While the Wei court officials busily prepared for the upcoming campaign, Emperor Chu Fan's second wedding was about to take place. This time, Chu Fan had decided to follow the traditional etiquette of the Shengwu Continent's imperial weddings, meticulously planning every aspect to showcase the utmost luxury and dignity.
Looking back at Chu Fan's previous wedding with Liu Xueyu, although it was also celebrated by the whole country, Chu Fan did not follow the traditional wedding ceremony in full, but simplified many of the cumbersome steps. At that time, Chu Fan and Liu Xueyu only held a relatively simple wedding ceremony in the palace under the witness of court ministers.
Therefore, the people of Wei State didn't have much opportunity to participate in the event. Many even believed that because Chu Fan didn't follow the traditional etiquette of Shengwu Continent, it showed that His Majesty didn't truly value Liu Xueyu. In their view, only a wedding that followed traditional etiquette could reflect the importance and respect for the bride.
Chu Fan's wedding ceremony, held according to the traditional rituals of the Shengwu Continent, undoubtedly cemented in the hearts of the people the impression that he truly valued Mu Xi. People speculated that Mu Xi was a strong possibility for future empress. After all, her father, Mu Yunfeng, was a great general of the Wei Kingdom, and Mu Xi herself was renowned for her talent, beauty, and popularity.
However, only Mu Xi herself knew that if she had a choice, she would rather have a simple and sincere wedding like Liu Xueyu's, rather than a grand ceremony full of formulaic and performative nature like the current one.
Mu Xi knew very well that Chu Fan was actually tired of complicated ceremonies, and the grand preparations for the wedding this time were more to show the people of Wei that His Majesty the Emperor did not completely ignore tradition, but was trying his best to maintain and respect the royal ancestral teachings of Wei.
In the feudal era, rituals were not only a symbol of power but also the cornerstone of popular support. For example, when King Zhou of Shang abolished the cruel practice of human sacrifice, the people of the time viewed this as disrespectful to the gods. This, coupled with his extravagant and licentious behavior, ultimately led to his loss of popular support and his overthrow by the feudal lords.
In order to complete the system mission in the State of Wei, Chu Fan once deliberately disobeyed the ancestral teachings, causing dissatisfaction among the nobles and court ministers in the State of Wei. In the end, they rebelled to complete his mission, but everything was in vain.
But now he understood that with the imperial family suppressing him in Wei, there was no chance of a successful rebellion. It would be better to win the hearts of the people and consolidate the imperial power through this grand wedding. If he were assassinated by someone from another country on the battlefield and he returned to Blue Star after completing his mission, Wei would not collapse because of his departure.
When the wedding day arrived, the entire city was immersed in a festive atmosphere. Today was the day that Emperor Chu Fan of Wei would marry Mu Xi, the daughter of General Mu Yunfeng. Following the highest standard of ceremony for ancient emperors marrying concubines, this wedding was destined to be extraordinarily grand.
The entire city of Kaifeng was festooned with lights and colorful decorations, with red silk and exquisite palace lanterns draped everywhere, symbolizing a festive atmosphere. The Hall of Supreme Harmony, the main venue for the wedding, was adorned with a magnificent display of gold. Inside, the vermilion pillars, carved with dragons and phoenixes, were entwined with golden silk, creating a dazzling contrast with the golden bricks on the floor.
In the morning, Chu Fan, dressed in gorgeous robes and a crown with twelve tassels, went to the Mu Mansion to pick up the bride, accompanied by eunuchs and imperial guards. When Chu Fan arrived at the Mu Mansion and took Mu Xi to the bridal sedan chair according to etiquette, he did not return directly to the palace. Instead, he followed the streets to the East City Gate and then slowly returned to the palace.
On the way from the East Gate to the Imperial Palace, there were palace maids holding flower baskets in the wedding procession. Of course, the baskets did not contain real flowers, but red envelopes.
The red envelopes contained banknotes with the words "one or two" printed on them. As the wedding procession moved forward, the palace maids scattered the red envelopes to the people on both sides, cheering one after another, and the people joined in grabbing the red envelopes, creating a lively scene.
Because of the Royal Yuya Villa, paper money has long been in circulation in Kaifeng City. After the people grab the red envelopes, they can spend them in the markets outside the Royal Yuya Villa, so there is no situation where the people cannot use the red envelopes after grabbing them.
Although the living standards of the people in Wei State were much higher than those of people in other countries, they still felt indescribable joy and satisfaction when they had the opportunity to get one or several taels of silver without any effort.
This direct favor not only made the people deeply feel the generosity of His Majesty, but also invisibly narrowed the distance between the emperor and the people, making Chu Fan's prestige among the people continue to remain high and become a topic of discussion.
Of course, the city guards are responsible for maintaining order in the wedding procession, otherwise if a stampede occurs, the consequences will be unimaginable.
Chu Fan's act of spreading red envelopes at the wedding later became a legend in the history of the Wei State. After Chu Fan's wedding, both the noble families and the common people of the Wei State followed suit and spread red envelopes to celebrate on every big day. This custom gradually spread throughout the Wei State.
After the wedding, Chu Fan and Mu Xi returned to the palace and went through a series of elaborate rituals. By the time everything was over, Chu Fan had returned to his bedroom, feeling incredibly exhausted and nearly collapsing. Fortunately, he had become a martial artist; if he were an ordinary person, he would have collapsed and wouldn't have been able to complete the rituals.
When they returned to the bedroom, Chu Fan gently lifted Mu Xi's veil, and their eyes met. Mu Xi's eyes flashed with excitement. She could finally complete the last step with her beloved. Although she and Chu Fan had done many things before, now she could finally become Chu Fan's woman like Liu Xueyu.
Mu Xi pushed Chu Fan onto the bed. Since Chu Fan's martial arts skills were not as strong as Mu Xi's, he had no power to resist. Mu Xi dominated the night and the two spent an unforgettable night together.
The next day, when Chu Fan woke up, he looked at Mu Xi beside him with a look of confusion on his face. Fortunately, he was young and strong, otherwise he might not be able to get up today.
At this moment, Qiuya walked in and asked softly, "Your Majesty, do you need me to help you get up?"
Chu Fan looked at Mu Xi, who had exhausted himself last night, and replied, "No need, Qiuya, go and tell the imperial kitchen to prepare some nourishing meals. I need to rest well today."
After all, today is the second day of my wedding with Mu Xi, and I don’t need to deal with government affairs. I might as well spend some time with Mu Xi and enjoy this rare quiet time.
After receiving Chu Fan's instructions, Qiu Ya respectfully withdrew and prepared to prepare meals according to the emperor's requirements.
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