Baozi Xishi's Struggle

After saying this, Li waved her hand, turned away, secretly took a handkerchief to wipe away her tears, then turned around and tried hard to put on a smile.

Shen Yu looked at Li who was crying and laughing, and felt a little sad in his heart, but he didn't feel particularly reluctant.

What she was thinking was that she would be returning home in a few days, and after a few more days, she would follow Lu Lang back to Anping County to take up his post, and she would be able to meet Li and the others at any time.

Because Yucheng was young, Shen Yu was carried on the back of her cousin Yuanqing, and Yucheng escorted her to the bridal sedan.

Sitting in the sedan, Shen Yu felt that the sedan was shaking for a long time, making him dizzy and felt that he was about to faint in the sedan. Then, accompanied by festive music, he arrived in front of the Lu Mansion.

After scattering lucky beans and stepping on the saddle, Shen Yu was supported by Madam Quanfu, walked on the red carpet, and led into the room to rest for a while.

I finally got out of the sedan chair and stepped on solid ground. I came inside and sat on the bed. Only then did I feel better.

Just as he caught his breath, another group of people came rushing in, laughing and making noises. Shen Yu just followed the matchmaker's instructions and sat there steadily.

Everyone crowded at the door and yard of the bridal chamber, talking about the bride's makeup and the dowry in the yard with envy.

"I heard that a large portion of the bride's dowry was given by the ladies in the palace."

"Yes, yes, look at the one in the front. I heard that the pearl headpiece was given by the Empress Dowager."

"The bride is so capable that she was able to receive the Queen Mother's reward. In the whole capital, except for Princess Hele and Princess Changping, no other bride has ever received additional dowry from the Queen Mother."

"Hmph, there's nothing to be proud of. I'm just a little cook who can cook, the daughter of a small merchant. I'm just lucky that the food I cook suits the Queen Mother's taste."

"Cousin Wanying, you can't say that. As a woman, the bride is already very impressive."

"As women, you and I both learned to cook from our mothers, but how many of us can enter the palace and cook for the Queen Mother?"

Shen Yu sat there, and couldn't help but look up slightly and glance at the woman who was speaking.

The person standing there, who was called Cousin Wanying, was a pretty woman wearing an orange-red dress embroidered with floral patterns. She had a sarcastic smile on her face and was mumbling in a not-so-low voice.

A young woman of similar age, wearing a pine-colored dress with a butterfly pattern, pulled her clothes awkwardly, spoke well of Shen Yu, and tried to stop her from speaking further.

The woman called Wanying curled her lips in disdain and deliberately said loudly: "Even if I cooked for the Empress Dowager and she gave me a dowry gift, what's the big deal?"

"No matter how capable she is, she is just a cook and the daughter of a merchant. How can she compare with the family backgrounds of the other cousins?"

The relatives around couldn't help but talk quietly when they heard this. The two ladies who came with Shen Yu couldn't help but change color on their faces and felt a little uncomfortable.

When Shen Yu was preparing to marry Lu Lang, she had thought about the possibility of encountering such a situation. After all, in the eyes of the world, she was indeed just a merchant's daughter who had a much different family background than Lu Lang and who only knew how to cook.

Although this was true, she felt that as long as she could make a living with her own abilities, there was nothing shameful about being a cook.

So she didn't mind, just smiled slightly, and continued to sit there quietly, as if she didn't hear anyone's discussion.

Seeing that the discussions of the people around her changed from envy to contempt, Wanying couldn't help but smile happily.

The young girl next to her couldn't help but blush and looked at the bride with sympathy. She was sitting in the new bed curtains, with her head slightly lowered and motionless, seeming to be very embarrassed.

"Is the bride secretly crying?" The girl guessed silently. She turned her head away and quietly took two steps back, unable to bear to look at the bride again.

As the discussion became more and more outrageous, they suddenly heard a commotion and someone said, "Stop talking, the groom is coming."

Then the room suddenly became quiet, and Lu Lang, dressed as a groom, walked in briskly with a happy face.

He did not notice anything unusual in the room. He happily bowed to everyone, thanked them, separated from everyone, and went straight to the new bed curtains.

Shen Yu only felt a fiery red figure quickly appear in front of her. Before she could see clearly, a ball of red satin was stuffed into her hand.

Shen Yu stood up belatedly after being signaled by Madam Quanfu.

It was not until this moment that Shen Yu followed the red satin and through the veil that he vaguely saw the groom Lu Lang on the other end of the red satin. He was also dressed in bright red clothes, with a gold peony flower pinned on his headband and rouge on his cheeks. He looked like another doll in a New Year picture.

Shen Yu raised his head and looked at Lu Lang who was enveloped in red light, and couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Madam Quanfu, who was standing next to them, was feeling uncomfortable because of the gossips of everyone, and she only breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the groom coming.

At this moment, seeing that the bride laughed as soon as she saw Lu Lang, it was not in accordance with the etiquette of a wealthy family. He couldn't help but worry that the bride would be laughed at for her humble family background and lack of manners.

Sure enough, someone nearby whispered, "This bride is so frivolous. How can she smile at the groom in front of so many people?"

The others nodded quietly: "That's right, it's really uneducated, it's still not okay for a small family."

These people spoke in very low voices and were far away from Lu Lang. At this moment, Lu Lang's mind and eyes were full of Shen Yu in front of him, and he didn't hear what they were talking about.

But Madam Quanfu, who was standing closer to the others, heard it all.

Because this lady was a blessed person and had accompanied many brides, she suddenly thought and said, "The bride is smiling and will be happy together until old age. The groom is happy and will live a happy life."

As soon as the auspicious words came out, Lu Lang was naturally smiling, and he bowed to the people in the room and said, "Congratulations, congratulations."

This caused everyone in the room to burst into laughter. In front of Lu Lang, they all started to join in the fun by saying auspicious words and asking for wedding money, as if the previous discussion had never been said.

When Wanying saw this, she stamped her feet in anger, turned around and walked out.

Liu Shun and Qi Xi carried a large basket and each stuffed a handful of shiny new copper coins into the basket. Everyone then made way for Lu Lang with a giggle, allowing him to leave the bridal chamber with a red satin tied with a heart-shaped knot, and walk along the red carpet to the hall to get married.

In the hall, the elders of the Lu family and close relatives of the clan had already been waiting there for the arrival of the newlyweds.

The two blessed ladies led the couple to stand in the middle of the hall. The bridesmaids, draped in red silk, sang the ceremony loudly, leading the couple to bow to heaven and earth, and then to their parents. When the couple had bowed to each other, they were about to sing, "The ceremony is over. Send them to the bridal chamber."

But suddenly, a loud voice was heard outside the door: "The imperial edict has arrived."