The 22nd day of the ninth month, in the 17th year of Longshun.
The autumn air was crisp and clear, with not a cloud in sight for miles.
Officials from the Ministry of Rites led the procession, their eyes ringed with dark circles as they wound their way towards Qingping Ward.
The night before, Prince An had invited one of them for tea, reminding him that proper etiquette must not be neglected.
The Three Letters and Six Rites were essential; not a single one could be omitted.
At the time, he had been surprised that Prince An would personally concern himself with such trivial matters.
However, even greater surprises were yet to come.
By the time half a candle had burned down, his head was nearly nodding off as Prince An continued to give meticulous instructions on every minute detail.
He was utterly exhausted...
Hadn't rumors suggested that the future Princess An was plain and unattractive, much to Prince An's displeasure?
Why, then, was the prince so invested in the wedding preparations?
Soon enough, Prince An provided an explanation: "I have always demanded perfection. I hope you won't disappoint me."
The official from the Ministry of Rites suddenly understood – it was all about saving face...
"Your Highness, rest assured. This humble official will not fail in his duty."
Snapping back to the present, after dismounting, the Vice Minister of Rites immediately plastered on a smile and exchanged bows with Old Master Song, who was waiting outside the residence. Upon entering, both parties veered to the left and right of the screen wall, proceeding via the main and guest staircases. Once they had taken their positions in the hall, the Vice Minister of Rites faced east and proclaimed in a resonant voice:
"The Song family has shown great kindness in receiving us. Prince An's chambers await. His Majesty, following the customs of our ancestors, has sent this official to formally propose the marriage."
Old Master Song stood on the eastern steps, facing north, and bowed again: "My granddaughter is foolish and uneducated, and I have failed to instruct her properly. But since you have come with this command, I dare not refuse."
Between the pillars, the Vice Minister of Rites handed over the wild goose that Prince An had personally caught to Old Master Song.
The goose symbolized fidelity and devotion.
In addition to this, Prince An had been extremely particular, insisting that he bring along sheep, fragrant herbs, and deer to convey blessings, as well as glue, lacquer, and silk sachets to symbolize the harmony between husband and wife.
This was truly the most troublesome betrothal proposal he had ever handled.
To make matters worse, he was also responsible for the second rite – the formal inquiry about the bride's name!
He felt he was being driven to madness by Prince An's demands. In just a few days, he had lost a noticeable amount of weight.
After the matchmaker had thoroughly inquired about the future Princess An's full name, birth year, and exact time of birth, he gave a slight cough. The matchmaker immediately proclaimed in the most auspicious tone: "A match made in heaven! A union ordained by fate!"
Subsequently, the bride-to-be's birth details were sent to the ancestral temple for divination. After swiftly receiving a favorable omen, they proceeded to the third rite – the announcement of the favorable divination.
This marriage had been decreed by His Majesty himself, so there was originally no need for such elaborate procedures. However, Prince An had insisted, forcing him to "voluntarily" make frequent visits to the Song residence.
On the day of announcing the favorable divination, he presented one of the Three Letters – the betrothal letter – to the Song family.
In fact, the imperial edict arranging the marriage could have served as the betrothal letter, but Prince An had smirked as he handed him another handwritten version.
Who could have imagined that Prince An's perfectionism would be so exacting!
The announcement of the favorable divination and the presentation of betrothal gifts were conducted on the same day. The latter, commonly known as sending the bride price, usually followed set customs for princes.
However, to everyone's surprise, the Empress Dowager, who had been living in seclusion at the Palace of Benevolent Tranquility, took a personal interest in the matter and added numerous gift boxes to the collection.
At the same time, the second of the Three Letters – the gift list – was also presented.
The thick stack of gift inventories and the long line of betrothal gift boxes left everyone utterly astonished.
Meanwhile, Li Shuchen feared that what he had given might not be enough.
He was afraid of appearing insufficiently attentive, leading the world to look down on Ah Huan.
Yet he also feared that showing too much care might put Ah Huan in danger, so he orchestrated everything through the Vice Minister of Rites and the Empress Dowager.
On the last day of the ninth month, the Vice Minister of Rites, his legs nearly giving out from exhaustion, strictly followed the "Marriage Rites for Scholars" section of the Book of Rites to carry out the fifth of the Six Rites – setting the wedding date.
The grand wedding was set for the coming spring, on the second day of the second month, known as the Day of the Dragon Raising its Head.
Upon learning of the tight schedule, Elder Madam Song frantically began instructing Qi Huan on sewing her wedding dress. After Qi Huan had managed to embroider two rather peculiar-looking wild ducks, the elder lady sighed in exasperation: "Huan'er, why don't we just hire an embroiderer?"
"Whatever you think is best, Aunt," Qi Huan replied, unusually docile.
It's easy to appreciate flowers, but difficult to embroider them – and a wedding dress is even more challenging.
When faced with difficulties, sometimes it's best to give up gracefully.
She looked at the two mandarin ducks she had embroidered on the red satin and thought to herself that it would be a waste to throw it away. So she cut out the piece of fabric and sewed it into a sturdy little pouch.
"Host, you truly are a little genius," the system commented, its tone difficult to decipher.
Qi Huan held up the pouch, admiring it with satisfaction, and replied with a smile: "Frugality is a virtue!"
She had originally planned to give it to Li Shuchen after their wedding, but to her surprise, he arrived that very night, drenched from the rain...
She rose on her tiptoes to help him remove his straw rain cape, then took his hands in hers, bringing them to her lips to warm them with her breath.
As she warmed his hands, she chided him gently: "The weather has turned cold, and this is when your old injury troubles you most. Why didn't you stay in the prince's mansion instead of coming out in the rain?"
Li Shuchen lowered his gaze, his eyes burning with intensity as he looked at her: "I missed you."
Why did time pass so slowly? So slow that his longing grew wild like weeds, filling his entire heart.
Just one day apart made him anxious with yearning. These past days, he had been busy preparing for the New Year's palace banquet, so occupied that he hadn't been able to visit her for a long time...
But his thoughts of her never ceased for a moment.
In the depths of night, a solitary lamp always burned in the prince's mansion as he stitched his longing into the red wedding dress, one needle at a time.
At times like these, he was particularly grateful for the hardships he had endured in Mo County. Because he could wield a knife, he could also handle a needle, allowing him to personally sew a red wedding dress for his beloved.
"Try it on. See if it fits?"
Taking the package he handed her, Qi Huan opened it and looked up at him in astonishment: "You finished it so quickly?"
"Mm-hmm."
Qi Huan took the wedding dress and ducked into a private space. After changing, she reappeared before him, shy and bashful.
Li Shuchen's gaze deepened as he stared at his beloved in her red wedding dress, as beautiful as a blooming peony.
"Ah Shu, which embroiderer did you hire? Their skill is truly exceptional. I wonder if we could recruit them for the Huarong Pavilion?"
"We can't," Li Shuchen said, his Adam's apple bobbing.
Seeing her disappointment, he added: "It was me."
It took Qi Huan a long moment to understand the meaning behind those two short words.
Looking at the dark circles under his eyes and his evident exhaustion, she felt tears welling up.
She wanted to throw herself into Li Shuchen's arms but feared wrinkling the wedding dress. Instead, she quickly took it off, carefully folded it, and put it away.
Then, without restraint, she wrapped her arms tightly around his waist.
Ah Shu was always like this, speaking lightly of his actions while pouring his heart into everything he did.
He accommodated all her shortcomings, filling in every gap.
She couldn't embroider a wedding dress, so he took it upon himself to do it, engaging in a task that countless men of this era would have considered beneath them.
He always bent his proud back for her, his bone-deep tenderness evident in everything he did.
"Ah Shu, I love you so much."
Hearing her soft, sweet words of love, Li Shuchen hugged her back, resting his chin on the top of her head and nuzzling her hair.
With those words from her, any amount of hardship was worth it.
"Ah Huan, let me handle everything. You just need to be the happiest bride."
Qi Huan smiled through her tears, lifting her face to beam at him brightly: "Alright."
Having received such an exquisite wedding dress, she suddenly felt that her little pouch might not be good enough to give him...
However, Li Shuchen's sharp eyes had already noticed it, and a faint smile touched the corners of his eyes and lips: "Is that for me?"
"Um..."
Qi Huan's face turned red, and she raised her hand to try and snatch it back: "I'll embroider a new one."
