no pride. Instead, they grew more and more unsettled.
“What in the world is going on!”
Madam Chen could no longer contain her frustration. She glared at the Full Fortune Lady standing nearby and demanded in a low, sharp tone,
“Since when does a bride have to wait inside the carriage like this?”
The Full Fortune Lady naturally recognized Madam Chen. Feeling awkward, she replied,
“I’m not sure either. Let me go and ask again.” Her voice was hushed, and inwardly she regretted ever taking on this duty – yet what choice did she really have?
Chen Shao might dare to defy the Empress Dowager, but she certainly did not.
The Full Fortune Lady hurried toward the rear courtyard but was stopped by two guards before she could enter.
“Could you please ask the Chief Steward,” she called from outside the courtyard gate, “Her Highness has already arrived… why hasn’t the wedding ceremony begun yet?”
Earlier, the eunuchs managing the outer affairs had all been abruptly summoned away, leaving only a vague instruction to wait a moment. The entire crowd had been left standing in the courtyard, utterly bewildered.
If this were any other family, such disrespect from the groom’s side would have been enough for the bride’s party to lift the sedan chair and leave immediately. Yet, being part of the royal clan made it different – though even then, a high-ranking minister like Chen Shao might have dared to do just that, then head straight to the palace to demand an explanation from the Emperor.
But as for this Lady Cheng…
Though Madam Chen accompanied her as the escort, she was, after all, not a member of the Chen family by blood.
Lost in these wandering thoughts, the Full Fortune Lady suddenly heard hurried footsteps approaching. She looked up, and her expression froze in stunned disbelief.
This… this…
…
“Could it be they can’t find a rooster?”
A maid beside Ban Qin whispered, making Ban Qin frown and shoot her a sharp glare.
Since Duke Jin’an was gravely ill and unable to rise, a stand-in had been arranged for the wedding procession – and for the ceremony, a rooster would be held in his place.
There was nothing honorable about this. A wedding like this was, in itself, an indignity to the bride.
“We do as they require,” Ban Qin replied quietly.
The maid beside her chuckled softly.
“Ban Qin, since when have you become so composed?” she teased in a low voice.
Ban Qin straightened her posture, standing tall.
“There’s nothing to fear,” she said.
Just as her lady had once remarked – how can one know whether a day will be good or bad until it’s lived?
Before stepping out, they never imagined so many would come to send off their lady. The scenes they had feared – bleak, pitiful, or humiliating – simply hadn’t materialized.
And now, with the ceremony yet to begin, there was still no need for fear. After all, who could say what might happen in the very next moment…
As this thought crossed her mind, a sudden commotion erupted up ahead. Ban Qin instinctively looked over – and froze in utter disbelief.
This… this…
The maid had just been teasing Ban Qin when she noticed her expression shift dramatically. Ban Qin, who had been standing solemnly with an air of unprecedented gravity, suddenly covered her mouth with her hand. Tears welled up once again in her eyes, which had only just dried.
What was happening now?
The maid almost chuckled, but when she instinctively followed Ban Qin’s gaze, her own eyes widened in shock.
This! This!
…
The hushed murmurs and scattered noise outside the carriage did not bother Cheng Jiao-niang in the slightest. Sitting quietly was no hardship for her – in fact, it was something she was quite accustomed to.
Even if she had to sit like this for an entire day, it would pose no difficulty.
Yet, as expected, she would not be left sitting for long. Outside, the celebrant’s exaggerated cry rang out:
“The bride descends from the carriage!”
The carriage tilted slightly as unfamiliar women’s hands reached in to support her.
The bridal veil blocked her view in all directions, but not the ground beneath her feet. Cheng Jiao-niang lowered her gaze, took a steady step, and began to move forward.
Once she stepped out of the sedan, the surrounding clamor seemed to grow quieter, almost subdued.
A deep crimson carpet stretched all the way from the carriage to the distance. Red robes, the dimming reddish glow of the evening sun – Cheng Jiao-niang did not close her eyes. She simply watched, calm and present.
A red silk ribbon was handed to her. Cheng Jiao-niang reached out and took it. After a slight pause, a faint tug traveled through the ribbon, signaling that the person ahead had begun to move. The Full Fortune Lady gave a quiet cue, and Cheng Jiao-niang stepped forward steadily – over the saddle placed on the ground, then across the threshold into the main hall.
Inside the hall, it was even quieter. Were it not for the scattered sounds of breathing and the faint rustle of robes and hairpins, one might have thought the space empty.
Someone stood beside her. From this distance, she could see the edge of another set of crimson wedding robes.
“First bow to Heaven and Earth–”
The Master of Ceremonies’ drawn-out, sharp voice echoed through the hall.
Cheng Jiao-niang steadied her gaze, then bent at the waist and lowered her head.
I bow to Heaven and Earth.
“Second bow to the parents–”
Again, Cheng Jiao-niang bent and bowed.
I bow to Father and Mother.
“Third bow – bride and groom to each other…”
The hem of the robes within her sight slowly withdrew.
Supported by the celebrant, Cheng Jiao-niang turned.
She bent once more and lowered her head.
I bow to my husband.
The red silk in her hand trembled lightly again. As the Master of Ceremonies called out, “Escort the couple to the bridal chamber,” Cheng Jiao-niang lifted her foot and moved forward.
The sound of footsteps and murmurs followed closely, as if many people were trailing behind.
The bridal chamber was not far, and soon she stepped inside.
Inside the room, the delicate clinking of hairpins and ornaments grew more frequent, and the fragrance of cosmetics grew even richer.
Naturally, those who entered the bridal chamber to witness the rituals were all women.
Once seated on the bed, Cheng Jiao-niang could hear hushed whispers around her. By custom, the veil should have been lifted by now, yet once again, everything seemed to pause.
But given that the groom was unable to attend the ceremony, perhaps the veil-lifting was simply omitted?
The thought had barely crossed her mind when, suddenly, light flooded her vision – the veil had been lifted.
The sun had already set, but the summer sky still held a lingering glow. Lamps were lit in the room, casting shifting patterns of light and shadow. Then, her sight filled with a dazzling display of pearls, jade, silk, and splendor.
“Oh, how beautiful the bride is!”
A sudden wave of lively chatter erupted around them. The hushed whispers vanished, replaced by a flood of delighted, trilling voices.
Cheng Jiao-niang met the curious, inspecting gazes, and as her eyes gradually adjusted to the indoor light, the figures and furnishings around her grew clearer.
Her gaze shifted to her side – first settling on the hem of the wedding robe she had glimpsed earlier, then moving to a black jade belt, the silver wedding rod held in the hand resting at his side, and finally rising to meet a face both familiar and unfamiliar.
Cheng Jiao-niang froze for a moment.
He seemed thinner, his frame noticeably narrower, yet he stood upright and poised.
The weight loss had sharpened his features, and against his sun-darkened complexion, his eyes appeared even deeper and more penetrating.
As she looked at him, Duke Jin’an’s expression remained unchanged – he simply looked back at her.
In that shared gaze, the chatter in the room seemed to fade instantly into silence.
How… all along… had it been him?
Yes, it was him.
