56 Married...?

Yan Qiu Yue sat in her room waiting. Every so often, a maid would run in to update her on Wei Tian Ao's situation. He was progressing through her family's challenges at a brisk pace.

"It seems he's already met with the fifth young master," reported Mu Rong.

"It won't be long, then..." Yan Qiu Yue took a deep breath. It was about time for her to accept this. "Thank you. Go ahead and keep watch outside." She dismissed Mu Rong, who bowed her head before leaving the room.

Yan Qiu Yue was wearing her veil and couldn't see, so Zhi Lan took her hand and guided her to the doorway. "Would you like for me to stay here with you?" It was the tradition in Eastern Wei for the bride to be alone when the groom and his party came to fetch her. The maids and then the rest of the groom's party would wait outside. This would give the couple a moment of alone time before the big reception at the groom's house. However, it was common for the maids or a female relative to stay with the bride until the last possible moment. Many noble brides didn't know their future husbands too well and were often nervous. It was harder to bear such feelings alone.

However, Yan Qiu Yue shook her head. "Thank you, but I'll be fine. The next time I see you will be at the prince's estate."

After making sure that Yan Qiu Yue's dress and veil were immaculate, Zhi Lan and the others all left. Yan Qiu Yue stood in place, her hands gripped together and resting against her lower abdomen. She was the perfect picture of a waiting bride.

As near to the door as she was, she could hear the faint sound of her brother playing the guqin. The pavilion was near enough to her Peony Courtyard that Yan Qiu Yue could hear the men talking and playing music, but she couldn't make out the specific words of their conversations. It was customary for the bride's family to challenge the groom; no family wanted to appear as if they were happily throwing their daughter away, of course. However, in general, the challenges were just for show. No groom ever failed them. Still... From what Yan Qiu Heng had excitedly told her the day before, her family was being serious about this. Yan Qiu Yue worried a little that they might just drive Wei Tian Ao out if he couldn't pass their tests! Where would that leave the Yan family in the emperor's eyes?

Just then, she could hear the sound of a dizi being played. Yan Qiu Yue felt curiosity stir within her and she reached out a hand, intending to lift her veil a little. Before she could, however, a strong, warm hand wrapped around hers.

"You don't mean to become a runaway bride, do you?" It was a playful voice with a hint of a sneer.

"You..." Yan Qiu Yue's eyes, which could see nothing but the red fabric of her veil, widened. How could he possibly be here? And at this time?

"If you wish to escape, I might be inclined to help you."

Yan Qiu Yue pulled back her hand with some force, but was unable to pull it out of Wei Hong Sheng's grasp. "What do you think you're doing? You can't be here!" How had he gotten into the room? Were her maids not right outside? Yet despite their many exchanged words—which were by no means quiet—no one had entered the room to inquire.

"Don't worry, even without me coming here, this marriage was cursed." Wei Hong Sheng laughed darkly. Her maids weren't even supposed to be in the room with her at this time. How ill of an omen would it be for her former fiance to be here with her?

"Stop this. Get out of here!" Yan Qiu Yue forced out through gritted teeth. "I don't know what your intentions are—"

"Hmm, my intentions? Isn't this the hero rescuing a beauty? Weren't you about to leave just now? Shall I help you?"

"I wasn't trying to escape, so I don't need your help!"

"Oh~? What a pity."

Before Yan Qiu Yue could say anything else, she felt Wei Hong Sheng take her other hand in his and push her hands together into a pose of cupped supplication. His hands left hers only briefly before he pressed an object into them. It was thin and light... It seemed to be...a fan?

"What..."

"I had planned to return this to you on the day we got married. After all, it will surely be quite hot today. However..." However, the groom who would be at her side today would not be him. However, he currently did not have the right to be with her.

"Didn't you say... That marrying me was the same as being a carp on a chopping block? I did not take you to be someone so sentimental." She had to ask. His mixed signals in the last several months were confusing her to no end. Yan Qiu Yue only wanted to be rid of this man and the painful sentiments he inspired, yet he kept coming back again and again. They owed each other nothing. What was he meaning to do by barging into her room like this on her wedding day?

"Did I say that? I clearly remember telling you that 'the carp on the chopping block jumps twice'. When pushed to the brink, a man can find the will to perform feats heretofore considered impossible. Such as..." he paused here for a long time. Yan Qiu Yue even thought that he might have left. Then, suddenly, she felt something press against her forehead, something light...yet unbearably heavy. "Such as breaking into his ex-fiancee's room for a final farewell."

It was this scene that Wei Tian Ao saw when he entered: Wei Hong Sheng kissing Yan Qiu Yue's forehead through her veil before raising his head to meet his gaze. His provocative expression seemed to ask "Well? And what are you going to do about this?"

Nothing, apparently. Wei Tian Ao was utterly shocked and did not know what to say or do. His own half-brother had snuck into his bride's chambers on her wedding day...for what reason? A myriad of potential explanations flashed through his mind, each more upsetting than the last.

With a smile, Wei Hong Sheng turned and left through the window, disappearing without a trace. There was a long, awkward silence that filled the entire room with tension.

Wei Tian Ao wasn't sure how, but after half a day he finally found his voice to declare, "Yan Qiu Yue, I have come to fetch you."

In response, she slightly inclined her head. She wasn't sure what to do about the fan she held in her hands. True, it was originally hers to begin with, but... Though she didn't feel anything for Wei Tian Ao right now, she still didn't want their marriage to be built on a foundation of indifference and deception. This was the man whom, in all likelihood, she would have to spend the rest of her life with.

So Yan Qiu Yue took a step forward and held out the fan. She couldn't see it, but Wei Tian Ao was tilting his head at her, confused. "Take it." she ordered. "I don't know what other motives he may have had, but... Some time ago, he took this fan from me out of a desire to cause mischief and now he's caused yet more trouble by returning it. I did not ask nor wish for him to come."

These were the first words Yan Qiu Yue had ever said to Wei Tian Ao, and they were about his brother. Wei Tian Ao's lips curled into a sad, self-deprecating smile. Still, this really couldn't be blamed on Yan Qiu Yue. He himself knew well how much of a scoundrel his brother was and he barely knew the man. Wei Tian Ao wrapped both of his hands around her outstretched hand, closing her fingers around the fan. "Keep it. It was yours to begin with, so you should hold onto it."

"Prince Rui-shizi..."

"Let's go." His voice was cold and a little stiff as he cut off whatever she wished to say. He wasn't sure if he could bear to hear it.

"Alright."

Without another word, Wei Tian Ao led Yan Qiu Yue through the doors of her bedchambers, through the Peony Courtyard, through the gardens, all the way to the gates of the Ning Duke estate. She observed that his hand was cold and somewhat clammy. Compared to that warm hand which had grasped hers earlier... Her grip tightened around the fan in remembrance and shame. No. She could not think of such things now.

Yan Qiu Yue was helped onto a sedan that she could not see, but assumed was majestic. She was carried the rest of the way to Prince Rui's estate but the ride was so smooth that she had to wonder what strong, otherworldly beings were lifting the sedan for it to feel like this. All around her, she could hear the sounds of people laughing and cheering. It wasn't every day that a future prince took in a prince consort. Servants that walked in the procession would occasionally throw money and other favors to onlookers, as well, which would always draw a crowd.

All this was happening around her, though she couldn't see it. In this moment, Yan Qiu Yue felt utterly detached from everything. Why was it that she was the one getting married, but it seemed like it was happening to someone else? When would it sink in that she was a bride?

Arriving at the prince's estate, she was helped off her sedan and the couple did all of the marriage rituals. They kowtowed thrice: once to heaven and earth, once to their parents and ancestors, and then once to each other. On the second kowtow, Yan Qiu Yue could not help but tremble. Her parents were surely watching her now and she could not imagine what expressions they had on their faces as they watched their daughter marry a stranger.

Once this was all done, Yan Qiu Yue was led away to the bridal chambers while Wei Tian Ao stayed behind to entertain guests and accept toasts over and over. She was to await him to finish off the last few rituals that would be carried out by the couple in private.

"It seems a bride's lot in life is to wait," she sighed as Li Mei and Chu Hua helped her change and eat a little bit of food. She kept her headdress and veil on, but her dress was changed for a simpler outfit so that she could be more comfortable while she waited for her husband. Who knew when he would arrive? Some grooms partied all night, getting so drunk that they almost couldn't do their duty afterward and some grooms refused all the toasts and came into the bridal chambers almost immediately. She had no way of knowing. Yan Qiu Yue let out another sigh. "I'm waiting for him now and then from now on, I have to spend every day waiting for him to come home. What a dull existence."

"Young miss—no, I suppose I should call you madam now... Ahem. Madam, you shouldn't say such things or you'll draw the ire of women and wives everywhere!" Zhi Lan scolded lightly.

"Am I wrong? Why should he get to be out there having the time of his life while I'm stuck in here waiting for him?"

"Come come, don't sigh so. It's unbecoming." After so many years, Yan Qiu Yue's relationship with her maids was more like that of sisters. If Princess Rui or one of the maids of this estate heard the way her personal maids spoke to her, there would be a scandal.

"All right, all right. I understand." Yan Qiu Yue waved them off. "Go ahead and rest. It's been a long day for you all, as well."

"Madam, your Li Mei will be just outside, so do call me if you require anything!" Li Mei chirped. She would be on duty tonight.

"The rest of us will be nearby, as well, Madam!"

"You all keep saying 'Madam' this, 'Madam' that..." Yan Qiu Yue coughed, feeling a little embarrassed. She had been "young miss" for so long that this form of address truly was somewhat novel. And in the future, she would be "princess consort"... It was all too much.

Her maids all left her alone in that room. For a while, Yan Qiu Yue sat upright on the bed, her posture elegant as she waited. After a long time had passed, she let her body fall backward to lay on the bed. "This isn't exactly proper," she thought, "but he's kept me waiting for so long and my back is starting to hurt. When he finally comes in here, I'll give him a piece of my mind. I just dare him to come in here drunk! See how I'll sort him out..."

While thinking these lively thoughts and cursing out Wei Tian Ao in her head, Yan Qiu Yue was finally overcome by her exhaustion. Before she knew it, she had fallen deeply asleep.

...

...

......

When Yan Qiu Yue opened her eyes, what she saw was an unfamiliar ceiling. It took a few moments for her mind to process everything. "This... Ah, that's right. I just had my wedding. I got married. This is the Prince Rui estate. ...Married...?"

Sunlight streamed in, illuminating the entire room. In alarm, Yan Qiu Yue sat up so quickly that she was dizzy from the effort. It was morning. Her neck hurt so badly as if someone had twisted it. In her sleep, she had knocked off her veil, but that heavy headdress was still atop her head though now comically askew. She turned her sore neck to observe that she was alone. The sheets on the bed were untouched.

"L-Li Mei!" she called out with uncertainty.

After a brief pause, the door slid open. An unsure, embarrassed-looking Li Mei came in. "Yes, Madam? You called?"

"I... Was I alone all night?"

"Y-yes." Li Mei wrung and twisted her hands in front of her, clearly uncomfortable.

"My... My husband never came?"

"No...... I... I heard... I heard that he went out."

"Went out?"

"Yes... No one knows where he went." Li Mei bit her lip, not knowing whether she should continue. Yan Qiu Yue nodded at her in what she hoped was an encouraging manner. "...He returned early this morning, but went straight to his own quarters."

"And where is he now?"

"Apparently...he's gone to court. He told the servants not to expect him back until this evening."

"He... He went to court!?"

What about serving tea to his parents? What about escorting her to give thanks to the emperor? No, before that... What about their wedding night?

Some grooms partied all night, getting so drunk that they almost couldn't do their duty afterward. Some grooms refused all the toasts and came into the bridal chambers almost immediately. But could someone tell Yan Qiu Yue... What was she supposed to do about her husband who bypassed his wedding night entirely and slipped away on his own?