Glory

After finishing her breakfast and washing her face, Ye Yaming applied her own makeup, then waited in her undergarments with her hair loose.

As Madam Zhou had explained, the bride must await the "urging of the toilette"—a tradition where the bride feigns reluctance to leave home by refusing to dress in her wedding attire until the groom's family's wedding attendants urge her three times.

Ye Yaxiu never imagined Ye Yaming would marry into the Xuanwu Marquis Household as the wife of the heir, and her heart burned with regret.

Hoping to curry favor, she repeatedly praised the beauty of Ye Yaming's wedding dress and complimented her skill.

The wedding gown had been commissioned by Old Mrs. Ye from the finest embroiderer in Jiangnan, taking six months to complete. The craftsmanship was beyond question—an absolute masterpiece. Even Ye Yaming, who had seen countless fine things in her previous life, intended to treasure it as a future family heirloom.

When Ye Yaxiu not only admired the gown's beauty but persistently praised Ye Yaming's embroidery skills, Ye Yaming couldn't help retorting, "Elder Sister, please stop—you're making me blush. I never had time to embroider this myself. It was done by professional embroiderers; I merely added a few stitches."

Ye Yaxiu fell silent, stunned.

The gentle Ye Ruhui quickly smoothed things over: "Exactly. Ming'er is always busy with tea production—how could she find time for such work? Specialization is key; such tasks are naturally left to embroiderers."

Before Ye Yaming's transmigration, Ye Yayin had been naive and sweet-natured. But after frequently accompanying her governess into town, witnessing life's joys and sorrows, and absorbing Ye Yaming's teachings about female independence, she was gradually transforming into a spirited young woman.

Resenting Ye Yaxiu's past mistreatment of her sister, she couldn't resist a jab: "Elder Sister, was your own wedding gown entirely self-embroidered? How impressively skilled you must be."

Ye Yaxiu flushed crimson and immediately fell silent.

As daughters of wealthy Jiangnan merchants, their wedding gowns were always embroidered by professionals. Their own modest needlework skills could never suffice for such grand occasions—lest guests criticize the Ye family's stinginess rather than the bride's craftsmanship.

Ye Yayu ignored the subtle tensions in the conversation, her bright eyes fixed unwaveringly on Ye Yaming as if unable to look away.

Amused, Ye Yaming reached out and pinched her still-chubby cheek.

Seeing this, Ye Yayin laughed and told Ye Yaming, "Sister, Yu'er thinks you're beautiful."

Having spent so much time together, she knew Ye Yayu was an avid admirer of beauty—she suspected Yu'er had befriended her so quickly partly because she herself was fairly attractive.

Ye Yayu nodded earnestly. "Third Sister, you're truly beautiful."

Ye Yaming pinched her cheek again. "Yu'er is beautiful too."

In her previous life, she had been a woman with impeccable makeup skills, considering it part of professional etiquette.

In this ancient era, she found traditional cosmetics fascinating, purchasing the finest rouge and powders available to experiment with. In inspired moments, she even taught her maids to create their own cosmetics.

This body was already strikingly beautiful, but combined with her innate grace, she stood out vividly even among a crowd.Ye Yaming knew that in ancient times without power or influence, excessive beauty was not a blessing. Although she had purchased many cosmetics, she never wore makeup ordinarily. When she did apply makeup, it was to soften the striking impact of her features, directing attention more toward her abilities.

But today, she wanted to create a beautiful makeup look for herself. This was her only wedding across two lifetimes, and she intended to be the most beautiful bride.

The original owner’s facial features were already exquisite. Using the cosmetics she had on hand, she subtly minimized minor flaws and accentuated her strengths. Her focus was on her eyes.

Her eyes were naturally stunning. With eyebrow ink and homemade eyeshadow, she enhanced them, making them appear even darker, brighter, and utterly captivating—impossible to look away from.

After applying lipstick and using her palm to blend a hint of it onto her cheeks, she caught the attention of Ye Yayu, a self-proclaimed connoisseur of beauty, who stared transfixed.

Zhou Shi also sighed in admiration, "Third Miss, you should always dress up like this. Your skill is truly unparalleled."

Having attended many weddings, she had seen bridal makeup that was far from commendable—faces painted ghostly white, blush applied like a monkey’s rear, and lips colored as if they had eaten a dead child. It wasn’t beautification; it was disfigurement.

Ye Yaming’s makeup, in contrast, was so natural that even up close, it was undetectable. She simply became more radiant, dazzlingly beautiful.

"The auspicious hour is almost here," reminded the bridal attendant, who had been sitting idly by.

As soon as she spoke, a maid rushed in from outside, "The groom has arrived to fetch the bride."

Hearing this, everyone turned their eyes to Ye Yaming.

Ye Yaming felt a wave of awkwardness.

They were waiting for her to perform the traditional bridal weeping.

But she truly couldn’t cry. Not only was her relationship with Yin Shi not that close, but her marriage was also different from the norm. For someone like Ye Ruhui, marriage meant a life of hardship—facing unfamiliar environments and people, becoming an "outsider" in both her husband’s and her own family. Naturally, she would weep.

For Ye Yaming, whether she married or not, it wouldn’t significantly affect her future.

Moreover, her homemade, rudimentary cosmetics were not waterproof. What if her makeup smeared from crying?

Before she could gather her thoughts, she saw Yin Shi cover her face with a handkerchief and begin wailing theatrically, "Oh, my dear child, you’re leaving now, with such fanfare! Going all alone, may you lead a prosperous life!"

"Respect your in-laws for blessings, respect your husband for sustenance…"

While Ye Yaming was still dumbfounded, Ye Ruhui nudged her and signaled with her eyes.

Reluctantly, Ye Yaming imitated Yin Shi, covering her face with a handkerchief, throwing herself into Yin Shi’s arms, and crying out, "Mother, wuuu wuuu… I can’t bear to leave you, nor Father, my sisters, Grandfather, and Grandmother…" Her performance lacked the melodic lament and was all thunder but no rain—utterly amateurish compared to Yin Shi.

Fortunately, the groom’s bridal attendant soon entered and, with her persuasion, Yin Shi finally released Ye Yaming and urged her to have her hair styled.

Zhou Shi, experienced as a "complete blessing" attendant, had honed her hairdressing skills. She quickly styled Ye Yaming’s hair and adorned it with jewelry.

As soon as the last hairpiece was in place, Yin Shi threw herself forward again, embracing Ye Yaming and resuming her dramatic wailing. This time, with a bit more experience, Ye Yaming cooperated seamlessly.After crying for a while, the bridesmaid came up again to console them, finally managing to calm down the mother and daughter, coaxing Ye Yaming into putting on the wedding dress.

Once the wedding dress was on, there was another round of crying, followed by more consolation, before the bridal veil was finally placed over Ye Yaming's head.

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