The wax flowed down along the embossed lines of the word "happiness" and landed on the candle holder, slowly gathering into a small sticky bay.
You Yuji, wearing a bright red wedding dress, sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the quietly burning wedding candles for a long time.
She was already a beauty known throughout the twelve kingdoms, with a beautiful figure and graceful manner. Today, she was even more gorgeous with her heavy makeup on, and the heavy candlelight enveloped her, making her even more beautiful.
It was almost midnight and she was the only one in the bridal chamber.
Soon, three or two choked whispers came from behind the jade floor-length screen.
"How could the prince behave like this? He sincerely humiliates our girl and makes her unable to hold her head up in the future! How could he drink so much when he is already confused after drinking!"
"It has already happened. What's the point of talking about this now? Even if we drag the prince from those two brothels, it will not help..."
After a moment, an older woman rebuked in a deep voice: "As if it's not chaotic enough, why are you talking too much here?"
It became quiet again.
You Yuji tilted her ear slightly to listen to the noise outside the window. It was late at night, the guests had already gone home, and the farce was over.
You Yuji let out a long sigh of relief.
When she smelled the strong smell of alcohol on Chen Anzhi during the wedding ceremony, she had a bad feeling. She never thought that he would continue to drink at the dinner party and eventually get drunk like that.
He hated her so much that he hired a prostitute for their wedding banquet.
The maid ran to the wedding banquet to investigate the situation and saw with her own eyes how he got drunk, how he hugged and kissed prostitutes in public, and how he spoke without restraint.
"It's just that a girl from a defeated country wants to marry me and become the crown prince's consort."
"Come on, come on, continue to play pot tossing. What, do you think the stakes are not enough? If you win against me, you can be the groom for today!"
The wedding banquet and the divorce room were some distance away, but bits of conversation and laughter could still be heard by You Yuji.
She was shocked when she first heard it, but her mood calmed down after a while. Now she sat with her eyes lowered, and others could not tell her emotions.
Madam Jing walked around the floor-length screen and came in. Seeing You Yuji still sitting motionless beside the bed, she suppressed her distress and worry, walked over and said calmly, "It's late, why don't you go to bed first? You have to get up early tomorrow."
Since this farce, You Yuji finally spoke the first sentence: "I didn't know he didn't want to."
She hadn't spoken for so long that her voice was low and a little hoarse.
You Yuji slowly raised her eyes and looked at Madam Jing. She was asking her, and also asking herself: "Did I do something wrong? I didn't ask him if he was willing, so I have to blame myself, is that right?"
Madam Jing felt a pain in her heart. She was afraid that You Yuji would get stuck in a dead end, and she was even more afraid that the humiliation today would make her unable to get over it. Reputation and face often bind a person for life. She said in a deep voice: "You are right. The marriage was granted by His Majesty. It was the Empress Dowager who asked you to choose a husband from the princes immediately. If he didn't want to, he could have said it directly at that time! What is his identity, and what is our situation? If he doesn't want to, there are a hundred ways to refuse! Don't wait until today to humiliate him like this!"
Seeing that Madam Jing was a little excited, You Yuji slowly curved her lips, her face charming and charming. She nodded: "You are right, it is too late. We have to get up early tomorrow to serve tea. It is time to rest."
Madam Jing opened her mouth, but had to swallow her anger and called the two maids behind the jade floor-length screen to come in and help You Yuji change clothes and wash up. The older one was called Zhenxu, and the younger one, who looked only thirteen or fourteen years old, was called Baohe.
You Yuji packed up her things as usual and rested in the wedding tent.
When Madam Jing left with the pillow and the lotus, You Yuji, resting her head on the mandarin duck pillow, looked gloomy and said softly, "Try to keep what happened today a secret from mother."
Madam Jing paused, her eyes dimmed, she responded, closed the door and left.
You Yuji turned over and faced the inside of the bed. Although it was late, she was not sleepy at all. But if she didn't lie down, the people below would not be able to rest.
As she turned over, the pearl pendant on her slender snow-white neck slipped out of her red pajamas.
She gently stroked the purple pearl, and her eyes suddenly became wet.
This was a gift from her father before he left.
She didn't cry despite the embarrassment today, but when she thought of her father who died in the war, she couldn't help but feel tears in her eyes.
His father died in the war, his mother is critically ill, and his younger brother is young.
How dare I cry like a coward.
You Yuji pressed her slender fingers to the corners of her eyes, trying to hold back the tears that were about to burst out.
She didn't dare to think too much about her family, and instead thought about her current situation.
In the past few years, the twelve kingdoms were divided and wars continued, and the people suffered terribly.
Emperor Chen was brave and valiant, and gradually annexed other countries. Now only three countries have not surrendered. Emperor Chen was determined to unify the world. After conquering them by force, he would use gentle means to win them over. He would take good care of the royal families of the surrendered countries in other palaces, and would also use the old ministers of the surrendered countries if they were willing to serve him. He was determined to create a prosperous era for all ages, and he intended to win over the nobles and important ministers of the surrendered countries.
In-laws are a wonderful bonding relationship.
Not only was he happy to see marriages between the surrendered countries, he also arranged marriages for the royal relatives and nobles of Chen State who were of marriageable age at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, and the bridesmaids were all noble ladies from the surrendered countries.
Many couples were formed that day, most of them were arranged by the Eastern and Western Empress Dowagers.
Only You Yuji was asked by the Empress Dowager Cixi herself what she liked. You Yuji was terrified and said that she would let the Empress Dowager decide. The Empress Dowager Cixi smiled and named three princes, still letting her choose.
Others envied her for having some kind of relationship with the Empress Dowager Cixi and being able to choose her own husband. But You Yuji knew that it was her father's death in battle that earned her this "honor", and this "honor" was for the surrendered ministers to see.
Among the three princes, the fathers of two of them were involved in a fight for the throne with the crown prince, so she glanced at Chen Anzhi...
Before getting married, she had thought about life in the palace. As a descendant, she was already inferior. She did not expect a deep love and affection, but only hoped for peace and harmony.
It turns out that even this is a luxury.
Suddenly I thought of my hometown - the endless grassland, the singing accompanied by the flying of horse hooves. At night, the bonfire slowly lit, dancing around it, accompanied by the stars and the moon, and laughter never stopped...
A few tears eventually leaked out from her tightly closed eyelids, but she quickly wiped them away.
You Yuji carefully placed the purple pearl on her chest and forced herself to fall asleep.
The next morning, You Yuji woke up very early. Knowing that Chen Anzhi was hungover and couldn't be woken up, she went to find Chen Anzhi in person. As soon as she stepped through the threshold, she smelled a strong smell of alcohol and saw the maid pouring sobering soup into Chen Anzhi's mouth.
You Yuji quickly retreated.
"What should we do? If we are any later, we will miss the time to pay our respects." Zhenxu frowned and asked in a low voice.
"I'll go there by myself." You Yuzhi said.
"How can this be possible!" Zhenxu opened her eyes wide. How can the bride go alone to offer tea to her parents-in-law on the second day of her wedding? How can this be ridiculous!
After the embarrassment of last night, You Yuji felt that it was okay for her to go alone to offer tea. Moreover, she felt relieved that she was not going with Chen Anzhi.
—She still doesn’t know how to face Chen Anzhi.
The hall was full of people, waiting for the bride to pay her respects, but also waiting to see a joke. When the maid announced that the Crown Prince's wife had arrived, everyone in the hall stopped chatting and looked eagerly towards the door.
The hall door opened wide, and You Yuji, dressed in red, walked slowly from a distance. The gentle light of the morning sun shone through the cracks between the branches, floating on her body in patches. The scattered light and shadow made her look unreal—snow-white skin, picturesque eyebrows, willow waist and graceful posture, even her shadow was winding and moving.
The atmosphere froze for a moment.
Chen Lingyan muttered quietly, "From her hair to her heels, she is so seductive. No wonder my brother doesn't like her."
Princess Jinnan glared at her daughter.
Chen Lingyan didn't dare to say anything more. She turned her head and winked at her cousin Fang Qingyi, but saw that her cousin was staring at You Yuzhi who was about to step over the threshold in a daze.
You Yuji knew that the King of Jinnan had entered the palace early in the morning. She walked into the hall, took the tea handed over by the maid, and knelt down in front of the Princess of Jinnan.
"Mother, have some tea." You Yuzhi raised the teacup.
She called the woman she met for the first time mother, and in her heart she was thinking of her mother who was not sure whether she was awake or unconscious. The dull worry and concern slowly spread in her heart.
Princess Jinnan took the tea, took a sip and put it down, then handed over the red seal according to the rules.
"An Zhi was confused yesterday. He is not like this usually. He drank too much and became confused. Since the emperor has granted us a marriage, we will be together for life. We need to be tolerant and understanding of each other. Don't bother with him."
You Yuji lowered her eyes and could only respond with a “yes”.
Princess Jinnan then let her get up.
The old nanny beside the Jinnan Princess introduced someone to You Yuji. Chen Anzhi also had a half-brother, Chen Shunzhi, who had just married at the beginning of the year and married Lin. Lin smiled softly and spoke to You Yuji in a friendly manner.
Chen Anzhi also had a younger sister, Chen Lingyan, who was still unmarried. After just one encounter, You Yuji knew that the younger sister-in-law did not like her.
Then, You Yuzhi met Fang, the younger sister of Princess Jinnan, and her daughter Fang Qingyi, who were temporarily staying in the palace.
You Yuji allowed all kinds of looks from the masters and servants in the hall to come at her, and she remained polite throughout, without making any mistakes.
After a while of pleasantries, Princess Jinnan withdrew her gaze from You Yuji. She pressed her eyes and said with a slightly tired look, "It was windy this morning, so I need to go back and lie down for a while. Let's all go back."
No one in the hall moved, she stood up first and held the old nanny's hand and went in through the side door. After entering the inner room, her face became even colder, and she said angrily: "Go and find out who seduced the prince to get drunk yesterday!"
As soon as You Yuji walked out of the courtyard gate, she was stopped by Chen Lingyan.
You Yuji stopped and waited for Chen Lingyan and Fang Qingyi to approach. Chen Lingyan stared at You Yuji's face in amazement and said seriously, "There are two beauties in Si State who are famous in the twelve countries and are called the two beauties of Sijing. One is Princess Que of Si State, and the other is you, my second sister-in-law. I know the rumors are true after seeing them today!"
Chen Lingyan's voice was quite loud, causing Chen Shunzhi and his wife to turn their heads, and even the servants looked over here.
"Don't take the rumors seriously. Lingyan and my cousin are both extremely beautiful." You Yuzhi said softly.
Chen Lingyan blinked and said, "Second sister-in-law is really modest. In the battle of Lingyang, the commander of the Yao Kingdom was willing to exchange a city for you!"
You Yuji lowered his eyes and did not respond. It was true that my father later chopped off the commander's head.
Seeing that You Yuji ignored her, Chen Lingyan smiled and leaned over to ask, "Second sister-in-law, I heard that the children in your Siguo grassland are very indulgent. Some even go barefoot and bare their waists, and men and women sing and dance together. Is that true or not?"
You Yuji raised her eyes and looked at her.
Chen Lingyan smiled sweetly, and she said seriously: "Second sister-in-law has been in Beijing for a short time, so you should change your habits in the future. If you still behave like you did in the grassland, you will probably have to stay alone for a long time in the future. Second brother never likes frivolous behavior, he likes..."
Chen Lingyan subconsciously glanced at her cousin, and then realized that it was inappropriate. She quickly retracted her gaze and finished her words: "A dignified and elegant girl."
In an instant, You Yuji suddenly realized.
She slowly raised the corners of her lips and smiled, charming and attractive. She glanced at the dignified and elegant cousin, and her smiling eyes fell back on Chen Lingyan, nodding and saying, "Yes. Not only do men and women dance barefoot and waist-exposed, but there are also naked people. I will invite you two to join in the fun someday."
After saying this, You Yuji turned around with the pillow.
Chen Lingyan stared at You Yuji's back and was stunned for a moment before she realized that she was deliberately talking nonsense to evade her! She stared at You Yuji's graceful and slender back and suddenly puffed up her cheeks with anger. She grabbed Fang Qingyi's sleeve angrily and whispered, "She is a lowly slave of the country, she doesn't deserve it!"
Fang Qingyi looked at You Yuzhi's receding back, bit her lip lightly, and looked a little unhappy.
Although Chen Anzhi likes women with elegant figures, plain clothes and good at music, how could he not be tempted when faced with a beauty like You Yujie
She had a sense of crisis.
At noon, Chen Anzhi finally opened his eyes from his hangover.