Sharing a Pavilion With You
Chapter 117: The Second Prince’s Wedding

Chapter 117: The Second Prince’s Wedding

"First bow to the heavens and earth," Li Fengfeng and Zhu Yicai gave their bows.

"Second bow to the parents," they bowed towards the Emperor and his Empress Mother’s tablet.

"Third bow to each other," the couple bowed to each other.

The Second Prince felt an awful finality to that third bow. He had really done it. He’d gone and married this woman who he not only didn’t love, but who he actively disliked.

A little alarm bell was ringing in his head telling him this marriage meant the end of his chance to secure Mei Meili with her agreement to the arrangements.

He was determined to make sure things worked out the way they should in the end, though the means to get there might be messy. There was a long, hard road ahead, but he wouldn’t give up.

He went out to greet his guests and toast them, while Li Fengfeng was led away to the bridal chamber, her face still covered in the traditional red veil.

"My son. Felicitations, may your marriage last a lifetime," his father raised the first cup of wine to the prince to toast him, genuinely pleased to see this arrangement come to fruition so rapidly.

"Thank you, Emperor Father," the prince downed his very first cup of wine for the night; he intended it to be one of many.

"Brother, may you live together until your hair turns white with old age," the Crown Prince toasted his second brother, not entirely happy to see his younger brother cementing an alliance with the Prime Minister.

"Gege, thank you," the prince drank again.

His father-in-law stood to toast him, and he turned respectfully to face the man.

"The lovers are finally together, all shall be well," the old man said looking him in the eye to make sure he understood the deeper meaning of his toast.

The prince bowed, "thank you father-in-law," he spoke politely before downing his wine.

As he walked from table to table, he became progressively more and more inebriated, until Bai Li finally managed to grab ahold of him and take him aside.

"That’s enough toasts and drinking," he hissed in his friend’s ear, motioning at Tan Bowen to come over and join them. "Remain out here any longer and leave the bride waiting and you will be disrespecting her and your father-in-law, which defeats the whole purpose of this sorry business."

"But I have more friends to toast and drink wiv," the prince slurred, raising his empty cup towards the tables where his guests noisily cheered him.

"No. You don’t!" said Bai Li. "Help me here, Tan Bowen," he gestured at the man to get on the other side of the prince. "He’s going to the bridal chamber now," Bai Li waved at the guests and nodded.

Tan Bowen immediately got the problem and wrapped his arm around the prince’s shoulders, shouting out to the guests, "his highness is departing now for the bridal chamber. He passes on his sincere apologies to any of his dear guests he hasn’t had a chance to toast with, but he mustn’t disrespect his new wife!"

The guests clapped and cheered, making some suggestive noises as the three young men departed the banquet together, heading for the bridal chamber.

They stumbled along the corridor, half dragging the prince, who struck up a rowdy song, singing and waving his empty cup in time to the ditty. Tan Bowen joined in so the prince wouldn’t sound like a lonely drunk.

"Why can’t you be this fun every time we go out, your highness?" Tan Bowen asked him as the lively song finished.

"Because I don’ usually have a reason to drink so mussh," he said truthfully.

"Getting married is a pretty good reason," agreed Tan Bowen, sidestepping his friend’s meaning.

They arrived at the doors to the bridal chamber.

"Keep it together in there, your highness," Bai Li whispered in his ear. "I know you’re drunk, but don’t say anything you shouldn’t!"

The prince looked at his friend through half-shut eyes.

"I’m extremely fond of you, my friend," he said, ruffling Bai Li’s neat hair. "If only my friendzz, didn’t have designs on my woman, it would be perfect!"

"Your highness, I’m deadly serious, do not, talk about ’your woman’, with your new wife," Bai Li said threateningly.

"Don’ talk aboud her. I got it! But I do think aboud her... a lot. Is that allowed? You can’t control my thoughts now can you, Bai Li?" he said triumphantly.

"No, I can’t, and I don’t care about your thoughts. I only care about what you say. Particularly right now, tonight, in the wedding chamber with your new bride, Li Fengfeng," he stressed these last two words.

"Li Fengfeng, Li Fengfeng!" the prince shouted, "the woman’s a pois... mmph...Hmmph."

Bai Li and Tan Bowen had both clamped a hand over the prince’s mouth, preventing him from shouting whatever he was about to say.

"Is there anything we can do to sober him up?" asked Tan Bowen.

Bai Li nodded, "hold on to him for a minute and don’t let him shout anything else while I’m gone".

"Don’t be too long," called Tan Bowen anxiously after the commander’s retreating back.

Bai Li returned shortly with a basin of extremely cold water and a towel.

"Wass this Bai Li?" asked the prince merrily. "Are we washing our hands?" he stuck his hands in the basin, splashing them like a toddler.

"No," said Bai Li firmly, "we’re washing your face".

He pressed the prince’s face into the bowl of iced water for a few seconds, before allowing him to raise it.

The prince roared with outrage. "What the hell was that Bai Li?"

Bai Li grabbed the towel and roughly dried the prince’s face and hair like he was towelling dry a dog. Then he slapped the prince a few times on each cheek to wake him up.

The man’s mouth dropped open with rage and Bai Li looked at Tan Bowen and nodded.

Tan Bowen threw open the doors to the bridal chamber where Li Fengfeng and her attendant awaited her new husband.

"Here he is, the happy groom," shouted Tan Bowen gaily. "We’re sorry to have kept the beautiful bride waiting for him, but he’s here now, so all is well. I’m afraid he had to make rather a lot of toasts, so he is rather unsteady on his feet. But don’t worry, you’ll have many more nights to come together where he won’t be so untidy! Well, best of luck, enjoy the conjugal bliss and all of that. We’ll be off now."

He and Bai Li each grabbed one of the sliding doors to the chamber and slid them shut right in front of the prince’s outraged face.