Chapter 99

Time passed day by day, and finally, the day of Yueyang's grand wedding arrived.

On the twentieth day of the fifth month of Chongzhen's sixth year, it was an auspicious day for travel and marriage.

Today, whether at the Yue Family Village in Wulizhai or the Yue Mansion in Yingzhou City, both places were bustling with activity. Many servants and attendants were busy decorating the places with lanterns and streamers. Especially the Yue Mansion in Yingzhou City, which was flooded with guests. Almost everyone of importance in Yingzhou Prefecture had come to Yueyang's residence today.

"Hey... Brother Li, you're here too, nice to see you!"

"Brother Lin, it's been a long time, how have you been?"

"Hey, Mr. Zhao, we haven't seen each other in a long time, we must drink a few more cups later!"

Yueyang, dressed in a bright red wedding robe, stood at the entrance, greeting everyone with a smile. From noon to afternoon, he felt that he had used up all the smiles he would have in his lifetime today. Shunbao, his childhood companion and personal attendant, temporarily put aside his duties as a guard and diligently resumed his old role as a personal attendant.

Suddenly, a figure flashed in front of Yueyang. Accustomed to the scene, Yueyang immediately said, "Hey... Wu... you bastards, get inside quickly, don't loiter in front of me!"

Yueyang kicked Wu Chengfeng, who stood in front of him, in a bad temper. Then he noticed that besides Wu Chengfeng, Hu Laosan, Feng Xiaoming, and more than ten other important guards and military officers had all come.

Seeing Yueyang's face twisted from smiling, everyone burst into laughter.

"Laugh... laugh your ass off, get inside quickly. I still have to greet guests!" Yueyang muttered. The words sounded strange, but before he could recover, the laughter around him grew even louder. Everyone knew it was Yueyang's big day, and no matter how they teased him, he wouldn't get angry, so they laughed even louder.

Seeing Yueyang's face turning slightly green, Shunbao quickly kicked and pushed the group of rowdy guys into the courtyard.

Seeing these guys enter the courtyard, Yueyang rubbed his already cramped cheeks, leaned against the door, and took a deep breath. He waved to Shunbao, "Quick, get me a cup of water, my throat is about to smoke! Damn, I've suffered a lot today!"

Seeing the situation, Shunbao quickly ran to the back door and took out a teapot. Without waiting for Shunbao to pour the tea, Yueyang grabbed the teapot and gulped down several large mouthfuls. The cool tea finally made his almost cracked throat feel much better.

"Ah..." Yueyang sighed in relief. Just as he was about to speak, Shunbao tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "Young Master, two sedan chairs are coming. One is an eight-man blue silk sedan chair, and the other is a four-man green silk sedan chair."

"Hmm, really?" Hearing this, Yueyang was slightly surprised. In this era, sedan chairs were a common mode of transportation, but the use of sedan chairs was strictly regulated by the feudal rulers.

An eight-man sedan chair meant a chair carried by eight people. Apart from the flower sedan chair for the bride, only provincial governors and inspectors could use an eight-man sedan chair, and this rule could not be easily broken.

When Yueyang heard that an eight-man sedan chair was coming, he was startled and quickly looked over. He immediately saw a green silk sedan chair land. An official in blue casual clothes stepped out of the sedan chair.

"Whoa... How did this old man come here!" Yueyang was shocked.

Surprised, Yueyang hurriedly ran over, bowed, and asked with a surprised tone, "Mr. Xu, why are you here?"

"Ha... Today is your big day, I specially brought a friend to share in your joy. You won't mind, will you, Zhenghong?" A voice, not loud but carrying authority, sounded. It was Xu Dingchen, the governor from Taiyuan.

Faced with the arrival of this provincial governor, Yueyang was not only surprised but also a bit nervous.

"I didn't remember inviting this big shot, why did he come? Could it be that he felt a bit embarrassed after I sent him twenty thousand taels of silver, so he came to show his appreciation?"

Seeing Yueyang's surprised expression, Xu Dingchen smiled and said, "Zhenghong, don't be nervous. I told you, I'm here purely to share in your joy, nothing else. Just treat me as an ordinary guest."

"Sure, I believe you," Yueyang muttered sarcastically. A provincial governor suddenly coming to the wedding of a sixth-rank official, claiming to be just there for a drink, no one with normal intelligence would believe that.

However, an official one rank higher can crush you, so since the superior said it, he had to force himself to believe it.

Xu Dingchen looked at Yueyang and knew his words were not very credible. He chuckled and continued, "Also, today I'm introducing you to a distinguished guest. He is the newly appointed eunuch supervisor of Shanxi, Wei Tonghe. Zhenghong, you should greet Wei Gonggong."

After Xu Dingchen spoke, Yueyang turned around and saw a middle-aged man in a blue robe embroidered with mountains and rivers, with a fair face and no beard, smiling at him.

"Supervisor eunuch?" Yueyang's heart skipped a beat. He quickly stepped forward and bowed, "This humble official, Yueyang of Yingzhou Prefecture, greets Wei Gonggong. May Wei Gonggong have a long and healthy life!"

Wei Tonghe looked at Yueyang and laughed in his distinctive eunuch voice, "Hehe... No need, no need. I've been thinking all the way here, what kind of brave warrior could lead five hundred militiamen to defeat ten thousand bandits. I didn't expect to see such a young man today, which is both surprising and delightful. When did our Great Ming produce such a young hero?"

"Hmm... This eunuch is quite eloquent."

Hearing Wei Tonghe's words, Yueyang was slightly taken aback. In his impression, eunuchs were always associated with greed, cunning, and viciousness. They usually spoke with their noses in the air to everyone except the emperor. He didn't expect such courtesy from a small official like him.

However, Yueyang quickly realized that he had been misled by TV shows and books. If eunuchs were all that stupid, they would have been beheaded long ago.

Although his mind raced, Yueyang quickly smiled, "Wei Gonggong is too kind. This humble official just happened to win a battle by chance. Thanks to Mr. Xu's trust, I was given the responsibility of defending the city, which led to my current position. Otherwise, how would Wei Gonggong even know of a small official like me in Yingzhou Prefecture?"

"Hehehe... Mr. Yue is too modest!" Hearing Yueyang's words, Xu Dingchen felt very pleased, and even Wei Tonghe looked at Yueyang with a bit of surprise. He had expected a young man like Yueyang, who had won a battle and been promoted by the governor, to be somewhat arrogant. Instead, Yueyang spoke like a seasoned official, tactful and humble, which made Wei Tonghe look at him more favorably.

Seeing that Wei Tonghe wanted to speak, Xu Dingchen interjected with a smile, "Mr. Bridegroom, Mr. Xu and I have been standing at the door for a while. Aren't you going to invite us in for a cup of tea?"

"Oh... Mr. Xu is right, I was indeed negligent. Please, come in and have some tea!" Yueyang quickly invited them inside.

After Xu Dingchen and Wei Tonghe entered, Yueyang quickly turned to Shunbao and whispered, "It's time, close the door quickly!"

"Yes!"

"Bang!"

The door closed quickly, as if separating the inside and outside into two different worlds.

When Yueyang accompanied Xu Dingchen and Wei Tonghe into the inner hall, he saw Zheng Fakui and several of the most important people in Yingzhou City talking to the old lady. When they saw Yueyang and the others enter, they stopped talking and looked over.

However, most people in the inner hall did not recognize Xu Dingchen and the others. Seeing Yueyang, the bridegroom, following them, everyone's eyes were filled with curiosity and confusion. It was understandable, not everyone had the chance to see a provincial governor. Zheng Fakui was the first to react. He hesitated for a moment and then hurriedly stepped forward to bow to Xu Dingchen, "This humble official, Zheng Fakui of Yingzhou Prefecture, greets the governor. May the governor have a long and healthy life!"

"Whoosh..."

As soon as Zheng Fakui spoke, the inner hall erupted in a cacophony of voices.

"What, did I hear that right? He's the governor?"

"Brother, pinch me, am I dreaming? The governor is here?"

Xu Dingchen's arrival shocked everyone in the inner hall, and they almost couldn't believe their eyes. It was understandable, although these people were important figures in Yingzhou Prefecture, they were still far from the world of a provincial governor. Even the old lady, who was sitting in the main seat, quickly came to Xu Dingchen with Yueyang's younger sister, Yue Ying, to greet him.

Xu Dingchen quickly helped the old lady up and escorted her back to her seat. He then said to everyone, "Ladies and gentlemen, I apologize for my sudden arrival, which has caused you some trouble. However, I am not the main guest today. I am here to accompany the newly appointed eunuch supervisor of Shanxi, Wei Gonggong. Everyone, please greet Wei Gonggong!"

"Supervisor eunuch?"

Everyone was startled. The people in this position were usually the emperor's confidants. Why did he come to this wedding?