Chapter 30: Yinzhen’s grand marriage

On the day the fourth brother got married, the weather was good, with white clouds floating in the blue sky, looking particularly ethereal and beautiful. People said it was auspicious and God’s praise to the fourth brother, obviously two days ago it was raining but today the sky became this clear.

When Yinyou arrived at Yinzhen’s mansion, many low-ranked officials were already there and the servants in the fourth brother’s mansion kept walking to the inner courtyard with boxes of gifts. The scene looked lively but not messy.

Seeing Yinyou, the steward hurriedly greeted him respectfully, “Servant greets the seventh brother.”

“Alright, go ahead and get busy,” Yinyou handed the two boxes carved with gold to him. This was just a little gift that he wanted to give to the fourth brother and it wasn’t extravagant or something that needed to be placed with the other marital gifts [1].

Although Yinyou was smiling, inside he felt a little lost. The child he grew up with was getting married and in the years to come, this child will have to face difficulties, conspiracies, and step on blood to sit on the throne that many brothers peeped at.

Seeing that something was off with the seventh brother’s expression, the steward cleverly retreated, turned the corner, and handed the gift box in his hand to Xiao Luzi, the Master’s personal eunuch, “Eunuch Lu, this is a small object that the seventh brother gave to Master.” It was probably just something that the seventh brother liked.

Xiao Luzi took it and nodded, “You are busy, I’ll hold it.” He looked at the two boxes in his hand, but after all, he didn’t put them together with other gifts, instead, he hugged them tightly and walked to the inner courtyard.

Yinyou followed the eunuch who led the way to the tea room. The Crown Prince and several elder brothers were already there. It seemed that the Ministry of Internal Affairs had arranged the brothers and the officials separately. Kangxi really took the relationship between the princes and his ministers very seriously.

“Yinyou greets the Crown Prince and all the elder brothers,” Yinyou bowed respectfully.

“Little seventh,” the Crown Prince smiled, “Just now we were saying that you are good friends with the fourth and don’t know when you will arrive, who would’ve thought you are here now.”

“Crown Prince brother is joking,” Yinyou glanced to the inner yard [2], sat down in the empty seat next to the fifth brother on the right, and smiled, “Has the bride not arrived yet?”

[2] In the Qing Dynasty, men and women were often separated and lived and congregated in different parts of the house. So usually women stayed inside (in the inner courtyard) and men were in the outer parts of the house and avoided going to where women were. Since Yinyou and the rest are guests in Yinzhen’s mansion, they should stay away from certain parts of the house to avoid suspicion. Yinzhen, as the Lord of the house, can go to the women’s yard but he has his own space, he would not live together either with his Fu Jin or his concubines, apart from staying the night to create heirs. (Source? All the c-novel I’ve read #BroTrustMe.)

Still smiling, the Crown Prince took a sip from his teacup and nodded, “Right. And the eighth, ninth, and tenth have not arrived yet, they are later than you.”

Yinyou just smiled, “It’s the younger brothers who were lazy today.”

As soon as he talked about the three of them, he heard the eunuch outside report, “The eighth brother is here, the ninth brother is here, and the tenth brother is here.”

Yinyou quickly shut up, holding up the teacup and looking at the expressions of the other brothers. The eldest brother sat upright, the Crown Prince smiled lazily, the third brother lowered his head, and people couldn’t see his expression clearly and the fifth brother sipped the tea like it tasted heavenly; meanwhile, the thirteenth and twelfth brothers were exchanging fruits with each other, and the fourteenth brother was staring at the door. Retracting his eyes, Yinyou also followed the appearance of the fifth brother [3] and drank tea quietly.

[3] I don’t know if you’ve noticed but Yinyou sat down next to the 5th brother, this is in order of seniority. (More rambling below.)

After the eighth brother led the ninth brother and the tenth brother to salute, he smilingly picked a place to sit, seemingly in a good mood.

After a while, the servants outside announced Fu Jin’s arrival. The Crown Prince stood up, smiled, and said, “Let’s go take a look.”

Naturally, the other brothers had to keep up. When they rushed over, the bride had already got out of the sedan chair, dressed in a bright red dress, and was supported by a female official. Although she was covered with a hijab, she walked with no timidity at all. Every step was both extremely steady and graceful.

Every time she passed a door and turned a corridor, someone spoke auspicious words, making the scene even more cheerful.

The princes all stood aside and watched, but did not follow. Yinyou didn’t understand these rules, and he was worried that he would say something wrong, so he simply stood aside with his mouth shut.

After the banquet, Yinyou still sat next to the fifth brother. The wedding reception here was completely different from the TV series Yinyou watched in his previous life, there was not a round table with more than a dozen people sitting [4] and the banquet was divided into inner and outer rooms. The women of the Fu Jin clan were in the inner hall, while the men were in the outer hall. Moreover, the location was also divided into sitting East to West. Yinyou felt these rules were superfluous and annoying so he followed along with the elder brothers and learned from them.

​​

[4] ChinaHighlights: “In Chinese culture, the dinner table is usually round which means the unity of the family members. The host (usually the eldest male family member) needs to seat East and the rest need to seat alongside the table.” Wikipedia: “There is a specific seating order to every formal dinner, based on seniority and organizational hierarchy. The seat of honor, reserved for the host or the oldest person, is usually the position in the center facing east or facing the entrance to the room. Guests with higher status then sit in close proximity to the seat of honor, while those with lower positions sit further away (...).” More info below.

Not long after the banquet began, the Crown Prince and the officials began to drink and toast. Yinyou did not escape them no matter how low-key he was. Fortunately, the wine glass at the banquet was very small, and his body could withstand it.

As soon as the fourth brother, who was the groom, appeared, he was entangled by the brothers’ cup of respect; especially the eldest brother, the eighth brother, and others, they poured cup after cup of lotus blossom, which made Yinyou on one side look shocked. What surprised him, even more, was that his fourth brother, who had always been cold-faced, would not refuse anyone, and instead drank easily, as if he was not drinking wine but water.

“Does the seventh brother not respect the fourth brother enough to offer a drink?” The eighth brother, who was originally toasting, suddenly turned his attention to Yinyou, the smile on his face made Yinyou have a headache.

At this time, The Crown Prince also joined the fun, “Come on, we all had three drinks, but little seventh didn’t respect the fourth, it doesn’t make sense.” When the Crown Prince said this, the other brothers followed along without worries.

Yinzhen looked at Yinyou who was standing aside. Yinyou’s originally white face was already a little crimson and he was really good-looking. Yinzhen’s heart felt slightly sour, and the hand holding the wine glass slightly added some strength.

Sensing the fourth brother’s eyes, Yinyou raised his head and smiled. He walked a few steps forward, took the jug handed by the eighth brother, poured the glass in Yinzhen’s hand to seven points full, then filled it up for himself, handed the jug to the thirteenth brother on one side, and spoke holding the wine glass with both hands, “Today is the fourth brother’s big day. The younger brother wishes that the fourth brother and the fourth sister-in-law respect each other like guests [5], and raise their eyebrows together [6].” After speaking, he finished his wine first.

[5] 相敬如賓 xiāngjìngrú bīn - Respect each other like guests. Chinese idiom describes the relationship between husband and wife getting along harmoniously, respecting and loving each other. More info is below. 

[6] 舉案齊眉 jǔàn qíméi - lit. lift the tray to eyebrow level (idiom); mutual respect in a marriage. Meaning, a wife lifts the tray to a level with her eyebrows to show great respect for her husband.; husband and wife treat each other with courtesy; a husband and wife [a married couple] love and respect each other for life.

Yinzhen glanced at him and drank with a smile, only to feel that the wine was spicy and throat-piercing.

“Two more cups, two more cups.” The brothers continued to heckle.

Yinyou was helpless, these people were determined to stop the fourth brother from entering the bridal chamber tonight. Seeing that Yinyou didn’t move, Yinzhen didn’t move either. He just looked at Yinyou’s crimson cheeks with a reticent smile on his face.

The eldest brother step in and filled the glasses of the two of them with wine, “Drink quickly, drink quickly, old seventh, don’t be biased [7], when the third brother married you poured and drank lots.”

For the first time, Yinyou felt that the eldest brother had a good memory.

“The second glass of wine is for the fourth brother, the younger brother wishes the fourth brother and the fourth sister-in-law to have a child soon.”

Yinzhen still drank quietly.

“The third cup is for the fourth brother, the younger brother wishes the fourth brother happiness and prosperity in his family.” 

Yinyou raised his head and drank again, feeling a little dizzy. When he looked up, Yinzhen was raising his head and drinking the third glass of wine. Somehow, it made his heart even more unbearable. This was probably the sour psychology of an uncle watching a child grow up. Brooding, he stepped aside and watched the eldest brother, the Crown Prince, the eighth brother, and others toast Yinzhen again. He rubbed his forehead and sat down. These people who poured Yinzhen fiercely, in the days to come, will also be the ones who will keep fighting him, even in these small matters, they were unwilling to let him go.

“Seventh brother, are you drunk?”, the thirteenth brother walked to Yinyou’s side and brought him a cup of tea, “Drink some tea to wake up.”

“Thank you, thirteenth brother,” Yinyou took a sip of the tea, and stretched out his hand to touch the top of thirteenth’s head, “You are still young, don’t drink too much wine.”

Thirteenth nodded and spoke suspiciously, “Seventh brother, why does the fourth brother look very unhappy today? I just secretly saw the fourth brother’s cold face, it’s really scary.”

Yinyou stretched out his hand to cover Yinxiang’s mouth. Seeing that no one around was paying attention to the two of them, he let go and replied with a smile, “Thirteenth brother, fourth brother is happy today, don’t you know?”

Perceiving that he had said the wrong thing, the thirteenth brother nodded and did not dare to speak again. Yinyou rubbed his groggy head and smiled helplessly.

The banquet dissipated, and the elder brothers were clamoring to make trouble in the bridal room [8], but the Crown Prince stopped them with a wave of his hand, telling the brothers not to disturb the fourth brother’s good matter. After all, this should be a joyful night [9].

[8] 鬧洞房 nào dòngfáng. Wikipedia: “It’s a custom of Chinese marriage. Relatives and friends will flock into the bridal room where the bride and groom are to laugh and make fun of the new couple, making thousands of strange tricks”. In the novels they really downplay it, reading the Wiki page really opened my eyes…

[9] 春 chūn: spring (season)/gay/joyful/youthful/love/lust/life.

The noisy brothers dispersed one by one. Yinzhen stood outside the house, watching the familiar figure disappear at the end of the corridor with the other brothers, and the initial drunkenness gradually dispersed.

Cold. 

Cold hands, cold heart.

He slowly turned around, looked at the closed bridal room door, slowly walked forward, and opened it. The dragon and phoenix candle [10] had been half burned, and his Fu Jin was sitting quietly on the bed at this moment.

[10] The dragon and phoenix are the yin and yang, the positive and negative, the male and female of ancient Chinese symbolism. / On the wedding night, the newlywed’s room will be lit with a dragon and phoenix candle (...) The candle represents good luck on the couple’s first night as husband and wife. (Sources: 1, 2). 

Uncovering the hijab, he saw a woman with a beautiful face, she couldn’t hide a hint of shyness on her face, and her cheeks were slightly blushing. But all he could think of was the appearance of the seventh brother after drinking.

After drinking from the two cups tied together and listening to auspicious words, the people in the room also dispersed one by one. When the door was closed, the whole room fell into silence, only lit by jumping candlelight. Yinzhen closed his eyes, “Let’s settle.”

“Respect each other like a guest, raise the eyebrows together”?

As he hug the woman in his arms, he smelled a faint smell of rouge on her.

“Master,” the woman was a little reserved.

Under the candlelight, the rouge on the woman’s face seemed to be particularly red. He closed his eyes and kissed the top of the woman’s hair, pressing her under his body.

Without passion or impulse, he looked at the woman sleeping next to him, and the bitter and astringent taste at the corner of his mouth, at last, seem to fade a bit.

“Master, it’s late.” Fu Duo stood outside the curtain and reminded softly.

“I know, you go down,” Yinyou put the brush down, looked at the diagram, and sighed softly. Now the Crown Prince was favored, the eldest brother was gaining power, and the eighth brother was valued by Kangxi. Yizhen was the least prominent in the eyes of others. Afraid that at this moment, Yinzhen’s heart was uncomfortable. If Tong Jia-shi was still there, Yinzhen would not fall into the current predicament.

Putting the paper under the candle and igniting it, he watched it turn into ashes. Yinyou rubbed his forehead. Today, Yinzhen didn’t seem to be happy, but rather sad.

The six-year-old that held his hand and the nine-year-old child that protected him in Wuyizhai. After all of this, Yinzhen finally embarked on the path established by history. But the fact was that history will only record the grandeur of the prince’s wedding banquet, and the background of the Fu Jin mother’s family, but will not care to write about the mood in which this child was when he married a woman he didn’t love.

This was the life of the prince: to have the glory that others cannot reach but to also bear the suffering that others cannot bear.

The night passed. 

When Ula Nara Shuya woke up from her dream, the man she married last night was no longer there. She endured the soreness and was served to wash, and then sat in front of the dressing table to be attired by others. Today, she was going to the palace to worship her husband’s family and she dare not slack off.

There were two beautiful gold-carved gift boxes on the dressing table. She couldn’t resist the impulse to reach out and pick up one of them. When she opened the box, it turned out to be a jade carving of a pair of dolls dressed in a wedding gown, bowing to each other. They looked cute and lovely, and she liked it at first sight, so she stretched out her hand and wanted to take a closer look.

“Have you woken up yet?”

A low voice sounded by the door, and she panicked. The jade carving in her hand fell to the ground, and the doll that was originally connected was split in two.

“Master, ” she looked at the jade dolls on the ground at a loss, and then glanced at the person by the door, for a moment, she thought she saw his eyes turn cold at her sight.

“It’s alright, ” Yinzhen bent down and picked up the two dolls and looked at the disconnected place. “The seventh brother likes to give away these things. If you like it, I'll buy one for you in the future. I’ll wait for you outside. It’s alright to dress slowly, it’s still early.”

Shu Ya breathed a sigh of relief and apologized.

“The seventh brother is not a stingy person,” Yinzhen raised the corner of his mouth, picked up the other box on the dressing table, turned around, and walked out the door.

Shu Ya looked at Yinzhen’s back and thought with joy in her heart, fortunately, Master was not angry with her.

Out of the yard, Yinzhen threw the girl doll in his hand to Xiao Luzi behind him, “Throw it away.” Since it’s broken, it’s not necessary. Anyway, it’s false happiness, so it was alright to part with it.

Xiao Luzi looked at the broken statue of the girl, and pity flashed in his eyes. He heard that this set of jade was extremely precious to the seventh brother, but he didn’t expect it to be broken like this.

“Aye.” Xiao Luzi thought, just throw it away. Anyway, it’s already broken and it was indeed too unlucky. He glanced at his Master and at the jade boy in his Master’s hand. After all, he didn’t dare to ask any more questions.

Yinzhen opened the other gold-inlaid box in his hand. There was a luxurious white jade fan in it. The other day when he saw it, he said it was really exquisite. At that time, the seventh brother’s cautious appearance made him realize how much Yinyou liked this object. He didn’t expect that he would be willing to give such a precious thing to him.

When he arrived in his yard, Yinzhen took out the white jade folding fan. Each leaf was extremely exquisite. The upper end was hollowed out with blessing characters, and each leaf below had various colors of flowers that meant wealth and good luck. It was a top product.

Did Yinyou send it because he saw he liked it?

He smiled bitterly. The seventh brother, who had always been careful, was always so unguarded when facing him. Although he said that he liked this thing, the seventh brother forgot that yesterday was his wedding. How could he deliver this?

Stroking the fan blades and looking at the jade boy who was bowing down to the unknown person alone, Yinzhen closed the fan blades piece by piece. 

Seventh brother, since you don’t understand now, one day, I will let you understand the one I truly like.

____________

▲  Footnotes

This PDF explains the wedding rituals very simply.

[1] Shout-out to Playful Devil Miki995, to help me understand this sentence! 

[2] In the Qing Dynasty, men and women were often separated and lived and congregated in different parts of the house. So usually women stayed inside (in the inner courtyard) and men were in the outer parts of the house and avoided going to where women were. Since Yinyou and the rest are guests in Yinzhen’s mansion, they should stay away from certain parts of the house to avoid suspicion. Yinzhen, as the Lord of the house, can go to the women’s yard but he has his own space, he would not live together either with his Fu Jin or his concubines, apart from staying the night to create heirs. (Source? All the c-novel I’ve read #BroTrustMe.)

[3] I don’t know if you’ve noticed but Yinyou sat down next to the 5th brother, this is in order of seniority (so, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th…). The 6th brother was Concubine De’s son who died prematurely, the middle child between Yinzhen and Yinzen (14th). And if you’re wondering how many sons Kangxi had: 35. Usually, in novels, they would stop mentioning after the 15th child, but I once read a novel where they mentioned the 25th brother.

[4] ChinaHighlights: “In Chinese culture, the dinner table is usually round which means the unity of the family members. The host (usually the eldest male family member) needs to seat East and the rest need to seat alongside the table.” Wikipedia: “There is a specific seating order to every formal dinner, based on seniority and organizational hierarchy. The seat of honor, reserved for the host or the oldest person, is usually the position in the center facing east or facing the entrance to the room. Guests with higher status then sit in close proximity to the seat of honor, while those with lower positions sit further away. In a formal banquet hall of many tables, the main table is the one which is located furthest from the entrance. The tables on the left-hand side of the main tables are, in order of importance, second, fourth, sixth, and so on, and those on the right are third, fifth, and seventh. Guests are seated according to their status and relationship with the host of the banquet.”

[5] 相敬如賓 xiāngjìngrú bīn - Respect each other like guests. Chinese idiom, describes the relationship between husband and wife get along harmoniously, respecting and loving each other. Baidu: “Husband and wife should love each other as equals and respect each other. At the same time, they should be considerate and tolerant to each other when dealing with differences in family daily life. Respect means not only to have love, but also to be measured, measured, and principled. Respect is the foundation of love, the continuation of love, and the sublimation of love. It is the antistaling agent of love and the stabilizer of growing old together. As the saying goes, everything prospers in harmony at home, a harmonious relationship between husband and wife is the guarantee of family harmony and a contribution to society.”

[6] 舉案齊眉 jǔàn qíméi - lit. lift the tray to eyebrow level (idiom); mutual respect in a marriage. Meaning, a wife lifts the tray to a level with her eyebrows to show great respect for her husband.; a husband and wife [a married couple] love and respect each other for life.; husband and wife treat each other with courtesy.

[7] 偏心 piānxīn partial/biased/prejudiced/eccentric. This reminded me of this same author’s (Butterfly) other work, TBAVW. The translator (Dreams of Jianghu) left an interesting footnote: “The idiom for favoring is usually “偏心” which literally means slanted, deviating heart” (from To Be a Virtous Wife, chapter 30). The note was because of the next scene: “Qu Qing Ju saw how he, with just a few words, made Qing De Emperor smile and laugh and understood what it meant to have a heart that deviated until it was at the armpit.” It’s just so funny, and really leaves an impression, I think. 

[8] 鬧洞房 nào dòngfáng. Wikipedia: “It’s a custom of Chinese marriage. Relatives and friends will flock into the bridal room where the bride and groom are to laugh and make fun of the new couple, making thousands of strange tricks”.

[9] 春 chūn: spring (season)/gay/joyful/youthful/love/lust/life.

[10] The dragon and phoenix are the yin and yang, the positive and negative, the male and female of ancient Chinese symbolism. / On the wedding night, the newlywed’s room will be lit with a dragon and phoenix candle. The candle represents good luck on the couple’s first night as husband and wife. (Sources: 1, 2). 

Chapter 30: Yinzhen’s grand marriage

On the day the fourth brother got married, the weather was good, with white clouds floating in the blue sky, looking particularly ethereal and beautiful. People said it was auspicious and God’s praise to the fourth brother, obviously two days ago it was raining but today the sky became this clear.

When Yinyou arrived at Yinzhen’s mansion, many low-ranked officials were already there and the servants in the fourth brother’s mansion kept walking to the inner courtyard with boxes of gifts. The scene looked lively but not messy.

Seeing Yinyou, the steward hurriedly greeted him respectfully, “Servant greets the seventh brother.”

“Alright, go ahead and get busy,” Yinyou handed the two boxes carved with gold to him. This was just a little gift that he wanted to give to the fourth brother and it wasn’t extravagant or something that needed to be placed with the other marital gifts [1].

Although Yinyou was smiling, inside he felt a little lost. The child he grew up with was getting married and in the years to come, this child will have to face difficulties, conspiracies, and step on blood to sit on the throne that many brothers peeped at.

Seeing that something was off with the seventh brother’s expression, the steward cleverly retreated, turned the corner, and handed the gift box in his hand to Xiao Luzi, the Master’s personal eunuch, “Eunuch Lu, this is a small object that the seventh brother gave to Master.” It was probably just something that the seventh brother liked.

Xiao Luzi took it and nodded, “You are busy, I’ll hold it.” He looked at the two boxes in his hand, but after all, he didn’t put them together with other gifts, instead, he hugged them tightly and walked to the inner courtyard.

Yinyou followed the eunuch who led the way to the tea room. The Crown Prince and several elder brothers were already there. It seemed that the Ministry of Internal Affairs had arranged the brothers and the officials separately. Kangxi really took the relationship between the princes and his ministers very seriously.

“Yinyou greets the Crown Prince and all the elder brothers,” Yinyou bowed respectfully.

“Little seventh,” the Crown Prince smiled, “Just now we were saying that you are good friends with the fourth and don’t know when you will arrive, who would’ve thought you are here now.”

“Crown Prince brother is joking,” Yinyou glanced to the inner yard [2], sat down in the empty seat next to the fifth brother on the right, and smiled, “Has the bride not arrived yet?”

[2] In the Qing Dynasty, men and women were often separated and lived and congregated in different parts of the house. So usually women stayed inside (in the inner courtyard) and men were in the outer parts of the house and avoided going to where women were. Since Yinyou and the rest are guests in Yinzhen’s mansion, they should stay away from certain parts of the house to avoid suspicion. Yinzhen, as the Lord of the house, can go to the women’s yard but he has his own space, he would not live together either with his Fu Jin or his concubines, apart from staying the night to create heirs. (Source? All the c-novel I’ve read #BroTrustMe.)

Still smiling, the Crown Prince took a sip from his teacup and nodded, “Right. And the eighth, ninth, and tenth have not arrived yet, they are later than you.”

Yinyou just smiled, “It’s the younger brothers who were lazy today.”

As soon as he talked about the three of them, he heard the eunuch outside report, “The eighth brother is here, the ninth brother is here, and the tenth brother is here.”

Yinyou quickly shut up, holding up the teacup and looking at the expressions of the other brothers. The eldest brother sat upright, the Crown Prince smiled lazily, the third brother lowered his head, and people couldn’t see his expression clearly and the fifth brother sipped the tea like it tasted heavenly; meanwhile, the thirteenth and twelfth brothers were exchanging fruits with each other, and the fourteenth brother was staring at the door. Retracting his eyes, Yinyou also followed the appearance of the fifth brother [3] and drank tea quietly.

[3] I don’t know if you’ve noticed but Yinyou sat down next to the 5th brother, this is in order of seniority. (More rambling below.)

After the eighth brother led the ninth brother and the tenth brother to salute, he smilingly picked a place to sit, seemingly in a good mood.

After a while, the servants outside announced Fu Jin’s arrival. The Crown Prince stood up, smiled, and said, “Let’s go take a look.”

Naturally, the other brothers had to keep up. When they rushed over, the bride had already got out of the sedan chair, dressed in a bright red dress, and was supported by a female official. Although she was covered with a hijab, she walked with no timidity at all. Every step was both extremely steady and graceful.

Every time she passed a door and turned a corridor, someone spoke auspicious words, making the scene even more cheerful.

The princes all stood aside and watched, but did not follow. Yinyou didn’t understand these rules, and he was worried that he would say something wrong, so he simply stood aside with his mouth shut.

After the banquet, Yinyou still sat next to the fifth brother. The wedding reception here was completely different from the TV series Yinyou watched in his previous life, there was not a round table with more than a dozen people sitting [4] and the banquet was divided into inner and outer rooms. The women of the Fu Jin clan were in the inner hall, while the men were in the outer hall. Moreover, the location was also divided into sitting East to West. Yinyou felt these rules were superfluous and annoying so he followed along with the elder brothers and learned from them.

​​

[4] ChinaHighlights: “In Chinese culture, the dinner table is usually round which means the unity of the family members. The host (usually the eldest male family member) needs to seat East and the rest need to seat alongside the table.” Wikipedia: “There is a specific seating order to every formal dinner, based on seniority and organizational hierarchy. The seat of honor, reserved for the host or the oldest person, is usually the position in the center facing east or facing the entrance to the room. Guests with higher status then sit in close proximity to the seat of honor, while those with lower positions sit further away (...).” More info below.

Not long after the banquet began, the Crown Prince and the officials began to drink and toast. Yinyou did not escape them no matter how low-key he was. Fortunately, the wine glass at the banquet was very small, and his body could withstand it.

As soon as the fourth brother, who was the groom, appeared, he was entangled by the brothers’ cup of respect; especially the eldest brother, the eighth brother, and others, they poured cup after cup of lotus blossom, which made Yinyou on one side look shocked. What surprised him, even more, was that his fourth brother, who had always been cold-faced, would not refuse anyone, and instead drank easily, as if he was not drinking wine but water.

“Does the seventh brother not respect the fourth brother enough to offer a drink?” The eighth brother, who was originally toasting, suddenly turned his attention to Yinyou, the smile on his face made Yinyou have a headache.

At this time, The Crown Prince also joined the fun, “Come on, we all had three drinks, but little seventh didn’t respect the fourth, it doesn’t make sense.” When the Crown Prince said this, the other brothers followed along without worries.

Yinzhen looked at Yinyou who was standing aside. Yinyou’s originally white face was already a little crimson and he was really good-looking. Yinzhen’s heart felt slightly sour, and the hand holding the wine glass slightly added some strength.

Sensing the fourth brother’s eyes, Yinyou raised his head and smiled. He walked a few steps forward, took the jug handed by the eighth brother, poured the glass in Yinzhen’s hand to seven points full, then filled it up for himself, handed the jug to the thirteenth brother on one side, and spoke holding the wine glass with both hands, “Today is the fourth brother’s big day. The younger brother wishes that the fourth brother and the fourth sister-in-law respect each other like guests [5], and raise their eyebrows together [6].” After speaking, he finished his wine first.

[5] 相敬如賓 xiāngjìngrú bīn - Respect each other like guests. Chinese idiom describes the relationship between husband and wife getting along harmoniously, respecting and loving each other. More info is below. 

[6] 舉案齊眉 jǔàn qíméi - lit. lift the tray to eyebrow level (idiom); mutual respect in a marriage. Meaning, a wife lifts the tray to a level with her eyebrows to show great respect for her husband.; husband and wife treat each other with courtesy; a husband and wife [a married couple] love and respect each other for life.

Yinzhen glanced at him and drank with a smile, only to feel that the wine was spicy and throat-piercing.

“Two more cups, two more cups.” The brothers continued to heckle.

Yinyou was helpless, these people were determined to stop the fourth brother from entering the bridal chamber tonight. Seeing that Yinyou didn’t move, Yinzhen didn’t move either. He just looked at Yinyou’s crimson cheeks with a reticent smile on his face.

The eldest brother step in and filled the glasses of the two of them with wine, “Drink quickly, drink quickly, old seventh, don’t be biased [7], when the third brother married you poured and drank lots.”

For the first time, Yinyou felt that the eldest brother had a good memory.

“The second glass of wine is for the fourth brother, the younger brother wishes the fourth brother and the fourth sister-in-law to have a child soon.”

Yinzhen still drank quietly.

“The third cup is for the fourth brother, the younger brother wishes the fourth brother happiness and prosperity in his family.” 

Yinyou raised his head and drank again, feeling a little dizzy. When he looked up, Yinzhen was raising his head and drinking the third glass of wine. Somehow, it made his heart even more unbearable. This was probably the sour psychology of an uncle watching a child grow up. Brooding, he stepped aside and watched the eldest brother, the Crown Prince, the eighth brother, and others toast Yinzhen again. He rubbed his forehead and sat down. These people who poured Yinzhen fiercely, in the days to come, will also be the ones who will keep fighting him, even in these small matters, they were unwilling to let him go.

“Seventh brother, are you drunk?”, the thirteenth brother walked to Yinyou’s side and brought him a cup of tea, “Drink some tea to wake up.”

“Thank you, thirteenth brother,” Yinyou took a sip of the tea, and stretched out his hand to touch the top of thirteenth’s head, “You are still young, don’t drink too much wine.”

Thirteenth nodded and spoke suspiciously, “Seventh brother, why does the fourth brother look very unhappy today? I just secretly saw the fourth brother’s cold face, it’s really scary.”

Yinyou stretched out his hand to cover Yinxiang’s mouth. Seeing that no one around was paying attention to the two of them, he let go and replied with a smile, “Thirteenth brother, fourth brother is happy today, don’t you know?”

Perceiving that he had said the wrong thing, the thirteenth brother nodded and did not dare to speak again. Yinyou rubbed his groggy head and smiled helplessly.

The banquet dissipated, and the elder brothers were clamoring to make trouble in the bridal room [8], but the Crown Prince stopped them with a wave of his hand, telling the brothers not to disturb the fourth brother’s good matter. After all, this should be a joyful night [9].

[8] 鬧洞房 nào dòngfáng. Wikipedia: “It’s a custom of Chinese marriage. Relatives and friends will flock into the bridal room where the bride and groom are to laugh and make fun of the new couple, making thousands of strange tricks”. In the novels they really downplay it, reading the Wiki page really opened my eyes…

[9] 春 chūn: spring (season)/gay/joyful/youthful/love/lust/life.

The noisy brothers dispersed one by one. Yinzhen stood outside the house, watching the familiar figure disappear at the end of the corridor with the other brothers, and the initial drunkenness gradually dispersed.

Cold. 

Cold hands, cold heart.

He slowly turned around, looked at the closed bridal room door, slowly walked forward, and opened it. The dragon and phoenix candle [10] had been half burned, and his Fu Jin was sitting quietly on the bed at this moment.

[10] The dragon and phoenix are the yin and yang, the positive and negative, the male and female of ancient Chinese symbolism. / On the wedding night, the newlywed’s room will be lit with a dragon and phoenix candle (...) The candle represents good luck on the couple’s first night as husband and wife. (Sources: 1, 2). 

Uncovering the hijab, he saw a woman with a beautiful face, she couldn’t hide a hint of shyness on her face, and her cheeks were slightly blushing. But all he could think of was the appearance of the seventh brother after drinking.

After drinking from the two cups tied together and listening to auspicious words, the people in the room also dispersed one by one. When the door was closed, the whole room fell into silence, only lit by jumping candlelight. Yinzhen closed his eyes, “Let’s settle.”

“Respect each other like a guest, raise the eyebrows together”?

As he hug the woman in his arms, he smelled a faint smell of rouge on her.

“Master,” the woman was a little reserved.

Under the candlelight, the rouge on the woman’s face seemed to be particularly red. He closed his eyes and kissed the top of the woman’s hair, pressing her under his body.

Without passion or impulse, he looked at the woman sleeping next to him, and the bitter and astringent taste at the corner of his mouth, at last, seem to fade a bit.

“Master, it’s late.” Fu Duo stood outside the curtain and reminded softly.

“I know, you go down,” Yinyou put the brush down, looked at the diagram, and sighed softly. Now the Crown Prince was favored, the eldest brother was gaining power, and the eighth brother was valued by Kangxi. Yizhen was the least prominent in the eyes of others. Afraid that at this moment, Yinzhen’s heart was uncomfortable. If Tong Jia-shi was still there, Yinzhen would not fall into the current predicament.

Putting the paper under the candle and igniting it, he watched it turn into ashes. Yinyou rubbed his forehead. Today, Yinzhen didn’t seem to be happy, but rather sad.

The six-year-old that held his hand and the nine-year-old child that protected him in Wuyizhai. After all of this, Yinzhen finally embarked on the path established by history. But the fact was that history will only record the grandeur of the prince’s wedding banquet, and the background of the Fu Jin mother’s family, but will not care to write about the mood in which this child was when he married a woman he didn’t love.

This was the life of the prince: to have the glory that others cannot reach but to also bear the suffering that others cannot bear.

The night passed. 

When Ula Nara Shuya woke up from her dream, the man she married last night was no longer there. She endured the soreness and was served to wash, and then sat in front of the dressing table to be attired by others. Today, she was going to the palace to worship her husband’s family and she dare not slack off.

There were two beautiful gold-carved gift boxes on the dressing table. She couldn’t resist the impulse to reach out and pick up one of them. When she opened the box, it turned out to be a jade carving of a pair of dolls dressed in a wedding gown, bowing to each other. They looked cute and lovely, and she liked it at first sight, so she stretched out her hand and wanted to take a closer look.

“Have you woken up yet?”

A low voice sounded by the door, and she panicked. The jade carving in her hand fell to the ground, and the doll that was originally connected was split in two.

“Master, ” she looked at the jade dolls on the ground at a loss, and then glanced at the person by the door, for a moment, she thought she saw his eyes turn cold at her sight.

“It’s alright, ” Yinzhen bent down and picked up the two dolls and looked at the disconnected place. “The seventh brother likes to give away these things. If you like it, I'll buy one for you in the future. I’ll wait for you outside. It’s alright to dress slowly, it’s still early.”

Shu Ya breathed a sigh of relief and apologized.

“The seventh brother is not a stingy person,” Yinzhen raised the corner of his mouth, picked up the other box on the dressing table, turned around, and walked out the door.

Shu Ya looked at Yinzhen’s back and thought with joy in her heart, fortunately, Master was not angry with her.

Out of the yard, Yinzhen threw the girl doll in his hand to Xiao Luzi behind him, “Throw it away.” Since it’s broken, it’s not necessary. Anyway, it’s false happiness, so it was alright to part with it.

Xiao Luzi looked at the broken statue of the girl, and pity flashed in his eyes. He heard that this set of jade was extremely precious to the seventh brother, but he didn’t expect it to be broken like this.

“Aye.” Xiao Luzi thought, just throw it away. Anyway, it’s already broken and it was indeed too unlucky. He glanced at his Master and at the jade boy in his Master’s hand. After all, he didn’t dare to ask any more questions.

Yinzhen opened the other gold-inlaid box in his hand. There was a luxurious white jade fan in it. The other day when he saw it, he said it was really exquisite. At that time, the seventh brother’s cautious appearance made him realize how much Yinyou liked this object. He didn’t expect that he would be willing to give such a precious thing to him.

When he arrived in his yard, Yinzhen took out the white jade folding fan. Each leaf was extremely exquisite. The upper end was hollowed out with blessing characters, and each leaf below had various colors of flowers that meant wealth and good luck. It was a top product.

Did Yinyou send it because he saw he liked it?

He smiled bitterly. The seventh brother, who had always been careful, was always so unguarded when facing him. Although he said that he liked this thing, the seventh brother forgot that yesterday was his wedding. How could he deliver this?

Stroking the fan blades and looking at the jade boy who was bowing down to the unknown person alone, Yinzhen closed the fan blades piece by piece. 

Seventh brother, since you don’t understand now, one day, I will let you understand the one I truly like.

____________

▲  Footnotes

This PDF explains the wedding rituals very simply.

[1] Shout-out to Playful Devil Miki995, to help me understand this sentence! 

[2] In the Qing Dynasty, men and women were often separated and lived and congregated in different parts of the house. So usually women stayed inside (in the inner courtyard) and men were in the outer parts of the house and avoided going to where women were. Since Yinyou and the rest are guests in Yinzhen’s mansion, they should stay away from certain parts of the house to avoid suspicion. Yinzhen, as the Lord of the house, can go to the women’s yard but he has his own space, he would not live together either with his Fu Jin or his concubines, apart from staying the night to create heirs. (Source? All the c-novel I’ve read #BroTrustMe.)

[3] I don’t know if you’ve noticed but Yinyou sat down next to the 5th brother, this is in order of seniority (so, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th…). The 6th brother was Concubine De’s son who died prematurely, the middle child between Yinzhen and Yinzen (14th). And if you’re wondering how many sons Kangxi had: 35. Usually, in novels, they would stop mentioning after the 15th child, but I once read a novel where they mentioned the 25th brother.

[4] ChinaHighlights: “In Chinese culture, the dinner table is usually round which means the unity of the family members. The host (usually the eldest male family member) needs to seat East and the rest need to seat alongside the table.” Wikipedia: “There is a specific seating order to every formal dinner, based on seniority and organizational hierarchy. The seat of honor, reserved for the host or the oldest person, is usually the position in the center facing east or facing the entrance to the room. Guests with higher status then sit in close proximity to the seat of honor, while those with lower positions sit further away. In a formal banquet hall of many tables, the main table is the one which is located furthest from the entrance. The tables on the left-hand side of the main tables are, in order of importance, second, fourth, sixth, and so on, and those on the right are third, fifth, and seventh. Guests are seated according to their status and relationship with the host of the banquet.”

[5] 相敬如賓 xiāngjìngrú bīn - Respect each other like guests. Chinese idiom, describes the relationship between husband and wife get along harmoniously, respecting and loving each other. Baidu: “Husband and wife should love each other as equals and respect each other. At the same time, they should be considerate and tolerant to each other when dealing with differences in family daily life. Respect means not only to have love, but also to be measured, measured, and principled. Respect is the foundation of love, the continuation of love, and the sublimation of love. It is the antistaling agent of love and the stabilizer of growing old together. As the saying goes, everything prospers in harmony at home, a harmonious relationship between husband and wife is the guarantee of family harmony and a contribution to society.”

[6] 舉案齊眉 jǔàn qíméi - lit. lift the tray to eyebrow level (idiom); mutual respect in a marriage. Meaning, a wife lifts the tray to a level with her eyebrows to show great respect for her husband.; a husband and wife [a married couple] love and respect each other for life.; husband and wife treat each other with courtesy.

[7] 偏心 piānxīn partial/biased/prejudiced/eccentric. This reminded me of this same author’s (Butterfly) other work, TBAVW. The translator (Dreams of Jianghu) left an interesting footnote: “The idiom for favoring is usually “偏心” which literally means slanted, deviating heart” (from To Be a Virtous Wife, chapter 30). The note was because of the next scene: “Qu Qing Ju saw how he, with just a few words, made Qing De Emperor smile and laugh and understood what it meant to have a heart that deviated until it was at the armpit.” It’s just so funny, and really leaves an impression, I think. 

[8] 鬧洞房 nào dòngfáng. Wikipedia: “It’s a custom of Chinese marriage. Relatives and friends will flock into the bridal room where the bride and groom are to laugh and make fun of the new couple, making thousands of strange tricks”.

[9] 春 chūn: spring (season)/gay/joyful/youthful/love/lust/life.

[10] The dragon and phoenix are the yin and yang, the positive and negative, the male and female of ancient Chinese symbolism. / On the wedding night, the newlywed’s room will be lit with a dragon and phoenix candle. The candle represents good luck on the couple’s first night as husband and wife. (Sources: 1, 2).