TGFH Chapter 43: Marriage

 Previous | Table of Contents | Next 

The first month of the year brought many joyous occasions to Shengjing. On the fifth, both the An’guo Marquis Residence and the Prime Minister’s Residence had grand wedding celebrations. Then, on the seventh, it was the General’s Residence’s turn to marry off a young lady. The groom was none other than the rising star of Shengjing, the most sought-after "ideal husband" of the moment. Naturally, the wedding drew considerable attention.

Of course, this wedding couldn’t quite match the grandeur of the one held two days prior, but both the General’s Residence and the Ministry of Revenue Residence still put great effort into the event. From early morning, the General’s Residence was decorated with red lanterns and banners, creating a lively atmosphere. Hua Lan was up before dawn to dress and prepare. Under the skilled hands of the makeup artists, the usually fresh and lovely Hua Lan now radiated a stunning elegance, appearing even more delicate and captivating.

After bidding farewell to Aunt Xiao, Hua Lan also said her goodbyes to Xiao Yiran and Xiao Min. Due to health reasons, Bai Yi ultimately remained in the main courtyard. Since today was also Aunt Xiao’s last day in the General’s Residence, she was determined to fully partake in Hua Lan’s wedding. As a result, Bai Yi and baby Zi’an were completely shielded from the day’s events. Feng Jing, having no interest in the wedding, volunteered to stay in the main courtyard to protect Bai Yi and the baby.

When the auspicious hour arrived, the bride and her entourage departed with the lively wedding procession toward the groom’s residence, while the bride’s family remained behind to entertain guests. By evening, they would head to the groom’s residence to attend the banquet.

Feng Jing sat in the room, resting his chin on his hand and covering his ears. Looking utterly bored, he watched Bai Yi play with the baby. Once the commotion of the wedding procession faded into the distance, he finally let go of his ears, slumped onto the table, and asked, "Ah Yi, aren’t you even a little angry?"

Bai Yi gently rocked the baby, who had been irritated by the noise, and replied casually, "Angry about what?"

"That mother and daughter! You’re letting them off so easily?" Feng Jing exclaimed furiously. He loathed Aunt Xiao and her daughter.

After finally soothing the baby, Bai Yi turned to Feng Jing and said softly, "Lan’er has a kind heart. She doesn’t need to bear the consequences of her mother’s actions. As for Aunt Xiao, isn’t she already set to leave for the temple tomorrow?"

"She said she wanted to become a nun, and you just let her go?" Feng Jing also knew about this matter, but he was still dissatisfied with the outcome.

"What else do you want? No matter what, Aunt is still a member of the General’s Manor and Yi Ran’s elder. Do you want to kill her? Or hand her over to the authorities? An An and I are fine now, so let’s just consider this as a way for her to accumulate blessings for An An." Bai Yi spoke in a calm and indifferent manner. It wasn’t that he was magnanimous—he simply didn’t care to waste energy on irrelevant people. As long as he never had to see her again, whether Aunt Xiao went to prison or a temple, it made no difference to him. He wasn’t letting the matter go because he forgave Aunt Xiao, but rather because he didn’t want to put Xiao Yi Ran in a difficult position.

Feng Jing pursed his lips and muttered under his breath, "How is this ‘nothing’? A person like her—Buddha wouldn’t accept her either."

Bai Yi chuckled but didn’t respond. On a day as joyous as this, he preferred to bask in the good fortune rather than dwell on unpleasant matters.

Seeing that Bai Yi wasn’t interested in discussing it further, Feng Jing let it go. He propped his head up and dazed off for a moment before suddenly remembering something. He called out to Bai Yi, "By the way, have you set a date for your wedding?"

"Mm, yes. The fourteenth of next month," Bai Yi nodded and replied softly.

Initially, he and Xiao Yi Ran weren’t in a hurry to set a date. After all, they had already done everything that should and shouldn’t be done—the wedding was just a formality. However, since it was an imperial decree, they had to follow through, and delaying too long wouldn’t be appropriate. After much discussion, they settled on the first auspicious day after the Lunar New Year.

To be honest, due to his health, Xiao Yi Ran had been abstinent for quite a while now. Bai Yi thought that if their wedding night ended up being nothing more than sleeping under the covers, it would be too pitiful. So, he even went to ask Yun Mo Zhi for advice. Though Yun Mo Zhi teased him endlessly about it, he reassured Bai Yi that as long as they were careful, things should be fine after the first month of the year.

Thinking about this, Bai Yi’s face flushed a little—just in time for Xiao Yi Ran to walk into the room and see it. Immediately, Xiao Yi Ran showed concern, questioning him repeatedly. Embarrassed, Bai Yi shook his head, offering numerous reassurances before Xiao Yi Ran finally felt at ease.

"Why are you back? Weren’t you busy outside?" Bai Yi coughed to cover his embarrassment and casually asked.

"The General must have missed you, so he came to see you!" Before Xiao Yi Ran could respond, Feng Jing burst out laughing and answered for him.

Bai Yi shot Feng Jing a helpless look. Xiao Yi Ran, though expressionless, did not refute the claim. Instead, he gave a barely perceptible nod and said, "I’ll be back late tonight. If anything happens, have Xiao Jing come find me."

Bai Yi nodded, gently placed the sleeping baby on the bed, and then helped Xiao Yi Ran straighten his robe. "I understand. Don’t worry and go."

The two exchanged a glance, Bai Yi smiling lightly. Xiao Yi Ran’s eyes flickered slightly, while Feng Jing grinned mischievously from the side. Only when Xiao Yi Ran shot him a glare did he finally restrain himself.

Since Xiao Yi Ran was in a hurry to visit the Qin Manor, he left after a few more brief instructions, with Bai Yi seeing him off.

After the Huá Lán banquet ended, the next day, Aunt Xiao packed her things and moved into a nunnery. She even sent a letter to Huá Lán, telling her not to come looking for her when she returned home. Meanwhile, Xiao Min arranged for a senior maid and two servant girls to accompany Aunt Xiao and take care of her daily needs, while Xiao Yi Ran secretly had people monitor her. With that, the matter of Aunt Xiao was finally settled.

As for the other main culprit, Murong Yao, after being taken away by Bu Huaiyuan, he was interrogated by Rong Chuhua. However, there had been no updates on the interrogation results. Feng Jing was furious, insisting that Murong Yao should be executed for revenge. But a person the Emperor wanted to deal with wasn’t so easily touched. No one knew what Rong Chuhua was planning.

However, Bai Yi wasn’t particularly concerned about this. Murong Yao’s status was special, and his fate was something for the higher-ups to worry about. Bai Yi only needed to focus on taking care of himself and An An. Xiao Yi Ran, though also eager to kill Murong Yao, was constrained by his position and had to put the matter aside. He even felt guilty towards Bai Yi because of this and had been extra attentive to him in recent days.

Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, February arrived. Before Xiao Yi Ran and Bai Yi’s wedding, Murong Yao’s final verdict was announced—execution, with his corpse to be escorted back to his homeland by Mu Qi.

The announcement caused a wave of speculation in court. The Yan Kingdom had already sent envoys to sever ties with Murong Yao. While executing him was understandable, sending his body back seemed like either a show of strength or a strange diplomatic gesture. Some also wondered whether having the Prime Minister personally oversee the delivery was excessive. However, Rong Chuhua provided no explanation.

What everyone did agree on was their sympathy for Bu Huaiyuan and Mu Qi—newlyweds who would be separated less than a month into their marriage.

None of this mattered to Xiao Yi Ran and Bai Yi anymore. With Bai Yi’s health fully recovered, Xiao Yi Ran had officially resumed his court duties. Meanwhile, the long-delayed grand wedding at the General’s Manor was finally being prepared. Xiao Min had been busy making arrangements.

In Zhao Country, the wedding rituals for two men differed slightly from traditional ceremonies. The one taking the "husband" role did not wear a phoenix crown and bridal attire but instead donned the same red wedding robes as the groom. He also rode a horse instead of sitting in a bridal sedan. During the wedding feast, the couple hosted guests together rather than having one party wait alone in the bridal chamber. Only men of very low status or those disregarded by their in-laws were married in the style of a woman. The more mutual respect a couple had, the more their wedding reflected that equality.

Since Bai Yi had no family in the capital and no residence in Shengjing, he and Xiao Yi Ran initially considered skipping the bride's procession from the "maiden's" home. However, this was quickly vetoed by Yun Mo Zhi and Feng Jing, who argued that skipping the step would be disrespectful to Bai Yi’s status as a male spouse.

After much deliberation, Yun Mo Zhi made the final decision: he would stand in as Bai Yi’s elder brother, hosting Bai Yi’s departure from Yun Residence’s old courtyard. This way, Bai Yi would properly be escorted in a wedding procession to the General’s Manor, while also solidifying the previous rumors that Bai Yi was the disciple of the famed physician.

Therefore, three days before the wedding ceremony, Yun Mozhi took Bai Yi and the baby to move into the old Yun residence. Although Xiao Yiran was uneasy about this, he couldn't argue against Yun Mozhi. Moreover, feeling guilty towards Bai Yi and unwilling to wrong him, he eventually agreed. However, he had some complaints about Yun Mozhi’s request that they not see each other for three days. Every night, he would secretly sneak into the Yun residence to meet Bai Yi.

Once everything was settled, on the morning of the fourteenth day, Xiao Yiran arrived at the Yun residence with the wedding procession to pick up the bride…

Author's Note:

I wrote this chapter in a daze, and by the second half, I had no idea what I was even writing anymore.

I’m really exhausted. If you find any mistakes, please point them out, and I'll fix them as soon as possible.

Next up is the wedding night—I’ll go do some research…