It was rare for He Sui’an to see the usually composed Su Yang flustered, making her smile more lively. Su Yang, noticing the cheerful bride in the mirror, couldn’t help but let her own lips twitch into a small smile.
After spending quite a bit of time, Su Yang finally finished dressing He Sui’an in the silver jewelry.
She said, “There, it’s done.”
“Thank you, Sister Su.” He Sui’an picked up the butterfly fan from the tray and spun it around. The red wedding dress’s sleeve slipped slightly to reveal the butterfly silver chain on her wrist.
The butterfly silver chain He Sui’an wore was handmade by Qi Buyan, not the usual kind.
She stood up, holding the butterfly fan.
The time for the wedding ceremony was approaching.
He Sui’an frequently glanced towards the door, feeling restless as she had never gone through a wedding before. Feeling thirsty, she drank two cups of water in a row. After He Sui’an finished drinking, Su Yang touched up her lip rouge.
Su Yang straightforwardly asked, “Are you eager to see Young Master Qi?”
“Of course not,” He Sui’an denied, though the color on her cheeks deepened more naturally than the rouge. Su Yang noticed this but didn’t question her further.
Su Yang waited with He Sui’an.
After a moment, Su Yang wanted to open the window to see the snowy courtyard but found it sealed shut. “What’s going on? Is this window broken?”
“It’s not,” He Sui’an replied awkwardly.
Before He Sui’an could explain, there was a knock on the door: “The auspicious time has arrived.” It was the voice of the matchmaker. The matchmaker and the maids sent by Princess Luoyan were waiting outside the room, ready to come in when the time arrived.
The matchmaker’s eyes swept over He Sui’an, amazed by her beauty. She had escorted many brides but had never seen one so radiant. She smiled and said, “The auspicious time has arrived. Please follow me, Miss.”
He Sui’an first put down the butterfly fan and took a red silk ribbon to blindfold herself.
Su Yang was puzzled.
“Why are you covering your eyes?”
He Sui’an found an excuse: “I can’t look at the snow; it makes my eyes uncomfortable. Covering them helps. Otherwise, I’m afraid something might go wrong during the wedding.”
Su Yang believed her: “Then be careful. I wonder how long this snow will last.”
“I will.”
He Sui’an held the butterfly fan, supported by the matchmaker as they walked out, with Su Yang following closely. They both stepped on the red cloth, heading straight for the main gate.
Shen Jianhe and Su Yang’s two personal bodyguards, being men, could not enter the bridal room where He Sui’an was dressed and groomed. They were waiting at the door, and from a distance, they saw the group approaching.
Qi Buyan was also there.
He looked up and his gaze fell on He Sui’an, who was holding the fan, her eyes covered with red silk, dressed in a wedding gown adorned with silver jewelry. She was guided by the matchmaker to step over the threshold, moving towards him.
Step by step, the distance shortened, and He Sui’an stood in front of Qi Buyan.
Although she couldn’t see, she knew he was beside her because she could faintly sense his presence and smell his unique scent, as if she could feel his gaze on her.
The matchmaker glanced at them and thought of a word: a match made in heaven.
They were pleasing to the eye.
She lifted the curtain of the bridal sedan chair and signaled Qi Buyan to lead He Sui’an inside. The young man reached out and took the girl’s hand, their hands overlapping. He called softly, “He Sui’an.”
He Sui’an’s eyes were open behind the red silk, though she couldn’t see. She returned Qi Buyan’s grip and was led into the sedan chair.
Once the curtain fell, the matchmaker flicked her handkerchief and shouted, “Lift the sedan chair!”
The sound of gongs and drums began.
A group of people carried the sedan chair, neatly stepping over the snow-covered ground and heading down the long street.
The street was crowded with people, their enthusiasm for the festivities undiminished by the cold. The music barely paused, and inside the sedan chair, He Sui’an’s hands rested on her knees, her heartbeat masked by the noise.
After parading through the streets, they did not return to the Princess’s residence. Qi Buyan had already arranged for another house where they would spend their wedding night alone.
After an unknown period, the sedan chair stopped.
The porters lowered the chair.
The curtain was lifted again, and the light from outside poured in. He Sui’an felt a warm hand cover the back of hers—it was Qi Buyan.
They stepped out of the sedan chair and entered the main hall. The matchmaker led the way, guiding them to perform the wedding ceremony. Even though their parents were absent, the rituals could not be skipped and had to be done properly.
The place was not at all desolate; it was lively and bustling.
The courtyard was packed.
The people of Chang’an were all welcome to attend the wedding, but once the space was full, no more were allowed in. Those who did get in had to leave by the beginning of the Hai hour (9-11 PM).
Su Yang and a few others had also come along. They all felt a bit emotional and sat at the front table, where they could see He Sui’an and Qi Buyan performing the wedding ceremony.
On the roof, Aunt Cui, who had disguised herself to return to Chang’an, looked down.
She wasn’t there out of personal desire.
She was there on behalf of the deceased Qi Shu. Qi Buyan, after all, was Qi Shu’s son, and Aunt Cui thought Qi Shu might want to see this. Suddenly, her gaze fixed on He Sui’an’s right wrist, which was inadvertently revealed as she held the butterfly fan.
He Sui’an’s right wrist bore a red line that appeared and disappeared intermittently. Aunt Cui looked at Qi Buyan’s left wrist and saw the same thing. Was this the Love Gu?
Did he plant the Love Gu on her?
Aunt Cui frowned.
When the Love Gu is planted, a red line appears on the wrist of both the person planting the gu and the one receiving it. However, the records on the Love Gu in the Miaojiang Gu book were incomplete, containing only part of the information.
Aunt Cui had the chance to see the other part.
The other part mentioned that if the person receiving the gu had feelings for the one planting the gu before the gu entered their body, the Love Gu would be ineffective.
Whether the gu was effective or not, the color of the red line on the person planting the gu remained constant.
It was different for the person receiving the gu.
If the gu was effective, the person receiving the gu would be driven by the Love Gu to “love” the person who planted the gu, and the color of the red line would deepen with increasing “love.”
If the gu was ineffective, the red line on the person receiving the gu would fade according to their true feelings until it disappeared completely. Only if their feelings dissipated would the red line gradually deepen.
The two outcomes were completely opposite.
Aunt Cui was puzzled.
Why did Qi Buyan plant the Love Gu on He Sui’an? Did he know about the second part of the information regarding the Love Gu?
Aunt Cui hesitated about whether to find an opportunity to ask Qi Buyan about this matter, but she saw Ah Xuan sending a signal into the air and had to leave temporarily.
In the courtyard.
The sound of gongs and drums was deafening, and the joyous cheers were thunderous.
Snow fell gently as the matchmaker announced, “Send them to the bridal chamber.” The wedding ceremony was complete.
He Sui’an headed towards the backyard, with Qi Buyan accompanying her. Because her eyes were covered, she couldn’t see, and he led her the entire way. The matchmaker, with a broad smile, escorted them to the bridal chamber before leaving.
The bridal chamber was now empty except for them. Qi Buyan closed the door adorned with double happiness red paper and shut the window.
He Sui’an obediently sat on the bed scattered with peanuts, red dates, longans, and lotus seeds, still holding the butterfly fan. Her small face was almost completely hidden behind the fan, with only the silver crown slightly visible above it.
She could almost hear her own breathing.
Soon, footsteps sounded.
Qi Buyan bent down to be at eye level with the seated He Sui’an, then reached behind her head to untie the red silk ribbon covering her eyes. She slowly opened her eyes.
The fan between them, He Sui’an gradually adjusted to the light in the room but still couldn’t see Qi Buyan. She remained still until he took her hand holding the fan and tilted it to one side.
As the fan fell, their eyes met.
He Sui’an looked up and saw him clearly.
Today, Qi Buyan wore a wedding robe similar to hers. The red color enhanced his complexion, and it also featured butterfly embroidery. The jade belt had silver ornaments and a bone flute, with indigo tassels hanging at his side.
His long hair, partially braided, fell over his shoulders, with a few strands draping over his lean chest. The silver ornaments at the ends of his hair closely matched those in He Sui’an’s hair, almost identical at first glance.
The celebratory candles burned on the table.
The red light illuminated the entire room, casting a soft pink glow on their faces.
He Sui’an adjusted the silver crown on her head, making the tassels jingle continuously. She pulled his hand. “It’s a bit heavy. Help me take it off.”
Qi Buyan removed the silver crown.
She then covered her flat stomach, looking apologetic. “I’m hungry.”
The bridal chamber originally had snacks and tea, but they had been replaced with a full table of dishes while they were performing the wedding ceremony. The food was still warm.
They sat down.
He Sui’an lifted the sleeve of her wedding dress and grabbed a roasted chicken leg. The chicken was golden brown, looking delicious and fragrant. She took a bite, finding the skin crispy and the meat tender, rich but not greasy.
Qi Buyan wasn’t hungry. He propped his face on one hand, watching He Sui’an eat.
She offered him the other chicken leg.
“Do you want some?”
“No.” Qi Buyan poured a cup of tea, the butterfly silver bracelet clinking against his wrist bone as he moved. He sat casually in the chair, his rosy wedding robe emphasizing his slim waist and long legs. “You enjoy it.”
He Sui’an ate heartily, pausing to drink some clear soup to cleanse her palate before continuing. She hadn’t eaten all day and was making up for it now.
By the time He Sui’an was full, the candles in the room had burned halfway down.
Qi Buyan handed her a cup of tea.
He Sui’an gulped down several cups of tea from his hand, the greasy taste in her mouth replaced by the refreshing aroma of tea. Feeling full and energized, she suddenly remembered they hadn’t drunk their wedding wine yet. Given that Qi Buyan couldn’t hold his liquor, she worried about whether they should proceed.
Maybe they should skip it?
Not drinking it wouldn’t be a big deal, right?
As she pondered this, Qi Buyan poured two cups of wine and handed one to her. “It seems we should drink the wedding wine tonight.”
He Sui’an hesitantly accepted the cup. “But you can’t drink, can you?”
“I took some anti-alcohol medicine beforehand.”
“Oh, I didn’t know that,” He Sui’an said, a bit surprised.
Qi Buyan drank the wine from his silver cup and then looked at her. He Sui’an also tilted her head back and drank her cup of wedding wine, her sleeve still lifted, exposing the red line on her wrist.
His gaze shifted from He Sui’an’s face to her wrist, noting how faint the red line was.
Qi Buyan was slightly taken aback.
Why, why was it like this?
Even after using the Love Gu on He Sui’an, her love for him remained minimal. Did this mean she would be very difficult to love him?
Qi Buyan clenched the silver cup in his hand, then relaxed his grip, curving his lips into a smile. He gently caressed her face and suddenly asked, “He Sui’an, are you in love with me now?”