There were many etiquette and formalities on this trip. Guo Shao had to ask people to figure out how to handle things, and everything was very complicated. In addition, it happened to be the Dragon Boat Festival in Daming Prefecture, so he had enough time to run around for social engagements.
Guo Shao's goal was to marry Fu Ermei, but he hadn't heard from her in days, dealing with all sorts of people, both relevant and irrelevant. He was so busy that he almost couldn't figure out what he was doing, like a machine on an assembly line, forced to run around in circles.
By mid-May, Fu Ermei was finally brought out of Prince Wei's mansion after much anticipation. But she was still nowhere to be seen, as she was in a sedan chair surrounded by people.
The team was huge, Guo Shao rode on horseback, with a big red flower tied with red silk hanging on his body, and looked back from time to time at the festively decorated sedan chair. In the fifth month of the lunar calendar, the weather was already very hot. When the weather was clear and the sun was shining brightly, Guo Shao's sweaty forehead reflected in the light. He just felt dizzy and dazed, and felt that all this seemed unreal, probably because he knew too little about his wife and was completely unfamiliar with her. And the tossing and turning during this period had little to do with Fu Ermei.
If Fu Ermei hadn't made trouble during the Lantern Festival, Guo Shao wouldn't have even seen her. Even now, his impression of her only stayed on the meeting in the first month of the lunar year. He didn't know what Fu Ermei was thinking now, so he had to guess everything. Their relationship didn't look like they were going to get married, and Guo Shao still didn't know how to get along with her.
Guo Shao made some speculations on the way and remembered the silk scarf she dropped at the beginning of the year. He concluded that Fu Ermei should have accepted him, otherwise she would not have kept her belongings.
But this kind of acceptance, supported only by a little goodwill from a quick meeting, is as fragile as a piece of paper. That's why the marriage requires so many people to participate and makes it so troublesome, to create momentum and consolidate the relationship between the two parties
Guo Shao always felt that something was a bit mysterious and unstable. He couldn't explain why he had a feeling of being worried about losing something. He could only convince himself secretly: so many people were involved and knew about it. Anyway, the Fu family couldn't regret it. Fu Ermei was already in my hands.
The group of people walked very slowly, and it took them ten days to reach the Yellow River. They rested in the post house in the afternoon because if they kept going until nightfall they would be faced with the dilemma of having no village in front and no shop behind.
Guo Shao entered the room and took off the red flower on his body. He felt sweaty all over and the red flower was made dirty and ugly by the dust on the road.
At this moment, a person with half of her face covered by a black veil suddenly walked to Guo Shao's door. When Guo Shao turned around, he immediately recognized her as Yuqing, the attendant that Fu Ermei had brought with her during the Lantern Festival. But this woman suddenly appeared in front of Guo Shao, making him feel very uncomfortable.
Her skin was so pale that it looked as if she had never seen the sun. Moreover, half of her face was covered with a thick black veil, and her left eye was invisible. It was very inappropriate for such a festive occasion, and Guo Shao felt a chill all over his body. It is said that black was the color of weddings in the past, but after the Tang Dynasty, it changed drastically, and red became the main color.
Jingniang didn't know her and immediately became alert. Guo Shao then reminded: "People around Madam Fu Er, don't panic."
Yuqing said coldly: General Guo, let’s find a convenient place to talk.
Where are we going? Where is convenient? Guo Shao asked casually.
Yuqing said: Come with me.
Guo Shao thought: This person can accompany Fu Ermei alone during the Lantern Festival, he must be someone Fu Ermei trusts. He immediately asked Jingniang to stay and followed Yuqing out alone.
The two of them walked into a room in silence, Yuqing waited for Guo Shao to enter and then gently closed the door. Guo Shao looked and saw a face with bright eyes and white teeth, with curved bright and clear eyes looking at him with a smile. Who else could it be but Fu Ermei
She wore a blue top and skirt, not looking like a bride at all. She was simple and without any ornaments. Her clothes were made of cotton, but made her look very plain. The dark clothes and delicate hair made her skin glow white, extremely white. Her bulging chest and slender, flexible and tight waist made her figure slender and graceful, with very feminine lines. It was not because she was wearing a robe that she was a man. Guo Shao had never seen such a feminine man.
Why don't you ask King Wei to give the dancer Xiuzhu as a dowry? Fu Ermei asked him with a smile.
Guo Shao suddenly felt a little guilty. He found that he was indeed in a state of mind. Objectively speaking, at his age and level, there were really few people in the Great Zhou Dynasty who could match him. He was qualified to marry anyone, and there was no such thing as marrying above his station. But when facing a woman like Fu Ermei who was extremely beautiful and of noble birth, he felt a little uneasy for some reason.
He looked a bit rustic, with rough skin and a strong body due to years of marching in the wild. He didn't look noble at all.
As for Fu Ermei, her clean skin without a trace of dust, her elegant temperament that is hard to describe, her figure is completely different from that of ordinary people. She gives people the feeling that she is from a different world and is difficult to approach. However, her smiling eyes like the spring breeze make up for the sense of intimacy.
Guo Shao was a little distracted and didn't answer in time. At this time, Fu Ermei said again: You already knew it, but you teased me
When Guo Shao heard this, he realized that he had pretended not to know before, which left him with sequelae, because she would wake up sooner or later. He was worried about gains and losses for a while, and felt that he seemed to be imperfect.
If I tell you, I will have no excuse to approach you, which is not polite. Guo Shao hurriedly explained.
Fu Er tilted his head slightly and thought for a while, then nodded and said: That's fair, I forgive you. But she didn't mention that she was the one who teased Guo Shao first. She whispered again: Are we married now? Since we are husband and wife, it's okay to meet each other, right
"Forget it," Guo Shao said. According to the general rules, they should enter the bridal chamber to be considered husband and wife, but of course he was too lazy to care about those rules.
Fu Er raised his red lips slightly, rolled his eyes and made a strange face, saying embarrassedly: "It's only after we worship the heaven and earth, if we are seen, we will be talked about. But the sedan chair is too stuffy, ten days, such a small place is like a box, sitting in it all day and can't move. I'm almost suffocated to death. I prepared some books before, thinking that I could kill time on the road, but I didn't expect to sway in the sedan chair and feel dizzy after reading for a while."
Guo Shao listened to her complaints very seriously, acting a little dull, and he was not in a very good mood after being busy until now.
Fu Ermei looked at his expressionless face and asked tentatively: You don't think I'm not following the rules and you're angry, do you
No, of course not Guo Shaodao.
When Fu Ermei heard this, she was delighted and said excitedly: "How about we walk around Yichong quietly? Oh, I was strictly controlled before, but suddenly I feel like no one is watching me anymore. If you don't care about me, haha."
What's so exciting about this? Guo Shao didn't quite understand her feelings. He thought for a while and said: Wait for me, I'll get ready and come find you.
Fu Ermei said: What else do you need to prepare? I will cover my face and pretend to be your follower. No one will know that these people who are sending the bride to the wedding have seen me except a few people. Who will know who I am? I will ask Xiuzhu to put on the bride's clothes and cover her head with a veil to deceive the enemy for a while.
But by this time Guo Shao could no longer wait and turned around and left.
Not long after, he returned to the room to look for Fu Ermei. Fu Ermei disguised herself, covered her face and put on a veil like last time, and followed Guo Shao out of the room. She said nothing and seemed very nervous.
Guo Shao could fully imagine that it was probably not so easy for her to sneak out of Prince Wei's Mansion to watch the lantern market last time. However, it was better at Daming Mansion, Fu Yanqing's territory, but this time it was a strange place.
Na Yuqing also followed behind, but Guo Shao ignored her.
They walked to the stable of the inn, where a personal soldier was standing. When he saw Guo Shao, he bowed and said, "Greetings, my lord."
Where is my horse? Is the saddle ready? Guo Shao asked. The personal soldier said: According to the lord's wishes, the saddle has been changed.
The three of them walked forward and saw a very tall horse tied there. "A purebred horse from the Western Regions, given to me by a general in the army," Guo Shao said. "Last time, Dong Zunxun gave me a Mongolian horse, but the Tatar horse was really cheap, so Dong Zunxun added another good horse to the package and gave it to Guo Shao, which was the one in front of him.
This horse is difficult to raise, but it has an incredible aura. When Fu Ermei walked up to it, she was exactly as tall as the horse's head. Fu Ermei was already quite tall, but not much shorter than an average man. She turned around and said, "I can't ride a horse. I've always ridden in a carriage or a sedan chair."
Fu Ermei suddenly screamed, and Guo Shao roughly lifted her legs up and put her directly on the horse's back. She was terrified and pressed her hands on the horse's back for fear of falling off.
Guo Shao untied the rope that tied the horse, stepped on the stirrup and climbed up, saying: "I'll take you for a ride first." Then he gave the horse a light kick and rushed out to the stable door.
Fu Ermei hurriedly hugged Guo Shao's waist, and her bulging chest pressed against his vest involuntarily. Guo Shao was in a good mood and rode his horse to the gate of Yicheng.
When you go out, you will see a wide post road, with the city behind you and a vast wilderness in front of you. In this season, the plain is not as barren as in autumn and winter. It is surrounded by green crops and plants, and the colors are very pleasing to the eye.
In the ancient north, there was no miasma and no air pollution. The sky was very clear, the air was fresh, the breeze was blowing and the scenery was pleasant.
Guo Shao shouted: Hold on tight. He started to speed up immediately. The tall and heavy horse galloped with the roar of its hooves, which was very majestic. It was getting faster and faster. This Western Region horse was not easy to raise, but its horsepower was really strong. When it rushed, Guo Shao felt that it was faster than a motorcycle.
Fu Ermei screamed: "I'm so scared! Slow down! Oh my!" She hugged Guo Shao's back desperately, not caring about anything else, and shouted: "I dare not open my eyes, I'm about to cry, stop now!"