Chapter 72 Marriage

In the shops and residences along Lotus Road in Yangzhou, red silk ribbons fluttered, guests filled the halls, and laughter and chatter filled the air.

The time had come. A bridal sedan chair emerged from the mansion, passing through bustling alleys filled with the sounds of gongs and drums, circling the lotus-lined path, and finally returning to the merchant's residence.

Today's banquet was prepared by the chef from Yueyinglou Restaurant. Zhao Sao led two festively dressed girls to the front hall and told them to go play by themselves while she went to help entertain the guests.

Wang Si and Lao Chen were equally busy, but fortunately Shang Yuji managed to hire more people when she had time, and with the prior preparations, they were busy but not chaotic.

Friends and relatives filled the hall, drinking and singing. Yan Qing and Yi Sha knew that the newlyweds had no elders in their family, so they took the initiative to share the responsibility of greeting the guests.

Huigu and Acuo dressed in the finest attire of southern Xinjiang, their silver ornaments gleaming, their blue and purple floral skirts adorned with intricate depictions of birds, beasts, insects, and fish—a sight that could make one dizzy if stared at for too long.

To avoid any unpleasantness caused in the hall due to dislike of the Southern Frontier, the two only sat with people they knew well.

Xiang Fei led Mo Xin to her seat. Beside Mo Xin was Yang Bai, the leader of the Yang Family Gang. Mo Xin quietly raised her eyes and met Yang Bai's gaze, who was looking over curiously.

Yang Bai, used to the mischievous gang, rarely saw such a well-behaved little girl. She laughed heartily: "My name is Yang Bai. Little girl, what should I call you?"

"Mo Xin, just call me Mo Xin."

What a cool and capable older sister... In Master's words, she's a strong person who can withstand several blows!

Looking at him with bright, sparkling eyes, Yang Bai turned his head, covered his face, and coughed lightly: "Then what is your relationship with Xiang Langjun who came with you?"

“Master and disciple! He is my master.” Mo Xin glanced back at her master, and only after seeing him nod did she reply.

Yang Bai raised an eyebrow. If he remembered correctly, Xiang Fei was a practitioner of the Xiang family's sword technique, right?

"Is Xiao Mo also skilled in swordsmanship?"

"Yes! But I'm still training my body." Her master said that she had been deficient in many things since childhood, and she needed to replenish her body and master the basic skills before she could wield a knife.

Yang Bai laughed out loud: "What a coincidence, I also use a knife."

After Yang Bai, the woman in front of him, said that she also used a knife, a more dazzling light seemed to shine from behind her in Mo Xin's eyes!

As for Xiang Fei, seeing that the two were discussing sword practice amicably, he didn't stop them, because there was someone else causing him trouble—

Master, please stop drinking!

On such an important day, it would be better if only Master was a drunkard, as he would restrain himself to save face.

Unfortunately, Huo Wei, the leader of the martial arts world, also came to celebrate today. If these two start arguing, it could go on and on, with one cup for each other and the other for a bowl.

Lin Mingshan, who was sitting next to Huo Wei, wasn't in charge, but Huo Wei's daughter, who was in charge and could keep Huo Wei in check, was busy competing with Yi.

Huo Shengge smiled like a fox, his eyes narrowed: "The double happiness jade pendant made of the finest mutton fat jade from the Western Regions, given to me by Miss Yi, is truly rare and precious."

Yi Ning smiled and looked straight at her, replying, "Not at all, it's certainly not as precious as the gold-inlaid nine-flower pearl bracelet made by Miss Huo with such a rare gem as the Eastern Pearl."

One was the head of the All-Merchant Alliance, and the other was supporting the Princess. Neither of them wanted to be outdone in matters of etiquette.

The two were locked in a fierce battle, with undercurrents swirling within them, making it difficult for outsiders to intervene.

As for the fierce battle between Xiang Fengyun and Huo Wei, it was finally stopped by the old doctor Fang Mu, who couldn't bear to watch any longer, by inserting a few needles into their bodies.

On the other side, Shang Yuji was riding a horse in front of the flower bridge. His horseback riding skills, honed through emergency training, were passable for now.

Wearing a vermilion wedding dress, with a red sash outlining her waist, and rouge on her face, she looked more vibrant than usual, exuding a fairy-like beauty, as if she had stepped out of a painting.

Her hair was styled in a cloud-like bun, with pearl hairpins intertwined among them, and the falling beaded curtains collided with the sound of horses' hooves, creating a clear and pleasant sound.

As Shang Yuji rode her horse, she thought to herself with relief: "Luckily, I didn't pick up the long beaded curtain, otherwise it would have hit my face and hurt terribly. I couldn't stop to rest halfway on the horse, and I could only endure the pain."

The sound of horses' hooves clattered, and Shang Yu, her face beaming with joy, rode along the pre-arranged route.

Jiang Xi, sitting in the bridal sedan chair, covered her face with a red fan. Looking down, she saw a crane with a completely different style on her sleeve. She carefully stroked the simple, intertwined needlework, and the corners of her lips could not be lowered.

A sweet feeling welled up in his heart. He lifted his eyelids and stared intently at the curtain in front of the sedan chair. He hoped that by the occasional glimpse of the curtain being lifted as the sedan chair moved, he could see Ah Ji's back through it just before it fell.

It seemed as if the spring breeze understood his thoughts, lifting the veil that obscured his view, allowing him to gaze at Aji's figure for a long time.

Adorned with pearl hairpins, she wore a fiery red wedding gown, her waist cinched with a slender belt, standing tall and graceful.

He sewed that wedding dress by hand; he knew her measurements better than anyone else.

Ah Ji...

From this day forward, they will become a family and stay together for a long, long time.

Like an unforgettable dream, so beautiful that he didn't want to wake up.

He just wanted to immerse himself in it, forever.

Through the fluttering curtain in that instant, onlookers were also allowed to see the handsome groom in the sedan chair. Just a pair of captivating, affectionate fox-like eyes were enough to leave a deep impression.

What a radiant beauty, as lovely as spring blossoms and as radiant as peach blossoms!

Even though the people of Lotus Path were already aware of Jiang Langjun's beauty, his stunning appearance at this moment was still astonishing.

As the curtains fell, obscuring the view inside the bridal sedan chair, many people lamented that they would never see such splendor again.

The gasps of the people on both sides really piqued Shang Yuji's curiosity.

She wanted to turn around and see what had happened, but her riding skills wouldn't allow her to.

To avoid any chaos, she decided to go back and ask Jiang Xi what had happened.

"stop--!"

Suddenly, someone darted out from the crowd and blocked the front of the group. Shang Yuji, who was at the head, hurriedly stopped his horse. The startled horse regained its footing, but its four hooves were still anxiously pausing on the ground.

"Cloud Sales!"

Upon hearing the commotion outside, Jiang Xi, who was inside the sedan chair, immediately lifted the curtain of the sedan chair, threw down the red fan covering her face, and jumped to the ground to help hold the horse.

Shang Yuji patted the horse with her hand, and it took her a while to calm it down.

The man raised his iron sword, still wrapped in cloth, towards her and shouted, "You rich and powerful men are all forcibly taking men from the people! I, Sun Dashu, am here to rid the people of this scourge!"

Sun Dashu waited quietly for a moment, but no one on the field echoed his bravery.

He was puzzled. This shouldn't be the case. In the past, when he stopped young men who tried to abduct women, there were always a few voices echoing his sentiments. Why was it so quiet this time?

But the show had already begun, and given the generous reward promised upon completion, he couldn't stop halfway through.

"Of course, if you obediently beg for mercy, your Uncle Sun might let you off the hook!"

There were constant whispers around—

"Who is this scoundrel? He's ruining everyone's good time!"

"Some of them look unfamiliar; they don't seem to be from Yangzhou."

"That annoying guy, who's going to pull him off?"

"..."

Jiang Xi raised her head with a worried expression to check if Shang Yuji was injured. After confirming that she was alright, she slowly turned around and stared at the culprit with her dark eyes.

With long eyelashes fluttering, she thought expressionlessly: How dare they frighten Aji... Should we just kill them?

Sun Dashu never expected that the person in the sedan chair would turn around and be such a stunning beauty. Even though the beauty's face was gloomy, she still had a certain charm.

Jiang Xi lowered her eyelids, her fingertips twitched slightly, and she heard Aji's voice, which stopped her actions.

The perfect day was abruptly interrupted. Shang Yuji steadied her horse, raised her chin unhappily, and said sternly, "Take it down!"

What are you babbling about?

She has the power of money!

Now that we have the financial means, how can we allow ourselves to be wronged?

The thugs they had hired beforehand rushed forward and quickly apprehended Sun Dashu.

Sun Dashu had been traveling the martial arts world for many years and knew a few tricks. Although his skills were not refined, they were more than enough to deal with unarmed civilians.

He assumed that this time would be the same as before; even if Shang Yuji refused, he would exchange a few blows with her subordinates with his sword, and when she realized she couldn't win, she would beg for mercy.

He'll then use this opportunity to make a quick buck.

It seems we've run into a tough opponent!

Shang Yuji: "Send it to the government office, don't miss the appointed time."

"yes."

Seeing that she was serious, Sun Dashu said urgently, "I'm innocent! I'll talk, I'll tell you everything. Someone instructed me, saying there would be a big reward if I succeeded..."

Shang Yuji didn't even lift her eyelids. She bent down, reached out and touched Jiang Xiqu's cheek, and said calmly, "No need to look at him. Go back to the sedan chair and let's get married first."

As for what happens next, Yi Ning will handle it.

If this was just an individual act, she might even suspect that he was too stupid and thought she looked easy to bully.

Once there's someone behind the scenes, things become much simpler. Regardless of the reason or whether they are a political enemy of the Princess, Yining will naturally investigate the person's identity and background.

Let alone the mastermind, even their ancestors might not escape the investigation.

Jiang Xi reached out and touched her wrist bone, saying dejectedly, "The fan has been broken."

In the chaos just now, he hurriedly dropped the red fan, and now the fan handle has been broken off and footprints are on the exquisite fan surface.

After he finished speaking, Shang Yuji couldn't help but laugh: "Our marriage is not arranged according to worldly customs, so how can it be affected by trivial details?"

A glint appeared in Jiang Xi's fox-like eyes. Seeing him standing there motionless, Shang Yuji simply grabbed his soft flesh:

"Hurry up and get started, there's still a long process to go through."

"Cloud Sales, may I lift the curtain?"

"?" Shang Yuji let go, puzzled.

He smiled and said, "I want to see you, but the curtain is blocking your view."

She didn't care about the fan covering her face, and naturally she did the same when she lifted the curtain.

She waved her hand: "Of course, you can do it if you want."

As the auspicious time drew closer, Xuanming looked out more and more anxiously, and even Qingfeng noticed his uncle's unease.

However, Qingfeng understood that his uncle was worried about whether Miss Shang and Mr. Jiang would arrive on time.

After all, this was an auspicious day chosen by their martial uncle. Logically, they should have returned by now after walking around Huaqiao. Their continued absence can only mean that something went wrong on the way.

But if something goes wrong on an auspicious day, can it still be considered a good day?

Uncle-Master, your fortune-telling job is in jeopardy.