Chapter 8.5

“How do we do that?” Yuhu asked eagerly.

Du Bingyan, however, spotted a flaw first. “The difference in our pregnancies will be noticeable,” she said. “Six months versus two months is like comparing a balloon to nothing.”

“Yeah! We can’t play then.”

Liu Ruoqian shook his head. “No, no. Tomorrow, you’ll follow the normal wedding process and get into the bridal sedan chairs. The key point is at the Tudi Temple on Shili Slope. It looks like it might rain tomorrow, but even if it doesn’t, I’ll find a way to get you into that temple. You can switch sedan chairs or not; it’s up to you. I’ll then bring your respective husbands to choose a sedan chair and see if they can guess which one holds their wife. Whoever picks correctly pairs with the correct bride.”

“Hey! Are you looking for trouble?” Yuhu made a gesture to hit him.

“Alright, alright! Let me put it another way. If your husbands truly love you, they will guess correctly. If they do, it proves your marriages are heaven-made. If they don’t, then you’ll sleep in separate rooms until the baby is born. How about that?”

It sounded fun, and both Yuhu and Bingyan were tempted. But what was in it for Liu Ruoqian? He would just be watching the show. Yuhu asked, “You just want to mess with those two men, right?”

“Of course! What other motive could I have?” Liu Ruoqian’s expression was the picture of innocence.

“Alright, we’ll cooperate with you, regardless of your motive,” Bingyan agreed, and then the two brides-to-be declared they were going to try on their wedding dresses and left together, whispering and giggling along the way.

As for Liu Ruoqian, he crossed his arms and laughed, his thoughts a mystery.

Qi Tianlei had noticed that ever since his sworn brother arrived in Yangzhou, he had been acting out of character. It was a precursor to some scheme, much like when they first met and he proposed kneeling on one knee. When Liu Ruoqian got bored, his antics would reach ridiculous levels.

Today, he and Yuan Buqu were grooms, dressed in bright red robes, wearing scholar caps, and with colorful balls tied to their chests. Frankly, they looked quite foolish! Traditionally, grooms had to be the butt of jokes once in their lives for the sake of happiness, or so they said. Yuan Buqu also felt something was off. If even he sensed it, then Qi Tianlei wasn’t just being paranoid.

Yet, everything proceeded according to ancient customs. Each couple worshipped heaven and earth, and although the brides wore identical outfits and were of similar height, the pregnant belly made it clear who was who. No mistakes were made.

Then the two brides boarded their sedan chairs. As the procession set off, Qi Tianlei still eyed Liu Ruoqian warily, a bit disappointed that things were going so smoothly. Were the strange events before just to unsettle him?

Liu Ruoqian mounted his horse and followed the procession, shrugging innocently.

The crowd watching the ceremony was as large as that at a temple fair, probably because the marriages of Yangzhou’s two great beauties were so unusual. This time, there were many spectators eager to join the fun.

As they hit the road, a light drizzle began. In late summer, this kind of rain was refreshing, so no one complained. Interestingly, the crowd didn’t thin out; instead, they seemed even more excited. What was going on?

Upon arriving at the Tudi Temple, the usual festivities ended, and everyone was supposed to head home. However, the sedan chair bearers took it upon themselves to carry the chairs into the temple’s back hall.

The two grooms were the only ones surprised, raising their eyebrows and looking at Liu Ruoqian in unison.

Liu Ruoqian, smiling, approached them and said elegantly, “Gentlemen, remember six months ago when your wives ended up in the wrong sedan chairs, changing their lives and leading to these marriages? It seems fate has already made its decision. To prove it, we decided that the grooms should choose the correct sedan chair for their brides, witnessed by all the townsfolk.” He finished, practically beaming.

His message was clear: “Gentlemen, let’s have some fun!”

Without giving the grooms a chance to speak, Liu Ruoqian signaled, and the bearers brought out the sedan chairs again. One was a bright red chair made of redwood, while the other was red with green and blue. However, the brides might not be in their original chairs.

The large crowd surrounded the temple, more excited than usual. Why were they so eager?

With the brides possibly involved, the grooms couldn’t even get angry. Qi Tianlei and Yuan Buqu could only look at Liu Ruoqian, hoping he would repent, but no! Liu Ruoqian didn’t know the meaning of the word “repent.”

Standing at the center, Liu Ruoqian announced to the crowd, “We all know one bride is six months pregnant, so we can’t have her come out. But we can’t let the grooms pick randomly either. So, we’ll open the side windows of the sedan chairs and let the grooms peek at the brides through the veils to make their decision. How about it?”

“Great!” The crowd responded enthusiastically.

Honestly, what did this have to do with the bystanders? They didn’t need anyone’s approval to be excited.

Then, Liu Ruoqian lifted the side curtains of the two sedan chairs, allowing the grooms to clearly see the brides inside, each covered with a bridal veil. However, aside from the veil, nothing else was visible. It was an extremely challenging test of the grooms’ wisdom.

“Come on, you two, make your guess!”

Yuan Buqu didn’t look at the sedan chairs but instead approached Liu Ruoqian and asked, “Which side are you betting on?”

Liu Ruoqian was taken aback and then laughed appreciatively.

Yes, gambling! The profound Chinese art, passed down since Han Xin invented it to keep soldiers entertained, had become a national pastime. How else could Liu Ruoqian have attracted such a large crowd without betting involved?

Liu Ruoqian shook his head. “I’m not betting, not being the banker, nor betting big or small. I just spread the news to entertain Yangzhou. The smart ones will make a killing from this.”

Qi Tianlei glanced at the crowd, waiting for the results, and sighed. “You really got us. I’ll remember this.” The most important thing now was not to guess wrong about his wife. He didn’t care what others thought, but guessing wrong would be a huge embarrassment. How could they face their in-laws then?

So, Qi Tianlei and Yuan Buqu began scrutinizing the brides in the sedan chairs. They exchanged puzzled looks, unsure and uncertain. They couldn’t figure out where their wives were.

Liu Ruoqian, leaning casually, didn’t join the crowd in holding their breath. His pleasure lay in pranking! This whole setup would keep him laughing for years. What a grand spectacle!

Soon, Yuan Buqu spoke first, “No! Neither of them is my wife.”

“Right! They’re not!” Qi Tianlei confirmed, stepping back.

A collective gasp arose from the crowd, concerned about their own bets.

Then the grooms turned and entered the inner hall of the temple. Some maids eagerly lifted the sedan curtains, revealing two of the Du family’s maids disguised as brides, laughing and saying the brides were inside eating plums.

Soon, the grooms emerged, each with their own bride, Yuhu and Bingyan, now dressed in light red, looking smugly at the disappointed crowd. The brides hadn’t been in the sedans at all! They had bet on the wrong outcome, and the house had won everything!

Liu Ruoqian stepped forward, cupping his hands in greeting. “A wedding like this, unforgettable for a lifetime, right?” He was all smiles, having won the bet against the whole town, collecting all the winnings.

“Yes! But what’s in it for you?” Yuhu didn’t believe he was just an observer.

“A lot! It’s helping the victims of the Yellow River flood! The town’s bets amounted to twenty-seven million taels, all donated to flood relief. You’ve done a great deed!”

Yuhu nodded. “Good enough reason. You’re forgiven! But when you get married, the four of us will make sure you have an even tougher time than we did today!”

He laughed and nodded. Him get married? Maybe in the next life!

The crowd dispersed, disappointed, and the two newlywed couples were about to part ways to their own happiness.

Yuhu held Bingyan’s hand tightly. The past six months flashed through her mind, filling her heart with bittersweet memories, deepening their bond.

Was it fate’s joke? Destiny? The matchmaker’s doing? It didn’t matter anymore. What was most important was that they had found happiness and had become lifelong friends.

“Take care,” Bingyan whispered.

“You too. I’ll come to visit you!”

“I will too.”

They said their tearful goodbyes, each telling the other to be happy and receiving the same promise in return.

As long as they were happy and with their loved ones, nothing else mattered. Any way a good match was made, knowing how to cherish it would ensure it lasted forever, right?

May all lovers in the world find happiness together and cherish each other forever.

The End