Yet just at this moment, the band started to play loudly, and the men began to toss money in handfuls, causing a rain of copper coins to fall from the sky. The onlooking common folk surged forward, shouting various auspicious phrases.
The bride's reply was drowned in this cacophony.
The Dingbei Marquis Mansion was in the northern part of the city, clustered with other noble residences, while Lin Ziqi resided in the east end, where mostly commoners lived. The two groups parted ways at the street corner.
Qin Yuan sat until her legs were numb and her head was dizzy, before finally arriving at Dingbei Marquis Mansion.
Hong Ye was also quite exhausted, barely speaking a word along the way.
The Dingbei Marquis Mansion was commissioned by the founding emperor, sprawling across a vast area, with a grand and imposing gatehouse at the entrance.
Hong Ye and Cui Ming were both extremely cautious, fearing to bring any shame to their lady.
But Qin Yuan was unfazed; she had visited Dingbei Marquis Mansion several times in her past life and knew the ins and outs of the Gu Family.
The title of Dingbei Marquis was hereditary and immutable, with generations guarding the Northern Border.
The Old Madam Gu bore four sons, three of whom died on the battlefield, leaving only Gu Jinghui.
Currently, the household was managed by Mrs. Xu, the wife of Sixth Master Gu, known as Sixth Lady Gu.
Sixth Master Gu was younger than Gu Jinghui, with several children already studying at the Imperial College. Born frail, he stayed in the Capital City under Marquis Gu's protection and never saw the battlefield.
In her past life, Marquis Gu and Qin Wan were at odds as husband and wife, failing to produce an heir. The beloved concubine also bore no children, leaving only two adopted sons to serve Marquis Gu. Ultimately, the title of Dingbei Marquis should have been inherited by Sixth Master's son.
Qin Yuan often spent her idle time pondering over those fragments of history from her past life.
In her past life, Qin Wan's fierce conflicts with Marquis Gu displeased the Old Madam; Qin Wan was marginalized by Sixth Lady Gu, living in misery.
She must not fall into this predicament again.
The marriage ceremony was elaborate; Qin Yuan, having gone through it in her past life, was not anxious.
Finally, a large hand lifted the sedan curtain and handed her one end of the red ribbon.
This was Gu Jinghui's hand.
Qin Yuan's small hand was grasped by him, her skin momentarily shivering.
Gu Jinghui's hand was warm, dry, and strong, quite different from Lin Ziqi's.
Qin Yuan calmed herself, guided by the red ribbon past corridors, into the main hall, and followed the instructions of the master of ceremonies and the wedding maid, bowed to heaven and earth, and entered the bridal chamber.
The bridal chamber was bustling, already crowded with people clamoring to see the bride.
Qin Yuan was supported to sit upright on the bed draped with five-colored fruits, waiting for Gu Jinghui to unveil her.
"Third Uncle, we want to see the bride."
Even the children joined in the fun.
Then, her veil was lifted three times, and finally picked up with a scale beam and placed on the tray held by the wedding maid.
These three unveilings were performed in accordance with ancient customs, very earnestly.
It seemed that Gu Jinghui valued this marriage greatly.
Qin Yuan's heart settled down.
She slowly raised her head, and a handsome, ink-dark face came into view, his sharply defined cheekbones and jawline speckled with a slight blue stubble, adding a touch of heroism.
This was Marquis Gu in his youth, indeed quite handsome. It was said that he wore a mask when going to battle in his youth, and later grew a beard to appear more imposing.
It must have been shaved for the marriage.
Qin Yuan's eyes, like stars hidden in mist, met Gu Jinghui's; his eyes were as dark as lacquer and bright as gems, pulling her in deeply.
A trace of astonishment flashed in both their eyes.
As the veil was removed, the bridal chamber fell silent.
The crowd was so struck by the beauty that they were speechless.
The men were full of envy at Marquis Gu's fortune, while the women were captivated by Qin Yuan's splendid attire.
Every unmarried woman wished to be equally beautiful, and those already wed inevitably reminisced about their own wedding attire, secretly comparing in their hearts.
The day of marriage is the most unforgettable day for every woman, and her attire on this day will be etched in her memory forever.
Gu Jinghui took quite a while to regain his composure, lightly coughed as if to cover up, and said, "Let's go, eat, and drink."
The crowd surrounded Gu Jinghui and moved to the outer hall for the feast, leaving the women and children to stay in the bridal chamber to chat with Qin Yuan.
With the men gone, the women began to speak more freely.
Those who accompanied were friends and family of the Gu Family; Qin Yuan listened to them talk with a smile, carefully discerning their relationships.
After everyone had spoken with Qin Yuan, Sixth Lady Gu took her hand and spoke many flattering words, mostly praising her beauty and family background, while subtly probing whether she had managed household affairs or operated any shops.
Qin Yuan understood; Sixth Lady Gu was here to gauge her capabilities.
The two engaged in casual conversation, when suddenly someone said, "Sixth Lady has managed the household for years; everyone in the mansion listens to her. If the lady needs anything, just ask Sixth Lady."
Qin Yuan turned to look; this was a woman dressed plainly, wearing a white flower in her hair, seemingly around twenty-five or six years old, not stunningly beautiful but possessing some charm of her own, looking coy and harmless, evoking men's protective instincts.
But her gaze was not as harmless.
Qin Yuan did not disguise her displeasure in the slightest, frowning and asking, "Sixth Lady, who is this? How come I didn't notice her earlier?"
The host family is celebrating a joyous occasion, those in mourning should voluntarily avoid the event.
No one this bold should join uninvited, fearing they wouldn't be noticed; this was direct provocation.
If she tolerated this, she wouldn't be Qin Yuan.
The women seated around all turned their heads to look at the woman, each with a different expression.
Sixth Lady Gu dared not act imperiously.
No matter how young Qin Yuan was, her status was apparent, so Sixth Lady Gu quickly said, "Third Sister-in-law, just call me Sixth Sister-in-law; this is a woman Third Brother brought back from the battlefield. We… we call her Lady Zhao."
A look of difficulty on her face.
Qin Yuan understood; this was the woman Marquis Gu brought back from the Northern Border, rumored to have two children as well.
She was just unsure if the children were in this bridal chamber.
She smiled, "Sixth Sister-in-law, today is a day of great celebration for both the Gu and Qin families, aimed at cementing the alliance, bringing good fortune everywhere. By protocol, Lady Zhao shouldn't be present here, possibly unaware of our Capital City's customs, having come from the Northern Border, and Marquis Gu as a man wouldn't be mindful of these things. What do you think, Sixth Sister-in-law?"
Sixth Lady Gu's face turned pale immediately.
"I… I."
Beside her, a slightly older, gentle-looking woman interjected, "Indeed, Lady Zhao is not suitable to be here, and her attire is rather disrespectful to the host family."
Sixth Lady Gu nodded repeatedly, "Third Sister-in-law, this is all my fault; I'll ask her to leave right away."
Lady Zhao, displeasure all over her face, said, "There's a saying, 'Don't hit a smiling face.' I'm here with good intentions to offer congratulations, how can the bride treat guests like this? Apparently, the Marquis Mansion cannot accommodate us; we should have the Marquis render a verdict."
Qin Yuan, with a stern expression, did not bother to speak to her, only staring at Sixth Lady Gu.