The north wind was blowing and snowflakes were fluttering. Suddenly, there was a sound of drums and music, and the wedding procession entered Xiangyang.
The whole city was filled with joy. From the east gate to the government office, red lanterns were hung everywhere. Some shops and people also spontaneously hung lanterns at their doorsteps to express their sincere blessings to Liu Qi.
The gongs and drums were beating loudly, the team was marching in the street, and the onlookers were cheering and shouting, filling the street.
Liu Qi, dressed in gorgeous clothes, greeted them at the gate. After the newlyweds got off the carriage, he led the way through the gate, holding a red silk rope.
Amid the sound of gongs and drums, the noise of children and the cheers of adults, we stepped over the fire pot and over the tiles and arrived at the lobby.
At dusk, everything was just right. Liu Biao and Xi Wen sat in front of the hall, and the wide armchair looked very majestic.
"Bow to Heaven and Earth—"
"Bow to your parents twice—"
Liu Biao's face was beaming today. He stroked his beard and watched the newlyweds salute with tears in his eyes. Not long ago, he was overwhelmed and worried about his two sons. Today, he finally accomplished what he had been longing for.
"The couple bows to each other—"
Liu Qi was actually so nervous that his palms were sweating. Regardless of his past or present life, this was the first time in his life.
The pretty lady holding the red string had her heart pounding wildly. Her wedding night was completely different from how she treated Du Ling'er and Mrs. Fan.
From now on, he will settle down in this world, put down roots, achieve great things in the future, and have many children and grandchildren, then his life will not be in vain.
Walking slowly on the way to the bridal chamber, Liu Qi had a myriad of thoughts in his mind. From the time he traveled through time to now, it seemed like a dream, and now this was his real world.
His effort to change his fate was recognized by Liu Biao and the Xi family by replacing his body with his soul, but the one who accomplished the task was Liu Qi, who had already died.
For a moment, he didn't know whether he cheated on Liu Qi or Liu Qi cheated on him.
In a trance, I had already stepped into the bridal chamber. Everything was decorated in a festive manner, with red candles, yellow brocade, and dark purple tasseled bed curtains. Two maids helped Xi Xuan sit on the bed, then lowered their heads and walked out.
Standing quietly in front of the beauty, Liu Qi took a deep breath, and a faint scent of rosemary filled his nose. He knew it was Fengxiang's most high-end perfume.
The candlelight flickered red, and Xi Xuan sat somewhat awkwardly, with her hands on her knees, motionless, her red veil lowered.
She turned around and took the wedding scale used to pick up the veil from the table. She walked over lightly and picked up the veil lightly, revealing a pretty face as white as jade and with pink eyebrows. The lights in the room dimmed.
On the rosewood dressing table in front of the window, between two red candles, there is a scale on a brass stand. The whole scale is vermilion and is specially used for picking up veils. It is called a wedding scale.
In ancient times, sixteen taels equaled one catty. The stars on the scale bar indicating the catty were actually made up of the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches. There were six stars in the Southern Dipper, seven stars in the Northern Dipper, plus the three stars of Fu, Lu and Shou, which made up exactly sixteen.
The Book of Songs says "Prepare and bundle firewood, three stars are in the sky", which means a newlywed. This scale symbolizes good luck in the wedding.
Liu Qi took a deep breath and gently lifted the veil. Under the light, a beautiful face slowly appeared. Her skin was as white as jade, her eyebrows were pink and black, and her lips were full and red. Xi Xuan, who was carefully dressed up, looked even more radiant and charming.
Liu Qi's breath was held in his throat, even though they had met several times before, but the newlywed beauty had an indescribable classical beauty.
Even though the original owner, Liu Qi, was well-educated and had learned countless words after traveling through time, he was at a loss for words at this moment.
“General…” Xi Xuan, with a face as rosy as a peach, bright eyes and white teeth, shyly glanced at the dazed Liu Qi, then lowered her head like a frightened little white rabbit.
"Ahem, Madam, don't be nervous." Liu Qi removed the veil, held up the flawless white face, and said in a lowered voice: "I haven't really... been married!"
"Hmm!" Xi Xuan shyly broke free from his hand, but got into Liu Qi's arms and said faintly, "You've been through this before."
Liu Qi took her into his arms, let out a long sigh, and said, "How can these two things be compared? You and I are married today, and heaven and earth are our witnesses. We are husband and wife. From now on, I, Liu Qi, will have a family."
Xi Xuan was deeply moved. She rushed into Liu Qi's arms, hugged him tightly, and murmured, "I will definitely help you accomplish your great cause!"
"No business today!" Liu Qi hugged her delicate body, his other hand already familiar with her, wandering over her graceful curves, and said softly: "A night of spring..."
"Ah!" Xi Xuan trembled all over, and pushed Liu Qi away violently, her pretty face flushed: "General, you still have to entertain guests, you can't do this..."
As he spoke, he winked outside. Liu Qi turned his head and saw overlapping shadows in front of the bed, and many people were running over and following him, leaning against the wall.
Now that he was a General of Chariots and Cavalry and the Governor of Jingzhou, obviously no one dared to come to the bridal chamber to make trouble, but there were still some brave people who hid outside and eavesdropped.
"Eat more, and wait for me to come back and fight you for three hundred rounds!" Liu Qi stroked his smooth cheek and stood up regretfully.
When the door was opened, the people outside dispersed with a rush. A fat figure appeared in the crowd, obviously a child with a bang.
Liu Qi laughed and scolded, "Zhang Bao, you, a fellow with thick eyebrows and big eyes, are not learning your lesson. You are also following me by crawling on the wall."
Last time, this guy dared to lie down against the wall of his father Zhang Fei with others and was severely beaten up. This time he is also familiar with the situation.
The front hall was bustling with noise. Not only had Liu Qi's wedding made a sensation in the whole city, but the wine on every table was also highly praised.
Distilled liquor made its official debut with the word "Du Kang" engraved on a black pottery jar, and a portrait of Huang Chengyan, who was holding up a glass and chanting softly: The only way to relieve worries is to drink Du Kang!
Most of the people at each table were already drunk, even though they had only drunk one or two liang of liquor. How could people who usually drink strong liquor stand this 40 or 50 degree liquor
Xi Guan came forward with a delighted look on his face: "Brother-in-law, you are really smart. Most of the guests are already drunk, so there is no need to serve the dishes."
"Am I saving money for the dishes?" Liu Qi was speechless for a moment, and ordered: "Tomorrow, many people will ask about the origin of this wine. Feihong Tower and Shuiyunjian must be fully prepared."
Xi Guan smiled happily: "Don't worry, brother-in-law. Prepare 100 jars of wine for each place. Once they are sold out, we will wait until the next day. We will be able to earn back all the costs within a month!"
"You..." Liu Qi pointed at Xi Guan and shook his head. This kid had more ideas about making money than himself.
The atmosphere in the hall was relatively calm. After all, they were all people of status. Moreover, most of them had tasted Du Kang, so they could remain calm. However, after drinking a lot, they were already a little tipsy.
At the VIP table, Lu Su and Zhuge Jin were accompanied by famous scholars such as Liu Xian, Kuai Yue, and Liu Ba. The two waited until the end of Liu Qi's wedding before returning, and by the way, they also booked the marriage between the two families.
Liu Qi raised his glass and said with a smile: "You two gentlemen have been in Xiangyang for a few days. I haven't taken good care of you. I wonder if you are used to it?"
"Okay, everything is fine!" Zhuge Jin nodded and smiled, but sighed in his heart.
He originally wanted to persuade Zhuge Liang to go to Jiangdong, but he didn't expect that at the family dinner the whole family advised him to stay in Jingzhou, so that he could be reunited with his family and serve the Han Dynasty. Now he was in a dilemma.
"The wine is good and the people are beautiful. Xiangyang's braised fish and hot and sour fish are even better!" Lu Su gave a thumbs up and said with a smile: "I have heard that you are a talented writer. If I can see it with my own eyes today, my trip will be worthwhile."
Liu Qi smiled slightly. He thought that he was not good enough in discussing the past and present, or the strategies for governing a country, but when it came to writing poetry, wasn't that a chance for him to show off