Two months later.
The capital city was much livelier than usual today. Many people who would normally be working at home had flocked to the streets early to watch the excitement.
Meanwhile, the Sixth Prince's Mansion was decorated with lanterns and streamers, exuding an atmosphere of festivity. The servants all wore happy smiles on their faces.
In fact, it was impossible for them not to be happy. Today was their master's wedding day. Everyone knew that the Sixth Prince was the most beloved son of the current emperor. Although he had been enfeoffed as a prince and seemed to have no chance of vying for the supreme throne, who could really tell what the final outcome would be? Maybe the emperor would suddenly decide to pass on the throne to the Sixth Prince!
Therefore, the Sixth Prince, who only had the possibility of rising to a higher position and showed no sign of decline, was now the target of flattery and toadying from officials of all ranks in the capital.
In the courtyard where Du Guqing slept in the Sixth Prince's Mansion, red silk could be seen everywhere, constantly reminding him that today was a day for celebration.
However, Du Guqing, sitting upright on the red - wooden chair, was sipping the fragrant tea calmly. His pale and sickly face showed no emotion. His deep black eyes still made people involuntarily fall into a trance. A hint of displeasure and well - hidden longing flashed across the bottom of his eyes.
"Your Highness, it's almost time. Please change into your wedding clothes first," Han Chao said, looking at Du Guqing, who still sat motionless, with some embarrassment. His master had been sitting there since last night. At first, he didn't move at all, but now he just drank tea.
Han Chao couldn't help but feel anxious. Today was the Sixth Prince's wedding day, and the bride was the eldest legitimate daughter of the Minister of Rites, bestowed by the emperor. She couldn't be slighted. But seeing that the bride's sedan chair was about to arrive, the prince didn't seem to have any intention of leaving the chair.
Han Chao couldn't help but wonder if Du Guqing was going to reject the marriage.
For a long time, Du Guqing remained motionless. As the noise outside the mansion grew louder, Han Chao frowned tightly.
Just when he thought Du Guqing had turned to stone, Du Guqing finally put down the jade porcelain cup in his hand and stood up.
"Change my clothes for me," Du Guqing's voice was mellow, like sweet spring water that could quench people's thirst, quite different from his weak appearance in public.
Seeing Du Guqing stand up, Han Chao let out a sigh of relief. It seemed that the prince wasn't that muddle - headed.
"Yes, Your Highness." Du Guqing just asked Han Chao to take off his original outer robe and put on the bright red outer robe of the groom. His long black hair was tied up with a white jade crown at the back of his head. His eyes, which should have been radiant, gradually lost their luster after he changed into the wedding clothes. Maybe because he hadn't slept all night, there were faint dark circles under his eyes. He looked exhausted, and with his pale face, he looked more like a person who had been ill for a long time.
Normally, the groom should go to the bride's mansion to pick her up. But everyone knew that the Sixth Prince had been in poor health since childhood and was not suitable for such a tiring journey. So the emperor sent someone to do this on his behalf. Otherwise, Du Guqing wouldn't be sitting here melancholy at this time.
"Your Highness, the bride is almost at the mansion gate. Are you ready?" The person reporting outside the door was a trusted servant of Concubine Qin. He was sent here in case something went wrong with Du Guqing so that he could tell Concubine Qin immediately and she could come up with a countermeasure.
"Got it. The prince will go out right away." After answering on behalf of Du Guqing, Han Chao supported his hand and followed him out of the room to the mansion gate to welcome the bride.
The gate of the Sixth Prince's Mansion was already crowded with onlookers. Everyone was looking curiously in the direction of the mansion gate. Although everyone had heard that the Sixth Prince was a sickly person since childhood, few had actually seen his true appearance. With such curiosity, they all widened their eyes.
Du Guqing, supported by Han Chao, slowly walked out of the mansion gate. The people who finally got to see Du Guqing's true face began to whisper among themselves.
"Who would have thought the Sixth Prince is so good - looking! Although his face is a bit pale, he's much better than that sickly guy next door to my house!"
"Can we just compare the prince with ordinary people? Keep your voice down. If someone hears you, you'll lose your head!"
"Hehe, let's just watch the fun. I wonder what the princess looks like. Marrying such a sickly prince, who knows if it's a good or bad thing..." After the man gave a forced smile, his attention was attracted by the bridal procession that was gradually approaching.
"Come on, stop talking so much."
Looking at the approaching sedan chair, Du Guqing's eyes became a bit dazed. Unconsciously, he thought of that cute figure in his mind. If the person in the sedan chair was her... Maybe his mood would be completely different.
However... The tightly pursed corners of his mouth gently curved into a beautiful smile. He took out the oath he had made long ago in his heart again. In this life, he would never let her escape from his grasp!
"Dad, are you saying that the wedding we're going to attend is that of the prince who has been sick since childhood?" Mei Qingxue, after a meticulous dressing - up, was like a blooming peony, exuding an air of pride while still maintaining the charm of a delicate flower.
Previously, "Bihai Pavilion" had received the news that the Sixth Prince, the first prince to be enfeoffed in the current dynasty, was going to get married today. She had no interaction with this Sixth Prince, so she didn't pay much attention to this news. She just didn't expect that her father, the prime minister, would take the whole family to attend the wedding of this sickly prince.
She couldn't help but think about her memory of this sickly prince. He had been in poor health since childhood, so weak that a gust of wind might blow him over a few mountains. And today, he was actually getting married. She wondered how he would handle things on the wedding night with his bride.
"Xue'er, don't be rude," Mei Haoxuan said. Since he didn't need to be on duty today, he had returned to the mansion early to go with them.
He had studied with Du Guqing in the same academy since childhood. At first, he had looked down on this sickly guy, but after getting along with him for a long time, he found that Du Guqing was actually a very talented person. It was just that God was unfair and gave him such a weak body, preventing him from being like other princes.
Mei Qingxue didn't know that her brother had a good relationship with this sickly prince. She stuck out her tongue, stepped forward to hold Mei Haoxuan's arm coquettishly and said, "Xue'er knows. It's not the Sixth Prince's fault that he's in poor health. Xue'er shouldn't have laughed at him like that." Since she started her own business, she had had less time to be with her brother. Now, looking closely, she found that her brother seemed to have grown taller and more handsome.
"Actually, for someone like him, being able to stay out of many things might not be a bad thing," said Lord Mei, who had been walking in front. His words made Mei Qingxue and Mei Haoxuan raise their eyebrows curiously. They thought their father had been concentrating on walking, but it seemed he had heard their conversation.
Thinking about it, what her father said was right. Now, the emperor's attitude towards any prince was unpredictable. No one knew who would eventually get the throne. A sickly person like the Sixth Prince should have no intention of vying for the position. That was probably why most of the competing princes didn't regard him as a competitor.
However, it was also hard to say... Forget it. Why think so much? She was just going to attend his wedding. They were two people with no interaction at all.
There were many people coming to the Sixth Prince's Mansion to offer their congratulations today. The Mei family was among the later arrivals. They almost couldn't find a place to park their carriage.
"The Sixth Prince's health is really too poor. He fainted just before the wedding ceremony. What a mess," Mei Qingxue and her family were following the servants of the mansion to the place where the guests were entertained. Just halfway there, several people walking in the same direction as them began to whisper.
Out of curiosity about the protagonist of the night, Mei Qingxue pricked up her ears and listened attentively, but still looked well - behaved on the surface.
"Really? Is his health that bad? Then won't the Sixth Princess have to live like a widow in the future? I wonder what the Minister of Rites was thinking when he agreed to marry his eldest daughter to a sickly guy," said a plump and rather short woman in gorgeous clothes. As she said this, she disdainfully curled her lips, which were painted like sausages. Fortunately, her husband hadn't agreed to let their daughter marry this sickly prince as a concubine. Otherwise, her daughter's life would have been ruined.
"Yes, I came earlier than you and saw the whole process. Oh, you don't know how scary pale his face was!" said a petite woman who had been walking slightly behind the plump and short woman. Her eyes were wide open, as if seeing the Sixth Prince faint was a terrifying thing.
Actually, many people walking beside them heard their words. Everyone pretended not to hear, but secretly, like Mei Qingxue, they were all eavesdropping.
When they reached the inner courtyard, Mei Qingxue and her family had to separate from Lord Mei. The places for male and female guests were different.
"Xue'er, never gossip like those people just now. Do you understand?" When Mei Qingxue and her mother walked to a less crowded place, Mrs. Mei whispered to her.
"Yes, Xue'er understands." She would never gossip in public! She would only daydream about those whose secrets had been dug out by "Bihai Pavilion" when she got the latest news collected by it!