Chapter 365 The Bride Arrives
Xiao Xia completely understood what his elder brother meant. What Yang Zhao meant was that Emperor Yang Guang and Empress Xiao were training their second son Yang Ling as the second heir to the throne. They were worried that their eldest son would not live long enough to ascend the throne.

This approach was actually very dangerous and would seriously encourage Yang Zhao’s ambition to seize the throne. Although Yang Zhao died of illness in the second year of Daye in history, that was because he had a serious heart disease and was not suitable for long-distance travel. When he rushed from Chang’an to Luoyang, and then from Luoyang back to Chang’an, after several trips, he was so tired that he died of a heart attack.

But now history has changed. Yang Guang will not move the capital to Luoyang so quickly, which means that Yang Zhao will no longer have to travel long distances, and his heart disease will not occur. Yang Zhao can live for at least several more years.

But Yang Guang allowed Yang Ling to build the Shenlong Palace, which was actually a disguised form of the Qi Wang Palace. It was not a residential Qi Wang Palace, but an official Qi Wang Palace. This was the same as Li Shimin building the Tiance Palace. He established his own official office and appointed officials to compete with the Eastern Palace.

Xiao Xia suddenly realized that Emperor Yang Guang asked his second son Yang Ling to build the Shenlong Palace not to compete with the crown prince, but to compete with himself. The person his father was really guarding against was himself.

At night, Zheng called her eldest daughter Cui Yu into the inner room and said with a smile: “Tomorrow’s time is tight, I’m afraid it will be too late to make noodles. I will make noodles for you tonight!”

Shaving the face means plucking out the hair and scattered eyebrows on the girl’s face in preparation for applying makeup and trimming the eyebrows. In ancient times, girls got married early, at the age of fifteen or sixteen, which is the time when girls are growing vigorously, and a lot of thick black hair will grow on their faces. In later generations, people get married in their twenties, and their faces are very clean at that time, so there is no need to shave the face.

Zheng used two silk threads to twist and pull out the fine hair and loose eyebrows. While carefully opening her face, she whispered to her the art of sex. Cui Yu blushed when she heard it.

“Mom, stop talking.”

“Hey! How can I not say this? Many young couples have been married for several years without having children. Later, they find out that their wives are still virgins. I really don’t know what they do at night. Some young couples don’t know that they still have sex during their periods, which can cause the woman to get seriously ill. This is the consequence of not having their elders teach them. Also, if a woman is found to be pregnant, the couple cannot have sex, otherwise the child will not be kept.”

“What if the husband can’t help it?”

“Don’t you have concubines? And maids as dowry? What are they for? Isn’t it at this time that they come into play?”

Zheng took out a thick atlas and told her daughter in detail the essentials of the wedding night. After flipping through a few pages, Cui Yu’s face turned red and she quickly closed the book.

Zheng smiled and said, “This is what my mother gave me. I am passing it on to you now. You can read it slowly at night, but you must keep it well and don’t let Xiaomei see it. When your daughter gets married in the future, you must also pass the atlas to her. However, by then, the atlas will probably be old, so you have to redraw it yourself to facilitate the continuation of the family line. How to have sex, how to get pregnant, how to give birth, how to raise children, all have detailed records on it. This is the obligation of a mother, do you understand?”

“Will Xiaomei have it in the future?”

“Yes! I have also drawn a book for her. I will give it to her when she gets married.”

After opening the face, Zheng smiled and said, “Your face is much cleaner now. I’m leaving now. You should go to bed early. You have to get up early tomorrow to put on makeup and dress up. The palace is very particular about wearing a phoenix crown and colorful clothes. But my daughter is going to be a princess.”

Cui Yu put the album into the embroidery bag and put it away, “Mom, you go!”

Zheng held her daughter’s pretty face in her hands and felt a little sad. Her daughter was going to get married tomorrow.

“I’m leaving!”

She turned around and went downstairs. As soon as her mother left, Xiaomei came in and said, “Sister, what album did mother take? Let me see it!”

Cui Yu smiled and said, “It’s about what to pay attention to when you’re pregnant, what to be careful about when you give birth, and what to pay attention to when you raise a child.”

Xiaomei blinked and asked, “Aren’t there any pictures of having sex? Xinghua said the best part is the front part. Sister, can you show me one? Okay?”

Cui Yu immediately said angrily: “I will ask my mother to kick Xinghua out of the house tomorrow. Do you think you can look at such a picture?”

Xiao Mei pouted and muttered, “What’s the big deal about a few pictures? They have all seen them, and more than once. I’m the only one who hasn’t seen them. Sister Xiao Qing also has several copies. I asked her for them, but she wouldn’t give them to me. I’ll buy them myself next time.”

“You…” Cui Yu suppressed his anger and said to his sister patiently, “These are usually only for married women to watch. They are all about men and women. You are still young and cannot watch these things yet.”

“They are all the same age as me, haven’t they all seen it? There are also many younger than me who have also seen it. I am the only one who is like a fool and doesn’t understand anything!”

“What are their identities? What is your identity? Can you be the same? Xiaomei, you are the daughter of a noble family. How were you taught since childhood? You…”

“I understand. If I don’t want to watch it, then don’t watch it. You’re just as nagging as my mother, lecturing me all day long. Isn’t that annoying?”

Cui Mei was unhappy and turned away.

Cui Yu secretly shook his head. When did his sister become so rebellious? When he was her age, he was also quiet and gentle, but he didn’t have so many tricks.

Cui Yu felt a headache. What if he married and his sister was left without anyone to supervise her? Would she be led astray by these maids and servants? At this moment, Cui Yu was filled with worry.

Before dawn the next day, Achu took a carriage to Cui Mansion. According to Xiao Xia’s arrangement, Achu would be Cui Yu’s dowry maid and follow Cui Yu when she got married. Cui Yu would no longer bring other dowry maids. This was very important. Xiao Xia didn’t like an unfamiliar woman appearing around him out of nowhere.

Xiao Xia brought Xiao Qing to the palace. Xiao Qing had been conferred the title of sixth-rank concubine and was allowed to enter the palace.

According to the etiquette of the Sui Dynasty, the prince’s harem was divided into three levels: wife, concubines and maids. Maids were divided into upper concubines and lower concubines. Upper concubines were called Ruren, who were of the fifth rank. A prince could have two Ruren. He could have ten lower concubines, who were of the sixth rank. As for concubines, there was no rank. The status of a maid was even lower, only slightly better than that of a maid, and the hierarchy was strict.

Xiaoqing was promoted from a concubine to a concubine all at once, and officially had a status. This was specifically requested by Emperor Yang Guang.

Although there are hundreds of palace maids working at the wedding today, Xiao Xia must have a personal maid by her side. Before entering the bridal chamber at night, she also needs to put a caring person in the bridal chamber to arrange the bridal chamber, and naturally that person is Xiaoqing.

A female official led several palace maids to help Xiao Xia with her makeup and dressing, while Xiao Qing brought her a cup of hot tea. “Xiao Qing, has the best man arrived?”

“Here I am. I saw Xiao Zhurong was also putting on makeup, and there was another one I didn’t recognize.”

The best man was usually a member of the royal family. Xiao Zhurong was the nephew of Empress Xiao and the future prince consort, so he could also serve as a best man. Another best man was Yang Shidao, the youngest son of Prince Guande Yang Xiong, who was only eighteen years old and had not yet married.

The master of ceremonies is Yang Gongren, the Minister of Zongzheng Temple, who will lead everyone to Cui’s mansion to welcome the bride.

After finishing the makeup, there is a long wait.

It was almost noon when the wedding procession set off.

Xiao Xia was born under the water sign, and Cui Yu was born under the wood sign. The Xuanmei Palace Master of Sanqing Palace, who divined their marriage, suggested that they take the water route to marry, which was in line with their marriage destiny: “Water carries wood, and it flows through rivers and seas. Everything will go smoothly and be auspicious.”

For this reason, at dawn, the army came to clear the area, and all the boats in the section of the river from the Imperial Palace Caohe to Cui Mansion in Lanlingfang had left.

More than a dozen boats were decorated with colorful silks, beating gongs and drums, and marched to Lanlingfang in a mighty procession. The lead boat was the third one, and the groom Xiao Xia stood at the bow. He wore a black gauze hat with a big red silk flower on the edge, a scarlet official uniform, a green vest on the outside, and a light layer of powder on his face, which made him look even more handsome and heroic.
The two sides of the river were full of people watching the excitement. Guards kept throwing copper coins on both sides. Some people shouted, “The King of Chu is getting married. May they live happily ever after!”

The person who picked up the money would also shout: “The King of Chu is getting married, good luck!”

With good luck, the fleet arrived at Lanlingfang in a mighty manner, sailed directly into the Fang River, and anchored beside the small bridge on the east side of Cui Mansion.

(End of this chapter)