Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 696 - 694

Chapter 696: 694

The gemstone jade that Shangguan Xuanyi had gifted did not resemble jade, nor crystal, and nor was it glass. Xiao’er touched the gemstone through her clothing and was enamored with it.

It was heaven-sent in the summer.

Shangguan Xuanyi, looking at Xiao’er’s lips, flushed crimson from his kiss, could not resist and gave her another peck. "This is the ’Ice Soul,’ formed only from ice that has been cold for a thousand years. Even if you were to wear padded clothing in summer, this ’Ice Soul’ will keep you from feeling the heat," he explained.

Shangguan Xuanyi didn’t mention that after losing his heart to her, upon hearing her complain once that someone should create sleeveless clothes for summer, as wearing full-length garments was like asking for sunstroke, he became aware of her heat intolerance. Consequently, he arranged for his men to find this legendary ’Ice Soul’ in extreme cold areas. This search consumed a lot of manpower and resources, taking seven whole years to find!

’A thousand-year ice, where in the world would you find ice that old?’ wondered Xiao’er, her face changing upon realizing the difficulty of obtaining such ’Ice Soul’, especially in those primitive times.

Unable to resist, Xiao’er stood on her toes and lightly planted a kiss on Shangguan Xuanyi’s alluring thin lips.

How could Shangguan Xuanyi be satisfied with such a cursory kiss? He was about to deepen it when Xiao’er placed her hand over his mouth. "Stop it, there are people from the Imperial Wardrobe Department waiting outside! Hurry up and change your clothes so they can take them back and fulfill their duties."

Only after Shangguan Xuanyi gave Xiao’er’s palm a light kiss did he let her go.

Time passed in the blink of an eye, and the wedding day was soon upon them.

Many people visited on the day Xiao’er received gifts. Always magnanimous in her relationships, Xiao’er gave back to everyone in an equally generous manner, garnering more gifts than usual. The gifts she received even surpassed the dowry of many other brides.

People of Qinghe County, whose lives were saved by the Sixth Prince, learned that he and the Lady of Rui’an County were getting married. Everyone chipped in, families in good financial standing gave more while those who were less fortunate gave a modest amount. Each family contributed, even the poorest ones managed to give ten coins. The wealthy families not only gave a hundred taels of silver but also prepared various items as gifts.

Moreover, a thousand Jinshi scholars and students in Qinghe County each wrote a "fortune" character, hence creating a "Thousand Fortune" embroidery. This piece took the best embroiderer in Qinghe County an entire month to complete and was given to Xiao’er as a gift.

A hundred students from Zhixin Academy each painted a child, forming a "Hundred Children’s Blessing" painting for Xiao’er. Each child in the painting was unique and depicted with an adorable smile.

People from other areas, whom Xiao’er had once helped, also sent gifts. Some came in person, others sent through relatives or friends, and some even personally delivered their gifts.

Apart from these, Xiao’er even received gifts from soldiers. They were grateful for the medicinal herbs and food supplies provided by the Sixth Prince and his wife, which had saved their lives.

Even those who were once victims of poison, sent gifts.

It surprised and moved Xiao’er greatly when these people turned up with their gifts.

The worth of the gift didn’t matter. But the kindness it represented weighed heavily in Xiao’er’s heart.

These people were all kind-hearted and thankful. It made her, who had access to a secret room, wish to help more people in the future.

Her actions greatly stunned the ladies and girls who attended the wedding event.

They also shocked the entire Imperial Capital and the Imperial Palace.

Never in the history of the nation had people voluntarily given gifts for a princess’s wedding.

They never imagined Xiao’er holding such a high position in the hearts of the people.

Xiao’er wasn’t one of those women who stayed secluded behind doors. Her bold and exposed personality was often looked down upon by many ladies and young girls. However, given her status and the influence of the Sixth Prince, no one dared to express their distaste openly.

Only now did they realize how beneficial Xiao’er’s exposure to the public has been!

And they couldn’t help but envy the power of these common people.

Lin Miaoyan silently stood in the corner, her heart was so shocked that she was unable to move for a long time!

The marriage of the Rui’an County Mistress and the Sixth Prince, why does she feel like everyone is celebrating? This inexplicably makes her feel inferior, can she really compare to the Rui’an County Mistress?

Because there were too many people coming to deliver gifts, Xiao’er did not have time to chat with Fu Ranhui and other sisters. By the time the last person left, it had been dark for quite a while.

Xiao’er hadn’t had a chance to eat all day, so Yang Liu quickly brought some food for her. After eating, she still needed to bathe, change clothes, cleanse her face, put on makeup, in short, there was still a lot to do! And there was not much time left for the wedding ceremony!

Looking at Xiao’er, who had finished two bowls of rice and still wanted more, Aunt Rong quickly stopped her: "My good girl, you can’t eat any more! If your belly becomes bloated, you won’t be able to fit into your wedding dress later."

"If I don’t eat now, when will I get something to eat tomorrow?"

Aunt Rong thought for a moment, after putting on makeup, she wouldn’t be able to eat anything anymore. And to avoid any emergencies, the bride is not allowed to eat or drink.

Greeting the groom, worshipping the ancestors, ritual sacrifices, crowning the Princess, recording her name in the royal jade certificate, after doing all these tedious things, it was already near dark: "There should be something to eat at dinnertime!"

Hearing this, Xiao’er hurriedly said, "Yang Liu, hurry up and add two more bowls of rice for me! One is not enough!"

Xiao’er could imagine that tomorrow, there would definitely be no shortage of people around her! Even if she wanted to secretly get something out of her interdimensional space to eat, it would be impossible. If she didn’t eat enough now, tomorrow she might end up starving to death instead of dying from heat!

Four bowls of rice, Aunt Rong was almost shocked faint!

"My good girl, you really can’t eat any more!"

Both Yang Liu and Yang Mei also thought Xiao’er was exaggerating. Yang Liu dared to only add one more bowl of rice for Xiao’er. Nothing could go wrong tomorrow!

Xiao’er saw their worried expressions as she ate, and she decisively gave up her plan to eat two more fruits after finishing a bowl of rice.

After eating, Xiao’er didn’t even have time to digest her food before she was carried away by Yang Liu and Yang Mei to bathe.

After much ado, Xiao’er finally sat down to put on her makeup.

The maid sent by the palace to do Xiao’er’s makeup was actually making her look even uglier, causing Xiao’er to frown!

If she hadn’t known that this person was sent by the Empress, Xiao’er would have suspected that this was a trap set by some bitter rival.

In fact, it wasn’t the makeup artist’s fault. Xiao’er’s beauty was already at its peak and each extra brush stroke that the maid made seemed superfluous. She felt that it was most perfect without any makeup.

Aunt Rong frowned at the maid. What kind of makeup was this! Was she here to cause trouble?

Xiao’er couldn’t stand it any longer, "You can go, I’ll do it myself."

Xiao’er removed the makeup and then added some eyeshadow herself, curling her long and thick eyelashes, which resembled tiny fans, making her eyes appear even more lively.

Her face was naturally rosy, making her look even more beautiful without powder, so Xiao’er didn’t use any. She applied a little lip color, and the whole person became so beautiful that it dazzled everyone’s eyes.