As she unfolded the envelope, a line of elegant, resplendent handwriting caught her eyes, it read: "To my beloved wife Cai Wei."
Upon seeing the words ’beloved wife’, a blush immediately appeared on Cai Wei’s face! She touched her slightly flushed cheek, chiding herself inwardly: Tsk, unprincipled!
Even though she was annoyed with him, her eyebrows curved into a smile, her face radiating the happiness of a smitten young woman.
The letter from Nangong Yi was quite lengthy. He urged her repeatedly in the letter to take good care of her health, not to overwork herself with business matters, and stay at home, waiting for him to return and marry her.
Throughout the letter, he did not mention his impending deployment to the battlefield, probably to prevent her from worrying. He only recounted some trivial, peaceful affairs. The warmth expressed in every word filled her heart, enwrapping her in happiness as she giggled through the entire night...
The next day, a significant news arrived at Qingfang Garden that caused Cai Wei to be overwhelmed with excitement. She was worrying about how to escape her circumstances, and now there came the perfect opportunity. As the saying goes, "destiny makes a fool of meticulousness", it’s unexpected success after endless searches.
It turns out, early in the morning, the Emperor announced that three days later, there would be a royal hunt at the royal hunting ground, which would also serve as the wedding ceremony for Prince Saknu of Liaodan Kingdom and Princess An Le.
Usually, royal hunts are conducted in autumn. Influenced by Confucian teachings, spring and summer were seasons of life growth and so hunting was deemed inappropriate. In winter, while most fauna are dormant, the weather is too cold for hunting. Hence, autumn is the best time for hunting, and grand hunting events were typically held in the autumn, hence known as the Autumn Hunt.
However, according to the traditions of the Liaodan Kingdom, the weddings of young men and women should be held in deep mountainous areas or forests, symbolizing their reverence and respect for nature. The emperor, intending to ally with Saknu, was more than happy to accommodate. Hence, he ordered the high-ranking officials of the second rank and above, along with their families, the concubines and above in the harem, and the princes and grandsons, to head to the royal hunting ground in the southern suburbs in three days. They would hunt for a day and hold the grand wedding ceremony for Prince Saknu and Princess An Le the following day.
With the Emperor’s decree, the palace immediately buzzed with activity. The concubines and above were exultant about being allowed to accompany the emperor. Even the servants were delighted. Having been trapped in the palace for so long, they all cherished the rare opportunity to get away for a while.
A similar joy prevailed amongst the servants in Qingfang Garden. Because Du Meiren was Cai Wei’s nominal foster mother and relative through marriage, she was exceptionally permitted by the Empress Dowager to accompany them.
Hong Rui and Anxiang were thrilled as they finally had a chance to get close to Prince Saknu, who would soon be their future husband. They were understandably overjoyed.
Especially Hong Rui, she packed all the outfits that the Empress had given her for the occasion. With two large bundles, she was fully prepared to captivate everyone and make Prince Saknu remember her on the big day.
Cai Wei didn’t have much preparation. Currently residing with Du Meiren, she used all of Du Meiren’s things. The bridal gifts the Empress had prepared for her were still stored in the National Treasury, destined never to reach her hands.
During the three days of waiting, she had nothing to do all day and passed her time by sending Brother Parrot here and there to gather information about her acquaintances.
"Brother Parrot, go to Qingyun Town and see how Uncle Zhou, Auntie Zhou, and their family are doing."
"Yes, master!" Brother Parrot flew off.
After giving her orders, Cai Wei lay on the couch, applying medicine to her injured leg while massaging it.
The injury on her leg had improved significantly, the necrotic muscle showed signs of recovery. The dark-purple skin tone was gradually fading to blue-purple, the deep indents had notably become shallower and at touch, she could feel the pain again.