Court MarriageCh4 - Preparing for the Wedding

[Edited: 1/14/23]

Translator: LishaChan
Editor: Dom nIJb0q

The next day, when the wedding was still at its preparation stage, the half-asleep Gong Zhuoliang was already dragged out of the bed even before the sun was about to rise. While his consciousness was still floating around the clouds, he wondered whether he’ll ever have a good sleep in the future…

As he was still in a sleepy daze, the servants had been properly serving him, washing him inside a flower bath and grooming him. By the time he was already awake, he was already wearing the wedding attire. Right now, he’s sitting in front of the dressing table, completely looking like a doll.

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

Wearing this bridal crown which probably weighed a few kilograms, Gong Zhuoliang was struggling to tilt his head and his eyes was the only ones that could move around…

As he wandered his eyes towards his surroundings, he thought― This was really his first time seeing a real ancient wedding… EGylFX

At the moment, Gong Zhuoliang doesn’t actually have the sense of a ‘heroine’ in this whole wedding preparation, but rather, he felt that he was just a random curiouser who’s only here to wander around and observe what a real ancient wedding is.

“Young Lady, the ceremony is about to start soon so you must eat something first before we proceed”

Ruo Lan walked in with a bowl of glutinous rice dumplings in her hand, which she naturally fed to Gong Zhuoliang. This is also a custom in traditional weddings. It’s for the bride to remember the sweetness of their mother’s homemade soup, then afterwards, either his maternal or paternal aunt will have to perform the bridal skincare on him to officially end his teenage girlhood and start his journey as someone’s wife.

Gong Zhuoliang was still estimating in his mind whether the dumplings would be enough for him to last for a long time when suddenly, he caught a glimpse of a fat woman wearing a big red flower dress, rushing to him with a group of women surrounding around her, exclaiming ‘Aiyo…!’

As the woman flung a red handkerchief, twisted her wide waist, she ran towards Gong Zhuoliang. Right now, he was currently gargling his mouth and was really relieved that he didn’t instantly spit it out.

Just where did this monster came from??

Madam Gong was afraid that their secret would be exposed. Naturally, the aunt who was invited today had never met the daughter neither their distant relatives, but among those visitors who came to visit the bride, they were close friends and relatives who frequently visited them, who already knew about the current situation. So if the visitors were unfamiliar or unrelated to them, before they could enter the room and take a look at the Bride, they were instantly pulled and invited out by Madam Gong as they started to huddle at the entrance, talking and laughing, seemingly lively.***

“Aiyo yo yo! Look how pretty our little bride is, ah!” QBu4sY

This aunt, whom he didn’t know how many layers of robes she was wearing, went in front of Gong Zhuoliang and started praising him, saying that he had turned into such beauty where no heaven and earth could compare to him. Gong Zhuoliang, who was praised from up to bottom, instantly felt chills all over his body.

“Thank you, Auntie”

Gong Zhuoliang secretly pulled over Ruo Lan who had been snickering behind him and motioned her with his eyes to quickly offer her a few coins. After all, he already find it unbearable to hear more of her honeyed words ah!

After Ruo Lan took out a purse containing some coins, and handed it to the woman, the aunt finally shut her mouth and habitually took the purse. She then weighed the purse in her hands and when she guessed that the amount of money inside the purse must be quite big, there was a slight smile in her face. dirvmO

After that, she immediately grabbed the silk thread on the tray held by a maid and hastily held Gong Zhuoliang’s bang so the other maids could wipe the boy’s face and Ruo Lan could apply the makeup.

In front of the mirror, Gong Zhuoliang studied the appearance of his face left and right, and felt relieved that the makeup style of this era looked only simple and natural. His eyebrows didn’t need to be shaved, smear two round blushes on his face nor put two black dots on his forehead. Gong Zhuoliang really appreciated this look, though the appearance of this kid could actually look like a man or a woman, but after applying the makeup, his appearance instantly appeared different. At this point, he’s not so sure anymore whether he would be able to see himself in men’s clothes again…

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

“Tbecu Ojvs ibbxfv gfjiis yfjealoei abvjs….”

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Ktf Zjrafg bo atf Xbcu Mjwlis tjv j tjcvrbwf jqqfjgjcmf. Cwbcu atf atgff mtlivgfc bo atf Xbcu ojwlis, atf Sivfra― atf 20-sfjg-biv rbc, tjv j rlwlijg ibbx bo atf Zjvjw, ktlif atf Sivfra Tbecu Ojvs jcv atf Vfmbcv Tbecu Zjrafg tjv ajxfc eqbc atf Obgv’r jqqfjgjcmf. Dea atf Vfmbcv Tbecu Zjrafg lr jikjsr rb rts jcv cfnfg vjgfr ab iloa eq tlr tfjv ab batfg qfbqif. Lbkfnfg, fnfgsbcf ralii jugffr atja jwbcu atf atgff rlyilcur, atf Vfmbcv Tbecu Zjrafg tjv atf wbra jaagjmalnf jqqfjgjcmf. Eluta cbk, atf Vfmbcv Tbecu Zjrafg’r fsfr rffw ab mbcajlc j ragbcufg rqlgla lc la, mjerlcu rbwf qfbqif ab yf jwjhfv ys tlr mtjcuf…..

Ruo Lan just couldn’t imagine how wonderful he would become once he grew up.

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

“If it weren’t for this dress, I would’ve looked average”

Gong Zhuoliang acted stubborn and put on an air of disdain. Inwardly, he was lamenting how he’s becoming more feminine day by day. However, what he didn’t realize was that when someone saw his contemptuous attitude plus with the bride’s outfit, he looked more like a cute tsundere! oDd6Y5

By the time they finished busying around the whole morning, it was already noon. Then from outside, came the dress-up call from the groom's family Chaperone. The somewhat dazed Gong Zhuoliang heard the call and immediately wanted to get up from his seat, only to be pushed back down again and he heard a shrill exclamation from an old maidservant.

“My lady… Aii, what are you doing ah? You should only stand up after the chaperone called you three times, ah!”

Ruo Lan was amused as she supported Gong Zhuoliang to sit down. She whispered― This rule had already been instructed to you before ah! How could you suddenly forget it again? If others saw you suddenly standing up and wanting to leave, this would turn into a laughable situation, as if the bride is really in a big hurry to get married.

“Eh…” a0e3UY

Gong Zhuoliang is now in an embarrassing situation in front of everyone. He then remembered out of nowhere that someone had already taught this kid about the steps before.

Before boarding the sedan chair, the bride had to be urged three times by the groom’s family chaperone during the preparation, and act like he was hesitant to marry blah blah blah….. But how could Gong Zhuoliang still care about this? Right now, he wasn’t in the mood to do any of these etiquettes and only wanted to get on the palanquin and leave this place early. He’ll only feel reassure after finally leaving the Gong Family.

“Did you really forgot? Also, before leaving your family, you must also visit the manor hall to weep and say farewell to the old Master and Madam. Then while you cry, it has to be on the Madam’s lap and obediently eat all the food she feeds you to show filial and appreciation for her kindness……”

Ruo Lan was afraid that Gong Zhuoliang would joke around again so she quickly thought of the important things and hastily told him all about it. But what she didn’t notice was gradually darkening face of Gong Zhuoliang as he listened to her words. qiI7du

“Ruo Lan… What should I if I couldn’t cry, ah?”

Gong Zhuoliang tugged at Ruo Lan’s sleeve and whispered his question to her ear.

Being married off to some other family is already enough to make him feel this happy, so how could he cry? Besides, sitting on the lap of that scheming vixen and then eating the food she feeds to him… Gong Zhuoliang couldn’t help the goosebumps crawling in his spine.

“About this….. Don’t worry! I have a solution!” RYLeHS

Ruo Lan also didn’t think that it’d be possible for anyone to just instantly cry like a rain. But right now, in this critical juncture, she quickly took a handkerchief, walked to a little maid, and then asked her to go find some chili oil in the kitchen.

As some time passed by, when the chaperone finally finished putting on her make-up, it was when the little maid slipped back in with the handkerchief, already dipped in chili oil. Ruo Lan checked the handkerchief and saw that the chili oil is only slightly visible on the outer part of the handkerchief. This little girl is really smart so Ruo Lan praised the little maid while pinching her cheeks. She then hid the handkerchief in her sleeves and went to Gong Zhuoliang to guide him at the entrance hall for him to start weeping and say goodbye to his parents.

Before parting, the bride didn’t need to wear the red veil at all, so Gong Zhuoliang, whose red veil was already taken off, now had the opportunity to see his own dowry. Surely he found it impossible to cry at this moment, but at this point, he really need to suppress his joy of seeing his dowries.

The Eldest Young Master of the Qiao Family is getting married, so naturally the gift money sent to the Gong Family should be quite large so as to show their generousity. On the other hand, the Gong family, for the sake of reputation also, sent a lot of dowries. The dowry money is a separate thing, and looking at this dowries, Gong Zhuoliang could absolutely tell that although it was many, the cost were actually cheap. A6DYsr

But Gong Zhuoliang learned that in this era, the amount of dowries given by the daughter-in-law’s family was not really shown either known to the public since it is only for the private use of the husband and wife. Most of the spendings is for the husband’s family to decide, while his dowry will be reserved in his own private savings. With these assets, Gong Zhuoliang was guaranteed a great future.

“Young Lady..”

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

Gong Zhuoliang’s attention was pulled back from looking at the dowries. Ruo Lan winked towards the direction of the host in front of them, took out a handkerchief from her sleeve and patted it on Gong Zhuoliang’s eyes. After that, she calmly tucked the handkerchief back into her sleeves.

“…..Father…..Mother…” Dl4YS9

The power of the chili oil was just so amazing, because Gong Zhuoliang’s eyes instantly reddened with tears. He casted a ‘resentful’ glance towards Ruo Lan before walking forward and sobbed 'ying ying ying' and finally arrived in front of the old Master Gong and Madam Gong. Everyone who was seeing his pitiful figure couldn’t help but feel sad for him.

“All right….my good child. Now that you are married, you must learn how to respect your in-laws and serve your husband well…”

The old Master of the Gong Family looked at his miserable ‘daughter‘, sobbing in front of him, and his expression was indescribably complicated. But in the eyes of his wife, he could only sigh and say no more after a glance.

“This son will keep Father’s teaching in mind.” ihWlA6

Facing this useless father who only had a good appearance, Gong Zhuoliang deliberately emphasized his tone when speaking the word ‘son‘ rather than the ‘daughter‘ which he supposedly refers to himself. The man in front of him could be described as a Xiao Bai Lian. He’s an incompetent type of person who only knows how to rely on his wife for support, but when he’s outside, he would be seen seducing women here and there.

No man with little self-esteem would allow his own heirs to end up like this.

“Daughter ah… Now that you’re married, you couldn’t be as carefree as you want anymore, compared to when you’re still at home. You needed to be cautious towards your own words and deeds, as well as with your own actions. You really must act properly…”

Madam Gong deliberately contradicted her husband and called out ‘Daughter’, before she unwillingly held Gong Zhuoliang on her lap to feed him food, when in actuality, she was glaring at him so hard that her eyeballs practically popped out. sUmfqv

“I understood, mother.”

The corners of his eyebrows laid smoothly, creating an obedient expression on his face. Seeing the dowries, Gong Zhuoliang thought in his mind that there shouldn’t be any changes with how things are at this moment. Soon, this little Young Master will be even richer, and when the moment comes, his ‘title’ will be finally determined as either ‘The Prefect’s daughter-in-law’ or 'Madam Juren'.

Wait for me to subdue you soon! You commoner! 6AnKgE

Gong Zhuoliang secretly looked for Concubine Wu’s figure among the crowd.

Madam Gong would definitely not let her show up during these occasions, so Gong Zhuoliang only searched on the edges and corners. And sure enough, the woman was hiding at the corner of the inner porch, sobbing and wiping her tears. Noticing that Gong Zhuoliang was also looking at her, Concubine Wu felt even more heartbroken and covered her mouth with a handkerchief as she continued to whimper.

Mother……

Silently mouthing the word, Gong Zhuoliang continued to stare at her until her figure trotted away, unbearably grieved. He sighed silently in his heart and hoped that Madam Gong would not use her and threaten her to do something just so she could embarrass her. Z1mpkO

After passing the stage of weeping and saying farewell, Gong Zhuoliang’s makeup was fixed once again under the service of Ruo Lan and the other girls. During this time, the wedding staff of the groom’s family had already brought the dowries in and arranged it, only waiting for Gong Zhuoliang’s elder brother to show up. After that, he was carried in a palanquin and then….. he saw a group of grown young men quickly entering the house.

Gong Zhuoliang remembered that his elder brother had a son with an another woman on the pretext that his own wife could not bore a son, and then built a six bedroom at the edge of his house for his concubines to live in. However, he had not been able to have a single legal son all these years so he seldom visits home due to Madam Gong’s orders. Today, his brother actually dared to be late during such a big event…….This guy really had some guts.

Chrysanthemum Garden.

While thinking this in his mind, Gong Zhuoliang quietly raised the corner of his red veil to take a peek at this elder brother of his who he had no impression at all. He saw at once a man with lewd eyes, wearing a wicked smile, approaching him staggeringly like a swaying bamboo pole. He stumbled on lots of places, causing Gong Zhuoliang to quickly cover his sight in order not to burn his eyes. Now there are only two words running in his mind ― A hoodlum!

“I really never noticed it before, but it turns out that you’re actually so handsome. If only this brother had known earlier and doted on you, would you have suffered all these years?” VLDyAb

Gong Zhuoyu swayed and huffed as he hugged Gong Zhuoliang on the sedan palanquin, not without sweet-talking and teasing his younger brother.

He was a host for both men and women. And it’s because he had wealth, he often messed with men and women. He even pestered the widowers. But whenever he remembered Gong Zhuoliang’s tiny body who he only saw when he was called home after the incident he caused a few days ago, Gong Zhuoyu’s heart started to ache. He may love to entertain other flowers and grasses outside but he actually missed this good little seedling at home.

“……” MstiJY

Holding his breath so as not to smell by Gong Zhuoyu’s bad breath, Gong Zhuoliang felt so disgusted and really glad that there was a red veil across his face. But remembering the lewd expression of the other party just now, he instantly became annoyed. The palanquin shook as he swatted his clothes away that had been touched, trying to drive away the disgusting feeling. At the same time, he’s very glad in his heart that he managed to avoid the impending calamity!

“Young Lady, please stop moving around! As soon as the palanquin arrives at the gate of the Qiao’s mansion, you must only step out once the little girl who will be greeting you inside pulls your sleeves three times. After that, the second Young master of the Qiao family, your Brother-in-law, will be there to carry you and help you cross their gate until you arrive at the wedding hall. There will be also the celebrant, who’s your Uncle-in-law”

Ruo Lan, who was following the palanquin, did not also forget to remind him carefully that during the ceremony, normally the bridegroom shouldn’t be greeting him in person but will only receive him inside the gate before carrying his bride on his back to enter the hall. But the said bridegroom was too frail to do this so instead, he was replaced by his young brother. Though in the end, the bridegroom will be one to worship with him untik the end.

Ruo Lan explained all the information carefully and properly lest Gong Zhuoliang would mistake the bridegroom and everything will become a mess. 45rqRJ

“I understand.”

Gong Zhuoliang replied absent-mindedly inside the palanquin but in actuality, he’s quite confident for his husband’s physical condition. If he can worship him in person, it means that he has no disabilities at all, and his physical strength should be okay, otherwise if he’s doing this to hide his defects from those large bureaucratic families, it’s reasonable for his younger brother to replace him. But if the groom actually couldn’t carry his small body which should probably only weigh a few dozen pounds… This possibility is quite worrying, ah!