Early in the morning, Wen Qiao was woken up by Lian Yue. A group of people surrounded her, busying themselves with her grooming and attire.
There were few servants in the Jishui Courtyard. Apart from Lian Yue, her personal maid, there were only two rough-handed maids responsible for cleaning. Since Wen Qiao preferred peace and quiet, these maids rarely appeared in front of their mistress except for their duties, making the Jishui Courtyard the most tranquil place in the Wen household.
Fearing that the Jishui Courtyard might not handle the wedding preparations smoothly, the Second Madam specially sent additional help for the day.
Washing her face, combing her hair, applying makeup, dressing… everything proceeded methodically.
Dressed in a heavy wedding gown, Wen Qiao sat on the couch, holding a wish-fulfilling-shaped Earth-grade spiritual artifact in her arms, waiting for the auspicious hour to arrive.
“Miss, are you hungry?” Lian Yue asked.
The matchmaker standing nearby interjected, “Third Miss, please bear with it. It’s best not to eat much before leaving, to avoid inconvenience.”
Lian Yue was displeased. “The Miss’s health is poor; how can she go hungry? If His Highness the Seventh Prince knew, he’d be distressed.”
The matchmaker’s mouth twitched slightly but didn’t refute. Judging by the Seventh Prince’s behavior in the past month, it was evident that he was exceptionally attentive to his fiancée.
In the end, Lian Yue brought a bowl of lily congee made with spiritual rice for Wen Qiao to have something to settle her stomach.
The matchmaker silently turned her head away, pretending not to see. Rules and formalities meant nothing in the face of cultivators.
Today’s wedding wasn’t a dual cultivation ceremony for cultivators but an ordinary wedding conducted according to the customs of the secular world, meant to bask in the joy of celebration. The matchmaker, having received instructions, was naturally following the rules. However, if the bride refused to follow them, what could she do?
The Wen family’s madams came over and, upon seeing Wen Qiao sitting in her wedding gown and leisurely drinking congee, fell silent.
The matchmaker awkwardly smiled, feeling she had let down her employers but had nothing to say.
Fortunately, cultivators were not sticklers for trivial formalities, so the Second Madam and the others didn’t take offense. They sat nearby, chatting with Wen Qiao. They shared tips about the wedding and explained some of the Ning family’s rules and customs, as well as trivial matters about the royal family, so Wen Qiao could have some understanding and wouldn’t be clueless after marrying into their household.
These were things Wen Qiao’s mother should have told her long ago. Unfortunately, there were no elders in her branch of the family, so the Second Madam had to take on this role and use the opportunity to provide some guidance.
After finishing the lily congee, Lian Yue touched up Wen Qiao’s makeup.
The cultivation world was different from the secular world. Even women from prestigious families rarely used makeup, as they refined their bodies through absorbing the vital energies of heaven and earth, making them naturally beautiful. Even with a bare face, they were far more stunning than women in the secular world who meticulously adorned themselves. At most, they applied light makeup for special occasions to enhance their radiance.
Similarly, Wen Qiao wore light makeup today. Her pale complexion was concealed with delicate powder, giving her a rosy glow. Dressed in a magnificent phoenix-embroidered crimson wedding gown, her beauty was breathtaking, leaving everyone in the room momentarily stunned.
Only when the bridal veil was lowered, obscuring her face, did everyone snap back to reality.
They had all heard of the famous “Twin Beauties of the Wen Family,” said to be the most outstanding girls of their generation in the Wen household—renowned for both their talent and beauty. Yet after seeing the Third Miss Wen today, they finally understood that the previously unnoticed and quiet Third Miss surpassed even the famous Twin Beauties. It was simply because she rarely appeared in public that the world remained unaware of her excellence.
The auspicious hour arrived, and the sound of drums and gongs echoed from outside.
The Wen family’s accompanying madams quickly stood up. The Second Madam urged, “The Seventh Prince will be here soon to fetch the bride. Let’s get ready.”
The Jishui Courtyard became bustling again.
The Seventh Prince, Ning Yuzhou, rode a towering spirit beast horse as he arrived at the Wen residence to greet his bride.
Dismounting with a fluid motion, he strode into the Wen household. Dressed in a crimson groom’s robe embroidered with gold, his tall and elegant figure radiated refinement. His jade-like face and striking presence lit up the entire hall as he walked, dazzling everyone around him.
The onlookers all exclaimed in admiration, though their hearts carried a trace of regret: such an outstanding man, yet he was unable to cultivate.
In less than a hundred years, no matter how exceptional his appearance or extraordinary his bearing, he would eventually become nothing more than a pile of bones, a handful of yellow earth.
When Ning Yuzhou arrived at the Jishui Courtyard and saw the bride sitting upright in the hall, a gentle and faint smile appeared on his face as he strode forward.
He cupped his hands in greeting toward the Wen family’s madams nearby before stepping up to lift his bride into his arms.
Everyone froze in stunned silence.
Wen Qiao was also momentarily taken aback by Ning Yuzhou’s actions.
Then she heard his warm and gentle voice softly murmuring in her ear, “Don’t be afraid; I’ve come to take you away.”
Wen Qiao wanted to say something, but the noise of the drums and gongs was too loud. In the end, she silently acquiesced to his actions.
The person in his arms was exceptionally light. Ning Yuzhou lifted her effortlessly, his refined demeanor unbroken. He turned to the Second Madam and the others and politely explained, “The Third Miss isn’t in good health. I’ll carry her out myself.”
The madams: “…”
No matter how weak her health was, she was still a cultivator! Surely that’s better than you, someone who can’t cultivate at all, isn’t it?
The crowd watched speechlessly as Ning Yuzhou carried his bride out of the Jishui Courtyard and then to the front hall to bid farewell to her family.
Although this was a wedding conducted by secular customs, most of the Wen family elders still gave it due importance by attending in person.
The Wen family elders, led by Wen Zhongqing, were all present in the main hall.
Ning Yuzhou, carrying his bride, paid his respects to the bride’s family.
Wen Zhongqing, who had little affection for this niece and was practically a stranger to her, naturally felt no sadness about her marriage. He only spoke the customary parting words, urging the couple to support each other and live in harmony.
The other Wen family elders offered similarly routine remarks.
After bidding farewell to the elders, Ning Yuzhou personally carried the bride into the bridal sedan chair. He then mounted his spirit beast horse, and the lively wedding procession departed the Wen residence.
As they watched the procession leave, the Wen family members inexplicably felt a sense of relief.
The wedding procession circled the imperial city before finally entering the Seventh Prince’s residence, which neighbored the imperial palace.
After coming of age, the Seventh Prince had moved out of the palace to establish his own household. Emperor Chenghao, deeply concerned for his youngest son’s safety, not only built the Seventh Prince’s residence next to the palace but also assigned elite disciples of the royal Ning clan as guards, turning the entire residence into an impenetrable fortress.
Emperor Chenghao had arrived early at the Seventh Prince’s residence to personally preside over his youngest son’s wedding.
The other Ning clan elders were also in attendance.
Due to the Ning clan’s emphasis on the occasion, the other noble families naturally gave their full respect as well, sending not only gifts but also representatives to witness this secular-style wedding.
“So this is what a secular wedding looks like. It’s so much more complicated than our cultivators’ dual cultivation ceremonies,” a young girl, dressed in a pale green silk dress and as lovely as jade, exclaimed in wonder, her voice sweet and playful. “Fifth Brother, Father really does dote on Seventh Brother to indulge him like this.”
The Fifth Prince, Ning Pingzhou, replied indifferently, “Father has his reasons.”
The young girl’s eyes darted mischievously as she lowered her voice. “No matter how much Father dotes on him, he’s still a good-for-nothing. He even had to marry early, and his wedding can only follow secular customs. A cripple and an invalid—what a perfect match.”
“Enough nonsense,” Ning Pingzhou reprimanded her, though his tone lacked true severity.
The young girl stuck out her tongue, appearing innocent and carefree.
After the couple completed their ceremonial bows to each other, Wen Qiao was escorted into the bridal chamber.
The bridal veil was lifted by a slender hand as fair as jade.
Wen Qiao looked up and saw a man with his hair tied by a purple-gold crown, dressed in a crimson robe embroidered with gold. His handsome face was just as she had seen it a month ago—gentle and warm, naturally evoking a sense of goodwill.
Ning Yuzhou observed her for a moment before speaking softly, “I need to head to the front to see off my father and the others. Rest here for a while, and if you’re hungry, have something to eat.”
Wen Qiao responded with a quiet hum, her expression calm, showing no trace of nervousness.
Ning Yuzhou glanced at her again before turning to leave.
Not long after he left, several palace maids entered the room to assist Wen Qiao with washing up and changing clothes. They removed the heavy phoenix crown from her head, allowing her thick, jet-black hair to be loosely tied into a bun with a white jade hairpin. They then brought soft silk robes and attended to her as she freshened up.
Lian Yue stood there awkwardly, watching the royal maids’ well-trained and precise movements, suddenly feeling a sense of inadequacy.
At that moment, Wen Qiao’s voice broke the silence. “Lian Yue, where’s the flowerpot?”
Lian Yue snapped out of her daze and quickly replied, “It’s outside, Miss. Shall I bring it in?”
Wen Qiao gave a small nod.
As maids entered with steaming plates of spiritual delicacies, they curiously and cautiously glanced over. When they saw Lian Yue carrying a coarse ceramic flowerpot with only dark brown soil inside, their expressions froze for a moment.
What was she doing bringing a bare flowerpot inside?
Wen Qiao, seated at the dining table, ignored the maids’ curious gazes. She took the flowerpot from Lian Yue, her delicate fingers gently stroking its edge, then placed it beside the table. Accepting the chopsticks handed to her by one of the maids, she began to eat slowly and methodically.
The contrast between the exquisite, sumptuous spiritual delicacies on the table and the coarse, plain flowerpot was striking—like comparing the grandeur of a noble household to the simplicity of a rural peasant’s home. The juxtaposition couldn’t have been more jarring.
Could it be that after marrying the Seventh Prince, the new princess had given up and started imitating commoners’ habits?
Only Lian Yue knew how much her young mistress treasured the seeds in that flowerpot. Although they had yet to sprout, the flowerpot was a gift from the Seventh Prince, and Wen Qiao cherished it dearly.
When Lian Yue inadvertently mentioned this, the servants of the Seventh Prince’s residence finally understood—the seemingly unimpressive flowerpot had been gifted by their prince.
The maids, believing they had grasped the situation, no longer cast strange looks at the flowerpot and began to treat it with reverence.
When Ning Yuzhou returned after sending off the guests, he was greeted by the sight of his freshly bathed bride, exuding a soft and rosy radiance, sitting with the coarse flowerpot nestled in her arms.