Chapter 229 The Third Princess's Wedding

When Qi Chengming arrived.

Outside the princess's residence, lanterns and colorful decorations were hung, and silk ribbons were tied to the trees and plants. Palace eunuchs and maids moved about the residence in an orderly fashion, welcoming guests. At first glance, everything was exquisite. Although it could not be described as extremely luxurious, it still had the noble standards expected of the emperor's eldest daughter's wedding.

"His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived!" The announcement rang out at the entrance, and an old woman rushed forward with delight, her face beaming. The other servants behind her immediately knelt down, sobbing.

"No need for formalities." Even at this moment, Qi Chengming couldn't help but put on airs, coldly watching Xiao Dezi lift the curtain and help him out of the carriage. Taking advantage of this moment, he quickly recalled who the old woman was.

—Recalling the failure, only the face seemed vaguely familiar; it appeared to be a member of the imperial clan of high seniority or virtuous character.

Qi Chengming remained calm.

Emperor Hongren had no close relatives; those remaining were all from distant collateral branches of the imperial family. Their royal family had no princesses, and the Third Princess was an only child. Since the emperor and empress were not allowed to leave the palace for her wedding, only a senior member of the imperial clan could be chosen to officiate… Who could be chosen?

There's a high probability they don't recognize each other.

So Qi Chengming exchanged a few polite words with the old woman, presented his congratulatory gift, and was then welcomed into the princess's residence.

His gaze first swept over the sullen Prince Ning and the Seventh Prince accompanying him, then he saw the newlyweds surrounded by the crowd in the middle.

Wang Shi stood neither servile nor arrogant, showing no sign of weakness despite the presence of so many powerful figures. Instead, he exchanged pleasantries with a smile, displaying impeccable manners that earned him respect. Qi Chengming noticed that his shoulder was very close to the princess's—a subtle message conveying confidence and a sense of having powerful backing.

This was the first time Qi Chengming had met the Third Princess since he transmigrated.

She had a gentle appearance and a temperament similar to that of an empress. Now, dressed in a bright red wedding gown, she smiled modestly and quietly, and stood very close to Wang Shi. Her body language was equally relaxed.

Out of consideration for the difference between men and women, Qi Chengming only glanced at it before looking away, but he thought it was quite nice.

Regardless of how Emperor Hongren issued the decree in the first place, it seems that... at least the newlyweds have no issues with each other and are getting along quite well.

"...Your Highness!"

As soon as Qi Chengming entered, a eunuch hurriedly ran to the princess and whispered a few words to the two of them. Wang Shi and the princess exchanged a glance, then walked over without hesitation, raising their cups to toast him.

The difference was that Wang Shi was filled with genuine joy, while the princess's smile carried a hint of unease and hesitation. She subconsciously glanced at her younger brother first.

"Congratulations on your wedding." Qi Chengming didn't say much. He knew that as someone in a position of authority, staying any longer would only cause trouble. He simply drank a glass of wine, put down his glass, and gestured for them to continue talking to the others.

The princess breathed a slight sigh of relief and headed towards Prince Ning. Wang Shi originally wanted to follow, but he hesitated and turned back to Qi Chengming, saying respectfully, "Your Highness, the princess and I admire you greatly. We would be honored if you would grace us with your presence at a banquet in the future." Only then did he hurry to catch up with the princess.

Qi Chengming felt much more at ease after receiving this gesture of goodwill.

Wang Shi is still his man. The Third Princess should have been instructed by Prince Ning to be on good terms with him in private, but she was unaware of the situation and is now hesitant about their relationship.

Qi Chengming didn't intend to bother thinking about these things; he'd leave it to Prince Ning to discuss. He was just going through the motions today; the Third Princess was unimportant to him.

However, Prince Ning, having shrugged off the Seventh Prince, spoke privately with the Third Princess, and his expression subtly changed. He then said something that emboldened the Third Princess, who approached him. This time, the Third Princess was more relaxed and respectful, her face slightly flushed as she lowered her voice to ask, "I've heard that Your Highness has a group of craftsmen… who are very skilled in ingenious techniques?"

"That's right, what's wrong?"

"I wish to bring the two parents of the Imperial Son-in-Law to live here. The house still needs some renovations... I heard that His Highness the Crown Prince's group of craftsmen know many novel designs from the south. I wonder if we could ask them to renovate the Princess's residence for me?" the Third Princess requested.

Qi Chengming glanced at her, unable to tell whether the Third Princess was looking for an excuse to renovate the Princess's Mansion again, or whether she was using the opportunity to curry favor with him. In any case, he readily agreed.

Qi Chengming's heart skipped a beat.

He had other ideas. It just so happened that Bi Shu now held an official position, supposedly allowing her to travel outside the palace, but due to Emperor Hongren's warning, Qi Chengming could only treat her as a lady-in-waiting in the inner quarters. Could this assignment to the Princess's residence, entrusting Bi Shu with leading the craftsmen to coordinate, be an opportunity?

His craftsmen weren't all eunuchs. When it came to the princess's desired designs and creations, especially those involving privacy... men were less suitable than eunuchs and women for handling these matters.

Neither Qi Chengming nor the Third Princess mentioned compensation, nor were they allowed to discuss it on the spot due to their status.

After finishing his drink, Qi Chengming quickly put down his glass and took his leave.

As he left, he glanced back and saw that those who had been too shy to approach him earlier were now enthusiastically crowding around the newlyweds, and the Third Princess's smile was even brighter and more natural.

"Xiao Dezi?" Qi Chengming went outside and looked around. He saw Xiao Dezi in the side hall. Xiao Dezi was surrounded by other servants, eating and drinking in a grand manner, his face flushed, and he was in high spirits, looking extremely happy.

Such opportunities to be flattered without feeling guilty are rare.

Qi Chengming decided to stroll around the small garden next door and opened the system space of the infrastructure system. The previous "Crown Prince's Daily Task: Ministry of Justice's First Case" had been completed, and the reward had been automatically collected into the space. He looked through it and found it.

It is a portable mini fan.

Okay, it might seem insignificant, but in ancient times it could truly save lives in the summer!

Qi Chengming then retrieved the first-stage reward for completing the daily quest [Counterattack against the Emperor], and his eyes widened slightly: "...!"

The pile of items clearly displayed the words "A batch of chainmail x99".

Chainmail.

It sounds simple, but the process is actually complex and intricate. No one in the common people dared to take on such a job, and the materials used were officially controlled iron. Tiny iron rings were interlocked together to form a complex, chain-like structure, woven into a long garment that was impenetrable to swords and blades. Although a sharp sword or a heavy mace or meteor hammer could still pierce the chainmail, it was considered a top-tier life-saving armor on the battlefield.

...This is simply not an anti-enemy weapon that can be mass-produced.

Even though Qi Chengming developed an army in Silver Island Prefecture and was able to mine and manufacture weapons for them, they still wear leather armor and iron armor; they don't even dare to dream of chainmail.

Now that he has ninety-nine chainmails, he can secretly summon his militia to the capital... Normally, the chainmails are stored in his spatial storage, while the militia work in various manors and shops. In the event of any emergency, distributing this equipment to his troops would be enough to hold off even the Crown Prince's former residence for a time.

Qi Chengming was filled with excitement.

He might never need to wear this chainmail in his lifetime, but it gave him a great sense of security!

"Your Highness—" Xiao Dezi was drinking when he realized his Crown Prince was missing. His ruddy face showed a hint of panic as he rushed over. "Why didn't Your Highness call me when you came out?"

In her panic, Xiao Dezi forgot to use the term "slave" and blurted out the old, complaining form of address.

"You steady and reliable Eunuch De, we all admire you so much..." Qi Chengming repeated the flattering words he had just heard with a sarcastic tone. When he saw Xiao Dezi's face instantly burning from his neck to his ears, the young eunuch almost wanted to disappear into the ground.

Qi Chengming clapped his hands and teased him, "What are you shy about? I saw you were so happy that I didn't want to disturb you. Eunuch De is a respectable person now, and he has to maintain a certain image when he goes out..."

Xiao Dezi couldn't hold on any longer and begged for mercy, "Your Highness!"

Qi Chengming quickly stopped while he was ahead, fearing that if he waited any longer, Xiao Dezi would end up repairing the princess's residence with his toes.

"Go and deliver a letter to the Grand Tutor for me." Qi Chengming regained his composure, took out an old letter that had long been sealed from his clothes, and gave the important instructions, "Tell him that it's time to make some noise."

When Qi Chengming sent his companions out to cause trouble, some of the ministers who had pledged allegiance to him secretly came to inquire whether they wanted to help them. At that time, Qi Chengming only used a small group of people to help, but this time... once the aristocratic families' ticket incident is launched, Emperor Hongren will first pressure Qi Chengming, and that will be the most critical moment.

At this point, it was time for Grand Secretary Mu to use his influence and connections to act opportunistically and unleash his full power in the court.

"Yes." Xiao Dezi readily accepted the order, his flushed face slightly cooling down, and hurried away.

Qi Chengming returned to the carriage at the Crown Prince's former residence. The person who came to pull the carriage today was Zhu Zi from the Imperial Guard, a familiar face who had been with him for several years, which put him at ease.

No wonder everyone says the position of stable boy is insignificant, but it is actually highly trusted by the master. If he didn't trust someone, even if they had connections, they wouldn't even get the job.

Qi Chengming returned to his residence and waited for Grand Secretary Mu's reply. But he could not rest yet. Although it was evening, he still had to go to Yinquan Courtyard to bitterly review the lessons that the Grand Tutor would be testing the next day.

After the great Confucian scholar resigned, Wang Chuandao, who was transferred to teach there, was also an old acquaintance. However, because they had dealt with each other before, Wang was extremely strict with Qi Chengming. As a result, Qi Chengming now gets a headache reflexively whenever he sees that indifferent face.

“…In Gaoming County, there is a spring that is being contested by two villages.” Qi Chengming murmured to himself.

Wang Chuandao didn't teach anything in class. Instead, after conducting numerous investigations, he directly took out the local county gazetteer he had copied when he was still unsuccessful, along with his own insights, and used it to test Qi Chengming on the cases, disputes, and local customs.

His philosophy was clear: whether he was teaching a prince or a crown prince, or whether he was teaching any grand principles, if he couldn't even handle the things a county magistrate should be handling, how could he possibly take on bigger responsibilities in the future?

Qi Chengming thought it made sense. He didn't lack any profound principles; he only lacked experience and practice. Repeatedly simulating in class was a good way to improve.

Emperor Hongren had renowned scholars teach him and assigned him to the Six Ministries to gain experience—it sounded like the treatment a crown prince should receive. But it wasn't that Qi Chengming was greedy; he felt that what he was doing now was just small-scale work. Emperor Hongren didn't begin to teach him how to read memorials step by step, nor did he really let him delve into the workings of the Six Ministries.

Only Qi Chengming himself, deeply immersed in this situation, could truly understand the subtle anxieties of someone in a position of power.

Don't be afraid.

Qi Chengming comforted himself in his heart.

He reviewed for a while, then skillfully opened the system monitoring and began furiously writing down the contents of the memorials that Emperor Hongren occasionally read aloud. Even if Emperor Hongren didn't teach him, he could learn by himself!

He wanted to become an excellent and good emperor in the future!

Qi Chengming recalled the same determination he had shown in his senior year of high school, studying diligently with his head hanging from the rafters and his thigh pricking with an awl.