He blinked dazedly at the fine wine in the cup before him, listening to the rowdy shouts at his ear, then tipped back his head and drained the cup in one go.

“Hey! The Prince has had too much to drink, and he still has the bridal chamber later tonight! This cup, I’ll drink it for my brother-in-law!”

The crowd saw Gu Chengyu’s eyes growing hazy, his peach-blossom eyes looking far more striking than usual, and figured he’d just about had enough.

“A night of spring passion is worth a thousand in gold, everyone, that’s about enough!”

Gu Chengyu didn’t know when someone had helped him into the bridal chamber. Beside his ear the wedding maid kept chattering away, and then someone shoved a red wedding scale into his hand. His mind was blank; he held the scale, not knowing how he was supposed to react.

“Your Highness, hurry and lift the bridal veil!” Seeing Gu Chengyu frozen in place, the wedding maid quickly urged him on.

Only then did Gu Chengyu come back to himself a little. He stepped forward at once, raised the wedding scale and lifted the bright red veil, and what greeted his eyes was a field of glaring white…

Gu Chengyu steadied himself. Was he actually drunk? His tolerance was usually quite good—maybe not literally a thousand cups without getting drunk, but he definitely shouldn’t have gone under this easily!

He meant to lean closer for a better look, but the next thing he heard was a cheer rising in the room, everyone praising the bride’s flower-like beauty, saying the two of them were a perfect match of talented man and beautiful woman.

Gu Chengyu narrowed his eyes and still leaned in to take a look. With that one look, he was almost startled out of his wits. A new bride’s rouge and powder was supposed to mark the most beautiful moment in her life—but what on earth was this before him?

The layer of lead powder on her face was so thick it completely buried Yao Mengxian’s naturally delicate, snow-white skin. And that blazing red rouge—honestly…

The corner of Gu Chengyu’s mouth twitched; he almost couldn’t bear to look straight at her. He turned his head away, wanting to laugh, but remembering there were so many outsiders present right now, he forcibly swallowed it back down.

Were these people blind? The ancient-style bridal makeup was really enough to leave one speechless. He didn’t know if they were simply used to such makeup, but they were all praising the bride as if she were some celestial fairy.

In truth, it wasn’t that Yao Mengxian wasn’t pretty. On the contrary, among all the young ladies of aristocratic families in the Capital, Yao Mengxian’s looks definitely ranked near the very top. It was just this makeup—Gu Chengyu really couldn’t appreciate it.

Seeing Gu Chengyu lean so close, Yao Mengxian felt herself breaking out in a hot sweat. Staring at the elegant young gentleman in his bright red wedding robes, she couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. No wonder the Capital was full of talk about his exceptional looks. Seeing him again today, the man was truly excessively good-looking.

“Oh my! You still haven’t drunk the ceremonial wine!” The wedding maid, seeing Gu Chengyu leaning in so close, assumed the groom simply couldn’t wait any longer. Suppressing her laughter, she hurried forward to tug him back.

After another round of laughing and teasing, with everyone egging them on, Gu Chengyu finally crossed arms with Yao Mengxian and they drank the ceremonial wine.

The wedding maid then snipped a lock of hair from each of Yao Mengxian and Gu Chengyu’s heads, twined them together, and finally tucked them into a pocket. This was the “binding hair,” symbolizing that they were bound as husband and wife.

“May the Prince and Princess Consort be forever of one heart, and soon be blessed with noble sons!” The wedding maid and the guests all offered their blessings. Suddenly, Gu Chengyu felt his body grow hot, his mind harder and harder to focus. The noise around him became a blur of clamoring, yet he couldn’t quite make out what they were saying.

“Your Highness, would you like to wash up first?” Gu Chengyu didn’t know when he had ended up sitting on the edge of the bed. Hearing someone speak, he only then realized the room had grown much quieter.

“Hm? They’ve all gone?” Right now Gu Chengyu only felt a blazing fire in his chest, an indescribable discomfort.

Yao Mengxian was very close at that moment. As soon as Gu Chengyu opened his mouth to speak, a wave of scorching breath, laced with the scent of wine, blew straight toward her. She couldn’t help retreating a few steps, her face flushing red.

“You go wash up first.” For some reason, Gu Chengyu suddenly remembered that heavily painted face from just now, and the words slipped out of his mouth.

“Yes.” Hearing this, Yao Mengxian glanced at Lianxin and wintergreen, who were standing awkwardly at her side. She gave Lianxin a look to stay and attend to him, then took Wanxiang with her to the washing room.

Listening to the sound of water coming from the washing room, Gu Chengyu suddenly felt his mouth go dry, his tongue parched, and his heart grow even more irritable and restless.

“Wintergreen, pour me a bowl of tea.”

wintergreen immediately stepped up to serve, lifting the bowl of tea to Gu Chengyu’s lips. His head was heavy and muddled; without thinking too much, he drank a couple of mouthfuls straight from the bowl. Lianxin’s eyes flickered at the sight.

When Yao Mengxian reappeared before Gu Chengyu, carrying the damp freshness of water all over her, he looked up at her and finally let out a breath of relief. Very good—no powder, no rouge; much easier on the eyes than before. Just sixteen, still a young girl, fresh and dewy as water!

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