LFHYB -Chapter 124 Marriage and a Sky Full of Stars

During the Sui dynasty, marriages followed the ancient rites—the “Six Rites of Betrothal.”

The “Six Rites” were:
Na Cai (proposal),
Wen Ming (asking the names and birth data),
Na Ji (matching the eight characters to determine auspiciousness),
Na Zheng (sending the betrothal gifts),
Qing Qi (setting the wedding date),
and Qin Ying (the groom personally迎亲, going to bring the bride home).

Li Shimin and Li Xuanba, the two hands-off grooms, had their parents take care of the first five steps. All they had to do was wait for the day to go and fetch their brides.

Yang Xian smiled at them. “I was planning to go with you to fetch brides and give you some support. Who would’ve thought you two would be getting married on the same day?”

Li Shimin pointed at Li Xuanba. Li Xuanba pointed at Li Shimin. In unison, the brothers said, “Second Cousin should go help him.”

Yang Xian burst out laughing. “People who know you would understand that you’re trying to be nice to each other. People who don’t might think you’re sidelining me, the Crown Prince.”

Li Shimin joked, “Why can’t it be that I really am sidelining you for being too handsome and stealing this groom’s spotlight?”

Li Xuanba looked at his second cousin’s face—still beautiful despite his thin, worn look—and nodded seriously. “Second Brother is right.”

Yang Xian laughed even harder, until tears came out.

He reached out and patted both cousins on the shoulders. “Fine. To keep either of you from having your thunder stolen, I’ll just wait for you here at the Duke of Tang’s residence.”

Li Xuanba hesitated for a moment. “Then… then how about Second Cousin comes to help me instead? If my in-laws make me do things like archery tests, I’ll definitely need backup.”

Li Shimin said, “That’s right—Second Cousin should go help A-Xuan.”

Yang Xian smiled.

He understood their intentions. By saying this, they were showing him that they didn’t care about the Emperor’s coldness and suspicion toward him.

These two cousins had been close to him when he was losing his chance at the throne; when his power was at its peak, they deliberately kept some distance; and now that he was about to slide into the abyss, they once again openly stayed by his side without any misgivings.

In this lifetime, when it came to brotherly bonds, he truly had more than most.

“I’ll wait for you at the Duke of Tang’s residence,” Yang Xian said, for once showing the mature air of an elder brother. “Both the Eastern and Western Turks have sent people to attend your wedding. Without me here to keep things in check, I’m afraid Father Emperor will grow suspicious.”

Wouldn’t the Emperor become even more suspicious of you, then? Or does it no longer matter?

Li Shimin and Li Xuanba exchanged a glance, swallowed that thought, and accepted Yang Xian’s kindness.

When they first saw him, the two of them had tried to persuade Yang Xian not to act rashly. Yang Guang cared deeply about appearances; he already bore the infamy of killing his brothers. As long as Yang Xian kept enduring, Yang Guang would only torment him—he wouldn’t take on the stain of killing his own son when Yang Xian had committed no real crime.

But Yang Xian only smiled and said nothing.

So they stopped trying to persuade him.

When the world was on the brink of upheaval, whether for self-preservation or to save the Great Sui, making one last desperate gamble might be the only thing left to do.

Li Xuanba felt deeply uneasy.

His Second Cousin was not the kind of pretty, muddle-headed “flower vase” Crown Prince from the history books who didn’t even understand why he died.

This Second Cousin had been taught by famous masters, supported by capable men, and had already become an excellent Crown Prince of the Great Sui, with prestige among the people and at court not inferior to his late elder brother.

A person like that must also possess an unshakable will.

Although being close to Yang Xian might leave a bad impression with Yang Guang and affect their plans, even Li Xuanba—calculating as he was—was not someone who dealt with everything purely in terms of profit.

Yang Xian treated them well, so they treated Yang Xian well.

If, in one’s youth, one never understands feeling and righteousness, then what is the point of being young at all?

With the worried looks of their elders upon them and the probing gazes of the other guests, Li Shimin and Li Xuanba chatted and laughed with Crown Prince Yang Xian—then mounted their fine horses and rode off, each to pick his own bride.

Li Shimin was still teasing Changsun Wuji before mounting his horse. “Second cousin, come to Zhangye sometime—I’ll treat you to goat-milk wine. Changsun Silang went all the way to Taiyuan, but before he could even wait for me to marry his little sister, he had to rush back. He was so mad he was practically in tears. When the time comes, let’s laugh at him together.”

Li Xuanba was speechless. “You’re marrying Changsun Silang’s sister, and you still dare to mock him? How can someone like you even exist?”

Li Shimin and Yang Xian both burst into laughter, while Li Xuanba could only shake his head with a wry smile.

Yang Xian stayed where he was, watching Li Shimin and Li Xuanba ride away.

Only after their figures disappeared did Yang Xian say to Li Yuan, “Duke of Tang, there’s no need to worry. This will be the last time I trouble you.”

Cold sweat broke out on Li Yuan’s back. He hurriedly replied, “Your Highness, why would you say that? Please continue to look after my two worthless sons in the future.”

Yang Xian merely smiled. He went into the residence with Li Yuan to wait for Li Shimin and Li Xuanba to return, accompanied by his elderly and frail guards.

The guests all sighed inwardly.

A crown prince, yet the guards on this trip were all old and weak—only a single young civil attendant looked like a proper member of the prince’s retinue.

Yu Jian, wearing a long sword, followed behind Yang Xian. He ignored the curious stares around him, his gaze fixed straight ahead as he resolutely stayed by the crown prince’s side.

…

The two young masters of the Duke of Tang’s household were getting married. The wedding procession, with its blaring music and fluttering banners, wound through the city and split into two routes to welcome the two brides.

Zong Luohu and Luo Shixin had already returned. Luo Shixin’s parents still refused to leave their hometown, so with no choice, he left them money and a map, telling them to flee into the commandery city if things turned dangerous.

After returning, Zong Luohu accompanied Li Shimin to fetch his bride, while Luo Shixin was dragged by Li Zhiyun to help Li Xuanba welcome his.

Li Jiancheng stayed behind in the Duke of Tang’s residence to help Li Yuan receive the guests, while Li Yuanji joined Li Shimin’s wedding procession.

Yang Xian’s arrival had distracted Li Xuanba a little from his nerves about the wedding, but as he rode along the bridal procession, the tension finally returned.

Music was blaring, voices clamored everywhere.

The common people lining the streets craned their necks and stood on tiptoe, clapping and laughing as they watched the long procession pass by.

Yet Li Xuanba felt as if there were a veil between himself and the world. Sounds and sights blurred before his eyes.

The road seemed incredibly long—so long that he not only replayed every little moment of how he had met and come to know Yuwen Zhu, but even revisited memories of his previous life’s family.

He had not thought of or dreamed about his past life in a long time; it was as if he had completely become Li Sanlang of Great Tang.

Now, thinking of his former family, Li Xuanba felt as though it were from another lifetime… which, in truth, it was.

Yet the road also seemed very short.

While he was still lost in thought, Li Zhiyun shouted, “Stop, stop, Third Brother! We’re here!”

Li Xuanba snapped back to reality and realized they were already in front of the Yuwen family’s newly purchased residence in Taiyuan.

His teacher and his future father-in-law looked at him kindly, smiling at him.

In a daze, Li Xuanba dismounted. In a daze, he was ushered forward, like a wooden puppet, following the wedding rites step by step until he reached the rear courtyard.

He recited the poem urging the bride to come out and handed over the customary “urging-makeup” money.

Yuwen Zhu emerged, her face hidden behind a round silk fan, supported by her mother.

“Third Brother, why are you spacing out again?” Li Zhiyun said helplessly. “Are you so happy you’ve gone silly?”

His voice was so loud that everyone around burst into laughter.

Yuwen Bi shook his head with a smile. This disciple of his was usually clever, but whenever he saw Zhu’er, he loved to stare blankly and act foolish.

But that was a good thing for Zhu’er.

Li Xuanba came back to himself from Yuwen Zhu’s dazzlingly elaborate attire and stammered through the lines he was supposed to say.

Yuwen Zhu bent slightly and smiled; her fan nearly failed to hide her face.

She held out her hand to Li Xuanba. “All right, don’t be silly.”

The moment Yuwen Zhu spoke, the fog over Li Xuanba’s heart suddenly dispersed.

The people around him and all the sounds returned to his eyes and ears. The unreal dream turned into something he could truly touch.

With a clear mind, Li Xuanba reached out his hand to her.

From behind, Li Zhiyun yelled, “What hand-holding? Third Brother, hurry up! Carry Third Sister-in-law onto the carriage!”

Once Li Zhiyun started yelling, the Li clan youths and the Yuwen clan youths who had come along all began to cheer and jeer.

Li Xuanba crouched down. “Come.”

Yuwen Zhu laughed and cried at the same time. “Why are you going along with their nonsense?”

Li Xuanba turned and smiled. “I can’t hold you, so I’ll just carry you on my back.”

Yuwen Zhu said angrily, “Are you mocking me for being heavy?”

Blinking innocently, Li Xuanba replied, “I’m admitting I’m weak. You know that—I can’t even draw a strong bow.”

Yuwen Zhu froze for a moment, then burst into laughter, swaying like a flower in the wind.

Under her mother’s helpless gaze, she climbed onto Li Xuanba’s back, one arm around his neck, the other still holding the fan over her face.

Though Li Xuanba couldn’t draw a heavy bow, he was still a normal teenage boy. Carrying a well-proportioned girl his age was no problem.

He lifted Yuwen Zhu steadily and walked toward the gate.

Yuwen Zhu’s warmth seeped through their thick ceremonial robes into Li Xuanba’s back.

It was May, and the heat made their mingled sweat bead together, leaving both their cheeks flushed red.

Leaning close to his ear, Yuwen Zhu whispered, “Why didn’t you come see me after you returned to Taiyuan? I missed you so much.”

Li Xuanba’s ears turned scarlet. “Second Brother and I tried to climb over the wall to see you and Sister-in-law, but my future father-in-law beat us up.”

Yuwen Zhu was stunned. “That happened?”

Li Xuanba said, “Didn’t he tell you?”

Yuwen Zhu ground her teeth. “No.”

Li Xuanba went on, “We even planned to use grappling hooks and black-feathered arrows to send messages. Teacher Yuwen said we should imitate Teacher Changsun and try for ‘one arrow, two birds.’ My future father-in-law said it was fine—but he ended up getting beaten by Teacher Yuwen too.”

Yuwen Zhu laughed. “I remember one day Father had a bruise at the corner of his mouth. Was that when Grandfather beat him?”

“Probably,” Li Xuanba said.

Yuwen Zhu said, “Before, Grandfather was always eager for me to see you more. Why is he acting like this now? He won’t even let Han Gou or Wu Di bring messages. It makes me worry for nothing.”

Li Xuanba said, “Exactly.”

Yuwen Bi cleared his throat. “Ahem.”

Li Xuanba and Yuwen Zhu immediately shut up.

The two of them guiltily glanced toward Yuwen Bi behind them. When had their teacher-grandfather come over?

Yuwen Bi said helplessly, “Once the wedding date is set, the bride and groom must not see each other before the ceremony. That’s common sense!”

Li Xuanba and Yuwen Zhu both shrank their necks a little.

Yuwen Bi: “…” How was it that now they were married, these two already had such tacit understanding?

There was a sour feeling in his heart.

His most beloved granddaughter had really been married off.

Watching his granddaughter get onto the wedding carriage, Yuwen Bi turned to complain to his son.

But the son who had just married off his daughter was standing there grinning foolishly, looking extremely happy.

Yuwen Bi: “…”

His hands itched. What kind of father smiles when marrying off his daughter?!

Yuwen Bi took a deep breath and held back his frustration.

Seeing this, his old wife almost burst out laughing.

On the way back, Li Xuanba felt much less nervous.

Both sides’ ceremonial processions had coordinated their timing, and the two couples arrived at the Duke of Tang’s residence at exactly the same time.

Li Shimin, still on horseback, cupped his hands to Li Xuanba with a smile. Li Xuanba returned the gesture, the two congratulating each other.

Then they dismounted together and helped their brides down from the carriages.

Yuwen Zhu stepped down steadily, while Little Sister Changsun hopped down lightly.

Seeing this, Changsun Sheng couldn’t help rubbing his forehead, wondering if he had spoiled his daughter too much.

The Changsun Empress in Li Xuanba’s “prophecies” definitely wouldn’t have been this lively.

The two young couples entered together and bowed together.

Li Yuan and Lady Dou were both smiling from ear to ear.

However, after the formal ceremony, the usual “teasing the bridal chamber” and such steps were skipped.

Both couples were marrying first and would only consummate the marriage years later. So after reciting the poem of lifting the veil, Li Shimin and Li Xuanba returned to the front hall to greet the guests.

Little Sister Changsun and Yuwen Zhu removed their elaborate bridal attire themselves, changed into everyday clothes, and went off to enjoy themselves with the women, not needing to sit idly waiting in the bridal chamber.

After their marriages, Li Shimin and Li Xuanba each had an independent small courtyard.

Lady Dou had specially arranged their courtyards to be next to each other so they could visit easily.

Besides that, although they didn’t live in Taiyuan often, each of them also had a large residence right beside the other.

Later, Little Sister Changsun’s and Yuwen Zhu’s dowries would be placed in those big houses. Those would truly be their own little homes.

Li Shimin pulled the absent-minded Li Xuanba to drink with him. “Even though you can’t hold your liquor, you still have to drink a little today. Oh right, do you know? My father-in-law has given Guanyin a name—‘Kangning.’ Changsun Kangning. It’s very auspicious, isn’t it!”

Li Xuanba said speechlessly, “How would I know what Teacher Changsun named my sister-in-law? And please don’t go around telling people her name!”

Li Shimin said, “I’m not telling everyone, I’m just bragging to you that Guanyin’s name sounds nice and is very auspicious! My father-in-law is amazing at naming. Look—‘Anye,’ ‘Hengan,’ ‘Xingbu,’ ‘Wuji,’ ‘Kangning’—they’re all blessings!”

Li Xuanba didn’t know what was so amazing about that, but if his second brother said so, then so be it.

He didn’t know whether the real Empress Changsun in history had a given name, but knowing that Teacher Changsun was aware his sister-in-law might die young and still named her “Kangning” (Peace and Health) felt very fitting.

Li Shimin put an arm around Li Xuanba’s shoulder, his breath full of wine, and kept chattering about how excited he’d been when he saw his bride during the wedding procession.

In short: my bride is really beautiful!

Li Xuanba said, “I was very excited too.”

Li Shimin shook his head. “Were you really excited? Weren’t you just dumbstruck? Xiao Wu said you’d gone silly and even got looked down on by Teacher Yuwen.”

Li Xuanba shoved his wine-soaked second brother away and started scanning the whole hall for Li Zhiyun.

Li Shimin collapsed laughing against Yang Xian. “Second Cousin, don’t you think my little brother is stupid? A-Xuan is so funny!”

Yang Xian supported Li Shimin and said, “Drink a bit less. Even if you don’t need to consummate the marriage, won’t you at least talk with your new wife later?”

Li Shimin wiggled his eyebrows smugly. “I’m not like A-Xuan. No matter how much I drink, one bath and I’ll be sober.”

Yang Xian said, “But you’ll still smell of wine. Aren’t you afraid your bride will dislike that?”

Li Shimin looked even more smug. “No matter what I’m like, Guanyin will never dislike me. Never.”

Seeing him like this, Yang Xian felt a little envious.

His eyes rolled, and mischief was born. “Really? I don’t believe it. Let’s test it. Come on, keep drinking!”

Yang Xian pulled other noble youths over to force Li Shimin to drink, determined to get him drunk.

Li Xuanba used the excuse of looking for Li Zhiyun to slip away from the banquet. He bathed and changed early, then returned to his small courtyard to quietly wait for Yuwen Zhu.

By coincidence, just as Li Xuanba finished drying his hair, Yuwen Zhu came back.

They ran into each other in the lantern-lit courtyard, both feeling a little awkward.

The servants and maids quietly withdrew, leaving the two of them alone.

Li Xuanba took a quiet deep breath and stood up. “Have you eaten enough?”

Yuwen Zhu nodded. “I’m full. They were having a drinking contest, and I don’t like alcohol, so I slipped away.”

Li Xuanba rubbed his nose. “Me too.”

Yuwen Zhu couldn’t help laughing. “Looks like our household won’t need to keep much alcohol… ah, no, that won’t do. Guanyin loves grape wine—we’ll have to keep some for her.”

Li Xuanba sighed. “Right, we have to keep wine for Second Brother and Sister-in-law. So Sister-in-law likes to drink too.”

Yuwen Zhu sighed. “More than likes it—she can really hold her liquor. I often tell her to be more moderate and take care of her health. She always says she’s as sturdy as a little calf. What kind of girl says she’s as sturdy as a calf?”

After teasing their second brother and sister-in-law together, Li Xuanba and Yuwen Zhu couldn’t help laughing, using the same topic to dispel the shyness of being alone.

Li Xuanba took Yuwen Zhu’s hand and led her inside, helping her tidy the room she would be living in from now on.

Although the Duke of Tang’s residence had already prepared everything, it still felt more comfortable to tidy up the bedroom themselves before sleeping.

Yuwen Zhu took out a pouch of herbs from a chest and handed it to Li Xuanba. It was a new embroidered sachet she had made for him, but because she stuffed in so many medicinal herbs, it had turned into a large bag.

Li Xuanba loved it. It was just right to use as a pillow when sleeping.

They lit candles, carried their sitting stools to the doorway, and began chatting about their respective experiences.

Li Xuanba proudly boasted about his verbal sparring with the Western Turkic Khagan. His smug expression made him look as if his second brother had possessed him.

Yuwen Zhu talked about how she had practiced medicine together with Physician Sun and even left her own insights in his medical texts.

“You wrote in your letters that it’s best to test medicines on animals first. It sounds a bit cruel, but compared to using them directly on people, that really is the only way,” Yuwen Zhu joked. “I’ve also heard you’re very good at cooking. Looks like the job of killing chickens and ducks can be left to me.”

Li Xuanba laughed and said, “Then before slaughtering them, you can even feed them some herbs that make their meat taste better.”

Yuwen Zhu shot him a glare. “I’m a physician, not a cook.”

Li Xuanba laughed. “Medicinal cuisine and medicine are basically the same.”

Yuwen Zhu twisted his arm lightly, then laughed along with him.

As they laughed, they gradually leaned against each other. It was as if even the night in May was a little chilly, needing them to snuggle together for warmth.

Yuwen Zhu looked up at the sky. “It’s only a crescent moon today, but the stars are so bright.”

Li Xuanba asked, “Want to go up on the roof to look at the stars?”

She hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “All right!”

Climbing onto the roof to watch the stars on their wedding night sounded wildly improper—but her husband wasn’t the type to follow rules, and she didn’t need to restrain herself either.

The newlyweds ordered the servants to bring a ladder and carefully climbed up to the roof.

The servants even brought blankets for them to spread over the tiles so they could lie down and look at the stars.

“Zhuniang, do you know Zhang Heng? Not the minister the Emperor ordered executed—Han dynasty Zhang Heng.”

“I do. I know he said, ‘The heavens are like an egg, round like a pellet; the earth is like the yolk of the egg, floating alone inside the heavens.’ It sounds so magical.”

“It’s true. The ground beneath our feet is spherical, and the stars in the sky are also spherical. We revolve around the sun, and the moon revolves around us.”

“How can you prove that?”

“I’ll think of a way to prove it for you later.”

“Heehee, all right. Then are all the stars in the sky also planets?”

“Most of them are. Some are gaseous planets. We divide the sky into constellations; foreigners do the same. Look over there—that one is called Lyra.”

“Isn’t that the Weaver Girl and Cowherd Star?”

“Right. The story of Lyra is also about love.”

Li Xuanba spoke eloquently as he gazed at the starry sky.

In his previous life, he had loved stargazing. Back when city lights did not yet blaze all night long, even in the city one could see the brilliant Milky Way.

When everything was quiet late at night, he would find a dark corner, look up at the stars, and imagine the stories behind the constellations. It made him feel as if he wasn’t alone.

He had the bright moon and the countless stars as his companions, so he was never lonely.

After reincarnating, that knowledge of constellations was no longer very useful. Even when using the stars to find direction, Huaxia had its own ancient system of astrology.

Li Xuanba hadn’t talked about the stars for many years. Now that he had started, he realized those stories were deeply engraved in his soul, flowing out endlessly.

It was as if he had been waiting, for a very long time, for this moment to share stories of the stars with someone.

Yuwen Zhu lay on the roof, the moon, stars, and Milky Way reflected in her eyes.

Beneath her was the narrow little courtyard; before her was the vast, boundless sky.

Yuwen Zhu had once gazed at the stars alone, counted them, and recited poems about the stars and the moon.

She had read many books, yet she had never encountered the myths about the stars that Li Xuanba spoke of, nor words like “solar system” or “Milky Way” in any text.

She didn’t know why Li Xuanba knew so many strange stories, but she neither asked about their origin nor doubted them.

Yuwen Zhu believed they were all real.

The Western civilizations with their strange stories were real; the planets that attracted and revolved around one another were also real.

The world was this vast, and the universe even more so.

“I don’t know the principles behind a telescope, but we can try. In a year, two years, ten years—one day, I’ll be able to show you what the moon truly looks like. Then you’ll believe me.”

“I already believe you—but I still want to see the moon. It’s a promise.”

Yuwen Zhu turned her head, and the reflection of the starry sky in her eyes became the reflection of Li Xuanba.

Li Xuanba also turned to look at her, smiling like an ordinary, spirited, cheerful young man.

“It’s a promise.”

They smiled at each other, then lay back again, gazing at the vast starry sky, the beautiful crescent moon, and the dazzling Milky Way.

A shooting star streaked across the night.

Li Xuanba said, “They say if you make a wish silently when you see a shooting star, it will come true.”

Yuwen Zhu sighed regretfully. “What a pity, I missed it… Ah, another one!”

Li Xuanba and Yuwen Zhu both stared in astonishment.

In the eyes of the young man and young woman, star after star streaked across the dark sky, as if the heavens were raining starlight.

At some point, their hands had clasped tightly together. Without blinking, they watched the sky until the very last shooting star disappeared.

“Sanlang, what did you wish for?”

“Mm… I can’t say. If I do, it won’t come true.”

“Then I won’t say mine either.”

The young couple continued lying beneath the night sky, talking about stories of the stars.

Outside the small courtyard, laughter and noise were still loud and lively.