Chapter 216: Grand Wedding

In the capital, peace is always temporary. The matter of the deposed crown prince has not yet completely passed, and an extremely lively event has come in a hurry, sweeping away the gloom of the past few days.

The ancients often used "ten miles of red makeup" to describe a woman's dowry, but now even these four words are not enough to summarize the wedding of Princess Hejing and Prince Xi.

Prince Xi is the only living male of the He family. Although the He family has long been in decline, he is the only son of Princess Ronghe and the heir of the He family. He has been favored since he was a child and now holds great power. The living old lady He naturally wants to hold this wedding in a grand manner.

Princess Hejing is the only daughter of Prince Rong and the emperor's niece. She was named a princess since she was born. It is said that Princess Hejing started accumulating dowry from the moment she was born and wanted to give the entire royal palace as a dowry to her.

As a man from outside the family, Su Fengzhang naturally could not see the scene of displaying the dowry, but that day when Su Zhao was invited, she took Su Huihui with her to add to the dowry, and after returning, she was filled with emotion.

Su Zhaoshi considered herself someone who had seen a lot, and she wasn't one to be vain. She couldn't help but exclaim, "Today I've finally seen what wealth and luxury are like. For example, those huge pearls are being sold by the box."

Su Huihui also said, "Isn't it? I've only heard of gold and jade before, but today I finally understand what it means. Just looking at it is so dazzling, I can't take it all in."

Su Zhaoshi also said, "It's only because the palace is so large, otherwise there wouldn't be enough room for such a large dowry."

Su Huihui smiled and said, "I heard that the large furniture has already been carried to the He family, and the rest are the dowry to be taken over on the wedding day. Everyone is very envious."

Su Zhao was even more amazed: "Isn't that right? They say that a woman from a wealthy family's dowry can not only support herself, but also the whole family in the future. Now it seems to be true."

Su Fengzhang was also curious after hearing this, and said with a smile: "Mom, since Huihui hasn't gotten engaged yet, our family should make more preparations. Although we dare not compare with Prince Rong's Mansion, we can't let Huihui down too much."

The Su family had a weak foundation. Even though the family had a surplus after Su Fengzhang's promotion, it was still no match for the aristocratic families in the capital.

Su Zhao glanced at him and smiled, "Need you to tell me? We've been preparing since we arrived in the capital. It's a pity that we only realized today that we are nothing compared to the giant."

What Su Zhaoshi didn't say was that today's meeting made her a little scared. She originally thought that her son was at least the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, which was a very high official position and ranked high in the capital.

Seeing this, Huihui would definitely choose a good family, but after seeing it today, she felt unsure.

Su Huihui smiled and said, "Mother, second brother, our family is nothing compared to the royal palace. We can't empty our family savings just to marry off our daughter."

"As the saying goes, a good man doesn't eat the food of a divided family, and a good woman doesn't wear her wedding dress. Those who only care about the woman's dowry are not worth marrying into."

Su Fengzhang smiled when he heard this and said, "Huihui is right, but we still need to make the necessary preparations."

The three of them chatted and laughed for a while, and then Su Zhaoshi asked again, "Feng'er, both the Rong Prince's Mansion and the He family have sent invitations. So, which family should we go to on the wedding day?"

Su Fengzhang quickly said, "Mom, you should take Huihui to Prince Rong's mansion. I will go to the He family."

Su Zhao nodded and said, "The princess is a kind person and treats us kindly."

On the actual wedding day, people from all over the capital came out to watch the fun. Su Fengzhang could hear the sounds of suona, gongs and drums playing outside even at home.

Even the common people living in the capital will remember this wedding vividly and marvel at it, and the memory of this day will not be erased until the next, even more grand wedding occurs.

The dowry, loaded down with baskets and poles, was all painted in vermilion and gold, gleaming with brilliance. When the first basket of dowry was carried into the He family's home, the last basket had not yet left Prince Rong's mansion.

The red-dress procession that stretched for miles was huge and looked like a long red dragon, overflowing with auspiciousness and joy, and showing off the wealth of the royal family. The eight-man sedan chair passed through the long street, attracting the envy of countless people.

On this day, no matter how many conflicts there were in private, everyone showed some respect and kindness.

After all, the emperor's edict was there. Before the wedding even started, imperial edicts from the palace came one after another. It was obvious that the emperor was interested in the second marriage between the He family and the royal family, and naturally the concubines in the harem were also rushing to please him.

Not only the emperor and the empress, but even several high-ranking concubines who had no children and had no presence in the harem and the previous dynasty came out to join in the fun, and rewards flowed into the He family's yard like water.

As for this great favor, I am afraid that no one will be able to surpass it in the next ten years.

As one of the officials attending the wedding banquet, Su Fengzhang also witnessed the splendor of the day. This was the first time he saw the legendary Old Lady He.

This old lady was the biological mother of General He and the mother-in-law of Princess Ronghe. She should be in her early fifties this year, but her hair is already gray and her face is covered with wrinkles.

She looked a little stern, but her face was full of joy that day, and she even ignored her health to personally receive the guests.

I just wonder if when she is welcoming and seeing off guests, she will think of the grand occasion more than ten years ago between General He and Princess Ronghe. That time is so similar to now.

Su Fengzhang did not stay long. He toasted He Jun with a glass of wine and left, leaving behind the bustling atmosphere in the yard.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he left, someone quickly followed him.

"Master Su!" the man shouted and quickly caught up.

Su Fengzhang looked back and quickly recognized the person. It was Xu Youran from the Xu family. Minister Xu had two sons and one daughter. The daughter was Concubine Xu in the palace, but his two sons were more useless than the other.

Xu Yuran was still better, but this Xu Youran was unknown, and even if he had nepotism, it was unknown to everyone.

However, he has another identity that is known to the public, that is, the biological father of Xu Yun, the daughter of the Xu family who was assassinated in the street. In name, he is also Fang Yu's father-in-law, and is also related to the Jade Concubine in the palace.

Su Fengzhang had nothing to do with him, so he didn't know why he came. He just said politely, "It's Master Xu. Master Xu, aren't you going to continue the fun?"

Xu Youran smiled and said, "I'm old now, and I don't like to join in the fun anymore. Lord Su is still young, why did you leave so early? A lot of people just came to you to toast."

Su Fengzhang said politely: "I can't hold my liquor well. I'm afraid someone will get me drunk and make me crazy, so I'm just leaving first."

The two chatted for a while before Xu Youran said, "Seeing He Jun marry his beautiful wife today is truly a great blessing. I wonder when I can drink in your wedding wine, Master Su?"

Su Fengzhang raised his eyebrows slightly.

Xu Youran, however, acted like a brother and was very familiar with each other. He reached out and patted Su Fengzhang on the shoulder. He was not tall, a whole head shorter than Su Fengzhang, so his action was a bit funny.

I don't know if Xu Youran realized this. He quickly put down his hand and said with a smile, "Master Su, what we want in life are just a few things. Master Su is now on the rise, and what he lacks is a beautiful wife."

"To be honest with you, Lord Su, I do have a daughter in my family. Although she was born out of wedlock, she was registered under the name of my wife in her early years. She is also a legitimate daughter and is very much loved at home..."

Su Fengzhang finally understood what he meant and interrupted him with a smile: "Master Xu, matters concerning the concubines should not be disclosed to outsiders. I am also a little tired today, so I will take my leave first."

After saying this, he left quickly without even looking at Xu Youran's expression.

As soon as he left, Xu Youran snorted coldly and cursed inwardly, "Fake immortal! He just attached himself to Prince Cheng, but he doesn't even dare to marry and have children. He's grown so tall for nothing."

As Su Fengzhang walked, he wondered whether this was the Xu family's idea or Xu Youran's own idea. If it was the former, then Minister Xu must have begun to be wary of the Fifth Prince. If it was the latter, there was no need to worry.

After thinking about it, Su Fengzhang felt that the latter possibility was more likely. Minister Xu was an old fox who had become cunning. Even if he began to suspect the Fifth Prince, he should not have used such a simple and crude method.

Su Fengzhang's idea was right. When Xu Youran returned home, Xu Youran stopped him and asked with a frown, "Why did you go to see Su Fengzhang?"

Xu Youran's face darkened when he heard this: "Brother, you sent someone to keep an eye on me again."

Xu Yuran was also angry and scolded, "Is that what I'm willing to watch? If you weren't always causing trouble, I wouldn't be happy to watch you. Come on, tell me, why did you go to Su Fengzhang for no reason?"

Xu Youran was not convinced, but he had no status in the family, so he had to say obediently: "I just want to ask Su Fengzhang if he plans to get married. If so, I still have an unmarried daughter."

Hearing this, Xu Youran almost lost her temper and turned to face him. He pointed at Xu Youran and cursed, "You, what are you going to do?"

Xu Youran said confidently, "Brother, aren't you and Dad worried about the Fifth Prince's growing power? You don't know how famous the Fifth Prince is among the literati. He's currently relying on Su Fengzhang for support."

"Everyone knows the relationship between him and Su Fengzhang. As long as Su Fengzhang gets married and has children, he can still be on the same page with him. I'm doing this for you and the Fourth Prince."

Xu Yuran had always thought he was not smart, but now looking at his brother, he felt that his IQ could crush him. He was so angry that he didn't want to curse anymore. He just looked at him coldly and said, "I can't control this matter. Go talk to Dad yourself."

Xu Youran didn't think she had done anything wrong and continued, "I'll go and talk. If the marriage between the Xu and Su families goes through, the Fourth Prince will be even more powerful, while the Fifth Prince will be left with nothing. It's the best possible outcome."