For the first time in many years, the residence of the Imperial Advisor was adorned with long stretches of red silk, celebrating a joyous occasion.
The sound of firecrackers was incessant, and people continuously entered the gates of the Imperial Advisor’s residence with smiles on their faces. They presented their congratulatory gifts and bowed to Wei Bo and others who were greeting guests outside, saying, “Congratulations.”
The Imperial Advisor’s wedding was a significant event in the capital city.
Most officials from the court came to offer their congratulations.
Whether it was the common people in the markets or the officials in the court, everyone was curious about what made the Imperial Advisor favor this suddenly emerged princess.
Many women’s heartfelt adorations had never caught his eye, but why did he take the initiative to marry this princess?
It was a matter that made no sense.
Many speculated whether the Imperial Advisor had ulterior motives, but besides her title, what could attract the Imperial Advisor, who now held immense power?
The hearts of many women in the capital broke amidst the sound of firecrackers at the Imperial Advisor’s residence.
There was still some time before the auspicious moment for the wedding ceremony.
Wei Yun was alone in the secret chamber of his study, standing before an altar holding two memorial tablets for a long time.
He gazed at the tablet engraved with “Deceased Mother Shen Shi Rou Jia,” and carefully wiped the accumulated dust with a brocade handkerchief in his hand, his movements meticulous and patient.
Memories of his distant childhood surfaced, but he found that his mother’s gentle and kind face was becoming unclear in those memories.
Yet, he still remembered her as a tender woman.
Brewing tea, reading poetry, idly tapping chess pieces, her slender and pale fingers would casually remove the butterfly hairpin from her hair and fiddle with the incense ash in the green furnace.
This was Wei Yun’s last memory of his mother.
His mother was always a talented woman with an elegant demeanor.
Perhaps it was because she was such a woman that Wei Yun’s father, Wei Changning, cherished and revered her, living in harmony when alive and missing her deeply after her death.
Thinking back, aside from his father’s cautious teachings, Wei Yun’s childhood also had its share of fulfilling and beautiful memories, given by his mother.
After carefully wiping the tablet, he placed it next to his father’s. He looked at it for a moment and then suddenly said, “Mother, in this half of my life, I have never felt as happy as I am today.”
Wei Yun was not good at expressing himself.
He was also reluctant to easily reveal all his emotions to others.
But talking about these things to his mother felt like the most natural thing to do.
Although the image of her face in his mind was already blurred, Wei Yun could still imagine what her reaction would be if she had heard his words.
Wei Yun had never felt as alive as he did now.
“She is very well-behaved and kind.”
When Wei Yun spoke of the girl who was about to become his wife, his eyelids lowered, and his eyes seemed to soak in the softest light of spring, like the first ray of sunlight filtering through the shadows of flowers.
At this moment, he seemed to have shed all the sharp edges worn by worldly affairs, resembling a young man experiencing his first stirrings of love. His cold and flawless face was tinged with a hint of blush, and his eyes were filled with the joy and excitement of youth.
He said, “If you were here, you would like her too.”
From the moment he gave his mother’s bracelet to Xie Tao as an engagement gift, Wei Yun was certain that she was the only one he wanted to spend his life with.
What kind of emotion was that?
Perhaps, just thinking about having her by his side through all the unknown years to come made his heart eagerly warm.
Wanting to marry her was not a sudden decision.
The betrothal gifts had already been sent out, and not long ago, Wei Yun and Xie Tao were sitting in the small garden behind the villa when he asked her.
“Tao Tao, would you be willing to marry me?”
Like a simple boy who had just experienced his heart’s first flutter, at that moment, facing the girl sitting with him on the swing chair, his words were calm and composed. Yet, no one knew that his palms were secretly starting to sweat.
The girl had drunk some fruit wine and was a bit tipsy, but her consciousness was still clear enough.
It’s just that her courage was somewhat greater than usual.
“I do, I really do!”
Her response came almost without hesitation, just as eager as when he lifted the tassel curtain this morning and saw her sitting in front of the vanity, dressed in a bright red bridal gown, her face radiant and striking, eagerly responding to him.
At that time, Wei Yun realized that, just like his own hidden eagerness, she felt the same.
Later, when she was drowsy, Wei Yun softly called her a few times, his ears reddening, then he dared to sigh quietly: “Tao Tao, I really… really want to marry you.”
His voice was very soft, and his heart’s throbbing was like beating drums, pounding at his eardrums.
From that day on, Wei Yun had already started preparing everything.
Not telling Xie Tao was the idea of Wei Bo.
It was unexpected that this old man, who was always so understanding of the rules, would also secretly harbor the strategy of creating a “surprise.”
Because he received Xie Tao’s consent, Wei Yun agreed to this matter.
But at this moment, he felt that all this might seem a bit abrupt to Xie Tao.
So, he made up his mind, if she was unwilling today, he would let it all go and postpone it further.
But she, just like that night, had already given him the same answer before he could finish speaking.
Wei Yun once thought that love was the most useless thing in the world.
Because human hearts are the hardest to hold onto in this world.
Like Wei Changning, who couldn’t refuse the arrangement of the head mother, and soon after Wei Yun’s mother’s death, married the merchant’s daughter, and could only keep his most beloved Shen Shi in the desolate tomb in his heart.
But it should be like Wei Yun, cold-hearted and indifferent in the eyes of the world, a young Imperial Advisor with a cold nature, who also had times when he liked someone.
Once moved, it’s being moved.
He couldn’t lie to himself, nor to anyone else.
The matter of love is the hardest to articulate clearly.
Wei Yun picked up another tablet, carefully wiped it clean with a brocade cloth in his hand, then stared at the tablet for a long time before putting it back.
“Dad, I once said, I am not like you.”
Wei Yun stared at the engraved “Late Father Wei Shi Changning” on it, and after a while, he took an incense and lit it in the candle flame. As the smoke rose, he inserted the incense into the incense burner in front of him.
“But I’ve found that at least in one aspect, I am the same as you.”
At least, he and his father, once they recognized someone, that person was it.
Wei Changning, for Shen Roujia, mustered up the courage to fight for the first time in his life.
Afterward, the years they spent as husband and wife were the most cherished days in Wei Changning’s turbulent life.
Even though later, under the arrangement of the head mother of the third wife, he married the merchant’s daughter as his continuation wife, that woman never truly entered his heart.
That was merely the price he had to pay as a lowly born son, for fighting for the girl he loved back then.
He owed it to the head mother’s favor, and it should be repaid.
“But I won’t betray myself like you did.”
Amid the faintly swirling smoke, Wei Yun stood there in a deep red robe, his cold voice particularly clear in such a quiet secret room.
Perhaps, this was the biggest difference between Wei Yun and his father, Wei Changning.
Wei Changning lived a modest and compliant life. As a concubine’s son, he merely existed as an insignificant part of their large family, never overstepping boundaries, never drawing attention to himself.
This was exactly why Wei Yun detested his father the most.
Yet, Wei Changning dared to risk his life in such chaotic circumstances to go to the Wei family ancestral hall and alter the genealogy for him.
Wei Yun’s feelings towards his father were always complex.
But all those painful memories that used to haunt him in his half-asleep, half-awake state during the deep nights, now piled up in his mind again, seemingly unable to stir any more waves than before.
Eventually, two ancestral tablets were placed in the main positions of the hall.
During the wedding ceremony, Xie Tao stepped on her dress and nearly fell, but fortunately, Shao Liyin and Wei Yun reacted quickly and caught her in time.
Because she was wearing a layer of red veil on her head, Xie Tao couldn’t see the faces of the guests around her at all. She could only hear their lively discussions.
Perhaps because she was too nervous, Xie Tao’s back was still a bit stiff when she was helped back to her room.
The hair crown and step shake on her head were somewhat heavy, so Xie Tao leaned against the bedpost and then puffed up her cheeks, blowing at the edge of the red veil for fun.
Shao Liyin, who had been by her side all day, changed into a peach-colored dress and finally did her hair in a woman’s style, standing there like a beautiful young girl.
“Liyin, where’s Lu Xian?” Xie Tao asked, remembering the increasingly plump, round white bear.
“In the backyard.”
Shao Liyin answered, and as if remembering something, a rare smile appeared on her usually emotionless face.
“Today is the big day for the lord and lady. Wei Bo put a red silk flower on Lu Xian, and it really liked it.”
???
Imagining Lu Xian with a red silk flower tied to it, Xie Tao couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
But then…
Her butt felt a bit sore…
Xie Tao reached under herself on the couch and found a handful of longan and peanuts.
She blinked her eyes, sat there peeling peanuts and eating longans, and from time to time passed some to Shao Liyin.
But Shao Liyin didn’t dare to eat.
After talking with Shao Liyin for a while, Xie Tao ate a few more pastries. In the end, she simply lifted the red veil on one side and sat down at the table to eat and drink.
When Wei Yun came back, Xie Tao had already overeaten.
She heard the sound of the door opening and saw Wei Yun lifting the curtain to enter, so she quickly stood up and turned to run towards the bed.
“Xie Tao.”
Perhaps because he had drunk quite a bit of wine, Wei Yun’s voice sounded even clearer and deeper at that moment.
It also contained a hint of laughter.
For a moment, Xie Tao froze there. When she turned to look at him, she didn’t know why, but she felt a bit afraid to meet his eyes.
Shao Liyin excused herself and walked out.
At that moment, Wei Jing, who had just blocked Sheng Yueqi and some others outside the yard, wiped his sweat and came back, just in time to see Shao Liyin walking past the moon gate with a lantern.
With the courtyard alight with bright lanterns everywhere, Wei Jing saw the girl’s graceful peach-colored dress and even more, he caught sight of her face, lightly made up yet flawlessly beautiful.
His heart stirred slightly.
How should this feeling be described?
Wei Jing scratched the back of his head.
It felt as if he had been punched by the straightforward Wei Shiyi.
“Shao Liyin.”
When Wei Jing saw her about to pass by him, he suddenly called out to her.
Hearing his voice, Shao Liyin looked up at him.
“Well…”
For a moment, Wei Jing didn’t know what to say; he didn’t even understand why he stopped her.
As Shao Liyin walked past him, Wei Jing turned around, “Wait!”
Shao Liyin stopped in her tracks and turned back to look at Wei Jing, her eyes and brows revealing a hint of impatience.
“I, I just wanted to say, your outfit…”
Wei Jing touched his nose and coughed lightly, “looks, looks pretty good.”
Shao Liyin was taken aback, and for some reason, her face seemed to suddenly gain a bit more warmth.
“If you ask me, you should dress like this more often. You always wear men’s clothes, and always the same style, making me think you don’t like to bathe or change clothes…”
However, the moment these words were spoken, the warmth on Shao Liyin’s face instantly vanished.
In the end, Wei Jing successfully earned a slap from Shao Liyin.
Holding his face, he stood there, watching Shao Liyin’s departing back, and muttered with a bit of grievance, “Why hit me…”
That night, it seemed some stories had reached their most beautiful conclusion, while others had just begun.
Sitting in the pavilion, Xie Tao sipped the tea Wei Yun handed her.
Now she had removed the complex headdresses and let her hair down, finally feeling a sigh of relief.
“Wei Yun, it feels like I’m dreaming…”
Xie Tao put down the teacup, propped her chin with her hands, and gazed at the night sky adorned with stars and the moon casting a silver glow.
Hearing this, Wei Yun, looking down at the teacup in his hands, seemed to feel a touch more sentiment.
“Yes.”
He sighed softly.
The sounds of festivity could still be faintly heard from the front courtyard, and fireworks of various colors bloomed in the sky at the right moment.
Some sparks landed on the rooftops, while others extinguished in silence.
This was the first and only time in Wei Yun’s life that he seriously listened to such lively sounds.
As if he had finally developed a bit of fondness for such ordinary fireworks.
Later, when Wei Yun and Xie Tao returned to their bridal chamber, they sat side by side on the edge of the bed, both with stiff backs, neither daring to look at the other.
The atmosphere seemed a bit delicate and somewhat awkward.
Xie Tao clutched the corners of her dress tightly, her gaze fixed on the patterns of her dress.
Meanwhile, Wei Yun’s hand, hidden under his wide sleeves, was clenched into a fist, sweaty.
This young Imperial Advisor, who appeared especially calm and cold both in the court and amidst various conspiracies, now sat in the bridal chamber with a stiff body, like a teenage boy experiencing pure love for the first time, his fair and flawless face tinged with a faint blush.
After they drank the wedding wine, they did not put down their cups.
Instead of speaking, we just looked at each other, and silence prevailed for a long time, while the wine started to be poured glass after glass.
Both seemed to be trying to ease the awkwardness of the moment.
But Wei Yun had already drunk quite a bit earlier, and after a few more glasses now, he was somewhat drunk.
Xie Tao had just finished a glass when Wei Yun leaned on her shoulder.
The wine glass in her hand, along with his, fell to the ground.
He seemed to have closed his eyes.
Xie Tao maintained her posture but couldn’t help turning her head to look at him leaning on her shoulder.
His long eyelashes cast a shadow like a small fan under his eyes in the light of the lamp.
Xie Tao couldn’t resist reaching out to touch them.
But her hand was suddenly grasped by his.
In a dizzying moment, she found herself on the bed.
Seeing the clear and lightly flushed face so close, Xie Tao momentarily forgot to breathe, her eyelashes trembling.
His kiss came unexpectedly.
With the clear fragrance of liquor, mixed with the light, cool scent of his body, it came suddenly.
It was not the usual gentle caution, but more like the fierce anger when she occasionally angered him.
Perhaps at this moment, many past memories flashed through her mind, or perhaps she suddenly remembered the day of her 18th birthday when she mustered the courage to say “I like you” to him on the phone.
It seemed that so many days that were difficult to endure had all changed because of him.
Xie Tao was just an ordinary girl in this world.
But her only extraordinary moment was when she rode her bike to the station in Qizhen town and glimpsed a mysterious curtain of light.
In that light, the hem of a crimson garment, it was him.
And it was he who later helped her through tough times.
At this moment, Xie Tao’s eyes suddenly reddened, her fingers tightened, wrapping around his waist.
In this world,
There would never be another person who could be like him.
And there would never be another person who could make her like him so much.
Wei Yun gently kissed the girl’s slightly red eyes, his face, usually cool and restrained, was now red at the edges, adding a bit of passionate charm.
In the burning consciousness, when everything was already blurred, Xie Tao seemed to hear Wei Yun’s deep and slightly hoarse voice:
“Tao Tao…”
A soft whisper, akin to a murmuring, carried a tender and affectionate tone.
“Will you stay with me forever, right?”
Like a child yearning for candy, he stubbornly nestled close to her ear, gently asking her.
Xie Tao unconsciously whimpered, the words she had yet to speak were all crushed by his kiss, disappearing without a trace.
The night stretched on, with stars cold as frost.
This encounter, spanning across two different times, rescued two individuals trapped in the solitude of their confines.
Whether it was fate or an accident, it no longer mattered.
At this point in life, one should feel fulfilled.
Henceforth, through the countless days and nights, from youthful black hair to aged white, fortunate is he in this lifetime to have her joy, to guard her without worries.
– End of Main Story –
