Chapter 506: The Wind Blows

Gu Xian, May 18.

Before dawn, Gu Mingyuan was already up.

Last night's events felt like a nightmare; Gu Mingcheng and Gu Rui were taken away, the Jin Yi Wei moved out boxes of ledgers and letters, and the courtyard was strewn with wolf poison.

But the wedding date hadn't changed; the Prince said so, as usual.

"Xian'er, it's time to get up," Gu Mingyuan stood at his son's door and knocked.

The door opened; Gu Xian, dressed in a big red Wedding Dress, stood inside, his hair combed meticulously, the fatigue from a sleepless night on his face softened by the dress.

"Dad..."

Gu Mingyuan looked at his son, and his eyes suddenly reddened.

"Xian'er, today is your grand joyous day; don't think about those troublesome things."

"Dad, I know."

Gu Xian knelt and kowtowed three times to his father.

Gu Mingyuan helped him up and patted his shoulder.

"Go! Don't keep the Princess waiting."

Wu Wang Fu was already bustling before dawn.

Zhu Huanhuan sat before the dressing table, and Guanyin Nu personally combed her hair.

The wooden comb moved from root to tip, one stroke after another, slowly.

"One comb to the end, two combs white hair to the eyebrows, three combs descendants fill the hall."

Guanyin Nu's voice was gentle, and as she combed, her hand suddenly paused.

"Mother..."

Zhu Huanhuan lifted her head and looked at her mother through the mirror.

Guanyin Nu shook her head, continued combing, and said nothing.

Zhu Yong stood in the doorway, watching his wife and daughter, his eyes a bit red.

He recalled when Zhu Huanhuan was just born, all wrinkled, her cries loud; no matter how he tried to soothe her, he failed, and Guanyin Nu teased, "Prince can even lift a hammer, yet can't soothe a child."

Twenty‑three years later, that wrinkled little girl had grown up and was to be married.

"Dad..." Zhu Huanhuan saw her father in the mirror and smiled.

"Dad, come see you," Zhu Yong entered, standing behind his daughter.

He reached out to touch his daughter's head, but withdrew halfway, fearing to disturb her hair bun.

"Huan Huan, if Gu Xian dares to bully you, tell Dad."

Zhu Huanhuan laughed, her eyes reddening instantly, but she didn't cry.

"Dad, he won't."

"Of course he won't; he wouldn't dare."

Zhu Yong's words were spoken plainly, yet anyone could hear the meaning in his tone.

The hall fell quiet for a moment, and Guanyin Nu shook her head and smiled.

The auspicious hour arrived.

Outside the door, firecrackers crackled—pop, pop—shaking the paper windows.

"The groom has arrived! The groom has arrived!" Zhu Qiongwu ran in, drenched in sweat, with firecracker fragments on his face.

Zhu Huanhuan placed the Red Cap on, and sat upright at the bedside.

Guanyin Nu walked over and slipped an item into her daughter's hand—a pair of Jade Pendants.

"These are what Mother wore when she married your father; hold them."

"Mother..."

Guanyin Nu patted her hand, saying nothing.

Zhu Yong stood in the doorway, watching his daughter.

He opened his mouth to say something, then swallowed it back.

Thousands of words clogged his throat, and in the end he managed only: "Huan Huan, Dad sees you off."

Zhu Huanhuan nodded; her face beneath the cap was unreadable, yet she gripped her father's hand tightly.

In the front courtyard, Gu Xian stood in the main hall, clad in a big red Wedding Dress, holding Red Silk, the other end tied to a Red Flower.

His heart pounded fast, his palms slick with sweat.

"Brother‑in‑law, don't be nervous."

Zhu Qiongjiong hefted a Wolf Fang Club beside him, grinned, and said, "My dad said, if you treat my sister poorly, he'll grab a hammer to have a chat with you."

"I'll certainly remember my father‑in‑law's words," Gu Xian forced a bitter smile.

"Just remember it," Zhu Qiongjiong patted his shoulder and turned away.

Footsteps sounded from outside the hall.

Zhu Yong led Zhu Huanhuan out; the Red Cap concealed his daughter's face, hiding her expression, but her steps were steady.

Gu Xian watched the figure in the big red bridal attire, his heart racing faster; he knelt and kowtowed.

"Young son‑in‑law Gu Xian, I have met you, Father‑in‑law."

Zhu Yong looked at him, silent for a moment.

"Gu Xian, Huan Huan is now yours to take care of."

"Father‑in‑law, rest assured, the son‑in‑law will treat the Princess well."

Zhu Yong nodded, handed his daughter's hand over; Gu Xian took it, his fingertips feeling a slight chill, yet steady.

Zhu Huanhuan's hand trembled slightly, then clenched tightly.

Outside the hall, firecrackers sounded again.

"The auspicious moment has arrived, the bride onto the sedan chair!" the attendant shouted.

Gu Xian led the Red Silk, guiding Zhu Huanhuan out the door.

Zhu Huanhuan, under the Cover Head, could not see the road, yet each step was steady; she had lived in Wu Wang Fu for twenty‑three years and could walk out even with her eyes closed.

Reaching the doorway, she halted, turned around, and bowed deeply toward the mansion.

Guanyin Nu stood on the steps, watching her daughter's silhouette, and finally tears fell.

Zhu Huanhuan stepped onto the Sedan Chair, and the sedan curtain was lowered.

"Raise the sedan!"

The sedan bearers lifted the Sedan Chair, the suona sounded, firecrackers blared, and the chair swayed out the door.

Gu Xian rode his horse ahead of the Sedan Chair, clad in a bright red Wedding Dress, standing out vividly in the sunlight.

Zhu Yong stood at the doorway, watching the Sedan Chair drift farther and disappear at the alley mouth.

His eyes were a bit red, but he did not weep.

He simply stood there, motionless.

Guanyin Nu came over, grasped his hand, and the two stood side by side at the doorway, watching the direction the Sedan Chair went, silent for a long while.

Zhu Qiongwu ran over, tugging at his father's hem.

"Father, sister has left..."

Zhu Yong lowered his head, looking at his son.

"Father, why are you crying?"

Zhu Yong wiped his face; water was on the back of his hand.

"The wind is strong."

Zhu Qiongwu looked up at the sky—clear for miles—wondering where the wind could come from.

Zhu Yong turned, and strode back into the mansion.

He reached the main courtyard, stopped beneath the pagoda tree, and stared blankly at the two golden hammers leaning against it.

The hammers remain, but the daughter has gone.

Zhu Yuanzhang stood under the pagoda tree, hands behind his back, watching the two hammers.

"Yong Er, Huan Huan is getting married," Zhu Yuanzhang said.

Zhu Yong turned to his father, remained silent for a moment, then replied, "Father, why are you here?"

"I came to see you."

Zhu Yuanzhang walked over, stood beside him and said, "When Huan Huan was born, I remember you the first time you saw her, holding her in your arms, your hands trembling; you could barely lift a hammer, yet your hands shook holding a child."

Zhu Yong said nothing.

"In the blink of an eye, twenty‑three years have passed; the child has grown and should marry," Zhu Yuanzhang sighed.

"Father, I know."

"You know, yet you cry?"

"I'm not crying, the wind is strong."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the cloudless sky, hummed, and said, "You share the same trait as your elder brother, stubborn as a dead duck."

Zhu Yong gave no reply, stood for a while longer, then turned and entered the house.

On the table inside were several plates of pastries, made by Zhu Huanhuan before she left.

He picked up a piece of osmanthus cake, took a bite, and it tasted the same—the flavor he had been eating since childhood.

When Huan Huan was six, she began learning to make pastries; her first osmanthus cake was hard and sweet.

Zhu Yong ate an entire plate.

Guanyin Nu walked in from outside, sat beside him, and watched him finish.

"Prince, Huan Huan has left; please don't be sad."

"I'm not sad," Zhu Yong shook his head.

Guanyin Nu sighed and said nothing further.