Chapter 49: Wenxi Little Father, How Can You Be So Cute?
The shopkeeper brought the wedding dress to Princess Chenghua.
Watching him reach out and touch the fabric of the wedding dress, my heart followed his movements and became nervous.
She whispered, "Junzi, this is the wedding dress that the two gentlemen ordered..."
“It’s really exquisite…”
Cheng Huajunzi has a long voice.
Her fingertips snaked down the golden thread at her collar, brushing against the beads adorning her waist. "I didn't know you had such fine goods in your fine clothing shop. Today, I, the prince, have seen them all."
"Junzi is joking..."
When the shopkeeper heard this, instead of feeling happy, she broke out in a cold sweat. "The fine things you have seen are far beyond the reach of my little shop. This wedding dress is exquisite and expensive, but it is still not worthy of you."
"Yeah?"
Cheng Huajunzi curled his lips and smiled slightly.
His eyes fell lightly on her, "The shopkeeper is quite eloquent. But if I say... this princess has taken a fancy to this wedding dress. Will you give it to her or not?"
"Jian, Junzi..."
The shopkeeper's forehead was covered in sweat. She chuckled dryly, "It's not that I don't want to, but this wedding dress has already been reserved by those two, and the deposit has already been paid. If I give it to you, my lord, I'm afraid I won't be able to explain myself to them. If they file a complaint with the Jingzhao Prefecture, I'm afraid my shop will never be able to operate again... My lord, I hope you can understand. Besides this one, you can choose any other wedding dress in this shop."
She gritted her teeth and said, "I will give it directly to the prince."
The shopkeeper has invested a lot of money, just hoping to survive this disaster.
Prince Chenghua did not say anything.
He retracted his long, jade-like fingers, turned around and sat down on the chair again.
He placed it lightly on the armrest and said, "Shopkeeper, you are quite generous. You are treating me like a man-eating devil. How about this? I won't make it difficult for you. Once the wedding dress is altered, you can send it directly to the Prince's Mansion. If the lady comes to pick up the wedding dress, you can tell her to go to the Prince's Mansion to find me."
"this……"
The shopkeeper was in a bit of a dilemma.
Seeing her hesitation, Cheng Huajun immediately frowned, "Why? I have already given in, shopkeeper, please don't push your luck any further."
Swish——
The guards standing on both sides stepped forward again, showing the long swords at their waists in a threatening manner.
How could the shopkeeper dare to refuse?
She nodded quickly and said, "Yes, yes, I will do as you say."
Seeing this, Prince Chenghua showed a satisfied smile on his face.
He stood up and walked downstairs with a group of servants and guards.
*
Si Zhai
After Si Yao and Fang Zhiyue came back, Shi Qi immediately came to find them.
She handed Si Yao an exquisite post, "Madam, this was sent by a minor official."
Si Yao reached out to take it, opened it and took a look.
Fang Zhiyue asked in a low voice, "Sister Yao, what is this?"
Si Yao: "This is the invitation for the Wenxi Banquet, a celebration banquet held by the Saint at Wenxi Garden for the successful students."
"saint?"
Fang Zhiyue was filled with awe when he heard this.
He had never even seen a county magistrate, let alone the body of a true dragon that was above millions of people.
"Sister Yao, you are so amazing..."
"Why are you suddenly praising me, little father?"
Si Yao was caught off guard and couldn't help but chuckle.
Fang Zhiyue said seriously, "I've heard that the Saint is the most powerful official in the world. Isn't it amazing that you can meet her?"
Si Yao was stunned for a second.
Then he laughed out loud.
She bent down and pinched the tip of his nose, saying affectionately and tenderly, "Little father, how can you be so cute..."
Fang Zhiyue didn't expect her to do this suddenly.
He immediately glanced at Shi Qi who was still standing beside him.
Her cheeks felt hot, and she whispered, "Sister Yao, Shi Qi is still here..."
Why is she becoming more and more careless now?
Si Yao pulled him directly into the room.
After closing the door, she couldn't wait to hold him in her arms, and they both fell on the couch together.
"I really hope that my father will marry me right away..."
Si Yao wrapped her arms around his waist, leaned against his neck and took a deep breath.
He spoke in a hoarse voice: "Little Father, how about we move the date forward? We don't have to wait until the eighth day."
"But, but haven't you already set a date with the owner of the clothing shop to pick up your wedding dress?"
Fang Zhiyue reminded her with blushing cheeks.
Si Yao fell silent.
She leaned her head against his neck again and said after a long while, "I should have urged her earlier..."
"Actually, the eighth day of the first lunar month is pretty good..."
Fang Zhiyue whispered again, "There's plenty of time to prepare before the wedding. And didn't you say that day is the best day next month?"
"Forget it, the eighth day is the eighth day..."
Si Yao raised her head from the crook of his neck, turned her little face towards him and gently touched his lips. "I heard that the newlyweds have to embroider their own red veil, which symbolizes a harmonious and fulfilling married life. These days, my father happens to have time to embroider it."
"Why haven't I heard of it?"
When he was in Yunzhou, he... had never heard of it.
"This seems to be just a custom in the capital. It's normal that my father hasn't heard of it. But now that we know about it, we can't help but take it seriously. So, I'll trouble you these few days."
Si Yao looked at him gently.
She cares more about anything that is conducive to her and Fang Zhiyue's happiness than Fang Zhiyue himself.
Fang Zhiyue looked at her gentle features, which contained a sense of strength.
He lowered his head and could only agree.
The next morning, he asked Shi Qi to buy everything he needed.
After breakfast, he hid in the house and started to get busy.
Si Yao didn't bother him.
I read all morning, and after lunch, I left home to attend the Wenxi banquet.
Wenxi Garden is located at Donghuamen in Beijing, close to Huimin River, and is a beautiful place.
It opens every three years.
It is a place where banquets are held specifically for newly-passed Jinshi.
Si Yao left the house but did not leave immediately.
Instead, he went to the Confucius Hall to find Mu Tong and the other three.
Then they hired a carriage and headed towards Wenxi Garden together.
An hour later, they got off the carriage.
Looking at the jade gate on the towering steps, several people walked inside.
The guard at the gate took the card from them and then sent someone to lead them inside.
Lanting is beautiful, with lush forests and bamboos, and winding streams flowing.
The faint music of the orchestra and the gurgling sound of the clear stream.
It is really elegant to the extreme!
This is the paradise in the hearts of literati and poets.
They were led by the waiter to sit down at the table.
Several people sat together.
Mu Tong couldn't help but sigh, "It's worthy of being a royal villa. It's really a feast for the eyes. No wonder everyone wants to become a Jinshi. Only then can they have the opportunity to enter this elegant place."
She reached out and scooped up a glass of fine wine from the winding water.
He tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp.
His eyes lit up instantly, "Good wine, really good wine!"
Si Yao and his friends also took a cup.
Savor it carefully.
Although he wasn't as outwardly emotional as she was, the delicious taste of the wine could be seen from his relaxed expression.
As the sun moved higher above our heads, more and more people sat down at the table.
Until the night fell completely, civil and military officials surrounded the saint and appeared in the Wenxi Garden.
Upon seeing this, everyone stood up solemnly and bowed, "Your Majesty, may your Majesty be blessed with great fortune!"
"Stand up, stand up—"
The saint's voice came from a high platform in the distance.
Although his face could not be seen clearly, he exuded the majesty of a royal family.
She raised her hand and asked everyone to take a seat.
His voice was gentle and approachable: "My dear ministers, there is no need to be so polite. Today is your banquet, so please be at ease."
A saint has spoken.
Everyone below relaxed a lot.
The Minister of Personnel, who was standing nearby, bowed and asked, "Your Majesty, would you like to summon this year's top three candidates? Would you like to take a look?"
The Minister of Personnel was just asking a routine question.
Whether to see it or not depends entirely on the saint's mood.
The sage lowered his eyes in thought for a moment, then spoke slowly, "Come up, I'd like to meet this top scholar. Her essay is truly remarkable."
"yes--"
Upon hearing this, the Minister of Personnel immediately went downstairs and asked someone to come over.
Si Yao was sitting at the banquet when he heard that His Majesty had summoned him.
He quickly stood up and walked forward with Madam Gong.
She knelt on the ground with the second and third place winners, and bowed deeply to the emperor: "Your humble servant pays homage to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty be blessed with great blessings."
"Get up—"
The saint raised his hand with a smile in his eyes.
After the three stood up, she looked amazed. "My three beloved ministers are really more beautiful than each other. They are really pleasing to the eyes. Are you married?"
The sage laughed and, seeing such a young and handsome minister, he wanted to arrange a marriage for him.
Mo Qing was the first to respond, "Your Majesty, I have arranged a marriage with the son of the Minister of Justice."
When the Saint heard her speak, a flash of realization flashed in his eyes, and he smiled and said, "I almost forgot. The other day the Minister of Justice did come to me to ask for mercy for her youngest son. It turns out that he had a good relationship with the Lady who won the third place in the imperial examination..."
Mo Qing bowed and retreated.
The runner-up, Chen Xinke, stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I have married and my daughter is just one year old."
"Where is the number one scholar?"
The saint could only focus his gaze on Si Yao.
After careful observation, I found that she was the best-looking and youngest of the three.
The saint's mood became better and better.
I thought it would be a wonderful story if such a handsome minister could marry a noble young man in the capital.
By the way, Chenghua from her eldest brother's family is still unmarried, so it would be a suitable match for her to be paired with the new top scholar.
Before the saint's thoughts continued to diverge.
Si Yao stood up, bowed and replied in a neither humble nor arrogant manner: "Your Majesty, I already have a fiancé, my cousin from my hometown. The wedding date has been set, it will be the eighth day of next month."
Upon hearing this, a hint of disappointment flashed across the saint's eyes.
Although I failed to arrange a marriage for my minister as I wished, I did lose some of my good mood.
But she was not a tyrannical monarch, and since they were already married, the matter was over.
After drinking a glass of wine with the three of them, he asked them to return to their seats.
Si Yao bowed and retreated.
As soon as she sat down at the table, Mu Tong and the other three couldn't wait to ask her, "Junior sister, what did His Majesty ask you?"
He lowered his voice, afraid that someone would hear him.
Si Yao was calm, "Nothing, just asking if there's a marriage. When he heard that my cousin and I had already set a wedding date, His Majesty let me come back."
"I didn't expect that the saint would like to be a matchmaker..."
The four of them were stunned when they heard this.
After coming to his senses, the expression on his face was quite complicated.
It was as if the existence that had always been highly regarded in their hearts suddenly became down-to-earth.
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