Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The wedding procession left the Wen family's home and walked onto the main road. The sounds of gongs and suonas followed the horses, getting louder and louder.

After coming out of Xie's house, Xie Shao's face no longer had any trace of excitement. His ears were almost deafened by the noise. Now that he had picked up the person, he planned to take a shortcut back home.

He pulled the reins and turned around. Just as the horse took half a step, Uncle An blocked his way in time, "Third Young Master..."

Xie Shao frowned slightly, the golden crown on his head flashed a dazzling golden light under the bright light, but his expression was not bright at all, instead he showed a hint of impatience, "What else do you want?"

Uncle An didn't look at him, but lowered his head and said, "According to the rules, the Third Young Master must take his bride around the city..."

Not sure which ancestor came up with this rule, but Xie Shao didn't buy it. "It's windy outside today, don't let the bride get cold, go back first."

The sky is clear, where does the wind come from?

Uncle An blocked his way, not moving an inch, "Third Master, the old lady is still breathing hard."

As if knowing that this trick could control him, after seeing that he hadn't said anything for a long time, Uncle An raised his head and smiled at him, "The newlyweds will be happy only if they are blessed."

How can a marriage that is forced upon you be considered happy?

Xie Shao tilted his head and gritted his teeth. After weighing the pros and cons, he decided not to let the horse's hoof step on Uncle An. He turned around and walked onto the street with a sullen face.

Dafeng has experienced several upheavals during the past hundred years, with the masters changing frequently. If a wise ruler is found, people can live in peace for a few days. But if one is unable to suppress the people, the people will often be forced to abdicate by rebels, and the people will be displaced and their families will be broken up.

Although the current emperor took the throne from his nephew, he has been in office for more than 20 years and the country is peaceful. The country is stable, the court is stable, and the local people live a good life. Zhongzhou Fengcheng is close to Xixia and has developed commerce. Five or six waters are introduced from the moat in the four directions of the city, namely the southeast, northwest, and northeast, running through the whole city. The population has increased tenfold from more than 20,000 people when it was first built to today.

When there are a lot of people, they like to join in the fun.

Whenever a happy event happened in a family with some reputation in the city, it would inevitably cause a lot of discussion. The Xie and Wen families were well-known figures in Fengcheng, Zhongzhou, so naturally there were many people coming to watch their wedding.

Entering from the East Gate, there is a Niu Street, called Leshi, where vendors come and go constantly. Stalls selling all kinds of silk and novelties can be seen everywhere. The streets are often busy from morning till late at night, and the lights are always on. Another street running parallel to it, half a mile away, is called Qiaoshi, which is close to Prince Jing's Mansion. There are many pubs and teahouses, and most of the patrons are local dignitaries. It is also the only way for the wealthy families in Fengcheng to attend weddings and funerals.

As the wedding procession arrived, people kept pouring into both sides of the street.

The location of the Qiao Market is precious, and there is no waste between the attic tile markets, which are close to each other. The attic hangs colorful flags to indicate the name of its shop.

Although the second master of the Wen family's main business is in Fuzhou, he has invested in many industries in Fengcheng over the years. In addition to the main seafood, there is also a teahouse.

The eldest lady of the host's family is getting married today, and the waiters of the teahouse have been looking forward to it for a long time. They are standing in a group at the door of the teahouse, waiting for the son-in-law to arrive so that they can make some noise and make the party lively.

From afar, they saw a groom in scarlet attire riding a horse approaching. Everyone twisted their necks, hoping with great anticipation that he would arrive. But before they had the chance to make a noise, they were all stunned.

The man on horseback was very familiar. Everyone on this street knew him: Third Young Master Xie.

One of the guys turned around and asked his companion in confusion, "I remember that the lady promised to Mr. Xie, is that right?"

"I remember that, too."

"Me too."

"Why is it the third son of the Xie family?"

Everyone passed by, and they didn't get an answer. They saw the bride's sedan chair coming from behind. They were all family members, so they didn't have so many scruples. One of them stepped forward and grabbed Qiuying, the maid of the eldest lady, and pulled her over, and asked hurriedly, "Is the eldest lady engaged to the third young master?"

Qiu Ying's sleeve was grabbed and she paused. Suddenly she heard the name of the Madam and her heart was in a panic. "What nonsense are you talking about? The Madam is the one who promised the marriage to Young Master Xie." Fearing that she would be discovered, she turned around and followed Aunt Qing. She couldn't help but gently touched her and asked quietly, "Aunt, why is the sedan chair still in the market?"

Aunt Qing was also a little confused. Logically speaking, Third Master Xie was just going to pick someone up, so there was no need for him to go through all this trouble.

Then he thought again, "It must be that the son-in-law has something to do today and can't come back for a while. I can't let the bride stand outside the door and wait for him."

Qiu Ying nodded in agreement.

Aunt Qing glanced at her and reminded her, "Don't be careless. Watch carefully. Don't let anyone notice anything."

Looking back at the sedan chair beside her, the curtains inside the lattice windows were drawn tightly. No matter how lively it was outside, not even a corner of them was opened.

Everyone knows the character of Mrs. Wen. If she doesn't like something, ten oxen can't pull her back.

This time he was obedient.

Aunt Qing didn't dare to relax at all and kept her concentration as she followed the team.

After passing the Bridge Market, the team turned into a long alley and gradually slowed down. Soon, the sedan chair stopped in front of a magnificent "General's Gate".

When Xie Pushe resigned and returned to his hometown in Fengcheng, Zhongzhou, the emperor rewarded him with this mansion in addition to 50,000 taels of gold.

The staircase is a seven-step staircase with hanging belts, four steps higher than the Wen family's. On both sides of the staircase stand two vermilion lacquered columns, and behind the columns is the gate.

The main gate has three doors. The two doors in the middle are installed under the ridge beam in the middle. Above them is a door plaque with the words "Xie Mansion" written on it. There are two door panels with waist bands on both sides of the main gate, and the door stops are half the height of a child.

When Aunt Qing first came back to the Xie family, she was shocked at first sight. No wonder the old lady wanted to bring the second lady in even though she didn't care about her reputation.

This is the real high door.

The two strings of firecrackers hanging on the gate of the mansion were lit and exploded into the sky with a "crackling" sound.

The other party's nanny had been waiting in front of the door for a long time. When the sedan chair stopped, she came forward to greet people. Aunt Qing ignored the rules and waited for the maid to lift the curtain before she walked to the bridge gate and extended her arm to Wen Shuse.

Wen Shuse had never been able to ride in a carriage. He would feel dizzy after half an hour at most. Who knew that it would be even worse when he sat in a sedan chair.

I was shaking all the way and was completely out of energy. When my heels landed on the ground, it felt like I was stepping on clouds and I was dizzy.

She lost her balance and fell to one side, and the round fan in her hand also tilted. Aunt Qing was so scared that she broke out in a cold sweat and helped her to steady herself in time, "Madam, hold on for a while."

Qiuying's heart was in her throat, and she quickly turned her back to block the nanny opposite her.

When Aunt Cao took her away from the eldest lady last night, she told her that if things were to go wrong this time, she would sell her off.

How could she dare to be careless?

Both of them had their hearts on Wen Shuse, and they didn't notice that Xie Shao had already entered the mansion, walking on the red silk path inside the main gate that only the bride and groom could step on.

The bride stepped over the door and entered the house. There was no reason for her maiden servants to see her off. She had to be handed over no matter what.

Before letting go, Aunt Qing confirmed with Wen Shuse, "Madam, you can stand steadily." Seeing her nod, she breathed a sigh of relief and then instructed, "Madam, you must hold the fan well."

The other side's nanny came up again to pick someone up, and Aunt Qing could only step aside.

Over the fire pot, then over the saddle...

Aunt Qing and Qiuying followed Wen Shuse with a worried look in their eyes. When they were almost at the front hall, they finally saw the groom, who was wearing a scarlet wedding suit, holding a piece of red silk in his hand, and standing with his back to the door.

The eldest son finally caught up.

Aunt Qing was delighted, but then her brows suddenly frowned again, as she felt that the figure was somewhat familiar.

Just as she was about to look forward to see more clearly, a few maids appeared from nowhere beside her, held her arms on both sides, and said warmly, "Are you Aunt Wen? You must have had a hard journey. Let's go to the backyard to rest and drink some tea..."

Aunt Qing didn't react and said politely, "Thank you very much, it's just a few steps. Today is a big day, so it won't be hard."

The other party did not allow her to refuse and pulled her out, "The bride has been sent to the mansion, what are you worried about? You still have a lot to do tonight. Rest your feet first, take a breath, and relax for a while."

Aunt Qing was forcibly dragged out, looking stunned. She then looked at Qiuying next to her, and saw that she was also dragged out like herself.

Aunt Qing then felt something was wrong. The first thing that came to her mind was that the Second Lady might have been exposed. She turned around in panic, and at this moment the groom standing in front of her turned around.

Thank you, Third Master?!

Isn’t he here to pick up the bride?

What happened...

Aunt Qing stared with her eyes wide open and her mouth wide open, her mind going blank. She watched in amazement as Third Young Master Xie took the red silk from the nanny and stuffed the other end into the hands of her Second Lady.

A bolt from the blue struck people so hard that they lost their souls.

Aunt Qing blurted out, "Second..." Just as she opened her mouth, a maid beside her immediately stuffed a piece of cake into her mouth, "Aunt, you must be hungry. Eat a piece of cake first to fill your stomach."

"The auspicious time has arrived, the newlyweds are in the ceremony."

When the best man's loud voice entered her ears, Aunt Qing's legs and feet went limp, and she choked on the pastries until her eyes turned white.

By this time, I roughly understood what was going on.

In my heart, I secretly called out to the heavens and the earth, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva...

The human heart is truly unpredictable, and each one is more cunning than the other. Isn't this just digging a hole in the quicksand and burying oneself?