Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
At this moment, the Duke of Yan's Residence was adorned with festive decorations, and everywhere one could see the bright red character for "happiness." The guests filled the halls, and the sounds of lively chatter created a bustling atmosphere.
Feng Hongrui stood in the Main Hall, exchanging pleasantries with friends and relatives who had come to attend the ceremony. The smile on his face made him look ten years younger—his beloved son was finally getting married, and most importantly, he was marrying the daughter of an old friend. Many years ago, there had been an agreement with Yun You that if their families happened to have a pair of children, they would become in-laws. Yun You originally intended to betroth Fourth Young Lady Yun Yan to Feng Yinxiao, but unexpectedly, the child had a strong will and early on developed feelings for Seventh Young Lady Yun Kexin, who had already been adopted by the Third House.
However, it was said that this Seventh Sister resembled Second Madam Yue Ziyun very much. Remembering past events, Feng Hongrui's calm heart began to ripple. Zhuo Min, standing nearby, seemed to sense his thoughts and whispered with a soft laugh:
"Duke, Consort has heard from Third Madam that this adopted daughter indeed looks just like her birth mother from the Yue Clan; it truly is 'the peach blossoms are beautiful and radiant.'"
The Duke of Wind felt a stir in his heart: someone had described the Yue Clan in such a way before. However, he maintained a calm demeanor and changed the subject:
"My lady, where are Yu Xi and Yulu? And what about Feng Yinfai?"
"They just returned from fetching the bride and are currently busy entertaining guests. They will also need to help with toasting later."
"That's good," Feng Hongrui said with a gentle smile. "Make sure Feng Yinfai doesn't drink too much."
Feng Yuxi was Feng Yinxiao's biological sister, born of the same mother. Feng Yinfai and Feng Yulu were Zhuo Min's illegitimate daughters from when she was still a concubine. After being legitimized, she had not given birth again.
"Duke, rest assured," Zhuo Min said with a charming smile that didn't reveal her teeth. "Fei'er is already sixteen; she has social connections and friends and can hold her liquor quite well. Today is Feng Yinxiao's big day; it's only right for her brother to help with the toasting." Upon hearing this, Feng Hongrui did not respond but merely nodded before continuing to greet the guests.
After a moment, Jiangyin Marquis Feng Hongwen approached with a serious expression and quietly asked, "What is Seventh Sister's character like? Has Elder Brother looked into it?"
Feng Hongrui felt somewhat annoyed; the Duke of E State Mansion's affairs were actually known to the Duke of Yan's Residence. Especially later on, it was no secret that Seventh Sister was indeed the legitimate daughter of the Second House. Moreover, her appearance and temperament were very similar to Second Madam Yue Clan; these were all things that the Duke of Yan's Residence had long been aware of. His second brother had even seen Seventh Sister in person at Consort Xiang's birthday banquet—how could he not know? Yet he continued to feign ignorance!
"Second Brother," Feng Hongrui's expression turned cold as he retorted sarcastically, "You still don't understand Feng Yinxiao's character? He never does anything without confidence. Do you think he would marry an unreliable woman? Why wait five years otherwise?"
Feng Hongwen was left speechless for a moment. He reluctantly shot back with sarcasm: "Not necessarily; five years ago, wasn't Feng Yinxiao still bringing women from Wanhua Pavilion back home?" Just as he was about to indulge in some light-hearted banter, he abruptly changed his tone under Feng Hongrui's sharp gaze. "Elder Brother, please don't be angry; Second Brother is just worried that Feng Yinxiao might be impulsive and choose the wrong person. After all, if an unsuitable and uneducated lady were to preside over such a large Duke of Yan's Residence, it would surely be a source of ridicule for others—"
Feng Hongwen's subsequent words completely irritated Feng Hongrui, who pulled him aside for a reprimand: "Enough! How could someone like Seventh Sister—the Duchess of the Duke of E's Residence—not be suitable? The Second House and Third House each contributed one-third of their assets; even unrelated Fourth Uncle contributed one-third of his estate as dowry for Seventh Sister—a total dowry of one million taels! What more could be considered suitable? Seventh Sister once studied under Tong Mansion; how could she lack education? This is absurd!"
Feng Hongrui, usually gentle and rarely angered, was now visibly furious, leaving Feng Hongwen slightly taken aback as he realized his elder brother was genuinely angry. He quickly forced a smile and said:
"Elder Brother, please don't be upset; on this joyous occasion, Second Brother acknowledges his mistake and retracts all previous statements." He paused before suddenly changing the subject again. "Have any people from the Palace arrived yet?"
Feng Hongrui knew that Feng Hongwen referred to the Emperor, Empress, and Empress Dowager: the Duke of Yan's Residence held a higher status than the Duke of E State Mansion, especially since more than a decade ago when Feng Yinxiao saved the Emperor and the Crown Prince from the hunting grounds, which further solidified the position of the Duke of Yan's Residence and established a closer relationship with the Palace. For instance, every year on Duke of Yan's birthday, the Emperor and Empress would visit to celebrate, and when the Duchess passed away, the Empress Dowager even came in person to pay her respects.
"Not yet," Feng Hongrui frowned and said softly, "Last time at Yu Xi's wedding, the Emperor was also late due to Palace affairs. Perhaps this time—" He couldn't help but feel anxious; could it be that Feng Yinxiao had "stolen" the Crown Prince's beloved, causing the royal family to lose face and refuse or intentionally delay their appearance?
Feng Hongwen brought up an awkward topic, saying, "Could it be that Yin Xiao caused trouble last time, making the Empress Dowager and the Emperor unhappy with us?"
Feng Hongrui's expression turned cold: "How can you casually speculate about the Emperor's intentions?!"
His elder brother's sudden harsh tone and the unfamiliarity that pushed him away ignited a fire in Feng Hongwen's heart. He couldn't afford to lose face by arguing back, so he merely muttered, "I'll go check in the front hall," before leaving.
Feng Hongrui was about to instruct the servants nearby to inform him when the Flower Palanquin arrived, but before he could finish his sentence, Feng Yinxiao's Flower Palanquin had already come. Thus, Duke of Wind hurriedly went to tidy himself up in the inner chamber before rushing off to the Main Hall.
When the bride stepped down from the palanquin, everyone noticed that she was indeed as tall as rumored. However, considering her age group, she appeared delicate and charming next to the Groom. This might be due to Feng Yinxiao's tall stature.
Ma Minghao had seen Yun Kexin early on and didn't think much of it; instead, he felt that Qingyuan Marquis and Seventh Sister were a well-matched pair in every aspect. He just wondered if the not-so-tall Duke of Wind would appreciate a daughter-in-law who had no significant height difference.
Feng Hongrui seemed to sense Ma Minghao's thoughts but chose not to explain. He smiled slightly, regretting only that he couldn't see his daughter-in-law's face immediately.
After paying their respects to the earth deity, the newlyweds were assisted by the Celebrant into their new room.
At this time, arrangements for sending off the bride were made in another hall with tea and snacks served. After enjoying some refreshments, they followed the household servants to their designated resting place. Only the bride’s Full Fortune Person and the groom’s Full Fortune Person accompanied them into their new room.
As they lifted the curtain and unveiled her face, Feng Yinxiao finally saw Yun Kexin, whom he hadn't seen since she came of age.
Looking at his beautiful Wife so close before him, Feng Yinxiao instinctively pressed his palm against his chest—his heart was racing too fast: finally, he had successfully brought her into his home and married her!
Then, Feng Yinxiao spread out the Red Veil on the bed beside Yun Kexin and sat down.
Mrs. He was taken aback and asked, "Usually first-time grooms don't know this process; how does Seventh Uncle know?"
Feng Yinxiao smiled proudly: "I didn't know anything about this process; I heard it all from my Brother-in-law."
The people in the room all laughed. Even Yun Kexin couldn't help but smile: Feng Yinxiao wouldn't have specially visited Wei Wenwang Mansion to "consult" Brother-in-law and his sister before the wedding to avoid "embarrassment," right? How "bad."
Mrs. Shen looked at Xiang Jiao, who was delicate and beautiful yet exuded a cold elegance, and her heart trembled slightly: having lived for many years and seen countless new wives, it was rare to encounter someone like Seventh Sister, who could draw attention effortlessly upon first sight. No wonder Feng Yinxiao, who usually kept his distance from women and was indifferent to marriage, willingly waited five years and even personally went to "understand" his wife before their marriage to win her favor; such a thing was truly rare in the world.
Next, Mrs. Shen instructed the groom to take two flowers from the bride's hair and place them higher up. Feng Yinxiao smoothly inserted them in the most suitable spots because he wanted a pair of children—no need for that. He must have done his "homework" beforehand. Yun Kexin smiled silently, but Mrs. Shen's next words made her pale: "Alright. It's time to drink the Toasting Wine."
Toasting Wine! Toasting Wine! Why must there be Toasting Wine at weddings?! Yun Kexin's delicate hands resting on her knees trembled uncontrollably. Feng Yinxiao realized something, his handsome face turned pale, and he addressed everyone in the room:
"Thank you all for this Toasting Wine. We would like to drink privately, so please disperse."
Both Mrs. He and Mrs. Shen were taken aback. They exchanged glances: the wedding ceremony wouldn't be considered complete until they finished the Toasting Wine, and only then could the groom leave. However, seeing Qingyuan Marquis's serious expression and evident anxiety, they no longer insisted but reminded him that after finishing the Toasting Wine, he must immediately go to the Main Hall to toast; they couldn't delay.
When only two people remained in the room, Feng Yinxiao helped Yun Kexin up and took her hand:
"Yun Kexin, don't be afraid. If you don't want to drink, we won't proceed with the Toasting Wine ceremony, okay?"
Yun Kexin felt guilty: having decided to marry him, how could she still worry about him harming her? The shadows of her past life shouldn't carry over into this one, nor should they linger between them. Thinking of this, Yun Kexin took a deep breath and said, "No, Feng Yinxiao, we will drink the Toasting Wine."
Feng Yinxiao appeared incredulous: "Really?"
"Yes!" Yun Kexin replied earnestly.
"Alright, let's drink."
Feng Yinxiao led Yun Kexin to the red silk table, skillfully took the wine jug from the table, filled two cups to the brim, then handed one to Yun Kexin. She calmly accepted it while he smiled indulgently.
The two raised their hands, circling each other's arms as they gazed deeply into each other's eyes. Just as Yun Kexin was about to lower her head to drink, Feng Yinxiao said, "No, Yun Kexin, I will drink first."
With that, Feng Yinxiao lowered his head. Yun Kexin stared in astonishment as he slowly drank all the wine in his cup. Suddenly realizing: he did this to prove to her that he wanted to dispel the shadows of their past wedding night; marrying him was enough for her!
Thinking this way, Yun Kexin also lowered her head and began drinking. It seemed that once she finished the wine, it meant she could completely "transform," igniting a desire for a fresh start within her. As wine spilled from Yun Kexin's beautiful lips, Feng Yinxiao withdrew his arm and leaned closer—Yun Kexin felt something warm and soft touching her lips and trailing down from the corner of her mouth to her chin, then softly against her snowy white neck; it made her feel ticklish yet strangely comfortable. Confused by this sensation, she opened her eyes in shock:
Feng Yinxiao held her tightly, kissing her passionately.
“Feng Yinxiao, don’t…” Yun Kexin shyly tried to push Feng Yinxiao away, “don’t do this.”
However, Feng Yinxiao embraced Yun Kexin even tighter, whispering, “I saw some wine spilling from your lips. This is our wedding Toasting Wine, we can’t waste it.” With that, he lowered his head again, sucking on her soft, fragrant lips, then gradually moving down, even unbuttoning her collar to kiss her chest. This completely startled Yun Kexin, who quickly pushed away his head that was “buried” in her chest.
“Feng Yinxiao, don’t do this, I… you can’t…”
Feeling her panic, he slowly raised his head and smiled at her indulgently: “Why not? We are husband and wife now.” Feng Yinxiao looked at her swollen lips and the red marks on her neck, his heart racing. “Do you know? Yun Kexin, you truly captivate me.”
Yun Kexin blushed and lowered her head. She didn’t expect the sweetness of the “Toasting Wine” on their wedding night to be so overwhelming that it melted in her heart.
“Feng Yinxiao, you should go toast the guests—” Yun Kexin finally found a reason after racking her brain; she really needed to “calm down,” “don’t keep the guests waiting outside.”
“Okay, I’ll go toast right now.” Feng Yinxiao reluctantly stepped out.
Comment 0 Comment Count