Aoyama

Chapter 432 Marriage
Haishi.

Outside the Wendan Hall.

Maids and servants came and went in an endless stream. The servants were busy climbing ladders to replace the candles in the lanterns, while eight maids waited in the distance, each carrying a food box containing abalone soup, mutton soup, chicken soup, white fungus soup, wontons, scallion oil noodles, shrimp noodles, and so on.

These foods are all served in white porcelain bowls, with a small white porcelain stove underneath, inside which a candlestick is lit, so they are always hot no matter when you eat them.

Inside the Wendan Hall.

Grand Secretary Chen sat in a grand chair with his eyes closed, resting. Chen Ji sat in the chair to his left, slowly sipping his tea.

Neither of them wanted to speak first.

When Chen Xu, dressed in a black Taoist robe, arrived at the door, he cupped his hands and said, "Patriarch, Qi Xianshu, Hu Junye, and Yang Zhan have arrived. They all have important matters to discuss. Who should we bring first?"

The Qi and Hu families also lived on Fuyou Street, and the Yang family lived on Xuanwumen Street. They were all just a few steps away, so news spread quickly and people arrived quickly.

Grand Secretary Chen put down his teacup: "Qi Xianshu."

Chen Xu bowed and took his leave: "Yes."

Chen Ji pondered for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "Patriarch, it's getting late. Isn't it too hasty to finalize the marriage today?"

Grand Secretary Chen looked at Chen Ji and said slowly, "A man without a wife has no head of the household, and a woman without a husband has no pillar in her house. You are young and impetuous, but lack composure. When you get married and have someone to rely on, things will be different. Only then will you be able to stand on your own and take on great responsibilities."

Chen Ji hesitated: "But so many people are coming..."

"What, do you feel a little awkward that I've called so many people here to discuss marriage?" Grand Secretary Chen smiled and said, "There's an old saying that men fear choosing the wrong career and women fear marrying the wrong man. In reality, marriage is the same for both men and women. Marrying the wrong wife or the wrong man is a major life event. You have to choose carefully to avoid making a mistake."

Chen Ji remained silent.

Grand Secretary Chen waved his hand: "Go wait outside the hall. Such an important life event will be decided by your elders."

Chen Ji remained silent for a moment, then stood up and cupped his hands in greeting: "Yes."

He walked out of the courtyard of the Wendan Hall and exhaled a long, stale breath.

The hall was filled with the smell of candlelight, while the air outside was much fresher.

But then they heard footsteps coming from the north.

Chen Ji turned his head and saw four sedan chair bearers carrying a small green silk sedan chair walking briskly along the bluestone road. The bearers walked very fast, but the sedan chair did not sway at all, and even the tassels hanging from the top of the sedan chair did not move.

The sedan chair landed outside the Wendan Hall, and the sedan bearers used bamboo strips to lift the curtain: "Master, we have arrived."

Qi Xianshu bent down to get out of the sedan chair. He smoothed the wrinkles on his clothes, turned his head and saw the traces outside the Wendan Hall. He immediately smiled and said, "I just saw you at Renshou Palace tonight. I didn't expect to see you again so soon. Nephew Chen, you sobered up quickly. I thought you would sleep until dawn. If you had woken up earlier, Lord Zhang wouldn't have had to carry you out of the palace."

This was a joke about Chen Ji pretending to be drunk outside Renshou Palace, and Zhang Zhu carrying Chen Ji out of the palace. The story had already spread like wildfire before dawn.

Chen Ji remained calm and composed, saying, "Lord Qi, the patriarch is waiting in the Wendan Hall."

Qi Xianshu didn't rush in, but looked Chen Ji up and down: "Does the twenty strokes of the cane still hurt?"

Chen Ji was slightly taken aback: "It doesn't hurt. Thank you for your concern, Lord Qi."

Qi Xianshu patted him on the shoulder: "Don't be so polite. My unfilial son has become much bolder since following you. He calls me 'Master' this and 'Master' that every day. I'm sick of hearing it."

At this moment, Qi Xianshu changed the subject: "However, he is not mature enough yet. After we become family, he will need to learn more from you. You should also take good care of him and guide him well. Only by following you can he achieve great things."

Chen Ji dared not respond.

Qi Xianshu laughed and walked into the Wendan Hall. As he crossed the threshold, he smiled and bowed, saying, "Elder Chen, it has been a while since Qi Xianshu last paid his respects to you."

Grand Secretary Chen said hoarsely, "We see each other every day, so there's no need for a formal visit."

As he spoke, Chen Xu waved his hand outside the Wendan Hall, and immediately a servant stepped forward to close all eight vermilion doors, thus shutting out the sound inside.

Before discussing marriage, there are naturally bigger things to discuss.

The traces suddenly felt absurd.

In the Wendan Hall, they were discussing his marriage: which family he would marry into, when to hold the betrothal ceremony, when to ask his name, when to hold the auspicious date selection, when to present the betrothal gifts, when to set the wedding date, and when to hold the wedding procession...

But he stood outside the door, as if none of this concerned him.

……

……

Chen Ji looked up at the night sky, where dark clouds gathered, threatening rain.

Chen Xu stood beside him, his hands tucked into his sleeves, without uttering a word.

Under Chen Xu's astonished gaze, Chen Ji went to the maid and opened the food boxes. The first box contained chicken soup, which Chen Ji picked up and drank in one gulp. The second box contained abalone congee, which he shoveled into his mouth several spoonfuls. The third box contained crab congee…

He'd only drunk alcohol since waking up this morning, without eating a single bite. When Yangyang got him the alcohol, she didn't even think to get him a couple more pounds of beef to go with it; he could only drink it dry.

Chen Ji devoured the midnight snack in the food box as if no one else was there. The maid looked to Chen Xu for help: "He's finished eating. What will the master eat?"
Chen Xu shook his head slightly, then waved his hand: Go to Shengxin's place.

At this moment, the door of the Wendan Hall was pushed open from the inside, and Qi Xianshu said loudly, "My lord, I will go back and discuss this with my father. We will have a decision before sunrise and then come back to report to you!"

As he passed by Chen Ji, he smiled and patted Chen Ji on the shoulder: "Young and promising!"

Having said that, he then got into the sedan chair.

Chen Xu turned back to look into the Wendan Hall. In the candlelight, Grand Secretary Chen waved his hand and then turned to invite Yang Zhan of the Yang family to the Wendan Hall for a meeting.

Yang Zhan also arrived in a sedan chair. After getting off, he looked Chen Ji up and down like Qi Xianshu: "Good, good, good, a handsome man. I heard Yang Yang speak highly of you. Today he went to find you, and I didn't stop him."

Chen Ji cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Lord Yang."

Yang Zhan's eyes darted around for a moment: "The Qi family is always wavering, the Hu family has always been reckless, both of them are disliked by His Majesty, only my Yang family..."

Chen Xu interrupted from the side, gesturing, "Lord Yang, this way please."

Yang Zhan smiled and said no more.

He turned and stepped into the Wendan Hall, where the eight vermilion doors closed once more.

Standing beside Chen Ji, Chen Xu said gently, "The Yang family has been a vassal of the Xu family for many years, and they have been suppressed by the Xu family in the south. Now that Grand Secretary Xu is seriously ill and Prince Fu is in power, it is a good opportunity for them to establish their own power. Therefore, among these three families, the Yang family is the most anxious."

Chen Ji glanced at Chen Xu in surprise, but the other man was looking into the distance, as if his words hadn't been addressed to him. Chen Xu said slowly, "If you're still hungry, the servants will bring more food later."

Chen Ji shook his head: "I'm full."

Overnight, the world became a little kinder to him.

After an incense stick had burned, Yang Zhan left with a smile on his face, though it was unclear what he and Grand Secretary Chen had discussed.

But this time, before Chen Xu could even invite the Hu family, they came on their own.

On the distant bluestone road, Hu Junye, a burly man with a powerful stride, was not riding in a sedan chair.

As he passed by Yang Zhan's sedan chair, he casually said to it, "Your Yang family should sort out your own affairs first, and stop coveting things that don't belong to you."

Yang Zhan, sitting in the sedan chair, said in a deep voice, "Does the Hu family really think that Prince Fu has victory in his grasp and doesn't need anyone else's help?"

Hu Junye calmly said, "My Hu family is upright and honorable; we can win and we can lose."

Yang Zhan sneered, "You'd better watch yourself. Get out of here."

As the Yang family's sedan chair drove away, Hu Junye loomed over them like a mountain.

Chen Ji looked him over carefully and could see a resemblance to Hu Junxian, the General of Guyuan, in him.

Hu Junye approached Chen Ji and said in a deep voice, "Hu Junxian mentioned you in a letter he wrote home. You were doing well in Guyuan, unlike the Chen family."

Chen Ji was taken aback.

Chen Xu coughed lightly: "Lord Hu, this way..."

Hu Junye ignored him and continued, “A disciple of the Wang Daosheng sect should be destined to be associated with my Hu family. But my Hu family has no suitable woman to offer you. I am not here today for such a trivial matter as marriage. With your skills, you should not waste them on such petty things.”

Chen Ji was at a loss for words.

Hu Junye walked past him and strode into the Wendan Hall, getting straight to the point: "Your Excellency, I like this young man. He has now been dismissed from the Imperial Guard and should be sent to the Ministry of War for training. After six years as a secretary and six years as a vice minister, he will be sent to Taiyuan Prefecture, where all the border troops of the prefecture will be under his command."

The Hu family spoke too directly. Before the Chen family servants could even close the eight vermilion doors, Hu Junye had already laid out all his words in front of Grand Secretary Chen.

Only after Hu Junye uttered his last word did the red gate slowly close.

The discussion inside the Wendan Hall lasted a full half hour before Hu Junye finally came out.

He patted Chen Ji on the shoulder: "Hu Junxian said that Guyuan can't keep you, so go to the Ministry of War, go to Taiyuan Prefecture. With a major war between the two dynasties imminent, it's the perfect time to make a name for yourself and be ennobled."

After saying that, Hu Junye strode away.

Like a king of horses on the grasslands, he arrives with a roar like an arrow and departs with a fierce and imposing presence.

……

……

Inside the Wendan Hall, Grand Secretary Chen slowly said, "Come in."

Chen Ji stepped into the Wendan Hall and politely cupped his hands, saying, "May I ask which school the head of the family has chosen?"

Grand Secretary Chen stroked his beard: "No choice."

Chen Ji was taken aback.

Grand Secretary Chen closed his eyes: "Wait a little longer."

An hour passed, and if Chen Ji hadn't heard snoring, he would have almost thought the other person had fallen asleep.

Just then, Chen Xu whispered from outside the door, "Master, it's midnight."

Grand Secretary Chen opened his eyes and looked at Chen Ji: "If he hasn't arrived by midnight, then he won't be coming."

Chen Ji asked in confusion, "Who is the patriarch waiting for?"

Grand Secretary Chen smiled and said, "Of course we'll wait for the Zhang family."

Chen Ji was silent for a moment: "Is it because the conditions offered by those three companies weren't good enough?"

“Chen Ji, not everything in this world has to be a business transaction,” Chen Ge Lao said, slowly rising as he leaned on the armrest. “Business can be discussed anytime, but matters like marriage can only be discussed once. How do you judge whether something is good enough or not? In my opinion, the best thing is that you like it.”

Chen Ji remained silent.

Grand Secretary Chen walked to the front of the Wendan Hall, stood on the threshold and sighed, "You and Miss Zhang shared joys and sorrows in Guyuan, and your understanding was unparalleled in the capital. You are naturally more suitable than others. Life is short, and it is a great blessing to be able to choose someone you like. You are a member of the Chen family, so you are naturally more fortunate than others... But why didn't the Zhang family come?"

Chen Ji suddenly had a thought.

Chen Liqin once said that the eldest son's family would do everything possible to win people's hearts and make Chen Ji stay in the eldest son's family wholeheartedly and do his best for the eldest son's family.

They would wait for the third branch of the family to arrange a similar marriage for Chen Ji, and then use a better one to outdo the third branch.

Chen Liqin was skilled in factional struggles and familiar with the behavior of the first wife's family, but his vision was still limited.

He thought the best arrangement for the eldest son's family would be to choose a wealthy and powerful family, someone with immense wealth and influence.

But Grand Secretary Chen was more astute than Chen Liqin. He didn't give Chen Ji money and power, but instead gave him the opportunity to choose the one he liked best.

Throughout history, raising loyal followers has never relied solely on money and power; only affection and conviction can nurture true loyal followers.

That's true brilliance.

Grand Secretary Chen smiled and looked at Chen Ji: "Since the Zhang family hasn't come, I'll personally visit them tomorrow. I'm sure Lord Zhang won't refuse me that favor."

However, at this moment, Chen Ji remained silent for a long time before bowing and saying, "Patriarch, Qi Zhaoning is doing well."

Grand Secretary Chen paused slightly, then slowly said, "Then let's go with Qi Zhaoning."

　Recommendation: "The Golden Chapter of the Primordial Beginning" is a fantasy novel by Wuwai Jiangshan.

(End of this chapter)