Chapter 4: Chapter 237: The Grand Wedding 3

Linghu Shuiyue had a red veil covering her head, so naturally, she could not see the bustling wedding festivities around her. However, the Prince You Mansion was the liveliest place today. First, the Grand Empress Dowager had chosen to attend the wedding of the Ninth Prince of the Prince You Mansion first; her second and third stops would be to attend the weddings of the Fourteenth Prince and Crown Prince Duanmu.

It was said that the Fourteenth Prince's wedding was being managed and presided over by the Empress herself, so it was surely bound to be extraordinary. Only Crown Prince Duanmu and Linghu Huori's wedding were being presided over by the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites sent by the Emperor, and almost no one was willing to attend. Those who did go were merely people harboring ill intentions, looking to watch a joke unfold.

Because the Grand Empress Dowager had come to the Ninth Prince of Prince You, the Emperor had accompanied her. It was heard that the Empress Dowager also disliked the Emperor's decision to send Linghu Huori to the State of Yue for a political marriage; last night, Grand General Linghu had knelt outside the gates, bitterly pleading with the Empress Dowager to request that the Emperor choose someone else for the marriage alliance.

However, the Emperor used reasons such as "an imperial decree is not a child's play," "a marriage treaty cannot be modified at will," and "where would my imperial majesty reside..." to forcefully persuade the Empress Dowager, suppressing the matter once again and turning it into today's fixed decision.

These were all legends, but in reality, to save trouble, the Emperor had even lied to the Empress Dowager. He secretly told her that General Linghu's son, Linghu Huori, was originally a "cut sleeve" (homosexual), and that he was merely fulfilling Linghu Huori's wishes.

As for Grand General Linghu's pleas, they were framed as merely being concerned with saving face, fearing being laughed at by the world, and being unwilling to fulfill his son's desires.

The Empress Dowager, Lady Shi, only had one night; being of advanced age, she was somewhat weary and thus accepted the marriage treaty that ensured peace in the realm. At this moment, both the Empress Dowager and the Emperor sat upright in the main hall, waiting to watch the groom and bride perform the bowing ceremony to consummate the marriage.

Linghu Shuiyue was led step by step by Zhu Youhong until they reached the front of the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, stopping in the middle of the wedding hall.

Just then, a crones hurried in another bride, Cui Yingying, the daughter of Chancellor Cui, carrying her on her back and placing her to stand on Zhu Youhong's left side.

As soon as they were in position, because they were rushing to meet the auspicious hour, the master of ceremonies shouted loudly: "The auspicious hour has arrived—First bow to Heaven and Earth—"

"Second bow to the parents—"

"Husband and wife exchange bows—"

These bows to Heaven and Earth and to the parents could all be done simultaneously. In this ancient time-space of polygamy, this was a common sight; no one found these things novel, but rather quite ordinary. However, the exchange of bows between husband and wife was stipulated so that only the primary consort could exchange bows with the groom; the side consort was exempt from this step. Of course, concubines were even more exempt. Unless, of course, they were not marrying on the same day and at the same hour, which would be a different matter entirely.

Therefore, when a side consort and a primary consort held their weddings at the same time, the side consort had it even harder. After the exchange of bows, the side consort would be led away by a crone to return to her own bridal chamber first. As for when the consummation would occur, one would have to wait to see when the Prince had the time and interest.

Because the Empress Dowager and the Emperor were present, Linghu Shuiyue, as the primary consort, had the opportunity to serve tea. When serving tea, her veil was lifted, and she carried a cup of tea before the Empress Dowager. When the Empress Dowager saw Linghu Shuiyue's appearance, her expression froze in shock, and she asked, "Are you truly the eldest daughter of the Linghu family?"

"Reporting to the Empress Dowager, she is my Princess Consort, Linghu Shuiyue," the Ninth Prince, Zhu Youhong, answered on Linghu Shuiyue's behalf.

"Oh! This old woman's eyes must truly be failing! Why does she look so much like the eldest Young Master Linghu?" The Empress Dowager still seemed to think she had misseen.

The Seventh Princess beside her explained, "Old Buddha, the eldest Young Master Linghu and the eldest daughter of the Linghu family were originally twins. It is not that your eyes are failing, but that they simply look exactly alike."

When the Seventh Princess heard that Linghu Huori was actually a "cut sleeve," she felt quite strange in her heart. Having seen him that day, she had actually memorized Linghu Huori's appearance!