12dz Chapter 261 Worship
Chapter 261 Worship
Ning Family Ancestral Hall
"Flowers bloom and the moon is full as the golden phoenix appears, and red clouds surround the peaks of the world. The dragon pays homage to the phoenix, and the phoenix welcomes the dragon; the auspicious time has arrived. We respectfully invite the mother and daughter to inform the ancestors."
Because Gu Qingwan's mother passed away early, she returned to the Ning family with her mother, and this task was taken over by Madam Ning, who had raised her since childhood, in place of her mother.
Madam Ning led her step by step toward the ancestral hall. Gu Qingwan knelt on the prayer mat that had been prepared in advance in the ancestral hall. Looking at the ancestral tablets of the Ning family, and at the bottom was her mother's tablet, she felt a warmth in her heart, as if these relatives were right beside her.
"Please offer incense."
Baoqin stepped forward, lit the incense and candles, and handed them to Madam Ning.
"Please ask Mother to continue the family line."
"Qingwan's mother passed away early, so I'm taking the liberty of sending Qingwan off on her wedding day." Madam Ning handed the incense sticks to Gu Qingwan with tears in her eyes.
Before accepting the incense, Gu Qingwan kowtowed to Madam Ning and said, "Thank you for raising me all these years, Aunt."
He stood up and took the incense from his aunt with both hands.
"The bride offers incense to her ancestors."
Gu Qingwan held the incense and kowtowed to the ancestral tablets. The tablets were dedicated to the ancestors of the Ning family. Although her surname was Gu, she considered herself a member of the Ning family.
Baoqin helped Gu Qingwan place the incense sticks, and then Gu Qingwan knelt there and began to tell her story.
"I humbly beseech the spirits of my ancestors to come and offer their blessings, and to witness this joyous occasion. With the three stars shining upon our home and the candles burning brightly, I pray that in the future we may grow old together in harmony and mutual respect. I now beseech my ancestors to silently protect us and to accept this blessing, as a testament to my loyalty."
"The bride pays homage to the ancestral hall!"
Gu Qingwan bowed three times.
"Offer wine to Heaven!"
Madam Wang personally handed the wine on the tray to Gu Qingwan.
"Respect the earth."
Gu Qingwan did as she was told and raised her glass to the earth.
"drink!"
When Xiao Jingchen arrived at the main gate, there were naturally people blocking the entrance to join in the fun, and the entire main gate of the Ningguo Duke's Mansion was completely blocked.
Many more ordinary people came to watch the spectacle, as everyone wanted to see the stern and illustrious King of Chu being made difficult by others and unable to accept it.
"The new son-in-law has come to greet the bride."
"allow!"
With these shouts from both sides, the gates of the Ningguo Duke's mansion opened, and the people who had been waiting and blocking the gate emerged.
The first person blocking the doorway was Ning Chenglin, the eldest son of the Ning family.
Ning Chenglin had always had complicated feelings towards the King of Chu. During those years, the King of Chu was with them and followed their grandfather. Both brothers admired the King of Chu for his martial arts skills and literary talent. In particular, the King of Chu's rise to power in the southern border region made him seem like an unattainable figure to them.
But now the King of Chu wants to marry his cousin whom he has loved since childhood. No man could tolerate this. On the one hand, he felt reluctant to part with his cousin, and on the other hand, he felt that only the King was worthy of his outstanding cousin.
In short, the feelings are very complicated.
“Your Highness, it is not an easy thing to marry my sister. First of all, she must get past us brothers.” Ning Chengze knew his elder brother’s thoughts, and seeing that he did not move, he quickly stepped forward to speak.
"Bring it on! Our prince is skilled in both literature and martial arts. He never even flinched when fighting on the battlefield. Do you think he'd be afraid of a few of you?"
Accompanying the King of Chu to welcome the bride were some royal relatives who loved to join in the fun, as well as several generals whom the King of Chu had brought from the battlefield. They were all forthright people who spoke very frankly.
"We've long heard of Your Highness's exceptional martial arts skills. We'd like to come and experience them for ourselves," said one of the women's representatives.
"No, no, today is a joyous occasion, it's very unlucky to be wielding swords and spears. Let's find someone else. If you want to have a match, there's no need to trouble Your Highness, we can handle it ourselves!" General Mo said.
“General Mo is right, how about we play a game?” Ning Chengze suggested.
"Oh dear, what kind of skill is it to talk about war on paper? Besides, the North and the South are two completely different places. The environment is different, the climate is different, the customs are different, and even the way they think about war is different. How can we talk about this? Let's find someone else. If Second Young Master is not good enough, quickly find someone else to block the door."
"That's right, that's right! If it's not feasible, just let our Prince in!"
At this moment, Meng Jiyue stepped forward from the crowd, much to everyone's surprise. He said, "Since Your Highness is proficient in both literary and military arts, how about I, in my humble opinion, compose a poem to urge you to get ready for your wedding?"
"You are Meng Jiyue, the heir apparent of the Marquis of Yongyi." The King of Chu recognized the man.
"Your Highness has a truly excellent memory."
"Who doesn't know Young Master Jiyue's paintings? I've also heard a little about them."
Everyone was speechless. In the eyes of scholars, Young Master Jiyue was an idol-like figure, but the prince only mentioned that he had "heard of him vaguely"...
"Young Master Jiyue doesn't count. You're not a member of the bride's family, so how can you block the door?"
"My sister is the bride's best friend."
"That doesn't count, and it doesn't count either!"
""
"Excellent, Your Highness, you have truly remarkable literary talent."
"Now can our prince go in?"
Ning Chenghao squeezed out from the crowd, "No, no, there's still me to get through this."
"Hey, what are you up to, little brat?"
The King of Chu smiled, a rare occurrence for him, and said, "Then please enlighten me, Young Master Ning."
"Hahahaha." The people around also found Ning Chenghao's chubby face really cute, and they were also infected by the prince's amiable appearance.
"I'm still young and don't understand anything. Your Highness, let's play the game of pitch-pot. There are ten arrows here. Hmm... Your Highness, you only need to shoot one in to count!"
Ning Chenghao shook his head, feeling incredibly proud of himself. It would be difficult for most people to even get five sticks in, right? His mother said she couldn't embarrass the prince, so he went easy on him and didn't let the prince get all of them in.
The King of Chu simply found the child adorable, while those around him thought it was an easy question.
The King of Chu was highly skilled in martial arts and could throw all the arrows into the pot with a single grab. But today was different. He was very patient and threw the arrows one by one, each one accurate. Until the last one, the king seemed to have missed and dropped it outside.
"See? I told you the prince isn't always right. You barely passed!" Ning Chenghao said proudly as he accepted the large red envelope.
The King of Chu said, "Then I thank Young Master Ning for his kindness."
Seeing this, Ning Chenglin seemed to let it go. This kind of prince could indeed take good care of his cousin, so he didn't make things difficult for the prince anymore and instead made way for him.
"Your Highness, please!"
The people brought by the King of Chu did not disappoint either, and quickly took out many red envelopes and stuffed them into the hands of the people blocking the door.
In the main hall of the Ning family, Old Madam Ning and the old Duke sat at the head of the table, while Madam Ning stood beside her, holding Ning Jingxian's memorial tablet.
Gu Qingwan wore a veil and held a red silk ribbon in her hand. At the other end of the ribbon was the dignified and imposing prince.
"The newlyweds have come to pay their respects to their elders and are bowing to them!"
Since the Prince of Chu is a prince with a noble status, no one except the Empress Dowager and the Emperor would require him to kneel before anyone. Therefore, it would be fine for the Prince of Chu to just stand. As for Gu Qingwan, she is the Princess Consort, so it would be fine for her to follow the Prince.
However, the King of Chu also followed Gu Qingwan's kneeling ceremony very seriously, which startled the Duke of Ningguo so much that he wanted to step forward to stop him, but was stopped by a look from the old Duke.
After the two finished bowing and stood up, a servant brought over teacups.
"Please have some tea, maternal grandparents."
The old duke blew on his beard, drank the tea, and then took out a red envelope he had prepared from the tray and gave it to the King of Chu.
"You got off easy, kid. You'd better treat Qingwan well from now on, or I won't care if you're a prince or not, I'll still beat you up!"
"Grandfather, please rest assured."
"Respectfully invite elders to pass on family precepts!"
Madam Ning sat upright and spoke slowly.
"My daughter is getting married today and will become a wife. From now on, you should pay attention to your words and deeds, respect your parents-in-law, love your relatives and friends, and support your husband. I wish you a harmonious family and a happy life."
"If my granddaughter knew, she would certainly not bring shame to the Ning family."
"Blood ties bind us forever; when a noble person leaves the mansion, their head may not touch the sky; with a red umbrella in hand, prosperity and fortune will follow! The daughter is getting married!"
Ning Chenglin, the eldest son of the Ning family, carried Gu Qingwan out of the Ning family and escorted her to the bridal sedan chair. The Prince of Chu mounted his horse, and the ceremonial band played with all their might.
Xiao Yi led his men to scatter candy and copper coins into the crowd, saying, "Our prince said he thanks everyone for coming to witness his wedding with the princess, and everyone should share in the joy!"
"Long live the Prince! Long live the Princess!"
"Wishing the Prince and Princess a long and happy marriage!"
The crowd began to follow the wedding procession, and Gu Qingwan, sitting in the sedan chair, heard the sounds of blessings outside.
The sedan chair was carried by eight men and was very stable. Gu Qingwan shed tears at this moment, not from sadness but from joy. She was happy that God had given her a chance to start over and that her suffering had finally come to an end.
Surrounding the sedan chair were her four beautiful maids, all dressed in their finest attire, for they couldn't possibly embarrass their princess.
What was even more astonishing was the dowry of the Princess of Chu. The prince had been riding his horse for quite some time, and the dowry procession had not yet completely left the gates of the Duke of Ningguo's mansion. It was no exaggeration to say that it was a ten-mile-long red bridal procession.
These dowries included some prepared by her mother before her death, as well as her mother's own dowry, all of which were given to Gu Qingwan. The Ning family also prepared a dowry according to the provisions for a legitimate daughter, and Old Madam Ning privately added quite a bit more.
In addition, Gu Qingwan had already received quite a lot from the Gu family, not to mention the betrothal gifts sent by the Chu Prince's Mansion, which were also given to Gu Qingwan as her dowry. The prince still felt it wasn't enough and secretly added a lot more, as well as gifts from his young ladies. Just now, the Empress from the palace also sent a portion.
Even adding them up piecemeal, there's quite a lot. Each one is substantial, and judging from the guards carrying the boxes and the slightly bent poles, you can tell they're not just being carried lightly.
Actually, it was under Madam Ning's guidance that they managed to change to a large box, trying to put the two boxes of things into one box. Otherwise, the procession would be even longer, or it would be too conspicuous. You can't expect a subject's daughter's wedding to be more grand than a princess's wedding in the palace.
So she stuffed whatever she could into the Chu Prince's mansion, and sent people to transport the rest to the Chu Prince's residence beforehand. In short, Gu Qingwan was definitely a little rich woman, and she wasn't afraid of running out of money even if she just sat around doing nothing.
The main gate of the Prince's Mansion opened, and Xiao Jingchen dismounted and personally went to the sedan chair door to greet the bride.
"Kick the sedan chair door!"
After the master of ceremonies finished speaking, the King of Chu ignored him and directly lifted the curtain of the sedan chair: "Your Highness, come home with me."
Everyone couldn't help but marvel. Kicking the sedan chair door was a show of force from the husband's family, meant to make the woman respect her husband in the future. Now, the prince completely ignored it and even personally lifted the sedan chair curtain to invite the princess. It's clear that the princess's importance in the prince's heart is not to be underestimated.
"Step over the fire pit!"
"Mount up!"
Upon arriving at the main hall of the Prince's residence, Gu Qingwan, with her excellent hearing, was secretly informed by Xiao Jingchen that the Empress Dowager and the Emperor had arrived in person.
With the Empress Dowager present, even members of the imperial family dared not cause too much trouble. Xiao Jingchen led Gu Qingwan to the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager was overjoyed. No matter who her son married, at least he was married, and she, as his mother, could finally put her mind at ease.
"Worship heaven and earth!"
"Second bow to the parents!" The parents are naturally the Empress Dowager. Although there is an elder brother who is like a father, even if you are the emperor, it is not the younger brother and his wife's turn to kneel and pay homage to your mother.
The Emperor, being quite sensible, stood beside the Empress Dowager. He was just as excited as she was, after all, this younger brother had grown up by his side since childhood, and he had personally taught him to read and write.
"Couple greetings!"
"The ceremony is complete! Your Highness, please lift the veil!"
When the veil was lifted, everyone present was immediately amazed, and everyone thought that the princess was really beautiful.
Xiao Yuheng was naturally among these people. When he saw Gu Qingwan's stunningly beautiful face and her eyes kept flashing, he suddenly felt that he should be the one standing in front of her.
Gu Qingwan showed the shyness that a bride should have, but she was still generous and did not disgrace her status as the Princess Consort of Chu.
She turned and bowed to the Empress Dowager: "Gu pays respects to Your Majesty the Empress Dowager and Your Majesty the Emperor!"
"Alright, alright, today is your and Prince Chu's special day. Why make such a fuss? Quickly help the bride back to rest. Your Majesty and I have been out for a while, and you must be feeling uncomfortable. Your Majesty, let's go back."
Since the Empress Dowager had spoken, the Emperor naturally had no other opinions.
Fuming held a wine cup, which the Emperor took in his hand, and said to everyone present, "Thank you all for coming to the Prince of Chu's wedding banquet. Please don't be shy, eat and drink well. Even if you get drunk, it's alright. I'll give you all a day off tomorrow."
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty!" No one was unhappy. Who wouldn't take advantage of the boss's sudden offer to not come to work and indulge themselves?
However, even though it's called indulgence, you still have to wait until the boss leaves before you can indulge.
After the Empress Dowager and the Emperor left, Gu Qingwan was helped into the bridal chamber, followed by some royal wives, princesses, and noble ladies who came to join in the fun.
The people outside were even more enthusiastic about toasting the groom. The wine was all bestowed by the emperor. Even though Xiao Jingchen had prepared by having people help him fend off the drinks, he still couldn't resist drinking a lot. Fortunately, he was a good drinker himself.
If anyone is truly unhappy, it's Xiao Yuheng, because he still harbors the ambition to one day ascend the throne and snatch Gu Qingwan back.
The most awkward situation belonged to Gu Ziming.