Following the emcee's resounding announcement of "Escort the newlyweds into the bridal chamber!", Li Wanming grabbed the red silk, with the groom trailing behind, and swaggered into the bridal chamber.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of her eldest sister, Li Wanxin, dabbing at her tears, and Pei Yanqi, her now-ex-boyfriend, who had been held back by Spring Peach.
Pei Yanqi was hopping up and down in a fit of rage, shouting, "You're faithless, fickle, and unethical! You have no moral principles!"
Li Wanming replied, "If you keep yelling, I'll return the betrothal money!"
Instantly, there was silence behind her.
The bridal chamber had just been decorated that morning and was rather simple. Inside, there was only a pair of red candles and two large red curtains.
Li Wanming said, "It was all rather hasty, and I didn't have time to prepare properly. Please forgive the simplicity."
The groom smiled and replied, "My lady, you're being too polite. I actually find it rather quaint and elegant. It's quite nice."
Spring Peach sent Pei Yanqi away and entered the room with the lucky scale used to lift the bride's veil. She looked a bit confused and asked, "Miss, should I still lift the veil?"
Li Wanming glanced at the tall and handsome groom beside her and waved her hand, saying, "No need. I've already seen him. Why bother with such formalities?"
Then, she asked, "But what happened to you? I told you to grab the scholar in the lake-blue robe. How did you end up grabbing him?"
Spring Peach looked aggrieved and replied, "I did grab the one in the lucky-blue robe..."
Li Wanming stared at the large lucky character pattern on the indigo silk robe of the "groom" and fell into deep thought.
She had forgotten that Spring Peach was a maid from Fujian and had a strong accent...
"So, this must be a predestined marriage bestowed by heaven," the groom said nonchalantly. He gracefully took a seat on the stool, with a smile on his lips and a burning look in his eyes.
Li Wanming felt uncomfortable under his gaze and said, "Well, um... could you introduce yourself first?"
It would be a laughingstock if word got out that she was already in the bridal chamber but didn't even know her husband's name.
"My surname is Cheng, and my given name is Liqing. I'm from Langya County," the groom said leisurely.
"I grew up in a poor family and was in poor health. As soon as I arrived in the capital, I fell seriously ill, spent all my money, and missed the imperial examination. Fortunately, my lady took me in. Otherwise, I might have starved to death on the streets."
"Poor?" Li Wanming looked at his silk robe and asked in confusion, "But this robe looks very expensive..."
Cheng Liqing looked down and replied, "Oh, this... I picked it up."
"I saw people trying to catch a son-in-law under the imperial edict. In the chaos, a man's clothes were torn off, so I picked them up to wear... We shouldn't waste things."
Spring Peach got angry and said, "If you missed the exam, what were you doing under the imperial edict? You made me catch the wrong person and almost ruined the miss's big event..."
Cheng Liqing calmly replied, "I mainly wanted to soak up some good luck so that I could try again in three years."
Three years...
Li Wanming suddenly understood and said, "So, you were so eager to marry me today because you wanted to find a long-term meal ticket?"
"If my lady doesn't object..."
"Object my foot!"
Li Wanming said fiercely, "I told Pei Yanqi that we'd get divorced in ten days. It's the same for you! Three years? You're dreaming! Also, you won't get any pay for these ten days. I'll just provide you with meals! You said so yourself. You can't go back on your word!"
Cheng Liqing still smiled and said, "Ten days is fine too. It's better to be well-fed than to starve."
His good temper made Li Wanming feel embarrassed to get angry anymore. She thought for a while and decided that she had said everything that needed to be said. Then, she gave Spring Peach a few instructions. Spring Peach replied and turned to leave.
The gong and drum band outside had already dispersed, and the large courtyard suddenly fell silent. The only sounds were the occasional chirping of birds.
Li Wanming said, "Since there's nothing else, let's go to bed."
??
...Was this too sudden?
Cheng Liqing was stunned for a moment, but then he saw Li Wanming turn around and take out two quilts from the cabinet beside her. She spread them on the floor, tilted her chin at him, then took off her shoes and climbed onto the kang. She pulled the quilt over herself and lay down fully clothed.
Oh... They'd be sleeping separately.
But even sleeping separately, it was still too early, wasn't it?
It wasn't even the Hour of the Rooster yet.
Cheng Liqing looked at the still bright sky outside and asked, "Go to bed now?"
On the kang, Li Wanming had already lain down neatly and adjusted the edge of the quilt for herself. She replied, "Yes. Sleep while you can. Otherwise, you might not be able to sleep later."
Huh?
What did she mean?
What did she mean by "might not be able to sleep later"?
Just as Cheng Liqing was about to ask for clarification, he suddenly heard a commotion in the distance. It seemed like an old woman was crying and there were also the sounds of things being smashed.
A moment later, Spring Peach knocked on the door from outside and said, "Miss, the old madam knows."
Li Wanming sat up and asked, "Do I need to go over?"
Spring Peach replied, "No. The madam said that she and the general can handle it. She told the miss and the master to抓紧 time rest and build up their strength. There might be a tough battle tomorrow."
Li Wanming replied, "Got it."
Spring Peach left.
Cheng Liqing stood there for a while, but his curiosity got the better of him. He walked to the window and pressed his ear against the window lattice.
Now he could hear clearly.
"Vixen!" "Shameless!" "Seducing my granddaughter!" "Get that cheap man out of here!"...
A hoarse cry from an old woman came from the Li family mansion in the east.
...
"Sounds like your grandmother," he said, rubbing his nose and smiling awkwardly. "She doesn't seem to like me very much."
"It's okay," Li Wanming said. "She doesn't like me either."
After saying that, she turned over and lay down again, seemingly really planning to go to sleep.
Well, how could she sleep now?
It was obvious that there was going to be a big show in the Li family!
Cheng Liqing's curiosity had been piqued. He squatted beside the kang, grabbed the edge of the kang with both hands, and asked eagerly, "Why? Why doesn't your grandmother like you?"
Seeing that Li Wanming ignored him, he gently tugged at her quilt.
"My lady is beautiful and kind-hearted. If your grandmother doesn't like you, it must be your grandmother's problem."
"My lady, have you ever heard the saying, 'Know your enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles with no danger of defeat'? If there really is a tough battle tomorrow, I should at least know who my enemy is, right?"
"My lady, my lady? Alas, poor me. I've traveled thousands of miles to marry into your Li family alone. I'm far from home and all alone. If my lady doesn't help me, I'll really have no one to turn to."
"We're husband and wife. My lady, are you really heartless enough to let me go to my death without knowing why?"
Li Wanming opened her eyes, frowned, and said, "Although my grandmother isn't a very nice person, it's not that serious that it's like going to my death..."
Cheng Liqing rested his chin on one hand, his eyes shining brightly, and said, "Tell me more."
The setting sun slanted down, and the colorful rays of light shone through the window lattice and landed on his jade-carved face, highlighting two burgundy dimples. He looked like a piece of jade emitting a misty glow, making people feel dizzy.
Li Wanming sighed, sat up, and said, "You saw my eldest sister today, right?"
"Do you mean the sister who acted as my parents at the wedding?"
"Yes, that's right."
It seemed that she was reminded of the past, and her voice suddenly became a bit low.
"My father used to be a farmer in the capital. Twenty years ago, he went to Fujian to join the army and got married and had children there. My two younger sisters and I all grew up in Fujian."
"My eldest sister is the most beautiful and the gentlest. Our parents were always stationed in the military camp, so it was she who took care of my second sister and me. She cooked for us and washed our clothes. She raised us."
"As for my second sister, she has a quick temper and is very hot-tempered. She's liked to play with swords and guns since she was a child. However, although she's fierce, she's very good to us. Every time someone bullied us, she'd stand up for us."
"But everything changed after we returned to the capital."
Her eyes dimmed, as if she was being swallowed by boundless darkness.
"Two years ago, because my father had made great contributions to suppressing the bandits in Fujian, he was promoted to the rank of a fourth-rank general and was ordered to return to the capital."
"Although the fourth rank isn't a very high official position, my father was promoted from the sixth rank. In the eyes of outsiders, it was a great favor from the emperor. Our Li family suddenly became a new noble family in the capital."
"Grandmother was extremely happy. She had been a farmer all her life, and this was the first time she had become a noble lady of an official family. She was so happy that she almost fainted from all the attention."
"So, grandmother chose two families with the highest social status and the most generous betrothal gifts from among the families that came to propose marriage and married off my two sisters."
"One was the son of the director of the Imperial Academy, and the other was the illegitimate son of an earl's mansion."
Hearing this, Cheng Liqing already sensed something was wrong. Li Wanming's voice was full of sadness, mockery, and a hint of uncontrollable anger. There was not a trace of joy at her sisters' weddings.