Chapter 2, The Confused Wedding

It is unclear whether everyone is dissatisfied with Zhou Xuan's confession or what the reason is, as the entire courtyard is silent, with not even a single person applauding

The wedding ceremony has begun, but the bride is holding a fan that obscures her face, preventing the groom, Xuan, from seeing her. Guests can be heard saying, "This must be the moment for the fan poetry to be recited"

A little girl, smiling brightly, handed him a folding fan made of nine ribs. Zhou Xuan opened it with a flick, vigorously fanning himself; the damned weather was too hot, and he was wearing such a long gown. Is this something to wear in summer? It even has a lining.

Those women did not manage to hit anyone; instead, they blamed Zhou Xuan for not understanding the rules, claiming that the new son-in-law was too barbaric

Doctor Qin's face flushed slightly as he said, "My daughter, Qin Que."

Not knowing what evening it is tonight, I urge the balcony to approach the mirror stand. Who says the hibiscus is planted in the water? A branch blooms within the bronze mirror.

Turning a corner, a group of people rushed towards him, surrounding the horse-drawn carriage. Zhou Xuan saw his servant Lai Fu among them, who roughly draped a bright red round-collared long gown over him, placed a black gauze hat on his head, and adorned him with red and gold decorations. Several people, in a flurry of activity, hoisted Zhou Xuan onto a chestnut-colored horse, and immediately began to play music and beat drums, escorting Zhou Xuan through the streets.

The courtyard is filled with laughter and joy.

Zhou Xuan glanced at the small script on the note, relieved that there were no obscure characters, all of which he recognized. He immediately elongated his voice and read aloud:

Zhou Xuan heard a female guest whispering, "There should also be a saddle placed here; the bride crossing over the saddle signifies safety and peace."

Zhou Xuan declared: "Everyone, rest assured, I, Zhou Xuan, am naturally compassionate and will not bully—uh, esteemed father-in-law, I still do not know my wife's given name."

I, Zhou Xuan, hereby assure everyone that I will not bully Qin Que, provided that she does not bully me first

Doctor Qin came over and handed Zhou Xuan a note: "Son-in-law, read this aloud; it is the wedding poem."

Before Zhou Xuan could take a closer look, two maids came over to assist the bride onto the carriage, the very one Zhou Xuan had just occupied. At this moment, it had been slightly modified, with a large red flower adorning the horse's head that was pulling the carriage, and the top of the carriage was decorated with festive tassels, after which they noisily exited the courtyard

Zhou Xuan was still riding on the horse, being pushed by the group from www.hetushu.com, following alongside the bride's carriage, claiming that they had picked up the bride and were now heading back to the groom's home

Yet no one came up to fight

Zhou Xuan nodded and said, "Alright then, when in Rome, do as the Romans do, let’s fight." Zhou Xuan crossed his arms and glanced sideways at the women in the courtyard.

Zhou Xuan exclaimed: "Where are we going? I have no home; my home is not here—"

Zhou Xuan was about to argue when Doctor Qin squeezed over and said: "Esteemed son-in-law, you may not be aware since you have just returned from overseas, but during the wedding ceremony, the female guests from the bride's side are supposed to hit the groom with sticks. This is meant to subdue the groom's arrogance, so that he does not bully the bride in the future"

Roughly estimating, the bride's height is about 1.65 meters. The splendid floral hairpin and the wedding embroidered gown are grand and luxurious, making it impossible to discern whether her figure is slender or plump. However, looking at the hand resting on the shoulder of the maid, the fingers are long and delicate, the skin is fair, and the nails are painted with red lacquer, suggesting that this is the hand of a beauty raised in seclusion.

All the guests in the hall fell silent to listen to the groom recite poetry

Another female guest said: "If the website https://www.hetushu.com is indeed fake, then why take it so seriously"

"The son-in-law need not be afraid; this is merely a formality. These sticks are all wrapped in thick yellow silk, and they do not hurt anyone," explained Doctor Qin, picking up a stick from the ground to show Zhou Xuan.

Several maids spread a red carpet beside the carriage, with the other end of the carpet connected to the steps of the main house. The bride was assisted down from the carriage, stepping onto the red carpet and walking up the steps.

As Zhou Xuangang landed, a group of servants and maids surrounded him, and a dozen sticks came crashing down upon him.

Zhou Xuan also called out: "The bride, come out quickly."

The wedding procession turned through the three streets and six alleys, and then returned to the Qin family mansion. By this time, the sky had darkened, and bright red lanterns were hung high. The courtyard was filled with servants, maids, and female guests, each holding a stick, all shouting in unison: "The groom dismounts."

Oh, so it is the "killing stick." Zhou Xuan, well-versed in "Water Margin," knows that exiled prisoners must face the killing stick upon reaching their place of exile. Unexpectedly, the groom also has to go through this ordeal; being a son-in-law of the Southern Tang is not an easy task

Zhou Xuan thought: "Trying to make things difficult for me, heh heh https://www.hetushu.com.com, doesn't he realize where I come from? I've also spent two years in the Chinese department." He said: "Alright, please listen as I recite a poem on the spot—"

The group of people around Zhou Xuan erupted in cheers, calling out even more enthusiastically: "The bride is coming out, the bride is coming out—"

Sigh, the son-in-law has been called up, and Zhou Xuan really isn't used to it

Yet no one paid him any attention, bustling about as they walked, and from time to time, someone shouted: "Doctor Qin's daughter is getting married, the groom's surname is Zhou, his full name is Zhou Xuan, courtesy name Jielun." The shouting was so loud that it seemed as if the entire city of Jiangzhou should know that Doctor Qin had chosen a son-in-law with the surname Zhou

The bride finally appeared after countless calls, her left hand resting on the shoulder of a young maid in a blue robe, while her right hand held a fan adorned with intertwined hearts, obscuring her face as she gracefully descended the steps, step by step.

Zhou Xuan was left bewildered by these people and, in a daze, entered a grand mansion. A multitude of maids and servants gathered to see the new son-in-law, who was drenched in sweat.

At this moment, the group surrounding Zhou Xuan shouted in unison: "The bride is coming out, the bride is coming out"

Zhou Xuan looked at his father-in-law, but his father-in-law did not intend to pass a note. He said: "This poem must be composed by oneself; only when the bride is satisfied will she put down the fan"

Zhou Xuan shouted, "Why are you hitting people!" and hurriedly dodged back. Then, he intercepted and struck Ge Fei with a few sticks. Zhou Xuan had practiced Sanda and had some skills.

Zhou Xuan paid no mind to where these people intended to take him and the bride; since he was already there, he decided to make the best of it. He was quite intrigued by the bride in the carriage. Although he had not seen her face, when she bent down and lifted her leg to get into the carriage, the wide floral ceremonial dress tightened around her hips, revealing the contour of her waist. Though her hips were not plump, her waist was slender, which left Zhou Xuan quite satisfied.

Zhou Xuan shouted: "Who will give me a fan? I'm dying from the heat"

Zhou Xuan thought: "Fake, what is fake? Is this marriage fake? This old man Qin must have taken the wrong medicine, asking me to pretend to marry his daughter. Hmph, if it really is like this, I will make this fake act a reality, and the fake son-in-law will become the real son-in-law"

Doctor Qin awkwardly said, "Alright, alright, let the bride change her seat."

Zhou Xuan no longer waved the fan, his eyes fixed on the bride

Zhou Xuan was eager to see the appearance of Old Man Qin's daughter. If she was ugly, he would immediately flee, as the likelihood of her being unattractive was quite high; otherwise, why would someone be looking for a son-in-law in such a manner