The governor's daughter is getting married.
The ceremonial staff carried the groom from her boudoir, circled the city, and returned to the ceremonial hall of the prefect's mansion to hold the wedding ceremony. To prevent the groom's stunning good looks from being seen by others, Mei Lanxin specially prepared an exquisite and luxurious carriage.
He was dressed in red as he stepped out of the courtyard.
Immediately, a huge feather fan concealed her appearance. As they traveled to the carriage, Mei Lanxin, already dressed in a phoenix coronet and embroidered robe, was waiting inside.
The wedding car drove slowly, circling the main street of the city, with gongs and drums beating and coins being scattered. Amidst the shouts of congratulations, Mei Lanxin's eyes and heart were filled only with the man before her.
Although he was dressed simply in red, he was a thousand times, ten thousand times more handsome than any other man in the world who dressed up elaborately.
"My husband..."
Mei Lanxin called out shyly, but as soon as the words left her mouth, she felt a chill run down her spine. Looking up, she met the man's icy face and quickly apologized, "I...I'm sorry, I was just thinking that since we're getting married today, I should call you more affectionately, I..."
"I don't like it."
Those four words immediately stopped Mei Liangxin from speaking.
She nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, I was too hasty. We'll wait until today, after the ceremony, the wine, and the wedding night, and then we'll change it tomorrow."
Mei Lanxin glanced at him secretly, her face full of shyness, "As long as you are willing to marry me, I will do anything you want."
Li Yan's cold gaze swept over her, and he casually rolled up a corner of the car window, looking at the peaceful scene outside. He frowned slightly and asked, "Where are the miners and civilians?"
Mei Lanxin was taken aback, thinking of the group of rioting miners and civilians, and... Fuyu Hou and Jiang Jiaojiao!
The joy on his face turned somewhat somber. "On our joyous day, how can we let those lowly creatures get in our way? Of course, we've driven them all out of the city."
"It was Marquis Fuyu who accepted his father's invitation."
"Anyway, I don't care. From now on, you are mine. I begged my father to keep your whereabouts a secret for you, otherwise the Crown Prince would have sent assassins to take your lives long ago! Now the whole world knows that Prince Chen is dead. From now on, you will have nothing to do with that former Princess Chen!"
"Whether it's for your own life or hers, you shouldn't be thinking about her anymore!"
As Mei Lanxin was speaking, she looked up and saw his cold face. She immediately coaxed him, "Alright, alright, today is our joyous day. Let's not talk about those discouraging things. After we get married, you can walk around Shu County with your head held high, and no one will dare to touch you! That's so much better than being a prince in the capital who has to be careful at everything!"
"Aren't you curious about the scenery of Southern Xinjiang? After we get married, we can go and explore Southern Xinjiang properly. However—you must not touch the women of Southern Xinjiang, they all carry poison!"
Mei Lanxin coaxed him gently.
The main gate of the prefect's mansion opened, and people from all directions came to offer their congratulations.
Guests were greeted with smiles, and stacks of gift lists were handed out free of charge. The welcoming songs grew louder and louder, and when precious items were mentioned, they were met with cheers from the entire room.
Even better, they might receive a personal audience with the prefect as a token of their gratitude.
This prompted the gift-giver to secretly add more as they approached the door, until their pockets were completely empty, fearing that giving too little would make them lose face and further displease the prefect.
One of them presented Master Fanyin with a Bodhi seed bracelet.
Each Bodhi seed was bright and lustrous, radiating a mysterious aura. Some people even recognized it at a glance, exclaiming, "Isn't this the string of dragon beads that Master Fanyin always carries with him?!"
"My God! It's the Panlong Pearl! Master Fanyin never lets it out of his sight! How did he get it?"
The person presenting the gift looked proudly at everyone, "I once accidentally saved an old man. When he left, he left behind this Bodhi seed bracelet. It was my wife who recognized its value immediately and said that it belonged to Master Fanyin. I have come to present it to the Prefect and congratulate the Prefect on his daughter's happy occasion!"
"My lord, the governor requests your presence."
Sure enough, a servant boy with a red ribbon came over to invite the person to present the gift. Under the envious, jealous, and resentful gazes of the crowd, the person who presented the gift walked into the small hall where the prefect was resting with his head held high.
"Greetings to Your Excellency, and congratulations on your birthday!"
The person offering the gift bowed respectfully.
The prefect examined the Panlong Pearl in his hand, his eyes gleaming, and he exuded a captivating aura. The joy on the face of the official who presented the gift froze slightly, and his legs began to tremble.
After a while.
The person who presented the gift knelt down guiltily, pleading, "My lord, is... is there something wrong with this dragon pearl?"
"Was it really that person who stayed because they were grateful to you?"
The prefect spoke slowly, his authoritative voice pressing down on the man who had presented the gift. The man trembled with fear, his face turning deathly pale. "Reporting...reporting to Your Excellency..."
"You'd better think carefully before you answer. If I find out you're lying..."
"You wouldn't dare!"
The man immediately prostrated himself on the ground, not daring to conceal anything, "When my subordinates were on patrol, they encountered a village that dared to disobey orders and attempt to evade taxes, so... so they discovered some minor conflicts, and then... then that man appeared and used this string of dragon beads to pay off the village's taxes..."
"Just some minor conflicts?"
The prefect's somber voice made the man prostrate himself on the ground. "Your Excellency, several people...several people died, and several thatched huts were burned down..."
"Did you see clearly the person who offered the pearl?"
“It was an old man with white hair and beard. He didn’t know that it belonged to Master Fanyin. He only said that it was money left by a monk for his meals. He thought it was a good thing, so he offered it up.”
"Nothing was hidden?"
"Please forgive me, my lord. I have nothing more to hide and would never dare to lie!"
The man was already beginning to regret offering the Buddhist prayer beads.
Magistrate Mei's expression changed instantly, and he broke into a smile. He even stood up and personally helped the man up. "Hahaha, how could I not know of your loyalty? However... although this Dragon Pearl is rare, if you can find Master Fanyin to bring it to you, I will reward you handsomely!"
"Yes! Yes, yes, yes! Your subordinate will immediately send men to surround that village and bring Master Fanyin to you, sir!"
The man wiped the sweat from his brow and loudly swore an oath.
Magistrate Mei patted him on the shoulder and laughed, "Hahaha—good! Men, prepare a seat of honor for this gentleman. After the wedding banquet, personally escort him back."
"yes--"
A guard immediately responded and entered.
Magistrate Mei laughed three times: "Hahaha—"
"The bridal sedan chair should be arriving soon, come with me!"
The person who presented the gift immediately followed, trembling with fear.
Once outside, he immediately put on a smiling face, held his head high with arrogance, and walked behind Magistrate Mei, attracting a group of envious, jealous, and hateful glances.
Even his superiors, who used to treat him with disdain, now showed him fawning smiles.
This moment.
All fear, worry, and apprehension vanished, leaving only the pride of someone who had taken advantage of another's power. He was incredibly excited, determined to find Master Fanyin even if it meant digging up the entire village and burning it to the ground.
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