Yun Jiao encouraged Sanya, "You’re not ugly at all."

"Don’t worry, even if you wash your face tonight, the candlelight is so dim that it won’t make any difference."

Yang Ying laughed from the side, "Do you know why there’s a wedding at dusk? By night, the light is poor, so even if the bride’s face is full of pockmarks, she looks like a goddess."

"By morning, the rice is already cooked, and it’s too late."

The women next door in the house burst into laughter.

Sanya blushed deeply.

Yun Jiao instructed her, "Make sure you don’t skip washing your face tonight, otherwise the makeup will smear on your face and truly frighten people."

Sanya nodded.

Yun Jiao patted her back, "Stand straight. You’re such a good girl, and Li Changqing isn’t blind. He’ll like you."

Mrs. Chen, with tear-filled eyes, watched as the bridal sedan chair left the door.

The guests from the Li Family were mostly Li Changqing’s fellow graduates, along with some colleagues and clerks from the Ministry of Justice.

Li Changqing accompanied them with a few drinks.

He wasn’t very familiar with them either; he only got to know them after arriving in the Capital City. After drinking, everyone dispersed.

His mother and sister hurriedly pushed him towards the bridal chamber, insisting they’d handle things there.

Li Changqing, slightly tipsy, entered the room.

As he stepped in, he saw Sanya sitting sideways at the table.

Hearing his entrance, Sanya first lowered her head, then slowly turned her face towards him.

Li Changqing’s gaze fell on her face. When he unveiled her earlier, he thought Sanya was too beautiful, making him more anxious, feeling he wasn’t worthy of her.

Looking at her now, she seemed to have washed off her makeup, her face bare, not as stunning as before. Still, her clean face looked quite pleasant.

She resembled the gentle, virtuous wife he had always envisioned.

Li Changqing strode over and embraced Sanya, "My dear, it’s late. Let’s rest."

Sanya had washed her face and was anxiously waiting for Li Changqing’s reaction.

However, he seemed to have no particular reaction and just embraced her.

At this moment, Sanya couldn’t think of anything else.

Being in Li Changqing’s arms, her mind went completely blank.

The red silk curtains embroidered with mandarin ducks were drawn, leaving only faint breaths and groans in the room.

In the blink of an eye, it was summer again.

As soon as May arrived, the court frequently received reports of rising water upstream of the Chishui River.

Xiang City is in the mid-lower reaches of the Chishui River, where the water level has also risen significantly. Currently, the riverbanks along Chishui River are being raised and reinforced.

Each household is required to send people to the embankment.

Even so, no one can rest assured, as the water this year is exceptionally high, and Xiang City in the mid-lower section of the Chishui River is likely to suffer a catastrophic disaster!

The Great Chu can no longer withstand such catastrophes.

During this time, the emperor is going to court every day, convening ministers for discussions.

Finally, the court ministers reached a consensus to find a suitable place to breach the embankment and relieve the pressure on both sides of the Chishui River.

Even Jiang Youzhi agreed to this decision.

Because no one could bear the consequences of Xiang City being flooded.

In recent days, Jiang Youzhi, anxious and with blisters around his mouth, has been staring at maps, eager to find a suitable flood diversion area to minimize the loss.

Yun Jiao said, "What you’re doing is like working behind closed doors; it’s not a good solution. I think you should go along the Chishui River to see firsthand and find a suitable place."

Jiang Youzhi sighed, "There’s no suitable place; the Chishui River basin is all fertile land. Once it’s breached, large areas of fertile fields will be submerged."