Good Luck Wedding Chapter 001 - Wedding

“Young Master, Young Master.”

Ji Lian tiptoed from the window into the house and whispered, “I’ve driven away the guard at the side door, and I’ll find a way to stall the men outside. Hurry, run away as far as you can. You should stay away from this horrible Duke’s mansion and never come back.”

“There’s no escape.” Ye Yunting sat in the inner room, brushing his fingers over the red clothes with intricate embroidery, and raised his eyes to look at the anxious-looking servant¹. “The guards you drove away were just the people on the surface.”

Ye Yunting stood up, pushed open the closed window shutter, and slowly pointed his fingers across the old trees with thick trunks and lush leaves from east to west. “There are secret guards with strong martial arts skills hidden there, there and there. They’d take me down before I even step out of the side door.”

His eyes were calm, and deep in his dark pupils was a hint of helplessness and resignation about the current situation. “When the time comes, I will still be forced to marry Prince Yong’an, and you…” You will have your legs broken, and from then on, you’ll be locked up as a hostage in the Duke’s Mansion without seeing the light of day.

Ye Yunting turned his eyes to Ji Lian, paused, and did not finish what he had to say. He just smiled and pulled him aside to sit down, grabbed a handful of wedding candies on the table and stuffed them into his arms, whispering, “You can’t escape either, so why waste your effort and suffer even more?”

Ji Lian held the wedding candy, looked at him blankly, and murmured, “Master, why do I feel like you’re different from before?”

He looked at the young master who seemed resigned to his fate, and a hint of worry appeared on his fair and round face.

Three days ago, when he first learned that he was going to be sent to Prince Yong’An’s palace to be married off, the young master had instructed him to spy on the guards in the mansion, saying that when the wedding day came, he would take advantage of the laxity of the guards and escape from the mansion together with him. From thereon, the sea would be vast and the sky would be high and unrestrained.

Why have you changed your mind now?

“It’s just different now….” Ye Yunting sat down next to him, taking a sip of the cool tea with a calm expression.

After all, anyone who died once and came back to life would be different from who they’d been.

Three days ago, he learned from his father that the Astrology Tower Directorate¹ had calculated that his birth date was compatible with that of Prince Yong’an. Because His Majesty the Emperor was worried about Prince Yong’an’s illness, he exceptionally appointed him as Yong’an Wangfei. He was to go to the palace to wed the gravely ill Prince Yong’an.

In Beizhao, everyone knew the reputation of Prince Yong’an.

He joined the army at the age of thirteen and became famous by killing the generals of Xihuang at the age of sixteen. In the following ten years, he went through countless battles, large and small, without a single defeat. Even the most ferocious and vengeful soldiers of Xihuang would tremble when they saw the black flag of Prince Yongan’s Xuanjia Army.

However, just a month ago, Prince Yong’an was poisoned. His muscles and meridians were destroyed and his life was in critical condition. It was said that the medical officers from the entire Imperial Medical Office took turns trying, but no one could cure the strange poison in Prince Yong’an’s body.

The current Holy Emperor and Prince Yong’an grew up together since childhood. They had a close, brotherly relationship. He could not sleep at night out of worry over Prince Yong’an’s illness. Later on, the Astrology Tower Directorate proposed searching for a noble person who complemented Prince Yong’an’s horoscope to wed him, which may be able to solve the current crisis.

And he, Ye Yunting, was the “noble man” chosen by the Directorate.

The tea cup made a crisp sound as it was placed on the table. Ye Yunting stroked his sleeves, a hint of sarcasm on his slightly-curved lips.

At that time, he had still been young and thought it was his destiny to be like this. It was not until he entered the palace later and saw the viciousness of people’s hearts that he finally realized: how could he be destined for this?

He and Prince Yong’an were both hindrances to others.

It was pity that his body hadn’t been strong enough. He had spent nearly a year in the palace in a hazy state, and then died early due to drinking poisoned soup by mistake. However, Prince Yong’an, who had been lying ill in bed and was said to be dying soon, appeared in front of his bed when Ye Yunting was dying, saying that he had been implicated by him. He had asked if Ye Yunting had any unfulfilled wishes, and he could try his best to fulfill them for him.

He was alone at the time, and his only concern was Ji Lian, who was being held hostage in the Duke’s Mansion, so he asked Prince Yong’an to take care of Ji Lian for him…

Ye Yunting withdrew from his distant thoughts and looked at Ji Lian, who had healthy legs and was plump and fair, with a somewhat cheerful expression.

God had treated him well, after all. Even though he could not escape the fate of marrying Prince Yong’an, this time, he could at least take Ji Lian and leave with him.

Reaching out and pinching Ji Lian’s cheek, Ye Yunting smiled and said, “Eat more later. You won’t have anything to eat when you get to the palace.”

Ji Lian had a piece of wedding candy in his mouth, his cheeks puffed up, and he muttered vaguely: “Could the food in the Prince’s Mansion be worse than that in the Duke’s Mansion?”

He wrinkled his chubby face in worry. The food they had in the Duke’s Mansion was bad enough. If it was even worse in the Prince’s Mansion, how would anyone survive?

Seeing that he was worried about his future livelihood, Ye Yunting tapped his forehead lightly with his finger, and said with a smile: “I won’t starve you. It’s time; let’s go.”

*

It was still dark. The entire Yong’an Palace was heavily guarded and the atmosphere was solemn.

Only the corner of the southwestern courtyard, with its red and colorful decorations, and festive red lanterns hung all over the eaves and treetops, showed a bit of untimely joy.

The wedding queue was lined up in several rows, waiting quietly in the courtyard. The wedding matron², wearing a bright red gown, stood at the front of the queue. Her anxious eyes glanced at the closed door from time to time, and her deep sighs were especially highlighted by the silence in the courtyard.

Today’s marriage was destined to be unhappy.

Just as the wedding matron was worrying about what to do if the young master refused to cooperate, she heard a soft creak as the closed door of the main room was pushed open.

She followed the sound and saw a tall figure stepping out, with layers of red clothes brushing across the high threshold, lighting up the entire courtyard like flowing red clouds.

It was as if the sun is rising in the morning, and the water is like the willows in the spring moon.³

It was just like that.

In the past, she had heard people say that the eldest son of the Duke of Qi was as handsome as a beautiful tree in the Yaolin forest. Although he rarely appeared in front of others, the ladies of aristocratic families would always look at him with love-struck faces whenever he showed up.

With his handsome appearance, the threshold of the Duke of Qi’s palace was almost leveled by the matchmakers with marriage offers, but no marriage was finalized even up until the young master losing his crown. Even more unimaginable, after this delay, he was actually chosen by the Astrology Tower Directorate to be wed to the dying Prince of Yong’an.

Although he was considered to have been personally chosen by heaven to be given in marriage as the Yong’an Wangfei, across all the dynasties, how could a man marry another man? Not to mention that Prince Yong’an was afflicted with a strange poison and might not be able to live for even a few days more.

One might fear for this eldest young master’s fate, as it seemed to approach its end.

The wedding matron sighed, her mind filled with many thoughts, but she quickly suppressed them again. An awkward and polite smile appeared on her makeup-covered face, and she greeted him: “Wangfei, are you ready?”

As she said this, she couldn’t help but look at Ye Yunting with surprise. She suddenly thought of something, rushed into the house to search, and found the fallen red veil. “Don’t forget the veil on this special day,” she muttered, tiptoeing to cover Ye Yunting with the red veil.

Ye Yunting stepped backwards to avoid it, raised his hand to hold her wrist, and said in a gentle but firm tone: “I am a man. I don’t need to wear a veil.”

The wedding matron hesitated: “But according to the rules…”

Ye Yunting smiled slightly: “Rules are dead, but people are alive.” He paused, and then pointed out: “You are just going through the motions with me today, so why delay the main event for such a trivial matter?”

The wedding matron looked at him and thought that the temperament of this young master differed from what she had imagined. She had been afraid that Ye Yunting would cause trouble on the way to ceremony; now, however, she saw that although he refused the veil, he nevertheless cooperated with other matters. So she didn’t dare insist too hard, took the veil away, and said with a smile: “Then it shall be as Wangfei says.”

With that, she turned and said to the wedding party: “Make way——”

At that moment, the sound of joyful music started, and the clamor of gongs and drums filled the air.

Ye Yunting was dressed in a bright red wedding dress and walked out of the house, escorted by Ji Lian and the wedding matron on his left and right.

When he stepped through the courtyard gate, he looked back at the courtyard, which still seemed indescribably desolate despite the celebrations. His eyes surged with emotions, but quickly calmed down.

At the gate of the Duke’s Mansion, Duke Ye Zhili of Qi, his wife Yin Hongye, and their servants were waiting to see off their bride.

Although Ye Yunting was the Yong’an Wangfei who was personally conferred as such by the Holy Emperor, there was no precedent for a man to marry another man, and no one knew the various reasons behind this marriage better than Ye Zhili. What the Holy Emperor wanted to see was not the process, but the result. As long someone entered Yong’an Palace and became the Yong’an Wangfei, the process didn’t matter.

He simply didn’t bother with any superficial work.

Seeing Ye Yunting come out, Ye Zhili stepped forward with a complicated expression and said seriously: “Prince Yong’an is our great hero in Beizhao. You are here to celebrate your wedding to the Prince. You must be sincere and hold no resentment.”

Ye Yunting lowered his eyes and nodded: “Yes.”

Probably because of his too-obedient posture, Ye Zhili’s fatherly heart was suddenly stirred, and he couldn’t help stepping forward and patting him on the shoulder as he said in a low voice: “These past years, this father hadn’t done right by you… “

He seemed to be truly caught up in emotions as he spoke. He couldn’t help but hold Ye Yunting’s hand, and earnestly warned: “If…if anything happens in the future, the Duke of Qi’s Mansion will still be your home.”

However, everyone, including Ye Yunting himself, knew that with his departure, his life and that of Prince Yong’an’s would be tied together.

If Prince Yong’an died, so would he.

“Father is mistaken.” Ye Yunting’s eyes were calm as he looked at his father with neither sadness nor joy: “Today, I shall step out of this threshold, and whether I live or die in the future, it will no longer have anything to do with the Duke of Qi.”

He paused, drew his hand out to hang by his side, and said softly: “The grace of giving me life will be repaid today.”

The complex emotions on Ye Zhili’s face froze, and he looked at him in disbelief, his tall body shaking slightly.

Yin Hongye, who was standing quietly beside him, held his arm in vain, glanced at Ye Yunting with disdain, and sneered: “They say that a daughter who marries out throws water away. Our young master has not even married out yet, and he already can’t wait to throw it away.”

“It’s getting late. Let’s go.” As if he didn’t hear her mockery, Ye Yunting lifted up the hem of his clothes and got on the sedan by himself.

Yin Hongye’s face darkened, and she looked at Ye Zhili, who had a stiff expression. “Husband, look, you were worried all night last night, but he couldn’t even wait any longer.”

Ye Zhili looked at the sedan, his eyes flickered, and after a moment he waved his hand: “Let it be.”

Ye Yunting sat in the sedan chair, listening to the stagnant sound of gongs and drums outside, and closed his eyes tiredly.

The future was unpredictable; life and death were unknown.

But, as always, he had to try to find a way out.

*

After the wedding party left the Duke of Qi’s Mansion, they headed to the Prince of Yong’an’s Mansion.

According to Beizhao’s wedding customs, the procession to welcome the bride had to circle around Shangjing City to show its grandeur.

The more noble the family, the larger the procession to welcome the bride. The gongs and drums would start to clamor from before dawn. When the auspicious time arrived, the gongs and drums would be beaten and the lively procession around the city would begin. There would also be a special wedding matron in the party to distribute wedding money and candies to the people watching the ceremony. As long as the people watching the ceremony said an auspicious word, they could get a piece of wedding money or a few wedding candies.

Therefore, whenever someone from a high-ranking family married a woman, the long street of the capital city would always be crowded. Even if one didn’t get wedding money or candy, it was still good to share some happiness from a wealthy family.

But today’s marriage between Yong’an Prince’s Palace and the Duke of Qi’s Palace began quietly.

The sky was about to light up, and the vendors on both sides of the long street had just set up their stalls, sleepily preparing to start their days’ business, when they saw a wedding party passing through the main street. The sedan carried by eight people was obviously one used by wealthy families to marry off their daughters. The sounds of gongs and drums were also deafening, but there didn’t seem to be any joy at all. Everyone appeared solemn and in a hurry. It didn’t look like a happy event, but instead like a hot potato sitting on the sedan chair, rushing to get people to place.

Pedestrians passing by stopped and whispered to each other about which family the young lady was getting married to.

Someone who heard the news lowered his voice and explained to those who didn’t know: “What young lady? The person sitting in that sedan chair is the young master of the Duke of Qi’s palace, the one getting married to Prince Yong’an.”

Everyone was shocked when they heard this, and then suddenly realized.

No wonder.

It turned out to be the blessing for Prince Yon’gan.

Prince Yong’an had been the subject of poisoning and attempted assassination, and he has been seriously ill for over a month. It was impossible to cover up such a big matter. It had already spread to the streets and alleys. The current Holy Emperor and Prince Yon’gan were like brothers. It was said that the Holy Emperor, out of worry for Prince Yong’an’s condition, even went to Izumo Temple outside the city many times, to the body of a real dragon, to pray to the gods and Buddhas to bless Prince Yong’an through this calamity.

Later, the Astrology Tower Directorate watched the stars at night and said that with Prince Yong’an’s main star growing dim, he needed a noble person with a destiny that complemented his to help him survive this crisis safely.

So the Holy Emperor ordered for a person to be chosen from thousands of people, and finally found a noble man who matched the destiny of Prince Yong’an.

That person was the eldest son of the Duke of Qi.

It could be said that in the capital, ordinary young masters from aristocratic families such as this eldest young master would either have a career as an official and stand out, or run amok. In short, whether for good or ill, they would always be visible to others. But this young master rarely appeared in public, seemingly more noble than a charming young lady raised in a boudoir. The few times he appeared, however, he was rumored to be blessed by the heavens due to his outstanding beauty. He attracted many young ladies who even sent matchmakers to discuss marriage.

Today was rare event for the said immortal to appear. People on the roadside stretched their necks to look at the sedan chair, hoping to catch a glimpse of his true appearance. It was a pity that the sedan curtain was so thick that not even a glimpse could be seen.

The people who were watching couldn’t see anyone, shook their heads in defeat, sighed for a while, and then dispersed.

At this time, Ye Yunting, who was sitting in the sedan chair, had reached Yong’an Palace.

This marriage started out ridiculously, and even the process was extremely perfunctory.

Because of the Prince Yong’an’s poisoning, the Holy Emperor was furious and severely punished the servants who had served Prince Yong’an. Now the servants of the palace were dead and scattered. The only servants left remained exceedingly nervous, barely daring to walk on tiptoes.

As a result, when Ye Yunting arrived, he was greeted by an empty palace without even single breathing person.

The wedding matron, who came in with him, probably didn’t expect that such a big palace would be so empty. She looked around awkwardly and then dryly said: “Wangfei, please wait a moment. Perhaps the people from the palace haven’t realized that we are here. I’ll have someone pass it on again.”

Ye Yunting was not surprised. After all, he had already experienced this scene in his previous life and already knew what would happen.

He stood calmly where he was and said, “Just wait.”

In the last life, the Emperor had sent Cui Xi, the chief steward of the inner court, to preside over the wedding. This time, it should be him too.

Cui Xi was the emperor’s confidant. He was in charge of the entire internal affairs department and had great authority. Even the first-rank officials in the court respectfully referred to him as “Cui Changshi⁴” whenever they saw him. He was only just here to go through the motions, so his late arrival was not surprising.

They waited there for a tea-time for Cui Xi’s late arrival with his party.

The wedding matron hurriedly greeted him with a smile: “Cui Changshi.”

Cui Xi glanced at her, raised his chin slightly, and the little eunuch who followed behind him took out a bulging and heavy purse and handed it to the wedding matron’s hand: “Thank you for your help today. Leave the rest to us.”

The wedding matron quickly understood what he meant, weighed the purse, put it in her sleeves, and left with a smile on her face.

With a dull sound, the open door of the palace was closed again.

Ye Yunting was flanked by Ji Lian, and the master and servant faced Cui Xi and his party.

He calmly turned to Cui Xi and said, “Cui Changshi, will the wedding ceremony continue as usual?”

Cui Xi looked at him for a moment and said with a smile: “The young master is a smart man, so we don’t have to waste time. I will take you to the main courtyard now.”

After speaking, he raised his hand and made a “please” gesture, indicating that Ye Yunting should go first. He looked very polite and courteous.

Even though he had already experienced this once, Ye Yunting was still very surprised.

Cui Xi was famous for his sinister methods. His beautiful face and gloomy expression always reminded people of a colorful snake. He was known to have a gloomy and unstable temperament, and even when facing important court officials, it was difficult to get a good look on his face.

But Cui Xi’s attitude towards him in both lives could be described as kind.

Ye Yunting hid the doubts in his eyes and followed him to the main courtyard.

There were not many servants waiting in the main courtyard. There were only two maids guarding the entrance of the courtyard. When they saw a group of people coming, they stood up and saluted in a hurry.

Cui Xi ignored them, turned to Ye Yunting and said, “I will be taking the young master up to here. You will have to walk the rest of the way by yourself.”

“Thank you, Cui Changshi.” Ye Yunting nodded slightly, and after saying his thanks, turned around and unhesitatingly walked towards the main room where Prince Yong’an was staying.

Cui Xi looked at his back, his upturned eyebrows pressing downwards, and suddenly said: “Young Master, although destiny cannot be disobeyed, as long as one is alive, there is still a chance.”

Ye Yunting paused and turned to look at him: “Thank you, Cui Changshi, for saying this. I understand.”

Cui Xi smiled: “The young master is a sensible person.”

After saying so, he bowed his hands and turned to leave.

The doubts in Ye Yunting’s eyes deepened, but after searching through his memory, he couldn’t remember any connection between himself and Cui Xi that warranted such advice. So he simply stopped thinking about this, opened the door and entered the main room.

The maidservant behind him followed closely and closed the door.

As soon as the door was closed, the light in the room dimmed. Ye Yunting casually scanned the room and kept walking towards the inner room. Ji Lian wrinkled his nose, sneezed, and asked strangely: “Why is it so smelly? What is this smell? And it’s so dark in this room, why aren’t the lights lit?”

It always felt that from the moment he entered the royal residence, there was strangeness everywhere.

Ji Lian felt guilty and could only follow Ye Yunting step by step. However, he didn’t pay attention to his feet and, with a crunching sound, suddenly kicked something, startling him. “What is it?!”

Ye Yunting glanced at it in the dim light and said, “It’s okay, it’s just a broken bowl.”

Ji Lian felt even more strange. He picked up the broken bowl and put it on the table. He muttered in a low voice, “Why doesn’t this Prince’s bedroom even have a sweeper?”

Ye Yunting shook his head and said: “There is no one else here except you and me. Who are you going to show it to after doing superficial work?”

Ji Lian stared blankly, half understanding.

“That’s all, just wait outside.” Seeing this, Ye Yunting didn’t explain much, and only asked him to wait outside as he went into the inner room alone.

In the inner room, the light became dimmer and dimmer, and the unpleasant smell became more and more intense.

Ye Yunting groped for a candle to light, and carefully approached the center of the bed with a weakly-lit candlestick.

The curtains on the bed were half rolled-up and half hanging down haphazardly. Large and small black stains covered the purple-red and gold-woven curtains, looking like traces left behind when soup-spills were not cleaned up on time. Half of the unpleasant smell in the room emanated from inside this curtain.

Ye Yunting placed the candlestick on the bedside, frowned and raised the hanging curtains. Only then did he clearly see the figure lying on the bed.

The rumored arrogant and indifferent God of War of Beizhao was lying in the dirty bedding, breathing very weakly. His long black hair was scattered haphazardly around his body like withered grass, his face was sallow, his cheeks were deeply sunken, he had lost his shape and was thin. His thin lips were dark and dry, and in addition to his increasingly thin and sharp silhouette, there was no trace of the former War God.

——————-

===Translator’s Notes===

Wow that was fun!

First of all, the title itself: “wedding celebration” is the closest approximation I figured I could get to “冲喜”, albeit it doesn’t convey the “to save yourself” purpose/aspect of the wedding.

Some research notes from the best of my abilities:

1. 书童, which according to here refers to an attendant who specifically serves a scholar. Translated as “servant” for ease. ↩︎
2. 喜婆 Xǐ Pó: According to here, “before the wedding, a 喜婆/“good luck woman” who has a nice family will arrange the bridal bed and scatter symbolic fruits on the bed. Nobody is allowed to touch the bed until the couple enters the bridal chamber after the wedding ceremony, except children who are invited onto the bed to bless the couple with fertility” ↩︎
3. From the Book of Jin, Biography of Wang Gong 《晉書·王恭傳》; denotes a soft and graceful appearance ↩︎
4. 常侍 Chángshì: According to here, “This position was established in the Qin Dynasty. The post was originally filled by either a scholar official or a eunuch. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the post was exclusively held by eunuchs. They were entrusted with the task of delivering imperial edicts, and the handling of documents. By the end of the Han Dynasty, eunuchs were no longer used for this position. From that point forward, the post was held by scholar officials.” ↩︎

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