Today, Commander Jiang's daughter is getting married.
He even gave an invitation to his elder brother, Jiang Huaisheng.
Old Lady Jiang's entire family was invited to attend the ceremony.
Unfortunately, Mrs. Jiang was bedridden and unable to attend in person.
Old Lady Jiang usually took good care of her health. Her injuries weren't severe, and she would have recovered well after some rest. However, after rushing about all day and experiencing a shock, she developed a slight fever at midnight. Thankfully, it was just a scare, and she got through it.
But she was left feeling very weak and miserable.
Commander Jiang's daughter is getting married.
Naturally, all the prominent families in Ming County would attend to show their support.
Even those without invitations would find ways to sneak in and offer gifts.
On such a day, no one would dare to cause trouble.
There are no secrets in a small town.
Heir Apparent Han left early in the morning.
The people from the Jiang household tried to leave but sheepishly returned.
The strong guards and escorts who were supposed to accompany the Jiang family out had disappeared.
No one dared to speak of it or ask questions.
There were even rumors that Heir Apparent Han had run off with Jiang Huaisheng's wife, which is why they left before dawn.
Everyone wanted to ask about it and discuss it.
After all, it was a scandalous affair.
They could talk about it at length, as everyone had plenty of time.
Those without invitations were trying to find ways to get them.
Even Jiang Huaisheng, who had an invitation, didn't dare not to go.
He remembered that morning when he had just learned that Jing'er was newly pregnant. He had excitedly gone out early to buy her some snacks from the street.
He ran into his younger brother, Jiang Changtian.
Wearing a loose robe, the wind made him look like a kite.
He said his little Yu'er was to become a concubine to an old man, and asked him to attend the ceremony.
Jiang Huaisheng angrily berated him for willingly degrading himself.
How ironic.
Now he had given him a bright red wedding invitation.
Today, Jiang Yu is getting married, his niece is getting married.
By rights, he should be sending dowry gifts. As part of the bride's family, his wife Jing'er, as the mistress of the house, should have been preparing things like jewelry.
But now Jing'er is gone.
Wan'er, an unmarried young lady, certainly couldn't handle these matters.
He is still Commander Jiang's elder brother, though their relationship is clearly strained. The wounds on his face were inflicted by Commander Jiang himself.
He didn't understand. His brother, who once adored him, had been forcibly driven out of the family by their mother.
An unfamiliar Heir Apparent Han was treated like a son by their mother, and in the end, he ran off with Jing'er and even Shu Shu. Yet their mother said nothing, only blaming Jing'er for her faults.
...
Today, Jiang Wan accompanied her father to attend Jiang Yu's wedding.
She remembered when she went to give Jiang Yu embroidered shoes and clothes.
The shoes and clothes were made of good quality material and weren't old. She had good intentions.
But unexpectedly, Jiang Feng sold her used clothes to a brothel for money.
Later, Jiang Feng had a conflict with her elder brother.
Her brother's guard, Wu Liu, injured Jiang Feng.
Jiang Feng deliberately told the bandits that he was Jiang Rong.
This caused the bandits to target the wrong person, giving her elder brother a fright.
It seemed like everything started to change from that moment.
Looking back, Wu Liu died, those two kidnappers died, the Liu family who wanted to take Jiang Yu as a concubine all died, later Aunt Yao also died, and now Chu Yi is dead.
His surname was Chu.
He was the son of the current Seventh Prince.
One of the Emperor's many grandsons.
Thinking about so many deaths.
Today, Jiang Yu is actually getting married.
It's somewhat ironic.
Meng Shaoxia, who hasn't yet become General Meng, is formally marrying her today and is even willing to stay in Ming County for Jiang Yu.
It's simply unbelievable.
In her memory, General Meng was a hot commodity in the court, everyone wanted to form a marriage alliance with him.
She had relied on her status as the Empress's niece - the Empress had no children, so at that time, her position was comparable to being the only princess - to beat out the competition and secure an engagement with the Meng family.
Yet unexpectedly, at such an early time, Meng Shaoxia is marrying Jiang Yu in Ming County.
And he plans to stay in Ming County.
Staying in this small place, can Meng Shaoxia still become General Meng? Can he still achieve those glorious military exploits?
Self-degradation.
She couldn't have imagined that while she wanted to leave Ming County so badly, Meng Shaoxia actually wanted to stay in Ming County.
But in the end, he was destined to die in battle.
Even though Jiang Wan felt very resentful in her heart, when she thought about how he eventually died in battle, she felt there was nothing worth quibbling over.
She even thought that when she had prevented Jiang Yu from meeting Meng Shaoxia earlier, it was actually for her own good.
Just like now, what does it matter if it's a formal marriage? In the end, she'll be a widow, and the Meng family line will end.
After sorting through past events, Jiang Wan also got ready and headed to Kan'er Village.
She didn't have any close friends or sisters in Ming County. Previously, she had always looked down on the people here and didn't have anyone she particularly needed to socialize with.
She was a quiet and gentle young lady.
She was Old Lady Jiang's projection of her own past aspirations.
Jiang Wan's every move bore Old Lady Jiang's shadow, but in reality, she resembled Eldest Princess Huiyun even more.
Perhaps deep down, Old Lady Jiang admired her noble friend, and when cultivating her own descendants, she unconsciously taught some things that Huiyun excelled at.
Jiang Wan accompanied her father to the Jiang family in Kan'er Village.
If not for sitting in a carriage with someone guiding them, Jiang Wan wouldn't have recognized this as the Jiang family home.
In her memory, it was a very small thatched cottage, just a small courtyard where eating, drinking, and other daily activities were all crammed together. It was a cramped place, not smelly, but not pleasant either.
Now there was a cluster of buildings, spacious and bright. They had even specially built a road.
For carriages and horses to pass through.
The place was filled with guests, with red walls and green tiles.
Red couplets, red carpets.
Lanterns and decorations everywhere.
Very festive.
Jiang Wan and Jiang Yu were actually first cousins.
She was a proper member of the bride's family and should have been at home early to receive guests.
But everyone knew that the relationship between Commander Jiang and the Jiang household was complicated.
When they saw Jiang Wan arrive, no one greeted her.
She had a feeling of being isolated.
Jiang Wan's temperament and behavior actually resembled Eldest Princess Huiyun more, so she was inherently quite proud, with some free-spirited and unrestrained parts.
Today she wore a light purple dress, which accentuated her snow-white skin, making her appear very noble.
Although many people who knew the inside story wouldn't approach her, there were inevitably some who couldn't help but discuss privately.
She was so beautiful, truly pleasing to the eye, with a straight nose, smooth forehead, and a good figure. She looked graceful just standing there.
Some young men attending the wedding couldn't resist wanting to come over and talk to her.
Jiang Mianmian and Zi Xiaochong were in the treehouse, able to see the diverse crowd below.
They could naturally see the ostracized Jiang Wan, who, although among a group of young ladies, was naturally excluded.
She didn't seem upset.
She still maintained a polite demeanor.
This made the other young ladies seem petty in comparison.
Young Master Zi took out a package of dried meat and some candied fruits from his pocket, spreading them out for Jiang Mianmian.
Jiang Mianmian accepted them, eating the snacks while watching.
She felt that the snacks Zi Xiaochong brought tasted quite good, very special, different from the ones at home, with a bit of a sweet and salty flavor.
Suddenly, a loud shout erupted from the crowd.
The groom had arrived.
Meng Shaoxia, riding a white horse and dressed in red, with a jeweled sword at his side, had come.
There were no firecrackers, but the beating of gongs and drums created quite a lively atmosphere.
The guards behind Meng Shaoxia were in perfect formation, also quite a sight to see.
The groom dismounted.
Jiang Mianmian quickly slid down from the treehouse and ran to her sister's room.
Her brother was wearing a stiff navy blue robe and good boots, bending down to prepare to carry their sister on his back.
Her sister, covered with a red veil, her whole body flushed red, fell onto her brother's back.
Jiang Feng teased, "Jiang Xiaoyu, you're so heavy."
The petite Jiang Mianmian held her sister's hand, following along.
Jiang Feng felt Jiang Xiaoyu giggling on his back.
He couldn't help but complain, "Great-aunt said that a bride should cry when leaving home, at least shed a few tears. Even if you're not leaving home after marriage, you should still go through the motions."
Jiang Yu, on her brother's back, couldn't help but laugh, "I just remembered that after attending so many wedding feasts, I'm finally having my own feast. I can't help it. Did they make vinegar fish today? I could smell that sweet and sour scent from my room. Save a piece for me."
Jiang Mianmian nodded beside them, thoughtfully saying, "Sister, I'll save some for you."
Jiang Feng had been feeling a bit sad.
His little sister was getting married.
He felt a mix of emotions, both melancholic and proud.
In this life, he was personally carrying his sister to her wedding.
But hearing Jiang Xiaoyu still thinking about vinegar fish, he gave up. Let Shaoxia deal with her.
Jiang Feng carefully carried his sister to Meng Shaoxia.
They were supposed to hold a red ribbon between them, but Meng Shaoxia was a bit flustered and forgot, reaching out to hold Jiang Yu's hand instead.
Jiang Yu, who had just been thinking about eating vinegar fish, suddenly froze when her hand was held by Brother Meng.
It was different from holding her sister's hand.
Her sister's hand was small and soft.
Brother Meng's hands were large, calloused, and strong.
He held her hand at the doorway, walking a circle before leading her inside.
At this moment, Jiang Yu became much more docile.
The crowd was bustling with excitement.
Jiang Wan watched the young Meng Shaoxia, grinning from ear to ear, holding Jiang Yu's hand like a lovesick fool as they entered the courtyard together.
When crossing the threshold, Jiang Yu stumbled slightly, and Meng Shaoxia quickly reached out to steady her.
He supported her firmly as she stepped over.
The red bridal veil swayed.
Jiang Yu's heart was pounding. So this is what getting married feels like, she thought.
Today, she was becoming a bride.
Just like Cui before her.
Marrying a man she loved.
How wonderful.
She had both her parents, and her siblings were present.
He had followed all the proper customs and was marrying her openly and honorably.
They bowed to their elders, to heaven and earth, and then to each other as husband and wife.
"It's done, it's done!" The gongs and drums sounded.
Jiang Changtian and Qin Luoxia sat at the head of the room, watching the newlyweds kowtow.
Jiang Changtian's eyes were moist, and Qin Luoxia's chest heaved with emotion.
They had safely seen their daughter married off.
Today was truly a joyous day.
...