The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 761 The Wedding Procession (Part 1)

Before they knew it, it was the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. The Ningguo Mansion had been transformed into the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion, with its interior and exterior renovated and decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations.

Today is the auspicious day for Jia Huan to marry Daiyu and Baochai. It coincides with the Lantern Festival, a time of perfect harmony and double happiness.

Early that morning, guests arrived in droves, creating a lively atmosphere. Jia Qiang, Jia Yun, and others responsible for welcoming guests were extremely busy, while the stewards responsible for collecting gifts were also overwhelmed with the sheer volume of gift lists being handed over. Zhou Rui, who was in charge of announcing the gifts, was practically hoarse from shouting.

"Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, Academician of the Hanlin Academy, Minister of Rites, Grand Secretary of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince, Grand Secretary Zhao, presents two sets of 'Five Sons Passing the Imperial Examination' congratulatory gifts, two jade ruyi scepters, and two bolts each of silk, satin, brocade, and embroidered gauze. Wishing the newlyweds a long and happy marriage and many children."

"Grand Secretary Sun, the Second Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, Minister of History, Grand Secretary of the Wenhua Hall, and Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince, presents two sets of 'Four Treasures of the Study,' two sets of 'Harmonious Music,' and two ruyi scepters, wishing the newlyweds a harmonious and loving marriage, a lifelong bond, and a long and happy life together."

"The Prince of Nan'an..."

"Prince Zhongshun..."

"Your Highness Prince Min..."

"Your Highness Prince Qing..."

The people on this gift list were extraordinary, each one more impressive than the last. They were all influential figures in the court or nobles, so every time Zhou Rui read out a name, the guests present would exclaim in amazement. Zhou Rui himself got more and more excited as he read, straightening his back more and more, though his throat couldn't take it. It was truly a bittersweet experience!

Although most of these important figures did not come in person, the fact that they sent people to deliver congratulatory gifts demonstrates the Jia family's current influence and status, or more accurately, Jia Huan's influence and status.

It is worth mentioning that His Highness Prince Min not only came in person, but also insisted on joining in the fun as a member of the wedding procession. At this time, the wedding procession was ready, and with the sound of firecrackers, the deafening gongs and drums, and the harmonious playing of string and wind instruments, the huge wedding procession officially set off.

The groom, Jia Huan, was dressed in a scholar's robe, a black gauze hat, a bright red brocade shawl, and light blue boots. A large red flower hung on his chest. He led the way, followed by his impeccably dressed groomsmen, including Xu Wenhou, Feng Ziying, Liu Yi, Zhang Zhilong, Huang Cong, Zhang Yiqing, Zhang Yixia, Liu Xianglian, Jia Qiang, Jia Lan, and Jia Yun. They were a combination of scholars and warriors, and their abilities were outstanding.

As the saying goes, "If you are prepared, you will succeed; if you are not prepared, you will fail." Since Tan Chun and Bao Qin have said that there will be "eighty-one difficulties" during the wedding procession, Jia Huan naturally has to make full preparations to avoid being stumped and embarrassed!
The grand wedding procession departed from the Marquis of Wuding's residence, accompanied by music and fanfare. They first circled Rongning Street before returning to the Rongguo Mansion. They entered through the main gate, paid their respects to the elders, and then proceeded to the Grand View Garden.

At this moment, inside the main gate of the Grand View Garden, Jia Tanchun, Xue Baoqin, Li Wan, You Shi, Qin Keqing, and others were surrounded by a group of maids, stewards, wives, and old women, peering out of the gate.

"Grandma and the girls, they're here! The wedding procession has left the mansion and is heading towards the garden!" An old woman ran over quickly to deliver the message.

A moment later, the wedding procession was seen approaching, the sound of drums and music growing louder as it drew nearer. Xue Baoqin beamed with excitement, clapping her hands triumphantly and saying, "They're finally here! Everyone, proceed according to plan and let them know how powerful we young ladies are!"

Li Wan reminded them, "Tan Yatou, Qin Yatou, you can play and joke around, but you must know when to stop. Don't go too far. If you end up in an embarrassing situation, it won't be good."

Jia Tanchun smiled and said, "Don't worry, sister-in-law, we know what we're doing."

Xue Baoqin nodded repeatedly, but a sly smile involuntarily crept onto her lips before she turned and quickly slipped away.

Soon, the wedding procession arrived at the main gate of the Grand View Garden. Dozens of beautifully dressed maids stood smiling and blocking the entrance, obstructing the procession's path. It was truly a scene of bustling activity and laughter.

Jia Huan calmly reined in his horse, raised his right hand slightly, and the wedding procession stopped. The musicians also stopped playing, and the scene immediately fell silent.

Jia Qiang stepped forward and bowed, smiling as he said, "Sisters, what are you doing blocking our way? Please make way quickly, lest you miss Third Master's auspicious time."

"Third Master, if you want to marry Miss Lin and Miss Xue, you'll have to get past us first!"

"Yes, yes, if you can't even get past us, you might as well turn back now."

"Hehehehe..."

The maids chattered amongst themselves, creating a lively scene reminiscent of a bustling market. Jia Huan calmly gave Jia Qiang a wink, who immediately waved to the back of the group. Jinbao and Muye then eagerly ran forward, each carrying a heavy bundle on their shoulders.

Then Jinbao opened his bundle and scattered the coins on the ground, probably several thousand coins in total.

The maids' eyes lit up. Some of them wanted to run forward to pick it up, but were stopped by their companions, who scolded, "You little sluts who have never seen the world. You think you can be dismissed with just a few strings of cash? Aren't you ashamed? Stop them all."

At this moment, Mu Ye opened his bundle and poured it on the ground, spilling out a large pile of silver beans, some of which were golden beans.

Wow! The scene erupted in cheers. With a burst of exclamations, the maids forgot about blocking the door and rushed forward to snatch the embroidered shoes. Some even lost their embroidered shoes in the procession. Jia Huan seized the opportunity and waved his hand, allowing the wedding procession to successfully break through the door.

There's no problem that a bag of money can't solve; if there is, he'll just add another bag.

Prince Xu Wenhou of Min had never participated in such an activity before, and he found it extremely interesting. He was grinning from ear to ear, and his round face was flushed with excitement. He turned to Li Jinzhong beside him and asked, "Old Li, did you bring any money?"

"I brought it!" Li Jinzhong untied the money pouch at his waist, trying to take out some copper coins and silver coins from it, but Xu Wenhou snatched it away and poured out all the gold and silver coins, scattering them into the crowd.

This caused quite a stir, like pouring a drop of water into hot oil, instantly creating chaos. Xu Wenhou was throwing out silver ingots, the kind that weigh ten taels each, and two of them were gold. How could these maids, whose monthly wages were only a few hundred coins, not go crazy? They practically scrambled for them, almost starting a fight.

"Hehehe... How interesting!" Xu Wenhou seemed not to be satisfied yet, and asked Li Jinzhong if he had any more money. The latter quickly waved his hand and shook his head. He was joking. A hundred taels of silver was gone in the blink of an eye. Even mountains of gold and silver wouldn't be enough for you to throw away.

Xu Wenhou, still feeling unsatisfied, followed the wedding procession into the Grand View Garden.

At this time, red ribbons had been strung up along both sides of the road in the Grand View Garden, stretching into the distance. The wedding procession only needed to follow the direction of the ribbons.

Just as Jia Huan and his companions rounded the artificial hill and arrived at the "winding path leading to a secluded spot," they were blocked from their way. The one blocking their path was none other than Amber, the head maidservant of Grandmother Jia, and beside her was a little maidservant carrying a tray covered with a piece of red silk, the contents of which were unknown.

Amber bowed to Jia Huan and said with a grin, "If Third Master Huan wants to pass through here, he must first get past this maid."

Jia Huan smiled and said, "Then please give me your instructions, Sister Amber."

Amber lifted the red silk on the tray, revealing a colorful bead about the size of a thumb, with a silk thread beside it.

Amber picked up the bead and said, "Third Master, please take a look. This is a nine-curved bead. As the name suggests, the hole inside this bead is nine-curved. As long as Third Master can thread this thread through the nine-curved bead, you will pass the test."

The groomsmen present, such as Liu Yi and Zhang Zhilong, were all well-read scholars who had passed the imperial examinations. They had expected the test to be on literary skills, but instead, they were immediately asked to thread a needle. So everyone was dumbfounded and looked at each other in disbelief!

"Let me try!" Jia Qiang took the bead and tried it, but naturally, she couldn't get it through.

Almost all the groomsmen present tried, but none of them succeeded.

Feng Ziying scratched his head and said, "This bead has nine bends inside, how can a silk thread be threaded through it? Miss Amber, isn't this a bit too much to ask?"

Amber laughed, "Since none of you can string the beads, then this is my test..."

"Wait a minute!" Jia Huan calmly instructed, "Everyone, help search the vicinity and see if there are any ants."

Everyone was stunned for a moment, but they quickly realized it was a great idea. They hurriedly searched around, and soon, Li Jinzhong found an ant in a crevice in the rockery and shouted, "We found it! We found it!"

Xu Wenhou quickly stepped forward and said impatiently, "Give it to me now."

Li Jinzhong presented the ant to Xu Wenhou as if it were a treasure, but the latter tried to pick it up with his fingers. He used a little too much force and accidentally crushed the poor little ant to death.

Everyone was speechless. Xu Wenhou's chubby face burned with embarrassment. He chuckled awkwardly, "It was an accident, an accident. Let's go find another one!" After saying that, he kicked Li Jinzhong.

Ants are hard to find in the dead of winter, but Li Jinzhong was quite lucky; he found another one quickly. This time, Xu Wenhou didn't dare to take it, so Jia Huan had Mu Ye carefully tie the thread around the ant's waist.

This job wasn't easy. After all, the ants were so small and couldn't cooperate well. They could be killed if you used too much force. So it took Mu Ye a long time to tie the thread to the ant, put the ant into the inlet of the Nine-Bend Bead, and then smear some honey on the outlet.

The ant smelled the honey and quickly and successfully passed through the Nine-Bend Pearl with the silk thread. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief; they had passed this test.

Amber smiled and said, "Congratulations, Third Master, you've passed the test!" After saying that, she bowed and made way for him.

The wedding procession continued forward and soon arrived outside the Xiaoxiang Pavilion. This time, Yuanyang blocked their way, accompanied by a maid carrying a tray covered with red silk.

Yuanyang curtsied and said with a smile, "If Third Master Huan wants to pass through here, he must first get past this servant."

(End of this chapter)