Chapter 299: Li Qing’an’s Marriage (Part 1)

A few days after returning from the countryside, the day of Li Qing’an’s marriage finally arrived. It was February 18th, and the weather was pleasant. Early in the morning, the Gao Lishi residence in Yishan Fang was adorned with red decorations and colorful banners. Festive lanterns and ribbons shaped like flowers decorated the green trees and grasslands. Firecrackers exploded in front of the house, and the scent of burned bamboo filled the air. It seemed as though a scholar who had passed the imperial exams was parading through the streets in celebration. Curious onlookers crowded the streets, but there were only a few carriages parked in the area beside the house, much like a street performer’s hat filled with just a thin layer of coins.

It was still early, and the guests had not arrived yet. Today was the day when Li Qing’an officially married Mingyue, the eldest daughter of the Du Gu family. In fact, Li Qing’an owned a large house and a smaller one in Chang’an—the large house was a reward from Emperor Li Longji for his military achievements, while the smaller one was given to him by Gao Lishi. However, it took time to furnish the houses and hire servants, and with so many matters to attend to, he had no time to deal with them, so he used Gao Lishi’s residence as the wedding venue.

Additionally, Li Qing’an was granted an annual income of 800 households’ taxes. This meant he would receive taxes from 800 households each year. For urban residents of the upper or middle classes, the tax per household was 3,500 coins per year, so 800 households would amount to 2,800 guan in total. He was not short of money, and since Gao Lishi was a renowned wealthy man, he also contributed a large sum to make the wedding grand. Early in the morning, people from Gao’s household went door to door in Yishan Fang, delivering gift packages that contained 500 coins along with cakes, sweets, and wine—all presented in Li Qing’an’s name. In front of the house, several servants scattered piles of copper coins into the air, attracting crowds of children who scrambled to grab them, adding to the lively atmosphere at Gao’s residence.

The bridal chamber was located in the Furong Pavilion, with real and artificial flowers decorating the entire courtyard, and red silk banners hanging from the trees, creating a festive atmosphere. At that moment, Li Qing’an sat in the side room, lost in thought. He had gotten up at midnight; in fact, he had barely slept all night. With no further accidents, his anxious heart finally settled.

Today, Li Qing’an wore a traditional wedding robe in auspicious red, with a black gauze hat and a red silk flower tucked diagonally on it. It was his happiest day, yet he felt empty inside, filled with worry and anticipation—reasons he couldn’t explain.

At that moment, the door opened, and a young maid entered, bowing and saying, “General, my master says it’s time to set off. Please come ahead.”

“I know. I’ll be right there.”

Li Qing’an adjusted his clothes and stepped out quickly. At the steps in front of the hall, a large red-painted bridal sedan chair was already ready. Eight porters and twenty-four musicians crouched nearby, whispering to each other. More than a hundred attendants dressed as Li Qing’an’s men were also ready to set off at any moment.
“Has the groom arrived?” Gao Lishi asked anxiously.
“Send someone to urge him again; if he doesn’t come soon, we’ll miss the deadline.”
“He’s here! He’s here!”
Several male attendants surrounded Li Qing’an as he walked forward. They were Du Gu Mingyue’s cousins, relatives from her mother’s family, Pei Min’s two sons, Pei Mingyi and Pei Zhili, and another cousin from the Du Gu family, Du Gu Hongyuan. All of them were young men in their eighteen or nineteen years, full of energy and working extremely hard.
Gao Lishi stepped forward urgently and complained, “Brother Qi, it took you so long?”
“Uncle Gao, I’m a bit nervous.”
“What’s there to be nervous about? You’ve commanded thousands of troops on the battlefield—what are you afraid of? You don’t need to worry about anything; we’ve taken care of everything.”
Gao Lishi adjusted his hat and placed a large red flower on his back. After taking a look, he smiled and said, “Alright, it’s time to set off.”
“Welcome—the bride!” The host shouted loudly, and the sound of drums and music filled the air. The porters lifted the bridal sedan chair, and Li Qing’an mounted his horse. Accompanied by the attendants and male guests, the wedding procession set off in grand style.
Chinese weddings have remained largely the same for thousands of years, following the six rituals established during the Zhou Dynasty: proposing, inquiring about the name, seeking auspiciousness, presenting gifts, fixing the wedding date, and finally bringing the bride home. Today was the day of bringing the bride home, the most solemn and festive part of the ceremony. In three days, the couple would return to the bride’s family’s home.
Today, the couple used a car for their wedding, while in ancient times, a bridal sedan chair was used. For lower-class families, weddings were simpler and more modest—just a round trip within the neighborhood was enough. But for wealthy families, weddings were much more elaborate. Not only would they make a half-circle around the city, but they also had to leave very early.
In Li Qing’an’s wedding, the groom’s family lived in Yishan Fang, while the bride’s family lived in Wuben Fang. In straight-line distance, it wasn’t far—just five or six li, if one followed the wall of the imperial city and the East Wall of the Taiji Palace. But the route couldn’t be taken directly. The wedding procession first had to head south, pass by the East Market, and go all the way to Cien Temple in Zhao Guo Fang to receive blessings from the monks. Then they would head west to Zhuque Street, reach Zhuque Gate, and finally head east for two more neighborhoods before entering Wuben Fang. This was almost half of Chang’an City.

So they had to set out early in the morning and wouldn’t arrive at Wubenfang until noon. Someone had already made several trips there beforehand to time everything precisely, and the auspicious time for departure had also been chosen in advance—not a single moment could be wasted.
The people of Chang’an loved to watch spectacles, and Li Qing’an’s marriage as the governor of Anxi caused a sensation throughout the city. Everyone knew that years earlier he had split a table with a sword to win Du Gu Mingyue’s heart. After many hardships, they finally became a couple. Along the way, passersby lined the streets to watch, constantly applauding and cheering, “General, congratulations!”
Li Qing’an bowed in return one by one, but his bodyguards were extremely nervous, surrounding him and scanning the surroundings warily, fearing a poisoned arrow might be shot from the crowd. Fortunately, everything went smoothly. Near noon, the wedding procession finally entered Wubenfang. Firecrackers exploded everywhere inside, and almost all the residents came out to watch. Large groups of children jumped along behind the procession, heading toward Du Gu’s mansion.
…
In Du Gu’s back courtyard, a dozen women gathered together, each dressed brightly and elegantly. Some applied powder, others drew eyebrows, and still others tried out dresses—all busy preparing for the bride. Mingyue was applying her makeup for the third time. She stared at herself in the mirror for a long time. Lady Zhang, who was in charge of her makeup, still felt the celebration lacked warmth, so she applied another layer of rouge to her face.
Today, Mingyue had three bridesmaids. One was naturally her sister Mingzhu, and the other two were the Poetic Sisters. Mingzhu held a mirror, staring blankly as her sister got her makeup done. The even, delicate rouge on her face, her misty, beautiful eyes, and her slender brows made her look absolutely stunning. In Mingzhu’s eyes, it seemed as though her makeup-applied sister had become her own self.
“Mingzhu, do you want to get married too?”
Lady Zhang, who was closest to Mingzhu, teased her upon seeing her distracted expression. Mingzhu blushed and pouted, saying, “What are you talking about? When would I want to get married?”
“With that dazed look of yours, what are you thinking about?”
“Nothing. I was just thinking that if sister goes to Anxi, I won’t be able to see her anymore.”
Mingzhu had originally made an excuse, but she truly worried about her sister going to Anxi, and her eyes grew sad. Seeing her sister’s genuine feelings, Mingyue gently stroked her face and smiled, saying, “If sister really goes to Anxi, you can come to see her anytime. You can come to me if anything bothers you.”
“Mm!” Mingzhu nodded softly, but tears rolled down from the corners of her eyes anyway. Mingyue also felt sad. She took her sister’s hand, her own eyes slightly reddening as well.

At that moment, Lady Pei came over, stroked her younger daughter’s head, and comforted her, “Zhu Er, stop crying. Your sister is getting married today, which is a happy occasion. You should be happy for her.”
“I’m both happy and sad!” Mingyue said through sobbing.
Suddenly, the sound of firecrackers could be heard in the distance. Lady Pei hurriedly said, “Hurry! The wedding procession is here. We must act quickly.”
Everyone immediately became busy. The sisters, dressed in magnificent attire, stepped forward wearing phoenix crowns and colorful gowns. Their dresses were made of embroidered silk with wide borders, tied high at the waist to the chest, and flowed to the ground. They wore underblouses and outer silk robes, mainly in green, with bright red scarves draped over them. They also wore colorful phoenix crowns, along with rings, bracelets, armlets, jade pendants, and sachets. Mingyue, fully dressed, appeared extremely beautiful and radiant.
Lady Pei took out an eyebrow pencil and carefully added a touch to her daughter’s eyebrows. Then she took out a box and said with a smile, “Come! Mother wants to pluck your forehead hair.”
Plucking the forehead hair meant using two silk threads to remove it, symbolizing the end of one’s girlhood. Lady Pei took out two silver threads from the box and carefully plucked the hair from Mingyue’s forehead. The sound of drums and music grew louder, indicating that the procession had arrived outside the mansion, urging them to hurry.
“Madam, they’re here! The wedding procession has entered the mansion.”
“Mother!” Mingyue immediately grabbed her mother’s hand, looking at her with deep affection, her eyes turning red.
“Child, today is your happy day of marriage. You should be happy.”
Lady Pei’s voice trembled as she turned away so her daughter wouldn’t see her tears.
Mingyue knelt before her mother and cried, “Mother, from today on, I will leave you and be unable to serve you. Please take care of yourself.”
Lady Pei hugged her daughter and said shakily, “As long as you are happy, that’s what makes mother happiest. Once you’re married, take good care of your husband, follow proper marital duties, and give the Li family sons soon. Then mother will be at ease.”
Lady Pei then pulled over Rushi Ruhua and said to the sisters, “Although Mingyue is older, she has a kind heart and won’t treat you badly. You should also treat her well. I hope you can take care of each other like sisters.”
Rushi Ruhua politely bowed and said, “Please rest assured, Madam!”

Madam Pei glanced again at Wu Yi, who was standing at the door. She had heard Wu Yi play the piano before, but never imagined that the once legendary pianist would marry the same man as her own daughter. Over the past few days, as she had spent more time with Wu Yi, she gradually came to understand her as a highly sensitive and proud woman, aloof and independent, who never paid attention to what others said nor cared about worldly conventions. It might not turn out well for her daughter in the long run, but Wu Yi wasn’t inherently bad, and given her daughter’s tolerance, things probably wouldn’t get too chaotic.

Madam Pei waved at Wu Yi. “Miss Wu Yi, please come here for a moment.”

At that time, Wu Yi’s heart was filled with bitterness. Li Qing’an was getting married, but it wasn’t her as the bride. Although Li Qing’an had promised her the position of concubine, watching Mingyue leave so gloriously still filled her with sorrow.

She stepped forward and bowed to Madam Pei. “Madam!”

“Wu Yi, I also need to ask you to take good care of Mingyue for me. Your husbands will not be ordinary people; they will give you the status you deserve. But no matter what, I hope you can be as close as sisters, so that your husbands can focus entirely on achieving success.”

Wu Yi nodded silently. She didn’t like to talk much, so she turned around, carefully fixing Mingyue’s makeup to cover her tears and adjusting her crown. After taking a look, she smiled.

Mingyue sensed a hint of blessing in Wu Yi’s smile. She took Wu Yi’s hand and said with a smile, “Sister Wu Yi, please accompany me outside!”

At that moment, drum and music sounds rang out in the Dugu family’s mansion. Hundreds of firecrackers outside and inside the mansion exploded with loud cracks. The officiant who followed them shouted at the door, “The bride, please get ready!”

The moment of-> Greeting the bride the bride the bride had finally arrived.

……

The wedding procession didn’t take the bride away right away. The Dugu family needed to entertain those who came to welcome her, meaning having lunch at their home. Additionally, the bridegroom, accompanied by the wedding attendants, had to answer questions from various relatives in the Dugu family, just as Li Qing’an had done during his first blind date.

Questions like whether the Dugu family’s daughters would be mistreated once married into the Li family, or whether Li Qilang would keep other concubines—these weren’t things that could be resolved with words alone; practical actions were required. In other words, money had to be paid to silence them, allowing bribery to take place openly. This is when the wedding attendants came into play, handing over gold and silver wrapped in red paper to secure approval.

Of course, there’s no obstacle that can’t be overcome—after all, we can’t let the daughter of the Du Gu family remain unmarried! So, the difficulty of overcoming this obstacle depends on how generous Li Qing’an is. The more generous he is, the fewer troubles he’ll face; sometimes it can even be done easily with a little humor. If the groom’s family is stingy, it’s still possible to get through, but one will have to answer various embarrassing questions—such as how much Li Qilang earns in a year, how much he plans to spend on perfume, how much land and houses the family owns, and how many maids they have.

But this time, Li Qing’an really went all out when marrying his wife. He put twenty coins, or twenty guan, in each red envelope—quite a substantial amount as a wedding gift. The aunts and relatives of the Du Gu family were all overjoyed, and they successfully passed this hurdle.

What followed was waiting—waiting for the porters and drummers to finish eating and drinking before setting off. These people made a living by accepting food and drinks from different households, so they wouldn’t miss the chance to eat well at a wealthy family’s home. It took nearly half an hour to finish the lunch, and only after they were fully satisfied did the porters and drummers start playing their drums loudly, ready to leave.

With another burst of firecrackers, a grand bridal sedan chair covered in red silk was already waiting in front of the main hall. Sixteen porters stood there with their hands on their hips, smiling as they waited for the bride to get in. The curtains of the sedan chair were lifted, and two bridesmaids stood on either side, holding the curtains. Amidst the loudest firecracker blasts, Mingyue was led out by two maids, with her sister Mingzhu following behind with a basket.

Brides in the Tang Dynasty didn’t wear veils. Four maids from the Du Gu family held large fans to cover the bride from all sides as they escorted her into the sedan chair.

Only the bride and her maids could sit in the grand sedan chair; the bridesmaids rode in another chair.

“Lift the chair!”

At the host’s command, two rows of musicians stepped forward. The sedan chair was lifted with a creaking sound, and surrounded by a hundred people, it left the Du Gu family’s mansion in a grand procession. More than a dozen relatives from the Du Gu family carried copper basins and threw water out as the procession passed.

This time, the scale was even larger. Over 200 servants from the Du Gu family carried more than a hundred chests of dowry, making it an unprecedentedly grand occasion. Also accompanying them were Mingyue’s father, Du Gu Haoran, her mother, Lady Pei, and her uncle, Pei Min. As the bride’s family, they would receive the couple’s kowtow, but they didn’t ride in the sedan chair either—they took a carriage. Instead of following the procession, they took a shortcut to Gao Lishi’s mansion.

The wedding procession set off from the Dugu Mansion, taking the old route once again. This time, the pedestrians along the way crowded the streets tightly. In the morning, with no bride present, the people showed little interest. But when the bride appeared in the afternoon, it instantly sparked their curiosity and enthusiasm. They gathered by the roadside, pointing at the bridal sedan chair. Though they couldn’t see the bride, it only fueled their imagination. Mingyue of the Dugu family was a famous beauty in Chang’an, said to be on par with the Imperial Concubine. Her delicate beauty as a bride inspired endless fantasies among the people.

For Li Qing’an, such public celebrations were a matter of propriety. At each neighborhood entrance, high-ranking officials living there would send their servants to play drums and gongs to congratulate Li Qing’an. Li Qing’an would reciprocate by sending gifts through his bodyguards. The atmosphere became even more lively when they passed through the East Market. Thousands of Hu people living near the East Market, upon hearing that Li Qing’an, the Governor of Anxi, had gotten married, rushed out to sing, dance, and celebrate with great enthusiasm. The sounds of singing, dancing, laughter, and various musical instruments filled the air as they celebrated Li Qing’an’s marriage in their own way.

At that moment, two young women on horseback approached from afar. The woman in front wore a conical hat, a red tight-fitting dress, and high leather boots, which emphasized her slender figure and gave her a bold and striking appearance. They rode straight to the entrance of the East Market and stopped there.

The wedding procession arrived, with the loud sounds of trumpets and suona. Hundreds of Hu people beat drums enthusiastically to bless the couple. Dozens of young Hu women danced lively and exuberant Hu Xuan dances to the rhythmic drumbeats. The surrounding crowd applauded loudly, and the atmosphere reached its peak. Li Qing’an, dressed in his wedding attire, waved at the enthusiastic Hu people to thank them for their blessings. Yet he didn’t notice the young woman a hundred steps away.

A hundred steps away, the conical hat covered half of her face, revealing only her well-defined lips and straight nose. She lifted the hat slightly, her sad eyes fixed on Li Qing’an.

Six years had passed, yet he still looked as handsome and upright as before, his radiant face filled with the joy of marriage. Back then, that soldier from Sulou Fortress had become a famous general of the Tang Dynasty, the king of Anxi. Yet the image of him selling leopard skins in an inn still seemed vivid before her eyes, along with that careless smile that refused to fade.

“I’ll sell the leopard skin, of course. But I’ll charge a high price—probably more than you can afford.”

“You think I have no money?”

“That’s 150 taels of silver. Take it.”

……

“150 taels of silver isn’t enough. I want at least 1,000 taels.”

“What do you think you’re selling? A piece of animal skin costs a thousand taels of silver.”
“A thousand taels of silver? So what? I’m not forcing you to buy it!”
……
“No, I want this leopard skin.”
“Miss, if you stay so angry, you won’t be able to get married someday!”
……
Six years passed. She waited patiently for six years, only to hear news of his marriage—no, not just news, but to witness the scene of his marriage with her own eyes.
She stared at Li Qing’an’s red wedding robes, at the brightly colored bridal sedan chair, at the joyous groom on horseback. The red was so glaring. She gripped the reins tightly, her lips almost bitten through from the strain. She fixed her gaze on the only goal in her life at that moment, motionless and silent, as if struck by lightning. Her sorrowful eyes, which had never shed tears before, now silently wept rivers of tears.
Amidst the sea of joy and the loud drumming music, she lowered her head, spurred her horse, and left silently in the opposite direction, walking alone.
……
Stars fade, moon sets, fragrance lingers in the night; a delicate hand wields sharpness. A new chapter begins in their past fate—heartful intentions, love without pain. The world is far away, the sky stretches wide, the road is endless. Thoughts of solitude, deep emotions, endless contemplation.