Autumn in the capital was different from other places. The red leaves of the Western Mountains were held by young girls in the market and sold like flowers. The white weeds of Yongyao Market in the south were also tied into bundles and sent to the homes of the rich to ward off evil. The cool autumn wind blew through the streets and alleys of the capital, drifting over the tops of the trees and brushing the smooth cheeks of the ladies on the street. It blew away the steam rising from the restaurants, as if it wanted to blow away the dry air and gloom of the year.
Tianhe Avenue was the quietest, cleanest, and most beautiful street in the capital. Both sides were lined with government offices. Today was the first day of the capital, the first of the ten days off. It was a rare day for officials to relax, but they could not completely relax. Today was the wedding day of Fan Manor's eldest son, Fan Xian. Whether or not they were officials of the Ministry of Revenue, they had to go.
This wedding was a sensation in the capital. The husband's family was a large one in the capital. Count Sinan, Fan Jian, had been favored by the emperor in recent years because of his relationship with the royal family. The Minister of Revenue had long been on sick leave at home, and in a year or two, Fan Jian would take over his position.
The bridegroom, Fan Xian, was a figure who had recently risen to fame in the capital. Not to mention his heroic actions on Niulan Street half a year ago, just the poem he had spilled in the palace last month had pushed him to the peak of popularity. Since then, Fan Xian had been hiding at home, so people could not help but be curious about what this newly appointed fifth-level Imperial Scholar looked like.
Of course, the bride was also very outstanding. Although the bride had only returned to the Lin family at the beginning of the year, she was still the daughter of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister ruled over the world and was the head of the civil officials in the court. The marriage of his daughter was a major event. Although the Prime Minister's position in the court was not as stable as it used to be, this kind of marriage did not have any political danger, so the officials were very willing to participate.
The fact that the bride and groom were illegitimate children seemed to have been collectively forgotten by the people of the capital.
As for those high-ranking officials who knew the bride's true identity, they had long secretly raised the standard of their gifts by a few levels. They had long been sitting in Fan manor. They were only curious in their hearts. What kind of stance would the Palace express today?
...
…
Fan Xian was like a puppet being dressed up by the five old women. He swore to himself that if he had to endure this kind of torture in the future, he would run away from marriage, or become a courageous anti-marriage activist. He would rather have the ease of an affair than the complications of a wedding.
Wedding ceremonies in the Qing Kingdom were usually held in the evening, but today, Fan Xian had been dragged out of bed before the sun had even risen. Bathing and brushing his teeth was not a big deal. After all, he had something he had made in Danzhou. But immediately after, an old woman nagged and began to use warm water to melt rouge. This scared Fan Xian badly. He quickly asked her what she was going to do. It was not until now that he realized that a groom needed to put on makeup.
It was clear that this matter had exceeded the limits of Fan Xian's tolerance, so he shook his head and refused to allow it. Even Fan Jian personally came over to try and persuade him, but he was unable to convince him. The two sides were deadlocked for over an hour before Fan Xian finally won. But because of this, time seemed to be much tighter, so five old women rushed in to help him dress.
Fan Xian had long been used to the clothing of this world, but today he still could not stand it. Inside the bright red robe, there were three layers of different names. On top of the robe, there were jade pendants, colorful ribbons, and flower tassels. The colors were bright and dazzling.
Just putting on the robe took a lot of time, and Fan Xian was so stiff that he could not move. The only thing he could move was the memory of his miserable childhood when he and Uncle Wu Zhu used to fight with wooden sticks. Out of the corner of his eye, he looked at Lady Liu, who was busy in the room and sweating slightly. He could not help but smile bitterly. He thought to himself, Is she really busy, or is she using this opportunity to get revenge?
Fan Xian put on the crown and the jade pendant. The silver shoe buckles hurt his feet, and the gold collar pinched his neck. Like an idiot, Fan Xian was pushed to the front hall by the old women.
Fan Ruoruo and Fan Sizhe were also dressed very cheerfully today, especially Ruoruo. Her usually cold face was set off by the pink clothes, and she looked particularly spirited. The sister and brother looked at their brother's pitiful appearance and covered their lips to hide their laughter. Fan Sizhe teased, "Where did this flower dumpling come from?"
Fan Xian was angry and took two steps forward. He did not think that he would be wearing so many ornaments that they would ring out. He laughed at himself and said, "What flower dumpling? It's clearly a moving, colorful wind chime."
The most painful thing in the world was that a colorful wind chime had to be paraded through the streets. Fortunately, he did not have to ride a horse, but a sedan chair. Otherwise, Fan Xian would have covered his face in shame and rushed back to Danzhou. With great difficulty, the wedding procession arrived at Lin Manor. Lin Wan'er had already moved back to the Lin family ten days earlier. They could not go to the palace to receive the bride in front of the entire capital.
A series of firecrackers rang out. Fan Xian sat in the sedan chair, a little absent-minded. Smelling the faint, slightly burnt smell, he did not know why, but he remembered something from long ago. He shook his head and pulled his thoughts back. He forced a smile on his already stiff face and got out of the sedan chair.
According to the rules, Fan Xian could not enter the house, and the Prime Minister could not go to Fan Manor today. Amidst the sound of firecrackers and flute music, the gate of Lin Manor gradually opened. The person who came out was Yuan Hongdao, the leading figure of Lin Manor. Today, this strategist had pinned a red flower on his hat, which made him look rather romantic.
"Master Fan." Yuan Hongdao greeted him with a face full of smiles.
Fan Xian laughed bitterly in his heart. He silently cursed Yuan Hongdao for having the air of a second Yang, but he forced himself to look spirited. "Mister Yuan." The two of them had met a few times in the Prime Minister's manor, and knew each other's identities. They were not strangers.
Half of the experts in the capital who specialized in receiving the bride had been snatched up by Fan Manor, so as soon as Lin Manor opened its doors, the old women opened their mouths to say auspicious things. Yuan Hongdao was stunned by their words, and in a short while, the crowd rushed to the gate.
Then they encountered a truly powerful resistance.
As mentioned earlier, half of the experts in the capital had been snatched up by Fan Manor. Where was the other half? Of course, they had been snatched up by Lin Manor. So the two sides were spitting spittle. On the surface, they appeared to be celebrating, but in secret, they were swords without eyes. They boasted about themselves and belittled the other side. It sounded more like two extremely vulgar local tycoons getting married, rather than the Prime Minister's daughter marrying Count Sinan's son.
Fan Xian laughed bitterly. He understood that this was a custom of the Kingdom of Qing. Before receiving the bride, the bride and groom would quarrel in front of the manor. It was said that after this ceremony, all future quarrels between the newlyweds would be over.
Because it was a custom, it was rare for such matters to damage the harmony. But whichever side won the quarrel was the highlight of the show. Either the east wind prevailed over the west wind, or the west wind prevailed over the east wind. After all, even though the bride had to follow her husband, the bride's family still had to show their strength in advance to ensure the bride's status in the complicated life of the harem. In short, between the two families, the first thing to do was to rely on the women who spoke.
Fan Xian stood there in a daze. He didn't know how long they had quarreled, but he finally realized that the noise had died down. Overjoyed, he opened his eyes and shouted, "Is it done?"
...
...
After an awkward silence, someone said softly, "Master Fan, it's still early."
The servant of the Lin manor found a topic of conversation. He laughed and said, "It seems that the guest is in a hurry. That's true, our young lady..." He praised his young lady again.
After some time, Yuan Hongdao noticed that Fan Xian's face was a little pale. He squeezed over and whispered, "Master Fan, please bear with it. The capital is not like Danzhou. There are more rules here."
Fan Xian forced a smile and said, "I'm not in a hurry." He told himself in his heart, "I've endured for more than 30 years. Of course I'm not in a hurry." After a while, this vulgar ceremony finally ended. After a round of ceremonial music, the gate of the Lin manor slowly opened for the second time. Two matrons led the way, and the bride, Miss Lin, finally walked out.
Fan Xian's eyes brightened. Today, Wan'er was dressed in bright red. Her sleeves were wide, and there was boundless joy in her beauty. However, the red scarf on her head covered the beaded crown on her head and the face that he could not forget.
The people of Jingdou, who had been separated on the outside to watch the excitement, beat Fan Xian to it. Their eyes lit up and they cried out. Some young people even yelled for the bride to lift the red cloth on her head to let everyone see if the bride was pretty or not.
If these young people had said such things under normal circumstances, not only would the Lin family have beaten them into a pulp, but the members of the Qinian Unit, who had been scattered among the crowd and secretly watching everything, would certainly lock these little bastards who had insulted their future mistress in the Overwatch Council until they died of old age.
But today was a joyous day, and the Emperor had to celebrate with the world when he married his wife. The Lin and Fan manors were no exception, and it was not good to ruin the atmosphere. However, Fan Xian was not in a good mood. He glanced at those people lightly, and his subordinates understood. Immediately, a few almost inaudible cries rang out from the crowd. Presumably, the most excited young people had been kicked in the foot.
After another set of routine procedures, Lin Wan'er, dressed in bright red, lightly moved her feet and climbed into the bridal sedan in front of her.
During the whole process, Fan Xian was not able to say a word to her. He did not look her in the eye, or touch her fingertips.
...
...
By the time he returned to the Fan manor, the guests had already arrived. The ceremonial music was playing, and it was very lively.
The bride was first led into the inner room to sit, and the groom stood in front of the main hall to welcome the guests. Fan Xian's face was full of smiles as he talked to people he didn't know. In a low voice, he asked the person next to him, "When will the ceremony be held?"
"It's still early, young master. After the same prison, the same table, and the same equipment, there is also the same …"
Fan Xian did not hear the rest of the words. He just suppressed the urge to curse and told himself not to rush. He had said it before, he had already waited for more than 30 years. What was there to rush?
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