The Wedding (1)
On the day of her wedding, Jiang Mingyue was awakened early in the morning when Xiao Mi nudged against her face. Mingyue stretched up on the bed and sat up when she realized that it was her special day. When Mingyue saw the black cat, she immediately lifted Xiao Mi and kissed Xiao Mi on his head. "Xiao Mi," Mingyue petted the black cat. "Pray for me that everything will go smoothly today."
Xiao Mi lifted his head to look at Mingyue's smiling face. He meowed once, rubbed his face against Mingyue's cheek, and looked away. When there was a knocking on the door, Xiao Mi jumped down from Mingyue's bed and waited in front of the door. As soon as the maidservants entered the room, Xiao Mi stood up and walked out to find something to eat.
"Good morning, young miss." the maidservant bowed. Then, they helped Mingyue to wash up. When Mingyue has done freshened up, Ying Yi entered her room carrying her wedding robe.
"Ying Yi! You're here," Jiang Mingyue smiled.
Ying Yi handed the wedding robe to one of her maidservants and went to Mingyue's side. Her hands moved as she congratulated Mingyue.
Mingyue pulled Ying Yi into her embrace and sighed. "Thank you." she pulled away and spoke again. "Help me dress up."
Just as Mingyue put on her dress, she could hear a commotion outside. She turned to the door and saw her mother walked in with her sister-in-law. A few servants and a madam were trailing behind her mother. The smile on Mingyue's lips grew wider when she saw her mother.
Han Yunyi stood a few steps away from her daughter to observe Mingyue with love. Her eyes grew misty as she realized that her daughter has grown up, and in a few hours, she will be a married woman.
"Mother," Mingyue went to her mother's side and held both her hands. "Don't cry. Or else, I will cry too."
"I can't believe that my daughter has grown up," Han Yunyi forced a smile.
"Mother, today is a happy occasion, don't cry," Mingyue's sister-in-law, Wen Ji coaxed.
"You're right," Han Yunyi nodded. She dabbed the corner of her eyes with a handkerchief and sobered up. Then, Han Yunyi pulled Mingyue towards her dressing table. "Come. Let me help you to comb your hair."
Han Yunyi took the comb from the maidservant as a madam stood beside her, chanting auspicious words. When she finished, Han Yunyi passed the comb to the madam, and the madam helped to braid Mingyue's hair. Then, the madam helped to put makeup on Mingyue's face.
When her makeup completed, Mingyue saw a familiar silhouette stood beside her mother. Her eyes grew wide with surprise. "Your-!" Mingyue pursed her lips before she could finish. She looked around and was glad that she did not finish her words, or she might expose the princess's presence.
Princess Lingchen chuckled at Mingyue's expression. "I'm glad that I was not too late. You look beautiful today. Captain Yang Yun will be surprised when he sees you."
"Why are you here?" Mingyue decided to ignore the princess's teasing and pulled her into a quiet corner.
"It's your wedding day. Of course, I have to attend." Princess Lingchen said. She pulled Mingyue into her embrace and whispered, "On behalf of the Emperor and the Emperess, I'm here to congratulate you." Princess Lingchen pulled away and smiled. "Don't worry too much. My father gave his approval to let me attend your wedding. The hidden guards are around to protect me."
Mingyue sighed. The frown on her face deepened. "You're attending the old General Jiang's daughter wedding. There are skilled soldiers all around. I don't need to worry about your safety. It's your health that I'm worried about."
The Princess smiled. She knew that her cousin will always worry about her health. "I'll be alright. Besides, grandfather and Ying Yi will be around as well. You go and get married without worrying too much. I'm just here to enjoy the festivity."
Mingyue frowned at Princess Lingchen's words. "Don't tire your self and always keep yourself warm."
"Alright," the Princess laughed. "I know. Grandfather helped me to take precaution. Stop nagging too much. It's time to put on your veil. You don't want to miss the auspicious hour."
Mingyue looked at Princess Lingchen with worry. But her mother convinced her that she would look after the princess. Only then did Mingyue stop worrying too much.
The madam stepped forward and helped Mingyue with her veil. From then on, Mingyue could not see anything but the red color.