Character Index
Ma Kaijie: One of the Vice-Ministers of the Court of Judicial Review.
Shen Liangjun: One of the Vice-Ministers of the Court of Judicial Review, went to investigate a corruption case in the provinces around the end of Book 1 and has wisely remained there, away from the mess in the capital. Kuang's supporter.
Wei Guang: The Imperial Edict Bearer and Minister of Censure. Kayla's godfather.
Zhou Kuang: The Third Prince, son of the Royal Consort.
Housekeeper Li: Formerly Matron Li, Kayla's loyal servant.
Qiu Yun: Also known as Yun'er, a young serving girl chosen to attend to Kayla due to her reliable character and plain looks.
Yan'er: A young serving girl who was formerly a prostitute, Kayla bought out her contract after Yan'er saved Hu Qing's life.
Liang Hongfei/Hu Qing: Vice-Minister of Censure and Lord of the Liang clan, formerly Kayla's retainer and currently one of her supporters. One of the people that Kayla trusts most, he received a red jade pendant for good luck from Kayla when she feared she would soon be bankrupt.
Zhang Wuxian: An Attendant Censor, raised from provincial officialdom to the capital due to Kayla's reforms.
Lin Jie: An Attendant Censor, also raised from provincial officialdom to the capital, has a chronic problem with his arm. Friends with Zhang Wuxian.
Chujiao/Jing Shuyou: Formerly Wenyuan's personal maid and childhood sweetheart, in truth the cousin of Xiang Daozong/Qu Boyong. After Kayla ended things between them, she returned the red jade necklace given to her by Wenyuan's mother, who had intended for Chujiao to one day become Wenyuan's concubine.
Ashina: Princess of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate, Kayla's bethrothed.
Zhou Yunqi: The Fifth Prince.
Shu Yunsong: The second uncle of the Fifth Prince (second eldest brother of his mother).
Zhou Xianchun: The Seventh Prince.
Derin: Ashina's lady-in-waiting and chief attendant.
Kulun: A tarkhan in service of the Chuluo Khagan, he was tasked with escorting Ashina to the Wu and overseeing the wedding.
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Kayla wrote at a furious pace, determined to slog through the last of her paperwork. A new batch was coming in, but that would no longer be her problem–the pile would sit there untouched for the next two days, slowly growing in size as more scrolls were tossed onto it. After that, the job would fall to Ma Kaijie, who would take over Kayla’s duties while she was on nuptial leave for three days. Given that it was a national wedding, there were plenty of formalities and ceremonies to go through.
Poor Ma Kaijie, and he’d be dealing with it all alone too, Kayla thought absently. Shen Liangjun was still in Henan Circuit, but that was perfect for her needs–he, more so than anyone, would be key to what happened next. Despite the continuous flood of reports streaming in, the four institutions of the justice branch had managed to get a system of organization in place by bringing in extra manpower from the Hanlin Academy, the Taixue Institute under the Hanlin’s jurisdiction, and female officials and a good number of eunuchs from the Inner Palace.
Once Kayla was back from her three days off, or even before then, Wei Guang would likely make his move. Between Kuang’s network, Shen Liangjun’s presence in the provinces, and the rank and file Investigators at the regional offices, they had enough localized knowledge to pick out a few places to make an example of.
According to Shen Liangjun’s reports, Qi County only has about 30 people who know how to write. How the hell can there possibly be 200 reports from the region? This is no different from troll campaigns where they change their IP addresses with a multi-hop server, Kayla thought dryly. Well, at least now we have an excuse.
Kayla left work at a reasonable hour, feeling a little sorry for the rest of the staff. But the wedding preparations tomorrow would be hectic–now that she was the Director of the Imperial Investigation Bureau, a good part of event security also fell under her responsibility. Kayla quickly handed off some instructions to her retainers and went to bed, determined to get a full night's sleep. It might very well be her last chance to do so for a very long time, given that this would become a shared household in two days time. She turned onto her side, tossing an arm over her eyes.
Ashina must be nervous too, Kayla thought drowsily.
She slept fitfully, waking up with a sense of dread in her stomach in the middle of the night, as she often did these days. When she finally managed to fall asleep again, her heart no longer pounding furiously in her throat, it was to a dream that she couldn’t remember. But when she woke up, there were tears on her face. Confused and groggy, Kayla washed them off and checked herself in the bronze mirror.
Dang. The dark circles under her eyes were all the more obvious in the harsh pale light of the early morning.
Soon after, Housekeeper Li swept into the room after a brief knock with Yun’er in tow and made Kayla presentable with punctual efficiency. A head eunuch and two head maids from the Imperial Palace had arrived and were waiting in the Inner Courtyard by the time Kayla was done, with an army of staff members in tow. All of them were from the Emperor’s personal retinue–normally, this task might have fallen to the Empress or the Empress Dowager, but the Emperor had evidently taken it upon himself to take charge of the final wedding preparations. There was also a stately middle-aged woman that Kayla recognized as the Princess’ lady-in-waiting, present as a representative of the bride’s family to partake in the custom of jointly preparing the marriage chamber.
I would’ve thought he would leave it to the Royal Consort–or maybe not, he probably doesn’t want to hand anything more to Kuang at this juncture.
The day sped by as Kayla oversaw the household’s transformation. It being a wedding of international importance, Ashina would depart from the Inner Palace to the Outer Palace, where the ritual would take place, and then accompany Kayla to the Zhao household, where the celebratory banquet would take place. It was an unconventional arrangement. Usually, the wedding rituals took place at the groom’s household.
A rare honor, Kayla thought distantly. How many people can boast of having the Emperor at their wedding?
Housekeeper Li had already done the bulk of the work in the preceding days, but what little remained to be taken care of was undertaken by the Emperor’s servants with brutal zeal.
Kayla’s young hostages stayed out of the way, but watched with curiosity from the sidelines until they were shooed away. The day flew by, and the preparations slowed to a finish.
“Yes, I remember,” Kayla said, losing her patience as the eunuch repeated the details of the ritual to her again for the fourth time. “Thank you, I think I’ve got a handle on it.”
The eunuch looked as though he wanted to nag some more, following some instinct guided by the nature of aging men, but controlled himself and backed away.
“My lord,” Yan’er approached her. Kayla squinted at the young girl, seeing Yun’er shyly hiding away from the crowded courtyard a few paces away.
“What’s the matter?” Kayla asked. “Did Yun’er have something to say?”
“Yeah, Lord Liang’s here to see you,” Yan’er said.
“What? Lord Liang? Here?” Kayla said in surprise. The Office of Censure was so busy that she doubted Hu Qing had a single spare moment. What was he doing here?
“He’s waiting in the side garden because there’s too many people elsewhere,” Yan’er said. “His own words.”
“Got it, I’ll head over,” Kayla said. “Keep an eye on things over here for me, alright?”
Yan’er nodded determinedly, looking pleased to have been assigned an important task. Kayla quickly strode through the household, nodding distantly as she passed by scores of harried servants.
She hadn’t even gotten halfway to the distant side garden before a familiar, tell-tale thump sounded out next to her. Kayla blinked at the shadowed figure.
“Hu Qing,” she greeted him.
“I didn’t startle you, did I? I figured it would be faster to come over here,” Hu Qing said cheekily.
Kayla squinted as he lit a lamp. “Did you wait long? I’m sorry.”
“Not at all. I don’t want to go back to work right now anyways,” Hu Qing said. “Just kidding, I need to head back soon.”
“Is it too much for you?” Kayla asked worriedly. “You’re the best man for the job, given your expertise. It’s just this one stretch–”
Hu Qing held up a hand to cut her off. “It’s fine. The Attendant Censors you picked are really good, by the way, especially Zhang Wuxian and Lin Jie. Thanks to them, all I have to do is supervise people properly and leave the bulk of the paperwork to them, and I think I intimidate the clerks enough that they’re more scared of me than of the workload.”
“I can imagine,” Kayla said dryly. “You’ll be at the wedding tomorrow, won’t you? I feel bad for increasing your workload at a time like this.”
Hu Qing shrugged. “Who would want to miss a spectacle like this?” His face grew grave, the mischievous grin fading away.
“So tomorrow, huh?”
Kayla nodded.
“I know we’re meant to say congratulations, but given the circumstances with the Khagan…” Hu Qing shook his head briefly. “But even so, I wish you all the best in your marriage.”
Kayla felt a rush of gratitude as she realized that he’d come all the way just for this.
“Thank you,” she said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Coming from you, that means a lot.”
Hu Qing didn’t smile back. “This won’t be something you can control, my lord. Even if you can’t make the princess happy, you should at least become happy yourself.”
Kayla stared at him silently in surprise, not knowing how to respond. Hu Qing shifted his weight.
“Anyways, that’s all I wanted to say, since I might not get a chance tomorrow,” Hu Qing said. “I should get back to work.”
“Thanks,” Kayla replied. “And don’t overdo it–remember, we’ll be throwing most of this out once Wei Guang makes his move.”
“Got it. I’m off now, don’t let your Investigators tackle me,” Hu Qing said, waving as he launched himself back onto the roof tiles. He sauntered off, not bothering to be subtle and boldly waving at a few of the Investigators on watch. Chagrined, one of the Investigators made himself visible to Kayla, giving her a questioning look from his position on a tree branch. Kayla subtly shook her head in response, and the Investigator disappeared again, letting Hu Qing strut across the rooftops with impunity.
As she turned back, Kayla reached in her pocket and took out the red jade pendant Chujiao had returned to her. Unthinkingly, almost without realizing what she was doing, she slipped it over her head and tucked it beneath her robes.
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The dawn of the wedding day cast a rosy glow of excitement over the entire capital. Onlookers and vendors began gathering in the streets early on, eager to get a good spot to catch a glimpse of the wedding procession. A few congratulatory cheers went up when they saw Zhao Wenyuan heading off to the palace in a carriage marked with the Imperial crest, but they were scattered and sparse, since the Duke was hidden behind the drawn curtains.
The Duke got out of the carriage upon reaching the palace and switched to horseback, joining the wedding procession of musicians and escorts. He was dressed in red silk of the highest quality, with embroidery that could only have been done by the palace’s seamstresses. A eunuch gave the signal, and the instruments began playing. Though the capital’s citizens couldn’t enter the Imperial Palace, the officials of the court had gathered to bear witness.
The groom’s party made its way to the palace annex where the princess resided, waiting for the bride to be escorted to her red palanquin. According to custom, Ashina’s feet never touched the ground even once after stepping outside the building. The palanquin and the princess’ retinue joined the procession, which proceeded out a side gate of the palace’s walls to make its way to the Main Hall from the main road outside.
The crowd had thickened by now, and let out a raucous cheer as they saw the high-flying banners bearing the crests of both the Khaganate and the Imperial family, and then upon closer look, the groom on horseback and the red palanquin of the bride.
Trumpets sounded, and flowers rained down as onlookers tossed them from the rooftops and windows.
They arrived at the Main Hall, where the steps had been covered with a red carpet. Wenyuan waited patiently for Ashina to be carried from the palanquin to where the carpet began, and they mounted the stairs together, each holding one end of a length of red brocade. From the Emperor to the officials and everyone in-between, it seemed as if the entire court was present, and mostly likely that was the case.
They knelt and bowed their heads to the floor before the Emperor, who gave a speech in honor of the occasion, and the ritual began in earnest. An Imperial official of the Inner Palace had been personally chosen by the Emperor to direct the ritual, and the elderly man, despite his wizened appearance, managed to project his voice with shocking volume.
“First bow to the sky and the earth!”
The couple bowed in unison.
The music increased in volume outside the hall to signal the ritual’s proceedings, and a cheer rippled through the streets. A mother lost her child in the crowd, her screams drowned out by the laughter around her. The press of the crowd left a scattering of discarded shoes to be crushed flat by the weight of so many feet.
“Second bow to the high altar!”
The couple bowed.
Yunqi’s smile grew haggard as officials scrutinized him, trying and failing to pretend they weren’t thinking about the Shu Yunsong case. As if the Shu clan wasn’t also on the brink of eruption already–between mediating with the court and mediating with his maternal relatives, Yunqi himself was on the verge of a breakdown. He faltered as a eunuch approached, recognizing the man as one of the oldest servants of the Empress Dowager. Yunqi’s face paled sharply as the eunuch whispered into his ear, and the prince looked as if he might collapse on the spot. Next to him, Kuang’s smile never lessened by even a smidgen, but the dangerous shimmer in his eyes betrayed his boiling anger.
“Third bow between the bride and the groom!”
The two red-clad figures turned towards each other and bowed.
Xianchun watched the couple intently, a dark look in his eyes that spoke of the plans he had in store.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Derin wept soundlessly, and no one could tell whether it was in joy or grief. Standing in statuesque silence before her, Kulun watched on with a calculating glint.
As the couple turned back towards the throne, the Emperor beamed with pride and affection, looking happier than he had for any of his sons’ weddings.
And the bride? The bride’s face was hidden beneath her red veil, blocking her husband’s concerned glances from reaching. With a thousand doubts, concerns, and excitements churning through their minds until they reached a deafening din, the groom stepped forward and took Ashina’s hand.
Arms clad in red silk intertwined and linked, each raising a small cup of wine. The bride and the groom emptied the cups and placed them back on the proffered tray.
With a swell of applause, the completion of the ritual was announced to the hall. The clapping and cheers swept like a tidal wave to the eager onlookers outside, then carried itself down the surrounding streets.
The Emperor once again gave a hearty congratulations and praised the marriage as a match well made, and personally walked the newlyweds to their horse and carriage, watching on as the wedding procession slowly snaked out of the palace and into the street.
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Ashina’s bridal carriage was set down inside the main courtyard of the Zhao household, and she was led by the hand to the bridal chamber by Wenyuan through a series of long, elaborately decorated corridors. Her heart thudded loudly inside her chest. She was no longer as nervous as she’d been when Wenyuan had come to escort her to the wedding ritual, but there was a faint buzzing that went on continuously within her skull.
Ashina was guided over to sit down on a spacious bed, and the household members scattered a myriad of objects over its surface. Peanuts, dried dates, lotus seeds, chestnuts, flowers, and an unfamiliar sweet smelling dried fruit were scattered over the red silk covers. Secretly delighted, Ashina flushed beneath her veil as petals rained down on her. Her new husband was escorted out of the room to the banquet, leaving her inside the bridal chamber according to tradition.
Derin came in with the Zhao clan’s female housekeeper to ensure Ashina was fed and comfortable, clearing away the topmost layer of the bed coverings along with all the food and flowers inside before leaving Ashina to wait alone again. She flung the veil back and glanced around the room, curiously examining the red wax candles and sweet-smelling incense. The room was beautiful, and no less grand than the palace annex she had been staying in.
It did little to distract her.
Throughout the whole day, Ashina hadn’t spoken a single word to her husband yet. The tendrils of nervousness crawled up inside her ribcage again as she waited, not sure whether she wanted to be alone for longer or for Wenyuan to hurry back. She vaguely heard a breathless laugh from down the corridor and approaching footsteps. They stopped halfway to the door and Wenyuan’s voice sounded out, muffled by the walls. She only caught his firm tone and the sound of departing footsteps. Quiet and sure, Wenyuan entered the bridal chamber and closed the door behind him.
“Apologies for making you wait,” Wenyuan called softly. Ashina hastily put the veil back into position. She didn’t quite manage to get it right, and was rather flustered.
“It’s fine,” Ashina said, not at all meaning it.
“Are you tired?” Wenyuan asked. “I’m going to sit down next to you now.”
“Yes, I can see. This veil isn’t that thick,” Ashina replied incredulously.
“Ah, I wasn’t aware,” Wenyuan said. He watched her expectantly, patiently waiting for an answer.
Squirming a little, Ashina mumbled out a response. “My feet hurt,” Ashina complained.
“I’ll get you some hot water to soak them in a little bit,” Wenyuan promised. “May I remove your veil now?”
“Go ahead,” Ashina replied. Through the veil, she saw Wenyuan reaching out towards her and felt her face warming up. “No, wait!”
Wenyuan waited. Ashina tried to think of something sad to stop her face from flushing, but her mind drew a blank.
Damn it.
“Whatever, go ahead,” Ashina grumbled. Through the hazy red gauze of the veil, she saw Wenyuan’s face crinkle into a smile. The fabric lifted up, and Wenyuan carefully removed it from her head without letting it catch on any of the elaborate ornaments.
“You look lovely,” Wenyuan said. “I’ve never seen anyone who wears a huadian mark better.”
Ashina grew more flustered, and sought to hide it behind a haughty expression.
“I know we’ve had some disagreements recently, but I like to think that it’s all part of the process,” Wenyuan said.
Ashina gave him an incredulous look, but Wenyuan only went and filled a basin with hot water, bringing it over to the bedside.
“You didn’t have to,” Ashina said. She hastily removed her socks and shoes, having a feeling that Wenyuan would start doing so otherwise. Wenyuan scooped up some of the water to test the temperature, nodding to himself. Ashina put her feet in, her ears tingling as Wenyuan sat down next to her again.
“I have no real disagreement with you or your father, I just want you to know that,” Wenyuan said, sounding so sincere that she wanted to believe him. “We don’t know enough of each other to work together smoothly and trustingly, but I have faith that the outcome will be good.”
“I certainly hope so,” Ashina said. “You’ve put me in a rather difficult position by having me pass on your message. Even I've never spoken so insolently to my father! Who would’ve thought that the first time was on your behalf?”
“I’m sorry. I truly meant no offense. Surely the truth is better than a honeyed lie?” Wenyuan said. “The basis of trust is truthfulness, and even if it makes the process a little more difficult, I’m sure it’ll build a stronger foundation for our relationship.”
I can’t win in a battle of words against this man, Ashina fumed.
“That might be your intention, but still, you should watch how you act!” Ashina huffed.
Wenyuan smiled. “Alright, I’ll be more careful.”
Ashina deflated, somewhat mollified.
“On another note, I have something for you.” Wenyuan took out a bracelet. “A gift. I wanted to wait until after the wedding to give it to you.”
He held it out for her to see. It was a bracelet carved out of a single unbroken piece of what looked to be high-quality red jade. The light of the red candles flickered across it, making it glow like an ember.
Wenyuan took the red jade bracelet in one hand and Ashina’s hand in another. He slipped the bracelet onto Ashina’s hand gently, lifting Ashina’s wrist to admire how it complimented the princess’ skin tone.
“It suits you well,” Wenyuan said softly. Ashina glanced at him with a mixture of pride and embarrassment.
“I look good in red,” Ashina said haughtily, the tips of her ears tinged a delicate shade of pink. Her words embarrassed her as much as the situation did, and Ashina wanted to dig a hole and burrow into the earth–or better yet, to toss Wenyuan in instead.
And bury him there!
Wenyuan smiled at her. “Of course, you look absolutely radiant in red. I really ought to buy you more jewelry in this shade. Do you like the bracelet?”
Ashina calmed down a bit at Wenyuan’s unbothered tone and turned her wrist, looking at the bracelet under the light.
“It’s nice. It’s red jade, isn’t it?”
“Yes, have you worn it before?” Wenyuan asked.
What does he think the Khaganate is?
Ashina shot him a look of irritation. “Of course I have! Do you think the Khaganate does not have its share of riches? Traders who cross from West to East or East to West must all pass through our lands, we have rare treasures from everywhere in the world!”
Wenyuan lifted her hands in a placating gesture. “Of course, I wouldn’t dare doubt that. If anything, I am the one who is a toad at the bottom of the well. Though I grew up in Luoyang, I’ve had little interaction with traders and foreigners. I was at home or at work most of the time. You’re certainly more knowledgeable than I am.”
Ashina lifted her chin, pleased at the compliment.
“I worded my question badly,” Wenyuan continued on. “I wanted to ask if you have any preferred styles for red jade, I could commission some other pieces for you, if you’d like.”
Ashina glanced at Wenyuan, her eyes trailing down Wenyuan’s face to a similar red jade pendant hung around his neck.
“Can I see your pendant?”
Wenyuan hesitated for a moment before taking it off and handing it over.
“It was a gift from my mother,” Wenyuan explained.
“It’s beautiful,” Ashina said, handing it back. “Can you get me one that matches yours?”
She immediately regretted the request when Wenyuan hesitated again. Ashina wanted to smack herself for getting caught up in the atmosphere as much as she wanted to grab Wenyuan by the collar and demand to know just what was going through his head. Whatever it was, nothing was visible on his face except the same placating smile as before.
“Of course, I’ll find a good artisan,” Wenyuan said. “I was wondering if I could get the same palace artisan who made this for my mother–he might be retired by now though, but one of his students should still be around.”
A wave of relief filled Ashina’s chest. So that’s what it was. Or was it?
She brushed away her doubts, determined to enjoy the moment of peace while it lasted.
Ashina smiled happily, her dimples showing. “I’ll leave it to you.”
Wenyuan reached down and gently grabbed her leg, lifting it from the basin. Ashina squeaked, jolting out of his grasp.
“Sorry, I should’ve said something first,” Wenyuan said apologetically. “But the water’s getting colder now, it’s not good for you to keep soaking your feet in it.”
Ashina quickly pulled her other foot out of the water as well, hesitating before extending them, allowing Wenyuan to dry her feet.
“We have servants for this kind of thing,” Ashina said, her face bright red. Wenyuan smiled as he patted her feet dry.
“And why would I let them in here?” Wenyuan said. “This is meant to be time spent between us, isn’t it?”
Ashina grew redder as Wenyuan took the basin away. She resolutely did not look at him when he sat back down next to her, waiting expectantly.
“We don’t have to do anything tonight,” Wenyuan said softly.
“What?” Ashina whirled towards him in confusion and irritation. She stopped short.
Wenyuan’s eyes were filled with a sudden intensity that didn’t match his tone. Unbidden, Ashina remembered their first meeting. Then too, Wenyuan had shown the same intensity seemingly out of nowhere.
“A man who can’t treat his family well is not worthy of respect,” he had said, and Ashina had thought it might not be so bad to marry him after all. But now–
What is this guy saying?!
“We’re already husband and wife, there’s no reason why we have to consummate our marriage before we’re ready,” he said.
“But we have to,” Ashina said in disbelief. “It’s–it’s custom! Do you even realize what kind of implications that would have for the alliance?!”
Wenyuan shook his head. “This kind of thing can have lasting impacts on our relationship if it ends up becoming a bad experience for you. I know this marriage has been a long time in the works now, and there’s a lot of pressure on both of us to make things work. But the more stressed you are, the less likely this is to go well. We can do this anytime. It doesn’t have to be today.”
“But what will I say if they ask? I can’t lie to my father–and–”
“Just say I was too drunk and couldn’t get it up.”
“I’m not going to say that!” Ashina smacked him in the arm in indignation. Wenyuan let out a soft laugh, and Ashina relaxed a little.
“The point is, we don’t have to do anything that you’re not comfortable with,” Wenyuan said. His voice was gentle, but the intensity in his gaze hadn’t lessened at all.
“I…I think it’s fine,” Ashina muttered, flushing bright red. A realization occurred to her. “Do you not want to?”
“I’m fine with it,” Wenyuan said after a beat.
What was with that? It was only the briefest of pauses, but doubt welled up in Ashina’s chest anyways.
“I’m just worried that you’ll be uncomfortable,” he added.
Oh. Ashina shot him a flustered look. “I-I said I was fine! Stop making me repeat it!”
“My apologies.”
Ashina shifted uncomfortably, waiting for him to initiate the next steps.
“Let me help you with your robes,” he offered. Ashina stood up and let him remove the heavy ornaments and outer robes, surprised at how good he was at it. She had seen her share of ladies-in-waiting from noble families who fumbled through the entire process, barely having ever dressed themselves before, much less someone else. Wenyuan’s calmness was reassuring, and Ashina found her nervousness fading bit by bit. Wenyuan draped one of the outer robes over her shoulders as he gestured for her to sit down. He pulled out the hair ornaments and somehow managed to avoid pulling out any hairs with it.
“Do you want to wipe your face? The makeup can get uncomfortable if you leave it on overnight.”
How the hell would he know that? An image of Wenyuan wearing makeup flashed into her mind, and Ashina spluttered with laughter as she took the offered towel. By the time she had finished, Wenyuan had undressed to his inner robes and had moved all their robes and ornaments out of the way.
Ashina noted that her husband was rather thin, but not so much to the point of being unpleasant. I don’t think he could ever become one of those fat, smiley old men, she thought, suddenly feeling strangely detached from the reality she found herself in.
“I’ll turn off the lights now,” Wenyuan said. The room grew dim, and Ashina began growing nervous again.
She stiffened as Wenyuan sat down next to her and removed the outer robe he had draped on her shoulders.
“What now?” Belatedly, Ashina realized she’d said it out loud. Once again, the urge to bury herself or to entomb her husband surged up inside her chest. To her relief, Wenyuan didn't show any signs of amusement.
“Just follow my lead and tell me if you're uncomfortable,” Wenyuan replied gently. “Try to relax.”
Ashina shifted self-consciously as he leaned closer, even though she knew he could barely see her face.
She breathed in sharply at their sudden closeness, heart pounding nervously in her chest.
“Trust me, it’ll be fine,” Wenyuan said.
Strangely, Ashina found herself believing him.
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Cultural Notes
翰林院/Hanlin Academy: An elite academic and legal institution that served a function very similar to a modern-day thinktank, but exclusively in the service of the Emperor.
太学/Taixue Institute: Basically the Imperial Academy, but probably very different than the magical noble academies we tend to see in mangas and manhuas. There were only men, and students varied between 14 to 25 years old. You did not have to be a noble to attend.
女官/Female officials: Referred to educated women who served as administrators in the Inner Palace. They operated separately from the official court system.
道/Circuit: The Tang Dynasty equivalent of a region, it was used as the largest administrative unit under the central government.
祺县/Qi County: A county in the Henan region. The literacy rate for the place is fictionalized, but not an improbable figure in more impoverished and heavily agricultural regions.
Traditional Wedding Rites: This varied by dynasty, but in the Tang Dynasty, the wedding would start with negotiations between the families, followed by the sending of gifts to the bride, divination for an auspicious date, and then the wedding itself. The wedding often included picking up the bride from her family house and bringing her over to the groom's, where the ceremony would take place. The bride would be escorted into the nuptial chamber while the groom hosted wedding guests at a banquet, and then the marriage would be consummated. I'll go into a bit more detail below to touch upon the different rituals and customs included in this chapter. Since it got a little long, it's inside a spoiler.
Wearing Red: Red was an auspicious color and the symbolic color of a marriage. Unlike today, wearing white at a wedding was unacceptable in Ancient times, as white was the color of mourning.
铺房/Arranging the bedchamber: The day before the wedding, the members of the bride and groom's family would help to set up the shared bedchamber of the new couple.
迎亲/Picking up the bride: The groom would go to the bride's house, where he might be expected to recite poems that call for the bride to stop dallying with her makeup and come to greet her husband. In some occasions, the groom might be blocked from reaching the bride by her father and brothers, who would test him with riddles or make him come up with a poem, only letting him through after being suitably impressed by his talent. He might then be blocked by the bride's womenfolk, who might lightly hit him with sticks as a warning to treat the bride properly. The bride would then get on a red palanquin and be carried to the groom's household with much fanfare from onlookers. Since this is a more formal occasion that represents a national union more so than a personal union, these parts were removed from Kayla's wedding ritual.
Bride's feet can't touch the ground: Another tradition, no one knows for sure when or where it started. It was considered inauspicious for a bride's feet to touch the ground between her own house and her groom's house, hence why there was red carpet inside the Imperial Palace, and also why Ashina was carried between the palanquin and the carpet.
拜堂/Ceremonial Obeisances: Typically, the bride and groom would be expected to bow three times in the wedding cermony; 一拜天地, first bow to the sky and earth, 二拜高堂, second bow to the high altar, (i.e. the parents and ancestors), and then 夫妻对拜/Husband and wife bow towards each other.
花钿/Huadian: A floral mark, usually red, that women would wear on their foreheads, usually between their brows. A temporary facial adornment.
合卺礼/Ritual of drinking intertwined cups: Originated from a ritual in which the couple intertwined their arms and each drank from a half of a dried gourd with their linked arm. In case of height differences, the groom would have to stoop quite a bit to make this work. This eventually evolved into the drinking of wine with interlinked arms without the usage of two halves of a gourd.
入洞房/Entering the nuptial bedchamber: The bride would be escorted into the nuptial bedchamber, where she would wait while her husband entertained the guests before joining her to consummate the marriage. She usually did so alone.
撒账/Sprinkling symbolic objects on the bed: A tradition in which food and flowers that had lucky symbolic meanings were sprinkled onto the wedding bed. This usually included peanuts, chestnuts, 桂圆/dried longan, lotus seeds, flowers, and various other things, depending on region and time period.
弄新妇/Pranking the bride: Often, members of the groom's family and friends would pull pranks on the bride or the young couple inside the nuptial bedchamber. This was usually limited to minor, harmless pranks (hiding a shoe or a comb, making the couple bite a fruit hanging on a string), but sometimes got out of hand. It sometimes devolves into rather malicious and harmful pranks that sometimes cause serious physical or emotional harm, especially when people get a little too jealous. If the bride is very nervous and unfamiliar with her surroundings, this often becomes a scarring experience rather than a fun one. This was skipped during Ashina and Kayla's wedding because Ashina is a princess, and Kayla firmly reminded some drunk young nobles of that when they attempted to proceed with pranking the bride, hence why Ashina heard multiple footsteps approaching but then leaving again.