Shen Qiu praised everything about Xie Jing Xing in front of Prince Rui. For ordinary people who were compared like this, they would not look good. Despite the fact that Prince Rui was wearing a mask, which prevented everyone from seeing his face, everyone could see that the corner of his lips was slightly hooked up and his voice was warm and courteous. The most important thing was those eye expressions could not lie, and there was some delight in Prince Rui's eyes.
Shen Qiu spoke until his mouth was dry, but he didn't see Prince Rui's unbearable expression, and he seemed rather agreeable, saying, "Since it is so, it is really a pity."
Shen Qiu was depressed, but his heart was more vigilant towards Prince Rui.
Luo Xue Yan, on the other hand, was overjoyed. She wasn't as childish as Shen Qiu, and she wasn't as picky as Shen Xin, this or that wasn't good. Luo Xue Yan felt that Prince Rui was not bad in this short period of communicating with him because he was not even angry at Shen Qiu's nonsense. He seemed calm and gentle, and his words were genuine. Despite the arrogance, it made one feel good.
It was said that the more mother-in-law looked at her son-in-law, the happier she became. Prince Rui rapidly rose to the top spot at Luo Xue Yan's side, and he was more composed than Su Ming Feng, more direct than the Crown Prince, and more magnanimous than Feng Zi Xian in Luo Xue Yan's eyes. There was no need to bring up Luo Ling because he was family.
Not only was Luo Xue Yan satisfied with Prince Rui, but Luo Tan was also very satisfied with this Mèifū. Her mind was filled with bizarre things and asked Prince Rui a lot of novelty things of Great Liang. This Prince Rui had no patience with Emperor Wen Hui in the tribute banquet and come and leave as he wanted but with Luo Tan, he would answer all her questions. Previously, Luo Tan considered Prince Rui saving Shen Miao but now felt that only Prince Rui could match up with Shen Miao, "I see that Mèifū and Xiǎo biǎomèi are very compatible. Only Mèifū's good nature would be able to match with Xiǎo biǎomèi's character."
When the word 'Mèifū' was spoken, the entire room was quiet. Prince Rui was after all a member of the Imperial family and Luo Tan's identity was not comparable. Luo Tan had a straightforward personality and did not realise what she had said. Luo Xue Yan and Shen Xin however were unconsciously looking at Prince Rui's reaction.
The corner of Prince Rui's lips hooked up and he willingly accepted her views, "Many thanks for Biǎojiě's profound affection."
Older Biao Sister.
Shen Qiu was flustered and exasperated, "Who is your Biǎojiě? Don't anyhow call!"
"Qiu Biǎogē, what are you talking about?" Luo Tan glared at him and said with a smile, "About that, I am younger than you so it is weird for you to call me Biǎojiě It is better for you to call me Biǎomèi."
Shen Qiu glared angrily at Prince Rui. This person used a good-looking face and an identity to win female likes, and Luo Xue Yan and Luo Tan fell into that person's pit. It was really abhorrent.
Luo Ling observed the confusion in front of him and found it amusing. However, as he grinned, he had a thought and was unable to smile any longer, instead, he looked at Shen Miao with bitterness.
Shen Miao's heart felt unfathomable as she reflected on Luo Tan's words. What kind of distorted view did Luo Tan have of Xie Jing Xing? She had no idea that Xie Jing Xing was teasing and ridiculing her at first, and every time she met him, it was like walking on a tightrope because she couldn't understand the other's mind at all. If Luo Tan saw Xie Jing Xing not even change his face when assassinating anyone, she would not be able to utter those words.
Shen Xin noticed that Luo Xue Yan and Prince Rui were getting closer as they spoke, and his heart sank. He coughed twice on purpose and forcefully disrupted their conversation, asking Prince Rui, "Didn't you say you're gifting a wedding dress? Is it now you feel that our Shen family's tea is good to drink and deliberately come over to drink?"
Luo Xue Yan heard his unkind words and glared at Shen Xin before turning over to Prince Rui and used a gentle tone that she had never use on Shen Xin for decades, "Jing Xing, today you made a special trip over to gift Jiao Jiao a wedding dress?"
"The Imperial decree came down suddenly so I guessed that Jiao Jiao did not have time to embroidery her wedding dress. Fortunately, when one came to Ding capital city, Huáng Xiōng had allowed me to bring the best tailors along so that if one encounters a gūniáng that one fancies, one can gift her the best wedding dress under Heavens when one marries her back." He smiled lightly, and his eyes became more and more gentle like spring, "The wedding dress is completed after three months, thus, one brought it over to let Fūrén take a look."
Three months? Shen Miao was taken aback and immediately remembered a few days ago when Xie Jing Xing hugged her and said he wanted to measure her clothes. Now that the wedding gown has actually begun to be made three months ago, one fears that he had already gotten her measurements at that time, so what was the need for that action? Indeed, he uttered nonsense once more, and she believed him and let him take advantage of her. Shen Miao glared aggressively at him, while Xie Jing Xing smiled softly.
Luo Xue Yan's heart rejoiced even more when she saw those insignificant deeds. She could just turn it around and console herself now that she couldn't stop the marriage. Who knew that when she saw Prince Rui today, she felt happy because he was not a bad person. Now that she saw what these two people were doing, she realized it was a fight in jest between a couple. Her daughter appeared to be mature and elderly, as though she lacked the innocence and bright personality of a young girl. Only in front of this Prince Rui did she display a young female side, and Prince Rui seemed to be very fond of Shen Miao. Perhaps the Heavens predestined this union.
Prince Rui's place in Luo Xue Yan's heart was a thousand levels higher than Fu Xiu Yi's.
Just as she was thinking, Shen Qiu called out from the sides, "Three months? The Imperial decree was clearly handed down recently. You are clearly lying. Could it be that you are a prophet and knew that you will be marrying Mèimèi three months ago? And how do you know of Mèimèi's measurement? No matter how good a wedding dress is, Mèimèi will not wear an unsuitable wedding dress."
Shen Miao also looked at Xie Jing Xing. She wanted to hear how Xie Jing Xing would reply to Shen Qiu's question.
Xie Jing Xing was indeed a master as he only said, "Three months ago one happened to see Jiao Jiao on the streets and barely caught a glimpse of passing beauty. One was then determined to marry none other than Jiao Jiao. Huáng Xiōng only let me gift a wedding dress to the female one fancied but had not requested to gift it after marriage. Fortunately, one managed to marry." Speaking till the end, his voice was very delighted as he swept a look at Shen Qiu, but it was filled with provocation.
In the area of talking, Shen Qiu was not an opponent of Xie Jing Xing at all. These words made Xie Jing Xing looked good and made himself unable to carry on.
"As for the measurements." Xie Jing Xing smiled gently, "When one has the mind to find out, it will be found."
He gestured for Tie Yi to step forward. Tie Yi sprinted out and after a while ran in with a large box and placed it on the table.
The box was very large and seemed to be made of incense wood, from which a slight fragrance of pear blossoms emanated, making one's heart ache. All instinctively surrounded the table, believing that the wedding dress was most likely inside.
While Shen Miao was usually calm, her heart was filled with anticipation.
She embroidered every stitch and thread of her wedding gown in her previous lifetime, as she was very particular about her marriage to Fu Xiu Yi. She desired brightly coloured decorations and gorgeous designs because the most beautiful moment in a woman's life was when she became a bride. However, Fu Xiu Yi was also hiding from others at the time, preferring simplicity and not having the marriage publicized. As a result, she had to suppress her urge to be glamorous and embroider the wedding gown in a simple design with a plain pattern.
However, one remained a female who was full of hope for the future and fond of love. As a result, she devised a method to embroider lotus blossoms with dark red threads on the red outer skirt and sew tiny peach blossoms in the muslin dress. Others would not be able to see the muslin dress because it was hidden within the outerwear. The lotus on the red skirt was sewn with red threads so that average people couldn't see it. Overall, the clothing remained plain.
However, she was very proud of her little designs in her heart. She had planned to let Fu Xiu Yi guess what kind of flower designs were on the wedding dress at night in the bridal chamber, while the couple was whispering sweetness. Fu Xiu Yi will eventually notice her dexterity and fall in love with her.
But, until the end, the lamps burned brightly, and she waited in the bridal chamber all night until the red candles ran out, and her heart became ice-cold as a result of the wait, but Fu Xiu Yi did not appear. On the second morning, she was told that Fu Xiu Yi had been intoxicated the night before and had spent the night in the study. She did not sleep for the entire night but had to enter the Palace to greet the Emperor and Empress, thus, making a spectacle of herself, embarrassing Fu Xiu Yi.
Fu Xiu Yi finally touched her after giving her the cold shoulder for two to three months.
The wedding dress was just the beginning of her misery. From the first grievance she took on the first night of marriage, a plethora of grievances began to build up.
Shen Miao had always believed that when one treats others well, one's heart would ultimately melt. And if one did not like another, one would be moved by everything that was done without reciprocation. However, there are some people who love all that others offer to them but hate it when others do not.
The wedding dress, which included all of Shen Miao's youthful secret intentions, was eventually forgotten. The sentence she wanted to ask, "Husband, look closely at my wedding dress, do you notice anything?" had never been asked before in her life. She decided to show everyone that the wedding dress had never been seen before in her entire life.
She was so preoccupied that it wasn't until Luo Tan's shocked exclamation that she was jolted out of her reverie.
She saw Luo Xue Yan reaching out and slowly lifted the clothes from the box so that everyone could view them.
The action was rather cautious as if one was afraid of damaging it.
It was a bright red, and the silk was very thin, as though the brocade was made up of thousands of thin silk threads intertwined. And there was not an inch more or less after being cut by the finest tailor.
In the bright red fabric, there was fine and dense glittering golden light. It wasn't clear if it had been dusted with gold dust or not, but these golden glittering objects were mixed in with it, giving the whole ensemble a gleaming appearance.
The crimson robes were made from Hai Jiao brocade, which was as thin as a cicada's wing and flowed like red crimson clouds. In addition to embroidering the red robes with gold, the Dragon and Phoenix motif was embroidered with twelve different colours. The golden Dragon was mighty, and the colourful Phoenix was enchanting. If one looked closely, one would notice that the Dragon and Phoenix's eyes were tiny black precious stones, and the dragon scales and phoenix fathers were both made of thin slices of cat eyes sewn on individually.
The red skirt and red pants were actually one, and the colours were chaste, and the width was so big that when a gentle wind passed through it, it looked like an eternal floating. One's thoughts were also spent on these because the lotus was embroidered around the corners of the robes to signify auspicious wishes.
One could not even mention the scarf over the ceremonial robe. Filament designs were embedded on the edges, and hundreds of pearls were scattered all over, dazzling everyone's eyes.
The Zi Sun Dai (Offspring Bag – auspicious wedding bag to represent having many children) was made of gold and silver, resembling the Tiānguān lock, in the hope to reflect evil spirits.
The Phoenix crown drew the most attention from others.
Precious jewels adorned around the gold crown, and twelve precious stones adorned the gold crown's sides. Six pears adorned each stone, and flowered pearls divided each gem. There were six extended fans, each with a golden dragon, two precious stones, three flowered pearls, and a plethora of pearls. Shen Qiu also counted thoughtlessly and discovered that there were a hundred precious stones on the entire Phoenix crown, with the rubies found in the Phoenix's eyes becoming even more valuable.
Luo Xue Yan took out that heavy Phoenix crown and one was unable to tell what one's heart was feeling. Even if this Prince Rui was putting up an act, it was totally beyond one's expectations. One fear that just this Phoenix crown was what all the females in Ming Qi dreamed of and it was not inferior in any respect to the Empress's Phoenix crown. She opened her mouth in alarm, "Jing Xing, is Jiao Jiao's Phoenix crown somewhat not appropriate?"
The animal on the crown was a Phoenix and the Phoenix is the king of all birds, thus, only the Empress or Princess were allowed to wear it. Even though Shen Miao married Prince Rui and would become Rui Wángfēi, she had not reached the level of a Princess. The animal on the top of the crown should be a coloured pheasant instead.
Prince Rui smiled, "Rest assured Fūrén, Huáng Xiōng knows of this Phoenix crown. In our Imperial Family of Great Liang, there are only us two xiōngdì. Jiao Jiao married into the Imperial Family, she would become part of the Imperial Family so she is worthy to bear the Phoenix."
Shen Xin looked thoughtfully at Prince Rui and Luo Xue Yan still wanted to say something when one heard Luo Tan exclaiming, "What beautiful embroidered shoes!"
Luo Tan carefully took out one embroidered shoe from a wooden box and placed it on her palm.
This embroidered shoe was very exquisite. It was also red in colour but on the shoe, there was a small Phoenix embroidered on it and because there was not much surface on the shoe, it was very difficult to embroider an entire Phoenix. Moreover, there were gemstones that were embellished on the small feathers of the Phoenix. The soles of the shoe had patterns, with blooming lotus blossoms that symbolises the blooming of lotuses in every step. On the top of the shoe, there were two large round shark pearls of the Southern Seas.
When Shen Miao saw it, she was slightly stunned.
The shark pearls of the Southern Seas were very precious because the harvesters would only pick pearls from shallow waters and it was not easy to salvage from the deep sea. Only the most skilful of pearl harvesters would be able to endure to the slightly deeper area of the sea. Thus, it was not easy to encounter such shark pearls like these.
Shen Miao remembered that the current most favoured Consort Xu Xian only had one and wore it on her head to show that she was different. However, one did not know that the two pearls in front were casually placed on the feet.
If she were to know, one did not know how furious Consort Xu Xian would be.
Shen Xin was silent for a moment before spitting out a sentence slowly, "You are considerate."
With such an arrangement, such a delicate wedding dress, it could be said to be unique and unmatched in the whole of Ming Qi. Prince Rui need not have to take this step at all. However, he had done it and in any case, this would let Shen Miao be envious and not ridiculed during her wedding.
Prince Rui smiled, "As long as Jiao Jiao is happy."
Shen Miao's heart moved. Looking at that exquisite and beautiful Phoenix crown and that exquisitely dainty and ravishingly beautiful red embroidered shoes and thinking that when such clothes were worn, it would definitely be extremely beautiful.
In her past life, she had never worn such gorgeous clothes before.
She had married Fu Xiu Yi in a previous lifetime, and he had not done well, so she had become accustomed to dressing simply and plainly. When Fu Xiu Yi ascended to the throne, she had become a hostage in Qin country, and she had no need for any beautiful clothes. When she returned, there was another beautiful and intelligent Mei Fūrén in the Palace, and she would be causing herself trouble if she competed with Mei Fūrén on being charming and beautiful. And after that, as Empress, she had to dress in a dignified and elegant manner, wearing old and darker colours. She was clearly a young girl, but in comparison to Mei Fūrén, she seemed much older.
Counting it, her youth seemed to end on that night when she married Fu Xiu Yi, and what followed was hardship and her being forced to grow up fast.
Heavens sent Xie Jing Xing to fulfil her long-cherished wishes. Shen Miao couldn't stop laughing in her heart. It was as if Xie Jing Xing had unknowingly assisted her in making amends for all her mistakes.
This could be considered a form of destiny in life.
Even the ever-picky Shen Qiu had nothing to say after the wedding gown was unveiled.
To be honest, even if it was Shen Qiu, he would not have been able to create such a detailed, delicate, and elegant wedding gown. Even though he would send all of his thoughts and everything to the young lady he adored, he was unable to do so. Prince Rui was able to do it because he was Prince Rui and nothing more.
Shen Qiu could not help but look at Shen Miao. If Shen Miao followed such an individual and enjoyed glory, splendour, wealth, and rank for the entire lifetime and this Prince Rui's temperament was as good as his performance today, Shen Miao's life would be worthwhile.
After chatting for a while more, Luo Xue Yan warmly invited Prince Rui to stay to eat. Prince Rui did not refuse and smiled, "But I would like to have some words with Jiao Jiao and do not know if Fūrén would allow."
Shen Qiu immediately warned, "What do you want to say to Mèimèi? It is the same as telling me. Let's go. We will go to the courtyard to compare notes by exchanging some moves."
Luo Xue Yan pulled Shen Qiu by the ears pulling him aside and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? How could Rui Wáng be compared with such a rough person like you?" She then looked at Prince Rui and could not stop smiling, "Then let Jiao Jiao bring you to the room to chat. Don't talk for too long as it would be time to eat soon."
Shen Miao and Shen Qiu, "…"
Mother, do you still remember who your biological children are?
The more Luo Xue Yan looked, the more she realized Prince Rui was trustworthy. A Grand Prince of the First Rank of Great Liang still asked for her opinions before speaking to Shen Miao, demonstrating that he was well-mannered. Luo Xue Yan was considering allowing Shen Miao and Prince Rui to spend more time together, and she noticed their looks and small movements. Shen Miao clearly had some feelings for Prince Rui because she had never looked at Luo Ling, Su Ming Feng, and Feng Zi Xian like that before.
This was the kind of joyous little bickering sweethearts portrayed in the novels.
Luo Xue Yan eagerly went to instruct the kitchens. Even though Shen Miao was quite speechless, she still looked at Xie Jing Xing and said, "Follow me to my courtyard."
Shen Qiu anxiously wanted to follow but Shen Miao turned back and said, "Dàgē, you better not come."
Shen Qiu widened his eyes incredulously, "Mèimèi."
"Dà biǎogē." Luo Tan tugged the corner of his clothes, "The couple have sweet nothings to say so why does a grown man like you listen to it?" She looked at the absent-minded Luo Ling, "If you want to exchange blows, then look for Ling Gēgē."
Luo Ling recovered to his senses and smiled bitterly but still said, "If Biǎogē wants to exchange blows, I naturally will accompany."
Today, it was Shen Qiu's first time to be rejected by all the females in the house and felt greatly wronged in his heart. He naturally had to test Shen Miao's future husband properly. How could one let flowery talk and a face that could not be seen clearly deceive him? Indeed females were easy to deceive. He looked at Shen Xin and said unhappily, "Fùqīn, just let that fellow go like this?"
Shen Xin hung his head down, and one did not know what he was thinking, he then looked at Shen Qiu when he heard it and said, "After the meal, go and exchange some blows with him and test his martial arts skills."
Shen Qiu's eyes brightened and rubbed his fists together, "Yes."
Sure enough, Shen Xin and he were together in it. He must let Prince Rui see clearly that it was not so easy to marry the females in the Shen family.
Shen Miao brought Xie Jing Xing to her own courtyard. Bai Lu and Shuang Jiang were tidying up the plants in the entire courtyard with some servants and when they saw Shen Miao leading a male back, they jumped in shock. It was only when Gu Yu and Jing Zhe greeted Prince Rui that the rest of the servants recovered to their senses and quickly greeted.
Shen Miao directly brought Xie Jing Xing back to her room.
She was not afraid to be seen by others. Anyways it was not Xie Jing Xing's first time in her room as he would come over for tea and snacks every three to five days. He had long been familiar with the paths in the Shen Mansion. However, when she turned her head around, she saw Xie Jing Xing looking around everywhere and could not help but be annoyed, "It's not the first time so what is there to look?"
"It's the first time entering from the main door." Xie Jing Xing smiled and sat in front of the table before looking and speaking to her, "The feeling of entering from the main door is different."
Shen Miao ridiculed, "Are you complaining that previously you did not have a proper title and it was not appropriate?"
"Smart." Xie Jing Xing said as he drank tea.
"That is created by you. No one invited you." Shen Miao said with gritted teeth.
Xie Jing Xing was all smiles as he looked at her, "Fūrén treats me very well. Biǎojiě is also good."
Shen Miao rolled her eyes in her heart. That was because they did not see the cruel side of Xie Jing Xing. If they saw it, they would not treat him so well.
She asked, "What do you want to say to me?"
"The thing that you requested me to investigate. One has investigated clearly for you." Xie Jing Xing said.
"Investigate?" Shen Miao was too busy these days and had forgotten what matter she had requested Xie Jing Xing to help and asked, "What is it?"
Xie Jing Xing's eyes flashed, "Pei Lang's news."
Shen Miao suddenly came into realization and recalled that there was no news from Pei Lang these days and now became anxious, "What was investigated? Is it that something happened to him?"
"You are very worried about him." Xie Jing Xing's eyebrows raised.
"He is one that works for me." Shen Miao frowned.
"Alright." Xie Jing Xing shrugged his shoulders, "He is now not in a very good state. Fu Xiu Yi seemed to have discovered his identity and locked him in the underground prison of the residence of Prince Ding and is torturing him to get the truth."
Shen Miao's heart slightly tightened, "Is he still alive?"
"Fu Xiu Yi did not get the answer he wanted so he would not let him die so easily." Xie Jing Xing said and then stared at Shen Miao, "You don't seem to worry that he will betray you."
"He will not." Shen Miao replied.
Xie Jing Xing frowned slightly.
Shen Miao had concluded that, despite Pei Lang's inhumane rationality, there was little to criticize him in terms of loyalty. When he was working with Fu Xiu Yi in his former life, he was only loyal to Fu Xiu Yi. Pei Lang possessed exceptional talent. As a result, Prince Zhou and a slew of other people tried to yank him away from Fu Xiu Yi. At the time, Prince Zhou had the upper hand and could give Pei Lang even more than Fu Xiu Yi could, but Pei Lang was unmoved.
Pei Lang was a very principled individual, and that was more important to him than anything else in his heart. He had used everyone who was by Fu Xiu Yi's side, including her, to help Fu Xiu Yi sit securely on this spot, just as he had done in the previous lifetime when he was assisting Fu Xiu Yi. Even though Shen Miao later knelt down to ask Pei Lang for support because of Fu Ming and Wan Yu, Pei Lang was unmoved and simply watched as the Shen family fell. Perhaps he was even a part of it. Shen Miao, on the other hand, had never questioned Pei Lang's loyalty.
Speaking of this, Fu Xiu Yi was impatient with her and, after marriage, he was often cold towards her. Other than the occasional care and greetings that demonstrated his duties as a husband, Shen Miao would spend the majority of the time alone in Prince Ding's residence. Shen Miao wanted to be liked by Fu Xiu Yi and knew how much Fu Xiu Yi respected Pei Lang, so she consulted Pei Lang in the hopes that Fu Xiu Yi would have a newfound appreciation for her.
Pei Lang patiently taught her, and there was never a moment when he was angered. Though for the occasional hearing from Fu Xiu Yi, Shen Miao's comprehension of Ming Qi's political issues came primarily from Pei Lang's teachings.
Pei Lang was her teacher in Guang Wen Tang but in fact, he was considered her teacher in the residence of Prince Ding.
As a result, Shen Miao would have no doubt that Pei Lang would not betray her.
"Fu Xiu Yi has a lot of means." There was a rarely seen trace of anxiety on Shen Miao's face, "Especially for those who betrayed him. Once such a person like this was found, he would never give him any trust and would personally kill the person in the end. Since Pei Lang had been discovered by him, in order to obtain the answer at the moment, Fu Xiu Yi would perhaps keep him alive but it does not mean that he would not do other things to him. Perhaps, all his limbs were gone." Shen Miao had a cold sweat.
Shen Miao had personally seen how Fu Xiu Yi treated people who betrayed him. Shen Miao had also personally seen what kind of place the underground prison was like.
Most likely from that time onwards, other than having feelings of love, she had some traces of fear of Fu Xiu Yi.
After all, this person was gentle and warm in front of others but behind others was so ruthless. It made one give birth to a sense of chill.
Xie Jing Xing's gaze became sharp, "How do you know how he treated the people who betrayed him?"
If it was in the past, Shen Miao could also hear that there was something wrong with Xie Jing Xing's words but at the moment, her mind was not at this and couldn't care less about it. After some thought, she then looked towards Xie Jing Xing, "You have ways to save him right?"
Xie Jing Xing withdrew the hand that was holding the teacup, "Reason."
Shen Miao looked at him. His gaze was sharp and there was no retreat at all, making one's heart shrink.
"Because there is no reason to watch with folded arms."