Chapter 101: After the marital breakdown, I encountered that boy whose back resembled yours again...
The villagers, who were watching the spectacle, encouraged them, saying, "The groom's family shouldn't be shy! This poem must be composed in a way that will convince the Li family to willingly send the bride off to the carriage!"
Changsun Qingjing gazed at the candles in the room and recited: "The Mangyang star falls, the mirror stands bright; the cloud-like skirt is newly entwined with the moonlight. Do not let the painting of eyebrows delay the dawn; the pearl saddle is already tied to the willow tips in the smoke."
After the poem was finished, the courtyard fell silent, then erupted in thunderous cheers. The verses were simple yet measured, unlike the vulgar and explicit poems typical of rural wedding preparations. The farmers and women could understand them, finding them appropriate and elegant without any crude connotations, and that was enough.
Zhang Liang looked at Changsun Qingjing gratefully, Changsun Minxing gave him a thumbs up, while Changsun Qingjing secretly winked at Li Shimin, his face full of disdain and provocation.
Several respected village elders and community leaders rose from their seats, smiling and saying, "The Li family has really put the groom in a difficult position. Bride, did you hear the groom's poem? If we don't set off soon, it will be completely dark."
A burst of laughter came from inside the room. Then the screen was moved aside, and Li Fanniang, dressed in her finest attire, slowly walked out, supported by A Cai and surrounded by her female relatives.
She wasn't exactly beautiful, but her eyes and brows were striking and spirited, and her red makeup gave her a unique and captivating charm. Zhang Liang was mesmerized until Changsun Minxing nudged him, bringing him back to his senses. He quickly stepped forward to greet her.
Changsun Qingjing then instructed his accompanying retainers to give five bushels of millet and five bolts of silk to Li Fanniang's widowed mother and younger brother in exchange for the release of the wild geese.
Amidst laughter and cheers, the bride boarded a newly decorated oxcart, and the wedding procession, accompanied by music and dance, headed towards Zhang Liang's house.
Changsun Qingjing walked through the crowd and suddenly tugged at Li Shimin's sleeve: "Your terrible idea almost put me in a bind. I'll find you a chessboard tonight when I get home..."
"Alright, alright, you've made Zhang Liang look good, I'll even accept the stone chessboard..." Li Shimin said to Changsun Qingjing while scattering dried fruit to the children on the obstacle course.
Li Shimin followed her gaze and saw a young man in red flash by at the edge of the crowd. His back view bore a striking resemblance to his own. Before he could get a closer look, the man had already disappeared around the corner.
“How strange. The first time he appeared was when the clerks came to arrest the thieves in Luoyang, he was dancing the Zhezhi dance by the bonfire at a feast; the second time was when the clerks went to Jingyin Temple to post notices, he rode by on horseback and seemed to spit at the notices; today is the third time…” Changsun Qingjing murmured, “Is this a coincidence?”
Li Shimin didn't take it seriously: "He's probably just a young man from some family who came to offer congratulations. Don't worry about it. My third sister even said that Ma Sanbao looks like me from behind! Let's go, don't miss Zhang Liang and Li Fanniang's wedding ceremony."
The Zhang family's hut was sturdy, and although the banquet was simple, the portions were generous.
After the newlyweds had paid their respects to heaven and earth and were about to perform the fan-returning ceremony, Changsun Qingjing was once again nominated by relatives and friends to recite a poem. This time, she was prepared.
Ah Cai smiled and bowed to her, saying, "Young Master Gao, our lady said that we shouldn't write like everyone else. The poem must contain words like 'round fan,' 'weaver girl,' and 'hunter.' One stick of incense!"
"It seems the chessboard is a bit too small, and the stones are a bit too soft. This girl can barely read, how could she have come up with such a clever idea? Li Shimin must have secretly taught her," Changsun Qingjing thought to himself.
She pondered for a moment, then casually recited: "With a light touch of her fair wrist, she moved the crescent moon; the jade shuttle paused at Deer Cry Mountain. Now I no longer envy the wisdom of the Heavenly Weaver; I have red feathers to exchange for rosy silk."
"Weaver Girl and Archer, Weaver Girl and Hunter, a perfect match!" Changsun Minxing led the applause.
Upon hearing this, Li Fanniang shyly removed the fan covering her face, revealing a bashful and timid expression. The crowd clapped and cheered again, and the banquet officially began.
Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun were seated at the head table, alongside the newlyweds, near the musicians. After several rounds of drinks, when the atmosphere was at its most lively, Li Shimin prepared to perform a sword dance with two of his retainers to add to the merriment.
Suddenly the courtyard gate was kicked open violently, and five or six clerks in official robes rushed in, followed by several soldiers with knives.
"Where is Zhang Liang?" the leading sergeant shouted sternly.
The laughter abruptly stopped, and some of the women even screamed in fright.
Zhang Liang stood up, his face grim: "I am Zhang Liang. May I ask what brings you here, Lord Cao?"
The sergeant took out a roster and read it impatiently: "The Emperor has business in the northern desert and urgently needs laborers to repair the Taihang Road and transport grain. You, Zhang Liang, are only nineteen years old and in your prime. Quickly come with us!"
An uproar erupted in the courtyard. Several of the older village officials pleaded with the bailiffs, "This child has just gotten married. He's not even twenty yet. Could there be a mistake?"
The wine cup in Li Fanniang's hand fell to the ground, the wine splashing onto her wedding dress, leaving her momentarily at a loss.
Zhang Liang clenched his fists, his eyes blazing with anger: "Cao Gongrong, please inform me that my father and brothers both died from forced labor during the Liaodong campaign, and I am not yet twenty years old. According to the laws of the Daye era, my family is exempt from forced labor for three years!"
"The Great Law?" the military advisor sneered. "Are you out of your mind? I want to laugh when you talk to me about the Great Law. The imperial decree is as solid as a mountain; you can't bargain with it! Men, if you don't behave, tie him up and take him to the county town for conscription!"
The guards stepped forward to arrest her, but Li Fanniang rushed forward and stood between her husband and the guards, crying and pleading, "Please, Lord Cao, have mercy and let us finish our wedding."
The sergeant frowned and said, "My lady, I didn't mean to make things difficult for you. I could have forcibly taken your husband away on the way to the wedding. I've waited until the fan ceremony was over before coming to take him away, which is more than enough..."
Li Fanniang knelt down and said, "I will never forget Lord Cao's great kindness. However, according to our village custom, a bride must pay respects to the groom's parents before the marriage is considered formal. Zhang Liang's parents are both deceased, and the ancestral worship can be held three days later. I dare not ask Lord Cao to extend the time limit, I only ask that Zhang Liang take me into his house to pay respects to his parents' ancestral tablets, and then I will be considered Zhang's daughter-in-law. In the future, when I manage household affairs, I will have a proper basis and will not be ridiculed by the clan for not being legitimate."
"You've gone too far," the sergeant sneered. "Are you trying to stall for time by being so wishy-washy?"
A cold glint flashed in Li Shimin's eyes, and his hand was already on the hidden sword at his waist. Just as he and his men exchanged glances and prepared to get up, Changsun Qingjing grabbed his belt and shook his head almost imperceptibly, signaling him to listen to Li Fanniang.
Li Shimin took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, but his hand did not leave the hilt of his sword.
"You go with them, I'll handle things," Li Shimin said softly to Changsun Qingjing. "No matter how big the commotion, tell them to run."
Changsun Qingjing nodded and stepped back. Zhang Liang helped his wife up, and the three of them quickly walked towards the inner room.
As soon as he entered, Changsun Qingjing lowered his voice and asked, "Zhang Liang, do you have a cellar?"
“The clerks are used to conscripting people for corvée labor and military service all year round. How could they not know that every household has a cellar?” Zhang Liang took off his official hat, leather belt, and crimson wedding robe, and said with a wry smile, “Once they are hidden in the cellar, when the constables come, it will be like catching a turtle in a jar. We can’t just go looking for our own deaths.”
Zhang Liang shook his head: "I can jump and lift things up, but how can she run?" He looked at Li Fanniang, "She can't even ride a horse, how can she escape with me up on the roof?"
Changsun Qingjing paced back and forth in the cramped inner room, then suddenly stopped: "Then I'll find a way to cause some trouble for you, so you can use it as an excuse to escape..."
"Although things have already gotten quite chaotic today, adding another layer of trouble shouldn't make things any worse..." she muttered to herself as she pulled down the candles high up in the room and then took down a bundle of hemp from the window: "I'm sorry for offending you today, but I'll definitely fix the house for you before you go back home..."
"Brother Gao, what are you saying?" Zhang Liang didn't have time to clarify to Li Fanniang that the Gao Xiaojing in front of him was Li Shimin's wife. He just pulled his frowning wife and bowed three times to Changsun Qingjing: "I can't thank you enough for your great kindness. I will meet Brother Li, Brother Gao, and Brother Changsun again!"
Before he finished speaking, another commotion broke out outside the courtyard. The sounds of swords and spears clashing, cups and saucers shattering, women screaming, and children crying mingled together.
A sharp voice shouted, "This is it! The thief who stole from Hanjia Granary is among the wedding guests! Surround him, don't let him escape over the wall!"
Changsun Qingjing, Zhang Liang, and Li Fanniang looked at each other in bewilderment.
Changsun Qingjing carefully peeked out through the crack in the window and saw another group of soldiers rushing into the courtyard where the wedding banquet was being held. The leader of the group was escorting a trembling middle-aged man.
"You said he's definitely here, now find him!"
The witness was pushed into the banquet hall by the officers and began to identify the guests one by one.
"Young Master Gao, Ah Liang, look!" Li Fanniang called to Changsun Qingjing and Zhang Liang, and another group of soldiers surrounded the earthen wall and fence.
"This is bad." Zhang Liang's face darkened. "Two groups of people! It's too much of a coincidence. I'm afraid someone has set me up!"
Before the words were finished, a scream suddenly rang out from the banquet: "It's him! The one in the blue robe! He's the thief who broke into Hanjia Granary at night!"
Through the crack in the window, the three saw the witness pointing at Li Shimin and shouting.
"You're spouting nonsense!" Li Shimin and his troops jumped up from their seats, gripping their sword hilts tightly.
The two military advisors, the clerk and the legal advisor, exchanged a glance and simultaneously drew their swords.
"Lord Cao, it was him, it was him! He impersonated the granary supervisor and smuggled grain out of Hanjia Granary. The person who met him was a Sogdian. I will never forget what those two looked like. Afterwards, the constables led me to chase after him, but he deliberately blended into the crowd watching the lantern festival in Tongyuan City and just disappeared without a trace..."
Li Shimin was about to ask for details and reveal his identity as the son of a duke when he heard the witness speak with certainty that he had seen Sogdians and been to Tongyuan City. All of this made him realize that a conspiracy was unfolding before him, waiting for him to reveal his identity.
"I don't understand what you're saying." Li Shimin didn't want to follow this strange script; he was prepared for a fight to the death.
"Bring the witness here, and tell this forgetful young master everything you saw on the day the Hanjia Granary was stolen, so he can remember what happened that night..." The legal officer and his constables surrounded them.
"Where's Zhang Liang? What are you dawdling with your wife for?" The military advisor sensed something was wrong and urged loudly, "You've been harboring a thief in the major Hanjia Granary case, you're quite capable! Get out here and explain yourself before you enlist!"
Author's Note: The rural stage in Luoyang is just as exciting! [Winking face] Seriously! The ruthless bandits are here! [Oh oh oh]
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