Chapter 68: The wedding night (1/2)

In a bunk of an eye, it was the wedding day, everyone looked forward to the special day for all the wrong reasons. The Emperor looked forward to the day, he clipped the wings of this unruly nephew of his.

The Empress had already come to terms with the whole thing but was in a bind thinking of how to appease Elder Princess Ni'an. The Emperor was breathing down her neck, waiting patiently for the deadline.

While the Emperor and imperial consort Shi waited patiently to see their plan progress, the rest of the noble families all waited to watch a soul. Everyone waited for a big showdown but were surprised when they got nothing.

The day before the wedding, madam Lu went through the arrangements made by the servant. She stood by the wall in the banquet all, while the steward in charge of the mansion Uncle Lu gave a rundown of everything. She made corrections where she should until she was satisfied then returned to her room.

She was on her way to the room when it was reported that their in-laws the Xu family sent over some gifts for the couple. The servants presented it to the old madam before sending it to the second master's place.

Nanny Liu a servant that followed the old madam into the Duke's mansion when she got married as one of her dowry maid's, shook her head when she saw the present. All were of good quality, second madam Xu was a close friend of the madam wasn't stingy in her gift.

It was obvious that the gifts were all prepared by her since they were all based on the second master's preference. At first glance, it was easy to see that the sender was meticulous. In a household like the Xu family full of peacocks, only Second madam Xu would put up such an effort.

Madam Lu and the second madam were as close as sisters, they were considering arranging a match between the only daughter of the second madam Xu and their second young master. It sure a pity that their efforts were wasted on that dream

She saw the upcoming marriage as a trap set by an overzealous maid who didn't know her place. As they returned to their rooms, Nanny Liu Sighed ”it is such a pity, madam. Look at all the top-notch gifts from second madam Xu. She treats you well, all our good plans all wasted thanks to that hussy!”.

”We made all the plans but sadly none were useful,” madam Lu replied.

Nanny Liu looked left and right before moving closer to her mistress and said in a low tone, ”His majesty only conferred a wife for our Young Master, why don't we marry the second young miss In as a concubine”.

Madam Lu glared at Nanny Liu as soon as she heard that ”Insolence!, How dare you. Is this Duke's mansion short on high-end products? It is the Lu Family's tradition to have only one wife, I wouldn't change a tradition to suit my needs!”

Nanny Liu knelt immediately ”this servant was wrong, I forget my place madam please don't take it to heart”.

Madam Liu just looked down at her current position and ignored her.

The next day, the wedding ceremony was held. Su Liya woke early to prepare for the big day, The maids responsible for beauty applied her make-up and styled her hair. While another set of palace maids brought in her wedding dress.

After getting dressed, Su Liya was led to the carriage and left for the Duke's mansion. The carriage was decorated in red, Su Liya sat silently, her heart beating faster as she was carried through the palace to the palace.

Su Liya stopped at the Empress's palace to give her greetings and received some blessings from the Empress before continuing on the trip to the Duke's mansion. The Empress bestowed a few extra gifts and advised her to respect her elders and new family.

As she left, the Empress added a few well-trained palace servants to her dowry to serve her. It was normal for families to add a few of their servants to accompany the bride into her new home. The few servants looked reliable but she suspected that they were sent along by the Empress to keep tabs on her

She arrived at the Duke's mansion at the auspicious hours and was led in by Lu Yaozhu. Lu Yaozhu let her pass the gate and holding on to one end of the red ribbon, walked into the receiving room.