Chapter Seventy-Two
At the hour of Shen, all the guests had arrived at the He residence, even Qi Xiao was already there, yet the wedding procession had yet to appear. Madam He the matriarch was so anxious she sent people repeatedly to hurry things along. Princess Dunsu teasingly laughed, "My good sister-in-law, we all know you're anxious to welcome your daughter-in-law, but surely a moment more won't matter."
Madam He furrowed her brow but smiled, "Can't help but worry, they've been gone for so long now. Could we have left something out in our etiquette that the Wang residence found fault with? It's all my fault... I forgot to send some reliable people to accompany Zichen, and those groomsmen are all young, they don't know the old customs."
Princess Dunsu shook her head with a smile, "That won't happen. The young lord is not the type to make a fuss. If he hasn't arrived yet, I'd guess the dowry has held him up on the road. Didn't you know, sister? The young lord has prepared a full one hundred and twenty-eight cases of dowry for the princess. Just getting all those cases out one by one takes time, doesn't it?"
All the noble ladies in the hall were envious upon hearing how extravagant Rou Jia's dowry was. Those madams and ladies who had previously thought Rou Jia wasn't favored by the King of Lingnan now收起 their轻视之心. After all, she had a younger brother who was the heir serving in the imperial capital, and he valued her so much—it was truly rare indeed.
Madam He waved her hand repeatedly with a smile, "Dowry or no dowry, that's truly not what I care about. What matters is the princess's character—truly one in a million. Despite her noble status, she has no airs whatsoever. She speaks so gently, yet there's steel in her bones. Sigh... Our Chen really is blessed."
Princess Dunsu smiled, "Zichen is also good-natured. These two really are a match made in heaven."
Just as she finished speaking, a messenger arrived announcing the procession had come. Everyone hurried out to greet them.
Qi Xiao was at the front and was the first to see the wedding procession enter. After Rou Jia's sedan chair was carried in and briefly paused in the main courtyard, the sedan carriers withdrew through the second gate, and servants immediately carried the bridal sedan into the inner courtyard.
He Zichen came first to pay his respects to Qi Xiao. Rarely did Qi Xiao show a good expression in front of others, but he smiled and said, "Today is your great day. No need for such formalities—simply treat me as an ordinary guest."
Zichen repeatedly said he dared not, instructed the groomsmen to entertain the guests properly, then went inside. Bai Ren also got down from his sedan chair and entered the main courtyard. Qi Xiao had sharp eyes and could tell from a distance that Bai Ren had been crying. With so many people around, he couldn't call him over to ask, so he had to hold himself back.
The auspicious hour arrived. The two newlyweds held the ends of the large red silk ribbon connecting them and bowed to heaven and earth, bowed to their parents, and bowed to each other. After the ceremony concluded, firecrackers exploded outside. The wedding matrons cheerfully escorted the newlyweds into the bridal chamber, where they would still perform the bedding ceremony and the hair-binding ceremony. The guests would not enter, so the groomsmen hastily invited everyone to the banquet in the inner hall, and the feast began.
The banquet raged on cheerfully from the hour of You until dark. Qi Xiao knew that with him present, everyone would be restrained, so after just half an hour he rose to leave. No one dared persuade him to stay, only He Zichen came out to detain him briefly. Qi Xiao smilingly gave him some good wishes, then glanced at Jiang Deqing. Jiang Deqing understood, and without following Qi Xiao out, turned and went inside.
Qi Xiao returned to the Crown Prince's residence. He had barely changed into casual clothes and freshened up when Bai Ren arrived back with Jiang Deqing. Qi Xiao had him shown in, and examining Bai Ren's face carefully by candlelight, asked, "How many cups did you drink?"
Bai Ren smiled, "Only three cups. Everyone said I was too young to drink. But I heard Your Highness was quite generous today and had a few more drinks."
Qi Xiao smiled, "Your sister had her great day, naturally it should be different from others." Qi Xiao glanced around at the people in the room. The servants understood and withdrew with bows. Qi Xiao pulled Bai Ren to sit down and squeezed his hand. "I saw your eyes were red when you first arrived at the He residence. You were crying, weren't you?"
Bai Ren felt deeply embarrassed, knowing he couldn't hide it, so he confessed, "Rou Jia got married, and I... I don't know how to explain it. The moment she cried, I just couldn't hold back."
Qi Xiao had no siblings and couldn't understand this bond between blood relations. He smiled and said, "Don't worry. The He family is a good household. They won't wrong your sister."
Bai Ren nodded with a smile, "Yes. Your Highness's judgment is truly excellent. When he came to receive the bride today, He Zichen promised in front of everyone that he would never take concubines and would devote himself wholly to Rou Jia for the rest of his life. He had said such things to me before, but always in private. Now saying it before all these people shows he's sincere. With that, I truly have nothing left to worry about."
Qi Xiao raised an eyebrow, "Not taking concubines is enough to earn such praise? What a bargain."
Bai Ren laughed despite himself, "Of course. Your Highness, just look around—among families of any standing, whose household doesn't have servants and concubines filling it up? Being able to not take concubines is truly rare."
Qi Xiao smiled lazily, "Then it seems both you siblings are lucky."
Bai Ren paused, only then realizing what Qi Xiao was implying. He flushed red in an instant. Qi Xiao chuckled lightly, "What? Embarrassed?"
Bai Ren's heart felt warm. He shook his head without speaking. But Qi Xiao wouldn't let it go, sighing softly, "Crown Princess, praising another man so extravagantly in front of your own husband—where is your conscience? Hm?"
In his own residence, his own room, Qi Xiao's words grew bolder and more unrestrained. Bai Ren had thin skin and couldn't withstand such teasing. He turned to walk toward the inner chamber, but Qi Xiao blocked him immediately.
"Where do you think you're going? I'm asking you. What does He Zichen have that makes you like him so much?"
Qi Xiao pinched Bai Ren's chin—not too hard, not too soft—and softly lectured, "You're becoming more and more disrespectful. While I'm speaking, you dare just turn and walk away. Think about it—who else would dare behave so presumptuously in front of me, hm?"
Bai Ren's heart softened at these words. Recalling how everyone at the banquet had looked at Qi Xiao with such deference and fear, he felt a wave of tenderness. Softly pleading, he said, "I was going to change my clothes... I beg Your Highness to consider I've had a long day and let me rest a bit, won't you?"
This hit the mark perfectly. Qi Xiao curved his lips in a smile. "Fine... Why don't you just stay still and let me help you change. Let you rest properly."
Qi Xiao's brand of "resting" continued until the middle of the night. Bai Ren felt even more exhausted, but his spirit was high. Lazily sprawled on top of Qi Xiao, he murmured on and on, "Rou Jia didn't bring many maids. I don't trust the ones bought outside, so I wanted to give her some of my own servants to accompany her dowry. She wouldn't have it though—she only brought those few families over. I wonder if that'll be enough..."
Qi Xiao gently stroked Bai Ren's smooth back and said calmly, "The He residence only has three masters total. How many servants does one need? Servants不在多，老实忠心就好. Sometimes too many is worse."
Bai Ren nodded, "That's true... I just worry that with so few servants brought from her maternal family, she won't be able to establish herself in the household..."
Qi Xiao smiled lightly, "Your brother-in-law is so good—would he let your sister fail to establish herself?"
Bai Ren hadn't expected Qi Xiao to still be on that topic. Laughing despite himself, he said, "I misspoke. Please, Crown Prince, spare me this once, considering my youth and inexperience."
Qi Xiao smiled and comforted him gently, "Care clouds judgment. Madam He is not a formidable mother-in-law. I heard from my aunt that Madam He had already planned—right after Rou Jia entered the family, she would hand over all the household accounts, all the income, and even the keys to household management to Rou Jia. She herself would just wait to enjoy her grandchildren. Your sister enters the family as the lady of the house. How could she possibly fail to establish herself?"
Bai Ren was utterly shocked. Blinking, he asked, "Really?"
Qi Xiao smiled lightly, "Why would I lie to you? Don't believe me—ask your sister yourself when she returns on the third day. Did you think when I chose a match for your sister, I only looked at the man's character? When a woman marries, the goodness of her marital family isn't just about the husband. In the first ten years after marriage, a new bride spends more time with her mother-in-law than with her husband. And the mother-in-law is an elder—by virtue of filial piety, it's far too easy to make life difficult for a daughter-in-law. Madam He is a sensible one, your sister married down in status, and in the capital, there's you and me backing her. She won't suffer."
Bai Ren never imagined Qi Xiao had thought all this through. His heart was filled with gratitude. Qi Xiao smiled faintly. Last month, in order to scheme against Kangtai and Empress Feng, he had intentionally leaked rumors of Kangtai's ambiguous relationship with Qi Hua. Killing the enemy by a thousand, self-inflicting eight hundred wounds—Rou Jia had also suffered much gossip because of this. This was her compensation, then. Qi Xiao felt not a shred of guilt. If it weren't for Bai Ren, he might have made the rumors even uglier. What happened to Rou Jia—whether she lived or died—what was that to him?
But these words couldn't be told to Bai Ren, of course. Qi Xiao gently pinched Bai Ren's cheek and said tenderly, "Rou Jia is your flesh-and-blood sister, naturally I treat her as family too. Just rest assured. Your sister has good fortune ahead."
Bai Ren nodded, deeply moved. Unconsciously, he nestled into Qi Xiao's embrace, rubbing against him and subtly seeking affection. Qi Xiao felt soothed and deliberately teased him, "Truly a pity that my sincere devotion has been misplaced. Someone merely promised not to take concubines, and you were completely won over..."
Bai Ren couldn't help but laugh, "You still bring that up? Your Highness's residence already has people—three that I know of, at least. Ones given by others, ones granted by His Majesty and Her Majesty the Empress. Who knows how many more there are."
Qi Xiao paused, then shook his head with a laugh, "Young Prince, do you have no conscience? Those few merely occupy titles—they're not even ranked as concubines. I'll keep them for a couple of years, then find them good families to marry into. Don't believe me—ask Jiang Deqing. When you first came to the capital last year, I had just married off two servants. Those were the ones the Emperor placed in my quarters when I was young. Afterward, I found excuses to send them all away."
Bai Ren knew all this, of course. All those "servants" given by others were sent to that row of side rooms in the back courtyard. They were never neglected in food or clothing and even had young maids attending them. But they were never allowed to wander about freely—they were watched very carefully. Since Bai Ren had been staying here regularly from the start of the year, Qi Xiao hadn't even glanced at them.
Seeing Bai Ren getting away with his cheek, Qi Xiao purposely provoked him, "Since you don't believe me, I might as well earn this reputation honestly. I'll go find them for some fun right now..."
Qi Xiao made as if to rise. Anxious, Bai Ren clutched his head and frowned, "My head hurts..."
Qi Xiao reached his limit, frustration evident, "Can't you come up with a new ailment? Headache every single day—even a fool would notice by now! If you can't even bother to compete for favor properly, what can you do?"
Bai Ren's heart burst with joy. Thinking carefully, an idea suddenly popped into his mind, but he was too embarrassed to say it. Bai Ren's face burned red as he looked at Qi Xiao. Steeling himself, he thought—this man dotes on me so much daily. He just likes hearing me say sweet things. What's wrong with going along with him? It's just losing a little face. And I'm not losing face to anyone else—just him...
Bai Ren endured his embarrassment, shuffled over to Qi Xiao's side, and leaned against his shoulder. Hesitating, he took Qi Xiao's hand and placed it on his own backside. Face burning crimson, he whispered, "Your Highness... it hurts here..."
The fire in Qi Xiao's eyes nearly blazed out of control. He flipped Bai Ren over and pressed him down, grinding out through clenched teeth, "Fine... husband will rub it for you..."