Chapter 108

Chapter 108

Wang Deqi let out a sigh of relief and said, "A tailor will come later to take your measurements for the wedding attire. Before that, there are a few rules you must listen to carefully. Do not break a single one, or I will have Master Wang drive you out and choose another suitable groom for our young lady."

This was serious.

Tang Liu touched his exposed eyelids, wondering who this Wang Deqi was and what status he held in the Wang family to be able to persuade Master Wang to intervene in Miss Wang's marriage.

However, now was not the best time to inquire about these matters. He would surely find out over the next three days.

"Go ahead," he replied.

"First, wash your face and hands at dawn and dusk every day. Wash your hands before meals and rinse your mouth after. Use chopsticks to pick up food, chew slowly, and do not make a mess on the table."

"Second, do not wear dirty clothes to bed, do not sleep with your shoes on, and do not put your tattered belongings on the bed."

"Third, do not carry that broken bowl of yours around the mansion all day, begging."

"Fourth, do not go around with disheveled hair or untidy attire."

"Fifth, do not show disrespect in words or actions toward Master Wang or the young lady."

"Sixth, do not indulge in alcohol or behave improperly."

"Seventh... I haven't thought of it yet. I'll tell you when I do."

Tang Liu felt dizzy listening to all this. Wang Deqi continued, "In short, none of the bad habits you developed as a beggar are allowed here."

"Understood," Tang Liu replied weakly. "Please find me something to cover my eyes first."

After that, Tang Liu entered a state of full preparation for the wedding ceremony. The Wang family seemed to attach great importance to this marriage, meticulously following all six traditional rites—from the divination for auspiciousness to the selection of the wedding date. However, since Tang Liu was marrying into the family and was penniless, everything was arranged and paid for solely by the Wang family.

During this time, Master Yuansong personally brought over the marriage horoscope and asked Tang Liu to sign it. But Tang Liu was illiterate, so they settled for a fingerprint instead. For some reason, the fingerprint had to be made with blood from a pricked fingertip to be considered valid.

The wedding attire was delivered on the final day. It even thoughtfully included a special red eye veil for the occasion. Tang Liu felt it with his hands, sensing intricate patterns, fine stitching, and smooth satin fabric. Even without seeing it, he knew it was of superior quality.

With Wang Deqi's help, he put it on, adjusted the waistband, and asked, "Does it fit?"

"..."

"De Qi?"

"...It... it fits," Wang Deqi's voice stammered inexplicably. "It looks quite good."

To be fair, over these three days, Tang Liu had eaten well and lived comfortably. After each wash, he applied a high-quality skin cream made from pearls, goose fat, lush herbs, peach kernels, and other ingredients all over his body. His face and figure had filled out slightly, no longer as gaunt as a stick. His skin was rosy and glowing. Wearing the bright red eye veil and the matching wedding attire embroidered with gold and silver threads, he looked quite dashing.

But...

But this looked exactly like a bride's wedding dress!

And the patterns on the dress seemed oddly off. He had attended a few wedding banquets before, where the wedding attire typically featured auspicious motifs like dragons and phoenixes or twin lotus flowers. But Tang Liu's outfit was embroidered with five bats surrounding a peony, and the layered robes and skirts formed a "five-collar, three-waist" style—clearly the patterns and style of burial garments.

"I feel like this outfit is a bit too long," Tang Liu said, kicking the hem. "Look, it's dragging on the ground."

Wang Deqi was already seething with anger, thinking about which tailor and embroiderer dared to mock his young lady's wedding. He would definitely have to teach them a lesson. Suppressing his rage, he replied, "I think it's a bit long too. Take it off first, and I'll have someone alter it." With that, he stormed out angrily.

Tang Liu called after him, but hearing that Wang Deqi had already left, he had no choice but to take off the wedding attire and change back into his robe.

He sat down, poured himself some water, and suddenly a blue-glowing object flashed through his mind. Startled, he touched the back of his head, which was still bandaged, and tried to focus on the plank-like thing. But in the next moment, his focus slipped, and the object vanished again. He tried to recall it but couldn't grasp any clear memory.

Had he really damaged his head from the fall?

He shook his head. Forget it, no use thinking about it—it just made his head hurt.

Meanwhile, after finding out which tailor and embroiderer in the county had made the wedding attire, Wang Deqi rushed straight to their homes. But he was met with closed doors at both places. Upon asking around, he learned that the tailor had died suddenly the previous night, and the embroiderers from the Sun Workshop had moved away from Tushui County overnight, with no one knowing which direction they had gone.

Wang Deqi's anger instantly froze in his heart. This felt like a bad omen. He hurried back to the Wang residence to find the steward.

"Father, Tang Liu's wedding attire was made wrong!"

Steward Wang was directing servants to move boxes of items outside. Hearing this, he glanced sidelong at Wang Deqi. "Impossible. I personally inspected every item for tomorrow's wedding ceremony, let alone something as important as the wedding attire."

"But..." Wang Deqi flushed red, looked around, and seeing the servants busy moving boxes, leaned closer to Steward Wang and lowered his voice. "But it looks like a bride's dress to me, and it has funeral patterns—it's inauspicious! And Father, do you know? I just went to find Tailor Feng in the west of the city and found out he's dead! The Sun Workshop is also empty. Don't you think this is strange?"

Steward Wang looked at Wang Deqi with some surprise. After a moment, he said, "You even understand clothing patterns?"

"A few years ago, when Old Master Gao from Chizhuang passed away, he was wearing clothes with five-bat patterns. Don't you remember, Father? We went to pay our respects back then."

Steward Wang paused for a while, then stroked his short beard. "It's commendable that you care, but you only know part of the story."

"What part?"

Steward Wang explained, "It's true that Old Master Gao used five-bat patterns, but his were five bats surrounding the character for 'longevity.' Tang Liu's wedding attire is embroidered with five bats surrounding a peony. You were young at the time and couldn't tell the difference, so you confused the two. Moreover, Tang Liu's wedding attire was carefully considered. He is marrying into the family for a 'fortunate match' to cure illness, so it was tailored as a bride's dress. The patterns chosen were the five bats, symbolizing health, and the peony, representing wealth and good fortune.

"As for the tailor and the embroidery workshop you mentioned, it's just a coincidence. Tailor Feng was highly skilled, but his health had been declining in recent years. So, we originally chose him but later switched to Tailor Li in the south of the city to make the wedding attire. You know the Sun Workshop's business has been booming these past few years. Those embroiderers have long wanted to move their shop to the commandery but lacked the funds. Now that they've completed this big order for Master Wang, they have enough money and have left."

This explanation left Wang Deqi feeling muddled, but it all sounded quite reasonable.

"Alright, stop overthinking. For this marriage, not just us, but even Master Wang and the Taoist master cannot afford the slightest negligence. Just focus on taking care of Tang Liu and don't worry about anything else. It's almost noon now. Go and have the meal served. Don't let Tang Liu go hungry."

"Oh..."

The next day, before dawn, Tang Liu was awakened from his bed, bathed, dressed, and had his hair combed and styled.

As Wang Deqi watched the maid pin back the stray hairs on Tang Liu's forehead, apply osmanthus oil, tie his hair into a high ponytail, secure it with a gold hairpin, and apply rouge to his pale lips, his eyes lit up.

With his hair disheveled before, it hadn't been obvious, but Tang Liu was actually quite good-looking. According to his birth chart, he was only seventeen this year, just two years older than himself. Now, dressed in red, with thick, cloud-like hair and the joy of the occasion, he looked every bit a handsome young man. In a few years, when he came of age, he would surely grow into a dignified gentleman.

What a pity he was born a beggar and lacked a wealthy fate.

Tang Liu, of course, had no idea about Wang Deqi's inner lament. He only felt uncomfortable with the sticky lip rouge. Since it had a faint honey fragrance, he couldn't help but lick his lips. As soon as his tongue tasted it, the maid scolded him sharply and reapplied the rouge.

Just then, a gong sounded outside. The maid immediately said, "The auspicious hour has arrived. It's time to go."

Even at this moment, Tang Liu still felt as if he were in a dream. Hearing this, he picked up the red silk to cover his eyes and reached for his bowl and staff, which he always carried with him.

Wang Deqi quickly stopped him. "Why bring these things on such a joyous day? I'll support you."

Tang Liu thought it made sense and allowed Wang Deqi to guide him out. Still uneasy, he instructed, "You must keep them safe for me. This bowl and staff are the tools I've used to survive for years. To me, they bring peace. Don't throw them away as trash."

"Alright, I know. Lift your foot, step over the threshold."

Wang Deqi helped Tang Liu out of the small courtyard and suddenly froze.

Outside the courtyard gate stood a bridal sedan chair, flanked by four bearers. In front and behind were drum and gong teams, totaling over twenty people.

"What's with the bridal sedan? Where are the horses?"

"What bridal sedan?" Tang Liu asked.

The maid who had just tied Tang Liu's hair said, "Mr. Tang is visually impaired, so we switched from a horse to a sedan chair. Let's go quickly, so as not to miss the auspicious hour."

Wang Deqi's sense of uneasiness rose again.

This was utterly outrageous. Even for a man marrying into the bride's family, there was no reason for the groom to ride in a sedan chair to fetch the bride. If others saw this, what would people think of Miss Wang? Wouldn't it just invite ridicule?

But then he remembered his father's instructions from the day before, and the question that had risen to his throat was swallowed back down. Besides, the maid was right—hitting the auspicious time was what mattered most.

He helped Tang Liu into the sedan chair and stood beside it himself. Just then, a gong sounded from the front, and someone shouted loudly, "Lift the sedan—"

Immediately, the blare of suonas erupted, gongs clashed and drums thundered, and the entire wedding procession set off, heading toward the main gate of the Wang residence.

For all the time they had spent, dawn still hadn't broken. Inside the mansion, the blaze of lanterns and candles had masked it, but outside, they realized it was still pitch black. The entire procession relied on eight footmen, each holding a lantern at the front, back, left, and right, to barely illuminate the path ahead.

Wang Deqi walked beside the sedan chair, a large bag of copper coins tucked in his robe—he had intended to scatter them along the way for good luck. But now, looking at the silent houses lining the long street, hidden in the darkness, he found he couldn't bring himself to scatter a single one.

"Where are we going?"

A maid walking alongside him replied, "To the house Master Wang gave Mr. Tang. The wedding will take place directly there."

"Don't we need to fetch Miss Wang first?"

The maid glanced at him. "She's already there. All that's missing is Mr. Tang."

They were passing through a crossroad alley. The footmen in front turned a corner, and the procession followed. A gust of night wind blew, causing the candle flames to flicker. The light swept across the maid's face, and Wang Deqi froze. All his attention had been on Tang Liu that he hadn't noticed this maid was unfamiliar.

"What's your name? I've never seen you in the mansion before."

"Yin Mei," the maid said, looking straight ahead. "It's normal you don't recognize me. I'm the daughter of Mrs. Wang's personal maid. I've been with Mrs. Wang since I was a child."

Wang Deqi suddenly understood and couldn't help but call out, "Sister Yin Mei."

Master Wang had countless concubines but only one official wife, who was also Miss Wang's birth mother. In the entire mansion, only she was qualified to be called "Madam." However, when Miss Wang was five years old, Mrs. Wang's temperament changed drastically. She stopped caring for her daughter, abandoned the family wealth, and from then on, devoted herself to prayer before the ancient Buddha's lamp, moving to a Taoist temple dozens of miles outside the county town. Several close maids and nannies went with her.

The Wang mansion was large, and among the servants, rank was important. It was only proper for him to address Yin Mei respectfully as "sister."

"When she heard of Miss Wang's illness, Madam was worried and sent me to check on her."

Inside the sedan chair, Tang Liu heard their conversation clearly. Being blind and seated inside the sedan, he had no idea what was happening outside. He only found it strange that the wedding procession's gongs and drums sounded unusually faint, and he couldn't hear the usual noise of a curious crowd. This didn't match the expected commotion of a grand wedding celebration.

Could it be that the Wang family found him too disgraceful and had chosen a less crowded route to quietly go through with the wedding?

Just as he grew suspicious, Wang Deqi outside the sedan began to tremble, his teeth chattering.

The sixteenth day of the third month was still early spring, the air still sharp with cold. The night was damp and heavy with dew. Wang Deqi felt the bone-chilling wind blowing against him, as if trying to freeze his bones.

The wedding procession moved further and further into remote areas, seemingly deliberately choosing streets and alleys with few households. Occasionally, people hearing the gongs and drums would open their doors to look, but upon seeing the procession, they would immediately retreat inside, shutting their doors and windows tightly, as if the wedding party were some kind of evil omen.

Wang Deqi looked around and suddenly noticed that the eight lanterns illuminating their way had somehow grown dim, now only lighting up a small area. Looking ahead, he could only see two flickering candle flames in the distance, while the footmen holding the lanterns and the musicians playing the suona and pipes were completely invisible. Looking back, the scene was the same.

Were it not for the music still playing, Wang Deqi would have thought they had run off halfway without him knowing.

His throat felt dry, and he asked in a trembling voice, "This path... doesn't seem right, does it?"

"Don't ask," Yin Mei's voice was also tense. "We're nearly there."

Just as Wang Deqi was about to reach his breaking point, the music that had been playing all along suddenly stopped. The entire procession halted, and the sedan chair was lowered to the ground. Wang Deqi looked up and saw a majestic mansion standing before him, with painted beams, upturned eaves, vermilion gates, and jade thresholds. However, all the paint on the eaves and walls was weathered and cracked, peeling in many places, as if it hadn't been repaired for decades.

The vermilion gates were wide open, and only Master Wang, Master Yuansong, and the steward stood before them. None of the three looked relaxed or joyful; instead, they appeared very serious.

Wang Deqi was still stunned when he heard Yin Mei whisper urgently, "Help Mr. Tang out."

By now, Wang Deqi was thoroughly spooked, but with Master Wang and the others waiting ahead, he didn't dare delay. Just as he was about to help Tang Liu, the sedan curtain was lifted from the inside.

Tang Liu bent down and stepped out of the sedan chair. Coincidentally, a cold gust of wind swept past, causing his black hair and robe to flutter, and the red silk band securing his hair to dance in the wind.

The wind lasted for a while before subsiding. Tang Liu took his stance steadily before the sedan. "Are we here?"

"Yes, it's the auspicious time," Yin Mei answered in a rush, as if realizing her urgency, she paused. She took a red silk ribbon tied with an embroidered ball in the middle from a wooden box she had been carrying and handed one end to Tang Liu. "Mr. Tang, this is the 'qian jin,' the leading ribbon. You must hold it tightly with both hands and not let go until the ceremony is complete. De Qi can't help you on the path ahead. Just follow the ribbon."

Tang Liu held the ribbon and waited. Soon, a pulling force came from the other end. He followed the force and walked steadily forward.

What he didn't know was that behind him, Wang Deqi stood frozen in place, his eyes wide as he stared at the other end of the ribbon.

It was clearly not his young mistress but a red-feathered rooster with a double comb and black legs!

The rooster was held in the hands of a young man, its neck tied with the ribbon. It neither crowed nor struggled, its two black bean-like eyes coldly staring ahead. The young man moved stiffly, fine beads of sweat on his forehead, holding the rooster as far away as possible, as if mortally afraid of it.

Tang Liu followed the rooster step by step up the stairs and into the decaying mansion before him.

Wang Deqi opened his mouth to speak but saw his father glaring fiercely at him from beside the vermilion gates. Then, his father followed Master Wang and Yuan Song inside. Beside him, Yin Mei said, "Hurry, follow them."

From the moment he saw the rooster, Wang Deqi's mind was reeling. Hearing this, he hesitated instead of moving forward. As if possessed, he turned to look at the wedding procession, which had fallen silent since the sedan stopped. To his horror, he realized all their faces were deathly pale, with unnaturally flushed cheeks, pitch-black eyes, and blood-red lips. Their expressions were vacant, utterly unlike living people. Terrified out of his wits, he cried out, "I'm not going in! What is this place? What's with that rooster? Where is Miss Wang?"

Yin Mei hissed in a low, sharp voice, "If you want Miss Wang to recover, don't ask anything. Follow me inside. The wedding cannot begin until everyone is present."

Wang Deqi's heart hammered against his ribs, but at the mention of Miss Wang, he steeled himself and followed Yin Mei. Before entering, he looked up at the plaque above the vermilion gates. The characters on it were completely blurred; it looked more like a rotting wooden board than a plaque.

The moment he stepped over the threshold, an eerie wind suddenly whipped up from within the mansion. Wang Deqi broke into a cold sweat, his legs trembling as he followed Yin Mei forward.

Inside the mansion, it was pitch black. Apart from a few red candles burning on the rooftops and along the pathways, everything else was as dark as spilled ink. The further they went, the stronger the smell of decay became.

By the time they reached the main hall, Wang Deqi was nearly exhausted. He shuffled to a corner, leaned against a pillar, and only then had the mind to observe his surroundings. In the center of the hall, Tang Liu stood facing the young man holding the rooster. Red silk ribbons hung high on the walls and pillars, adorned with numerous "double happiness" characters.

On the dais where the parents should sit were neither Master Wang nor Yuan Song, but a bronze basin with a fire burning inside.

Yuan Song threw a few items into the basin. Wang Deqi saw clearly—they were the betrothal documents and marriage contracts Tang Liu had signed and thumbprinted over the past few days.

Except for Tang Liu, who was completely unaware of everything, everyone in the hall held their breath after these items were thrown in. Even the young man holding the rooster glanced sideways at the bronze basin, as if it were something tied to everyone's lives.

Seeing this, Wang Deqi couldn't help but hold his breath. Then, without warning, the fire in the bronze basin went out.

"This..." Master Wang was startled, looking at Yuan Song with alarm and uncertainty.

Yuan Song raised a hand in a gesture for silence, his expression grave as he stared at the basin.

After a few moments, flames suddenly surged up, even more vigorous than before they had extinguished, quickly reducing the contents of the basin to ashes.

Master Wang let out a long sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his temple.

Yuan Song's expression relaxed. He flicked his horsetail whisk and stood beside Tang Liu, announcing, "First bow—"

Tang Liu bent at the waist upon hearing the command, and the young man bowed with the rooster.

"Second bow—"

"Third bow—"

"The ceremony is complete. Guests are invited to the feast—"

"The newlyweds enter the bridal chamber—"