Chapter 1 The Wedding Procession

The welcoming procession was underway.

Ji Chenjue sat high on his white horse, a reserved smile on his face, but exuding a genuine confidence and composure.

It had been a long, long time,

Really a long, long time.

He was clearly a prince,

But he had forgotten the last time he had carried himself like this in front of outsiders.

A joyous occasion naturally brought joy. Perhaps his only regret was that Zheng wasn't here. If he were riding beside him as his best man, today would be truly perfect.

It was a pity that Zheng couldn't see him in all his glory today.

The procession passed the front street and soon encountered another procession, this one composed of floats. These weren't wheeled floats, but rather platforms carried by anywhere from a dozen to nearly a hundred strongmen, adorned with exquisite decorations.

On each float,

Either graceful young women danced,

Or veiled maidens displayed their singing voices,

Or someone played the qin and recited poetry, or a pipa emitted crisp sounds,

Or fair-skinned male courtesans recited poetry and composed prose, even more charming than the women,

Or throngs of alluring women swayed their skirts, creating fragrant breezes.

Their appearance drew the attention of several nearby streets, and a constant stream of people flowed toward them.

When the welcoming procession approached,

The floats actively moved aside.

As Ji Chenjue rode past on his horse,

He heard respectful chants:

"Xunfang Pavilion wishes the master a happy wedding!"

"Michun Garden wishes the master a harmonious marriage!"

"Xilan Pavilion wishes the master an early birth of a son!"

"Fuliu Terrace wishes the master happiness and bliss!"

"Niu Lang House wishes the master harmony and beauty!"

Ji Chenjue simply smiled and waved in response.

Yanjing was a good place. It was no exaggeration to say it was the most prosperous and deeply rooted place in the entire Great Yan. Even if it couldn't compare to the misty Jiangnan region of the Qian Kingdom, a paradise on earth, there were certainly no shortage of things to do and enjoy.

Today,

Every renowned pleasure establishment in Yanjing sent out its top courtesan.

Normally, even if your purse was bulging, catching a glimpse of them was a matter of luck. But today, they were all acting like street performers, appearing here simply to attract attention, simply to boost the prestige of their benefactor, the Sixth Prince, on his wedding day!

Their appearance instantly drew a huge crowd. The majority of Yanjing's population began to gather here.

This was a very practical matter.

The officials of the court chose to remain indifferent to the Sixth Prince's wedding, because they would likely be eating from the Crown Prince's table in the future.

But these brothels showed unparalleled enthusiasm, for the simple reason that they were currently eating from the Sixth Prince's table!

"Big guy, why did you put the banner away again?"

The sword servant, sitting on Fan Li's shoulders, asked.

"No need to hang it," Fan Li replied.

"Who told you to hang it? Master?"

"Yeah, Master originally wanted me to hang it during the Sixth Prince's wedding, but now I don't think there's any need."

Why no need?

Because the banner was embroidered with: The entire Jia-ranked girls of Yihong Courtyard wish His Highness the Sixth Prince a happy wedding!

However, after seeing this scene, even the simple-minded Fan Li felt that there was no need to hang the banner.

Master, it's not that I'm not listening to you, it's just that they don't care about these things at all, because he himself is the biggest madam in the capital.

…

"Outrageous!"

On the south wall of the imperial palace, the Yan Emperor stood, listening to the reports from the eunuchs who came in batches. After hearing this scene, he spat out these two words directly.

For a dignified prince of the Great Yan to be involved in this kind of business, wouldn't that make him a laughingstock?

However, the effect was clearly visible. Standing on the city wall, the Yan Emperor could clearly see that in the streets within sight, people were flowing toward the welcoming procession.

A wedding, a wedding, if you want to make a scene, how can you do it without people?

Wei Zhonghe stood beside him, bowing and trembling.

Even he, a eunuch, found this inconceivable. Most importantly, the Secret Intelligence Division had failed to uncover this relationship. It seemed that the Sixth Prince wasn't directly involved in the business, but rather chose someone to act as the boss, while he hid behind the scenes.

At the same time, the apparent bosses were all facades for various powerful figures, which added another layer of cover, making people mistakenly believe that they were properties under the powerful figures.

At this thought, Wei Zhonghe subconsciously swallowed. Although the powerful figures willing to engage in this kind of business wouldn't be very high-ranking, because the truly powerful ones cared about their reputation, it was enough to show that the Sixth Prince had secretly woven a web, and he hadn't noticed its existence at all?

Looking at His Majesty's reaction, it was as if he didn't know about it beforehand either.

It seemed that his colleague hadn't been without oversights in his investigation.

But after the anger,

The Yan Emperor's fury shifted to the Ministry of Revenue.

"Those good-for-nothing officials in the Ministry of Revenue!"

Wei Zhonghe breathed a sigh of relief. Yes, he hadn't been able to find out because His Majesty hadn't explicitly ordered him to investigate thoroughly. Although he had paid some attention to it usually, the intensity was different after all.

But His Majesty had specifically issued an order to the Ministry of Revenue to take over the Sixth Prince's industries.

Therefore,

Were the brains of those useless officials in the Ministry of Revenue filled with nothing but greasy roast duck?

Even Quan Delou's roast duck restaurant,

Its income had dropped by 50% since the Ministry of Revenue took over!

…

A group of floats carrying courtesans attracted a large crowd. Because these floats followed the welcoming procession, the places the procession passed were even more crowded.

As the procession entered Hundred Flowers Street,

A chorus of shouts came:

"Zhao Si Hai, the shopkeeper of Nanwang Trading Company, congratulates the young master, begin!"

"Begin!"

"Begin!"

"Begin!"

On the street, a group of men wearing red silk appeared, holding heavy baskets filled with copper coins and silver fragments.

Accompanied by the word "Begin!" being shouted,

A rain of money began to fall on the street.

This was a genuine rain of money, real money. Usually, when nobles get married, they would also scatter lucky money, but that was just to bring good luck. Usually, only children would rush to pick it up from the ground, and adults would be too embarrassed to bend down, because there wasn't much of it.

But facts proved that restraint and face were only present when there wasn't enough money.

Once there was enough money, these things would have been thrown to Java long ago.

As the silver coins poured down,

The people went crazy, and the atmosphere exploded.

The old and young men, women, and wives of Yanjing were also generous. They picked up your money, but they didn't forget to say auspicious words.

"May the Sixth Prince's wedding be auspicious, may the Sixth Prince's good fortune be prolonged," it was truly a rising wave of blessings.

It was no exaggeration to say that

Even when the Yan Emperor's carriage left the palace, the people's shouts of "Long Live the Emperor" weren't as boisterous and lively as this!

After seeing this scene, some elderly people in Yanjing couldn't help but think of the past.

Back then,

It was also a prince's wedding.

There had been exactly the same scene.

Exquisite thirty-two-carriage palanquin,

The rain of money that fell from the sky,

The shocking and luxurious extravagance,

This scene,

Had once appeared in Yanjing, and today, it was being reenacted.

However,

The prince who rode the white horse back then was now the supreme ruler, having conquered territories and expanded borders, truly a magnificent ruler.

And the beautiful woman who sat in the palanquin and married had long since passed away, and even her tomb and spirit tablet couldn't be found.

The Min family, which had organized the most extravagant wedding in the history of Great Yan, had disappeared into the past even earlier than the aristocratic families.

One trading company after another,

One shopkeeper after another,

Constantly announced their names,

Some of them were originally in Yanjing, but many had rushed back from afar, just to attend the wedding of their benefactor, their young master.

For those shopkeepers who had been personally supported by Ji Chenjue, today was a day for them to shine.

And for those remnants of the Min family's old leaders, today was a day for them to reminisce about the past, to remember the Min family, which had once traded in the East and extended its reach to the West.

Children's carnival, middle-aged people abandoning their restraint, old people reminiscing about the past because they couldn't squeeze in,

Scene after scene, event after event, were destined to be remembered by the people of Yanjing for another twenty or thirty years!

And at this time, in the midst of the noisy and fanatical crowd, a pair of teary-eyed father and son were destined not to attract anyone's attention.

Ji Chenjue's gaze,

Couldn't help but look toward the imperial palace again.

It was too far away,

So he couldn't possibly see the figure standing on the imperial city wall,

But there seemed to be a feeling in the dark.

What you can see,

What you can see,

You, have you seen it?

I can make money, I can manage, I can let the Min family's industries continue to flourish, I can create wealth with my skillful hands.

Today,

I'm revealing my cards,

Just to show you, you have to watch carefully, Father Emperor!

Don't you want to sweep the world and replace Xia with Yan?

Don't you want to expand your territory and become a great emperor of all time?

I can provide you with financial support, I can manage for you, I can maintain it for you, I can help you achieve your long-cherished wish.

Of course, you can suppress me again as before, deprive me of everything, and punish those associated with me,

But are you willing to,

Are you willing to let your long-cherished wish, your grand ambition, flow eastward like this?

…

Wei Zhonghe saw that His Majesty was silent.

As a servant,

He didn't dare to try to guess the Emperor's thoughts at this time.

Was His Majesty angry?

Angry that his son had been hiding things from you for many years?

Or perhaps,

This familiar scene today,

Made His Majesty think of that woman from back then?

The woman who, as soon as she entered the palace, had made two sets of new clothes and issued bonuses to all the servants in the palace?

Wei Zhonghe could still remember the scene when he was just a small eunuch in the palace, receiving the red envelope from that woman. At that time, he only felt that the red envelope in his hand was very heavy.

"You're called Wei Zhonghe?"

"Yes, this humble servant's lowly name is Wei Zhonghe."

"Do you have family?"

"This servant is an orphan."

"That's a pity, people can't even give your family money to win them over.

Why don't you quickly adopt a godson? My father told me that money is like a stone on the mountain if you can't spend it."

"Master..."

"What's wrong?"

"This servant is still Sun Gonggong's godson."

"Okay, then tell me when you're ready to adopt a godson, and I'll help you buy houses and fields. You're His Highness's personal attendant, so I have to win you over. Don't be embarrassed. Oh dear, am I being too obvious? Is it making things difficult for you?"

"Master..."

"It's okay, tell me secretly next time. You have to be more ambitious too. It's no fun always being someone's godson."

Somehow,

Wei Zhonghe suddenly remembered the scene of the Min family's master marrying into the palace.

Now,

He, Wei Zhonghe, was the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial of the Great Yan, in charge of the Secret Intelligence Division.

Not to mention grandsons, he had countless godsons. When the young eunuchs in the palace saw him, they had to call him their ancestor.

But that Min family's master,

Couldn't see his prestige today.

Suddenly,

Wei Zhonghe's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly recited the Qi Refining incantation to forcibly suppress these external thoughts in his body.

Then,

He looked up with some fear and saw that His Majesty was still silent with his back to him, and Wei Zhonghe felt a little relieved.

Some people, some things,

The master could reminisce, could remember, could be sentimental,

But if they, as servants, dared to show the slightest bit of it, it would be truly eternal damnation!

…

The welcoming procession passed Hundred Flowers Street and arrived at the entrance of the Lu residence.

The entrance of the Lu residence had been decorated with lanterns and banners.

At the same time, all the men, women, old, and young of the Lu family were standing outside, waiting for the procession.

Not long after the news of the welcoming procession's arrival was reported, the Old Madam, wearing her official robes, walked out with a cane in her left hand and supported by a maid in her right hand.

Ji Chenjue, sitting on his horse, quickly dismounted,

Walked to the Old Madam and knelt down:

"Grandma, your grandson is getting married today."

The Old Madam reached out and touched Ji Chenjue's face and said:

"Little Six, after getting married, you're really an adult, you're really grown up. You have to be upright and not be so unruly anymore."

"Thank you for your teachings, Grandma, your grandson will remember it."

At this moment, Lu Bing, standing on the steps at the door, said:

"It's not so easy to marry my daughter."

As soon as he finished speaking,

A group of Lu family members spread out couplets, riddles, and so on. When commoners get married, they might drink and play some tricks to make things difficult for the groom, but noble families had to pay more attention to elegance.

Lu Bing pointed to these things behind him and smiled:

"If you can't answer them all, you can't enter my Lu family's door."

Ji Chenjue nodded, with a smile on his face.

After a while,

A group of young officials wearing official robes, clearly having just taken leave, walked out. They were all Jinshi talents selected through the imperial examinations of the Great Yan.

For a moment, the originally noisy scene suddenly quieted down.

Because the previous liveliness was forcibly created by the shopkeepers, and no officials had appeared.

But now, the appearance of these people marked an unusual atmosphere.

Even Lu Bing's eyes narrowed slightly.

Some things had been noticed by the court大佬s through the downfall of the Minister of Revenue, but because the imperial examination was a national policy personally decreed by His Majesty to be passed down, no one really dared to investigate these officials of Jinshi background, who were not very numerous.

But today, there was no need to investigate, because they had taken the initiative to come out.

Dozens of young officials bowed deeply to Ji Chenjue:

"We wish our benefactor a happy wedding and an early birth of a son!"

Ji Chenjue waved his hand impatiently,

Pointed ahead,

And said:

"Stop dawdling, answer the questions for me first!"

…

Wei Zhonghe's breathing slowed down a lot at this time.

Jinshi,

The Emperor's disciples,

Dared to appear together and publicly call a prince their benefactor. What did this mean? What exactly did this mean!

Wei Zhonghe knew that the nature of the matter had changed.

What the Sixth Prince was showing now was no longer just being good at business, but clearly announcing to the world that he, Ji Chenjue, was cultivating his confidant ministers, supporting his wings,

He,

Was vying for the throne!

Because these things could only be done legitimately by the Crown Prince, and even if other princes wanted to collude with some ministers in secret, they only dared to do it secretly. How could they be so blatant?

Wei Zhonghe carefully looked at the Yan Emperor again,

He found that the Yan Emperor's hand was trembling slightly.

At this time,

The Yan Emperor's eyes were slightly sunken,

Waves of eunuchs kept running back and forth, describing the scenes happening at the wedding.

It was as if a cycle of fate was being replayed today.

Back then,

He had personally experienced the terrifying wealth of his father-in-law, the Min family.

They used money to pave the way, to connect with people, and to support officials. Money, like river water, filled every gap in the ground beneath their feet.

However,

Replay was a replay,

Cycle was a cycle,

But the pressure and depth of the past were gone.

It wasn't because he was now the supreme ruler, with power concentrated in himself.

It was because,

The host of that wedding,

Had changed from the ambitious old patriarch of the Min family,

To his son.

While Wei Zhonghe was cautiously waiting for His Majesty's rage,

He suddenly heard the Emperor's scolding laughter:

"Heh, this little beast."