Jiuxi

Chapter 636: 634 [Golden Wind and Jade Dew Meet]

The fifteenth year of Jianwu, the fifth day of the eighth month.

Yuan Yuji, Junior Supervisor of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, arrived in Guangling with rewards in accordance with the emperor's order.

The emperor was quite generous this time, including 1,000 taels of gold, 30,000 taels of silver, 16 divine horses, 32 pieces of jade, 64 sets of porcelain, and 128 pieces of refined weapons.

Lin Xi and Wang Chulong also received rewards. Each of them received three hundred rolls of brocade, two hundred boxes of rouge and powder, three hundred silver fruits, ten pairs of gold hairpins and bracelets, a gold-threaded agarwood incense burner, two pairs of top-grade black ink pearls from the vast sea, a rosewood silk painted mirror and brocade makeup box, a set of colorful painted wall glass cups, a pair of Qingshan agarwood gold bracelets, a pair of lotus flower and lotus seed gold incense strings, a pair of ink-colored jade pendants with gold inlays, and so on.

There are also two plaques written by the emperor himself, one is "A perfect match made in heaven" and the other is "A perfect match".

Even Lu Tong was not forgotten. The old man was rewarded with a set of rare ancient books bestowed by the emperor, as well as more than 20 various treasures.

Lu Chen did not refuse but accepted it happily. After expressing his gratitude, he stuffed a stack of banknotes into Yuan Yuji's hand. Both sides were happy with each other tacitly understanding each other.

The rewards from the palace were just a prelude. What followed was countless carriages and horses entering Guangling City and gathering outside the brand new Duke's Mansion.

The important officials in the court, headed by the two prime ministers, all sent their direct descendants to present gifts, and there was no shortage of prominent families from all over Jiangnan.

The city of Guangling was even more lively than during the New Year's Day, and the elders in the city were also proud of it.

Amid the anticipation of countless people, the sixth day of August arrived as scheduled.

When the sky brightened, in the main hall of the Lu family ancestral hall.

Lu Tong and Lu Chen are offering sacrifices to their ancestors.

After the ceremony was over, more than a dozen clan elders sat on both sides. Lu Tong sat facing south in a tuxedo, while Lu Chen, wearing a county duke's tuxedo, stood to the southeast of his old father.

Zhan Hui, the prefect of Guangling, who was the wedding officiant, sang: "Bow and pay respect."

Lu Chen followed etiquette and bowed before kneeling to Lu Tong.

Zhan Hui handed the wine cup over again. Lu Chen took it, tilted the cup and poured a little sake on the ground, then drank the rest of the wine. He then handed the cup back to Zhan Hui, stood up and walked to Lu Tong.

Lu Tong looked at his handsome face and said with satisfaction: "I will go and find your match."

Lu Chen responded: "I dare not disobey your orders."

Zhan Hui sang again: "Bow, worship, worship, stand up."

Lu Chen did as he was told.

Lu Tong said gently: "Go ahead."

"Yes, father."

Lu Chen smiled slightly, turned around and walked out of the ancestral hall under the expectant gazes of his old father and the elders of the Lu family. Zhan Hui, as the male deacon, naturally followed him.

The wedding procession had already been prepared and was waiting patiently outside the ancestral hall.

Lu Chen had not thought of playing any unconventional tricks at the wedding. From beginning to end, he followed Lu Tong's arrangements and adhered to the wedding rules of that era. Even though the process was a bit cumbersome, he did not show any impatience.

Only the wedding procession is different from that of ordinary families.

In addition to the two particularly eye-catching carriages decorated with pearls and canopies, the main personnel accompanying him to welcome the bride were the three hundred personal soldiers led by Qin Zilong.

These battle-hardened frontier soldiers put on their ceremonial uniforms and laid down the weapons they usually carried with them, but their elite spirit remained intact and they were still mighty and majestic as they walked on the streets.

In the bright morning sunshine, such a spirited team won enthusiastic cheers from the people of the city.

Lu Chen rode his horse and responded to passers-by on the street with a smile.

"Congratulations, sir, on your wedding!"

"I wish you a son soon and many grandchildren!"

"I wish you a long life, prosperity and everlasting wealth!"

Lu Chen responded with a bow as sincere blessings came pouring in. He then said in a clear voice: "My fellow villagers, the Lu family will hold a three-day banquet. I hope you will come and have a drink at the wedding."

The atmosphere became increasingly heated.

The Lu family has always been popular in the local area. Lu Tong has never stopped building bridges and roads to benefit his hometown over the years. After Lu Chen suddenly appeared, the people of Guangling were proud that such a hero had emerged in the local area, but they were also a little afraid on the other hand. After all, the Duke of the County was a high-ranking figure to them.

Seeing Lu Chen being so easy-going, everyone couldn't help but shout excitedly: "Thank you, sir. We will definitely go and share in the good fortune!"

In such a harmonious and festive atmosphere, the wedding procession smoothly came from West City to East City, and the first stop was the Lin Mansion east of Taipingfang.

The place has already been decorated with lights and the banquet is ready.

The heroes of the Seven Stars Gang and other heroes in the martial arts world gathered together, while Qi Lianfu and others were waiting outside the mansion.

The wedding procession stopped on the long street, and Lin Jie, who had been notified, strode out.

The father-in-law and son-in-law bowed to each other, and Lu Chen said respectfully: "I have received orders from my father, and I will obey your orders with all due courtesy."

Lin Jie smiled and replied, "I am willing to obey your command."

Amid the cheers of a group of grassroots heroes, the two men walked in.

Zhan Hui followed Lu Chen closely, holding the gift of wild geese.

When they arrived at the main hall, Lin Jie sat facing south, while Lu Chen waited quietly at the bottom of the hall.

The female supporter sang loudly, "The newlyweds have arrived." Lu Chen couldn't help but turn his head to look and was stunned.

Lin Xi was wearing a bright red double-breasted wedding gown with mandarin duck and pomegranate patterns embroidered all over the edges. Her chest was fastened with a red gold collar button inlaid with a ruby, and she was wearing a fuchsia shawl embroidered with double peacocks and gold tassels.

The Liuxian skirt is made of twelve pieces of gold and silver with cloud crane patterns embroidered on it, and patterns of a hundred children and a hundred blessings are embroidered on it. The hem of the skirt is about three feet long and trails on the ground. The edge is decorated with inch-long gold threads and inlaid with five-colored rice beads, which makes a rustling sound when walking.

She wore a rainbow dress, a bridal veil, a step-shaking crown, and numerous hairpins and pearls.

With her feet touching the red lotus and her hands in red, under the brocade veil is Lin Xi's face, which is white, rosy and slightly shy.

Lead and black ink are used to embellish one's appearance, but Pan Qian was born with a graceful figure and natural beauty, which was beyond description.

In the past years, Lin Xi didn't really care about makeup. She went out without makeup most of the time, and only occasionally put on a little makeup. Therefore, she never had this kind of strong and vivid beauty.

Until this moment, she walked slowly into Lu Chen's sight in a bright red wedding dress, and walked into his heart step by step.

When their eyes met, they were filled with tenderness, and everything was said without words.

When Lin Xi stood up with the help of the maid, the praiser sang: "Bai Xing, Bai Xing, Bai Xing, Bai Xing, stand up."

Lin Xi faced his father, bowed four times and then stood up.

Lin Jie looked into her eyes, feeling both relieved and reluctant. In the end, he followed the protocol and said solemnly, "When I go to your house, I will be respectful and respectful, thinking of you day and night, and I will not disobey your orders."

Lin Xi's heart ached, and he could not hide his sadness: "I will obey my father's orders."

Lu Chen looked at her with pity.

In fact, the father-in-law only needed to say the first two sentences of what he said, and the second two sentences should have been said by Lin Xi's mother. However, the person has passed away, so Lin Jie had to do it for him. Naturally, Lin Xi would be saddened by the scene, especially at such a special moment.

Lin Jie didn't want his daughter to indulge in such emotions, so he forced a smile and said, "Xi'er, today is your big day. Your father has no other wishes, but I hope that you two will live happily together until old age."

Lu Chen and Lin Xi looked at each other, then kowtowed to Lin Jie side by side.

Lin Jie said gently: "It's getting late, let's go now."

"Daddy..."

Lin Xizhu's tears rolled down and her voice trembled.

"do not Cry."

Lin Jie shook his head, then tried to lighten the mood and joked, "If Lu Chen bullies you in the future, have someone tell Daddy, and Daddy will come find him."

Lu Chen naturally understood his father-in-law's intention, and pretended to be frustrated and said: "Don't bother Master Taishan, I am no match for my senior sister."

The father-in-law and son-in-law sang the same tune. Lin Xi couldn't help but burst into laughter and turned to give Lu Chen a blank look.

Lin Jie felt relieved and said with a complicated expression, "Go ahead."

Lu Chen and Lin Xi said goodbye to him, and then amid the cheers and applause of the guests, he personally sent Lin Xi to the specially made carriage.

The sound of drums and music rang out, and the scene was very lively.

Behind the wedding procession was the sixty-four loads of dowry prepared by the Lin family. Lin Jie and Wang Cheng had already reached an agreement on the amount of the dowry to avoid a situation where one family outweighed the other.

Lu Chen didn't care about it. He rode his horse beside the carriage, unable to contain his excitement.

Today's senior sister was so beautiful that he just felt like he could never get enough of looking at her.

Lin Xi in the car couldn't calm down either.

Looking back on the past, memories come to mind.

In fact, she never knew when her heart was moved. It was as if the feeling was formed inadvertently, and deepened with the passage of time, until it was deeply engraved in her heart and could never be erased.

Maybe it was when he showed his extraordinary talent in martial arts, maybe it was because he risked his life to launch a night attack to save the situation, or maybe it was because of the nights in Lai'an City when she saw him plan an earth-shaking battle with her own eyes. Of course, it was also the years in Baotai Mountain when he led the men of the Seven Stars Gang and turned the arrogant enemy into a defeated army that fled in embarrassment.

Every detail was still fresh in her memory, flashing across her mind and eventually becoming his appearance.

Perhaps there were not too many twists and turns between them, and everything happened naturally. However, Lin Xi had seen too many grudges and hatreds in the world, and all he wanted was to spend the rest of his life with the right person.

Those entanglements of life and death, love and hate, were not what she wanted.

Thinking of this, Lin Xi raised her hand to lift the car curtain. Seeing Lu Chen looking at her immediately, she couldn't help but smile and said, "Fool."

Lu Chen leaned in closer and said, "Madam, what advice do you have?"

Logically speaking, the title can only be changed after drinking the wedding wine. Lin Xi was not too particular about these etiquettes, and of course did not change his words immediately. He just said gently: "There is another carriage behind?"

Lu Chen responded: "Yes."

Lin Xi said: "You come to greet me first, that's enough. Later you pick up the Wang family's sister and let her take this carriage. I will go with her."

Lu Chen looked into her eyes and understood why she did this. He couldn't help but feel touched. He secretly sighed that he was lucky and nodded, "I'll do as you say."

Lin Xi smiled faintly and then lowered the car curtain.

She raised her hand and gently stroked her slightly hot cheek, whispering to herself, "You're married, Lin Xi."

(End of this chapter)