The night before the wedding, Cloud-Hidden Town seemed rather quiet.
Shen Lingyi booked all the guesthouses and inns in the town half a month ago, and guests from all over the country gradually filled the rooms.
Most of these people came for the Pei Family.
After all, Pei Yubai is the sole heir of the Pei Family, so these people will definitely be attending his wedding.
As soon as it gets dark, the stone-paved streets of the town are almost deserted, with only a few windows emitting warm yellow light. Occasionally, someone will push open a wooden window and peek out, letting in the sweet scent of osmanthus blossoms carried by the mountain night breeze.
There was originally no road leading from the town entrance to Qiguan Yuan's house.
He used to travel through the woods, his feet treading on tree roots and fallen leaves. If a visitor didn't have someone to guide him, he could wander around in the dense forest for half a day without finding his way.
Qiguan Yuan has lived here for so many years, and no one has been able to find his residence. In fact, Qiguan Yuan has also set up a spell.
Qiguan Yuan's idea was that since he couldn't find it anyway, he might as well set it to be undetectable by everyone.
Because the wedding banquet was to be held here, Qiguan Yuan removed the spell.
Pei Yubai had a path paved through the forest with bluestone slabs. The slabs were cut irregularly, with chisel marks on the edges, and the gaps were filled with small pebbles.
The path winds its way past several old camphor trees that are as thick as a person's embrace, and then through a wild osmanthus grove, before the outline of the courtyard wall can be seen in the distance.
A crimson gauze lantern hangs every ten steps along both sides of the road.
Instead of candles, the lanterns are inlaid with warm-colored luminous pearls, and the light shines through the crimson gauze, dyeing the entire stone path a gentle dark red.
From a distance, it looks like the red thread of fate from the Yue Lao Under the Moon hanging down from the sky, winding and guiding the way through the woods.
The gate to the courtyard was open.
Qiguan Yuan's house has changed its appearance.
Pei Yubai had surrounded the Tree of Fate in the front yard with a base made of a whole piece of mutton-fat white jade. The surface of the jade was polished to a warm and smooth texture, and it felt like touching a slightly warm piece of skin.
The base is carved with auspicious cloud patterns and lotus scrolls, the carving is very shallow, and you can only feel a slight undulation when you run your finger across it.
The stone table and benches under the tree have been moved and replaced with a tea table carved from boxwood root, preserving the original grain of the wood, and a set of white porcelain teaware has been placed on it.
Six new side rooms have been built in the backyard.
The blue bricks and gray tiles were laid brick by brick by local craftsmen in Cloud-Hidden Town, and the mortar in the brick joints still bears traces of the recent construction.
The lattice windows are covered with double-sided embroidered gauze. One side is embroidered with Tree of Fate, with tens of thousands of red threads hanging from the branches, each thread going in a different direction.
The other side is embroidered with the Yue Lao Temple in Cloud-Hidden Town, with two tiny shadows standing in front of the temple, one with silver hair and the other with black hair.
Shen Lingyi hired the best embroiderers in Suzhou and they worked on it for three months.
Copper bells hang under the corridor, and they ring out when the wind blows through the woods.
Qiguan Yuan stood under the corridor and listened for a while. The sound was exactly the same as the ones he used to hang under the eaves of the Heavenly Realm Hall of Fate.
Pei Yubai appeared behind him without him noticing and draped an overcoat over his shoulders.
"We need to get up early tomorrow," Pei Yubai said.
Qiguan Yuan adjusted his collar. "I can't sleep."
Pei Yubai didn't say anything more and stood with him under the eaves.
The two stood about half a step apart, their arms occasionally touching before separating.
The night breeze made the red rope on the Tree of Fate sway gently, and the copper bell rang again, its sound fragmented.
Qiguan Yuan and glanced at Pei Yubai.
Moonlight streamed down from the eaves of the corridor, falling on Pei Yubai's profile and illuminating the curve of his brow bone.
"Are you nervous?" Qiguan Yuan asked.
Pei Yubai truthfully replied after a while, "Nervous."
Qiguan Yuan smiled slightly, "Even Moon Official gets nervous sometimes."
Pei Yubai turned to look at him, his gaze calm. "After waiting for so many years, I'm afraid there might be something I won't do well enough tomorrow."
Qiguan Yuan remained silent.
He reached his hand out from his sleeve and touched Pei Yubai's fingers.
Pei Yubai, and the two stood hand in hand under the eaves for a long time.
It was past four in the morning, and while it was still dark, the whole courtyard was already awake.
When Pei Yubai brought in the hot water, Qiguan Yuan was sitting on the edge of the bed, the blanket piled up around his waist, his silver hair cascading over his shoulder.
Unlike women, Qiguan Yuan and Pei Yubai did not need such complicated makeup, so Pei Yubai did not hire a makeup artist.
Pei Yubai placed the copper basin on the shelf, wrung out a hot towel, and handed it over.
Qiguan Yuan took it and covered his face with it, taking several seconds before removing it.
Pei Yubai patiently watched him, waiting for him to come to his senses.
All three wedding dresses were made of brocade and kesi (silk tapestry) by Shen Lingyi's patrons.
Designed personally by Pei Yubai.
The first set is a moon-white Tang-style round-necked dress, with moon patterns embroidered all over the body in silver thread, and the collar is adorned with pearls the size of rice grains.
The second set of black Ming-style python robes features cloud patterns inlaid with gold thread along the shoulders, and an ancient jade piece is pressed onto the waist belt.
The third set is a bright red Song Dynasty-style long-sleeved dress, made of brocade with gold thread. The gold thread embroidery on the collar and cuffs is a variation of the three-ring knot pattern, with no dragons or phoenixes embroidered, only concentric knots made of red thread.
The waist belt is made of black silk tapestry, with a piece of mutton-fat white jade inlaid in the center. The natural patterns on the jade resemble a coiled-up Nine-Tailed Fox.
He wore a matching wide-sleeved robe, the sleeves three feet wide, the hem trailing on the ground, the edges embroidered with nine fox tails in extremely fine silver thread.
Qiguan Yuan glanced at it, then reached out and pointed to the bright red set.
Then he just sat on the tatami mat, waiting for Pei Yubai to fiddle with him.
He tied up Qiguan Yuan's silver hair and put a jade crown on top of it.
The jade crown is carved with a branch of Tree of Fate, on which perches a small Nine-Tailed Fox and a full moon. The carving is extremely exquisite, with the fox's tail curled up and resting on the crescent moon.
Lu Zhao rushed down from the Heavenly Realm before dawn, carrying a gilded rosewood box in his arms as he entered, panting heavily.
He placed the box on the table, walked around behind Qiguan Yuan, looked at it, and tilted his head to examine it for a while.
"Something's missing," Lu Zhao said.
Qiguan Yuan looked at him in the mirror.
Lu Zhao pulled something out of his sleeve—a tassel made of red thread, woven in the oldest three-ring concentric knot style in the Heavenly Realm, with fine thread and a tight knot.
He tied the tassel to Qiguan Yuan's jade crown, adjusted its position, and took two steps back to look at it.
"Alright."
Qiguan Yuan raised his hand and touched the tassel.
The red thread wrapped around his fingertip once, then drooped down again.
Qiguan Yuan didn't really like trouble, but since it was his wedding banquet with Pei Yubai, he held back.
Qiguan Yuan's fingers rested on the tassels, his fingertips gently twirling the tassels.
After a long while, he glanced at Lu Zhao in the mirror and said, "I'll take it."
After helping Qiguan Yuan with everything, Pei Yubai went to change into his wedding attire.
He was also wearing a Song Dynasty-style wide-sleeved garment, but it was made of black brocade with silver embroidery.
The embroidery on the collar and cuffs is a variation of the three-ring knot pattern that echoes Qiguan Yuan, with silver threads outlining the concentric knot on the black fabric.
The waist belt is inlaid with a piece of black jade, the natural patterns on the jade resembling the shadows of clouds under the moon, spreading out in layers.
The jade crown was black, and the ribbon that bound her hair hung down behind her shoulders, with two tiny silver beads at the end.
Because of the ceremony, Pei Yubai and Qiguan Yuan were temporarily separated.
He waited in the courtyard for less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before the wedding party arrived one after another.
Shen Yuzhou led the way, carrying a cloth bag filled with grains and other cereals for scattering in the tent; the bag was embroidered with twin lotus flowers.
Ji Shiyu and Su He'an each carried a crimson palace lantern, with landscapes drawn on the lantern surfaces in ink.
Cheng Yanqiu held a white jade ruyi, with a pair of cranes with intertwined necks carved on its head.
Meng Xu carried Chenchen at the back. Chenchen's newly grown front teeth hadn't come in yet, so his smile was lisping. He was carrying a small basket full of osmanthus petals.
Meng Xu put Chenchen down, and Chenchen ran over and looked up at Pei Yubai, the basket in her hand swaying back and forth.
"Godfather!"
Pei Yubai bent down and picked him up.
Chenchen grabbed a handful of osmanthus petals from the basket and scattered them on his head. The petals landed on his jade crown and shoulders, and a few stuck to his black robe. He didn't bother to brush them off, and carried Chenchen outside.
The horse was white, with a red ribbon tied to its bridle, the ribbon fluttering gently in the morning breeze.
The sound of horses' hooves pounding on the bluestone path carried far through the woods.
The wedding party followed behind.
The courtyard gate opened.
Qiguan Yuan stood inside the door, wearing a red robe with wide sleeves, a jade crown with red tassels, and silver embroidery that shimmered in the morning light.
Behind him stood the Tree of Fate adorned with red threads, and copper bells jingled softly under the eaves.
Pei Yubai dismounted.
He looked at Qiguan Yuan, and Qiguan Yuan looked at him too.
The two stood a few steps apart, neither making the first move.
The morning light filtered through the gaps in the tree canopy, falling on Qiguan Yuan's silver hair, on Pei Yubai's shoulders, and on the bluestone slabs at his feet.
Pei Yubai walked over and extended his hand.
Qiguan Yuan placed his hand in Pei Yubai's palm. Pei Yubai grasped it, his thumb gently rubbing against the back of Qi Guanyuan's hand.