Greetings, Ninth Uncle

Chapter 96: Grand Wedding (II)

The Cheng family’s rules and disciplines were not good, otherwise, the family wouldn’t decline in each generation. As one could imagine, people who worked in Yichun Marquis Manor were not the most capable either.

The whole manor fell into a panic. During Cheng Yumo’s wedding some time ago, there was a big mess when the groom’s welcoming team arrived. The bridegroom had arrived, yet the bride was not ready, and even the wedding veil almost couldn’t be found. If it weren’t for Cheng Yujin to block the door and delay the time as long as possible, Cheng family would have lost a great amount of face that day.

This time, there would be no second Cheng Yujin to come to their rescue. Even if there were, people from the Imperial Household Department wouldn’t allow such impromptu delays to happen.

Cheng family was panicked and afraid. Everyone was too busy that their feet seldom stopped running. Fortunately, the Crown Prince’s wedding was a state ceremony, so the palace sent a group of people to the bride’s house to help arrange for the wedding. Every job had specialists, and no one was better than the palace when it came to preparing a grand event. Cheng family simply had to listen to the instructions from the Imperial Household Department and followed whatever the female officials told them to do, and the wedding preparation finally went on without a hitch.

On the day of the wedding, Cheng Yujin was woken up before dawn. In fact, everyone in the manor had to wake up before the sun rose today. Not only Cheng Yujin’s Jinning Courtyard, but also Old Madam Cheng’s Shou’an Hall and other family members’ residences, all were bright with lights on.

Cheng Yujin first took a bath and lit on incenses before getting dressed in inner clothes. She then put on a ceremonial yanju dress¹ with a long red shirt. Afterward, she went with Cheng Yuanxian and Qingfu Junzhu to Cheng family’s ancestral hall for ceremonial worship and wine-offering. This ritual was to inform the ancestors of the Cheng family that one of their descendants had been chosen as the Crown Princess and was about to enter the palace today.

After listening to a long blessing speech, Cheng Yujin bowed deeply and bid farewell to her natal family’s ancestors.

The spirit tablet placed on the outermost belonged to Old Master Cheng.

More than one year ago, when Cheng Yuanjing had just returned from his outside post, he quickly went into the ill Old Master Cheng’s room, still with frost and snow on his body. Not long after, Cheng Yujin also ran in, and the difference of two lifetimes began from here.

Old Master Cheng’s dying wish was fulfilled before his death, and he was able to close his eyes in peace. However, he probably never imagined that the little girl who came behind Cheng Yuanjing that day would eventually follow the same man out of Cheng family house merely one year later.

After returning from the ancestral hall, Cheng Yuanxian and Qingfu Junzhu sat in the main hall. Under female officials’ guidance, Cheng Yujin made four full formal bows towards the couple. Cheng Yuanxian looked at the daughter who was not his but had brought him glory and honor he could never think of.

Cheng Yuanxian was full of emotion. He was originally worried that no one was taking care of him after his father’s death. What would happen with his marquis title? However, Cheng Yuanxian didn’t expect the title to fall on his lap so easily without even needed to move a finger.

After all, he was the Crown Princess’s father, and there was no way he could stay as a mere shizi. Later, how should the people in the Office of History write about the Crown Prince’s marriage if the Crown Princess’ status was not high enough?

There was no need for Li Chengjing to make any order, because the people below had hurriedly prepared the documents formalizing Cheng Yuanxian’s succession as Marquis Yichun. Cheng Yuanxian didn’t even need to worry about the procedures when he was suddenly titled marquis. It was truly ‘winning without doing nothing.’

In the past, Qingfu Junzhu always used this fact to nitpick him. But at this moment at Cheng Yujin’s wedding, Cheng Yuanxian felt that his life was really good.

In the first half of his life, there was a father who took care of him, and in the second half of his life, there was a daughter who brought him honor and glory.

Cheng Yuanxian cleared his throat. He tried his best to show a solemn appearance and said: “You are marrying into the Imperial Family. Be diligent and cautious in your conducts, and never forget filial piety.”

Cheng Yujin responded: “Daughter understands. Thank you for father’s teaching.”

She then walked to Qingfu Junzhu, who said to her: “Remember your father’s words and teaching.”

“Yes. Thank you, mother.”

Cheng Yujin’s schedule was very tight. Every single minute of her time was scheduled today. Cheng Yuanxian and Qingfu Junzhu didn’t dare to delay, so they hurriedly released Cheng Yujin to go to the next step.

Qingfu Junzhu watched Cheng Yujin walked out of the main door. The train of her long red robe was running on the threshold like flowing water. Qingfu Junzhu sighed silently. No matter how reluctant she was, she still had to admit that the fate of her future, Cheng Ebao’s future, and even the entire Cheng family’s future, was now pinned on the girl in front of her.

Cheng Yujin blatantly expressed her indifference towards her natal family. Last time, Qingfu Junzhu and Cheng Yujin had basically torn their faces apart. But even so, she still had to please Cheng Yujin.

Next, Cheng Yujin went to Old Madam Cheng’s residence to receive her words. When a bride gets married, the elders in the family must give her parting words that warn the bride about how to behave in her husband’s house. However, the ones who qualified to advise the new bride were her immediate elders only. In other words, uncles and aunts such as Cheng Yuanhan and Ruan-shi were not qualified.

Even though they were Cheng Yujin’s biological parents.

Wants more chapters?

Click this page for the status of sponsored chapters.

Click this page for advanced chapters TOC.

1. Yan means swallow. Animal motifs for women in ancient China are mostly birds, with Phoenix as the highest and reserved for imperial women only.