Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

The next day, before dawn, Xia Yu was woken up by her maids to take a bath. She had just taken a bath the night before and had even applied scented powder all over her body, yet she was being forced to bathe again before daybreak. Although Xia Yu was unwilling, under the pressure of the maids, she could only half-close her eyes and let them do as they pleased.

While taking a bath, Xia Yu was in a daze, half-asleep. After emerging from the tub, the maids gently wrung out her hair with towels before helping her to the dressing table. They dressed her in a shimmering wedding gown woven with gold thread, a gift from the palace, fastened at the chest with a red gold collar inlaid with a ruby. Over this was a crimson brocade shawl embroidered with double peacocks and clouds. A peach-red satin sash embroidered with double flowers and birds hung from the waist, adorned with twelve panels of gold and silver-embroidered skirts, each embroidered with a design of a hundred children and a hundred blessings, edged with long gold threads. This exquisite wedding gown further accentuated Xia Yu's noble air, drawing admiration from everyone in the room.

"Second sister, your wedding dress is so beautiful." Dongyu said sweetly, touching the floral pattern on Xiayu's wedding dress.

"If you like it, I'll have the clothing bureau make one like this for you when you get married," Xia Yu said, glancing at Dong Yu and teasing her with a smile.

"I'm not worthy of wearing such clothes. Apart from my second sister, I'm afraid there's no one else in the entire capital who is worthy of wearing such a wedding dress," Dongyu said with a smile, covering her mouth.

"Don't talk nonsense. Be careful that what you say unintentionally might be taken seriously by others," Qiu Yu said, patting her sister's arm.

"Sis, I just wanted to flatter Second Sister!" Dongyu pouted and pretended to be angry.

"You silly girl." Xia Yu and Qiu Yu said in unison, somewhat helplessly, when they saw her like this.

Dongyu hadn't experienced many hardships, so she developed a shrewd exterior but a coquettish interior; in reality, she just liked to act cute in front of her older sisters.

As they were talking, Madam Li led in a noblewoman dressed in fine clothes. Madam Li smiled and introduced her to Xia Yu and the others.

"This is Madam Kong, the lady of the first wife of the Kong family, who has been invited today to comb the princess's hair."

As she introduced herself, Madam Kong, with a kind smile on her face, curtsied to Xia Yu.

Xia Yu quickly stood up and returned the greeting, smiling as she said...

"Thank you for your help today, Madam."

"It is my honor to be the wife of the Princess. The Princess is also blessed, and she will surely be able to live a loving and harmonious life with Lord Shen, and have many children."

"Thank you for your kind words," Xia Yu replied with a smile. Although she had no feelings for Shen Jingheng, she was infected by the joyful atmosphere around her and felt a little more hopeful for this marriage.

As she spoke, Madam Kong picked up a jade comb adorned with peony scrolls from the dressing table. Standing behind Xia Yu, she combed his hair repeatedly, following the technique of combing from front to back and from top to bottom. She murmured auspicious words as she did so.

One comb to the end, two combs to white hair reaching the eyebrows, three combs to a house full of children and grandchildren, four combs to four silver bamboo shoots growing tall and straight, five combs to harmonious father-in-law and mother-in-law, six combs to mutual respect between husband and wife, seven combs to blessings upon the family, eight combs to great profits from a small investment, nine combs to longevity, and ten combs to a long and happy marriage with both husband and wife growing old together.

After the auspicious words were recited, the hair-combing ceremony was considered complete. Madam Quan and Madam Kong spoke auspicious words to Xia Yu for a while longer before bowing to her and leaving.

When Madam Liu entered, she saw that her daughter's thick, jet-black hair was all combed up on top of her head, piled up like snow-capped clouds in a phoenix-shaped bun, with long, six-bead phoenix hairpins tucked into the sides. Red gemstones were intricately inlaid on the gold threads, swaying gently.

In an instant, Liu's eyes reddened. Her beloved daughter was about to get married. She felt both happy and heartbroken.

Seeing her enter, everyone knew that the mother was making arrangements for her soon-to-be-married daughter. So everyone left, leaving only the two of them in the room.

"Mother." Xia Yu smiled broadly and reached out her hand to Liu Shi.

"Don't move around, or your hair will get messy and you'll have to comb it again." Madam Liu quickly took two steps forward and grasped the hand that was being offered to her, whispering her instructions.

"This hair ornament is too heavy. I feel like if I bend my head down, all the hairpins will fall off," Xia Yu said, keeping her neck straight and not daring to move.

"A maid will be there to support you, so just walk forward with your head held high." Madam Liu looked at her daughter, who was stiff and afraid to move, and felt both sorry for her and amused.

"Mother, why are you here at this hour?"

"Mom has something for you." As she spoke, she glanced around the room like a thief. After making sure no one was inside, she took a delicate little box from her sleeve and handed it to Xia Yu.

"What is this?" Xia Yu held the box up to her eyes; it was such an exquisite box. Thinking it was a dowry gift, she was about to open it to see what it was. But Liu Shi, quick as a flash, blocked her way.

"Hey, don't look at it yet. Look at it before you go to bed tonight. Put this in your sleeve pocket, be careful not to lose it," Madam Liu reminded her worriedly.

"What is it? It's so mysterious!" The more she tried to stop Xia Yu from seeing it, the more she wanted to see.

"Don't be curious. Wait until before you go to bed and the maid isn't around, then look at it secretly by yourself." Seeing her curious expression, Madam Liu couldn't help but remind her again.

"I understand," Xia Yu replied obediently.

“Listen to your mother, when night falls you will…” Madam Liu leaned close to Xia Yu’s ear and whispered some things about her wedding night.

After listening, Xia Yu nodded somewhat blankly. It turned out that Liu Shi had come to educate her about physiology. Thinking back to the little box Liu Shi had mysteriously given her earlier, Xia Yu roughly knew what was inside. It was either text or pictures.

After saying this, Madam Liu, still quite worried, made sure her daughter remembered everything she said before she spoke to her.

"I'll have the maids come in and serve you. I'll go out now; there are still many guests to attend to outside."

"Okay, you can go now, Mother. I've remembered everything you taught me." Xia Yu nodded obediently.

Seeing her daughter so obedient, Madam Liu breathed a sigh of relief and quickly walked out. Seeing her mother's flushed face, Xia Yu felt that her mother was even more naive than she was, after all, she had lived in a previous life. She knew a great deal about this, and even without deliberately studying it, she still knew more than people of this era.