Chapter 68

On the day of Cheng Ruyi’s wedding, the sky cleared up beautifully.

The grand gates of Prince Rong’s estate were flung wide open. The doors, window frames, and corridor pillars were plastered with “Double Happiness” characters everywhere. Red silk hung from every corner, turning the entire estate into a sea of vibrant red at first glance.

Dressed in a majestic crimson wedding robe, Rong Mo stood at the estate entrance. As he listened to Prince Rong cheerfully greeting the guests who had come to offer their congratulations, the sheer brilliance and joy radiating from his brow was almost blinding.

Behind him was a long, sweeping procession of the groom’s escort, ready to set out.

Eunuch Wang Shun stood to the side, loudly chanting the wedding gifts:

“The Estate of the Left Prime Minister sends wedding gifts, wishing the Heir Apparent an early blessing of children!”

“Prince Pingnan sends wedding gifts, wishing the Heir Apparent a joyous marriage and an early blessing of children!”

“Grandmaster Gongsun Yi sends wedding gifts, wishing the Heir Apparent an early blessing of children!”

“The Estate of the Marquis of Jinyang sends wedding gifts, wishing the Heir Apparent an early blessing of children!”

“The Lin Estate sends wedding gifts, wishing the Heir Apparent an early blessing of children!”

“…”

Reading down the gift ledger, Wang Shun saw a continuous string of wishes for “an early blessing of children,” and his smile stretched so wide his eyes practically vanished. These gift-givers were truly incredibly sincere.

The lineage of Prince Rong’s estate had been sparse, so wishing for an early blessing of children was wonderful.

Ideally, they’d have two kids in three years, and four kids in five years…

Listening to these auspicious words nearby, Prince Rong was absolutely delighted. He glanced at his son, who looked imposing and as handsome as carved jade, wishing his daughter-in-law could give him a grandson to hold this very instant.

“It’s time to set out!”

Seeing that the hour was getting late, Rong Mo was the first to mount his horse in his crimson wedding robe. He led his grand escort, complete with a magnificent bridal sedan chair, beating drums and clanging gongs to complete a full circuit around the capital before heading to the Marquis of Changle’s estate to fetch his bride.

As the capital’s number-one celebrity pairing, Cheng Ruyi and Rong Mo’s wedding naturally drew massive crowds of commoners. Both sides of the streets were bustling and packed with people. The high-spirited, utterly triumphant Rong Mo sat atop a tall, majestic steed, leading the way at a steady trot, followed by a musical ensemble playing joyous wedding melodies.

Bringing up the rear were several carriages loaded with wedding candies and small red envelopes. As they advanced, the servants showered these gifts into the air, a display of breathtaking extravagance.

Supposedly, this had been the Marquis of Changle’s idea.

The children who had been waiting early were absolutely thrilled, swarming forward in a frenzy to catch some of the wedding luck.

The kids who managed to snatch up the red envelopes were incredibly sweet-tongued.

Chorus after chorus of childish, crisp voices calling out “Congratulations to the Heir Apparent on his grand wedding!” filled the air continuously.

In the crowd, a woman wearing a black veiled hat stared at the joyous bridal procession. Her face twisted beneath the veil before she turned and vanished into the throng of people.

Up on the second floor of a teahouse, Yan Zihao had been standing silently since early morning. Gazing at the tall, handsome groom in the distance, a strange, faint melancholy washed over his heart.

Some people and some things, once lost, would never return.

He and Cheng Ruyi, in the end, were destined to have a connection but no fate together.

The entrance of the Marquis of Changle’s estate was surrounded by the female relatives of numerous court officials. These were all people who had cultivated good relationships with Rong Susu because of the divine medicine. For Cheng Ruyi’s grand wedding, they certainly weren’t going to miss this prime opportunity to score some goodwill points.

Right then, the sound of clanging gongs, beating drums, and wedding music echoed from afar.

“The groom is almost here! Grab your weapons!”

The Marquis of Changle let out a sly chuckle and barked an order. Luo Fei, Cheng Yu, and a whole squad of servants and guards immediately armed themselves with swords, spears, halberds, battle-axes, daggers, whips, maces, hammers, meteor hammers—the full spectrum of eighteen martial weapons. Some even brought out copies of the Four Books and Five Classics to use as literary weapons…

In a chaotic rush, they completely blocked the main gates.

The watching noble ladies and their families all covered their mouths and giggled. This Marquis of Changle was truly entertaining.

He couldn’t possibly be expecting the groom to literally fight his way through the gates, could he?

Accompanied by the loud crackle of firecrackers, a triumphant Rong Mo arrived at the Marquis of Changle’s estate on his fine steed, leading his escort, only to be startled by the thick, layered human walls before him.

Li Fan, who was leading the horse, felt his lips twitch.

What a massive production!

The Marquis of Changle wasn’t even worried about missing the auspicious hour.

“Father-in-law, are you expecting me to display mastery over eighteen different weapons just to pass the gates?” Astride his horse, a large red silk flower pinned to his chest, Rong Mo asked with a raised brow and a smile.

Starting today, Rong Mo officially addressed the Marquis of Changle as father-in-law.

The Marquis of Changle offered a cunning grin.

“Kid, are you silly? brandishing swords and spears on a joyful day like this is far too unlucky. We have a new game to play, one guaranteed to be unforgettable for you.”

Everyone nearly fainted.

If brandishing weapons is unlucky, why on earth did you set up such an intimidating battle formation?

“Men, set up the table and pour the beans!”

The Marquis of Changle gave a grand wave of his hand.

Two guards immediately carried out a large, red-stained wooden table and placed it right in the middle, spreading a layer of red silk over it. Another servant hoisted out a large red sack, pouring out a massive, cascading pile of multi-colored beans right onto the table with a loud clatter.

“Kid, as long as you can pick out every single fava bean from this pile, you pass the gate.”

“Fava beans carry the meaning of being ‘intertwined forever.’ Don’t you dare disappoint my daughter’s deep affection for you.”

The Marquis of Changle laughed with immense treachery.

Cheng Yu cheered along gleefully from the side, “Brother-in-law, it’s all up to you now!”

Luo Fei was also on the sidelines, gloating and enjoying the show, “Cousin-in-law, show us your full strength! Don’t let my cousin down!”

Whose awful idea was this… what a massive trap!

The imperial clan princes who had come along to support Rong Mo looked at the tangled, chaotic pile of black beans, mung beans, red adzuki beans, and fava beans all mixed together. Their heads spun, and they were utterly dumbfounded.

The only saving grace was that fava beans were significantly larger than the other beans.

Rong Mo was entirely speechless.

Sorting fava beans—he’d honestly rather display mastery over eighteen different weapons.

His little wife was far too good at playing games; she wasn’t even worried about completely ruining the schedule.

However, this wouldn’t stump him.

The onlookers all opened their eyes wide to enjoy the spectacle, and some even started cheering. Such a novel way to block the groom’s gate was incredibly rare; they could definitely learn from this for the future.

“Heir Apparent, hurry up! Time waits for no man!”

“Find the fava beans! Find the fava beans!”

“Haha, this is a real eye-opener! The Marquis of Changle truly knows how to have a good time!”

“…”

Rong Mo deftly flipped off his horse, flicked his wedding robe aside, and strode over to stand beside the square, red wooden table.

The group of imperial princes who had come to back him up all stepped forward, wanting to help.

“No helping allowed!”

The Marquis of Changle chuckled and loudly stopped them.

“Exactly, exactly! My uncle is right, no one is allowed to help!” Luo Fei nodded and echoed with a beaming smile.

It was rare to get an opportunity to make things difficult for his cousin-in-law; there was no way he was letting it slide.

Rong Mo raised an eyebrow, casting a glance at his smug father-in-law and the overjoyed Luo Fei. With a slight curl of his lips, he turned and gave Li Fan an instruction.

“Li Fan, go find a small sieve!”

Hearing this, Li Fan, who had been pulling a miserable face, instantly brightened up. Right! How did I not think of such a brilliant method? The Heir Apparent is truly clever.

When the crowd watching the drama heard this, a collective gasp went up.

“So you can even do it that way! The Heir Apparent is so smart!”

Rong Mo looked at the Marquis of Changle with a smile.

The Marquis of Changle was stunned. What happened to making things difficult for him? How did this kid Rong Mo find a workaround so effortlessly?

Li Fan was incredibly fast, returning in moments with a small sieve.

With a swift movement of his hand, Rong Mo gave a sharp flick, gathering the beans within the red silk fabric and pouring them into the small sieve Li Fan was holding. With a rushing swoosh , all the tiny black, mung, and red beans fell straight through the holes, raining down onto the large red wooden table.

Remaining in the sieve was a pure, uniform batch of fava beans.

“Brilliant!”

Someone in the crowd suddenly shouted in applause.

Everyone was thoroughly impressed by Rong Mo’s wit!

“Father-in-law, has your son-in-law passed the test?” Rong Mo looked at the Marquis of Changle, his face radiant with the joy of spring.

The Marquis of Changle nodded reluctantly, “You passed. Take the fava beans and go inside to find my daughter!”

Rong Mo immediately handed the formal wedding documents over to the Marquis, then took large strides into the estate toward the main hall, with his massive entourage swarming in right behind him.

Cheng Yu quickly bolted toward his sister’s courtyard.

Leaving the Marquis of Changle staring blankly before he, too, followed them inside.

The crowd hid their faces and snickered.

Over in Cheng Ruyi’s courtyard…

Mo Xiang was vividly and enthusiastically recounting the tale of how Rong Mo had intelligently sorted the fava beans. Dressed in her brilliant red bridal attire and covered by a red bridal veil, Cheng Ruyi listened with a face full of reflected glory.

“My Mo is the absolute best!” Her voice could not hide her intense pride.

Mo Xiang: “…”

The wedding matron and Wang Ying inside the room couldn’t help but find it hilarious.

Wang Ying, in particular, felt a faint, fluttering anticipation in her heart for her own upcoming wedding with Luo Fei.

“Sister, I’m here to carry you on my back!” Cheng Yu burst inside happily.

Cheng Ruyi’s spirits soared. Finally! I’ve been waiting for ages.

Listening to the continuous crackle of firecrackers and the blare of suona horns outside, Cheng Ruyi climbed straight onto her younger brother Cheng Yu’s back. After several months of physical training, Cheng Yu had grown quite robust, carrying Cheng Ruyi with absolute ease.

They made their way to the main hall. Beneath her red veil, surrounded by the gazes of the guests, Cheng Ruyi paid her respects and bid farewell to her parents. Rong Susu and the Marquis of Changle put on quite a performance in front of Rong Mo and the crowd, lecturing their daughter for the occasion.

“Daughter! You’re getting married and leaving today, your dad is so incredibly loath to let you go!” The Marquis of Changle wailed with a face full of reluctance.

Beneath the veil, Cheng Ruyi hastily comforted her old man.

“Dad, you don’t need to miss me too much. It’s just a matter of two or three days. When the time comes, I’ll bring Mo back to live here. It’s quite close anyway.”

The Marquis of Changle let out a chuckle, rubbing his head sheepishly, “Well, isn’t this the protocol? I was just saying it for the sake of the script, just going through the motions.”

The guests’ lips twitched uniformly. “…” Is this how you go through the motions?!

“In any case, our daughter doesn’t have a mother-in-law to deal with. Marrying over means she’s the matriarch of the household right off the bat; she can live wherever she wants. If our in-laws agree, you can both just move into the Marquis of Changle’s estate. The estate is massive anyway!” Rong Susu shot a glance at the Marquis of Changle and spoke with a face full of joy.

The Marquis of Changle nodded in total agreement, turning his head to look at Rong Mo, “Kid, what do you say?”

Rong Mo peeked at Ruyi beside him, who looked stunning in her phoenix coronet and embroidered robes, about to become his little wife. Joy practically overflowed from the corners of his eyes and brows, and he answered cleanly and decisively, “Everything will be according to Ruyi’s wishes.”

The guests were entirely speechless by now.

Cheng Wanru, who had come to attend the wedding, looked on with a face full of envy. She and Tang Shuhua had been getting along quite well after marriage, but compared to her cousin Ruyi, the difference was a bit vast.

However, envy was just envy; Cheng Wanru was highly content with her own life.

The Marquis of Changle laughed uproariously, and Rong Susu looked thoroughly satisfied.

This time, the neighboring Estate of the Marquis of Jian’an had sent someone over with wedding gifts, and the Marchioness of Jian’an had also personally attended. She offered a few polite, conventional words of congratulations. Seeing that all the arriving guests were revolving entirely around Rong Susu, the Marchioness of Jian’an felt quite bitter inside.

She hadn’t expected the concubine-born second branch of the family to turn their fortunes around so spectacularly, completely eclipsing the main household of the Marquis of Jian’an.

Right then, the master of ceremonies outside called out in a loud voice, “The auspicious hour has arrived! Escort the bride to the door!”

Dressed in her heavy phoenix coronet and embroidered robes, Cheng Ruyi bid her parents farewell. Cheng Yu happily carried his sister out the door, reluctantly settling her into the bridal sedan chair. When the ceremonial official called out to raise the sedan, amidst a burst of music and instrumentation, eight men lifted the bridal sedan and began to march forward.

Rong Mo rode his large, bay-colored stallion, guarding closely right beside the bridal sedan.

Behind them followed row after row of dowry chests, flowing out from the Marquis of Changle’s estate in a seemingly endless stream.

The streets were absolutely packed with crowds looking to watch the spectacle and catch some of the wedding luck.

Many older maids in the bridal procession carried baskets, distributing wedding candies and numerous small red envelopes to the surrounding crowds, stack after stack, displaying immense generosity.

“Congratulations, Miss Cheng!”

“Great joy to Miss Cheng!”

“Wishing Miss Cheng and the Heir Apparent perfect, blissful happiness!”

Continuous shouts of congratulations blended harmoniously with the clanging gongs and beating drums.

Cheng Ruyi sat within the steady bridal sedan, chatting from time to time with Rong Mo just outside the curtain, feeling incredibly happy.

Right at that moment, a wave of gasps erupted from the crowd.

“Heavens, what on earth is that…”

“It’s a mountain of gold! And a mountain of silver, a mountain of jewelry…” someone explained.

“It really is a literal mountain of gold!”

As the blindingly dazzling mountains of silver and jewelry appeared within the dowry line, the crowd of onlookers completely boiled over.

Inside the sedan chair, Cheng Ruyi heard the gasps of the public outside and felt immensely proud, boasting to Rong Mo right outside the window.

“Haha, Mo! Everyone is completely stunned by the gold, silver, and jewelry mountains I set up.”

“Yes, they’re going to be even more shocked by what’s coming up behind.”

Rong Mo couldn’t help but chuckle. His little wife was truly a mischievous one, actually including a whole row of pickled chicken and duck eggs as part of her official dowry.

Sure enough, another wave of gasps rippled through the crowd.

“If I’m not mistaken, those baskets and jars… are all filled with eggs, right?”

“They are eggs!”

“Heavens, since when can eggs make up a row of a noble dowry?”

“Are you new to the capital? Eldest Miss Cheng’s zither music can make chickens and ducks lay eggs like crazy. Supposedly, these chicken and duck eggs are exceptionally delicious, an absolute delicacy. Using them as a dowry is nothing unusual; other people couldn’t eat them even if they begged for it.”

“Really?”

“Would I lie to you? I bet there’s definitely divine medicine mixed into this dowry too!”

“…”

The massive visual contrast sent the surrounding crowd into a frenzy of chatter. One moment their eyes were nearly blinded by mountains of gold, silver, and jewels, and the next moment, lowly chicken and duck eggs were mixed right into the ranks.

In an instant, it dragged the high-and-mighty royal wedding straight into a rustic, countryside wedding style.

This was truly one of a kind.

Cheng Ruyi’s dowry became the ultimate topic of conversation—possessing elegance, vulgarity, and a down-to-earth nature all at once. It could easily be called the most eccentric dowry in history.

However, what pleased everyone the most was that whether it was Prince Rong’s estate or the Marquis of Changle’s estate, both sides showered the paths with small red envelopes all along the way. Each red envelope contained anywhere from two to eight copper coins.

Those who were quick enough to snatch up a bunch could actually make a nice little fortune.

The procession set out from the Marquis of Changle’s estate, intending to complete a full circuit around the capital before returning to Prince Rong’s estate to perform the formal wedding bows.

Ten miles of red dowry, roaring and magnificent.

However, after covering more than half the journey, they encountered a slight incident. A massive swarm of beggars, appearing out of nowhere, surged forward and threw themselves down directly across the essential path of the bridal sedan chair, clearly intending to act as highwaymen.

To pick a fight on such a grand, joyful day…

The clanging gongs and beating drums faltered for a moment, and the crowded, long street instantly fell dead silent. A moment later, the surrounding crowd erupted into a frenzy.

This mob of beggars was truly devoid of any virtue!

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