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Auspicious Time is approaching, and the palace gates are wide open. The wedding procession comes from within the palace, exiting the gates and heading straight to the Marquisate alongside the Queen's honor guard.
Leading the way is Master Wen, with everyone in the residence kneeling at the entrance to welcome them. After the summons, Qing Wu kneels to receive the Golden Edict Golden Treasure. As soon as Auspicious Time arrives, she is escorted onto the phoenix sedan chair by the wedding officials, eunuchs, and guards, making their way to Ningyi Palace to pay their respects.
After a tiring morning, Qing Wu is unsure of how she feels. Surrounded by the lively sounds of celebration, her thoughts seem to drift away, detached from the joyous festivities around her, feeling quite unreal.
She bids farewell to everything related to the Marquisate.
Entering the imperial palace, she is no longer the girl who thought she was beside her mother; she has become a wife.
A sense of sadness and unease fills her heart. Looking down at the red carpet beneath her feet, her heart feels restless.
At that moment, a familiar voice reaches her from not far away.
Through the veil of her bright red bridal canopy, she catches sight of a pair of brocade boots at the edge of her vision.
"Don't be afraid. I'm here." It seems he senses her nervousness and unease, and he suddenly says this.
Amidst the sounds of joy, his words are inaudible to others but are enough to drift into her ears.
In that instant, Qing Wu nearly sheds tears. For the time that has already passed, for not being able to fulfill her filial duties beside her grandfather and parents.
Just moments before leaving the Marquisate, she had maintained her composure and tranquility.
Typically, when a daughter from an ordinary family gets married, she would cry as she bids farewell to her parents and be carried by her brother step by step into the sedan chair.
But she cannot do that.
She is His Majesty's Queen, the mother of the nation. She is to become a model among women, someone who pays attention to her demeanor and grace. How could she cry like an ordinary girl?
She can only keep all her thoughts bottled up inside.
But at this moment, hearing the gentle comfort from this young man who is her husband, her heart finally found its peace.
Yes. With him by her side from now on, what is there to worry about?
Gradually relaxing, Qing Wu steadied herself and nodded gently.
After properly paying her respects, Qing Wu sat down in the Joy Room.
Noble ladies entered this room, chatting and laughing from time to time.
Qing Wu could vaguely recognize one or two of their voices, but beyond that, she could not. She could only lower her head slightly, looking at the golden phoenix embroidered on her bright red wedding gown and then at the exquisite patterns on the red brocade quilt, trying to steady her emotions as she waited anxiously.
She did not know how long it had been; it seemed her legs were starting to feel numb when she finally heard a familiar light laugh beside her. Immediately, the tension on her head eased a bit, and her vision brightened considerably.
She slowly raised her head and saw Huo Yun'ai smiling at her.
On ordinary days, his smile is reserved and subtle. But at this moment, his joy was unmasked, lighting up his brows and eyes with evident happiness.
Seeing him, the unsettled heart she had just moments ago finally calmed down.
Qing Wu couldn't help but smile slightly.
The ladies beside them laughed together, all bowing to Emperor Queen and offering auspicious words before stepping back.
The table in the room was already set with food.
Two Shang Gong Mamas from the Department of Rites entered the room, personally pouring wine and setting out bowls and chopsticks.
Once they retreated to the window, Huo Yun'ai reached out to hold Qing Wu's hand and walked alongside her to the table. They each took a seat on opposite sides.
Qing Wu looked at the wine with difficulty, knowing she had no choice but to drink. She raised her cup, adopting a resolute demeanor, and looked firmly at Huo Yun'ai.
Seeing her like this, Huo Yun'ai couldn't help but smile and whispered, "Just relax."
At his words, Qing Wu was taken aback. She brought the cup to her nose and sniffed it carefully, but there was hardly any scent of alcohol.
Huo Yun'ai smiled as he pulled her arm closer, intertwining with hers, signaling her to drink quickly.
Looking at the contents of her cup, Qing Wu felt a sinking feeling in her heart. However, she didn't show it on her face; instead, she smiled charmingly and drank the wine together with him.
The liquid touched her lips.
She took out a handkerchief to wipe it away but was stopped by him who held her wrist firmly.
Before she could react, the young man leaned in and gently kissed her lips, consuming all of that liquid.
He initially intended to keep it light, but upon touching her sweet fragrance, he found it hard to resist. He cupped her delicate chin with one hand and deepened the kiss. It wasn't until Qing Wu struggled to breathe and nearly fainted that they finally parted.
The two mamas by the window kept their heads down, observing quietly.
Meanwhile, Qing Wu was blushing deeply, her face flushed to the extreme.
Looking at his lips, which were smeared with her lipstick, she hurriedly took a handkerchief to wipe them. Not wanting to complain about him in front of the maids, she could only glare at him in frustration.
Huo Yun'ai found her bright and bashful appearance quite charming. However, he knew he couldn't linger any longer, so he leaned closer to her ear and softly said, "I'll be back after dinner." After a pause, he added, "Take care of yourself."
With that, he placed a kiss on her forehead and turned to leave.
Once the palace doors closed, Qing Wu's smile, which had been lingering at the corners of her lips, gradually faded.
When the maids from the Department of Rites helped her change clothes, Qing Wu casually asked, "I wonder who has come to today's banquet in the palace?"
In front of Huo Yun'ai, she was shy like a daughter, but in front of the maids, she returned to her usual aloof demeanor when managing the inner palace.
The maids were those she had personally promoted and were quite close to her.
Upon hearing Qing Wu's question, one of them replied, "All officials of third rank and above have brought their families along, as well as various members of noble houses."
Another maid noticed that Qing Wu's expression still showed concern and added, "Zhu Ge Lao, the Imperial Teacher, and Lord Bian have also come."
Qing Wu had already known it would be this way. But upon confirmation, instead of feeling relieved, she became even more anxious.
She clutched the hem of her garment and discreetly took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. Once she appeared composed enough, she nodded to the maids and signaled for them to call Azalea.
Dou Mama needed to oversee various matters and was not called by Qing Wu; instead, she asked Azalea, "Is there anything unusual outside?"
Azalea had been standing by the door and had no idea what was happening outside. She quickly went to find Li Zi and returned to explain everything in detail to Qing Wu.
Li Zi's eyes flickered as she spoke evasively.
After exchanging a few sharp words with him, Qing Wu, feeling impatient with the roundabout conversation, asked straightforwardly, "Was anyone difficult with the Emperor at the banquet?"
The Emperor is of the highest status; who would dare to trouble him? They must be seeking death!
As soon as Qing Wu said this, Azalea and the maids all felt a rush of panic, fearing that if the Empress made a mistake in her words, this highly favored Eunuch Yu standing before His Majesty might hear it. They hurriedly tried to step forward to dissuade her.
However, before they could act, Li Zi sighed and said with some difficulty, "Your Majesty, this is putting me in a tough spot."
Qing Wu remained composed, sitting at the table with a calm expression, her eyes fixed intently on Li Zi.
After pondering for a moment, Li Zi finally spoke up: "Lord Bian came and has been urging His Majesty to drink. No matter how much His Majesty drinks, it is never enough for him; he keeps insisting. Zhu Ge Lao and Zheng Daren are also there encouraging him to drink. His Majesty seems to be annoyed. He must be holding back because it's the Grand Wedding and hasn't lost his temper."
Upon hearing this, Qing Wu's hands clenched tightly on her lap.
Earlier, when she was drinking Heqin Wine, she sensed something was off.
Even though she easily got drunk and even though Huo Yun'ai cared for her deeply, he shouldn't have done that.
She knew that Huo Yun'ai respected her greatly and valued their Grand Wedding, paying attention to etiquette. Otherwise, given their years of close companionship, if he truly wanted her and forced himself upon her, she would have no way to resist.
Yet he preferred to hold back and endured for so many years. The reason was that he wanted to act after the Grand Wedding.
But today, during such an important event like the Grand Wedding where Heqin Wine was served, he actually didn't let her drink real wine. It was clear that he had his concerns.
What could they be?
She thought long and hard but couldn't figure it out. Later, when she saw that as the palace doors were about to close, the two guards stationed by the door were Mu Hai and Meng Liang, she suddenly understood.
Tonight, there might be an unexpected turn of events.
He was worried that something might happen to her, so he didn't dare to let her get drunk. Once she was intoxicated, if any sudden situation arose, it would surely be difficult to handle.
After realizing this, Qing Wu hurriedly urged Li Zi to return quickly and stay close to Huo Yun'ai. He instructed, "If anything seems off, find a way to let me know." After thinking for a moment, he still felt uneasy. He added, "Take Mu Hai with you; Meng Liang can stay behind."
Li Zi understood from Qing Wu's words that Qing Wu had vaguely guessed something.
He had previously discussed with Uncle Yu that the princess was wise and it would be hard to keep things from her. Just now, he had sensed the tense atmosphere, so he no longer tried to hide it. He said, "Your Majesty has asked Mu Hai to stay. Don't worry, we have plenty of people; we won't miss Master Mu."
Although Li Zi tried to keep his tone light, Qing Wu knew him well enough to realize he was doing it on purpose.
Thinking further, if something were to happen to her, Huo Yun'ai would likely become flustered; it would be better to ensure her own safety first. So she decided not to insist on sending Mu Hai over and nodded for Li Zi to go ahead.
After Li Zi left, Qing Wu turned to Azalea and said, "Do you remember where I put my new riding outfit? Bring it to me; I need to change."
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