Chapter 10

This Xiangyun silk was crafted by a master artisan in Gusu, with only two bolts ever produced. Originally, Jiang Yunchan's parents were responsible for procuring it, and one bolt was presented to the imperial court, while her mother privately kept the other as a future dowry addition for Yunchan.

After her parents passed away, most of their assets were seized by greedy relatives. Fortunately, this bolt of silk remained, and Yunchan brought it with her to the capital. Now that the master weaver had passed away, this piece of Xiangyun silk had become a unique treasure, worth a king's ransom. Gifting this silk to the Heir Apparent would barely suffice to repay his kindness.

"After I leave, please have someone deliver this to the Heir Apparent as a wedding gift. Tell him: 'Your cousin wishes you and your beloved a lifetime of harmony and unwavering devotion,'" Yunchan instructed.

Just then, a man’s voice sounded from outside the courtyard: "Borrowing those auspicious words, I also wish my sister-in-law and A-Zhou a lifetime of harmony and unwavering devotion."

"Miss, it is the eldest cousin from the Gu family here to collect you!" Xiazhu craned her neck to look out the window.

Gu Huaizhou, the only son of his family, was bedridden and naturally unable to come in person. Thus, the Gu family had sent their eldest cousin, who was closest to him, to act as the escort—an arrangement that, while unconventional, was entirely reasonable under the circumstances.

Yunchan hurriedly donned her veil and covered her head with the bridal canopy, yet she could not resist peering out through the translucent silk toward the fence. The scholar-like man outside was Gu Jing, the eldest cousin. He was followed by two young servants, who were Huaizhou’s personal attendants. For a moment, she felt as if she were reuniting with an old friend, and her eyes stung with sudden emotion.

Although Gu Jing could not see into the room, he sensed a touch of sorrow in the air and quickly bowed: "Huaizhou truly wished to come himself, but alas... he was helped onto his horse, stumbling, and nearly fell again! It took much persuasion to convince him to wait at the manor. Pray, do not take offense, sister-in-law!"

"You misunderstand, elder brother-in-law; I take no offense," Yunchan said, stepping out with Xiazhu’s support and curtsying in return.

Only after the gesture did she realize that addressing him as "elder brother-in-law" was perhaps premature, as the wedding ceremony had not yet taken place. She turned her head, head bowed, her demeanor full of maidenly shyness. The young maids in the wedding procession giggled, the small incident dispelling the melancholy in the air.

The two matchmakers smiled broadly, helping Yunchan into the bridal sedan. "Let us take our young mistress home!"

As the words fell, the drums and gongs began to play, and the canopy rose like clouds. The endless wedding procession moved in a grand sweep toward the Gu residence. Soon, the solemnity that belonged exclusively to the Marquis of Dingyang’s estate was left far behind. Unlike the rigid decorum of the Marquis’s house, the people of the Gu household laughed and chatted all the way.

Sitting in the sedan, Yunchan felt her breathing grow easier. She could not resist lifting the curtain to peek out the window, confirming again and again that she had truly left the Marquis of Dingyang’s estate.

The cold plaque of the imperial-commissioned Marquis of Dingyang’s manor faded into the distance, and the bridal sedan entered the small, lively alleys filled with the warmth of human life. As the sun set and the moon rose, a silvery light spilled over the green-tiled roofs of ordinary homes, and wisps of cooking smoke curled into the air. Occasionally, mischievous children played and laughed in the streets, and couples sat side-by-side on their rooftops, cooling themselves in the moonlight. Everything felt as unreal as a dream.

Yunchan vaguely recalled the Mid-Autumn Festival ten years ago. Her parents were still alive then, and they had promised to take her to the market that evening to buy the largest and most beautiful lantern in all of Gusu. However, the unexpected visit of the Marquis of Dingyang from the capital had disrupted their plans.

Servants had whispered that this Marquis was originally a scholar of humble origins who had known her mother in their youth and had even been engaged to her. Later, the scholar gained the favor of the powerful and rose rapidly through the ranks to become an official in the capital. Their perspectives drifted apart, and when her mother realized the scholar had grown close to the daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo, she did not wish to end up as a concubine. Thus, she took the initiative to break off the engagement, allowing the two to be together. Her mother later married her father and lived a relatively prosperous life.

Unexpectedly, after the scholar was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Dingyang, he always felt a sense of guilt toward her mother, so he traveled south to Gusu to visit and even insisted on adopting Yunchan as his goddaughter.

Yunchan, then ignorant and innocent, had bitten her finger and asked her mother: "Why does that uncle want me as his goddaughter? I have my own father!"

"Jiaojiao is right!" Her mother had pulled her into an embrace, gently stroking her hair. "Our Jiaojiao is the moon in the clouds; she needs no reflected light from others. We do not need to be any nobleman’s goddaughter, nor shall we ever be a concubine to anyone."

"That goes without saying! Let alone a concubine, even a wife—that is something I must personally vet!" Her father had wrapped his arms around her mother. The family of three had nestled together under the moonlight, dreaming of the future. "My daughter shall not marry a man who takes concubines, nor one embroiled in sibling strife, nor a hypocritical phony..."

Her mother had rolled her eyes at him. "By that logic, our Jiaojiao needn't marry at all."

"And what if she doesn't? The Jiang family assets are enough for Jiaojiao to live a lifetime! If not, I shall earn more! Why should my daughter humble herself to endure another family's slights?" Her father had thumped his chest defiantly. "My daughter shall never be a servant or concubine to those dirty, wretched men! At the very least, she must find someone like me!"

"Jiaojiao, listen to your father, he has no shame!" Her mother had burst into laughter.

Yunchan still remembered how warm that night had been, when she was still a little lady who knew nothing of sorrow. But after that night, everything was destroyed. A dull ache suddenly gripped Yunchan’s heart. She closed her eyes slightly and pressed her palms together: "Mother, Father, please rest in peace. Jiaojiao will do it!"

She did not have to bow her head to be a concubine; she had found a husband who cherished her just as her father did. She looked up at the moon, hoping her parents shared in her joy. The moonlight, like water, gently brushed her cheeks, as if her parents were holding her. A serene smile appeared at the corners of her eyes. Her skin, whiter than frost and snow, was bathed in a pearly glow. Beneath the red veil, she looked like a goddess praying to the heavens.

On the observation deck of the Marquis of Dingyang’s manor, Xie Yan stood by the railing. Amidst the sea of people in the wedding procession, he saw the young girl at a single glance. She, who spent her days dull and chanting sutras, had also yearned for the future. Was she yearning for a life with Gu Huaizhou?

Xie Yan’s hand, resting on the railing, tightened. Dark currents churned in the depths of his eyes, threatening to break the surface.

"Heir Apparent, the cousin-miss has sent a wedding gift for your concubines," Fucang said, presenting the Xiangyun silk to Xie Yan.

"Xiangyun silk..." The festive, vibrant red stung Xie Yan’s eyes. His jade-like fingers traced the fabric inch by inch; the texture was as delicate and supple as the skin of the girl under the moon.

A mysterious smile curled on Xie Yan’s lips. "Does she not know?"

"Know what?" Fucang asked, confused.

Xie Yan did not commit. "Since the cousin is so thoughtful, spread this silk on my bridal bed. Do not damage it..."

"Yes!" Fucang bowed and retreated. After stepping back a few paces, he recalled a legend from the palace regarding Xiangyun silk. Years ago, Gusu had presented a bolt of century-rare Xiangyun silk, a supreme rarity that the imperial consorts fought to obtain. Later, the Emperor bestowed it upon a newly favored concubine and, on their wedding night, cut the silk into a bridal cloth to amuse his beauty. After this display of favor, the wives and concubines of the nobility vied to imitate it, using the rare silk as a bridal cloth to signify their favor.

The cousin-miss sending this to the Heir Apparent was effectively sending a bridal cloth—it was far too intimate. And for the Heir Apparent to spread it on the bed for his wedding night with the Loulan dancer was truly unfathomable.

Elsewhere, Yunchan had long since cast the Xiangyun silk to the back of her mind. Clutching her handkerchief tightly, she stepped over the brazier and entered the Gu residence. The manor was a scene of red silk and celebration, though due to Gu Huaizhou’s poor health, many of the procedures had been omitted. Yunchan was escorted into the bridal chamber.

Gu Jing, fearing that Yunchan would be exhausted by the fuss, had specifically blocked the wedding guests from the room. He said apologetically: "It is hard on you to enter the bridal chamber alone. Once A-Zhou is better, he will surely make it up to you."

The Gu family was kind, and Yunchan, not one to quibble, curtsied in return before being led inside by the matchmaker. Just as she reached the door of the bridal chamber, she heard a fit of coughing, the tone of which was very familiar. Filled with both surprise and worry, she pushed the door open. The room, decorated with large red "double happiness" characters, was empty; her groom was nowhere to be seen.