Chapter 193: Parting (Part 1)
“Here to marry you. Shen Jiao Jiao.”
His tone of voice was careless but his hand gesture of reaching out was however serious. Such an arrogant, lawless and unbinding manner made others felt that everything seemed to have quieted down and this male’s appearance was deeply engrave o everyone’s heart, making it unforgettable.
Everyone was silent.
Shen Miao’s head was covered and could not see anything thus she could only hear the sound coming front in front of her. She instinctively looked up and in the next moment felt that her hand was being lifted up and something was worn around her fingers.
It was a slightly cool and soft feeling that made her somewhat stunned.
The people around however breath in a cold breath.
In all dynasties, Princes of the First Rank would have their own thumb rings and this thumb ring was not just an accessory as it was an important symbol of their identity. By using this thumb ring, one would be able to freely order one’s subordinate. Naturally no matter where the Imperial relatives went, everyone would recognize them and there was no need to use this thumb ring but one had never seen a Prince of First Rank giving his thumb ring to another.
What was gifted was not only a thumb ring. This meant that Prince Rui had given arbitrary power to Shen Miao to instruct his subordinates. Once Shen Miao had this thumb ring, there was no difference between facing her and Prince Rui.
This was giving up his power to another and the person who he gave to was a female.
One had seen others dote on their wives but one had never seen such doting. The young females surrounding were just too envious of it. Even though Prince Rui was wearing a mask, he was a noble and generous, thus there would be birds and bees flying around. Shen Miao was not a national beauty so she would be despised by Prince Rui very soon.
Who knew that the groom would directly slap their faces. In this world, it was most likely the first time one doted on one’s wife like this.
Why was it that it was the Fifth Young Shen Lady that had such fortune? One did not know what blessings had she cultivated in her past life.
However be it was unfortunate or blessings, everyone had not thought about Shen Miao’s experience in her past life.
Prince Rui placed the thumb ring onto Shen Miao hands and his thin lips hooked up before he leaned over slightly and kissed the back of Shen Miao’s hand.
The feeling was slightly numbing and naturally Shen Miao guessed what it was and could not help but redden her face. Fortunately there was a veil covering her head and others was unable to see her.
Prince Rui got up and Mei NiangZi quickly sang with a smile, “Bringing the betrothal gifts and the dowry is carried out.”
After all the dowries were moved, the mother had to personally feed rice dumplings to the bride.
The dumplings were made small sized and there was a mixture of peanuts, lotus seeds and sesame seeds as it has the meaning of giving birth early. Luo Xue Yan took the small spoon as Shen Miao slightly lifted the corner of the veil and swallowed the dumpling that Luo Xue Yan fed. Luo Xue Yan’s eyes were somewhat moist, “Jiao Jiao, after marrying, one must not take grievances.”
Shen Miao’s heart also moved, “I understand Mother.”
Shen Xin turned his back around and quietly wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes. He was a male and had led countless of generals and soldiers thus it was unspeakable for one to tear in front of others. However he was feeling very upset in his heart. Towards Shen Miao, Shen Xin always felt that he had owed her too much, especially after the conversation with Xie Jing Xing he only then knew that all along they thought that Shen Miao was raised in a warm nest but did not know that there were snakes, bugs, rats and ants in the nest. In those many moons, unknowingly she had grown up.
Before he had the chance to compensate or to do anything, Shen Miao had married off. From the crying baby to the little girl who started to talk to the current young lady who was wearing a wedding dress, Shen Xin felt a lot of emotions.
Shen Qiu walked over as the brothers’ of the bride had the responsibility to carry the bride up the wedding sedan.
Shen Miao lay on top of Shen Qiu’s back as Shen Qiu walked exceptionally slow. As he walked he said softly, “Younger Sister, you are too thin. The next time when I see you after you are married to Great Liang and you are thinner than today, I will get it even with Prince Rui.”
Shen Miao, “…”
“Quickly give birth to a niece for me. A nephew is also alright.” Shen Qiu’s voice was soft and silly, without any of the bravery and hot blood in the battlefield, “I will visit you.”
Shen Miao buried her head in Shen Qiu’s neck and spoke to him like when she was young, “You must.”
When Prince Rui, who was on the horse, saw this scene, his brows and heart jumped.
After Shen Qiu carried Shen Miao onto the wedding sedan, Mei NiangZi started singing.
“The grand events under Heavens is like the joy of marriage.
“天下之盛事，莫如婚嫁之喜。
The gentleman do not ask about saints. With a basket of food and a ladle to drink, one would not have worries and always have joy that there would not be any violation towards the groom in three months.
君不闻圣者，一箪食，一瓢饮，在陋巷，人不堪其忧，亦不改其乐，三月而不违仁乎郎君如是。
The Fifth Lady of the Shen family also have beauty. In the beginning NuWa (creator of humans in mythology) mend the skies with thousands of stones, the restoration did not stop there and continued in this graceful female.
呵美哉沈家五娘也。女娲之初，炼万石于补天，修灼灼于其表，化蓁蓁于其里，真乃窈窕之淑女也
The Heavens birth people and each living thing has its principle. The groom has a majestic appearance and have an elegant bearing that is unchangeable even in front of numerous of people. The Fifth Lady of the Shen family is a citizen of Ding capital of Ming Qi, has tender sentiments and cherish memories. She is soft-spoken, warm, extraordinary and charmingly refined. Her appearance is dignified and able to hold one’s bearing envoys are not comparable.
天生烝民，有物有则。郎君仪表堂堂，举止有若雁塔，虽涉芸芸之众而不改其真。沈家五娘者，明齐定京人氏，尝以怀古柔情，温婉贤淑，绝殊离俗，妖冶娴都。其貌神端庄，举止矜持有度，纵使西子之容犹未能及也。
The marriage today is good and as a both married, may they be in conjugal love and inseparable.
今日结秦晋之好，结发为夫妻，恩爱两不离。
One day that was started, two surnames come in mutual harmony, more than three celebrations, with four tools of beauty and may the family prosper five generations running.
一阳初动，二姓和谐，庆三多，具四美，五世其昌征凤卜。
The six rituals are completed, the seven virtuous acts are concluded, assembling all eight sides, in harmony with nine songs, a perfect ten like the admired Luan (mythical bird related to the phoenix).
六礼既成，七贤毕集，凑八者，歌九和，十全无缺羡鸾和。
A pair of lovers leaving a small shadow. A perfect marriage that was made from numerous advisors.”
一对璧人留小影，无双国士缔良缘”
“Lift the wedding sedan. The wedding is completed.”
Mei NiangZi’s voice was filled with joy and was loud and clear. Her voice was also great when singing that when she finished singing, everyone was applauding and cheering. The servants that were preparing outside started to scattered gold platted copper coins to the streets. It looked good as one group came up to speak auspicious things while another quickly picking up the money in joy.
The entire even was extraordinarily lively.
Shen Miao sat in the wedding sedan and even though she could not see what was going on outside, she could hear everything clearly. The liveliness and joy made her heart pick up.
She comforted herself. This was not her first time on a wedding sedan, so why her nervourness appear again? Her hands was somewhat shaking and as she looked down, she saw the white jade thumb ring. Its colour was bring and smooth that she could not help but reach out to touch it.
The sedan bearers outside started to lift the wedding sedan. The sedan bearers that Xie Jing Xing found were naturally good. The sedan was lifted stably and did not sway at all.
Prince Rui sat on a big horse and was right in front. There was a large flower that was made from red silk ion the horse that was very delicate but his attitude was very lazy but elegant. Everywhere he went, the commoners cheered and laughed.
This was actually valued. Even though Prince Rui was not a person of Ming Qi and the current relations between Great Liang and Ming Qi was currently very delicate, the commoners seemed to have respect for Prince Rui. Perhaps it was because the other party was generous, perhaps some felt that his appearance made one feel comfortable, in any ways Prince Rui marrying was enough to bring joy to tens of thousands of commoners.
Behind Prince Rui, it was the wedding sedan that the sedan bearers were carrying and at both sides, the entourage was throwing prosperity money. One had heard that Prince Rui would be walking one round the city during the marriage and to scatter money like this the entire way, it was just too generous.
Further back, it was the Shen family’s dowry group. The Shen family was after all not as crazy as Prince Rui and the chests were managed well. Everyone counted and found that there was a total of fifty sets, exactly half of the bethrowal list that Prince Rui sent over and this was not considered little at all. One had to know that when the Crown Prince married his consort, the dowry was only forty two sets and the Shen family had an additional eight. The most important this was that the Shen family was not a merchant family. Although they were generous, they were not considered very wealthy.
With this kind of behavior, it was enough to show the position Shen Miao had in the hearts of Shen Xin and wife.
Behind the crowd, Luo Xue Yan was riding with the drowy and secretly turned her head over to say to Shen Xien, “Is it good to be like this?”
Shen Xin said, “Since he dared to give, we will dare to accept. Anyways with his betrothal gifts of ninety nine sets, our residence cannot come out with so much dowries but any lesser would also be laughed by others.”
Luo Xue Yan could not speak.
There were fifty sets in Shen Miao’s dowry and twenty of those were from Prince Rui. That day when Prince Rui came over to gift a wedding dress, a booklet dropped out from the box holding the wedding dress. Upon Luo Xue Yan’s closer look, it was related to Shen Miao’s dowry.
Prince Rui also knew that his betrothal gifts were just too shocking and that the Shen family would not be able to match the dory thus he simply resolve the dowry issue himself. Even though there were only twenty sets, these twenty sets were packed up to the brim. Thus like this, Prince Rui had given the Shen family a hundred and nineteen sets of betrothal gifts.
It was precisely because of this that Shen Qiu’s impression of Prince Rui turn for the better. Since the other party did not hesitate to spend money on Shen Miao’s marriage, he was indeed a straightforward person.
The streets were filled with drums and gongs, making it very festive. Fu Xiu Yi was mixed in the crowd but he did not continue following. He only felt that this entire scene was conspicuous and his face turned cold as he turned around and walked away from the wedding sedan.
Naturally there was Emperor Wen Hui, who was as uncomfortable as Fu Xiu Yi. Emperor Wen Hui had heard from his subordinate’s mouth that Prince Rui made this wedding so magnificently that it was even grander than him, an Emperor. This was slapping his face. The grander Prince Rui held it, the more Ming Qi’s Imperial family looked mournful.
Of course this was not what Emperor Wen Hui felt the unhappiest about but that he was very unwilling with this marriage. If Prince Rui did not use the few cities along the border to threaten him, he would not make such a move. He was obviously unwilling to grant this marriage to Shen Miao but had to pass the decree onto Prince Rui’s hand. The extremely useful chess piece of the Shen family was considered wasted like this.
When Emperor Wen Hui mentioned of Prince Rui’s marriage today, what appeared in his mind was the scene where Prince Rui was in the Imperial study threatening him and his felt his chest being stuffed up and could not even breathe, thus automatically felt upset. He instructed the palace’s eunuch accept the auspicious gifts that Prince Rui sent and closed the doors before returned to Yang Xin Dian to lie down, not allowing anyone to come to disturb.
The marriage ceremony would be completed in Ming Qi thus the wedding sedan was carried one round around the Ding capital but marriage was a matter of both sides. Prince Rui’s family was in Great Liang and originally after the wedding sedan go round the city gates, it had to go directly out of the city but Prince Rui insisted on completing all the ceremonies in Ding capital.
As for the bowing to the parents, it was held at the main altar in Ding capital.
The main altar in Ding capital was only used when the Emperor conferred an Empress and not to mention this was another thing that Prince Rui request Emperor Wen Hui to provide. No matter how unwilling Emperor Wen Hui was, he could only agree to it.
On the altar, Mei NiangZi supported Shen Miao out of the wedding sedan carefully and followed behind Luo Xue Yan and Shen Xin who were sitting at the other end of the altar.
After bowing to the Heavens and Earth, bowing to the parents, the couple then bow to one another.
This was Ming Qi so Luo Xue Yan and Shen Xin naturally could receive both of couple’s bow but Prince Rui’s Imperial Father and Imperial Mother had departed from the mortal world for many years thus both of them could only sprinkle wine on the ground and treat it as completed.
At the end it was the husband and wife who would bow to one another and the ceremony was completed. This was announcing from then onwards, Shen Miao is the Consort of Prince Rui. When one marry a chicken, one followed the chicken and if one married a dog, one would follow the dog. She was now a person of Great Liang.