Chapter 174 The auspicious time has arrived!
The next day.
Somewhere Su Run borrowed an oxcart, and after calculating the time, they drove the old ox toward Yandang Mountain. But halfway through, the old ox seemed to get angry and refused to move forward no matter how they whipped it.
In desperation, the master and servant had to walk.
After stopping and walking along the way, they finally arrived just before the bride got into the sedan chair.
"Stop, stop! Without my approval as a father, this marriage won't count!"
Su Jianrong was supported by Su Run, who shouted and stretched out his hand to stop them.
Not only the top scholar in red, but everyone present looked at him, even the music and gongs and drums stopped.
Su Jianrong, seeing this, was incredibly pleased. He knew that if he intervened, the marriage would be ruined. So, he lifted his blistered foot and, bearing the pain, took a few more steps forward. "Parents' orders, matchmaker's words—does Yandang Academy really disregard ethics and moral principles? They don't even understand these little etiquettes, and yet they still dare to teach and educate people?"
"simply--"
Before he could even utter the word "shameful," he heard a deep, threatening shout from the crowd: "Where did this beggar come from? How dare you act so presumptuously in front of the person bestowed by the Emperor? Catch him!"
Before he could finish his words, two men in plain clothes with swords on their waists captured Su Jianrong and Su Run without waiting for Su Jianrong to react.
"The marriage between the top scholar and Mr. Rong's granddaughter, Su Ying, was granted by His Majesty."
Liu Xianling, the magistrate of Yongjia County, who was dressed in official uniform, stepped forward and looked coldly at Su Jianrong who was forced to kneel on the ground.
"Who are you to disobey the Holy Will?"
How could Su Jianrong know that this marriage was related to the emperor? Upon hearing this, he wanted to continue cursing, but no sound came out of his rolling throat.
However, this was not enough. Lord Liu continued, "Yandang Academy was built with the tireless efforts of Mr. Rong. It has educated many talented people and has a good reputation. How can you be so free to slander it?"
Yandang Academy was originally located in a quiet area, with few passing by except for the students. However, due to the wedding, classes at the academy were suspended, and most of the students came spontaneously to add to the excitement of the academy's happy event.
There were also villagers at the foot of Yandang Mountain. Because the wedding procession also had the custom of asking children for candy, there were many people gathered in front of the door.
Liu Xianling had originally thought that Su Jianrong would come to the academy and cause trouble sooner or later, so he would arrange for some staff to watch over the academy and not disturb the teachers' peace. He had never expected Su Jianrong to come to the academy and cause trouble on the day of the wedding. So he simply made his point clear in front of everyone, so that Su Jianrong would never dare to cause trouble again.
So he asked the servants of the academy to open the gate, and the screen wall of the academy was exposed. On the screen wall hung a golden plaque with the four big characters that the emperor had given to Mr. Rong that day: "Teaching and educating people."
"Lift your dog head, open your dog eyes, and take a good look! These four characters, 'Teaching and Educating People,' were written by His Majesty himself. He specially ordered the newly crowned number one scholar to bring the calligraphy to Mr. Rong."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was in an uproar, looking at Su Jianrong with contempt and pointing fingers.
Seeing his goal had been achieved, he didn't want to delay the marriage any longer, so he walked back to Su Jianrong, who was pinned to the ground, leaned over and whispered, "Not to mention that you've already written the letter of separation, severing your father-daughter relationship with Su Ying, and you haven't fulfilled your fatherly duties for over a decade. Now that Mr. Rong hasn't asked you for a penny, you shamelessly come here to make trouble. Remember today's lesson well. If you dare to do it again, it will be more than just imprisonment!"
After saying this, Liu Xianling stood up, faced the crowd, and said loudly: "This man disrupted the imperial marriage, slandered the academy, disrupted the family ceremony, and provoked trouble. Please bear witness. I will escort him to the Yueqing government office and hand him over to the government for trial!"
Su Jianrong was escorted away like a dead fish. The crowd was still talking and the atmosphere was inevitably a little stagnant.
According to the customs of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the bride's family members were to stay at home during the wedding and were not allowed to leave the house. The bride and groom were also forbidden to speak or do anything unrelated to the wedding. Fortunately, Lord Liu came to the rescue, but how could this somewhat chilly atmosphere be dispelled?
At this moment, a servant came out quickly with a large red tray filled with wedding money and candies. He crossed the gate and shouted, "The auspicious time has arrived!"
Du Heng took a closer look and wondered who else could it be but Qingyun, who was beside his second aunt?
Qingyun just raised his hands and scattered coins and candies, which rained down like rain. The children cheered and rushed to grab them, while the onlookers also reached out to take them with a smile.
The joyful gongs and drums then sounded again, even more lively than before.
The originally interrupted atmosphere of the wedding was rekindled, and the bridesmaid, accustomed to such scenes, also happily shouted, "The bride, get on the sedan chair!"
Su Ying finally sat in the wedding sedan.
......
The moon is high in the sky.
Sitting in the bridal chamber, Su Ying was still immersed in the bustle of the wedding ceremony. Her eyes remained fixed on the same small space, her hands intertwined, perhaps from nervousness or from waiting too long, as if to comfort herself, yet also as if at a loss.
Suddenly, she felt a lightness on her head. She raised her eyes casually and came face to face with her top scholar.
Since he was not a local of Yueqing and the house was only bought for the purpose of marriage, there were not many guests invited to the wedding banquet. Except for those officials who knew that Du Heng was the new top scholar, there was no one else.
Since they were officials in the same dynasty and were all well-known local figures, they would not make too much noise. Du Heng was able to say goodbye to everyone early and return to the bridal chamber. But before leaving, he solemnly toasted a glass of wedding wine to Lord Liu Xianling.
At first he was in a hurry, but when he left the hall and was blown by the night wind, he felt a faint smell of alcohol on his body. He paused and thought carefully. Since he first met Ying'er, he seemed to have never drunk in her presence.
She probably doesn't like the smell of alcohol, right?
He deliberately slowed down his pace, allowing himself to bathe in the moonlight and letting the night wind blow away the already faint scent.
Finally, he stood in front of the bridal chamber, a wave of emotion welling up in his heart. He had never expected that the unintentional glance at the corner door would become the most unforgettable and fortunate thing in his life.
He couldn't help but smile and slowly pushed open the door. His movements were so light that there was no sound at all, which startled the bridesmaid who was preparing the wedding wine in the room, as well as Xiaocao and Taoxi who were serving on the side.
He signaled everyone to be quiet, but the bridesmaid was still hesitant and pointed at the scale as if she had something to say.
Du Heng simply shook his head, signaling them to leave without worry. Before the wedding, he had already carefully reviewed all the necessary rituals. He felt that at this moment, only he and Ying'er were the best.
He watched them leave and gently closed the door.
Then, with a deep smile, he picked up the scale, leaned over slightly, picked up the red color, and faced his beloved.
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