When Wen Mingyu went back to school, he was surprised to find himself blocked and bombarded with questions. Facts proved how strong people’s curiosity was, and they hated not being able to witness the entire process of Wen Mingyu facing the emperor.
But there was no way to tell the truth at all, so Wen Mingyu could only make up a vague and perfunctory answer. He was so nervous, pretending to be calm and making up lies, that his back was sweating.
Ye Xu couldn’t help but ask, “You went and talked to the emperor, aren’t you afraid? After all, there are… rumors like that. When His Majesty arrived yesterday, I was scared silly and dazedly saluted. My brain couldn’t function at all, so I was only able to act on instinct.”
“I thought it was an exaggeration when I first heard about it. You really had to be there to understand the feeling. It’s hard to describe, but there was this kind of awe that made people dare not look up, and the pressure was too strong. You can still communicate normally in front of the emperor; that’s really incredible. If it were me, I definitely couldn’t utter a word.”
Everyone nodded repeatedly, obviously frightened by the unexpected appearance of the emperor yesterday. The atmosphere made them afraid to breathe. At this moment, they admired Wen Mingyu’s courage and bravery.
Wen Mingyu looked at them, saying one thing from another, putting Mu Zhan in a terrible light. He couldn’t help but fight for him. “The emperor is actually very kind and has a gentle temperament.”
In an instant, the others turned and stared at him in disbelief, as if his brain were broken.
Gentle temperament? Were all the rumors that terrified people to death false?
And the words and actions of His Majesty, no matter what angle you look at it, was not from a kind person?
Wen Mingyu continued, “Yesterday was a special situation, ah. It is only natural to be angry given the gravity of the situation. It shows that the emperor attaches great importance to our school.”
Ye Xu and the others thought this made sense.
Wen Mingyu added, “His Majesty helped me a lot and gave me justice, and then reminded me that I should not take things to heart and not cause myself discomfort over a bad person.”
In this way, Ye Xu and the others felt that His Majesty was a kind person. After all, seeing was believing, and hearing was deceptive. Rumors certainly have their exaggerated elements. Compared to those, seeing what the emperor’s actions were first hand was more credible, wasn’t it? Could it be that… that the emperor was, beneath his cold exterior, a warm-hearted, reserved and gentle person?
Anyway, the emperor took this issue very seriously, did not let Wen MIngyu be wronged, and punished and disposed of the disgusting Cai Xinhan. The opinions of many Imperials on the emperor have undergone a good transformation.
After the matter of the discussion passed, daily life returned to calm. Wen Mingyu continued to travel back and forth between Imperial College and the palace as usual.
Day by day, time seemed to go by slowly at first, but it also seemed to pass quickly. In the blink of an eye, more than three months had passed.
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Even though the Ministry of Rites was in charge of everything, the closer the big day, the more things Wen Mingyu had to be involved in.
As it drew near, Wen Mingyu went to Imperial College for class and during break, his classmates were discussing this event.
This was a great joy, celebrated by the whole country.
But for the public, the reason for that joy was also quite straightforward.
“Having a three-day vacation is great!”
The teenagers were already talking about their holiday plans with much excitement.
As Wen Mingyu listened, his calves were already weak. According to the etiquette rules, the emperor’s wedding was celebrated for three days without going to court or handling state affairs. As for what kinds of sweet and juicy three days that would be, one could only imagine.
On the matter of the emperor and empress’s wedding, Chu Shuli suddenly remembered something. “Speaking of which, grand weddings are hard to come by, and we’re fortunate to have it this time. In the past dynasties, only three emperors had grand weddings, while the other emperors had already married their wives during their time as crown princes, so there was only a coronation ceremony.”
“That’s what they say, but we can’t see it either. Weddings are all held in the palace; other officials who are far away can’t see much, and only ministers above the fourth rank can see it.”
“That’s true. And the empress’s family treated him very badly, and with the strained relationship, there’s no more ten miles ofred makeup, no more riding out of the mansion in a phoenix carriage, and no more entering the palace under the accompaniment of drums and ceremonial rites.”
“From palace to palace, which empress can receive such treatment? Just looking at the wedding preparations, you can see how much the emperor cherishes the empress. It really makes people curious; what does the empress look like? He must have the demeanor of a fairy.”
Wen Mingyu sheepishly touched his nose, remaining silent.
Finally, it was the day of the wedding.
It was a carefully chosen auspicious day; the weather was nice, with clear blue skies that couldn’t be blended with any more effort, perfect beyond reproach.
As soon as daylight arrived, everyone was already occupied. The Imperial Equipage Department set up the carriage; the music department had the music ready outside Taiji Hall, while Honglu Temple prepared the ceremonial hall. All decorations inside the Imperial Palace had already been arranged by thousands of palace servants, exuding the ultimate in opulence and beauty, capturing the essence of the royal elegance and luxury.
Wen Mingyu and Mu Zhan went to bed separately according to the rules the night before. Early in the morning, the servants had already taken care of them, getting them ready, washing up, bathing, and changing clothes.
The wedding gown, with its numerous layers, was too heavy and complicated for one person to wear alone. A number of servants came together to assist Wen MIngyu in putting it on. They expertly and meticulously organized and smoothed his hair out.
After his soft and smooth pitch-black hair was combed, he wore a gorgeous jade crown. Wen Mingyu sat upright, with the layers of his dress neatly spread out by his legs, and then set against his today’s makeup, he was just like a blooming flower, radiant and beautiful.
Before the wedding day, neither Wen Mingyu nor Mu Zhan met in person.
Until they arrived at the front of Taiji Hall in a step carriage. There were on the left and right sides, respectively, with the long staircase as the center. If viewed from above, it perfectly captured the beauty of symmetry.
Then they were assisted by the courtiers to disembark from the step carriage.
Step by step towards each other, moving closer and closer.
The other person’s face likewise started to become clearer. He wore a similar eye-catching wedding dress with gold-threaded dragon embroidery, highlighting the rosy tone of his face. The moment he met his eyes on it, he unconsciously curled his lips and smiled.
Even though he had tried on the wedding dress before, today was the big day. It felt completely different. Words couldn’t explain it, but it felt like a hot spring inside his chest, bubbling and ready to erupt at any moment.
Side by side, they ascend the stone steps together, rising steadily, implying happiness.
Behind him, the red dress with a trailing tail was dragged to the ground, rising up the stairs and forming layers of waves.
Not long after, they stood in front of Taiji Hall.
The process was carried out one by one until the ceremonial officials began to chant and sing.
“First bow—to Heaven and Earth.”
They turned around together, faced the lengthy stone steps, and bowed towards the sky.
“Second bow—to the ancestors.”
Because they were all considered parentless, they were bending over in the direction of their ancestors.
“Third bow—towards each other.”
Once more, they turned around and finally met face-to-face. Their gaze locked, with an undisguised smile in their eyes. Raising their hands flat in front of their chests, they then leaned down to pay their respects towards each other.
This was his most serious worship ever.
Slowly bending down, then standing up slowly.
Everything seemed to be contained in this action.
“The ceremony is complete.”
“Reporting the success of this ceremony, attendants left and right rejoiced and danced with delight.”
“The gathered officials bowed their heads, wishing the emperor ten thousand years of life!”
Drums and music played, and all the people were happy together.
At the bottom of the steps of Taiji Hall, a group of courtiers ambled to the ground and saluted, offering sincere congratulations to the honored Emperor and Empress.
The grand wedding ceremony, which lasted all day, concluded with the bridal chamber ceremony.
ChiFu: I actually don’t know if they know that the empress is a man yiyi since he/she sounds the same in chinese, they may think it’s a girl. I don’t remember author saying it, so let’s just keep it that way ~
Congratulations to the dragon and jade cub! happy wedding life ~
This is overdue, but thank you for the kofi, kofi supporter, Chibidere, and Cinnaspice! ChiFu appreciates it ~