Chapter 23 (23) Wedding Night, Mutual Testing (Part 1)
The eighth day of the fifth month is a good day for getting married.
Outside the Shangshu Mansion, large red lanterns were hung, and the place was decorated with colorful lights. Even the housekeeper had specially changed into crimson clothes. Although the Shangshu Mansion was not wealthy, it had to be well-presented.
Respecting Bai Kang, we have to give him this face, and there must be enough people to attend his wedding. Regardless of what they thought in their hearts, most of the officials in Beijing came to attend Bai Kang's wedding that day.
At the beginning of May, Bo Kang sent people to pick up his relatives from his hometown in Rongcheng. His parents were old and in poor health and it was inconvenient for them to come, but he was able to bring his younger brothers and sisters over.
It was said that Bo Kang had four brothers and two sisters, making his family very crowded and lively. Lian Zhi had more brothers and sisters than him, but he didn't know any of them well. Moreover, he was the youngest and didn't know how to act like an older brother.
Little brat, tsk, it makes me annoyed just thinking about it.
"Young Master, are you still afraid of Master Bai's brothers and sisters?" Lian Ye advised as she combed his hair. "When my eldest brother married my eldest sister-in-law, I was also afraid of the new sister-in-law. Once we got to know each other, she became like family. Master Bai has a good personality, so his brothers and sisters are sure to be well-behaved too."
Lianzhi's hands unconsciously clenched, and she subconsciously wanted to agree, but then she realized what Lianye was saying and immediately retorted, "What are you afraid of? How could I be afraid of a few children?"
"Don't shake your head, it's going to mess up." Lian Ye smiled secretly. Everyone in the mansion hated the young master, but he had been with Young Master Lian Zhi for a long time and found him lovable.
He's actually afraid of children. He must be concerned about Mr. Bai and wants to make a good impression on his family.
Lianzhi tilted her head and looked at the person in the mirror.
It was unknown how Lian Ye had been trained. Born a commoner, she hadn't seen much of the world, yet her hair-combing skills were exceptional, rivaling those of the palace maids. With her hair tied up, a jade crown on her head, and her wedding gown on, Lian Zhi's unparalleled beauty was accentuated.
Normally, he would have appreciated his own beauty, but today, he had no intention of doing so.
Yesterday, Arus delivered the gift to be exchanged.
No one knew how he had managed to sneak into the Shangshu Mansion, but Lianzhi was genuinely shocked when she saw the rather large brocade box. Arus told him that he needed to replace the contents of the box before the Wanshou Festival. As for what happened next, he didn't need to worry about it.
Lianzhi had no idea how they knew about the gift Bai Kang was going to send. He had been living in the Shangshu Mansion for a month and had never seen Bai Kang prepare for this.
As for the gifts... the gifts from civil officials were mostly calligraphy and paintings, antiques and the like, he could guess some of it.
"Young Master, do you want to put on makeup?" Lian Ye asked.
"You brat! Our young master is naturally beautiful, why would he need those things!" Eunuch Wen scolded him. He would be the first to object to their Majesty dressing up for another man!
Lian Ye was a little afraid of this rather gloomy eunuch and didn't dare to speak to him. Lian Zhi said, "Listen to Young Master Wen." Mainly because Eunuch Wen spoke to his heart, he also thought that he looked very good now.
"That……"
"Lian Ye, do you have the young master's wedding veil?"
Xiao Liu's voice came from the yard. Lian Ye looked around but couldn't find Xi Pa. Then she saw that it was almost time, so she hurried out to look for her.
Only Lianzhi and Eunuch Wen were left in the room. Lianzhi winked and asked Eunuch Wen to guard the door with the hidden veil, while she took out the brocade box that he had hidden under the table.
Recently, Bo Kang had been living with him, whether to help him or to keep an eye on him. He didn't know whether it was to help him or to keep an eye on him. They even ate together. During the day, Xiao Ye and Xiao Liu watched over him, so he had no chance to sneak a peek at the contents of the box.
Before the wedding, engaged couples cannot see each other, so Bo Kang went out early this morning. Unfortunately, Lian Ye insisted on coming over to dress him up, and he finally got the chance.
When Lianzhi opened the brocade box and saw what was inside, she was stunned.
It was a Buddha statue made of topaz.
The Daning Kingdom highly respected Buddhism, and many people, from the royal family to the common people, believed in it. However, according to Lianzhi's understanding, Emperor Jianguang Chen Fengke did not believe in Buddhism.
The only person in the palace who believed in Buddhism was the Queen Mother.
Would Bo Kang really give this thing?
Lianzhi was a little skeptical, but if Arus and the others weren't completely sure, they wouldn't have asked him to switch the birthday gift. After all, Bai Kang was a cautious person and would always open and inspect the gift before giving it. If the gift was different, he would definitely notice.
Then why...
Lianzhi stroked the Buddha statue. The jade felt icy cold, chilling his fingertips. He suddenly realized that the statue was made of nephrite jade from Liangzhou.
The jade ornaments of nobles in the capital were mostly made of Dushan jade and Lantian jade. For example, the jade crown on his head was carved from a whole piece of emerald green Lantian jade.
He also quickly realized why Arus and the others wanted to exchange such a gift.
Bai Kang, who was born in Rongcheng, may have never seen nephrite.
Not to mention Bo Kang, who was born in the northern border area. He rarely used nephrite jade ornaments in the palace. Although he had seen it, the amount of nephrite jade tributed by Liangzhou was not large, and most of it was distributed to favored princes and concubines.
If he had not lived in Liangzhou, he would not have been able to instantly distinguish between nephrite and other jades.
But Bai Kang was different. His poverty was obvious to all the officials in the capital, and he was also restricted by his family background. They were gambling that Bai Kang would not be able to distinguish the two jades, and that Emperor Jianguang would be suspicious of where Bai Kang had obtained such a large piece of nephrite.
——How did the nephrite jade, which was only used by the nobles of Liangzhou and the royal court, end up in the hands of the impoverished Lord Bai?
Lianzhi closed the box again, feeling very hesitant. Should she tell Bo Kang about this?
If I tell Bo Kang, he might trust me. But...
Would Bai Kang really believe him? Would he even become suspicious of him?
Forget it, let’s put it away first.
The moment he hid the box, Lian Ye had returned. He pushed the door open and said dejectedly, "Master, the veil is missing. What should we do?"
"You keep looking." Lianzhi said.
Lian Ye searched around and when she saw the veil on the table, she was surprised, "It's in such a conspicuous place, and I didn't even notice it! Never mind, Master, quickly cover yourself with the veil!"
The wedding and the wedding reception were both held in the same place, which was quite unusual. According to tradition, Lianzhi should have stayed outside the palace the night before, but neither of them cared, and no one dared to mention it.
The wedding sedan, perfunctorily, circled the Shangshu Mansion and stopped at the main gate. The crackling sound of firecrackers resounded through the air, jarring Lianzhi's ears. The sedan door opened, and Lianzhi tried to get out, but the veil obscured his view, leaving only a sea of red.
Unable to see the road, he almost bumped his head. Lianzhi was so anxious that he wanted to lift the veil directly. Just as he stretched out his hand, a warm, rough hand grasped his wrist.
"Watch the road carefully." Bai Kang's voice came.
He couldn't see Bo Kang's full face, he could only see a rough hand with scars and calluses, and a red sleeve embroidered with dragon and phoenix patterns.
Bai Kang grabbed his wrist and walked towards the main hall. The best man sat in the seat of honor—the old prime minister, who greatly admired Bai Kang. The cheers and congratulations around him weren't overwhelming, but one could tell many were offering their blessings with genuine sincerity.
Lianzhi secretly lifted the veil a little and glanced at the people on both sides.
A hand patted the back of his hand.
"Don't open it secretly, it's against the rules." Bai Kang warned in a low voice.
"You hurt me." Lianzhi curled her lips.
Bai Kang lowered his head. The white back of his hand had indeed turned red from his slap. The skin was so delicate. He pursed his lips and said nothing more.
After paying respects to the gods and the heavens, Xiao Liu and Xiao Ye helped Lian Zhi back to the bridal chamber. As they walked along the road, Lian Zhi felt somewhat dazed.
He actually got married.
When he was in the cold palace in his previous life, he was not sure whether he could live to the age of coming of age and get engaged; after becoming emperor and being controlled by others, he did not think that the empress dowager would allow him to take a queen or concubines. She probably hoped that he would have no children or grandchildren so that she could give the throne to her own son.
Unfortunately, the Empress Dowager's beloved eldest son did not succeed to the throne. He and the Empress Dowager had been fighting openly and secretly for so long, but he was preempted by a sudden appearance of Chen Fengke, a member of the imperial family. But he, unexpectedly, survived.
Thinking of this, Lianzhi felt much more at ease.
He returned to his room and pulled back his veil. He felt suffocated wearing that thing. There were also specially prepared snacks on the table. It was obvious that Bo Kang had asked someone to put them there because he was afraid he would be hungry.
Lianzhi didn't feel like eating. He thought back to the people he'd seen when he'd lifted his veil. His guess had been correct; someone he'd known was attending Bo Kang's wedding. After today, finding someone would be difficult.
Thinking of this, Lianzhi quickly took off his wedding dress. Beneath the red dress was a black suit. This was something he had specially prepared for this day.
There was no one around, so he quietly climbed out the window and walked along the wall to the main hall. Inside, the room was bustling with people, and as it was just getting dark, the lights inside were dim. Lianzhi waited for a long time before finally seeing someone coming out, leaning against the wall to sober up.
Lianzhi knew that person, Xue Nan, the only son of General Xue.
The Xue family was known for their straightforward character. Eunuch Wen told him that General Xue and his mother were old acquaintances and would definitely help him for his mother's sake. Although he had disliked him in the past and thought he was naughty, General Xue only treated him as a child and held no ill will towards him.
But Xue Nan had a terrible problem with him. He always looked so reluctant when he saw him before, which was amusing. Lianzhi wanted to scare him, so she looked around and made sure no one was around before approaching.
Xue Nan was squatting by the pond, leaning against a large rock, about to vomit. He'd drunk too much today, feeling dizzy and nauseous. A dark shadow appeared before him, and Xue Nan thought it was his attendant.
As he was about to stand up, he looked up and saw someone who looked very familiar and very beautiful. He would never forget that face, which looked innocent and cute, but was actually extremely cunning.
Under the moonlight, the person before him was dressed in night clothes, almost blending into the night. His innocent face was dabbed with powder, his hair was black, his skin was white, and his red lips were slightly curled, making him look like a seductive ghost.
Xue Nan almost subconsciously snorted and called him "Your Majesty", but he quickly reacted.
This person is not Chen Fenglian.
The expression was about 50% similar, the appearance was also about 50% similar, but not exactly the same. A few days ago, he met an errand boy named Jiang at the Ministry of Rites, who looked more like Chen Fenglian.
That one in front of me...
"General Xue, long time no see." Lianzhi said.
Xue Nan stood up and stared at him fiercely: "Who are you? Do you know me?"
It turns out that Xue Nan didn't know who Bai Kang was marrying.
Lianzhi suddenly found it even more interesting, and his playful mood was aroused. Tears instantly flowed from his eyes, startling Xue Nan. Lianzhi said with great emotion, "I finally found you, General Xue. I am the secret guard of the late emperor! I have been looking for you since the late emperor left!"
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