Chapter 14 - The Wedding Night
"The groom is here!"
The old maid shouted, and the Earl of Xining stopped pestering his eldest daughter. Having been an absent landlord for eighteen years, he was conflicted to be marrying off his daughter now, but he cared for Cui Ti as she was his own flesh and blood.
Just as feelings of parting arose, his wife pinched his waist fiercely.
He endured without crying out, and the Earl of Xining sent his daughter off.
Cui Ti had no elder brother of her own blood, so she declined her mother's offer to have a cousin elder brother carry her to the sedan.
The eight-man sedan arrived, and Pei Xuan dismounted from his horse. His front was decorated with a large, fluttering red flower.
As the legal son of the Prime Minister, being able to marry the blind daughter raised in the south courtyards of the Cui family was a godsend for Pei Xuan. She made her way to this place unimpeded, with no one blocking her path.
Song Zizhen and Zheng Wuji, dressed as groomsmen, stood guard at her left and right like door gods.
Sounds of cheers and chatter did not cease around them. Many people had come to watch the bustle, and as the sun set in the west, its last glow spread across the earth. Song Zizhen said in a low voice, "Here she comes!"
The bride had arrived.
Cui Ti wore red bridal clothes, covered by a red veil. She walked out of the mansion gates supported by the wife of the Earl of Xining and Bai Ge.
The May breeze was mild, the willows swayed their slender waists, and Cui Dai standing behind her mother finally saw her "brother-in-law"—what a dashing and handsome young man with red lips and white teeth!
"Greetings to Father-in-law and Mother-in-law."
Pei Xuan bowed.
The Earl of Xining was moved and reached out to support her. Faced with Pei Xuan's gentle and sincere eyes, he found himself at a sudden loss for words.
He sighed lightly, "Ti'er, I leave her in your care now. She was born blind and has suffered much. Now that you have married her, you must treat her well."
"Yes."
Seeing Pei Xuan's gentle demeanor, proper etiquette, and glowing expression, the wife of the Earl of Xining also smiled and passed Cui Ti's hand over, "Xing Guang, this is your wife now."
Pei Xuan was cautious by nature. She softly called out "Lady Cui", and a soft reply soon came from under the veil.
It was Cui Ti's voice.
Her smile grew even brighter.
Cui Dai, shyly hiding behind, turned pale.
It was just as well Mother didn't agree to her offer to take her sister's place. This person had clearly come prepared, showing how little they trusted the Earl of Xining's manor!
According to custom, the bride's family wept when marrying off a daughter, the more bitterly they cried, the more reluctant they were to part with their girl. The Earl of Xining squeezed out a couple tears, while his wife couldn't produce any at all.
She was still thinking about how Cui Ti had provoked her with harsh words yesterday.
The atmosphere was a little awkward.
Pei Xuan's expression remained unchanged.
Whether they cried or not was unimportant, she did not like a weeping farewell on her wedding day. No one cherished Little Miss Cui, so she would come to cherish her.
She was confident she could do better than all of them. She would love and treasure her like the moon in the sky, like a pearl in her palm.
"Slow down, be careful."
In just a few steps, she protected Cui Ti and smoothly helped her into the sedan. Her gentle care moved many to feel envious.
"Are you ill? Is it serious?"
The two spoke in the shallow crevice of time. Cui Ti blushed, "Much better, it's nothing."
Only then was Pei Xuan reassured.
She stepped out of the bridal sedan and bid farewell to the Earl and his wife.
"Raise the sedan!"
The sky slowly darkened, stars rose into the firmament, and the moon curved.
A blind girl, upright and proud, was welcomed into the Prime Minister's residence. This was something unimagined by countless people in Xi Jing.
Yet it happened.
Sitting under the wedding canopy, listening to the cheers and congratulations, Cui Ti felt as though she had ascended to the clouds, as though in a dream.
Her sleeve was lightly pulled.
She returned to her senses.
Pei Xuan's clear, gentle voice flowed slowly, "Lady Cui, it's time for us to bow as husband and wife."
Cui Ti's heart skipped a beat, and her face flushed with a thin layer of pink.
"Bow as husband and wife—"
The newlyweds bowed to each other, completing the solemn wedding ritual in this life.
Pei Xuan quietly let out a breath, fearing the other party was unwilling to marry her. It turned out to be her misunderstanding.
Her palms were damp with sweat. She led the new bride to the bridal chamber first, not daring to linger inside. She came out flushed and heartbeat racing, going to host the wedding banquet and entertain guests from all around.
"You came out so quickly?" Song Zizhen nudged her, "Didn't exchange many words?"
"No..."
She was distracted, and Zheng Wuji laughed, "There's plenty of time for the wedding night. Come on, stop pestering Xing Guang, let's drink!"
"Drink what? We're here to drink in Xing Guang's place. I'm not married yet, my good brother has to stay sober for his first spring night!"
Song Zizhen waved his hands dramatically, "Xing Guang, am I right or not?"
Spend the spring night...
Pei Xuan hadn't drank any wine yet, but was already half drunk. She anxiously started worrying—how would she get through the wedding night with Lady Cui?
She couldn't hurt her feelings, neglect her, get too close, or reveal she was a woman.
How could her colleagues at the Hanlin Academy let the blissful new groom off easy? They came one after another to toast her.
Song Zizhen and Zheng Wuji kept their word, drinking until they were dead drunk as mud.
"Storm the bridal chamber...storm the bridal chamber..."
"What's there to storm?"
Many who had drank themselves under the table. Pei Xuan ordered people to take them to prepared guest rooms.
She patted her face and headed for the rear courtyard.
"You may all leave now."
"Yes, m'lord."
The door creaked open. After waiting a while, Bai Ge finally saw the beautiful jade-like young master.
Seeing him again this time, Pei Xuan was no longer an awkward goose, but a careful deer walking on cotton—clear-eyed, with an indescribably gentle and beautiful silhouette in the candlelight.
No wonder the people of Xi Jing all said Young Master Pei resembled a woman. With this bearing, this temperament, if Bai Ge didn't know he was the publicly recognized legal son and top scholar of the Prime Minister, she might really have doubted.
"This servant greets the young master."
She suddenly spoke, startling the person staring blankly at the bride.
Pei Xuan blinked, "Go prepare a bath. I will wash up shortly."
Bai Ge looked towards her mistress sitting motionless on the edge of the bed. Seeing Cui Ti had no objection, she tactfully took her leave.
"You all may leave as well."
The maids attending the bridal chamber filed out one by one as the door closed, restoring tranquility to the room.
Pei Xuan looked left and right, rather timid to be approaching her hometown.
And Cui Ti, how could she be any different?
One could not step into the same river twice, yet Cui Ti had married the same person in her two lifetimes.
She clutched her handkerchief, crumpling the embroidered silk depicting mandarin ducks at play.
Pei Xuan's hand trembled as she reached to pick up the red wedding candles on the jade tray, a blush rising to her cheeks.
The veil was lifted.
That beautiful face illuminated the dim chamber, and Pei Xuan liked seeing her, unconsciously breaking into a smile, "Have you waited long?"
Cui Ti shook her head slightly, the phoenix coronet on her head trembling along, "No."
According to Da Zhao's conventional proceedings, next the couple would drink the wine of union, also called exchanging cups.
Cui Ti was very afraid of making a fool of herself when drinking, her throat felt dry from nervousness, and she didn't know what to do with her hands and feet.
Noticing her awkwardness, Pei Xuan led her step by step, drinking half a cup of wine handed over by the miss, then slowly feeding Cui Ti the remaining half cup he had left.
After the wine entered their throats, both of their faces flushed to varying degrees of shyness.
"Have you drank a lot before?"
She pulled on Pei Xuan's sleeve.
Pei Xuan lowered his head to sniff.
She was a cultured drunk, with great capacity, drinking a lot without getting drunk.
It was inevitable for the scent of wine to cling on the wedding night, she thought Cui Ti wouldn't like it: "I'll wash away the smell quickly."
"Are you going to wash in the room?"
"Mm..."
Pei Xuan glanced at her expression: "I'll chase them out, with no one to accompany you, I won't be at ease."
In her previous life, she had also bathed in their bridal chamber, even if she couldn't see, it still made Cui Ti breathless with shyness.
But thinking they were both experienced people now, she hoped to have new progress with Pei Xuan, nodding: "You go ahead."
Bai Ge ordered people to carry a half-man-tall bathing tub into the room. Though she could say "it's perfect to deal with Lord Pei Xuan on the spot" in front of Cui Ti, standing in the master's wedding room, she was thin-skinned: "This servant will take her leave first."
After closing the door, Bai Ge rubbed her little face -
Too exciting! Is the young lord going to play real mandarin ducks sporting in the water with the young miss?
Her mind was filled with frolicking goblins.
Inside the room, considerate Pei Xuan helped remove the phoenix crown weighing down his wife's head.
The heavy decorations taken off, Cui Ti felt much more relaxed, saying gently: "Go on now."
"I'll be quick, wait for me."
"Alright."
Being able to chat with her a bit more, Pei Xuan was very happy. In three or two steps he went behind the screen, removed his clothes and stepped into the steaming bath.
The sound of splashing water arose, Cui Ti slowly nibbled her lip.
In the past life, she often heard people say how refined and handsome her good husband was. If possible, she also wanted to take a look.
She wanted to grow old with Pei Xuan, wanted to treat him well, to repay his grace in saving her and his fondness.
The thick atmosphere of the wedding night did not disperse, lingering in the clear fragrance of the water vapor around the nose. Cui Ti took a light sniff, sighing that Pei Xuan was worthy of being a gentleman from a prestigious family, his daily grooming more meticulous than a demanding noble lady's.
Would Pei Xuan still be unwilling to touch her in this life?
She sat stiffly there, her thoughts wandering far...
...
Candlelight shone on the exquisite carved screen, reflecting an enchanting slender figure. Pei Xuan undid his hair and water flowed down smooth skin. He raised his head blankly looking towards the other side of the screen.
"Husband..."
His body stiffened slightly, listening closely. Making sure someone was calling him, he hurriedly asked: "Wife?"
Cui Ti's eyes stung. The red silk band was untied and fell to the ground. Following her instincts to find someone who could give her a sense of security, she had only taken a few steps when her knees knocked into the table and chairs, a muffled groan escaping her throat.
"Wife?"
Pei Xuan panickedly got out of the tub, grabbing a random outer shirt.
A faint golden light swept past her eyelids, the stinging pain ebbed like the tide. Cui Ti opened her eyes, the world before her eyes spun upside down.
Thick fog all around, only a single figure hurried through the endless mist.
"Wife? Wife?"
A hand caressed her face.
The person had a beautiful appearance, full of anxious concern.
Wife?
Cui Ti stared straight at 'him', unable to believe everything she saw.
Seeing her red rimmed eyes, Pei Xuan's heart leapt to his throat: "Is your eye painful again? How about now? Is it a bit better now?"
She had rushed over in a hurry, moisture clinging to the thin clothing, water droplets rolling down the fair valley between 'his' collarbone and breasts.
Looking at the 'good husband's' cascading long hair and the alluring slender figure the snowy undergarment failed to conceal, Cui Ti's body and mind quivered. Face flushed, she realized with great enlightenment...!