That day, Yu Jingchen's betrothal gifts were sent to the Southern Estate, directly from morning till night. It was heard that this time, His Majesty's betrothal gifts were so grand that the General's Estate could not fit them all. Your Majesty, are you using the entire national treasury for this betrothal?
Year Three of Tian Sheng, the Eleventh of March
The only daughter of the Great General of Zhen Guo is getting married!
In the capital, the distance from the General's Estate to the Imperial Palace was all covered with thick red carpets. The entire capital, every household, was draped in red silk, more grand than the Spring Festival.
The Southern Estate
Nan Zhiyun sat before the dressing table. Today, the Southern Estate was very lively, with almost all the important officials and noble lords present. Although these noble ladies had no regular interaction with Nan Zhiyun, their status dictated that everyone offered congratulations and specially came to present dowry gifts.
The Empress Dowager was styling Nan Zhiyun's hair.
"My Yun'er is getting married today and will be an adult. But I still wish for our Yun'er to live like a little girl forever," the Empress Dowager said while styling Nan Zhiyun's hair, her eyes moist, her heart filled with an indescribable sorrow. She returned here, positioning herself as Nan Zhiyun's maternal family, not as the Empress Dowager.
"When Yun'er was little, she would tug at me and call me 'mother'. Today, I will be like Yun'er's mother, sending Yun'er off to marriage, alright? Is Yun'er willing?" The Empress Dowager, with red eyes, spoke softly yet with great weight.
Nan Zhiyun turned to look at the Empress Dowager. Seeing her teary eyes, she gently embraced the Empress Dowager and nestled against her, speaking slowly, "Your Imperial Mother... I have always considered you my own mother... You have been very good to me. From childhood, you held me in your lap and raised me, caring for me in everything, doting on me, protecting me. I don't have a mother, but Your Imperial Mother has always been like my mother... With Your Imperial Mother here, I have always felt fortunate. It turns out I am also a child with a mother." Nan Zhiyun smiled faintly, cherishing all the kindness the Empress Dowager had shown her.
"Good child... Come, let me help you get ready," the Empress Dowager wiped the tears from her eyes. Today must be a happy occasion, no tears allowed.
"Combing hair... first comb, to the end, wealth and nobility will not be a worry. Second comb, to the end, free from illness and sorrow. Third comb, to the end, many children and long life." The Empress Dowager chanted continuously. Nan Zhiyun looked at her reflection in the bronze mirror. Today, she was getting married...
When she entered the palace before, although it was grand, there was no atmosphere of marriage. She merely wore a scarlet palace dress and was carried in a sedan chair from the palace gates to the He An Hall, without these rituals.
After Nan Zhiyun finished her makeup and dressing, a servant helped her to stand and adjust her wedding attire. This wedding dress was personally designed by Yu Jingchen: a phoenix robe, a misty skirt, and a bejeweled hairpiece.
The wedding dress was a deep crimson, embroidered with golden phoenixes. Beneath the wide-sleeved skirt, she wore a red brocade skirt embroidered with phoenixes and peonies, with only a hint of red embroidered peony shoes peeking out at the feet. The collar and cuffs were adorned with patterns of mythical birds singing in harmony. The long hem cascaded behind her like moonlight.
Upon the phoenix coronet, gold and jade were richly adorned. Nine phoenixes and golden birds spread their wings, golden phoenixes soaring. The mythical birds and phoenixes each held jeweled strings, perched on peony flowers woven with emeralds and pearls, noble and elegant, magnificently resplendent.
Five rows of red gemstone tassels hung from the forehead, reaching to the eyebrows, while two tassels on each side drooped to the shoulders. As she moved, they swayed and intertwined, adding to her delicate charm. The dangling necklaces on either side, the hundred-flower skirt, her shoulders appearing chiseled, her waist like a slender ribbon, the beautiful woman gracefully poised, her wedding attire exuding opulence and elegance, rendering Nan Zhiyun exquisitely beautiful.
Beneath the splendid and graceful attire, her jade-white face was even more striking, almost too dazzling to look at directly. The nine-tailed phoenixes embroidered on the skirt seemed on the verge of taking flight, soaring into the heavens.