Taiheiki

Chapter 125 Wedding
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They brought up the Luling County Magistrate and his son. Their hands were tied behind their backs, and a noose was placed around their necks. Liu Wu held the other end of the noose. Wearing only a single layer of clothing, his limbs were practically exposed to the freezing wind. "This county magistrate must have never seen A Song of Ice and Fire, otherwise he wouldn't have done something as foolish as breaking off the engagement, costing his entire family their lives!" Wei Cong thought to himself.

"Luling County citizen Liu Wu pays homage to the Captain of the Rebellion Suppression Division!" Liu Wu was the first to kneel, and those behind him followed suit. Wei Cong dismounted and helped them to their feet. "Everyone, get up! This time, we were able to take Luling without bloodshed, all thanks to you. According to the original agreement, you will be the Luling County Magistrate!" With that, Wei Cong waved his hand and presented the seal behind him. Wei Cong tied it around Liu Wu's waist and said with a smile, "For the affairs of Luling, I rely on you, Lord Liu!"

"I dare not!" Liu Wu thanked Wei Cong and pointed at the county magistrate and his son and said, "What should we do with these two thieves? I would like to ask the captain for instructions!"

Wei Cong had already learned from Guo Kui the reason for the feud between Liu Wu and the county magistrate. Naturally, he was too lazy to speak for the county magistrate: "Those who resist the royal army should be put to death!" He waved his hand, and the guards dragged the two men aside, cut off their heads and hung them on the top of the city wall for public display.

After capturing Luling City without a single drop of blood, Wei Cong immediately confiscated the treasury and obtained a list from Liu Wu, a list of his personal enemies. After dispatching troops to eliminate them one by one, he used their wealth to replenish the military treasury and incorporated their troops into the army. Afterwards, Wei Cong acted as a matchmaker, marrying Huang Ping to Liu Wu's daughter, the one the county magistrate had broken off their engagement with, which immediately strengthened the relationship between the two factions.

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Liu Wu’s house, wedding scene.

Evening was still an hour away, but the hall was already brightly lit, torches ablaze on every ledge. The guests who had arrived stood behind the long table, and in the wings were musicians Liu Wu had gathered from all over the place: drummers, lyre players, flute players, others playing horns, reed pipes, and other unfamiliar instruments Wei Cong couldn't recognize. The music, though discordant, was lively and spirited.

As the groom's chief minister and the most prominent person at the wedding, Wei Cong sat at the head of the table. He could feel the gazes from all sides, some curious, some fearful, and mostly surprised. He didn't care. He let them stare, talk, and speculate until they had said enough. He was past the point where he cared about others' opinions. In the coming months, he would act with steel, not words.

Huang Ping walked into the hall, dressed in a brocade robe and a travel cap, looking very energetic and presentable. Liu Wu, sitting to Wei Cong's right, smiled so hard that his eyes widened, clearly very pleased with his new son-in-law.

"It's really a cause for celebration that Mr. Liu has such a virtuous son-in-law!" Wei Cong raised his glass and smiled at Liu Wu.

"It's all thanks to my lord's kindness. I dare not repay it with my life!" Liu Wu hurriedly raised his glass and said with a smile.

"Today is an auspicious day. You must not talk about the word 'death' casually!" Wei Cong whispered.

"Thank you for your advice, sir!" Liu Wu bowed and thanked him humbly. The two drank the wine in their cups. Wei Cong saw that everyone was seated, so he stood up and shouted, "Fill the cup!"

The maids beside them hurriedly filled each guest's wine glass. Wei Cong raised his glass high and said, "Today is an auspicious day. Congratulations to the couple on their reconciliation!"

"Auspicious time, congratulations to the couple on their reconciliation!" The entire hall shouted in response, announcing the start of the wedding banquet. Wei Cong drank the wine in his glass, and the musicians on both sides began to work hard, making the atmosphere in the hall noisy. Dishes were served one after another like flowing water. The first dish was roast pork. The most delicious part was served to Wei Cong - pork ribs. The aroma was so fragrant that people couldn't help but salivate. Wei Cong pulled out the dagger from his waist, cut off a piece, dipped it in a little salt, put it in his mouth and chewed it. To be honest, the roasting skills were good, but it was a pity that there was no cumin. Wei Cong sighed in his heart.

As each dish was served, the atmosphere in the hall became lively. People put aside their doubts and worries and began to enjoy the food and wine. Wei Cong didn't eat much. His attention was more on the guests on both sides. These were probably the leading figures in Luling County, but compared to the guests he had seen when he had paid his respects at the Nie family in Cisang, their clothing and behavior were much more vulgar.

"Sir, is this dish not to your taste?" Liu Wu noticed Wei Cong and asked carefully.

"Oh!" Wei Cong smiled and said, "It's okay, but I see there are still many dishes to come, so I want to save some appetite, so as not to eat too much at the beginning and have no room to enjoy later!"

"I see!" A satisfied smile appeared on Liu Wu's ugly face. "You're right. We've prepared seventeen dishes today. Please enjoy them slowly. By the way, I heard you're from Hebei?"

"Not bad!" Wei Cong smiled. He casually took a piece from the plate in front of him and put it in his mouth. It tasted quite good. It seemed to be a mixture of corn, red dates, lotus seeds, and honey steamed together. In ancient times, any sweet food was very precious. After he took control of Lingnan, should he develop a sugar industry? Wei Cong's mind began to wander.

"I pay my respects to Captain Wei and the County Magistrate!"

Wei Cong put down his wine glass. This was his first guest of the day, but certainly not his last. He hadn't come to this wedding just to sample Liu Wu's seventeen-course meal. As an outsider, what better opportunity to showcase himself and integrate into the local community than at a wedding? He tried his best to show all eight teeth, offering the other person his most sincere smile.

"It is a great honor to see you today. Please!" Wei Cong drank the wine in the glass. He felt a hot current rushing from his throat and straight into his stomach. A burning feeling rushed from his abdomen to the top of his head.

……

puff--!
Wei Cong let out a long breath, forcing himself to suppress the alcohol surging in his chest. He had lost count of how many guests had come to toast him. The twentieth, perhaps the thirtieth. Who said undistilled liquor couldn't be intoxicating? It seemed that this ancient grain liquor, undistilled, would contain methanol. Damn, he couldn't be the first time traveler to die from methanol poisoning, could he?

"I pay my respects to Captain Wei, the County Master!"

"Who is this..." Wei Cong strained his eyes, sizing the man up and down. He was a man in his thirties, with a full beard and a neck as thick as a bull. His brocade robe seemed a little ill-fitting, a bit tight on him. He was looking at him nervously. "This man's name is Wu Ze, courtesy name Runping, and he's a patrol officer in this county!" Liu Wu introduced him.

"It's Wu Youjiao. Sit down and talk!" Wei Cong pointed to the side and motioned him to sit down.

"Thank you, Captain!" Wu Ze bowed and sat down with his knees bent. He hesitated for a moment and asked carefully, "I'd like to ask, after you take Luling County, will you stop here or continue?"

"Oh?" Wei Cong frowned. This visitor seemed a little different from the previous ones. "What if we stop here? What if we continue?"

"Captain, do you know that anyone who can come to the hall to drink today must first pay a congratulatory fee of 10,000 yuan!" Wu Ze asked.

"Ten thousand in congratulatory money? That's quite a lot!" Wei Cong subconsciously glanced at Liu Wu, thinking that this guy really was seizing the opportunity to make a fortune. But it didn't matter. If a person of high moral character and integrity were to betray the county magistrate and lure him into the city, he wouldn't do such a thing. Gentlemen are good, but he can't recruit them now! At this moment, he would use any monsters and demons that were useful.

"I am just a middle-class family!" Wu Ze tugged at his brocade robes. "I borrowed this ten thousand coins from a lender, using my land as collateral. Even this dress I'm wearing is a temporary loan from a friend. If the captain stops here, I'll have no choice but to return the clothes and sell my land to pay off my debts. But if you decide to go upstream and continue to take Gan County, I'm willing to bring my friends from the village with me to serve as your vanguard!"

"How do you know I will go to take Gan County?" Wei Cong asked.

"The captain has already taken Xingan and Luling, so one more Gan County won't make much difference. Anyway, it's a crime to capture one county, and it's also a crime to capture two counties, so we might as well take down a few more!" Wu Ze replied.

"Hahaha!" Wei Cong laughed when he heard this. This guy was quite interesting: "What are you capable of? Can you be my vanguard?"

"Captain, I've been a patrolman in my village for over a decade. The scoundrels who make their livings by digging graves, selling coins, and stealing donkeys and chickens all owe me some favors. Plus, the years have been rough, and many of the village's young men are struggling. I've helped quite a few of them in times of need. If anything were to happen, I could raise my arm and call on two or three hundred people who would risk their lives for me. I also have a sister who's married in Gan County. If I pretend to be on a mission and lead the charge into the city, I'd have some confidence."

"Alright, if this works, you'll be the magistrate of Gan County!" Wei Cong had made up his mind in a flash. While Wu Ze's plan sounded rather crude, historically, few successful strategies were sophisticated. They were often crude, but the executor was familiar with the situation, agile, and able to adapt to the circumstances, turning a 50% or 60% plan into an 80% or 90% success. Even if it didn't work, it would still be Wu Ze's men who would be the cannon fodder, and they wouldn't hurt him at all.

"Come here, call Guo Kui!" Wei Cong ordered Guo Kui to come over and said to Wu Ze, "This is my subordinate. You should discuss all matters with him. If there is anything you need, just speak up!"

"Thank you for your kindness, Captain!" Wu Ze's eyes immediately turned red when he heard this: "If I can't succeed this time, I won't come back alive!" After that, he picked up the short knife for cutting meat next to him, cut a wound on his hand, dripped the blood into the wine, drank it all, stood up and left without a care. Guo Kui hurriedly bowed to Wei Cong and followed him.

"I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, Captain, as I'm a country boy who doesn't know etiquette!" Liu Wu said somewhat embarrassedly.

"It's okay, he is a brave man! How can he be bound by etiquette?" Wei Cong said with a smile.

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Wu Ze was indeed decisive. After leaving Liu Wu, he returned home with Guo Kui the next day. Early in the morning, he ordered his wife and children to gather friends and relatives. He then brought out the family's oxen, slaughtered them, and cooked the meat for the guests. Just after noon, guests arrived in groups of three or four. Guo Kui could see clearly from the sidelines. Each of them had dark skin, often dressed in short, brown robes, with unkempt hair, hemp or straw sandals, and many with facial scars. Almost all carried swords or ring-handled knives at their waists, and several even had bows and quivers. These guests seemed familiar with the Wu household. Some sat down on the porch, some went to help in the kitchen, some went to chop wood in the backyard, and some came in, looked around, and then left again. A moment later, they returned with a pot of wine, a chicken, half a dog, and two bundles of vegetables, which they brought to the kitchen.

When the beef was cooked, Wu Ze ordered his wife and children to bring it up. Everyone gathered around and took some meat to eat. No one argued or laughed, but there were whispers among people who knew each other. The atmosphere was very strange.

Around the time of Shen, Wu Ze came out from the kitchen, took some water to wash himself, and came to the back hall. At this time, there were already more than a hundred people in the courtyard below the hall. When everyone saw him, they stood up and bowed, greeting him in a low voice. It was obvious that Wu Ze was quite prestigious among these people.

"Is everyone here?" Wu Ze looked around and asked in a deep voice, "Where's Wang Nandang from Qujiapozi? Where's Hu Tuzi from Lingjiaowa? Where's Song Feihu from Yugang?"

"Wang Nan caught a cold today, let me ask for leave for him!" someone in the crowd said.

"Fenghan? What about Hu Tuzi? Who knows why he hasn't come yet?" Wu Ze asked.

"I know!" A loud voice came from outside the door, and a low cry of surprise came from the door. Then Guo Kui saw a tough-looking young man walk in with a bloody cloth bag in his hand. He bowed to Wu Ze and said, "Song Hu meets Brother Wu. Please forgive me for being late. Last time, when we were doing the ritual, Hu Tuzi said that the tunnel collapsed and buried the people who went with him. Only he escaped back. In fact, he embezzled the benefits and buried the people who went with him. When I found out, I took his head. It's all here!" After that, he opened the cloth bag, and saw the head of a middle-aged man with half of his head bald. There were also seven or eight gold and silver objects next to it. They should be the burial objects that he embezzled.

Wu Ze stepped forward, picked up the gold and silver items, took a look, and snorted coldly: "They are indeed funerary objects. This guy is so cruel. Last time he went with his nephew, he was so cruel! Well done! This kind of heartless person should have been killed long ago. Yu Cheng, sell these items and give them to the wives and children of the deceased last time!"

"Here!" An experienced man next to him responded and stepped forward to collect the head and gold and silver utensils.

(End of this chapter)