The night before her wedding day, Mulan found herself looking into her own reflection as Fa Li gently ran a comb through her hair. Her lips chanted some poems of blessing as a part of the wedding rites.
A few months ago Mulan's hair was brittle, rampant with split ends, and a lot shorter. Her skin was dark as a peasant's and her hands were calloused and rough. These past few weeks she had received an exhaustive beauty treatment, and the result definitely showed. Gazing into the mirror's reflective surface, Mulan hardly recognized the beautiful and delicate lady staring back at her.
"Mama?" Mulan saw a quiet smile grace her mother's face in their shared reflection in response to her query. "How did you learn it?"
"Learn what, my dear?"
"...to love Baba."
While love bore clear evidence in her parent's marriage, Mulan had never spared any thought on how that came about. Not until her turn was right around the corner.
Fa Li paused her ministration, looking at her daughter's reflection through the mirror. "Are you worried you won't like your husband?"
"I...I don't know."
Fa Li reached to tuck a stray strand of Mulan's hair behind her ear as she leaned closer, "Time will teach you, Mulan. As your father and I went through the sea of life together, forging through tears and hurdles, ploughing across hardship and challenge... friendship and trust were built, and our love began to grow. It took days of serving, months of dedication, years of hard work, learning to understand his character and the things that please him. Love is not about receiving, it is about giving."
Mulan sat quietly, pondering on her mother's wisdom and repeated the word in her head. Love is not about receiving, love is about giving.
Her hair was piled on her head, neatly secured with numerous pins and a massive headdress. She glanced at the luxurious, crimson Kua laid out on the bed, the words of the Matchmaker resonated in her head.
You may look like a bride, but you will never bring your family honour!
Her contemplative musing was interrupted when one dainty finger lingered on her cheek. "A little more face paint," Li Yue gestured to the makeup artist. Mulan stared at her other self, the Fa Mulan that she had known was opinionated, unfettered and full of life. In contrast, the unknown girl in the mirror was dainty, polite and subservient.
Will he be disappointed when he knows who I am?
It was for her to find out.
Their marriage ceremony would be modest and short. With the imminent threat from the Huns looming over China, all the wedding preparations were done in a rush. Despite the strain of time and busyness occupying most of her days, Mulan couldn't completely ignore the unavoidable reality of her unwanted marriage, a marriage that she was obliged to take part in to save her parent's honour and fulfil her public duty as a woman.
The day itself came with a note of surreality surrounding it. Fa Zhou held her hand to lead her into the bridal sedan, where the unfamiliar figure of a man waited patiently for her. Mulan deposited herself on the couch opposite her future husband. Soon, their crusader headed to Li's residence, where Mulan would spend the rest of her marriage life as his wife.
It was Mulan's first time being this close to the man she would soon be married to. She risked a quick, inquisitive glance, just to capture a silhouette of Shang through her crimson veil, sitting with his rod straight posture, his stoic expression betraying nothing. From her limited viewpoint, Mulan could see his dark, muscular frame. Very much fitting the image of the illustrious soldier her father had advertised to her. There was a certain aura of authority radiating from him. Mulan could see why this young man had been ordained as a captain at such a very young age.
After accepting Shang's hand to dismount from her bridal sedan, Mulan set foot in Li's residence for the very first time.
The Li's residence resided on a quiet road on the outskirts of the city, a favourable distance away to reap the benefits of both the city's close convenience and the privacy of country life. It was spacious, perhaps twice or three times bigger than the Fa house. The splendid structure was supported by red pillars. Its walls were covered in painstakingly painted, extraordinarily detailed carvings alternating with jade marble tiles. The edge of the roof was gilded with silver and gold, gleaming under the perusal of the late summer sun. Servants and guards in full uniform stood readily on either side of the grand, double-door entrance. Fa Li and Mulan's brother, Fa Ping, were at the sedan as soon as it came to a halt to act as their official escorts.
In a large room, Mulan was welcomed by numerous eager faces that had been awaiting their entrance.
All their relatives gathered, waiting for the bride and groom to declare their vow in front of the family altar. Mulan paused then, to meet Shang's gaze ever so briefly through the veil. He gave her a very slight encouraging nod as if sensing her hesitation, though nothing on his face gave away even a hint of emotion. He went on to perform the ritual without bothering to look at her again, and she did the same.
"I vow to live within the warmth of your heart and always call it home," he read the scripted passage from the scroll provided by his father and waited for her to repeat the same.
His vows felt empty to her ears, to be answered with equally meaningless promises that fell from her lips.
Mulan maintained her calm and solemn composure throughout the ceremony, even though deep inside she was feeling insecure and uneasy. She might have saved her family's honour and landed a good catch in marrying a handsome captain, but her mind kept trailing off to the list of responsibilities she would now be obliged to do―from her wifely duty, bearing him sons, to relentless subjugation for the rest of her lifetime. She coaxed herself with the illusion that every woman in China eventually had to marry a complete stranger, and there was no reason why she couldn't do what other girls were capable of doing.
But the sudden reality of her situation touched her mind when all the married women ushered her into the marital chamber, leaving their male counterparts laughing and drinking downstairs. Even though Li Yue had equipped her with all the necessary bedroom knowledge to please her new husband tonight, the thought of sharing such an intimate moment with a stranger completely paralyzed her. Li Yue helped her to sit daintily on the edge of the bed, arranging her skirts attractively, while her mother left to invite the groom and the men to join them.
In front of the small audience that huddled around them to share the moment of joy, Shang lifted up her bridal veil to catch his first unrestricted view of his bride. Mulan reluctantly looked at her new husband. Beyond his intricate outfit and hidden underneath his fancy headdress, she could see a handsome soldier, a faint smile and his mysterious eyes gazing at her. His warm hands enclosed her cold, tense fingertips. Suddenly, she felt her apprehension melt away at the gentleness of his touch. Maybe getting married to a stranger wasn't as frightening as she thought it would be.
Shang wrapped one of his arms around her waist, planting a chaste kiss on her forehead, and the crowd burst into a jubilant cheer. Mulan remained quiet, submissively curling her frame into his. Inadvertently, her eyes caught the sight of her parents, smiling in delight and shedding little tears of joy as the man of their choice gladly embraced their daughter as his wife.
Witnessing Mulan obediently submitting herself, being the passive recipient of her husband's affection, Fa Li was hopeful that the match would last forever.
The guests stayed for an hour or so bantering poems and songs to help ease the tension between the newlyweds. It was close to midnight before General Li invited everyone for another round of drinks downstairs.
With all the guests leaving her, Mulan was left alone briefly with her mother and her mother-in-law. Fa Li told Mulan to sit down and began removing numerous intricate hair ornaments and straightening her hair, while Li Yue fetched her sleeping robe.
"Mama?"
Her mother halted her expeditious hand from removing the pins from her daughter's hair.
"Do you think Shang will love me?"
Fa Li's face turned rueful. Mulan immediately regretted her question. She should have known that in the context of an arranged marriage, love was the last thing that mattered, but in her churning mind she still couldn't give up the idea that one day their marriage would be based on love, trust and friendship instead of satisfying the biological call for procreation.
Suddenly, Li Yue took over and helped Mulan to change into her night robe. "That will depend on you," she answered for her, slight annoyance in her voice. Fa Li backed away immediately because it was disrespectful for her to interrupt Li Yue as the groom's mother.
"Questioning your husband too much could be dangerous and inappropriate. I suggest that you just accept what we women are bound to do and serve your husband with devoted diligence, our feeling is not up for consideration" Her mother-in-law chided sharply, even as she gently patted away Mulan's formal makeup.
Fa Li made her exit soon after, and Mulan caught a note of frustration in her mother's eyes. Mulan hoped she would be able to reassure her mother the next morning, before she returned home with her father and her brother, that everything would be alright.
Li Yue rubbed spices on Mulan's skin, took a few steps back to inspect, and then meticulously tidied her hair into a simple bun. Meticulously, she reapplied a lighter layer of makeup; bringing out Mulan's eyes with a few subtle lines of kohl and reapplying stain to her lips to enrich the colour; freshening her up after the pummeling of the day's activities. Finally satisfied that her son's wife looked nothing less than perfect, Li Yue's lips curled into a smile.
Then, she touched Mulan's chin forcing her to meet her intimidating gaze, "Please don't disappoint your husband tonight. Remember what I've taught you," she warned. However, Mulan didn't detect any malice in her mother-in-law's voice. In fact, she caught a glimpse of bitterness, as if she was sympathizing with her predicament. After Mulan nodded in absolute submission, her mother-in-law left her to wait for her groom.
With the time slowly creeping well beyond midnight, Shang retreated into his chamber to find his wife already waiting for him faithfully. She looked tired but seemed to be more than willing to wait for him.
Mulan immediately felt the urge to occupy herself with something, just to avoid an awkward situation with her husband. She poured her attention into tidying up the already tidy pile that was her wedding dress, jewellery, and hair accessories, but couldn't concentrate entirely, because she felt Shang's unnerving gaze scrutinizing her every move, studying her and accessing what kind of wife she really was.
Shang was not in any rush to conversate with his new wife. In comfortable silence, he observed her inquisitively, taking note of her wonderful curves and the quaint profile of her delicate face as she laboriously employed her hands to fold the Kua she wore earlier on.
"So your name is Mulan."
She was startled by the deep, baritone voice behind her. Mulan whirled around, sensing that it was impolite for her not to face her husband while he was speaking to her.
"Yes," she answered briefly, unconsciously staring at Shang's features that now looked a lot more relaxed. His raven-black hair which had been tied back neatly, fell down to graze his broad, powerful shoulders. He was clad in a matching, scarlet, sleeping robe, with a deep vee, exposing a large amount of his toned chest underneath. Mulan had to admit how pleasant-looking her husband really was. His attractiveness, together with all of his heroic accolades, would render any woman defenceless. Most would waltz willingly into his arms.
Her husband's expression was still unreadable, but his piercing gaze methodically drifted from her face to her frame, to the hem of her vermillion robes. Remembering that it was completely unacceptable for her to stare so openly at him, Mulan avoided his eyes and held her breath, hoping her husband would say something that would end the uncomfortable silence.
"I heard a great deal about you from my mother," Shang said, Mulan was sure Li Yue only spoke about the negative things that she did, "I heard you are quite…" He paused to select his words,"...an unusual girl."
"I suppose that is one way of putting it. l love to sword fight and am an experienced horse rider," Mulan lowered her voice, trying not to sound like she was bragging about her skills even though mentally she was brimming with pride over her accomplishments.
Of course, Shang had heard the accounts of her trouble-making adventures, not to mention the mayhem she created at the Matchmakers. Therefore, hearing Mulan accredit her fighting ability, Shang could not repress a scoff, "Swordfight you say?"
"Yes, my father has been teaching me since I was a child, he said it's a good skill to have regardless of one's gender," she reasoned her radical point of view. "He also let me study mathematics, science and the art of war, among other things."
"That's interesting," he said, even though his tone said otherwise. "You should start learning to use a kitchen knife, which is much more fitting for a girl."
Mulan's heart dropped to the floor. She had been futilely hoping her husband wouldn't be like every other man who couldn't value a girl with a brain and skills to rival a man's. But apparently, her mother-in-law was right. Ultimately, men were only interested in food and sex. Appreciating a woman's independent opinions would never exist in their agenda.
"Do you realize how beautiful you are?" he suddenly said, gazing intently at the features of her face. Her distinctive, dark eyes were embellished with curling eyelashes. Her arched brows knotted expressively as her mind drifted in thought, and her unconscious habit biting her lips while running her nervous fingers through her straight ebony hair. The soft glow of the candlelight reflected on her fair skin, bathing her silky cream complexion with its golden touch. Her crimson robe rested invitingly on the edge of her shoulder, revealing her bare skin and more than a hint of cleavage, taking his breath away.
"Leave the fighting to men, Mulan." Absently, he ran his finger down her blushing, rosy cheek. Mulan jerked abruptly from the unexpected contact.
"But... my father said women are, in many ways, as capable as men," Mulan refuted in a low, strained voice. Shang could sense behind her bold statement, there was silent desperation, imploring him to accept her for who she was. Some part of him was impressed and applauded her for her courage, but Shang couldn't tolerate a housewife that acted like a man.
"Hmmm…. Is that so?" He raised his brows with mocking scepticism."No wonder you failed the matchmaker's test."
Shang watched as a string of defences formed on her lips. He had heard about Mulan's stubborn willfulness and her determination, although part of him appreciated his wife's fabled dexterity and was amused by her idealist mindset, he still wanted her to conform to the value of a typical aspirational marriage ― that a man and a woman were viewed differently in the eyes of society. As the leader of his household, Shang didn't wish to be labelled as a husband who couldn't educate his wife.
Shang's growing dominance provoked Mulan to challenge him. Reinforcing her courage, Mulan grabbed two wooden swords and passed one of them to Shang as she confronted him,"I dare you to show me your sword skills. If you lose, you have to admit that a woman can be a master in this art, as much as any man."
Her impetuous request startled him. Shang nearly burst out laughing in disbelief at Mulan's audacity, but he was astonished to notice his wife was entirely serious about her proposition.
His jaw tighten and his fists clenched, but he still solemnly retained his composure. "Fine."
His rationality rebuked him fiercely. It was their wedding night, and the bedroom was certainly no place for a show of martial arts, let alone a husband and wife's battle for superiority. But his masculine arrogance told him otherwise―this strife was necessary to teach his rebellious wife a lesson in submission and make her aware of her position in his domestic establishment. "And if you lose… you will have to obey me as your husband from now on."
A thousand warning bells clanged madly in Mulan's head, but she couldn't afford to back down, especially when it was she who challenged him first.
The tension in the room was palpable, but Mulan refused to go down without a fight. Both of them stood in their defensive stance. Shang was the first to ensue the onslaught. The sound of wood clacking together filled the air. Thankfully the party downstairs was equally loud to mask whatever ruckus they created upstairs.
Mulan watched Shang's fluid movements as he thwarted her attack, executing his form with cool sophistication which stirred something unknown inside her, was that...admiration?
Shang was equally captivated upon seeing that her gentle, fragile wrist was capable of delivering dangerous cuts and blows. She was a lot more agile and nimble than he thought she would be. As the fight continued, Mulan's bun came undone in the process. Shang was briefly mesmerized by her unconscious gracefulness. He had fought with many great fighters, but he had never been challenged by a woman, let alone his own wife.
Noticing that Shang had let his guard down, Mulan leapt forward in a lethal ambush, disarming him and stopping right when the tip of her wooden sword threatened Shang's jugular.
"Do you yield, Captain?" she smirked. Shang was surprised, but he quickly retaliated by grabbing her wrist and snatching her sword from her unsuspecting hand. In one swift, sure movement, he thrust the sword towards her torso for a fatal blow. Mulan was cornered and rendered helpless. With military accuracy, Shang made a final slashing motion meant to utterly defeat her, only to pull the sash of her robe with the tip of his sword, revealing her almost bare figure underneath.
"I can say the same to you." A winning smile spread across his face as he pointed his sword toward his half-disrobed wife.
Mulan gasped, hands instinctively clamped down on the edges of her robe, preventing it from leaving her shoulders.
"From now on, I won't condone any more mutinous behaviour from you," he commanded, putting away the swords and flashing a warning look at her. "Women are not made to fight. Understand?"
Mulan felt anxiety claw up her throat."I… I am sorry." The lines of argument about how much she wished to be his equal died prematurely on her lips.
Although Mulan admitted her defeat, witnessing her sorrowful countenance impeded Shang from claiming his victory. He hated to see her beautiful eyes shrouded with sadness.
"I guess...now we are ready to enjoy our wedding night." This time his words were uttered with tenderness.
"But…I am not ready." Her shaky voice was catching him off guard.
"You aren't ready?" Shang nearly exclaimed at her, his eyes narrowed. Perhaps she was trying to manipulate him. All these theatrics could well be for a show!
"What do you mean you are not ready?" He would not let her throw another mindless excuse at him or attempt to sell more feminist propaganda.
"I am not ready to please you." Mulan forced the words from her throat."I may be able to satisfy you with my body, but not with my heart."
Your heart. Shang repeated to himself. Did he ever wish to have her give all her dedication and her obedience with the wholeness of her heart? Did he ever wish this woman to do everything for him out of love and not duty? And wouldn't it be perfect if he requited the same sentiment equally? That would be nice―he thought. But there was hardly any time to cultivate love. Adhering to rites and rules must come first because that was their duty to their parents and ancestors.
Shang made up his mind.
"You don't have to do anything. Just follow my lead," he said soothingly."And you will be my perfect bride tonight."
Note : A hair combing ceremony (梳頭 [sò tàuh]) is also conducted on the eve of the wedding. After showering with water infused with pomelo or pomegranate leaves, the bride and groom change into a new set of clothing and shoes. Attending female family members bless them aloud as they sit in front of an open window with the visible moon or in front of the mirror.
The four blessings are:
一梳、梳到尾、[yàt sò sò dou méih] (with the first combing, be blessed to be together to the end,) 二梳、百年好合、[yih sò baak nìhn hóu hahp] (with the second combing, be blessed with a hundred years of harmony in marriage,) 三梳、子孫滿堂、[sàam sò jí syùn múhn tòhng] (with the third combing, be blessed with a houseful of children and grandchildren) 四梳、白發齊眉、[sei sò baahk faat chàih mèih] (with the fourth combing, be blessed with longevity)
A sweet dessert soup containing pink glutinous-rice spherical dumplings called 湯圓 tòng yùhn is served after the hair combing ceremony to wish the couple a complete and sweet marriage.