Feng Jin opened her mouth and defended Lin Yuwei, silencing some people.
Lin Yuwei glanced at Feng Jin with eyes full of gratitude.
"Don't worry, I'll be with you. Let's finish the ceremony first," Feng Jin whispered in Lin Yuwei's ear.
"Thank you, Sister."
Feng Jin handed the red silk to Chu Chenyi and threatened, "Your Highness Prince Jing, it's time for the ceremony."
Chu Chenyi reluctantly snatched the red silk.
"His Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress arrive." The eunuch's clear announcement sounded from outside the main gate.
Then, two figures gracefully walked into the hall.
"Greetings, Your Majesty, Empress..."
Everyone knelt down in unison.
"You are all dismissed. It's a joyous occasion, no need to be so formal," Emperor Xuanwen said in a gentle tone, waving for everyone to rise.
Emperor Xuanwen's gaze fell on his son, who was sitting in a wheelchair. A wave of sadness surged in his heart. This was his most outstanding son, but unfortunately...
Placing his hand on Chu Chenyi's shoulder, Emperor Xuanwen smiled and said, "Chenyi, today is your big day. Father wishes you a happy union and hopes you will add to the royal family soon. Eunuch De, bring forth my congratulatory gifts."
"This servant obeys your imperial command."
"His Majesty decrees to bestow upon His Highness Prince Jing a Ruyi scepter, a pot of East Sea pearls, a hundred bolts of brocade, ten roots of thousand-year-old ginseng, and an additional one hundred households of bestowed territory."
"This son thanks His Majesty for his grace..."
Since his leg injury, this was the first time his father had bestowed gifts upon him. He had thought his father had long forgotten him, so this generous gift truly overwhelmed him.
"Today is Chenyi's joyous day. I have specially ordered the palace to craft a set of pearl and agate hair ornaments for the bride as a dowry gift."
The Empress wore her usual benevolent smile.
"This concubine thanks Her Majesty the Empress for her imperial favor," Lin Yuwei said in a deep voice.
"You are such a polite child, truly delightful. Emerald, bring the items."
The Empress picked up the "blooming paired" necklace and placed it on Lin Yuwei.
"This 'blooming paired' necklace is what I wore when I was married. Now that I am old, it suits you better. I bestow it upon you."
"Thank you, Her Majesty the Empress, for the bestowal."
"Alright, if we continue talking, we will miss the auspicious hour. His Majesty wants the auspicious couple to complete the ceremony quickly!"
"The Empress is absolutely right. We can discuss family matters after the ceremony."
Due to his leg inconvenience, Chu Chenyi completed the ceremony while seated.
After the ceremony, Lin Yuwei was helped to the bridal chamber.
As for the groom, Chu Chenyi, he remained in the hall to entertain the guests.
Seeing that no one was paying attention to her, Feng Jin instructed Cai Qing to stay and look after things, and then she secretly made her way to the backyard.
Along the way, she asked the maids and finally found the bridal chamber.
Pushing open the door, she saw Lin Yuwei sitting on the bed, still holding the fan.
"The ceremony is over, and no one has entered the bridal chamber. It must be tiring to hold that fan the whole time."
Hearing the familiar voice, Lin Yuwei quickly put down the fan. Seeing Feng Jin, her face lit up with joy. "Sister, how did you get here?"
At this time, the Emperor and Empress had not yet left. If Feng Jin sneaked out like this, it would be a great disrespect.
"Sister, hurry back. If others catch you, you will be accused of disrespecting the Emperor and Empress."
"Don't worry, they are all busy trying to please the Emperor. Who has the time to care where I go? Cai Qing is keeping a casual watch at the banquet, and Ling Mohan is there, so everything will be fine. Even if not, Prince Jing will speak up for me. Don't worry, I brought you some food."
Thinking of Chu Chenyi's frustrated expression, Feng Jin couldn't help but laugh. She took out the pastries from her sleeve, "I secretly took them. You must be hungry, eat some to fill your stomach first."
"I was already hungry, but I was too embarrassed to ask for food."
Lin Yuwei didn't care about her image and stuffed the pastries into her mouth.
On the bride's joyous day, asking for food would make her a laughingstock. Even though she was hungry, she had been enduring it.
"Don't choke..." Feng Jin poured a cup of water and handed it to Lin Yuwei.
"Sister, thank you for today's matter. If you hadn't brought Prince Jing here, I truly wouldn't have known what to do."
A ceremony with her husband's attire, even if it was due to Prince Jing's leg inconvenience, would have made her and the entire Marquis of Pingyang's mansion a laughingstock in the capital.
"No, actually, Prince Jing volunteered to come..."
After much thought, Feng Jin decided to conceal the truth.
She couldn't have the newlyweds harboring any ill feelings from the very beginning.
Lin Yuwei shook her head and sighed, mocking herself, "Sister, you don't have to hide it from me. From the moment I received the imperial decree to marry Prince Jing, I had already anticipated such a day."
She had already prepared herself mentally, but she hadn't expected the first day to be so difficult. How would she get through the future days?
"It's alright, things will get better slowly," Feng Jin said, offering words of comfort. This was ancient times, not modern. Divorce was a major matter. Regardless of the reason, a woman would always be the one subject to gossip after a divorce.
In ancient times, a woman would rarely initiate a divorce unless it was absolutely unavoidable.
"I hope so," Lin Yuwei murmured.
Feng Jin took out two medicine bottles from her怀 and placed them on the table.
"This bottle is a sleeping potion. If you don't want to consummate your marriage with Chu Chenyi, put the medicine in the water. This bottle is a love potion. If he is unable, then you..."
"Sister..." Lin Yuwei blushed, too embarrassed to respond.
She spoke so directly that she didn't know how to reply.
"It's normal for you to consummate your marriage, but... you are still too young to have children. When you are older, in a few years, having children will cause less harm to your body."
Lin Yuwei was only seventeen years old, like a child in modern times. Her body had not yet fully developed, and childbirth would cause significant harm.
Waiting another two or three years until she was older, it wouldn't be too late to have children.
"I've taken note of it," Lin Yuwei replied, her face as red as a cooked duck.
Having conveyed all that needed to be said, Feng Jin then left for the front hall.
"Young Madam, you're finally back! The Young General came looking for you just now, and I almost gave it away."
Cai Qing said anxiously. If the Young General had asked any more questions, she really wouldn't have been able to keep it a secret.
"I know. Let's go back. Has the Emperor left?"
"His Majesty and Her Majesty the Empress have just departed for the palace. As for Prince Jing, he was intercepted and made to drink a lot of wine. He's now completely drunk."
Feng Jin snorted coldly. He had already drunk quite a bit, and if he didn't get drunk after drinking more, it would be abnormal.
After sitting at the banquet for a while, Feng Jin watched as Prince Jing was carried away by the servants.