Chapter 58 Pi Zhen's Wedding (Part 1) Nonsense! Nonsense! ...

After settling down in Ye City, Cao Pi's wedding ceremony with Zhen Mi was finally put on the agenda.

As soon as Deng Jie entered Ye City, he was summoned to the mansion by Lady Bian under the guise of "diagnosing and treating Lady Zhen," but in reality, he was helping the Cao family confirm that she was not yet pregnant at that time.

However, the relocation was a complicated affair, and three months passed in the blink of an eye. Now, the auspicious day is approaching, and good news is already evident.

"Madam's pulse is steady and strong, and the pregnancy is stable. You only need to rest and recuperate, and avoid any further strain." Deng Jie withdrew his hand, gently instructing her on the taboos of early pregnancy, and was about to take his leave when Xun Wei happened to enter.

"Wait a moment while I speak," Xun Wei called to Deng Jie, holding a lacquered wooden box in his hands, and walked up to Zhen Mi.

“…Madam…” Xun Wei hesitated for a moment before choosing this form of address and handed her the wooden box.

Zhen Mi calmly opened the box.

Deng Jie looked on curiously and saw a finely carved jade pendant with dragon and phoenix patterns lying quietly inside, lined with red silk. The outer ring was decorated with a coiled dragon, and the inner ring with a phoenix, forming a perfect whole.

Zhen Mi extended her slender jade finger and gently pressed the specific mechanism on the dragon-shaped outer ring. With a "click," the coiled dragon ring was removed and separated from the inner phoenix jade pendant.

Zhen Mi put the jade ring into her sleeve, while Deng Jie secretly marveled at the design, which was both dignified and ingenious.

Seeing no further action from Zhen Mi, Xun Wei pondered for a moment before extending a hand and saying, "Give me... the one from before."

Zhen Mi's eyelashes trembled slightly as she silently took out an almost identical dragon-patterned jade ring from her bosom.

Deng Jie felt something was amiss and immediately examined the same spot where "Zi Huan" was engraved, and indeed saw the two characters "Xian Yi".

“Sir…” Zhen Mi still called Xun Wei by his name. She looked up at Xun Wei with a gentle gaze, but could not utter any words of regret.

Xun Wei felt a pang of sadness. He stepped forward, gently pulled her into his arms, and softly stroked her hair. "Good child... from now on, you will be the new bride of the Cao family."

Zhen Mi buried her face in Xun Wei's chest and nodded quietly.

Deng Jie followed Xun Wei out of the inner room, his gaze constantly drifting towards the wooden box.

Xun Wei noticed her gaze and simply lifted the box lid to show her: inside was a jade pendant carved with a phoenix, engraved with the two characters "Mu Jun".

"Is this Madam Zhen's childhood name? Jinghe Chunyi, a beautiful and refined name indeed. But at first glance, it seems to have a touch of the majestic spirit of King Mu or Duke Mu..."

Xun Wei chuckled, closed the box and put it in his sleeve. "That's right. Back in the Yuan family mansion, Fengxiao found the jade pendant with 'Mu Jun' engraved on Yuan Xi's body. He excitedly took it to discuss with my father. The two of them seriously speculated for a long time about Yuan Benchu's usurpation ambitions. But I ran into them and realized that they had made such a fool of themselves."

Deng Jie imagined the two brilliant strategists racking their brains over a jade pendant, and couldn't help but chuckle, covering his mouth: "They're just too thoughtful and overthink things!"

She then pointed to Xun Wei's other sleeve, "That's what Madam Zhen just gave you..."

Xun Wei curled his lip. "Did you see the words on it?"

Deng Jie nodded guiltily, then muttered under his breath, "This...this is too blatant...why bother..."

Xun Wei frowned in fright, quickly raising a finger to stop her, giving Deng Jie a reproachful glare, then leaning close to her ear and whispering, "This is clearly Cao Cao's attitude... he wants to show that he has surpassed the Yuan family in every way. It's just that the jade pendant was made by my family, and I used to be her tutor..."

She sighed and took two steps back. "So this has fallen on my shoulders again."

Deng Jie fell silent, recalling Zhen Mi's complicated expression earlier, and still felt uneasy.

The last time I saw her, she was still a young woman, her eyes clear and full of expectation as she told Guo Jia and her that "the wedding date has been set." No matter how much I disliked the Yuan family, the difference in their expressions was still quite clear.

Before they knew it, the wedding day arrived. The entire city of Ye was filled with a festive atmosphere, and the Sikong Mansion was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, with guests gathering in droves.

Not only were Cao Cao's important civil and military officials invited, but also their families. The scale of the event was unprecedented in Xuchang.

It was still early, and Cao Cao and Lady Bian, along with the relatives of the Cao and Xiahou clans, were sitting in Cao Pi's new residence, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new bride.

Meanwhile, Deng Jie waited with Guo Jia at the Sikong Mansion for the banquet to begin after the wedding procession.

Guo Jia led her and Zhou Buyi to the hot spring villa where cranes were kept, and teased Zhou Buyi, "Such divine birds have finally fallen into your courtyard, Your Excellency."

Deng Jie looked at him with amusement and said reproachfully, "But that's not what you told me back then."

"Oh? Is that so?" Guo Jia chuckled. "Times have changed."

Deng Jie looked somewhat helpless, pondering the changes in Guo Jia over the years.

As Xun Yu approached, Guo Jia embraced Zhou Buyi and chatted with him. She turned to look at the other side of the villa, where Xun Wei was with Xun Yu's wife, Lady Tang.

Deng Jie stepped forward to greet him, looked around, and asked, "Where is Young Master Chen today?"

Xun Wei smiled and said, "Changwen is on good terms with Young Master Zihuan. Today, as an important wedding attendant, he went to the young master's residence early this morning to help with the preparations."

Upon hearing this, Deng Jie showed a slight look of surprise, then recalled the witty remark Guo Jia made to Chen Qun at the intellectual contest three years ago, which turned out to be true.

Xun Wei could tell what she was thinking just by looking at her expression. He snorted and said, "You're so lucky. Guo Fengxiao stays by Sikong's side every step of the way. It's so worry-free."

Tang was startled and glanced at Xun Wei: "It's rare to see you speak so inappropriately."

Xun Wei immediately composed himself and stood beside Madam Tang, saying, "Mother, please forgive me, please forgive me, I misspoke."

Deng Jie quickly waved his hand: "Madam, please don't be offended. Nie Ge is close to me and doesn't stand on ceremony. This is just affection!"

She turned to Xun Wei to change the subject: "Young Master Chen is learned and courteous, and he is both a teacher and a friend to Young Master Tong Zihuan. They complement each other perfectly."

“...They each have their strengths.” Xun Weiyuan wanted to say something more, but after glancing at Tang Shi, he could only reply with a sullen expression.

"I did hear Wenruo mention that Young Master Zihuan had been asking him and Fengxiao for a long time to befriend Wenzhi. Fengxiao couldn't refuse, so he recommended Sima Yi, the second son of the Sima family in Wen County, to the Minister of Works."

"Is that so?" Xun Wei seemed somewhat surprised. "Back in Wen County, we even met the Second Young Master Sima. He was only twelve or thirteen years old then, with Fengxiao..."

Seeing Deng Jie's attentive gaze, she suddenly choked, and continued, "His performance against Guo Fengxiao was evenly matched, which shows that he has indeed shown his talent."

He then looked at Zhou Buyi on the other side, "His aura is just like Zhou Wenzhi's today."

"At twelve or thirteen years old, he was on par with Fengxiao in chess... Are there really so many child prodigies in this world?" Deng Jie couldn't help but widen his eyes, recalling the young master Zhuge they had guarded at the Qiao County medical hut that night. Guo Jia had also mentioned that this young master Zhuge was quite similar to the second young master of the Sima family in Wen County. He sighed at the wonder of fate, wondering if these two might meet.

Xun Wei shook his head and sighed, "In chaotic times, there's never enough time for people to grow up; it just forces more and more child prodigies to emerge..."

These words saddened Deng Jie, who thought that Cao Pi was clearly extraordinary and skilled in both literature and martial arts, yet he still insisted on competing with Cao Cao and his brothers. Even an outsider like himself could see that clearly.

Xun Wei coughed lightly, "Indeed, isn't the Minister of Works an old friend of the Sima family? I remember that his eldest son, Sima Lang, is the newly appointed magistrate of Tangyang County?"

As she spoke, she looked at Madam Tang, who nodded in agreement: "That's right. Sikong followed Fengxiao's recommendation and sent a recruitment order to Wen County, inviting Sima Zhongda to the mansion. However, he claimed to have rheumatism and refused to serve him."

Deng Jie was shocked: "He dares to refuse?"

Xun Wei snorted coldly, "The Sima family... is too high and mighty. Even the eldest brother, Boda, was doing well in Chenggao County, but seeing the Sikong and Yuan Shao fighting, he suddenly 'fell ill.' Even though the Sikong didn't have time to deal with them, it was simply the Sima family observing. Now that Ye City is secured and the situation in Hebei is inevitable, they finally had their eldest son come out to make a statement. When the Sikong saw someone coming to surrender, he simply didn't bother with it."

"What about the second young master? Isn't he coming?"

The old man must be referring to Sima Fang. He had previously recommended Cao Cao as the Northern Commandant of Luoyang, and being a shrewd man who had remained in the Luoyang officialdom for so long, he must have had his reasons.

However, Deng Jie felt exhausted after listening and helplessly rubbed her forehead. Unlike the shrewd people in front of her, she didn't always have such a keen political sense. She only had to force herself to think when things came to a head.

I thought that leaving the center of the vortex in Xuchang would bring some peace, but I never expected that the political undercurrents in Hebei were just as entrenched.

Seeing her expression, Xun Wei couldn't help but smile. He reached out and gently lifted her chin with his finger, saying with a hint of intimacy, "Alright, don't think about these things anymore. If the sky falls, those men who stir up the world will hold it up. You just need to enjoy your leisure."

Tang was somewhat surprised that Xun Wei had such a bold side, which was quite different from how he usually acted when he was with her. She smiled with a hint of relief.

Deng Jie nodded, realizing that he always felt exposed in front of Guo Jia and Xun Wei.

Just then, Guo Jia led Zhou Buyi over and saw that Xun Wei's hand was still there. He quickly stepped forward, frowned, and slapped her hand away, saying, "What are you doing!"

Deng Jie hadn't reacted yet, staring blankly at Guo Jia: "Oh, Shen Ge just told me..."

Guo Jia interrupted impatiently, "No need to defend her! You can't just talk and then resort to physical violence."

Xun Wei was angered by his attitude and glared at him fiercely: "...I'm talking to Yi, what's it to you!"

Zhou Buyi, who was watching from the side, was quite enjoying himself. He was smiling while avoiding the crowd when he couldn't help but take two steps back, only to be supported by Xun Yu: "What's so funny, Wenzhi?"

Zhou Buyi fell silent. "Nothing, nothing... This is the first time I've seen Master so childish, actually arguing with Madam Xun over Master's wife... Pfft."

Xun Yu glanced at Tang Shi, then looked at Xun Wei: "Oh? Wei'er has this side to him? It's quite rare. I was wondering how he could still be on good terms with Fengxiao. How could he have changed his ways?"

Xun Yu was originally referring to the camaraderie among his childhood classmates, but the three of them misunderstood his words and almost simultaneously turned to look at him:

"Wenruo!" / "Mr. Wenruo!" / "Father!"

Seeing the strange expressions on the three men's faces, Zhou Buyi became even more excited, clapping his hands and asking, "What kind of friendship? What kind of friendship?"

Guo Jia pulled Deng Jie aside, pressed Zhou Buyi down, and hurriedly fled: "What friendship? What friendship? Don't listen to his nonsense."

Deng Jie also chimed in quietly, "Nonsense! Nonsense!"

Xun Yu's family was left standing in the same spot.

Xun Yu suddenly remembered the events of the early years of the Chuping era, and belatedly looked at Xun Wei. Xun Wei glared at Xun Yu and snapped, "Nonsense! Nonsense!"