After the frog disappeared, when everyone's gaze turned to the new bed, they couldn't help but gasp—the once pristine bed had been completely ravaged by the frog, resembling a muddy paddy field. The bed was covered in mud and water, emitting a foul, nauseating stench.
The servants, suppressing their nausea, forced themselves to clean up the mess. They carefully removed the mandarin duck quilt and pillows from the bed, and then struggled to tear down the brocade curtains depicting a thousand children and grandchildren. Next, they brought dozens of buckets of clean water and began a thorough cleaning of the bridal chamber.
After half an hour of hard work, the bridal chamber was finally cleaned spotless and restored to its former tidiness. To cover up the lingering fishy smell, a maid quickly lit some incense in the incense burner. Instantly, a strong fragrance filled the entire room, so strong that it was hard to breathe, as if it were suffocating one.
The anxious matchmaker felt a little relieved when she saw that the new house was ready, but she was still a little uneasy when she thought of the magical frogs that had come from there.
Taking a deep breath, she mustered her courage, walked quickly to the groom, and said with a smile, "Sir, all the frogs have run away, and the servants have tidied up the bridal chamber. Now you can take the bride to continue the wedding night."
The matchmaker could only receive her red envelope for her hard work that day after the newlyweds successfully completed their wedding night.
The groom waved his hands repeatedly, a look of terror on his face, and kept shouting, "No, no, I won't go to the bridal chamber!"
The matchmaker was stunned.
Upon hearing the words "bridal chamber," the bride screamed as if something taboo had been touched: "I'm not going to the bridal chamber! I'm not going!"
For a moment, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment, and the scene became extremely awkward.
After all, today is the wedding day of the eldest son of the Ren family. We can't let the bride and groom spend the night sitting in the courtyard without consummating their marriage.
Madam Ren made a quick decision: "Arrange for the bride and groom to move to a guest room in the outer courtyard for their wedding night, and send them a pot of fine wine to calm their nerves."
In a beautifully decorated guest room, a newlywed couple sat on a soft bed, both feeling nervous and uneasy.
To ease the tension, the groom suggested, "Let's have a little drink to calm our nerves."
So they picked up the wine that the head of the family had laced with an aphrodisiac, took a few sips, and the wine mixed with the drug slowly spread through their bodies, gradually relaxing them.
The groom looked at the bride, gently embraced her, and softly comforted her, "It's alright, my wife."
The bride nestled in the groom's arms, feeling his warmth and care, and her fear gradually disappeared.
The two looked at each other, their eyes filled with love, and a strong desire rekindled in their hearts.
They rekindled their passion for their wedding night and lay down naked on the bed. Just as they were about to begin, a croaking sound suddenly reached their ears. The sound seemed to be everywhere, sometimes at their feet, sometimes above their heads, and sometimes even jumping over their bodies.
Suddenly, a frog hopped between the two of them and landed squarely on the bride's chest.
"Ah..." The bride screamed in fright at the sudden situation, instinctively pushing the groom away and frantically patting her chest, trying to drive away this uninvited guest.
The groom was also startled by the scene, but he quickly recovered and tried to help the bride drive the frog away.
The bride was in a state of extreme panic. She continued to pat her chest while frantically covering herself from head to toe with the blanket, her whole body trembling uncontrollably.
In this situation, the groom was unable to continue the wedding night with the bride, but he had taken an aphrodisiac and was burning with lust. Amidst the croaking of frogs, he took advantage of the bride's two maids.
The next morning, just as the sun rose, a cry of alarm rang out from the Ren residence: "Oh no! All the valuables in the mansion have been stolen!" This shout was like a bolt from the blue, instantly shattering the tranquility of the Ren residence.
General Ren, who was fast asleep, was awakened by the sudden shout. He sat up in bed with a start and rushed to the storeroom barefoot without even putting on his shoes.
When he rushed into the storeroom, the sight before him left him speechless—all the treasures he had kept hidden in the basement for years, as well as the generous cash and gifts he had just received yesterday, had vanished without a trace.
The entire Ren family was in an uproar; everyone was shocked and at a loss for what to do by the news.
Originally, the newlyweds were supposed to come to the main hall of the Ren family to recognize their relatives this morning, but now everyone is too busy to care about that and has scattered to search for the lost property.
"Quick! Go find it now!" General Ren was extremely anxious. He shouted loudly and ordered his men, "Search every place you can find it, don't miss any corner!" At the same time, he also ordered his men to use their informants to help find the whereabouts of the valuables.
"Report to the authorities! Quickly send someone to the government office to report the case!" General Ren had an idea. "Let the government officials help us find these valuables!" His voice revealed a hint of anxiety and helplessness, after all, these lost valuables were of great significance to him.
In his panic, General Ren did not realize that some of the lost property was obtained through illegitimate means.
Some of the wealth he possessed came from the illegal sale of military equipment and warhorses, while others were the result of years of embezzlement. Now that all of this accumulated wealth had vanished, one can only imagine the panic and anxiety he felt.
Before the morning court session, the Ren family sent people to search for valuables everywhere and also reported the matter to the government.
Many of the officials attending court were puzzled and couldn't help but ask, "What happened at General Ren's residence? Why are people being sent running around the capital and outside the government office so early in the morning?"
Then, an official who knew the situation began to recount the events in a low voice: "Sir, the matter began like this: three years ago, the eldest son of the Ren family was engaged to the daughter of the Lin family's Chief of Guards, Song Wangfu. However, Chief of Guards Lin was demoted to guard the city gates, and the Ren family and the second branch of the Lin family immediately arranged a marriage exchange. Yesterday, many strange things happened during the wedding..."
After hearing this, one official said thoughtfully, "Even when beating a dog, you have to consider its owner. His Highness Prince Song is just sick and has gone to the royal villa to recuperate. It's not like he's not coming back."
While ordinary people might not know, the high-ranking officials in the court were well aware that the person being protected by Chief Guard Lin could only stay in the capital, under the Emperor's watchful eye, and was not allowed to leave the capital even a step. Therefore, when Prince Song went to recuperate at a separate residence, he could not take Chief Guard Lin and that person with him, and had to leave them in the capital.
Someone muttered in the shadows, "Putting Captain Lin to guard the city gate is probably a ploy to lure the enemy away and get rid of the person he's protecting. After all, guarding the city gate is a tough job, and Captain Lin can't possibly have that person standing in front of the gate with him. Who came up with this idea? They're incredibly audacious! The whole world is watching!"
General Ren broke his promise to arrange a marriage first, and now the Ren family has lost its wealth. The scheming officials dare not investigate this case at all.
Officials from the prefectural government and the Ministry of Justice both shirked responsibility, saying, "This matter is difficult and impossible to investigate. Without evidence, how can we investigate a case of lost property?"
Because the matter had become so big, the Emperor also heard about what happened at the Ren residence. With a gloomy face, he asked only one question: "Who exactly demoted Chief Guard Lin to guard the city gate?"
Since no official came forward to admit the matter, the emperor was furious and smashed an inkstone on the dragon table onto the ground.
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