At this moment, the Duke of England's Mansion was bustling with guests. Song Yichun stood in the main hall, exchanging pleasantries with relatives and friends who had come to witness the ceremony, his face stiff from forced smiles.
Taking a brief moment, he quietly asked Li Xian, the steward from the Affairs Office who was accompanying him: "Has Mr. Tao returned yet?"
How could Fourth Miss Dou suddenly have an additional dowry chest of silver notes? Without needing Song Yichun's instruction, Tao Qizhong had taken the initiative to investigate. However, from yesterday until today, there had been no definite news, leaving Song Yichun extremely uneasy. He felt as though he had overlooked something, yet couldn't pinpoint what exactly it was. This sensation of standing on the edge of a cliff left him deeply unsettled.
Li Xian hurriedly replied, "Mr. Tao hasn't returned yet. But I've already arranged for someone to wait in his quarters. As soon as he returns, he'll be brought to see you."
Song Yichun gave a slight nod, just as the white-haired Lu Fuli approached.
Adjusting his demeanor once more, Song Yichun warmly greeted him with "Second Uncle" and bowed respectfully.
Though ranked second among his brothers, Lu Fuli was effectively the eldest son of the Lu family, as his elder brother had passed away at the age of eight. Upon hearing that Song Yichun had arranged for Song Mo to marry a bride from an exceptionally wealthy family, Lu Fuli was not as pleased as his grandson Lu Zhan had expected.
He drew Song Yichun aside to a quiet veranda and asked in a low voice, "Have you personally inquired about the character of Fourth Miss Dou?"
Song Yichun grew impatient.
This was already the third time Lu Fuli had asked him this question.
The first was when the Lu family heard he had sought Fourth Miss Dou as a wife for Song Mo and came to inquire about the details. The second was when he delivered the wedding invitations to the Lu family.
"Second Uncle," Song Yichun said with slight irritation, "Yantang is my son. Would I ever harm him?"
Lu Fuli frowned at these words. "Do you think this uncle is meddling too much? Seeing the vast Duke of England's Mansion without anyone to manage the household, I fear you might make a hasty choice..."
Displeasure flickered across Song Yichun's expression.
Lu Fuli sighed inwardly, realizing that Song Yichun was now a father-in-law himself and shouldn't be treated like a child needing constant supervision. He swallowed his remaining words and instead voiced his concerns: "Has there been no word from the Palace of Heavenly Purity, the Palace of Earthly Tranquility, or the Palace of Compassionate Tranquility?"
In the past, when the heir, eldest son, or eldest grandson of the Duke of England's Mansion married, the palace would always send gifts.
"Nothing!" Song Yichun also felt uneasy about this and whispered, "I've heard the Emperor is unwell. Perhaps the palace isn't in the mood to attend to such matters?" Yet in his heart, he wondered if the Emperor was displeased with his sudden arrangement of a marriage for Song Mo and was using this opportunity to teach him a lesson.
Lu Fuli asked, "Can you guess why?"
"It's improper to speculate about the Emperor's intentions!" Song Yichun's lofty reply left Lu Fili feeling deeply uncomfortable.
Once Fourth Miss Dou entered the household, the Song and Lu families would likely grow even further apart.
If only he had known earlier...
With a sigh, Lu Fuli returned to the main hall.
Song Yichun, however, had no desire to continue forcing smiles and mingling with the guests.
He instructed Li Xian, "Notify me when the bridal sedan arrives." Then he retreated to Cassia Fragrance Courtyard.
But just as he lay down, Song Mo's bridal sedan returned.He muttered to himself as he headed to the main hall.
After stepping over the grain and money basin and shooting the bridal sedan curtain, the bride descended from the sedan chair holding a treasure vase.
Only then did everyone notice that the bride was quite tall.
In women, meekness is considered a virtue. Tall women naturally seem less gentle compared to petite ones.
Ma Youming and the others couldn't help but widen their eyes.
Shen Qing even whispered to Zhang Xuming, "When Song Mo lifts the veil, won't he get a big fright?"
Wedding pranks were something only done by poor, humble families.
They would have to wait until after the bride's three-day return to her maiden home, then use the pretext of close family friendship to barge into the Duke of England's Mansion before they could see what the bride looked like.
But Zhang Xuming wasn't anxious. His wife was a bridesmaid—he could just ask her later.
Song Yichun, overhearing the discussion, smiled without comment.
After bowing to heaven and earth, the newlyweds were escorted by Wang Qinghuai's wife and Zhang Xuming's wife into the bridal chamber.
By then, the bride's entourage had already been arranged to rest elsewhere. Only the woman of complete blessings from the bride's side followed along with her counterpart from the groom's side into the bridal chamber with the newlyweds.
After the lapel weighing, bed scattering, and veil lifting, Song Mo and Dou Zhao finally saw each other again.
Song Mo couldn't help but sigh in relief.
When the bride's family sends dowry, the groom must express gratitude. This gratitude ceremony could either be held on the dowry delivery day, where the groom would go with the bridal urging party to kowtow to his parents-in-law to "thank them for welcoming the dowry," or arranged on the wedding day itself, where the groom would go straight to the main hall with the matchmaker to kowtow after the bridal sedan arrived. If gratitude was expressed during the bridal urging, it needn't be repeated on the wedding day—the two rituals couldn't overlap. Moreover, since the former method involved the groom bringing generous gifts with the bridal urging party and allowed for a swift bridal sedan departure on the wedding day, appearing both dignified and efficient, most Capital families preferred it. Song Mo had deliberately chosen to express gratitude on the wedding day precisely to personally witness Dou Zhao entering the sedan chair—he didn't want to repeat Wei Tingyu's mistake of making assumptions!
Dou Zhao had finally, smoothly become his wife through the wedding ceremony!
But before his heart could settle, Madam Zhao suddenly shouted, "Promotion! Promotion!"
Song Mo was stunned.
He knew his father-in-law's most trusted steward was named Gaosheng, but what did his wedding have to do with Gaosheng?
Then he saw Madam Zhao swiftly snatch the red veil from his hands.
He instinctively looked at Dou Zhao.
Dou Zhao, suppressing laughter, turned her face away.
Madam Zhao was actually telling Song Mo not to sit down yet...
Song Mo looked utterly confused.
Seeing this, both Madam Zhao and Eldest Madam Lu burst into laughter.
Eldest Madam Lu approached Song Mo and quietly explained, "You're supposed to sit on the veil!"
"Oh!" Realization dawned on Song Mo, who immediately reached to take the veil back from Madam Zhao. "I didn't know about this custom—"
To his surprise, Madam Zhao raised her hand, making him grab empty air.
"That won't do!" Madam Zhao laughed. "You missed your chance to sit on it—you can't do it now!"
As Song Mo prepared to grab again, he looked questioningly at Eldest Madam Lu.
Eldest Madam Lu explained with a smile, "It's just for good fortune—if the groom sits on the veil, he'll have the upper hand in marriage!"
Song Mo chuckled awkwardly, "Then... then let's not sit on it."
Everyone in the room laughed at this.Eldest Madam Lu gazed at Dou Zhao, whose long eyebrows arched gracefully into her temples, exuding a heroic aura yet radiantly beautiful, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Even heroes falter before beauty!
Someone as aloof as Uncle Song actually spoke such words upon seeing the bride!
She instructed Song Mo, "Quickly take the velvet flower from your wife's hair and place it higher."
But Song Mo insisted on knowing the reason, as if afraid Dou Zhao might suffer some disadvantage.
Dou Zhao, however, was dumbfounded.
She had never dreamed that Song Mo could be so awkward at a time like this...
She lowered her head, pretending not to see anything!
Eldest Madam Lu was both exasperated and amused. "It symbolizes marital harmony and the blessing of early offspring!" she explained.
Only then did Song Mo, slightly embarrassed, pluck a velvet flower from Dou Zhao's hair and ask Eldest Madam Lu, "Where should I place it?"
"Anywhere will do!" Eldest Madam Lu, having learned her lesson, added with a smile, "Placing it above signifies a son, below a daughter."
Song Mo stared at the white wall adorned with silver floral patterns and the double-happiness character, pondering silently: What exactly counts as 'above'? What qualifies as 'below'? And if one wishes for both sons and daughters, where should it be placed?
For a moment, he hesitated, unable to decide.
Young Madam Wang, Wang Qinghuai's wife, noticed his dilemma and whispered a suggestion: "Why not place it toward the direction of the God of Joy?"
The direction of the God of Joy had been determined by a feng shui master as the most auspicious for the newlyweds.
Song Mo suddenly understood and shot Young Madam Wang a grateful glance before placing the flower right in the center.
Eldest Madam Lu immediately felt a wave of relief.
If Song Mo continued to dither like this, they might miss the toast.
She hurriedly handed the prepared nuptial wine to the couple.
This time, Song Mo asked no questions and promptly drank the exchanged wine with Dou Zhao. After eating the fertility dumplings, Song Mo went to the main hall to toast the guests, while Dou Zhao sat cross-legged on the kang, facing the God of Joy.
With that, the wedding ceremony concluded.
Eldest Madam Lu, representing the Song family, escorted Madam Zhao to the Reception Hall where the Dou family's wedding entourage rested. Young Madam Wang and Third Madam Zhang led the maids and attendants out of the room.
The bridal chamber fell silent, save for the faint crackling of lamp wicks and the distant clamor from the outer courtyard, which only accentuated the tranquility within.
Dou Zhao overheard a servant whispering outside: "Young Miss, you cannot enter! The Young Lord has given strict orders. If you wish to see the bride, you may do so tomorrow during the family introductions."
"You're lying!" a young girl's shrill voice retorted. "Third Cousin would never say such a thing! If you keep blocking me, I'll tell Second Uncle!"
"Young Miss, if you doubt me, you may ask the Young Lord yourself," the servant replied calmly. "This humble servant wouldn't dare lie to you!"
The girl let out an indignant shriek before someone came to lead her away.
Silence returned.
Dou Zhao couldn't help but recall her wedding in her past life.
From the moment she alighted the bridal sedan, chaos reigned—people everywhere. When her veil was lifted, her first impression wasn't of the groom's appearance but of Wei Tingzhen's stern, critical tone. After Wei Tingyu left to toast the guests, the Wei family's aunts and uncles lingered to scrutinize her before finally dispersing.
She had assumed all weddings were like that.
Only later, after witnessing others, did she realize some families adhered to ancient customs where the bride remained alone in the bridal chamber until the family introductions.
At the time, she had envied them deeply.She felt that such a wedding ceremony was truly dignified.
Could this be considered a good beginning?
I wonder who that little girl is in the Song family?
The composed demeanor of that maidservant left a deep impression on Dou Zhao.
Someone like that could indeed be useful!
As she pondered this, the door creaked open, and Su Lan bounded in with excitement.
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