Chapter 820: Prince or Princess?

Lu Qi was startled: "Where are we going?"

Tuan Tuan slid out of Xiao Er's arms onto the ground, trotted with her short legs to Lu Qi, tugged his sleeve and ran out: "You'll know once you go!"

Lu Qi wore a puzzled expression: "Exactly where are we going?"

Tuan Tuan didn't look back: "Let's go, let's go!"

Lu Qi sighed, looked up at Xiao Er: "Brother Xiao, it's been a while, have you finished your errand?"

Xiao Er gave a slight smile and nodded: "All done, let's go."

The three left the Prince's Mansion, boarded a carriage, passed through a few alleys, and finally stopped in front of a familiar little building.

Lu Qi glanced up, his eyebrows slightly raised; it was the Fortune Luck Tea House.

He smiled; it turned out to be Tianji Pavilion's territory.

It's a good thing the miss wants to come listen to a storyteller for fun.

As soon as the three entered the tea house, a noisy wave of heat slammed into them.

The first floor was packed with tea guests; the storyteller on stage clapped the wooden board with a "pa‑pa" at the exciting parts, and cheers rose and fell throughout the hall.

Xiao Yuanhang, sharp‑eyed, spotted Tuan Tuan at once, hurried over, bowed and said: "Greetings, Lord Master! Please follow me upstairs!"

The three followed him up to the third floor and entered the innermost private room.

Tea and pastries were promptly brought out.

Tuan Tuan climbed onto the chair, grabbed a pastry and took a bite: "Delicious!"

Xiao Yuanhang was about to leave when Tuan Tuan called him back: "Wait! Where's the shopkeeper? I want to see him."

"Alright!" Xiao Yuanhang replied, turned and walked away: "I'll go fetch him right away."

The three sipped tea and ate pastries, feeling very content.

Soon, the private room's door was gently pushed open.

A woman in a lotus‑colored ru‑skirt entered, knelt and bowed, her voice crisp: "New shopkeeper of Fortune Luck Tea House, greetings, Lord Master."

Lu Qi's tea cup hit the table with a "clack," splashing tea everywhere.

He sprang to his feet, eyes bulging, and, astonished, managed two words: "Wan Yun?"

Su Wan Yun straightened, met his gaze, her lips curving slightly, her eyes a mix of sharpness and tenderness.

"You…" Lu Qi stepped forward, grabbed her hand, his Adam's apple bobbing, "Weren't you in Yuzhou? When did you… become the shopkeeper of this Fortune Luck Tea House?"

Tuan Tuan sat in the chair, her two little legs wobbling beneath, laughing just like Xiao Feifei.

She swayed her tiny head proudly: "Second Uncle brought Sister Su over! The former shopkeeper uncle also agreed!"

"He and Sister Su swapped places; from now on Sister Su will stay in Jingcheng!"

She tilted her head, looking at Lu Qi: "Uncle Seven, won't you also stay then?"

"You can get married here! When I miss you, I'll come here to find you!"

Lu Qi stood there dumbfounded, glanced at Su Wan Yun, then turned to look at his own miss, unable to utter a word for a long while.

Finally, he regained his voice, quietly stared at Su Wan Yun, his fingertips trembling slightly: "Really?"

Su Wan Yun's cheeks flushed with two pink circles, her eyelids drooping, she whispered low: "You blockhead."

Lu Qi was stunned for a moment, then broke into a grin.

He turned, walked to the table, raised his hand and punched Xiao Er: "You've been handling this matter all these days, right?"

"It's fine if the miss doesn't say, but why didn't you tell me either?"

Xiao Er rubbed his sore shoulder, feigning innocence: "The miss told me not to say, you can't blame me."

Tuan Tuan giggled, slid off the chair, ran to Su Wan Yun, grabbed her hand and led her to the table: "Sister Su, you'll be living in Jingcheng from now on!"

"Uncle Seven says he wants to marry you! If he ever dares to bully you later, tell me and I'll punish him for you!"

Su Wan Yun crouched, looking straight at Tuan Tuan's sparkling big eyes, and said softly: "Fine, with the Lord Master here, I'm not afraid of him."

Lu Qi's eyes reddened slightly, and a feeling of unprecedented steadiness and warmth rose in his heart.

He whispered: "Wan Yun, I didn't understand before, I have let you down all these years."

"From now on, this Fortune Luck Tea House will be our home."

Su Wan Yun lifted her head, a thin sheen of water glimmered in her eyes, and her lips curved upward.

She finally got what she had been waiting for.

Two months later.

At daybreak, the whole street became lively.

Red silk banners were strung in front of the Fortune Luck Tea House, and crimson silk draped from the third‑floor eaves down to the ground.

The doors and windows were covered with gold‑powder‑drawn double‑happiness characters, sparkling in the sunlight.

Soon, the crackling firecracker sounds rang throughout half of Jingcheng.

Children covered their ears, screaming as they ran about; townsfolk crowded the sides of the road, craning their necks to peer at the tea house entrance.

"Why such a big spectacle?"

"I heard the shopkeeper of Fortune Luck Tea House is getting married!"

"Wow, look! Isn't that a carriage from the Ning Prince's Mansion?"

"Even more! Look, that's from Prince Jing's Mansion!"

Carriages lined up in front of the tea house.

The first to arrive was a party from the Ning Prince's Mansion.

Xiao Yuanhang and Cheng Ru'an led Tuan Tuan down from the carriage; Tuan Tuan looked around excitedly: "Father! Mother! So lively!"

Xiao Yuanhang patted his daughter's tiny hand: "A wedding calls for a celebration, of course."

The three brothers followed closely behind.

Before long, Xiao Ran and Chen Hao also arrived.

Soon, Xiao Ze, Feng Zhou, Xie Yunshu… all arrived bearing congratulatory gifts.

The tea house's main hall was turned into a wedding hall.

Red candles burned high, wedding banners hung low, and on each side of the central table stood a grandmaster chair.

Lu Qi, dressed in a bright red wedding robe, stood in the center of the wedding hall.

The robe was personally commissioned by Cheng Ru'an for Lu Qi, tailor‑made with the finest brocade, sleeves embroidered with twin‑lotus motifs, and a golden‑thread soft belt tied at the waist.

But at this moment the groom stood helplessly, at a loss for what to do.

"Brother Lu!" Xiao Er strode up to him, lifted his hand to straighten the crooked golden‑thread belt, "Dress yourself properly; when the bride sees you, she'll laugh at you otherwise."

Lu Qi grinned repeatedly, yet could not utter a single word.

Xiao Er, seeing his expression, couldn't help bursting into laughter, "Alright, alright, stop giggling foolishly; the bride will be here any moment."

Before the words finished, a deafening clamor of gongs and drums rose from outside, and the bridal sedan arrived.

Lu Qi's whole body stiffened; Xiao Er gave him a shove, "Why are you still frozen? Go greet her!"

Su Wan Yun was carried out from Ning Prince's Mansion.

Cheng Ru'an personally prepared ten‑li of bridal makeup for her.

A line of vermilion lacquered, gold‑inlaid boxes streamed out of the mansion one after another.

Jewelry, silk brocade, silverware… marched grandly through Jingcheng's streets and alleys, winding around most of the city, and finally arrived before the entrance of Fuyun Tea House.

Lu Qi stood straight at the doorway, not knowing where to place his hands.

The matchmaker sang a set of auspicious verses loudly, and the wedding maid lifted the sedan curtain.

Su Wan Yun, in a bright red wedding dress with phoenix crown and rosy veil, stepped out gracefully with the wedding maid's assistance.

Lu Qi watched her walk toward him step by step, feeling the street's clamor recede from him.

"Uncle Qi!" Tuan Tuan's crisp voice came from behind him, "Hurry up!"

Lu Qi snapped back to his senses and strode forward to greet her.

He did not take the red silk, but gently grasped Su Wan Yun's hand and led her into the wedding hall.

The newlyweds stood side by side before the table.

Xiao Yuanhang and Cheng Ru'an sat upright on grandmaster chairs, receiving the couple's kowtow.

With the officiant's cry of "Ceremony complete! Proceed to the bridal chamber," Su Wan Yun's veil fluttered slightly, and her hands clenched tighter.

The banquet was opened.

Everyone offered toasts; Lu Qi accepted without refusal, downing cup after cup.

Tuan Tuan carried a small bowl of lotus‑seed soup, ran to him with a clatter, and raised the bowl high with both hands: "Uncle Qi! This is my mother's hand‑made soup; she says it's for the bride to drink."

"Could you take it inside for Sister Su?"

Lu Qi bent down, took the bowl, reached out and gently rubbed Tuan Tuan's crown of hair, saying, "Fine, Uncle Qi will take it in."

Tuan Tuan watched Lu Qi's back as he walked away with the bowl, ran back to her mother, looked up and asked, "Mother, so this is what marriage is?"

Cheng Ru'an smiled faintly, "Yes, do you like it?"

Tuan Tuan was thrilled, "I like it! So lively, it's so fun!"

Night deepened, and the guests gradually dispersed.

The red lanterns of Fuyun Tea House swayed gently in the night breeze, casting a warm reddish glow.

A few months later, a wail of an infant echoed from Fengyi Palace.

Xiao Jieyun hurriedly asked, "Is it a prince or a princess?"