Chapter 808 The Day of He Xiao's Wedding
About half an hour later, the three of them came out of the inner room.
Queen Assab's matriarch, Tinggu, immediately looked up at the queen as she came out.
The queen changed into a dress in the style of the Great Yu Kingdom, and her hair ornaments and makeup were also slightly different, making her somewhat different from the queens of the past.
"Aunt Ting, Aunt Yu, what do you think of this outfit?"
The queen circled around the two attending matrons, a smile on her face, and asked.
The two old women naturally praised it highly, without the slightest doubt.
Then, the tea-making instruction continued, and nothing else happened.
Later that evening, Cheng Wanwan took her leave of the palace.
Throughout the journey, she kept thinking about the Asab royal family. If she were the ruler of the Great Yu Kingdom, would she help the Asab king regain his military power?
Currently, they are at war with the Kingdom of Laki, with 100,000 soldiers on the northeastern battlefield. If Asab requests to send troops to help, the Kingdom of Dayu will definitely refuse without hesitation.
But now, the other side is demanding a clever strategy to reclaim everything that originally belonged to the king at the lowest possible cost.
Sending a few people to Asab to help the king seize power, if successful, would yield a gold mine mountain range – a deal that seems very worthwhile.
On the surface, this matter seems to have nothing to do with her, a woman, but—
She is fluent in the Assab language, and if she were to truly assist Assab, she would most likely be sent to the Assab country.
Cheng Wanwan started to feel a headache coming on.
Actually, she loves to travel. In her previous life, she was too busy with work and could only travel to other countries on business trips. She always thought that she would travel around the world after retirement, but she accidentally traveled to ancient times.
After five years of hard work in this era, having gained money, power, and leisure, it's time to travel around.
However, transportation in ancient times was extremely inconvenient. Traveling by boat was barely acceptable, but riding in a horse-drawn carriage, even if you didn't get carsick, would take your life...
However, there's no use thinking about it now; she can't decide whether to go or not.
Back home, Zhao Sidan was practicing calligraphy under the shade of a tree in the yard. When he saw Cheng Wanwan return, a smile involuntarily appeared on his face: "Mother is back. Since coming from Asab, you've been busier than me. It's so rare to see you. Please try the tea I just brewed."
Cheng Wanwan hurriedly waved her hand: "I just drank a lot of tea at the Empress's place, I really can't drink anymore."
She sat down at the stone table and asked, "After the Assistant General and the Crown Prince led their troops to Jilin Province, have they sent back any news?"
Zhao Sidan smiled and said, "During the morning court session, the military reported on the situation there. After the 100,000 soldiers of the Dayu Kingdom assembled in Ji Province, they set up camp in the territory of the Yuezhi tribe, which is closer to the Laji Kingdom. The Yuezhi tribe and the Laji Kingdom are separated only by a strait, and it takes half a day to travel by boat. War could break out at any time."
Cheng Wanwan couldn't help but ask, "Would the Yuezhi tribe allow the Great Yu Kingdom to set up camp in their territory?"
Aren't they afraid that the flames of war will spread to themselves?
"The Yuezhi people have suffered greatly from the invasions of the Laqi Kingdom for many years. Now, the Dayu Kingdom has sent troops to block their borders, which the Yuezhi people are more than happy to accept," Zhao Sidan said. "The Yuezhi people's terrain is shaped like a crescent moon. To the south is our Dayu Kingdom, to the north is Asabu, to the east is the Laqi Kingdom's strait, and to the west is the Xirong Kingdom. The Laqi Kingdom likes to use underhanded tricks, while the Xirong Kingdom openly robs them. The Yuezhi people are truly suffering..."
Cheng Wanwan was not a military enthusiast and had only heard a little about these war situations. After listening to Zhao Sidan talk about it, she learned that the countries surrounding Dayu Kingdom were not peaceful. There were various frictions, a small war every year, and a major war every three years. The war had never stopped.
Fortunately, the Great Yu Kingdom was strong enough, with troops stationed in the southeast, northwest and north, which enabled it to usher in this peaceful and prosperous era.
The Asab royal family stayed in the Great Yu Kingdom until the end of July, planning to depart for their capital on the first day of August.
The wedding of He Xiao and Cheng Fang was set for July 28th.
Early in the morning, Cheng Wanwan got up to prepare for Cheng Fang's departure.
She changed into a festive outfit and went to Cheng Fang's courtyard. Cheng Fang was sitting in front of the dressing table, and the matchmaker was doing her makeup.
Seeing Cheng Wanwan come in, she quickly stood up, but Cheng Wanwan pressed her back down: "You are the bride, you are the most important today, you don't need to bow to anyone. This bridal makeup is really beautiful. Remember, when you go out later, you are not allowed to cry. No matter what happens, you can't cry, otherwise you won't look good."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Fang felt like crying.
When she was still Xu Mei, she never imagined that she would marry such an outstanding man.
Master He was the most respected person among all the villagers in Dahe Town. She was the second legitimate son of the He family in the capital and the Zhaoyong General stationed in the suburbs of Beijing. What merit did she possess to be worthy of such a position?
"This is your destiny with He Xiao, everything was destined long ago." Cheng Wanwan personally helped her cover her head with a red veil. "He Xiao proposed to you according to the customs of Dahe Village. In Dahe Village, you and He Xiao were equals, and after you marry him, you will still be equals. Don't let yourself feel inferior."
Cheng Fang nodded vigorously.
During this month, her wife taught her many things: reading books, managing accounts, and handling interpersonal relationships... but these were secondary.
Most importantly, the lady told her that she should not belittle herself, nor should she be timid or cowardly. She should treat the He family with the mindset of a normal person.
She will remember Madam's words, she will adapt to life in the He family as soon as possible, and she hopes to have the ability to repay Madam...
Just then, Zhao Sidan's voice rang out in the courtyard: "Master has come to pick up the bride! The bride can come out now!"
The matchmaker's face lit up with a smile as she helped Cheng Fang up, showering him with auspicious words.
He Xiao was dressed in a bright red groom's suit, and the air of a noble young master from a prominent family was on full display.
He entered the doorway, first bowing to Cheng Wanwan, then, holding the large red ribbon, led the bride out and helped her into the bridal sedan chair.
The procession, with its gongs and drums, began to sing and firecrackers were set off. Children on the street followed the bridal sedan chair, and the wedding procession moved away in a lively and bustling manner.
"Mother, stop looking," Zhao Sidan urged. "Let's hurry to Master's place. I need to see Master and Master's wife get married with my own eyes."
After being single for so many years, his master finally got married, and the woman he married was Sister Cheng Fang. As his disciple, he was happier than anyone else.
Cheng Wanwan is considered part of Cheng Fang's maternal family. Similarly, she is also He Xiao's cousin. In addition, she has to represent everyone in Dahe Town to attend He Xiao's wedding.
The carriage had been arranged long ago. In addition to the mother and son, the people attending the wedding banquet included Cheng Yi and Cheng Ding, as well as Granny Qi and Yan Hong.
Back in Dahe Town, General He was their mentor, and they often mingled together. So, when their mentor got married, how could they not go?
At this moment, the He family home was filled with guests.
Although the head of the He family, He Hanhai, and his eldest son, He Ling, were involved in the rebellion, the He family still had a clear-headed second son. Because He Xiao made meritorious contributions, many of the collateral branches of the He family who were not involved were released without charge. If this were in other families, not to mention the extermination of nine generations, at least three generations would be beheaded.
In short, although the He family had encountered some trouble, it did not affect their status in the capital, and people came to the wedding banquet in droves.
Madam He, dressed in a festive dark red dress, was receiving guests in the courtyard.
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