Wife, you didn't really drug me, did you?

Chapter 495 A Bow to Heaven and Earth, and the Wedding Night (Wishing all my brothers and sisters taking the college entrance exam the best of luck!)
As he spoke, Chen Jie bypassed Master He and went straight to the room behind him. When he arrived at the door, Chen Jie pushed it open, revealing the expectant princess inside.

At this moment, Chen Jie opened his arms and hugged Zhao Ya.

In an instant, the couple's feelings for each other were greatly enhanced, and at that moment, enthusiastic applause rang out from all the wedding party members outside.

clap clap clap...

Thunderous applause erupted, and Prince Ruyang, watching Zhao Ya embrace him, her eyes already brimming with tears, couldn't help but sigh.

A daughter should not be kept at home once she grows up; keeping her around will only lead to enmity.

As a father, this is all I can do; I've done my best.

Thinking of this, Prince Ruyang turned his head away, and at this moment, Peng Yingyu looked at him and said, "Chahan, don't look like you've suffered a great loss. Jiu Si is my brother. I know his character and temperament. They are both top-notch. It's better for your girl to marry him than to marry some greedy people."

"Alright, Lao Peng, ignore him. These people from the imperial court are just being pretentious!"

Liu Futong spoke directly. After hearing Liu Futong's words, the Prince of Ruyang glared at him fiercely, but did not retaliate further. He simply turned and left.

At this moment, Chen Jie hugged Zhao Ya and said, "Ya Ya, I can finally marry you!"

Hearing this, Zhao Ya was quite moved and nodded gently, saying, "Yes!"

For a moment, the two fell silent. Then Chen Jie spoke up, "Come on, come home with me!"

As he spoke, Chen Jie picked Zhao Ya up in a princess carry and walked straight out. At this moment, Chen Xiaohu saw this scene and immediately shouted, "The bride is leaving! Set off the firecrackers!"

A sound was heard, and immediately outside, the sound of firecrackers rang out.

clap clap clap...

These cannons were significantly louder than ordinary cannons fired by the common people. They were specially manufactured by the Academy of Sciences under the Chen Jie City Lord's Mansion, and filled with the latest black powder developed by Huangzhou Prefecture, making them incredibly powerful.

Amidst the sound of cannon fire, Chen Jie was seen carrying Zhao Ya to the prepared bridal sedan chair.

Zhao Ya was being held, her face full of happiness. At that moment, she unintentionally saw her father in the crowd, but he did not look as happy as she had imagined. Instead, he looked forlorn.

There were even barely perceptible tears in his eyes. Zhao Ya was stunned. Her father was crying.

Prince Ruyang seemed to realize that Zhao Ya was looking at him. He was startled, and when he came to his senses, he forced a smile. Seeing him like this, Zhao Ya felt her heart breaking.

At that moment, Chen Jie whispered in her ear, "Don't worry, I will have a good talk with your father. I will tell him how much I love you! I will put his mind at ease."

Zhao Ya nodded slightly and said, "Yes, I know."

After saying that, Zhao Ya asked, "How did you figure out which room I was in so quickly?"

Zhao Ya asked Chen Jie, who replied, "I've played this game before."

Chen Jie directly told Zhao Ya why he answered so quickly. At this moment, Chen Jie said, "Actually, there is a very simple trick to this question. Just ask anyone and choose the answer that is the opposite of theirs."

"Ok?"

Zhao Ya was taken aback and asked, "Why?"

Chen explained, "It's very simple. Just remember this rule: positive plus negative equals negative!"

"What do you mean?"

Zhao Ya asked Chen Jie with a puzzled look, "It's very simple. Imagine one person tells the truth and the other tells a lie. If there's something behind the person telling the truth, then you ask the person telling the truth what the person telling the lie will say. The person telling the lie has nothing behind them, so they're lying because there is something. The person telling the truth will tell you that the person telling the lie said there is something behind them, but that's a lie."

"Just choose the door behind you that leads to telling the truth."

"Similarly, if you ask a liar if there's something behind the door that's telling the truth, the truth-teller knows there's nothing behind him, so he'll say there's nothing behind the door. But when it comes to a liar, he'll lie and reverse the truth, and he'll tell you there's something behind the door."

"Similarly, if you choose the opposite answer, that means you're inside the door behind the person who's telling the lie."

"In short, if you add a lie to the truth, you will eventually get a lie. Just choose the opposite."

"do you understand?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ya nodded slightly, as if she understood.

Chen Jie smiled and said, "I understand. Then let's get on the bridal sedan chair."

Chen Jie directly escorted Zhao Ya into the brand-new bridal sedan chair. The sedan chair was carried by sixteen people and was exceptionally spacious inside. It could even hold some melons, pears, peaches, and seasonal fresh fruits. Moreover, even if two people sat inside, there was no sense of crowding.

Ordinary wealthy families would typically use an eight-bearer sedan chair to bid for their daughters' marriages, but when Chen Jiusi married Zhao Ya, he used the highest standard, a sixteen-bearer sedan chair, befitting royalty and nobility.

A grand sedan chair carried by sixteen men, a treatment befitting royalty, was carried by Zhao Ya. As soon as she sat in the sedan chair, a band of gongs and drums began to play, instantly raising the atmosphere and immersing the entire city in a festive mood.

At this moment, Chen Jie mounted his tall horse and rode through the streets, dressed in a wedding robe. At this time, there were soldiers on both sides of the street under martial law, but the people on both sides of the martial law were all ordinary people from Huangzhou Prefecture.

Since their own city lord was getting married, they naturally had to come and see him off.

The soldiers stood on both sides of the street, shouting, "Happy wedding, Lord City Lord!"

May the city lord enjoy a long and happy marriage.

"May the city lord have a son soon!"

Listening to the well wishes of the people lining the street, Chen Jie clasped his hands in greeting and said, "Today is the 4th anniversary of the wedding, thank you all for coming!"

As he spoke, Chen Jie instructed the accompanying officials to take out countless peanuts and candies from a large basket they had prepared in advance, and then scatter them all over the place. Immediately, countless children began to scramble for them, all wanting to share in the joy.

The team moved on.

Soon, the group crossed the main street of Huangzhou Prefecture and arrived at the direction of the City Lord's Mansion. Here, the welcoming party was no longer made up of ordinary people, but rather consisted mostly of officials and their families from Huangzhou Prefecture.

Then he saw the officials lined up in two rows, and among them, Chen Jie saw his elder brother, Wu Hong.

He is also the current head of the Huangzhou Prefecture's Supervisory Department.

He was standing in the crowd, not in Chen Jie's wedding procession. It wasn't that Chen Jie didn't invite him; rather, he directly refused Chen Jie's invitation.

His current position does not allow him to mingle with other officials in Huangzhou Prefecture.

Wu Hong had a job that everyone hated: supervising all officials. It sounded impressive, but everyone under his supervision was from Hu Weiyong, the prime minister of Huangzhou Prefecture, down to the head of Xiantao Village in Mianshui County, Huangzhou Prefecture.

It could be said that it was a job that was second only to the emperor, and feared by thousands.

However, although his status was noble and his authority was indeed great, he also truly incurred the hatred of the other officials.

There's no way not to hate him. Wu Hong really doesn't give anyone face. If anyone dares to do anything corrupt or illegal, he'll report them without hesitation.

And no amount of pleading will help.

Normally, Wu Hong doesn't form cliques or make friends, effectively making himself a lone official. It can be said that all the officials in Huangzhou Prefecture want to be Wu Hong's friend, but none of them can become his friend.

Wu Hong refused to make friends with everyone, and he was very stubborn; he even dared to directly criticize Hu Weiyong.

Chen Jie received a memorial from Wu Hong accusing Hu Weiyong of accepting gifts and banquets from other officials on several occasions. These were all minor matters, only slightly overstepping the bounds, but Wu Hong still impeached him.

Hu Weiyong was so frightened that he had to explain to Chen Jie overnight.

Wu Hong's audacity did have consequences: he was extremely unpopular and had few friends. In Chen Jiu Si's Huangzhou Prefecture Group, only Chen Xiao Hu, an old brother from the same village as him, was someone he could talk to.

He doesn't associate with the others at all, and recently there have been many memorials impeaching him, with some even denouncing him as a cruel official.

Some said he was making a mountain out of a molehill, others said he had created a climate of fear throughout the officialdom, and still others said he was recklessly impeaching officials, which was the source of cholera.

There were many similar memorials, and Chen Jie had read many of them, but he suppressed them all and sent people to investigate the people who wrote them to see if they had a clean background.

If the base is already damaged, Chen Jie will deal with it directly. However, if it is slightly damaged but not completely damaged, Chen Jie will still provide some protection.

Chen Jie could not allow anyone to impeach Wu Hong, but he also could not allow other officials to be deprived of their right to submit memorials. Therefore, while protecting Wu Hong, Chen Jie also granted other officials the right to supervise him. Of course, if you already have a dirty backside, you'd better clean it up before getting involved.

Chen Jie would not allow anyone to slander Wu Hong. After all, Wu Hong was like a catfish that Chen Jie had introduced into the entire Huangzhou Prefecture official system. With Wu Hong around, everyone would have to think twice before doing anything.

Do they dare to embezzle and break the law?

It can be said that Wu Hong played a very important role, and since Wu Hong did not form cliques, Chen Jie was his biggest backer.

No one can bring Wu Hong down through dirty tricks, and Wu Hong knows this too. Therefore, he is even more cautious in his actions. Even when impeaching other officials, he has made sure to build a solid chain of evidence.

Because of Wu Hong's ruthlessness, he was also known as the "Iron-Faced Tiger" by officials.

That was truly ruthless and incorruptible. Because of this, Wu Hong rarely went out and even refused to get close to officials, because he said he was afraid that if he got too close to other officials, he would be constrained when handling cases in the future.

Because of all of the above, he declined Chen Jie's invitation to be his best man at his wedding.

At that moment, he saw Chen Jie parading through the streets on horseback in the crowd. Their eyes met, and Wu Hong gave a barely perceptible nod, offering his subtle blessing.

Chen Jie received Wu Hong's blessing and nodded slightly. He then led his team forward and soon arrived at the city lord's mansion. Large red lanterns hung outside the mansion, and as soon as Chen Jie approached, a round of firecrackers was set off, the resounding crackling sounds meant to ward off evil and bring good fortune.

Following this, the princess alighted from her sedan chair and stepped over a fire basin, symbolizing overcoming misfortune and turning bad luck into good fortune.

At the same time, Sixi, who was in charge of managing things in the courtyard, came over and handed Chen Jie a bow and three red arrows. He told Chen Jie to shoot three arrows at the sedan chair where the bride was sitting to drive away any evil spirits the bride had picked up on the way. Chen Jie had no other thoughts and shot the three arrows directly.

Once everything was ready, Sixi acted as the master of ceremonies and invited the bride and groom into the house.

At this moment, in the main hall of the city lord's mansion, there were three memorial tablets: one for Chen Jie's deceased maternal grandfather, Chen Yongwang; one for his mother, Chen Juan; and one for his father, who was his son-in-law.

Then on the other side were Prince Ruyang and Princess Ruyang. The two of them sat there. Chen Jie not only set up the memorial tablets, but also invited his first master, Bai Wenjing, who had helped him all the way, to be his elder.

Bai Wenjing was initially unwilling, but after Chen Jie's repeated requests, she couldn't resist his insistence and finally agreed to Chen Jie's idea to become his elder.

Of course, he was happy. After all, Chen Jiu Si was now a powerful figure, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him the King of Huangzhou. He himself was just a relatively unknown doctor in Mianshui County. Yet, Chen Jiu Si still respected him so much, which moved Bai Wenjing deeply. Chen Jiu Si was a grateful person!
With that thought in mind, the auditorium was finally set up, and then, witnessed by everyone, Chen Jie and Zhao Ya walked in.

The two were dressed in red wedding attire, holding a large red embroidered ball tied with red ropes on both sides, symbolizing their marriage. At this moment, Sixi said, "Please come forward, newlyweds."

Si Xi invited Chen Jie and the other man forward, and then began to recite today's oath.

"Joy: Today, the auspicious ceremony is completed, and the good marriage is established. Poems are recited on the theme of Guan Ju, and elegant songs are sung on the theme of Lin Zhi."

"May the auspicious leaves prosper for five generations, and may the blessings of the two southern regions be bestowed. May they be of one heart and one mind, and may their homes be harmonious and prosperous."

"We will treat each other with the utmost respect, enjoy eternal harmony like fish and water, help each other with sincerity, and pledge our vows as a pair of lovebirds. This is our testament."

After saying this, Sixi said, "Alright, my two beauties, bow to heaven and earth! May our land be safe and sound!"

"Bowing to our parents twice, wishing them good health and well-being."

"Husband and wife bow to each other, wishing to grow old together and never forget each other!"

"The ceremony is complete; both parties will now serve tea!"

At this moment, under Si Xi's arrangement, Chen Jie and Zhao Ya knelt in front of Bai Wenjing. Zhao Ya offered tea with both hands and said, "Master Bai, please have some tea!"

Bai Wenjing was very excited at this moment. After all, when had he, a wandering doctor, ever been served tea on his knees by a princess of the imperial court?
This honor made Bai Wenjing, who was in her sixties or seventies, a little flustered. At this moment, Bai Wenjing said, "Okay, okay."

As she spoke, she picked up her teacup and drank the tea. At this moment, Su Yunjin, who was watching the ceremony from the side, said, "On my wedding day with my husband, it was my mother-in-law who drank the tea. It's a pity that my mother-in-law has passed away for many years now."

After hearing Su Yunjin's words, Ma Xiuying said, "Don't be sad, sister. At least you've met your mother-in-law. When I married Chongba, I didn't even get to meet many of his family members."

Upon hearing this, Su Yunjin said, "Sister Ma is really pitiful. At least back then, quite a few people from the village came."

Hearing this, Huang Wan'er said, "Sisters, please don't say such things. I've been with my husband for so long and haven't even had a proper wedding. If we're talking about misery, I'm the one who's really miserable. If I ever get into a fight with a princess and she says I wasn't carried in by eight sedan chairs, I'll have to bang my head against the wall and die."

Upon hearing this, Su Yunjin looked at Huang Wan'er and said, "Sister Huang, the princess isn't that kind of person. Why do you feel that others would harm you?"

Upon hearing this, Huang Wan'er said, "Alas, although I am a person with a hard life."

Seeing Huang Wan'er like this, Ma Xiuying said, "Sister Huang, don't worry. Your husband is not an ungrateful person. On such an important occasion as today, he was willing to ask his first mentor to be his elder. This shows his sincerity. Therefore, you can rest assured that your future will be bright and your life will not be difficult."

Upon hearing this, Huang Wan'er looked at Ma Xiuying and said, "Sister Ma, you really have a keen eye for things."

The women chattered away, while on the other side, Chen Jie had switched places with Zhao Ya and knelt before the Prince and Princess of Ruyang.

The princess was a quiet and dignified woman. Regarding her daughter's marriage, she said that as long as her daughter was happy, that was all that mattered. However, what she was more concerned about now was that her son had been imprisoned.

Therefore, at this moment, the princess seemed to have something on her mind.

At this moment, the Prince of Ruyang regained his composure and looked at Chen Jie and Zhao Ya kneeling before him.

Chen Jie then took the teacup handed to him by Si Xi, raised it with both hands, and went to Prince Ruyang, saying, "Father-in-law, please have some tea!"

Prince Ruyang did not rush to take the teacup from Chen Jie's hand. Seeing that her father was hesitant to take the teacup, Zhao Ya became a little anxious. She looked up and saw Prince Ruyang looking at her with complicated eyes.

For a moment, Zhao Ya was speechless. However, after looking at Zhao Ya, the Prince of Ruyang couldn't help but sigh deeply, "Alas~"

After a sigh, Prince Ruyang looked at Zhao Ya and said, "Your father has done all he can. Whether you are happy or unhappy afterward is beyond your father's control. Do you understand?"

Hearing this, Zhao Ya nodded gently and said, "I understand."

Prince Ruyang turned to look at Chen Jie and said, "Chen Jiu Si!"

"Father-in-law."

Chen Jie immediately agreed. At this moment, the Prince of Ruyang said, "You know that I am not very satisfied with you. Whether it is your position or your family background, I am very dissatisfied with you."

"But I cannot ruin my daughter's happiness, so I am willing to entrust her to you. However, if you betray her in the future, whether Peng Yingyu or Liu Futong supports you, I will fight to the death to make you regret it. Do you hear me?"

Chen Jie said, "Father-in-law, please rest assured, my love for Ya Ya is higher than the sky and deeper than the sea. I will never let her down in this life!"

Prince Ruyang took the teacup and said, "I hope what you say today will be helpful."

He immediately took a sip of tea. Seeing that the Prince of Ruyang had drunk the tea, Chen Jie felt much more at ease. After all, as long as the prince drank the tea, it meant that he had accepted him. Although he was doing it for Ya Ya's sake, and although the prince was currently disapproving of him in various ways, it did not change the fact that he had accepted him.

The first step is the hardest part of a journey of a thousand miles. Now that the first step has been taken, things will be much simpler from here on out.

Thinking of this, Chen Jie once again picked up a cup of tea and offered it to Princess Ruyang, saying, "Please have some tea, Mother-in-law."

Princess Ruyang had a good opinion of Chen Jie. After all, Chen Jie had a handsome appearance and superb martial arts talent. With the support of martial arts, his physique and appearance were top-notch.

Our mother-in-law, who is somewhat of a looks-obsessed person, also felt that Chen Jie was like a mother-in-law looking at her son-in-law, the more she looked, the more attractive he became.

At this moment, the princess took the teacup and said, "Yes, treat our Ya Ya well from now on."

Chen Jie said, "Yes, Mother-in-law."

The princess drank a cup of tea, and that marked the completion of the ceremony. At this moment, Sixi spoke up: "Alright, the ceremony is complete. Next, the newlyweds should go to the bridal chamber to change their clothes. Then, there will be a welcoming ceremony."

Normally, at this stage, the couple should enter the bridal chamber and the groom should come out to greet the guests.

However, Zhao Ya has a special status and great influence, not to mention that some people came because of the prestige of the Prince of Ruyang's mansion.

Therefore, Chen Jie directly modified the rules. After the ceremony, the couple would change clothes and greet the guests, somewhat replicating the current wedding process.

However, Chen Jie was the most powerful figure in Huangzhou Prefecture, and his position gave him the authority to modify some wedding procedures.

As for the argument that Chen Jie's wedding ceremony was not in accordance with clan tradition, that's not a problem. Chen Jie has supported many scholars and usually treats them well with good food and drink. If they can't handle this matter properly, then it's their fault.

As the saying goes: Once I enter the pass, great scholars will naturally come to debate the classics for me.

So even though Chen Jie changed the system, there was still a group of people who were waiting to help Chen Jie find a place that conformed to etiquette, ready to debate etiquette with these nitpickers.

Therefore, Chen Jie and Zhao Ya went directly into the bridal chamber. Once inside, they found that everything was already prepared, including the chief maid Mo Lan, who had prepared a welcoming outfit.

Su Yunjin also sent her personal maid Yin Hongmei, and Huang Wan'er also sent her personal maid Du Juan.

The newlyweds were waiting there, and they were quickly dressed in welcoming outfits.

With everything prepared, Chen Jie and Zhao Ya went straight out to their location. Although they had already met many of the guests beforehand, they still needed to greet them again.

At this moment, Sixi stood at the door, took the list, and began to call out the names.

"Master Liu Futong of Yushan Mountain, accompanied by his granddaughter, has come to offer his congratulations, presenting a pair of golden dragon and phoenix ornaments and eighteen first-class martial arts manuals."

At this moment, Liu Futong stepped forward and said to Chen Jie, "I wish you a long and happy marriage."

Chen Jie clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Please, elder brother."

"Master Peng Yingyu, the Laughing Buddha, came to offer his congratulations and presented a string of sea-soul sandalwood prayer beads."

Peng Yingyu walked in with a smile and said, "Fourth brother, I'm just a poor monk, all I have is this Buddhist prayer bead I carry with me, so I'll give you a string of it."

Chen Jie said, "Second Brother is joking. I would be more than willing to have such a treasure."

"Haha, I'm glad you like it. I wish you a baby soon."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie took half a step back and said, "Please."

As Peng Yingyu left, the other guests entered one after another, including the wedding dress given by Feng Hongyuan and the top-grade pills given by Linglong of the Five Poisons Sect.

However, although it was strange, it did not attract much attention until Sixi started talking about it!

"Master Song of Wudang, along with his junior brothers Zhang Cuishan, Mo Shenggu, and Yin Liting, have come to offer their congratulations and bid you farewell."

Even Si Xi paused for a moment upon hearing this, before excitedly saying, "I'll present Master Zhang of Wudang with a piece of calligraphy personally written by him!"

(End of this chapter)