First bow to heaven and earth, second bow to parents, and then husband and wife bow to each other.
The ceremony had not yet ended. A eunuch came with a tray, on which was a gourd with a handle connected by a red string. The gourd was split into two. Two palace maids each held a gourd and handed them to Shen Xihe and Xiao Huayong respectively.
This is the wedding wine, two people drink from the same cup. The gourd is bitter and the wine is sweet, which means sharing joys and sorrows.
After drinking the wedding wine, the couple turned around and faced the civil and military officials, ladies and relatives, and accepted their kneeling greetings, which marked the completion of the ceremony.
Shen Xihe left the Zichen Hall, got on the carriage and went straight into the East Palace. Xiao Huayong wanted to stay and have a feast with everyone.
When they arrived at the East Palace, Tian Yuan served the food: "Crown Princess, please eat some first. If you want to eat anything else, just tell me."
Shen Xihe took a quick look and saw that they were all her favorite foods, including her favorite Xiaolingzhi. Shen Xihe wanted to take the bride's crown, but it was too heavy. However, the female official sent by the Queen Mother did not allow it, and the bride's crown could only be taken down by her husband.
Shen Xihe did not insist, considering that she was in front of the empress dowager. However, with such a heavy crown on her head, even though the pearl curtain in front of her was lifted to the sides and did not affect her eating, she still felt extremely uncomfortable between raising and lowering her head.
Therefore, she even lost some interest in enjoying the food. As if they had a telepathic connection, a light cough was heard, and Shen Xihe looked up to see Xiao Huayong, who was tall and slender, standing there with gentle eyes, staring at her quietly.
Shen Xihe stood up with the help of Zhenzhu. Xiao Huayong came in, supported her and bowed. He took her hand and went to the dressing table. He took off her crown with his own hands, let down her smooth dark black hair, stood behind her, leaned over and kissed the top of her head: "I will be back soon."
After saying that, he left. He came and left in a hurry.
He probably had a lot of etiquette to complete, and it was only because he thought of her tiara that he took the time to make a special trip.
Shen Xihe felt lighter on her head, and her mood also became lighter. She had a nice meal, washed up, wiped off her makeup, and left her face bare, as beautiful as a lotus in water. She also changed into light clothes.
Xiao Huayong was so busy that it was almost dusk when he realized that he looked very bad at the banquet. His face was a little pale and he looked like he might faint at any time. Even his steps were unsteady. Who would dare to force him to drink
Even on the wedding day, when there were no taboos, he dared not force anyone to drink. Even when a minister offered him a toast, he would nervously remind him, "Your Highness, please feel free to do as you please."
Even so, Xiao Huayong only took a sip from each person, and in just a moment, an abnormal blush appeared on his pale face, which was even more frightening to look at. Later, everyone took the initiative to offer tea instead of wine, and Xiao Huayong also followed suit and replaced wine with tea.
Shen Xihe originally thought that Xiao Huayong would not come back until the moon was above the willows, but she did not expect that he would be helped back in the last rays of sunset before the night fell.
The groom next to him was supported because he drank too much, and he was supported because... he was exhausted...
Xiao Huayong was sent to the bridal chamber. Everyone else left voluntarily, leaving only the two of them in the room. As soon as the door closed, Xiao Huayong, who was lying on the bed, jumped up, took Shen Xihe, who was standing beside the bed, in his arms, and took a deep breath of her fragrance.