The next day, before the sky had fully brightened, the Prime Minister Qin’s mansion was already bustling with activity.
The summer sun blazed like fire, and judging by the sky, it was another scorching hot yet joyous day.
Early in the morning, Madam Qin, accompanied by a group of maids, arrived at Qin Xixue’s door and knocked.
“Xue’er, Xue’er, are you awake?” Madam Qin called out gently to Qin Xixue.
At this moment, Qin Xixue, exhausted from the previous night’s commotion, was fast asleep and didn’t hear Madam Qin’s calls.
Madam Qin called out a few more times, but there was still no response from Qin Xixue’s room. Seeing this, Madam Qin grew a little anxious, fearing something might have happened to Qin Xixue. She then forcefully pushed open Qin Xixue’s door. To her surprise, the door wasn't bolted. This made Madam Qin’s heart skip a beat, and she hurried inside.
The reason Qin Xixue’s door was unbolted was that the Ning King had left her room the previous night after Qin Xixue had already fallen asleep, so he couldn’t bolt the door from the inside.
When Madam Qin saw the lump under the covers on Qin Xixue’s bed, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
“Xue’er, it’s time to get up. Today is your wedding day with the Ning King, and you need to get ready!” Madam Qin said with a face full of doting affection.
However, the person on the bed remained motionless. Anxious, Madam Qin practically ran to Qin Xixue’s bedside.
Madam Qin then suddenly pulled Qin Xixue up from the bed, leaning her daughter against her shoulder. She then reached out and brushed the hair from Qin Xixue’s face.
The result made Madam Qin freeze on the spot.
“Xue’er, Xue’er, your face, what happened to your face?” Madam Qin stammered, her voice trembling.
Upon hearing this, Qin Xixue’s eyes snapped open. She couldn't recall what had happened the night before and thought her face had become ugly again.
“Mother, my face, has my face become ugly again?” Qin Xixue asked, her face filled with panic. She then suddenly remembered the events of the previous night.
“No, it’s that your face has recovered its beauty, and it’s even more beautiful than before,” Madam Qin replied, clearly astonished.
“Oh, I thought something else had happened. So it was just this. Mother, I’ll tell you a secret…” Qin Xixue said, leaning in close to Madam Qin’s ear and whispering.
“Oh, I see. It seems this Ning King really cares about you. I hope he continues to treat you this way after you marry into the Ning King’s mansion,” Madam Qin said, looking at Qin Xixue’s smooth, fair, and delicate skin with a hint of envy.
She had heard of the “Beauty Gu,” a creature said to be extremely difficult to raise, requiring the heart’s blood of young boys for its cultivation. Moreover, the Beauty Gu was prone to dying easily. She wondered how this Ning King managed to have one cultivated for her daughter.
Even the maids following Madam Qin to style her hair were stunned when they saw Qin Xixue’s appearance. Especially the maids who had heard noises from Qin Xixue’s room the previous night were surprised that their young lady’s face had truly recovered.
However, she didn't dwell on such matters. As long as her daughter’s appearance was restored, nothing else mattered to her.
“Xue’er, time is getting late. Let’s quickly wash and get dressed,” Madam Qin reminded her.
“Alright. Mother, today is my wedding day with the Ning King. You must make me look incredibly beautiful,” Qin Xixue said proudly, touching her beautiful face.
“Haha, that goes without saying. Today, my daughter will surely be the most beautiful,” Madam Qin said, affectionately pinching Qin Xixue’s shapely nose.
Madam Qin then instructed the maids to help Qin Xixue wash and cleanse her face. After the maids fussed over Qin Xixue, it was Madam Qin’s turn to style her hair.
Madam Qin picked up a fine wooden comb and, with each stroke, recited a word of good fortune. Everyone waited until Madam Qin finished her auspicious pronouncements before they cooperated in styling Qin Xixue’s hair, attaching the ornaments, helping her put on her bright red wedding dress, and finally, covering Qin Xixue’s head with the mandarin duck veil.
Once everything was done, the steward outside the door shouted, “Madam, the Ning King’s wedding procession will arrive shortly!”
Qin Xixue, embraced by Madam Qin and the maids, slowly made her way to the main gate of the Qin mansion. A crowd of curious commoners had already gathered at the gate.
Prime Minister Qin was also standing at the entrance, awaiting the Ning King’s bridal sedan.
“Wow, the Qin family’s eldest daughter’s wedding dress is so beautiful, I’m so envious,” someone exclaimed.
“Hmph, you call this dress beautiful? You haven’t seen the wedding dress worn by the Cold King’s consort on their wedding day. This one can’t even compare to hers,” another person remarked.
“Oh, really? Tell me then, I really haven’t seen the Cold King and his consort’s wedding,” someone else said.
“Let me tell you, on the day the Cold King’s consort got married, the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and many dignitaries and nobles who were close to the Cold King’s mansion and the Cold General’s mansion also brought gifts. Look and see who is bringing gifts for the Qin family’s eldest daughter today.”
“Yes, we haven’t seen anyone bringing gifts for the Qin family’s eldest daughter today either.”
“…”
Simultaneously, the onlookers were discussing the Qin family’s eldest daughter’s dowry. Their voices were quite loud, and every word they spoke reached Qin Xixue’s ears, making her grind her teeth in anger. If Madam Qin hadn’t reminded her that it was her wedding day, she would have long since started scolding these lowly commoners.
The Ning King was truly something. On their wedding day, no one had brought them any gifts.
Following this, the Ning King, clad in a bright red wedding robe with a large red flower pinned to his chest, rode a magnificent horse, leading the wedding procession to the Qin mansion gate.
This again caused a considerable stir among the crowd, mainly due to the Ning King’s eight-bearer bridal sedan, adorned with various beautiful and magical ornaments, making it appear exceptionally luxurious and aesthetically pleasing.
The Ning King dismounted, walked up to Prime Minister Qin and Madam Qin, set aside his princely demeanor, and bowed slightly to them.
Today, Prime Minister Qin and Madam Qin, as the Ning King’s future father-in-law and mother-in-law, received a bow from the Ning King, a rare occurrence. They smiled and said, “Your Highness Ning King, this old servant entrusts Xue’er’s life to you. I hope you will treat her well.”
“I will, Father-in-law. This King will definitely treat Xue’er well,” the Ning King replied.
With that, the Ning King bent down, scooped up Qin Xixue, and placed her into the magnificent large sedan chair.
Then, he cupped his hands towards Prime Minister Qin and Madam Qin, immediately remounted his horse, rode through the main streets of the capital, and headed towards the Ning King’s mansion.
At the same time, following the Ning King’s wedding procession, there were one hundred and twenty-four sedan chairs of dowry. This included the Ning King’s eighty-eight-bearer betrothal gifts and the thirty-six-bearer dowry prepared by the Qin mansion for Qin Xixue, all departing with the procession.