Bend Over [ 折腰 ] - Chapter 11

[Chapter 11: Shu Li]

Xindu went north to Yuyang, and the road took more than half a month. Zhong Mi was previously sent here by Lady Xu to prepare for the wedding, and now that the wedding is completed and the lady is going north, she naturally goes back with her.

The person escorting the female monarch to the north was also Wei Liang.

Wei Liang deeply resented the Qiao family. When Xiao Qiao’s father, Qiao Ping, came to the Wei family to mourn, it was he who took the lead in drawing his sword and angrily facing him in the spirit hall. He naturally did not have a good feeling for xiao Qiao now, and when he saw her for the first time, he saw that the lord wanted to marry such a woman, and he defined her as a “bad water” in his heart. Now he wants to send him to Yuyang again, but this task was sent to him by the Gongsun Army, he could not push it off, and he also understood in his heart that although this Qiao family daughter was destined to be treated by no one in the future, since the lord was married, it showed that there was still a little use, so he could only reluctantly agree to this errand again.

Wei Liang prepared the carriage and horses, selected an entourage, and after the people carried Xiao Qiao out and placed them, they waited outside the door of the Xindi.

Little Joe didn’t make people wait long. After packing up, the sun was only raised to the height of the roof.

She took Chunniang and a few maids and walked out of the new room of the Sheyang House.

Chunniang really held her breath in the morning.

If it is said that at last night’s wedding, Xiao Qiao’s makeup was to match her identity as the wife of the prince, preferring the dignity and magnificence of being old-fashioned compared to her actual age, then now, in addition to the necessary generosity, it is more to highlight her original beauty and the natural gesture between her hands and feet.

Little Qiao was raised by Chunniang looking at her, and no one knows better than Chunniang how beautiful she can be.

ChunNiang combed a wangxian bun for her, her long hair was all high on the top, decorated with Xiao Qiao’s favorite jade slip comb, and a step shake with a nanzhu as large as a fingernail cover was inserted on the sideburns, and there was no other decoration. Her face, in fact, does not need too much fat powder at all. The fat powder is thick, but it hides her original charm. Yesterday, Chunniang put on thick makeup for her, out of consideration for suppressing the big wedding dress. This morning, her eyebrows were swept lightly, her lips were a little, and her cheeks were lightly covered with a layer of smoke and incense powder, and a face was enough to be radiant and moving.

ChunNiang also knew very early on that the tight and narrow body and the curved hem of the knees spilled to the ground could best show that Xiao Qiao was now becoming more and more exquisite and beautiful. She served Little Joe in the bath closely, and she knew best how her body had changed. Since she came to decoction last year, I watched her change day by day, and the jade room on her chest had quietly swelled up like a flower, and the different texture and beauty of the woman, which was different from the rich and mature, were indescribable unless I saw it with my own eyes.

The daughter of her ambassador, only a little petite in skeleton, unlike the women here, most of them are tall and healthy, and they have just reached the age of Zhen, their body size has not yet been fully grown, plus the large wedding dress of the six layers inside and outside last night, which completely covers her actual exquisite figure, and it is definitely not like the skinny and thin women who are ridiculed behind the backs this morning.

It’s you Wei Hou who missed the opportunity to know, okay?

ChunNiang couldn’t help but slander again. She chose a light water red curl for Xiao Qiao, after repeatedly wrapping her body triple, she tied her waist with an embroidery belt, exposed the soft silver light luo tucked skirt, after sorting out the clothes, because of the cold wind, she added a heavenly fragrance of the inlaid fur soft hat cape, the cape had no other decorations, only embroidered on the side of the hem with a stretch calyx, if the wind is strong, you can wear a hat for warmth, plain and elegant.

This travel outfit, which is mostly her true color, from head to toe, is only just right, neither too simple, degraded as the newlywed princess’s wife, nor extravagant. When the windward style walked out, only to see her green silk emerald, earrings bright moon, skirt swaying, eyes crystalline, sideburns swaying and shining, far away, as if The gods came out of the water, the beauty was incomprehensible, even the square courtyard behind her, which was only a gray fluttering color due to winter, also added a bright beauty of early spring. This way out, the servants encountered looked sideways, and some of them forgot to salute, until she gradually drifted away, still looking at the back and not looking back.

Chun Niang finally felt that the blocked breath in her heart was slightly smoother.

The front door passed, and it led to the gate. There are several steps. Last night was cold, Chunniang was afraid that there was still residual ice on the steps, so she reached out to support Xiao Qiao, xiaoQiao slightly lifted her skirt, and when she looked down the steps, she felt that Chunniang beside her suddenly stopped, and then, the sleeve was gently pulled off by her.

Xiao Qiao raised his eyes and saw Wei Shao standing not far in front of him, and there was a middle-aged man with a slightly emaciated body and three beards on his side, with a clear face, bright eyes, and his face looked a little sick, like a civilian official next to Wei Shao.

ChunNiang had already inquired about it before, and learned that Wei Shao had a courtier named Gongsun Yang by his side, who was quite dependent on him and was often in one place. At this moment, when I saw this middle-aged man walking with him, I guessed that it should be that person. Looking at their appearance, it seems that they have just passed by here, and they have come into a place with themselves.

Xiao Qiao saw Wei Shao’s two eyes sweeping towards him, expressionless, his footsteps paused slightly, and then he continued to move forward without doing anything, and when he got closer, he smiled and called out to him, “Fu Jun.”

The middle-aged man beside him had already bowed to her, claiming to be Gongsun (公孙), a sheep, and a marching sima of the prince, and when he spoke, he had a smile on his face and a very respectful attitude.

Xiao Qiao also smiled, bowed his head slightly to Gongsun Yang, and after greeting, turned to Wei Shao and said, “So the concubine has left, and she can no longer serve her husband in the future, hoping that husband Jun himself will take more care.” After saying a little blessing, he didn’t look at him much, turned his head and turned around and left.

Wei Shao seemed to be frightened, his brow frowned slightly, and his eyes were fixed on her back.

Although ChunNiang was dissatisfied with Wei Shao in her heart, but when she encountered it like this, she still did not dare to be sloppy on the surface, and seeing that Xiao Qiao had already left, she was busy bowing to Wei Shao to see the courtesy, and then looked at the person who had the surname of Gongsun, turned around and hurriedly chased after him.

“Lord, don’t you really send the lady out of the city?”

When Xiao Qiao’s figure gradually faded away, Gongsun Yang advised again: “In my opinion, it is better for the lord to send him out of the city.” Zhou Li is faint, and marriage is an alliance. Although the world is getting worse and worse today, the Marriage and Marriage of the Lord are more pleasing to the people, which is a human principle. Yesterday’s big wedding, today’s female monarch will go north, it can still be said that the war is tense, only these few steps out of the city to send each other, the main affairs are no matter how cumbersome, it is not easy to omit. If the lord does not send it, he will make the people in the city suspicious. ”

……

Xiao Qiao came out of the gate, and Wei Liang and Zhong Mi came to greet each other. She got into the carriage in front of her, and Wei Liang Zhongmi and the others were also in their places, and were about to leave, when they suddenly saw Wei Shao come out and rushed to meet each other.

“Prepare the horse. I sent her out of town. Xiao Qiao was

already sitting in the carriage, when he suddenly heard Wei Shao’s voice floating behind him, out of curiosity, he couldn’t help but roll up the curtain and glance at it. Seeing him standing on the steps of the gate waiting for someone to lead the horse over, his face facing himself sideways, as if he was thinking of something out of his mind, suddenly, as if he was aware of the voyeuristic gaze behind him, he turned his face and looked at Little Joe’s carriage.

Little Joe immediately shrank back and “snapped” down the curtain.

……

The carriage and horse set off onto the street.

At this point, the people on the street gradually increased, and passers-by saw a line of carriages and horses coming from the direction of the Xingong, a large carriage in the middle, with an entourage guarding in front and behind, and Wei Shao also rode on the side, and slowly gathered together and called him a prince. After a street, more and more people, gradually, the news spread somehow, saying that the big car in the middle was the newly married Lady Junhou, who was nervous about the war, and the new wedding day could only send her north, although she could not bear to separate, but in desperation, she could only send her out of the city. The mood of the people slowly became agitated, and some people began to shout salutes to the unneeded lady in the carriage, and the rest followed suit.

Little Joe sat in the carriage and heard the passers-by outside the carriage paying tribute to him, and there were also those who loudly wished her a smooth and safe road.

In this era, although Confucian rituals such as male superiority over female inferiority and not advocating women’s remarriage have begun to be advocated by those in power, the world style is still much more enlightened than later, and there is no strict restriction that women and noble women cannot show their faces. In Yanzhou, when Xiao Qiao’s mother was still alive, every March, she would take Big and Small Qiao to the Flower Temple to participate in the Shangwei Festival, Spring and Sun, which was regarded as one of the important festivalsLi, all the way the carriage open-top, received greetings from the county people she met along the way, and enjoyed with the people. Hearing the noise on both sides getting louder and louder, she shouted, and Chunniang rolled up the curtains on both sides and smiled and nodded her head to the people on both sides of the road.

Naturally, the people in the city did not know about the old affairs of Wei Qiao’s two families. Because Wei Shao was quite popular with the people, he naturally had the same affection for the newlywed wife of the prince, and felt that the next day of the new marriage, he wanted the husband and wife to be separated and sent all the way. Seeing her finally show her face and return the salute, sitting in the middle of the car, Shu Yun Lou Ting, Xian Zi Shen Yi, smile like the wind through the peach and plum, but approachable, when the eyes passed, everyone had a feeling in their hearts, felt that Madame Junhou seemed to be greeting herself, suddenly cheered and excited, and there were no men and women, chasing the carriage all the way, and more and more people, all clustered on the road on both sides of the carriage, just to look at her more.

At first, Xiao Qiao smiled and greeted the people, but it was only out of his duty as the wife of the prince. Unexpectedly, it attracted so many people to chase and send all the way, seeing that there were still people running in this direction in the distance, people were only afraid that there would be more and more, lest they trigger trampling, and shake their hands to the people nearby to show that they did not have to send each other, and they put down the car curtain.

[End of This Chapter]