Ten Thousand Books, But Only One You

Extra Story: Strange Happenings on One's Wedding Night in Great Ming (Part 1)

Part One:

Red silk flowers, red ribbons and red lanterns adorned the buildings, hallways and pavilions. As night slowly fell and the wedding guests were at the peak of their merrymaking, the entire Ji Residence was blissfully wrapped in a warm red glow.

Far away from the joyful and drunken laughter, a young bride perched nervously on the edge of the marital bed, alone in the silent bridal chamber. Her petite frame was wrapped in a tailored red round-collared robe and horse-face skirt intricately embroidered with animals. A blue silk shawl draped around her shoulders, further accentuating the air of nobility and dignity which the wedding robes evoked.

Beneath the weight of the phoenix coronet on her head and the red wedding scarf which veiled her naturally porcelain skin made rosier with light orange rouge on her cheeks and painted red lips, Su Rulan sat gracefully with her back straightened and chin raised. She was exhausted and hungry after a full day of customs and rituals under the veil; but she had already came so far—surely it would be a waste for her to lose decorum at this point. And if one wanted to speak of patience, she had already waited almost four years for this day—surely she could wait for another hour or two for her bridegroom to arrive at the bridal chamber.

But having been brought up as a delicate, fragile young lady, after not eating for the whole day, Su Rulan was starting to feel faint.

"Xiaowei," she called out to her personal maidservant who was standing by outside the room. "Would you need a change of candle?"

"No, my lady," came the meaningful reply. "There is sufficient wax for another hour."

Su Rulan sighed quietly and carefully as she was afraid that the walls have ears. It was an arbitrary gauge of time, depending on whether the young master or the guests were the first ones to fall drunk. Perhaps, it also depended on whether the bridegroom was excited to see his bride. But she wasn't sure if Ji Chiyan was indeed excited to see her. They had met only met once after all, when she was twelve.

The lantern festival that year, her parents had brought her out onto the crowded streets to busk in the colourful bright lights and festivities. Unfortunately, when her mother had let go of her hand for a brief moment, the young Su Rulan was swept up in the human traffic and drifted further and further away from her family's mini entourage. After wandering around aimlessly and tearfully, she bumped into a tall teenager dressed in fine silk brocade. When she gazed up at his friendly face through her watery eyes, she mistook him for her and her younger twin brother's private tutor. Perhaps, it was because she found his appearance familiar that she had trusted him immediately, told him that she had separated from her parents and requested for him to take her home. If it had been daytime and she had not been crying, she would have been able to tell that the kind soul who had taken her home that night was much younger, more dashing and had appeared visibly confused when she addressed him as "Teacher Chen".

When they reached Su Rulan's residence, her father was anxiously pacing the doorsteps while her mother was on the verge of tears. Upon seeing their daughter walk towards them with a person who looked like the young man, Chen Zhiduan, who tutored their children, the alarm on their faces turned into relief. Su Rulan let go of the hand of her benefactor, whom she learnt was surnamed Ji and not Chen, and ran towards her parents with a candied animal in her hand while shouting excitedly: "This older brother who saved me is not Teacher Chen, but someone who looks exactly like him. Can you believe it?"

Embarrassed by her daughter's enthusiasm in front of a stranger, her mother held onto her tightly and pulled her close to her side. Her father was also slightly embarrassed but schooled his expression and extended gratitude towards the young lad, before engaging in a brief conversation with him. Su Rulan wanted to listen in on their exchange but was dragged into the house by her mother.