"The newlyweds have arrived at the front street, hurry up, set off the firecrackers!"
The Duke's Mansion had people watching their movements along the way. Seeing that they were about to come this way, everyone immediately set off firecrackers. Some of the guests sitting inside who liked to join in the fun stood up and walked out. Those who were too proud of their status to show up stayed inside and chatted with the people around them to hide their curiosity.
They had attended dozens or even hundreds of ordinary wedding banquets, so it was not unusual. But today was different. This was the first same-sex couple to get married openly since the founding of the Liang Dynasty. In the past, those who had homosexual tendencies were not only regarded as rats crossing the street by others, but they themselves did not have the courage to stand up and be human beings.
Unlike the couple today, who were able to get the emperor to grant them marriage, hold a grand banquet for their guests, and take the opportunity to make money. Everyone thought of the expensive gifts they had just given away because of their face, and their hearts ached.
After the sound of firecrackers stopped, the sound of music gradually got closer. People stood on tiptoe and looked ahead. They saw two tall horses carrying a couple of newlyweds walking slowly towards this side from the end of the street. Behind them, there was a long dowry team. It was impossible to see the end at a glance. There were at least one or two hundred dowries. Compared with the dowries given by some big families when marrying off their daughters, it can be said that it was not much different. People who didn't know were surprised at the generosity of the male prince's wife, but those who knew understood that Pei Che was trying to make his prince's wife look good.
"It seems that it will be difficult for Prince Pei to maintain his authority as a husband in the future. Did you see that? The prince's wife's horse is half a head taller than his!" An uncle in the crowd could not help but sigh. From the look of sympathy that flashed across his face, it can be learned that his wife must be the head of his family.
"It's against moral standards. How can a married woman ride a horse and parade through the streets? Does Prince Pei want everyone to see what his wife looks like?" A scholar showed disdain. In his heart, rules and etiquette have always come first.
His voice was not too loud and only a few people around him heard it. These people couldn't help but stand a little further away from him. How could he be a good person if he wanted to make others unhappy on such a good day
The people watching were still somewhat cautious, but those coming out of the door were a bit unscrupulous.
"Is that the vendor next to Pei Che?" asked the second son of Duke Yang.
"What else can he do? The emperor has granted the marriage, how dare he change the person?" It was his cousin who answered.
"I didn't expect this peddler to be quite good-looking after changing his clothes. No wonder he managed to subdue Pei Che so well." He stared at the man in red clothes on the horse. He was completely different from the image of a peddler he had imagined.
"Brother Yang, could it be that you no longer love women but men?" someone nearby joked.
"What nonsense!" he said in a low voice, "I am only speaking the truth."
"Yes, I guess some people will be disappointed. They even made a bet on whether the prince's wife is a person with a vulgar appearance." Someone said.
"If it weren't for those bastards in the Imperial College who were deliberately trying to cheat me, would I have bet with them?" As soon as the man finished speaking, someone here spoke up with a dark face. He later learned that the group of people had already met Pei Che's wife, and it was said that the group of people sent things to Pei Che every now and then.
"… "
The small commotion in the crowd in the distance naturally did not attract the attention of the person on the horse. At this moment, Jiang Miao's attention was completely focused on the stinging pain on the inside of his thigh. Although the saddle of this horse was padded with soft cloth and the horse moved very slowly, sitting on it for such a long time still made his legs hurt.
It was not appropriate to reach out and rub it in public, and everyone was watching them, so Jiang Miao could not make a grimacing expression. He could not help but look at Pei Che, but found that there was no discomfort on his face, he was still as high-spirited as before, with a smile on his face the whole time.
Pei Che noticed his gaze and turned back with a little doubt. Jiang Miao signaled with his eyes, and Pei Che followed his gaze and seemed to understand something.
"Do you need to go to the bathroom? I'll be there soon!"
Jiang Miao was speechless. He turned around and looked at the others. Suddenly, he felt a little desperate. No wonder Pei Che misunderstood. In his world, there were no weaklings who would get their skin rubbed raw even if they rode a horse at a slow speed.
Finally, the team stopped in front of the gate of the Duke's Mansion.
The matchmaker stood by the door and shouted, "The bride and groom, please get off the horse and bring us your best wishes!"
The transition in the middle is a bit abrupt. Who asked other people's brides to ride in sedan chairs, but this one chose to ride a horse
Pei Che was the first to get off the horse and stood beside Jiang Miao's horse waiting. Jiang Miao, who had practiced a handsome dismounting posture, now looked like an old man on his deathbed, and with Pei Che's help, he struggled to get off the horse.
This action was mistakenly believed by everyone to be a show of his concern for Pei Che.
After getting off the horse, the matchmaker handed over the red silk and asked them to lead the way into the mansion. Jiang Miao walked very slowly, one step at a time, because if he walked faster, he would pull the painful part of his thigh. Listening to the discussions in his ears, he thought desperately, maybe crawling in now would be better than walking in with small steps
Fortunately, Pei Che also saw that he was not in a hurry to pee, but had something to hide, so he deliberately slowed down his pace. The two of them moved slowly in while a group of people were anxiously waiting.
In the main hall, Grandmother Pei sat at the top, and on both sides sat other elders of the Pei family and respected people who came to watch the ceremony. The younger generations of the Pei family stood behind the elders, and Pei Mu was arranged to stand next to Pei Qi.
The two who had fought last time disliked each other. When they met, Pei Qi snorted to show his disdain. Pei Mu responded with a cold look, then turned his head and looked towards the door.
Last time his parents were punished, Pei Qi also didn't escape a scolding. He didn't dare to yell at the little monster anymore, and didn't know what to say, so he snorted again. Pei Mu turned a deaf ear to him, and his eyes were only on the door and the two people who would come in at any time.
Finally, there was some noise outside, and Pei Che and Jiang Miao came in together, surrounded by the crowd. The matchmaker kept saying auspicious words all the way, and she looked so eloquent, no wonder Liang Jing was the most expensive. Jiang Miao was shocked when he heard her offer, but now he can understand it a little better.
"Bow to your parents..."
"Husband and wife bow to each other..."
Following the loud shouts of the best man, Pei Che and Jiang Miao also followed suit. The scene that he had only seen in TV dramas before was now happening to him. In addition to being novel, Jiang Miao also felt a little unreal. He listened to the instructions in his ears in a daze, and when he came to his senses, he was already sitting in the room.
Because it was a marriage between two men, no dried fruits with the symbolic meaning of "dates giving birth to osmanthus seeds" were served, and the matchmaker did not bring a bowl of dumplings to ask him if he would have a baby. After the two drank the wedding wine, the whole ceremony was over.
After everyone left, Jiang Miao's expression, which he had endured all the way, finally twisted. He sat on the bed, spread his legs apart, and gritted his teeth and said, "I will never ride a horse again!"
"Are your legs hurt? It's all my fault. I forgot you're a beginner!" Pei Che was a little annoyed. He took a step forward and stared at Jiang Miao's legs covered by clothes. If he had known earlier, he should have let Jiang Miao ride in the carriage.
"Do you have any ointment? Give it to me and I'll apply some." This continuous and dense stinging sensation made people very uncomfortable. Jiang Miao would rather be punched a few times than suffer this torture.
"Yes, I'll have someone get it right away." Pei Che was about to leave when the door behind him suddenly slammed open.
A group of people rushed in, and everyone who entered was shocked when they saw the two of them. Actually, this was nothing, they didn't do anything, and it would be fine if they explained it clearly, but the next move of the leader was a bit of an attempt to cover up something.
He apologized repeatedly, lowered his head, pushed everyone out of the door, and then slammed the door shut. Then, someone outside said, "You're too impatient!", which caused laughter from the crowd outside.
Jiang Miao's forehead twitched a few times. He endured it again and again, but finally broke down: "Who was that idiot who just closed the door?"
Pei Che was a little embarrassed: "He is my aunt's youngest son. He has always acted rashly and has a straightforward personality. He must have listened to someone else's instigation and wanted to make trouble in the bridal chamber."
"Go open the door quickly, otherwise you won't be able to go out tomorrow if you don't explain it to them clearly!" Jiang Miao sat down quickly, but he moved too much and pulled his painful spot. He grimaced and said "fuck" in pain.
Pei Che walked forward and opened the door, cleared his throat, and said calmly: "Things are not what you think."
How could the people outside believe what he said? They all had playful smiles on their faces. Most of the people here usually didn't like Pei Che, but now they all seemed to have something on him, and they started talking to him one after another.
"We all saw it, Brother Pei, you are too impatient."
"Yeah, Bai Rixuan's thing is not good."
"Confucius said: Food, sex, and love are the greatest desires of human beings. Brother Pei is a man of temperament, we understand." A person winked at Pei Che with a very obscene expression.
You know nothing! Jiang Miao rolled his eyes behind Pei Che. After hearing what they said, rumors about Pei Che being very lustful would spread all over the streets tomorrow.
He patted Pei Che and asked him to make room for him.
"You guys must have seen it wrong. I was just a little too close and accidentally hit my chin while drinking. I asked him to help me take a look. You educated people should not only think about that kind of thing, otherwise you will feel that something is wrong when you see it." Jiang Miao said earnestly.
He had a calm expression on his face, and he and Pei Che were both dressed neatly, without a trace of disorder. If anyone misunderstood him again, they would have to admit that he was the only person who thought about that matter.
"Haha, since the Crown Prince's wife said so, then the other brothers must have seen it wrong. But, actually, it doesn't matter. Brother Pei has just passed the imperial examination today, so what's the problem with him being a little indulgent? Even if he does, we won't laugh at him." Someone came out to smooth things over. Although it sounded like they were speaking for Pei Che, in fact, they had a deeper meaning, as if Jiang Miao was lying.
"That won't do. Our Ache has always been a gentleman and never forgets the rules to be followed. Unlike you, who can indulge yourselves when you are happy, like drinking, eating, drinking, whoring and gambling. He is too old-fashioned and too polite." Jiang Miao pretended to complain, and his words successfully made the person who had just spoken turn pale.
Just as he was about to get angry, Jiang Miao said, "Oh, sorry, I haven't read much, so what I said might not sound nice. You educated people won't argue with me, right? No?"
Pei Che raised his hand and covered his lips with his sleeve to hide his smile, but his curved eyes betrayed his mood.
(End of this chapter)