The wedding of the Zhuangyuan, for the Zhe and Han families, was a rare occasion of great joy.
To make the wedding as splendid as possible, both Zhe Kecun and Han Jiayan had put in considerable effort.
Even with food prices soaring, the Zhe and Han families still purchased large quantities of chicken, duck, and fish.
The Han family directly borrowed seventy-two master chefs from the seventy-two established restaurants, along with assistants, bringing the total to over two hundred people.
A continuous feast was set up in the streets, where anyone who came to offer congratulations and say a word of good wishes could join the meal.
Of course, the truly distinguished guests were directly welcomed into the Han residence.
The Grand Princess personally oversaw the arrangements, and Han Jiayan personally wrote the invitations. Most of the officials in the imperial court who were in the capital received an invitation.
Han Mo's performance at the Qionglin Banquet had already amazed everyone.
Anyone who wasn't blind could see that the future of Han Mo, the new Zhuangyuan, was absolutely limitless.
After all, he hailed from a distinguished family, possessed astonishing literary talent, handled matters with grace, was mature beyond his years, harbored deep thoughts, had a handsome appearance, and was also exceptionally skilled in martial arts. Most importantly, such a person was deeply favored by the Emperor.
With so many virtues concentrated in one person, if such an individual didn't achieve great success, it would be an offense to heaven itself.
"His Highness Prince Xin has arrived!"
On such a day, the venue was naturally filled with guests.
When Zhao Zhen arrived, the Crown Prince and Prince Yun were already seated in the hall, drinking tea.
"Big Brother! Third Brother! You're here so early!"
As Zhao Zhen entered, he immediately bowed to both of them.
After all, with the Emperor absent, these three brothers were the most esteemed individuals in the hall.
"Eighteenth Brother, it's not that we arrived too early, it's that you arrived too late! Hahahaha, if you had come a little earlier, you would have seen Brother Mo in his groom's attire today!"
The Crown Prince Zhao Huan did not have a particularly good relationship with Zhao Zhen. However, Liang Shicheng had already discussed with the Crown Prince before promoting Zhao Zhen.
Therefore, upon seeing Zhao Zhen's arrival, he naturally took the initiative to try and win him over.
"Big Brother, you can't blame me for this. You know, His Majesty assigned me such a task, and I couldn't help it. The entrance to my residence is almost blocked!"
Zhao Zhen spoke while giving a wry smile.
Although his words were a bit provocative, Zhao Huan knew that they were indeed the truth.
After all, up to this point, he hadn't met a single person.
Although Zhao Huan understood that he was waiting for Xu Churen, he still found Zhao Zhen's statement amusing.
"Eighteenth Brother, this matter is actually quite simple. You have a significant responsibility this time, and you need to select capable people. If you lack suitable personnel, I can provide you with a list!"
Seeing the Crown Prince deliberately trying to win over Zhao Zhen, Zhao Kai naturally wouldn't stand idly by.
After all, what was originally a two-way competition had suddenly turned into a three-way battle, and he naturally wouldn't let Zhao Zhen easily align with the Crown Prince.
"Then I must thank Third Brother. I'm just straightforward by nature, and I fear I might offend those learned scholars. How about I visit you another day to learn the art of discerning people?"
Even with Zhao Zhen's straightforward nature, after days of counsel from Zong Ying and others, he had now learned some subtleties.
"Big Brother, Third Brother, Eighteenth Brother, so you were all hiding here!"
As the three were conversing, Zhao Gou suddenly walked in with a smile.
Although he was a prince, and by right should have been a guest today, he was exceptionally attentive.
He didn't treat himself as a guest at all, but instead actively helped Han Shu and others greet the royal guests.
Running back and forth like this, one might have thought he was the designated greeter arranged by the Han family.
"Ninth Brother, why are you all sweaty? Have some tea first!"
Seeing Zhao Zhen covered in sweat, Zhao Kai couldn't help but sneer inwardly.
His Ninth Brother was truly being very diligent today!
However, trying to win over people with such small favors, wasn't he oversimplifying things?
Seeing his mocking gaze, Zhao Gou couldn't help but feel a surge of shame and annoyance.
However, his expression quickly returned to normal.
After all, at this moment, he, a leisurely prince, was no match for Zhao Kai, Prince Yun, no matter what.
"Third Brother is right. Ninth Brother, sit here and rest. I haven't greeted Auntie yet. You all chat, I'll go and greet her!"
Zhao Gou instinctively wanted to sit in the seat below Zhao Zhen, but Zhao Zhen very considerately stood up and gave him his seat.
There is no harm without comparison. With another person added for comparison, Zhao Zhen's kind smile became much more cordial.
Seeing the gratitude on Zhao Gou's face, Zhao Zhen merely smiled, turned, and walked out.
This place was indeed not suitable for lingering.
"The groom is back!"
As he was hesitating about what to do, he suddenly heard a servant call out from outside.
A wry smile involuntarily appeared on Zhao Zhen's face. Before, he had only seen Prince Yun in great splendor, but he never expected that behind such splendor lay such difficulties.
While he was not having an easy time, Han Mo was equally exhausted.
The marriage process for the Song people was too cumbersome. Even though Han Jiayan and others had helped him resolve many issues, the Six Rites still could not be omitted.
The so-called Six Rites, namely proposal, asking for the name, congratulatory engagement, betrothal gifts, setting the date, and the welcoming of the bride, this set of procedures took several days to complete.
He, the prospective groom, had something to do almost every day.
And often, even when there was nothing specific, he had to be present. Such a situation was truly torturous.
Putting aside other procedures, the process of welcoming the bride alone drove Han Mo to the brink of collapse.
Although the Zhe family's roots were in Fuzhou, they also had many relatives and acquaintances in Bianliang City.
Three women make a play, and with more women, there were naturally many more dramatic events.
Three days prior, Han Jiayan had sent the female members of the family to accompany Han Mo to the Zhe residence to present the engagement gifts and prepare the bridal bed. At Chen Shi today, Han Mo had already set out with the musicians and court musicians to the Zhe residence to fetch the bride.
As soon as the groom entered the door, he was stopped by the female relatives. Fortunately, Zhong Yanchong, that generous benefactor, was there to shield him, preventing the Zhuangyuan from being torn apart by the frenzied female relatives.
After giving out dozens of large red envelopes, composing over a dozen door-greeting poems, and going through countless procedures that took over three hours, he finally, exhausted, prepared to return to the Han residence with the bride.