Looking at Su Tan'er's smiling eyes, Ning Yi's heart was filled with tenderness and emotion.
He pulled Su Tan'er's hand into his arms, chuckled and said, "Don't worry."
After saying that, Ning Yi and Su Tan'er stopped talking. They just stood under the eaves, enjoying the rare moment of tranquility.
After a while, there was a knock on the courtyard gate. Guard Geng walked forward and opened the gate, and saw Chen Fan running into the yard excitedly.
Seeing this, Su Tan'er shook Ning Yi's hand, then turned and walked into the room.
Ning Yi greeted him with a smile: "Why are you here?"
Chen Fan laughed and said, "Of course I'm here to give you the news!"
After Bao Daoyi died, Liu Xigua went to see Fang La. The next day, Fang La summoned all the officials of the Yongle Dynasty.
As Fang Qifo's disciple and the commander-in-chief of Hangzhou's public security, Chen Fan also had to meet the emperor together with the ministers.
"I'm convinced." Chen Fan said with a grin, "The reaction of the Holy Lord and the officials is basically consistent with your expectations. Your three brothers also chose a good time to act. If it was later, when the imperial army arrived and an important figure like Bao Daoyi died, I'm afraid they couldn't let it go as easily as they do now!"
"Now, Bao Daoyi's death is in vain. Under your arrangement, the forces under his command were basically divided up. The Holy Lord just angrily scolded Liu Xigua in the palace and then didn't care about it anymore."
"I originally thought that Li Shuai would take advantage of what happened yesterday, but I didn't expect him to remain silent..."
"The Holy Archbishop learned about you from those who accepted Bao Daoyi's influence and originally wanted to summon you, but Xigua said that your three brothers might also accompany you, so the Holy Archbishop did not mention this matter anymore..."
Chen Fan chattered on and on about everything that happened in the palace today.
Although the words were not very coherent, they were enough for Ning Yi.
As Chen Fan spoke, Ning Yi gradually had an idea of the current situation of the Yongle court in his mind.
Whether it was their reaction to Bao Daoyi's death or Fang La's fear of letting Zuo Yu and the other two get close to him, it all showed one thing -
That means they are afraid...
This is a multi-faceted and multi-dimensional issue. It's not just about worrying about the imperial army, but also about the future of the rebel army.
Even Fang La, who was revered as a saint, did not have enough confidence in his future.
"People are worried and anxious. I'm afraid the Yongle Dynasty will not last long..."
Ning Yi thought so in his heart, but he did not say it in front of Chen Fan.
Chen Fan suddenly stopped talking, looked at Ning Yi and said hesitantly: "However, the Holy Lord is hinting that he wants me and Liu Xigua to persuade the three masters to work for the righteous army... Do you think it's possible?"
"Do you want to hear the truth or a lie?"
"Of course it's true!"
Chen Fan said without hesitation.
Ning Yi shook his head: "No chance."
Chen Fan sighed: "I think so... If I could have such invincible martial arts and not be tied down by worldly affairs, I would definitely travel the world, roam the world, and when I encounter injustice on the road, I would draw my sword and kill it. Wouldn't that be great!"
Ning Yi smiled and said, "The guest from Zhao has a tasseled Hu hat, and the hook from Wu is shining like frost and snow. The silver saddle shines on the white horse, and it gallops like a meteor. It kills one person every ten steps, and leaves no trace in a thousand miles. When the work is done, it leaves, hiding its merits and fame..."
"Yes, yes, that's the feeling!"
Chen Fan nodded repeatedly, his face full of longing.
Just then, Su Tan'er coughed lightly from the room behind Ning Yi.
Chen Fan came back to his senses and said awkwardly, "Oh, it's getting late. You and your sister-in-law should go to bed early. Master has kept Liu Xigua here. When she returns to the camp tomorrow, we will hold a banquet in Ba Dao Camp to welcome your sister-in-law!"
After saying that, Chen Fan winked at the back of Ning Yi, then turned and left.
It was indeed getting late, but it was still impossible to rest immediately.
While Ning Yi was talking to Chen Fan, Su Tan'er was also having a private conversation with Xiao Chan.
From Xiaochan, whose cheeks were as red as a monkey's butt, Su Tan'er had learned that she and Ning Yi were already husband and wife.
It just so happened that Su Tan'er and Xiaochan grew up together and were as close as sisters. When they were in Jiangning, they often joked that if Ning Yi wanted to take a concubine, he should take Xiaochan into his room.
Now that Ning Yi and Xiaochan are already husband and wife, Su Tan'er proposes to hold a concubine ceremony for them.
Originally, there were only two witnesses to this private ceremony, Su Tan'er and the maid Juan'er, but Su Tan'er felt that this was somewhat disrespectful to Chan'er, so she thought of asking Ning Yi to invite Zuo Yu and the other two.
Ning Yi asked in surprise: "Why invite them?"
Su Tan'er smiled and said, "Aren't they your husband's brothers? The eldest brother is like a father. Isn't it inappropriate to invite the three brothers and fathers?"
Ning Yi rolled his eyes: "They came to Hangzhou with you. Are they real brothers or fake brothers? Don't you know clearly?"
Su Tan'er chuckled and whispered, "It doesn't matter if it's true or not. I think it's okay to turn the fake into real. The three brothers are masters of martial arts, and my husband is also a genius with extraordinary talent. Isn't he worthy of being their brother?"
Ning Yi thought about it and shook his head, "Not appropriate, too utilitarian."
Su Tan'er insisted, "I am the daughter of a merchant. Merchants pursue profits, which is natural. If you can't bring yourself to do this, then let me go and ask the three brothers. I'm sure they will give me this face."
“…”
Ning Yi was speechless for a moment. After thinking about it carefully, he found that Zuo Yu and the other two seemed to really agree.
But this has nothing to do with Su Tan'er's face, it's simply to join in the fun.
There was no choice. Seeing Su Tan'er insisted, Ning Yi had to walk out of the yard and go next door to invite Zuo Yu and the other two to watch the ceremony.
A wedding is a wedding after all, and not having guests as witnesses would be a bit disrespectful to Xiaochan.
Although Xiaochan herself doesn't care, Ning Yi is a person from later generations after all. On the surface, he has taken advantage of the ancient times and can have polygamy, but deep down he still has the soul of a modern man and cannot take it as calmly as the real ancients.
In his eyes, wives and concubines are all wives, without any distinction of high or low.
Sure enough, upon hearing Ning Yi's invitation, Zuo Yu and the other two enthusiastically agreed as he had expected.
Everyone crowded into a small room in the courtyard of Xiliu Street and lit bright red candles. Zuo Yu took out a bright red wedding dress from somewhere and gave it as a gift to Xiaochan, who was about to get married.
Although Xiaochan said that she didn't care about the ceremony, she was naturally very happy to be able to marry Ning Yi in her wedding dress.
Just a wedding dress turned Xiaochan's slight fear of Zuo Yu and the other two into heartfelt gratitude.
Just like that, under the light of red candles, Xiaochan shyly bowed to Ning Yi, and then picked up the teacup and offered tea to Su Tan'er with a smile on her pretty face, Zuo Yu with a wink, and the other two.
From then on, Xiaochan finally married the son-in-law she had loved for a long time.
But when it came to the bridal chamber, things got a little weird.
"…So, you're going to sleep in the same yard with us tonight?"
Zuo Yu looked at Ning Yi with a strange expression: "What about Xiaochan?"
Ning Yi said helplessly: "Tan Er wanted to tell her something in private, and they kicked me out."
Ye Zixun laughed loudly: "So is it you who is taking a concubine, or is it your brother's wife who is taking a concubine?"
Ning Yi smiled and said, "I guess my wife has taken a concubine..."
Everyone laughed and chatted for a while, and Ning Yi suddenly said, "Isn't it time to show our cards?"
Zuo Yu's expression remained unchanged, and he asked with a smile, "What cards do you want to show?"
Ning Yi looked at him steadily, and suddenly smiled and said, "You came to Hangzhou, so you didn't come here to assassinate Fang La, did you?"
Zuo Yu and the other two looked at each other and asked with a smile, "Otherwise, what else could it be for?"
Ning Yi smiled and said, "You're being a little too self-indulgent if you say it's for me, but I'm sure your target is not Fang La."
Zuo Yu showed an interested look on his face and stretched out his hand, motioning him to continue.
Ning Yi continued, "With the strength and style of the three brothers, if you really came here to assassinate Fang La, you would have found no less than ten excellent assassination opportunities before Bao Daoyi died."
"But you didn't take action once. Instead, you brazenly killed Bao Daoyi in the street because you saw him abducting a woman. This made Fang La and many high-ranking generals feel insecure and they all strengthened their security measures."
"From this incident, I can see that you acted arbitrarily and recklessly. I can also see that you don't care about Fang La. The assassination of Fang La is just an excuse for you to sneak into Hangzhou with my wife."
"As for your real purpose..."
Ning Yi did not continue speaking, but just stared at Zuo Yu, Li Yun and Ye Zixun.
The three of them smiled at each other. Ye Zixun walked forward with a smile, took something out of his arms and stuffed it into Ning Yi's arms.
"Today is your wedding day, and as your brother I should give you a gift. Your broken musket doesn't work very well, so you should use this one of mine. It's a famous brand, handmade, and absolutely excellent!"
Ye Zixun gave a thumbs up, then took a step back and observed Ning Yi's reaction with interest.
Ning Yi stared blankly at the object in his hand, with an uncontrollable huge wave of emotions rising in his heart.
From the moment he started, he noticed the cool texture and familiar shape.
Now, when I looked down, I saw a classic M1911 shining with platinum in the moonlight...
What the hell is this unfolding...
Ning Yi felt a sense of absurd confusion in his heart.
After a long while, he raised his head, looked at Ye Zixun and said, "'Thunderbolt' Ye Zixun?"
Ye Zixun smiled and nodded, pointed at the pistol in his hand, and said, "Thunderbolt."
After saying that, he pointed at himself and said, "Ye Zixun."