Chapter 17
Entering the palace

Just after the hour of the tiger, Song Wan got up to prepare her makeup for entering the palace to meet the emperor.

“Your hair-styling skills are the best; there’s no need to put in so much effort.”

Song Wan got up and saw that Lv Zhu had stayed up all night, wrapping her hair with herbs. She couldn’t help but feel sorry for her.

Lv Zhu smiled and said, “It’s been too long since I last styled hair. My skills have become rusty. Fortunately, with the herbs, I managed to regain some of my touch.”

As she spoke, Lv Zhu used a jade spoon to scoop a drop of jasmine fragrance onto her palm, gently rubbing it until the scent spread. Then she lifted Song Wan’s hair and began to style it.

“I chose the ‘Morning Cloud Near Fragrance’ bun for you, Miss. Normally, you should wear the ‘Peony Head’ when entering the palace, but our dowry doesn’t have the appropriate headpieces to match that grandeur.”

“Although the old madam and madam sent a few sets, they are too luxurious and lack youthful vitality.”

Half-closing her eyes and feeling a bit drowsy, Song Wan said, “Good Lv Zhu, you decide.”

She knew Lv Zhu was in a difficult position.

The marquis’s household was now in financial trouble. Most of the jewelry and headpieces the old madam and Mother Jiang sent were part of their dowry. Although valuable, they were not new and didn’t suit her style. Moreover, she had married into the marquis’s household as a widow. Her dowry didn’t include jewelry, headpieces, or even colored fabrics.

When Jiang Xingjian returned to the capital, the Song family should have sent her a new dowry, but her father and brother went to the mountain villa with the emperor to escape the summer heat, so it was delayed.

“Miss, do you think this is okay?”

Lv Zhu gently called out to Song Wan. Song Wan looked at herself in the bronze mirror and felt a bit unfamiliar.

“After wearing a simple bun for six years, I feel a bit uncomfortable wearing hairpins and ornaments.”

The girl in the mirror, adorned with golden begonia flower hairpins and ruby pomegranate hairpins, looked stunningly beautiful. Her skin was as white as snow and smooth as jade. Even with just a slight touch of makeup, she outshone the peonies in the room.

Song Wan pursed her lips, her eyes curved into a slightly restrained smile.

“Miss, you are gorgeous.”

Heng Zhi and Heng Wu brought in the clothes and were momentarily stunned by Song Wan’s beauty after she had put on her makeup.

Song Wan chose a crimson dress embroidered with silver and green patterns. Since she was newly married, wearing red was quite fitting.

By the time she was fully dressed, the sky had begun to brighten.

Jiang Xingjian was waiting in the courtyard, also dressed in crimson. With Heng Zhi’s support, Song Wan walked gracefully towards him. Standing together, they looked like a perfect match made in heaven.

“Madam, please.”

Jiang Xingjian lifted the small green sedan chair in the courtyard, and after Song Wan bowed, she sat inside. Before lowering the curtain, she noticed the blush spreading from Jiang Xingjian’s ears to his neck.

Song Wan pursed her lips, a hint of shyness appearing on her face.

Four maids carried the sedan chair to the flower gate, where another empty sedan chair was prepared for the accompanying maids. After Heng Zhi and Heng Wu sat inside, the four maids stepped back, and eight well-groomed, agile young men came forward to carry the sedan chairs.

The sedan chair reached the corner gate of the marquis’s residence, where the maids held up a green silk curtain to create a screen. Only then did Heng Zhi and Heng Wu get off the sedan chair to help Song Wan onto the carriage.

Jiang Xingjian was already seated in the carriage and extended his hand to help Song Wan up.

Song Wan’s face turned slightly red as she gently placed her hand in his palm. The carriage was cramped, and with their elaborate attire, their knees inevitably touched.

Jiang Xingjian felt the weather was stiflingly hot, and soon, beads of sweat appeared on his face. He lifted a corner of the soft gauze to catch a breath of fresh air.

Song Wan’s eyelashes trembled, and her palms, resting on her knees, felt hot from nervousness.

Entering the palace involved many formalities, so they had been waiting at the gate since early morning. When the emperor’s decree finally arrived, Jiang Xingjian felt as if his inner clothes were soaked through.

As they got off the carriage, he reached out to help Song Wan. Their palms touched, the heat was scorching, and they quickly let go.

“Madam…” Jiang Xingjian’s throat tightened, and he coughed lightly to ease the awkwardness.

Song Wan was still in the carriage, not yet down. Heng Zhi wanted to step forward to assist, but Jiang Xingjian was quicker. He gently held Song Wan’s slender waist and half-carried her down from the carriage.

They had never been this close before. The girl’s fragrance mixed with the man’s cologne, creating a slightly intoxicating scent.

As soon as Song Wan landed, Jiang Xingjian immediately let go.

Heng Zhi looked up and saw that her lady and the first master seemed to have walked through a perfume chamber. Both of them were blushing from head to toe, and her lady’s earlobes looked like they were about to bleed.

Jiang Xingjian had not yet inherited the title and was still a commoner. The emperor summoned them to the palace mostly out of compassion for his subjects. After asking a few questions about the situation that day and bestowing some gold and silver jewelry as a token of comfort, he went on to handle state affairs.

So, Jiang Xingjian and Song Wan went to Consort Yun’s Changxin Palace first.

In Changxin Palace, as soon as Song Yunning saw Song Wan, she burst into tears.

“Greetings, Consort Yun…”

“Wan’er, get up quickly. Your aunt can’t bear to see you perform such a grand ceremony.” Consort Yun stepped down and embraced Song Wan, gently rubbing her back. She was seven years older than Song Wan and treated her like a daughter. Song Wan had been obedient and sensible since she was a child, and Consort Yun had kept her in her courtyard. But since Song Wan married into the marquis’s household, they hadn’t seen each other for six years.

Song Yunning held Song Wan tightly, her voice choked with emotion.

The aunt and niece warmly reminisced, with Jiang Xingjian accompanying them. It wasn’t until Song Yunning worried that tears would ruin Song Wan’s makeup that they stopped talking about sad things.

“Look at what your aunt has prepared for you.”

The servant beside Consort Yun announced, and soon, a dozen eunuchs entered in single file, carrying six or seven half-human-height boxes.

Song Yunning opened them one by one, revealing the jewelry, fabrics, and other items she had saved for Song Wan over the years.

“Whenever I saw these, I thought of saving them for you, thinking that even if they weren’t used, they would be good for the future…” She stopped mid-sentence, but Jiang Xingjian understood her meaning. These items were meant for Song Wan’s future burial.

“Now it’s all good, and your aunt’s efforts haven’t been in vain.”

Song Wan tried to decline, but Consort Yun was firm: “These are nothing. Your aunt has something truly good to give you both.”

Consort Yun said, “I specially requested this from Daoist Erhuan. When you return to the marquis’s residence, hang it in your room for good luck.”

Song Wan received a painting from the servant. Thinking it was a famous artist’s work, she opened it without any guard.

Jiang Xingjian stood beside her, helping to hold the scroll. When they saw the content of the painting, both blushed.

The painting depicted a pair of golden boy and jade girl, with the boy holding a red peach and the girl holding a lotus leaf. They leaned against each other, looking very charming. In terms of artistry, the characters were vividly depicted, making it a masterpiece worthy of being passed down through generations.

However, this painting…

Song Wan hurriedly closed the painting, forgetting that Jiang Xingjian was still holding the bottom of the scroll, almost tearing it.

Seeing this, Jiang Xingjian calmly held Song Wan’s hand, silently comforting her, and then carefully put away the painting of the Hehe Erxian.

The Hehe Erxian painting is essential for the bridal chamber, symbolizing harmony and joy, as well as continuous prosperity and many children.

Jiang Xingjian felt a tickle in his throat as he held the painting.