Chapter 18: Nuptial Wine Ceremony
The one asking the question was Granny Zhou. Pear Moon had seen her when she was young and didn’t find her unfamiliar.
She usually didn’t speak much and was a very rule-abiding person.
Angelica Orchid quickly replied, “I am a first-rank maid of Phoenix Ripple Courtyard and have been promoted to serve in the chamber.”
“A maid should dress like a maid and not break the rules. Today is the day of the Young Master and the Young Mistress’s Nuptial Wine and Consummation. Why are you dressed so gaudily? Go back and change your clothes at once!”
Granny Zhou spoke coldly, her tone leaving no room for doubt.
Angelica Orchid felt indignant inside. She was also angry that her grandmother had lost her position because of her, so she held no respect for Granny Zhou. She even wanted to use her status as a chamber maid to put Granny Zhou in her place.
“Granny has just arrived at Phoenix Ripple Courtyard and doesn’t know how things are done here. I am the Young Master’s chamber maid. On such a joyous day, dressing up a little also reflects well on the Young Mistress and the Young Master.”
“The masters of the household have their own rules for taking chamber maids. A chamber maid isn’t something you can claim for yourself. I advise you to save some face and not keep mentioning things that have no basis.”
Granny Zhou paid no heed to this reasoning, almost pointing and calling her shameless.
Angelica Orchid flushed red with embarrassment and quickly looked toward Granny Zhao, hoping she would speak up for her.
Granny Zhao had never wanted to promote a chamber maid in the first place, but she had held back out of respect for Shen Shi’s face and hadn’t said much about it.
Now that Granny Zhou had stepped forward to scold her, Granny Zhao was only too pleased and would never speak up on her behalf.
Seeing that Granny Zhao was also pretending not to notice, Angelica Orchid stomped away, her cheeks flushed red with anger.
Before leaving, she called her younger sister, Fragrant Grass, and the two returned to their room to whisper for a while.
Technically, Granny Zhou was only in charge of Tranquil Study, and Granny Zhao was even a rank above her.
But Granny Zhou carried an imposing presence and was also the Young Master’s wet nurse.
Later, when arranging the bridal chamber and preparing for the Nuptial Wine, Granny Zhao also deferred to her somewhat.
Because the Nuptial Wine ceremony was intricate, there were many things to set up in the bridal chamber.
Granny Zhou followed the old customs and assigned tasks even to the low-ranking maids.
Pear Moon, being pretty, was assigned to the Warm Pavilion to assist Jade Ink with serving wine, while Huan Huan and Autumn Abundance were tasked with presenting dishes in the bridal chamber.
Fortunately, Jade Ink had given her a bundle of clothes; otherwise, she would have had nothing to wear today.
Pear Moon wore a set of rose-red silk jackets, while Autumn Abundance and Huan Huan wore goose-yellow silk, all with madder-red sashes tied around their waists.
Huan Huan and Autumn Abundance only had to follow the second-rank maids when serving dishes.
Pear Moon, however, had to pour wine into the Nuptial Wine Cups, so Jade Ink specifically instructed her not to be nervous or afraid.
The entire courtyard bustled with activity all day, and finally, it was time to light the lanterns.
Shen Shi changed into a bright red embroidered satin dress, adorned with a pure gold hairpin and step shake, and sat heavily made-up on the edge of the bed.
In the Warm Pavilion, there were four maids: on the left were Jade Ink with Pear Moon, and on the right were Angelica Orchid with Fragrant Grass.
Jade Ink and Angelica Orchid held white jade gourd-shaped wine cups, Pear Moon carried the Eight-Treasures Colored Glass Wine Pot, and Fragrant Grass held a carved lacquer box filled with candied dates, peanuts, and longans.
When the Young Master entered the room later, the maids below would bring in the dishes, and the Nuptial Wine would be drunk from the white jade cups.
At that time, Pear Moon would pour the wine, Jade Ink and Angelica Orchid would present the cups, and Fragrant Grass would scatter the dried fruits on the bed, completing the Nuptial Bed Scattering ritual.
At this moment, the Warm Pavilion was silent, with only the sweet, cloying fragrance wafting from the Golden Beast Censer.
The pomegranate-red bed curtains, the Hundred Sons Embroidered Bedding, and the White Jade Ruyi of the Twin Immortals of Harmony placed beside the pillow exuded an air of opulence and elegance.
Pear Moon stole glances around, her eyes unable to take in everything.
Yet, amidst such luxury and splendor, Shen Shi still seemed troubled, though no one knew what she was worried about.
A dignified and gentle young lady from a noble family, a handsome and refined young master from an aristocratic lineage.
A perfect match in talent and appearance, from equally prestigious families, yet they were never harmonious. Pear Moon couldn’t understand it.
Gazing at the moonlight outside the window, the auspicious hour was approaching.
Shen Shi’s expression grew increasingly somber, her eyes gradually reddening.
“Miss, the hour is growing late. If the Son-in-law still doesn’t enter the bridal chamber and misses the auspicious moment, it will affect your entire life. How outrageous of the Son-in-law—he must have been led astray by some vixen!”
Angelica Orchid deliberately shot a sidelong glance at Jade Ink.
Was she trying to stir up trouble?
Pear Moon couldn’t help but feel anxious, stealing a glance at Jade Ink.
Jade Ink remained composed and said nothing.
Seeing Jade Ink remain silent, Angelica Orchid grew even more pleased with herself. She deliberately leaned close to Shen Shi’s ear:
“On such a fine day with such beautiful scenery, to have this vixen serve the Nuptial Wine—what could Granny Zhou be thinking? A few days ago, the Son-in-law refused to share the bed, and now he won’t even enter the chamber. Who knows who will rule Phoenix Ripple Courtyard in the future!”
Prompted by her words, Shen Shi felt a surge of bitterness and jealousy. Biting her lip, she wept, “Whom my husband chooses to favor—how dare I question it? I only fear he will think his wife is unvirtuous.”
Afraid she would cry, Angelica Orchid comforted her, “Miss, please don’t cry. What if the Son-in-law sees and dislikes it?”
Fragrant Grass seized the opportunity to suggest, “Miss, let me go ask Madam Ning to intervene. Would the Son-in-law dare disobey Madam Ning?”
Tearfully, Shen Shi stopped her, “Whether my husband comes or not, a wife must not complain. If I have to ask Mother to urge him here, what face would I have left?”
The more she thought about it, the sadder she became, and she couldn’t hold back her sobs.
Seeing her heartbroken, Pear Moon nearly couldn’t restrain herself from speaking up.
Just outside the bridal chamber earlier, Granny Zhou had already explained.
To show solemnity, the Young Lord first had to wear plain clothes to offer incense to his father at the ancestral hall. Then, he would change into his wedding attire to kowtow before Old Madam and Madam Ning, visit his uncles and aunts to inform them, and finally enter the bridal chamber.
There was still some time before the auspicious hour—what were they so anxious about?
Angelica Orchid had provoked Shen Shi to tears and was now fanning the flames, showing off her sharp tongue.
Jade Ink looked at her coldly, then curtsied to Shen Shi and calmly explained the customs of Ningguo Mansion, softly reassuring her, “Tonight’s Nuptial Wine Ceremony is of great importance. The Young Master will not miss the auspicious hour, so there is no need for the Young Mistress to worry.”
“Pah! Who are you to say he won’t miss it? What kind of creature are you? The Son-in-law should have consummated the marriage days ago—it was all ruined by your seductive tricks! Don’t think that just because you’ve latched onto the Son-in-law, you’ll become a concubine. If our Miss doesn’t agree, we can still marry off a withered flower like you to someone! How dare you stand here? Get out!”
Before she could finish, Angelica Orchid pushed Jade Ink while signaling to Fragrant Grass with her eyes.
Understanding her meaning, Fragrant Grass snatched the jade gourd Nuptial Wine Cup from Jade Ink’s hands and tried with all her might to smash it on the ground.
This Nuptial Wine Cup was carved from a single piece of mutton-fat jade, worth a fortune.
Most importantly, this cup was a ceremonial vessel for the Nuptial Wine Ceremony, used for the couple to drink the wedding wine. Damaging it would carry an inauspicious meaning.
If Angelica Orchid and Fragrant Grass had only engaged in a war of words, Pear Moon naturally wouldn’t have stepped forward. But they were clearly trying to frame someone.
If the cup were broken, all the maids from Ningguo Mansion in the bridal chamber would suffer the consequences.
How could Pear Moon sit by and do nothing?
She quickly set down the wine jug in her hands, rushed forward, and grabbed Fragrant Grass’s wrist to prevent her from smashing the cup.
Framing Jade Ink by breaking the Nuptial Wine Cup was a plan Angelica Orchid and Fragrant Grass had devised. They hadn’t expected Pear Moon to intervene and protect it.
With Shen Shi watching, the cup couldn’t be smashed to the ground. Fragrant Grass grew frantic and deliberately cried out, “That little wretch Xiao Yue has gone mad—she dares to snatch the Nuptial Wine Cup! Miss, neither Jade Ink nor Xiao Yue can stay any longer!”
Angelica Orchid and Fragrant Grass wanted to break the cup and frame someone—Shen Shi saw through it at a glance, but she sat silently on the edge of the bed, saying nothing.
She deliberately indulged these two fools, wanting only to deal with Jade Ink first.
After all, Angelica Orchid was a dowry maid who could be managed slowly in the future.
Shen Shi sat on the bed crying, letting the four maids fight and grab wildly.
Pear Moon endured several punches and slaps before finally protecting the cup.
“You wretched girl, showing off like that!”
She had just stood up when suddenly her vision went dark, her nose stung, and her mouth filled with the taste of blood.
With a crisp clatter, the jade cup fell to the ground. As the world spun, she heard Jade Ink call out, “Xiao Yue!”
“Husband…” “Son-in-law?”
The Young Lord, dressed in grand red embroidered ceremonial robes, had just turned around the screen when he saw Pear Moon collapse heavily before him.