Chapter 48: The Bridal Chamber

Mrs. Cheng had been busy with all the preparations for the grand wedding lately, leaving Su Yunqing only a bamboo whip and a single instruction.

“This is the whip his father used to discipline him. As the elder sister-in-law, like a mother, you must treat him as a junior and discipline him firmly. If he shows any disrespect to his teachers or disregards his elder sister-in-law, do not hold back.”

Su Yunqing held the bamboo whip, polished smooth by countless strikes, and studied each joint along its length, imagining how painful it must have been to be struck with it.

Her grandfather still cared for her. Apart from fetching water, he had only ever used a ruler to tap her palm.

She placed the divine whip down on the table. Cheng Cong felt as if his soul had left his body six out of seven parts. He glared at Su Yunqing, furious but unable to speak, even biting his gums until they bled. Yet, he could only grit his teeth and continue to obey orders.

Outside, Zhu Hua knocked on the door. “Miss, there’s a letter for you.”

Su Yunqing opened the door and was overwhelmed with joy.

It was a letter from Chongluan, clearly written by her mother’s own hand.

“This is wonderful; mother says all is well, and not to worry...”

That night, Su Yunqing read the letter over and over. Now, such a precious family letter could only come from her mother.

Clutching the letter to her chest, she fell into a quiet sleep.

Because Cheng Ji was paralyzed and unable to perform all the rites of the wedding himself, Mrs. Cheng had been fretting over the matter these past days.

She summoned several relatives to discuss the issue.

None had experience with such a situation, nor had they ever heard of a wedding proceeding when the groom was alive but unable to perform the rituals.

Everyone racked their brains and offered suggestions.

Finally, a plan was agreed upon: ten-year-old Cheng Cong would stand in for his elder brother to perform the wedding rites.

“Why? Why...?” was Cheng Cong’s weak and futile protest.

Mrs. Cheng glared at him. “Because you are your elder brother’s younger brother. This will be the only thing you’ve done in your life to prove you are useful.”

Cheng Cong lowered his head, pouting, feeling wronged and no longer speaking.

Even he understood that given his elder brother’s condition, this was the best solution. Having him perform the wedding rites was helping his brother, not anyone else.

But just the thought that he would be marrying Su Yunqing made him grit his teeth in anger.

These days, she constantly threatened him with the bamboo whip, keeping him tightly reined in, so much so that he dared not resist.

He didn’t know how she had bribed the fierce wolf, but now the wolf obeyed her completely, no longer following his commands, instead siding with Su Yunqing to oppose him.

She was not only deeply trusted by his mother and repeatedly instructed by his elder brother to obey her, now even the dog was on her side.

Was she a demon sent from heaven specifically to torment him?

---

Discontent, utterly discontent! The more he thought about it, the more dissatisfied he became.

Anger making his hands unsteady, his already ugly handwriting was smudged with blotches of ink.

The tip of the bamboo whip appeared before his eyes.

“This, this, this, and this... rewrite each ten times, quickly.”

Cheng Cong looked up and glared at Su Yunqing, who stood several feet away gripping the bamboo whip tightly. His hands clenched, crumpling the paper beneath them.

“Oh no, all of it ten times over.”

Cheng Cong: “Aaaahhhh...”

“Awwoooo, awwoooo...” the fierce wolf growled fiercely at him by the table.

On the wedding day, many dignitaries and prominent families from Cenzhou had gathered, including the prefect and his family.

Everyone assumed the Cheng family had married a young lady from a northern scholarly household, unaware of her true identity.

Only Lord Cheng, Cheng Ji, and Mrs. Cheng knew she was Su Yuan’s granddaughter.

Su Yunqing, dressed in her wedding gown, gazed through the red veil at the crimson world before her and the crowd of esteemed guests.

Undoubtedly, the chief guests were Prefect Tian Youguang and his wife, as well as her mother-in-law, Grand Madam Hua.

Grand Madam Hua was the elder sister of Zhang Huaidan’s wife—the imperial uncle of the current dynasty. Through this connection, the incompetent Zhang Huaidan held his position firmly, wielding power in Cenzhou like a god, overshadowing all.

He was the one who repeatedly allowed the Japanese invaders to escape, who came demanding levies, and who orchestrated the siege of Longyin Mountain.

Tian Youguang was young but potbellied, his oily face pressed into a smile so narrow it was barely visible beneath the folds of his flesh.

Grand Madam Hua’s kind eyes and noble bearing, clad in splendid attire and well preserved, made her look no older than thirty despite being in her fifties, drawing admiration and compliments from all guests.

These two were the closest people to Imperial Uncle Zhang that Su Yunqing could currently approach. Quietly, through her veil, she memorized their faces firmly.

“One kowtow to Heaven and Earth!”

“Two kowtows to the elders!”

...

The clamor outside and the noisy crowd inside filled her ears, but Su Yunqing’s heart remained calm.

After today, she could engage with these people in her capacity as the Cheng family’s Grand Madam.

Throughout the ceremony, Cheng Cong cooperated well. After all, many respected figures were present, and Mrs. Cheng had already warned him that no matter how mischievous he was, he must not disgrace the Cheng family at such a moment.

“Lead the bride to the bridal chamber...”

---

Amidst the cheers and applause, Su Yunqing was escorted towards the bridal chamber.

The entire Jade Pavilion was awash in red; even two cranes were adorned with red silk ribbons.

The maid opened the door, and the matchmaker guided Su Yunqing inside.

“Hey, Third Master, this is no longer your business!” came a woman’s voice from behind.

Cheng Cong had tried to follow but was stopped by a matron, provoking laughter from the crowd. Cheng Cong’s face flushed crimson.

With so many eyes watching, he dared not throw a tantrum and storm off. But what else could he do? They had only taught him to perform the wedding rites, forgetting to tell him where to go afterward.

Finally, a matron told him, “Third Master, you may leave now. You can’t replace your elder brother in the bridal chamber!”

Laughter rang in his ears again. Cheng Cong was utterly humiliated, his cheeks burning hotter by the second. He turned and sprinted away...

The matchmaker helped Su Yunqing inside. Though Cheng Ji could not rise, he was dressed in wedding attire. The entire room was decorated in joyous red as far as the eye could see.

After Su Yunqing sat down, she lifted her veil herself. The matchmaker whispered some instructions in her ear, handed her a brocade box, and then withdrew.

Su Yunqing froze where she sat, clutching the box, sensing that its contents would not be something good.

“Third Sister...”

Su Yunqing turned. “Elder brother?”

Cheng Ji smiled gently at her. “Tired, aren’t you? There’s food on the table. I asked Mujin to prepare it. Go eat and fill your stomach first.”

At his words, her stomach growled, reminding her that she had barely eaten since morning.

“Thank you, elder brother!”

Watching her eat contentedly at the table, Cheng Ji’s smiling lips slowly drooped as he stared blankly at the canopy above.

Su Yunqing set down her chopsticks, wiped her mouth, and stood to walk over to Cheng Ji.

She quietly sat on the embroidered stool beside the bed, and a long silence settled over the room.

“Third Sister,” Cheng Ji spoke.

“Hmm?”

“When I went to Zejiang to formally propose, why did you avoid me and refuse to see me?”

“I...” Su Yunqing was at a loss for words.

Cheng Ji smiled again, a warm, tender smile with slightly reddened eyes. “I wasn’t like this back then.”