The Valley Master was an experienced man. He knew that this custom of the bride and groom not being able to see each other, was not just practiced in the Cloud Water Nation, but everywhere else as well. However, despite the tradition, when he was getting married in the past, he still attempted to peek at her before the ceremony just to see the face of his one true love.
If Pei Wuchen was really in love with Feng Wan"er, he wouldn"t allow the customs to stop him from sneaking a peak at her. Not to mention the fact that Feng Wan"er chose a courtyard far away from the palace just so that he wouldn"t be caught if he came over to meet with her.
Is he really just following the customs? Does he really love my daughter? If he doesn"t and I still allow the both of them to get married, won"t I be throwing my daughter into a pit of fire?! The feeling of unease grew in the Valley Master"s heart.
“Fetch Wan"er here, I have something to ask her.” The Valley Master ordered. He felt that it was his duty to give his daughter a word of warning as he didn"t want his daughter to suffer a loss by marrying Pei Wuchen. If his daughter wanted to change her mind after hearing what he had to say, he told himself that no matter how many people tried to stop them, he would kill his way out of the Cloud Water Nation.
“Father, you called for me?” Feng Wan"er appeared before him with a confused expression on his face. Why does my father want to speak to me? I didn"t do anything wrong did I? Feng Wan"er asked herself.
The Valley Master was surprised by her quick arrival and he sighed, “Wan"er, there is something I want to ask you.”
He paused, as if in deep thought, before continuing, “I know that you truly love Pei Wuchen, but are you certain that he really loves you with all his heart?”
Feng Wan"er was taken aback. She realized that she didn"t know him well enough to understand his thought process. She knew that he had always treated her better than other girls, but she could never tell his true thoughts.
Feng Wan"er hesitated for a moment but she nodded her head in the end. Even if he didn"t love me at the start, given the status of my family and my looks, he would definitely have fallen for me!
“Father, do you have so little confidence in me? You don"t need to worry about our feelings! Pei Wuchen and I grew up together and we have feelings for each other!”
Feng Wan"er spoke with confidence, however, deep down in her heart, a seed of doubt had been planted. She could lie to others, but she couldn"t lie to herself.
The wedding carried on as planned. On the day of the wedding, to show how much he valued his relations with the Phoenix King Valley, the old emperor covered the capital with red silk and even granted amnesty to all the prisoners. Even the sedan that was carrying Feng Wan"er was decorated to the nines.
It had been a long time since the capital of the Cloud Water Nation bustled with such festivities. A celebratory mood filled the air and people from all over the capital gathered around to partake in the joyful event.
Feng Wan"er was feeling as happy as a lark while she sat in her sedan. From the moment she laid her eyes onto Pei Wuchen, she had fully devoted herself to him. Marrying him was everything she wanted.
Pei Wuchen was riding on his steed at the front of the procession, with an entourage of bridesmaids handing out red packets and scattering flower petals.
Although he was partic.i.p.ating in his own wedding ceremony, Pei Wuchen felt as if he was a reanimated carca.s.s, aimlessly being controlled like a puppet to complete the ceremony.
Pei Rumo was observing Pei Wuchen from the sidelines. He couldn"t help but feel a sense of pity as he realized that Pei Wuchen wasn"t truly in love with Feng Wan"er. The only thing Pei Wuchen loved was the feeling of being sought after by many women.
It was ironic that everyone else was feeling happy and in a mood of celebration, with the exception of the groom himself. Pei Rumo eventually threw the thought to the back of his mind and he set off to make preparations for his own wedding ceremony.
Pei Wuchen didn"t even know what temple he was carrying out his wedding ceremony in! He felt as if he was a puppet on a string, bowing three times and carrying out his ceremonial duties. The next thing he remembered was the exchanging of gifts in the bridal chamber and being pulled off to drink afterwards. He had no idea how much he drank, or what he was even drinking.
After a night of drinking, he stumbled back into the bridal chamber. The only thing he knew about the other person in the bridal chamber was that she cared about him.
“How are you feeling Wuchen? Those people are unbelievable! How can they make you drink so much on your wedding day?”
Feng Wan"er complained as she asked the maid to fetch her some water for her to help Pei Wuchen freshen up.
“Who are you? Are you my wife?” Pei Wuchen mumbled. He had mistaken Feng Wan"er for Bai Luochu.
Luckily, Feng Wan"er did not think that he was referring to anyone else.
She thought that he was referring to her before they got married and she replied in haste, “What are you talking about? Of course I"m your wife now!”
Feng Wan"er smiled with a hint of embarra.s.sment and blushed like a teenage girl.
Pei Wuchen blinked his eyes, as if trying to get a better look at her. It was too bad that he failed to clear his mind as he rolled over and fell asleep. As he slept, he chuckled to himself, as if he was dreaming about something pleasant.
Feng Wan"er sighed as she realised that she was not able to consummate her marriage that night. Lying down beside him, she eventually managed to coax herself to sleep.
...
“Pa.s.s me the dowry list, I want to have a look.” Pei Rumo was back in his old residence and he was preparing to go through Bai Luochu"s dowry. Even though he was marrying a dead woman, he still had to follow the customs.
He could take care of her annoying relatives at the same time...