Chapter 135
The welcoming procession entered the Duke of Ying's mansion in an endless stream, with people beating drums and gongs, playing suonas, and carrying sedan chairs. It was a lively and bustling scene.
After stuffing in the entrance fee, Luo Shenyuan, dressed in a bright red auspicious robe, was escorted into the front hall. He was tall and handsome. His demeanor was calm, but his steps were faster than usual. Wei Ling smiled at the sight of him. Luo Shenyuan walked up to him and kowtowed. He helped Luo Shenyuan up. Although his son-in-law was a civil servant, he had heard that he was quite strong and had once shot a golden pheasant with a bow during the emperor's hunting. He also heard that he could use a whip. His arms were indeed strong and powerful, but when he thought of Yi Ning's slender waist, Wei Ling was not so happy about his son-in-law's ability to be both civil and military.
"Let's talk after we get up!" Wei Ling smiled. "The old lady is waiting for you at Jing'an Residence. It's already noon now, so why not have lunch first?"
Behind Wei Ling stood several of the Wei family's maternal uncles, including Marquis of Dingbei Fu Shao, Deputy Commander of the Jinwu Guard, Guo, who was a close friend of Wei Ling, and the Right Vice Minister of War. Aside from the Vice Minister of War, all the others were military officers. Kneeling before him was the reigning top scholar and Vice Minister of Works, and these uncouth men couldn't help but sizing him up. He was indeed exceptionally handsome. Everyone knew what had happened that day. The Duke of England had actually found Luo Shenyuan to act as an emergency response, but that wasn't an emergency at all. A son-in-law like him would be hard to find, even with a lantern.
The groom's best men were Yang Ling, the Imperial Censor of the Ministry of Revenue; Jiang Chunyan, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue; and Zhou Feng, the Grand Court Judge. All of them were Luo Shenyuan's close associates, and all dressed in casual attire, representing the sub-leaders of the civil service clique. The civil and military factions often clash, as the saying goes, "People with different opinions cannot work together." However, today was a festive occasion, and the officials, accustomed to sparring in court, were surprised to see each other without their official uniforms. They were surprisingly friendly and chattering.
Luo Shenyuan, a faint smile playing on his lips, sat down to drink a glass of wine while listening to his father-in-law's words. Jiang Chunyan, the Minister of Revenue, whispered to him, "I see your father-in-law looks at you with disfavor. It seems you've been asked to marry the daughter of the Duke of Ying, who's not even fourteen yet. If you mess with her, you'd be like an old cow eating young grass..."
"She's still young." Luo Shenyuan sighed slightly. He had been planning for his wedding today for a long time. Now, whatever others said sounded good. After all, she would be his in the future. Luo Shenyuan said, "If I marry her, I will raise her well and be considerate to her. Why would I treat her badly?"
Jiang Chunyan didn't believe what Luo Shenyuan said. He was just going to marry her and just watch her. Looking at the way he was, he knew he wouldn't last long.
Yang Ling felt that things were moving too fast. The last time they met, he'd called her his sister, and now she was his wife. After a long pause, he hit Luo Shenyuan, "Luo Congjia! You lied to me last time. I said that girl looked like a painting, and you took her to that houseboat you bought, so she must be something special..."
Luo Congjia was his pen name, which Luo Shenyuan didn't really like. Yang Ling was more familiar with him and only used it when he was angry.
Luo Shenyuan was still drinking, but he was shaken a little by his pull.
Jiang Chunyan, however, was very interested and pulled Yang Ling over to ask, "Have you seen her before? Is she pretty?"
Zhou Feng, who had been slowly eating peanuts, put down his chopsticks and said, "Master Jiang, haven't you heard? The talented woman from Lord Xie's family is interested in our Luo San, but he's such a reserved person that he just doesn't like her. He doesn't even like the beauty of Second Miss Xie. Although she's still young, I wonder how beautiful she is."
These words made Jiang Chunyan even more interested. Luo Shenyuan happened to be called away, so he asked Yang Ling to describe it in detail.
At this moment, there was a commotion outside the door, and it sounded like it was quite a big deal.
Jiang Chunyan glanced back, and the clever servant beside him immediately left. If there was any high-ranking official coming, they would probably have to go and greet him.
Less than half an hour later, the servant returned. "Your Excellency, it's…Marquis of Ningyuan, Commander Lu, who has returned from Shanxi to attend the wedding ceremony. It's truly a grand ceremony. They say it's the Duke of Yingguo's daughter getting married, and they've brought several boxes of gifts. There's a constant stream of people. His men are everywhere outside the mansion."
"He's back from Shanxi?" Yang Ling was a little surprised, then frowned. "I heard the emperor gave him a death order. Could it be that there's been a follow-up to the spy matter?"
How did Jiang Chunyan know about Governor Lu...
Their official positions were lower than Lu Jiaxue's, so they should have gone out to greet him. However, they came here to drink Luo Sanxi's wine today, so there was no need to be polite, especially since this person was Lu Jiaxue.
Luo Shenyuan had already been called away by some of the uncles from the Duke of Yingguo's mansion, and he wasn't there. Jiang Chunyan thought for a moment, then waved his hand and said, "Forget it, let's just drink our own and pretend we didn't hear anything!"
The other two enjoyed their meal and didn't want to cause any trouble.
Wei Ling welcomed Lu Jiaxue into the main hall. Seeing him with a cold face, sitting down and drinking tea without saying anything, he suddenly felt uneasy.
"Why did you come back so suddenly? Have you dealt with the Datong issue?"
Lu Jiaxue said, "Aren't you back to attend your daughter's wedding?" He then pulled out a few banknotes from his sleeve, "Gift money."
The more nonchalant he seemed, the more Wei Ling suspected something was amiss. Seeing that he was offering two thousand taels, Wei Ling accepted it without hesitation. There was still a commotion outside, and he had to go out to entertain the guests. Wei Ling said, "You are Yining's adopted father. I thought you wouldn't be able to come, but it's great that you can. There are quite a few officials outside who want to pay their respects to you. Do you want to see them?"
Lu Jiaxue waved his hands impatiently: "No, go and do your own thing first, don't bother me."
Wei Ling hummed and left. He went to the door and told the steward, "Tell the young lady to come and pay her respects to her adoptive father."
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