Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 199 Happy Spring and Sad People
"Yeah. That's right." Lu Wenzhao nodded.

"If you want to marry it, then go ahead. You are the head of the family anyway. What right do I, a woman, have to control you?" Although she said this, Hai Rou's emotions and expressions expressed the opposite.

"Rou'er." Lu Wenzhao tried to hold Hai Rou's hand, but Hai Rou avoided him. "Rou'er!" Hai Rou wanted to avoid him, but how could he avoid being "caught" by the Jinyiwei?

"." The moment Lu Wenzhao grabbed her, Hai Rou's tears fell silently. Although she had been married for some time, after all, Hai Rou was just a woman in her early twenties. How could she not feel wronged when her husband wanted to take a concubine for the first time? What's more, today was the first day of the Lunar New Year. "Husband, can't you wait until after the Lunar New Year to tell me?"

“.” Lu Wenzhao was silent.

Although generally speaking, taking a concubine didn't cost as much as marrying a wife, a few dozen taels of silver was still a considerable expense for Lu Wenzhao, and taking a concubine would also provide another mouth to feed. Therefore, for a long time, Lu Wenzhao had no intention of taking a concubine. If Hai Rou continued to be unable to give birth to a son, at most he would take in Ajiu, the maid who came with her as a concubine.

".Humph, man." Hai Rou pulled back her hand to wipe away her tears, rubbed her eyes, then raised her head and asked, "Whose girl is this? Did you pick her up while drinking?"

"What are you thinking? I don't have money to spend on wine and women. She is the niece of Luo Zhangwei, but I don't even know her name." Lu Wenzhao said.

Hai Rou was startled, then teased, "My husband is really capable. Have you asked father?"

"Lord Taishan knows." Lu Wenzhao's answer was ambiguous.

"." Hai Rou was silent for a while, then asked thoughtfully, "Could it be that my father is behind this?" Hai Rou knew too well what kind of person her father was.

Lu Wenzhao was slightly surprised by Hai Rou's sharpness. He thought for a moment and said, "Lord Taishan only mentioned it briefly. The main reason is that I want to establish a relationship with Lord Zhangwei."

Hai Rou roughly understood the whole story. Most likely, her father wanted to curry favor with Lord Luo, so he used his husband's promotion to ask for this marriage.

"How much money are you prepared to spend on the concubine ceremony?" Hai Rou calmed down and assumed the composure of a wife. Taking a concubine was a wife's duty. She could have her feelings, but she couldn't stop it. And after learning the recipient was Luo Sigong's niece, she felt a small surge of pride for her husband. Hai Zhentao was right; this was a very good match.

"One thousand taels." Lu Wenzhao replied.

"Oh! You didn't even give the Hai family a thousand taels as a betrothal gift, did you?" Hai Rou was first irritated, then shocked. "Wait, where did you get a thousand taels?" Hai Rou knew exactly how much money Lu Wenzhao had. The money he'd used to curry favor with the eunuchs had come from Hai Rou's dowry. Since he didn't use it, Lu Wenzhao returned the money to Hai Rou.

"." Lu Wenzhao turned his head away guiltily and did not answer.

"No way?" Hai Rou realized what was happening, but immediately opened her mouth in anger. "My father didn't give me this much as a dowry!" If you count the jewelry and the phoenix coronet and bridal gown that you could only wear once in your life, it wasn't much different.

"Oh, Miss Hai! When you go to pay New Year's greetings today, don't be angry with Lord Taishan." Lu Wenzhao quickly advised.

"Hmph." Hai Rou snorted. "Why should I be angry? My father-in-law paid for his son-in-law to buy a concubine. If anyone knows about it, everyone will laugh at him. If he's not ashamed, then I'm ashamed for him."

"Rou'er, no matter which family you are from or how much money I spent, the wife I, Lu Wenzhao, married with a formal matchmaker is you, and only you." Lu Wenzhao took Hai Rou into his arms.

"Slippery." Hai Rou was still very much fooled by this. She hugged him back and whispered in Lu Wenzhao's ear: "You must always be good to me."

------

On Lunar New Year's Day, the start of the new year, the entire capital, from the Forbidden City to the outer walls, is filled with a boisterous and joyous atmosphere. Every household is decorated with lanterns and colorful lights, and even candles, usually reluctant to use, are burned day and night as if they were free. The streets are bustling with people, and everyone dresses as respectfully as possible. They visit relatives and friends, pay New Year's greetings, and stay to show their best.

The merchants and vendors along the street naturally did not miss this rare business opportunity, and they put their pre-prepared handicrafts and snacks on the street to sell. Their figures could be seen everywhere in the two cities and thirty-six districts.

But if you were to ask where Beijing's busiest spot is, it would undoubtedly be the Lantern Festival. Normally, the Lantern Festival runs from the eighth day of the lunar month to the seventeenth, a total of nine days. However, due to the emperor's generosity, he granted the first day of the lunar month an opportunity for officials with free time to enjoy the festival. Thus, even before daybreak, the area between Zhaomingfang and Chengqingfang is already bustling with activity. Merchants from the provincial capital, rare treasures from the barbarians and Fujianese, antiques from the Three Dynasties and Eight Dynasties, and the daily necessities of all classes and classes all converged here.

The Forbidden City was bustling with activity, with dragons and lions dancing, drums beating, and gongs blaring. But to be honest, Zhu Changluo never quite enjoyed these performances. The dragon and lion dances were probably the only ones that piqued his interest. But to avoid spoiling the fun, he had to appear cheerful. Otherwise, the actors and actresses would likely receive a beating when they returned home, and the Jiaofang Bureau would collectively reflect on what went wrong and dampened the Emperor's spirit.

After watching the last play choreographed by the Jiaofangsi, Zhu Changluo finally breathed a sigh of relief.

After returning to the palace, he smiled and said to the four eunuchs who accompanied him: "You don't have to accompany me anymore. Go back and find some free time for yourselves."

"Everyone go away. Master, I will serve you here." Wang An said to everyone.

"You go back and rest too. Let the guards follow you." Zhu Changluo waved his hand.

"It's New Year's Eve, and I'm afraid they'll be clumsy and ruin the Master's mood." Wang An's face showed a kind and relieved smile. "Hehe. As long as I can serve the Master, everything is easy for me. I don't need any special free time. I always lived this way when I was in Ciqing Palace. I'm used to it. If I leave the Master, I really don't know how I'll spend the New Year."

"Well." Zhu Changluo chuckled and shook his head. "Follow me if you want."

------

The three eunuchs in charge of writing were walking almost side by side on the way out of the palace, but with a little observation, one could find that Wei Chao, as the chief eunuch, was half a step faster than the other two admirals who also held the factory seal.

"I have some business at the yamen, so I'll take my leave now." Wei Zhongxian couldn't wait to bow and take his leave as soon as he left Huangji Gate. He was going to the Western Factory to release Tian Ergeng, and then to use Xu Xianchun's head to beg for favors. Killing someone on the first day of the Lunar New Year was not something Wei Zhongxian could find unacceptable.

Wei Chao originally wanted to ask him if he had any news about Ke Yinyue, but since Wei Zhongxian had said goodbye, he could only say, "Goodbye."

"Oh." After Wei Zhongxian left, Wei Chao couldn't help but sigh.

"It's New Year's Day, it's unlucky to sigh." Cui Wensheng asked with concern, "What's wrong?"

"How did you spend the New Year in previous years?" Wei Chao asked as they walked. "You know, I'm from there. Naturally, I celebrate the way they do over there, and I rarely have any free time. How about you?" To avoid suspicion, Cui Wensheng had begun referring to Concubine Zheng as "over there."

"Every year, the Imperial Household Department organizes activities like 'lantern displays,' 'lion dancing,' and 'stilt walking.' They're pretty much the same as what people do in the countryside. Back when I was working in the Armory, I didn't have the chance to serve any masters, but now I have the time to go and watch. In previous years, Kebaba would come with me, make me dumplings, and feed me. At night, we'd sit in the courtyard and watch the fireworks. Alas!" He sighed again. "Your Majesty is so kind and has granted us this leisure time, but celebrating the New Year alone is truly lonely." Wei Chao's face darkened with worry as he recalled the past.

"Then we'll just make do with each other. Would you mind coming to my house for a drink?" Cui Wensheng quickly took over. He didn't want to discuss Ke Yinyue's affairs with Wei Chao at this time.

But Wei Chao was so worried and yearning that he insisted on asking about this matter. "Have you made any progress on the matter I asked you to investigate?"

"What's the matter?" Cui Wensheng raised his eyebrows and tried to fool around.

"Kebaba, my sweetheart. Didn't I ask you to help me find her whereabouts?" Wei Chao suddenly felt sad. "Didn't you forget?"

"Of course not! This is the job you assigned me." Cui Wensheng shook his head repeatedly.

"Then did you find out anything?" Wei Chao asked again.

"Let's talk about it after the New Year." Cui Wensheng said.

"If you have news, just tell me. Why wait until after the New Year?" Wei Chao suddenly stopped and looked at Cui Wensheng. "Bad news!?"

Cui Wensheng knew he had spoken out of turn and could no longer deceive people. But he did not answer directly. Instead, he said, "We have found her."

Cui Wensheng's explanation gave Wei Chao a sense of fantasy. He was stunned for a moment, then became excited. "You found her! Where is she?"

"The barbarians found him near a village about ten miles outside Chaoyang Gate," Cui Wensheng said mysteriously, "but let's talk about the specific circumstances somewhere else."

"Just tell me where she is, and I'll send someone to pick her up." Wei Chao seemed very anxious.

Wei Chao calculated the distance and time, and said, "It's only the 4th hour now. We can run back and forth in time and close the city gates."

"No need to leave the city, I have brought her back, near Longfu Temple." Cui Wensheng shook his head.

"Tell me the address and I'll go there now." Renshoufang, where Longfu Temple is located, is adjacent to Baodafang, which is located at the foot of the imperial city. It takes less than half an hour to walk back and forth from Dong'anmen.

"I'll take you there." Cui Wensheng sighed in his heart: Wei Chao is destined to have an unhappy year.

------

From Dong'anmen to Renshoufang, one would pass through the Lantern Market sandwiched between Zhaomingfang and Chengqingfang. To avoid causing unnecessary commotion, Wei Chao and Cui Wensheng did not ride in the Silijian's iconic sedan chair, but instead sat in a horse-drawn carriage without lanterns.

But when they reached the intersection where Nan, Bao, Zhao and Cheng districts met, they helplessly discovered that without a ceremonial guard to clear the way, it was almost impossible to move forward.

After being stuck in traffic on a Beijing street for a while, Cui Wensheng suddenly heard a voice, in an extremely arrogant tone, berating Cui Zhongqing, his driver. "Fuck you! Who are you, the brainless idiots, driving out here at this hour and getting stuck?"

"How can you talk like that?" Cui Zhongqing was very annoyed. But his godfather told him to stop causing trouble and not let the patrolling censor catch him and make a big deal out of it. So he could only hold his breath and said, "Can you be a little more polite?"

"I'm being polite! The Lantern Festival will start soon with sparklers and firecrackers. If you, a bastard, get stuck with our water trucks and can't get in, and we can't put out the fire, your whole family's heads won't be enough to chop off!" Because the surroundings were very noisy, the man was almost shouting when he spoke.

"Are you from the Bingmasi?" Cui Wensheng lifted the car curtain, revealing a head and a red collar.

White face and no beard, with a golden python crawling on his shoulders. The leading officer was immediately terrified: "Fuck, this is the eunuch in the palace who has been given a python robe. My life is over."

"Yes. I'm from the Water Dragon Bureau of the Central City Military Affairs Department. I've been ordered to take a water truck to the Lantern Festival to prevent a flood." The officer's arrogance vanished instantly. "I apologize for the inconvenience."

"Don't be silly. Go ahead and clear the way. I need to get to Shuangnian Street ahead." Cui Wensheng lowered the curtain and said, "Send me to the street entrance, then you can go back and continue tending your water truck." If a fire really started because the water truck wasn't in place, no one would be able to bear the consequences. Losing your head would be the least of your worries.

"Well, all right, please wait a moment." The officer bowed and called over a few soldiers to clear the way for Cui Wensheng's carriage. After the carriage left the intersection, the waterwheel of the military headquarters also turned right smoothly and entered the Lantern Market.

Arriving at Shuangnian Street, Cui Zhongqing drove the carriage around several corners before finally bringing them to a house that stood out from the surrounding auspicious New Year atmosphere. There were no spring couplets or lanterns hanging at the door, not even the red paper left over from the firecrackers. The desolation was palpable.

"Superintendent. Eunuch." The Dongchang guard guarding the gate was in casual clothes. As soon as he saw Cui Wensheng, he immediately came over to salute.

"Open the door." Cui Wensheng ordered.

"Yes!" Fanzi took out the key, unlocked the door and pushed it open.

"What the hell is going on?" Wei Chao frowned, because this place didn't look like it was inhabited by living people. If Wei Chao had to describe it, he would only think that this place was like a mourning hall without the white lanterns hanging.

"You'll find out once you get in." Cui Wensheng had no sexual interest in either men or women, and had never found a partner or a vegetable vendor. It was difficult for him to empathize with Wei Chao's plight. So he could only try his best to put on a miserable expression.

"Don't scare me." Wei Chao felt a bad premonition in his heart, and the muscles at the corners of his eyes began to twitch.

"Come on." After saying that, Cui Wensheng took the lead and walked in.

(End of this chapter)