“Li’er, the sunlight outside is too strong. Let’s go inside to play,” said Grand Tutor Xia. Although he was also interested in the checkers that Leng Ruo Li produced, he looked up at the sun, which was becoming increasingly fierce, and felt it would be better to find a cooler place to study the fun item.
“Alright, Grandfather. Let’s go into Prince Ning’s mansion and find a shady spot to sit. I’ll teach everyone how to play checkers there,” Leng Ruo Li agreed with Grand Tutor Xia.
With that, Leng Ruo Li proactively linked arms with her grandfather and grandmother and led the way into Prince Ning’s mansion. Finally, they found a relatively shady spot under a large tree in the Prince Ning’s mansion garden, where the light was still good, and sat down.
Leng Ruo Li carefully explained the rules of checkers to everyone. They understood immediately and quickly got the hang of it.
Before long, the Marquis Jingyuan’s family of three also arrived. They had heard that Prince Leng, his consort, and the Xia family were all here, so they hurried over.
“Second Cousin’s wife, what are you all playing?” Bai Yu Xuan asked, her curiosity piqued as she saw everyone gathered around two stone tables with two basins of colorful small beads.
“Princess Qing Ling, Marquis, Marchioness, you’re all here! We’re playing checkers. Would you like to join us?” Leng Ruo Li asked with a smile, her eyes curved.
“Really? We can play with you all too?” Bai Yu Xuan’s large, dark eyes suddenly gleamed as she heard Leng Ruo Li’s words.
“Of course! These two sets of checkers can be played by twelve people. It’s perfect that you’re here.” Leng Ruo Li quickly beckoned the Marquis Jingyuan’s family of three to join them.
“Princess Leng, may this humble wife and the Marquis also play with you?” The Marchioness asked, sounding eager.
“Yes, we were just short of players. With your joining, our boards will be perfectly filled, and everyone will have more fun,” Leng Ruo Li said. Hearing this, the Marchioness and the Marquis dared to join the checkers game. The three of them learned how to play this type of checkers after Leng Ruo Li demonstrated it once.
After playing checkers with everyone for a while, Leng Ruo Li and Jun Mo Han left. The couple strolled leisurely along the path that the bride and groom would pass. No one in Prince Ning’s mansion noticed that wherever they went, Leng Ruo Li would use her sleeves to conceal the scattering of a medicinal powder, all the way to the place where the bride and groom would perform their wedding ceremony.
Jun Mo Han noticed his wife’s small action. The corners of his lips curved into a handsome arc, and his sapphire-like eyes held a tender gaze of indulgence. *Li’er is truly a little rascal!*
Unexpectedly, as Prince Leng and his consort entered the ceremony hall, they heard a voice behind them announce, “The Emperor and Empress Dowager have arrived!” The entire Prince Ning’s mansion, as well as the guests attending the wedding banquet, quickly stopped what they were doing and knelt to welcome the imperial arrival. At this moment, the Emperor, dressed in a dragon-yellow robe, and the Empress Dowager, adorned in a joyous phoenix gown, exuding nobility, slowly walked towards the ceremony hall, accompanied by a group of consorts and princes and princesses. Prince Leng and his consort also stepped forward to greet them.
“Han’er respectfully greets Father Emperor and Imperial Grandmother!”
“Li’er respectfully greets Father Emperor and Imperial Grandmother!”
“…Respectfully greet the Emperor, Empress Dowager.” Jun Mo Han and Leng Ruo Li exclaimed in unison.
Subsequently, everyone else also called out together.
“Everyone, please rise,” the Emperor said, waving his sleeve at the crowd. Prince Leng and his consort immediately straightened up, and everyone else also stood.
At this moment, the Empress Dowager saw Leng Ruo Li, and her face was filled with a benevolent smile. “Han’er, Li’er, I was about to send someone to hurry you, but I didn’t expect you two to arrive so early today.”
“Imperial Grandmother, your grandson’s wife and the Prince only arrived at Prince Ning’s mansion a short while ago.”
“Then let’s quickly go inside and sit. It’s really too hot outside,” the Empress Dowager said, fanning herself. The two palace maids behind her immediately fanned her faster. Following suit, the two palace maids behind the Emperor also sped up their fanning.
Hearing this, Leng Ruo Li nodded slightly, stepped forward, linked her arm with the Empress Dowager’s, and walked into the ceremony hall of Prince Ning’s mansion. After Leng Ruo Li ensured the Emperor and Empress Dowager were seated in the main seats, she used her mind to retrieve two mini fans from her spatial supermarket and brought them out using her sleeve cuffs.
“Father Emperor, Imperial Grandmother, Li’er has brought you two mini fans today. Would you like to try them?” Leng Ruo Li said mysteriously to the Emperor and Empress Dowager.
“Fans? What kind of fans?” The Emperor and Empress Dowager, upon hearing the word “fan,” quickly assumed that what Leng Ruo Li mentioned must be related to wind.
“Father Emperor, Imperial Grandmother, these are the two items in my hands.” As Leng Ruo Li spoke, she took out two mini fans with handles from her sleeve cuffs, turned them on, and a refreshing breeze immediately blew out from the fans. She then handed them over to the Emperor and Empress Dowager, who took the mini fans from Leng Ruo Li’s hands and examined them carefully.
In fact, the Emperor and Empress Dowager were accustomed to Leng Ruo Li producing various rare and strange items from time to time. However, the fan Leng Ruo Li produced brought them great surprise because the breeze from this small item was much cooler and more uniform than the wind fanned by the palace maids’ large fans.
“Li’er girl, the breeze from this little thing of yours is truly cool, much more comfortable than the wind fanned by my palace maids,” the Empress Dowager could not help but praise Leng Ruo Li.
Leng Ruo Li merely chuckled in response, as the ceremony hall was now crowded with people, all their eyes fixed on the main seats. Therefore, she couldn’t say much more to the Emperor and Empress Dowager.
Just then, a voice came from outside, “The groom welcomes the bride into the hall!”
“Bride and groom, like a pair of mandarin ducks, may you have many children and grandchildren!”
Next, Prince Ning led the bride along the path that Prince Leng and his consort had just walked. The bride smelled an unusual fragrance in the air and let out a soft sneeze. Prince Ning, who was accompanying her, paused slightly, but this action did not attract much attention. Prince Ning then continued to lead the bride slowly towards the Emperor and Empress Dowager. This segment was originally performed by a matchmaker, but Prince Ning found the matchmaker’s chatter to be too annoying, so he did not involve a matchmaker in his wedding today. Since he was Prince Ning, others did not dare to question it too much; if the Emperor and Empress Dowager did not speak, others could only turn a blind eye.
In fact, the Emperor and Empress Dowager did not even want to attend Prince Ning’s wedding ceremony, but if they did not attend, it would make the petty-minded officials in the court feel that they were too biased. This was because the Emperor and Empress Dowager had attended Prince Leng’s wedding, so they had to balance the emotions of these princes.
When the newlyweds reached the Emperor and Empress Dowager, the officiating officer shouted again, “Bride and groom, bow!” Immediately, Prince Ning and the bride stood straight, preparing to bow.