That night, neither Jiang Mian nor Jiang Zhiqing could fall asleep.
When they turned over and saw a pair of bright eyes in the darkness, mother and daughter burst out laughing in unison.
“Why isn't Mujuan asleep yet?” Jiang Zhiqing asked.
“And why aren't you asleep, Mother?” Jiang Mian replied with a smile.
“After all, this is the most important event in life. Just thinking about it makes my heart pound, and I just can't fall asleep,” Jiang Zhiqing said. “Scenes of my time with your father in the Li Mansion keep flashing through my mind. I feel...”
She paused. “It's like I'm in a dream.”
Jiang Mian took her mother's hand and squeezed it tightly. “It's not a dream, Mother. You're really going to marry Father. You'll be the wife of the head of the Li family, the mistress of the Li Mansion. You're not a concubine or that helpless maid from before.”
Jiang Zhiqing let out a deep sigh and gently stroked Jiang Mian's cheek.
“However, all this has come at the cost of so much blood and tears. Our family of three was torn apart by fate for so many years.”
“After endless mountains and rivers that leave doubt whether there is a path out, suddenly one encounters willows and flowers in bloom. Mother, you must believe that after the darkest hour comes the dawn. Our happy days are yet to come.”
Jiang Zhiqing just smiled.
Really?
However, she still felt a sense of unease in her heart. Maybe it was because her husband had been so kind to her and given her so much. She always feared that one day it would all be taken away by fate.
But she didn't want to share these worries with Jiang Mian. Tomorrow was her big day with her husband. It was enough for only her to be scared.
Jiang Zhiqing changed the subject. Remembering how Xiao Jingcheng had insisted on getting in the carriage with Jiang Mian today, she asked, “Mujuan, you'll be the legitimate daughter of the Li family from now on. Have you thought about what kind of husband you'd like to marry?”
Jiang Mian curled her fingers. She always felt that there was something hidden in her mother's gaze. She subconsciously avoided it and murmured, “I haven't thought about it yet.”
After a pause, she added, “I hope he'll be someone who can make his own decisions about his marriage and won't let me be wronged.”
Jiang Zhiqing pinched her nose with a smile and said, “With your father around, who would dare to wrong you? Besides, with your stubborn personality, I'm worried that you'll bully him.”
Jiang Mian rubbed her sore nose and complained, “They say that a mother - in - law always thinks highly of her son - in - law. I haven't even gotten married yet, and you're already taking his side. I'm not convinced...”
Mother and daughter were joking around, chatting non - stop as if they never got tired.
The maids and old women guarding outside the door heard the laughter from inside. They seemed to be infected by the upcoming joy and also wore smiles on their faces.
At dawn, the roosters crowed three times, and the villa became bustling. An old woman knocked on the door and led in a matchmaker and a wedding maid specially invited to do Jiang Zhiqing's makeup.
In the yard, some were boiling water while others were killing chickens. Everyone was busy.
Everything was just like a young girl's first wedding: threading the eyebrows, doing the makeup, putting on the clothes...
In the mirror, Jiang Zhiqing's face was adorned with the most gorgeous Flying - Swan makeup by the best makeup artist in Luozhou City. The fiery red eyebrow decoration set off her eyes, making them look soft and amorous. A phoenix crown studded with 999 oriental pearls was placed neatly on top of her head.
Then, this beautiful bride was completely covered by the red bridal veil embroidered with the pattern of a dragon and a phoenix. She was waiting for her groom to admire her carefully under the lamp.
Just as the veil was put on, there came deafening sounds of gongs, drums and suonas from outside. The groom had come to fetch his bride.
Jiang Mian couldn't wait to run out of the door. There were many people from Luozhou who had come spontaneously to watch the wedding in the alley. But she almost immediately spotted her father.
Li Zhao was dressed in a bright red wedding robe with a big red flower on his chest. He looked twenty years younger, with a look of triumph on his face. He was extremely handsome.
Jiang Mian was a bit dazed. It seemed as if she saw the prestigious Li Shuzhong from twenty years ago.
People along the way happily congratulated Li Zhao. He returned the greetings with a bow, grabbed a handful of wedding candies and threw them into the air for everyone to scramble for.
Jiang Mian squeezed to the front. Just as the wedding procession passed by her, she excitedly jumped up and waved, shouting, “Happy wedding, Father and Mother! May you stay together for a hundred years!”
Li Zhao looked at her. His smile became even softer. He bent down, cupped Jiang Mian's face with his big hands and rubbed it gently. Then he grabbed some candies and stuffed them into her hand.
“Father has received Mujuan's blessing. Father is bribing you now. You have to help Father get your mother back quickly.”
Jiang Mian unwrapped a candy and put it in her mouth. The sweet taste filled her tongue. She smiled with her eyes curving into crescent moons. Then she turned around and pushed through the crowd and ran away.
With Jiang Mian as this “little traitor”, the wedding procession easily knocked open the door of the villa, then broke into the main house without any difficulty, found the carefully hidden embroidered shoes, and knelt on one knee to put them on for Jiang Zhiqing.
The hired wedding helper played the role of the bride's elder brother. Amid the cheers of the crowd, he carried Jiang Zhiqing out of the door and onto the bridal sedan chair.
“Lift the sedan chair—”
At the high - pitched call of the wedding maid, Li Zhao mounted his maroon horse again. Happily, he led the heavy bridal sedan chair behind him. Crossing the long river of time, he led his bride step by step towards the main gate of the Li Mansion.
In just five days, the news that there was still a descendant of the Li family and that a wedding would be held in the Li Mansion had spread throughout Luozhou City.
The wedding procession was not supposed to retrace its steps and had to take a detour. So more and more people came to watch on the way, and the road became more and more bustling.
“It's the Li Mansion's wedding! Great! The Li Mansion is finally bustling again!”
“I heard that the bride is the woman that Master Li has been looking for for many years. It's so nice that true love has finally triumphed.”
The procession soon arrived at the Li Mansion. Li Zhao kicked the sedan chair and put the other end of the red silk into it. Jiang Zhiqing grabbed the other end of the red silk and slowly walked out of the sedan chair.
She couldn't see the road clearly and had to rely on Li Zhao's guidance, but she walked quite fast, showing that she trusted Li Zhao completely.
After stepping over the brazier, the groom and the bride officially entered the mansion.
Jiang Mian closely followed them and came to the front hall.
The hall was decorated with red ribbons, looking extremely festive. But on the table were the memorial tablets of Li Zhao's parents, the old lady and the old master of the Li family. A pair of dragon - and - phoenix candles were burning brightly on both sides.
The Li Mansion had opened its doors wide to welcome guests today, so the two sides of the front hall were crowded with people watching the wedding. Jiang Mian could hardly find a place to stand.
Finally standing still, she couldn't wait to look at the groom and the bride in the room.
The wedding official held the marriage certificate and passionately read it out in front of everyone. It was mostly about how Master Li and Miss Jiang were getting married, a perfect match, and were sure to grow old together.
Closing the marriage certificate, the wedding official sang with a smile, “Groom and bride, bow to Heaven and Earth—”
Just as Li Zhao and Jiang Zhiqing were about to bow towards the memorial tablets on the table, a shriller voice suddenly came from outside:
“His Majesty the Emperor has arrived—”
The Emperor?!
Jiang Mian was shocked. She suspected that she had misheard. She suddenly turned around. Xiao Tianchi, wearing a black robe embroidered with golden dragons and a golden crown, was walking towards them from afar.