Chapter 100

Although most of the people present had never seen the eunuch who guarded the central palace, this did not prevent them from understanding the position.

The position of the eunuch who guarded the central palace originated in the first year of the Hongxi era of the Ming Dynasty. The name of the first eunuch was Wang An. Perhaps the Ming emperors believed that eunuchs, having been castrated, were free from the root of trouble and had no risk of rebellion, and being their own household slaves, they were trusted by all emperors after the founding emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. Therefore, no matter what they did, they would always send eunuchs to be involved.

Although the eunuchs stationed in various places were not of high rank, usually only fifth or sixth grade, their power was not small. In addition to supervising the army and local officials and coordinating the relationship between the local and central governments, they also had the right to report to the emperor at any time. Therefore, local officials and gentry both hated and feared them. However, it was not easy for ordinary people to attract the attention of the eunuch. After all, if you had no strength, they would not even bother to look at you.

Now, upon hearing Xu Dingchen introduce the matter so solemnly, how could anyone present not hurry over to pay their respects?

"Your servant, so and so, greets Lord Wei, wishing Lord Wei good health and prosperity!"

"Your subordinate, so and so, greets Lord Wei..."

Although Wei Tonghe had the common flaw of most eunuchs—greed—he was still quite good at dealing with people. Although these people did not impress him, he still greeted everyone with humility.

The inner hall of this backyard was only about a hundred square meters, and with three or forty people, it was already quite full. Especially after Xu Dingchen and Wei Tonghe arrived, it became even more crowded.

As the host, Yueyang originally intended to seat these two at the head table, but Xu Dingchen and Wei Tonghe insisted on sitting below the old lady. Yueyang had no choice but to follow their wishes.

After they were seated again, the entire inner hall became quiet, and all eyes turned to the two people of the highest status.

As a seasoned official, Xu Dingchen naturally knew how to handle such a situation. He raised his wine glass and smiled at everyone, "Gentlemen, I and Lord Wei came here today rather presumptuously. We originally just wanted to drink a cup of happy wine with Yueyang, but we did not expect such enthusiasm from all of you, which has made us feel quite honored."

"Hehe... Lord Xu is too modest."

"Yes, who would have thought that Lord Xu, as the governor of a province, would be so approachable. This is a blessing for the people of Shanxi!"

Seeing Xu Dingchen's humility, the people around him all praised him, and many took the opportunity to approach and greet the governor, hoping to become familiar with him.

Seeing everyone come forward, Xu Dingchen's brows furrowed slightly. He then smiled and said, "Alright, today is Yueyang's big day. We should not steal the show. Let's all do what we should do!"

Zheng Fakui, who had been paying attention to Xu Dingchen, noticed the fleeting displeasure on his face and quickly stepped forward to defuse the situation, "Yes, yes... Today is a good day for Lord Yue. We should not steal the groom's thunder. Let's have the newlyweds start the ceremony!"

"Yes, yes... Lord Zheng is right. Today is Yueyang's big day. We should not steal the show." The people present were not fools and quickly echoed his words...

At this moment, Yueyang quickly changed into a bright red wedding robe. The sincere or insincere smiles of the people around him flickered before his eyes, and the blessings seemed to come from a distant sky. The bright red lanterns, the sweet wine, and the Yue family's large courtyard were staging a comedy. However, what made Yueyang somewhat depressed was that he, the main character, had been overshadowed.

The only thing that kept him smiling humbly was Hailanzhu by his side. The usually lively girl was now quietly standing next to Yueyang, her head covered with a red veil. Even the strong smell of wine and food at the banquet could not mask the delicate fragrance of her body, which continuously soothed Yueyang's restless heart.

After bowing to heaven and earth, bowing to their parents, and playing in the bridal chamber, it was not until the moon was high in the sky that Yueyang bid farewell to the guests and entered the bridal chamber. Inside the bridal chamber, only Hailanzhu and her maidservant Xiaoman, as well as another maidservant, remained.

Yueyang took the silver hairpin from Xiaoman's hand and gently lifted the red veil on Hailanzhu's head. Instantly, a beautiful face appeared before him, one that could be both charming and stern.

Her peach cheeks, cherry lips, jade nose, and black eyebrows were still as beautiful as ever. Her cherry lips were still alluring, and her bright eyes still shone like stars. The only change was that the proud and cold look in her eyes had been replaced by a thousand joys and ten thousand tendernesses, which made Yueyang speechless.

Seeing this, Xiaoman and the other maidservant exchanged smiles and quietly left, closing the door behind them.

It was already early summer, and the bridal chamber was warm. Sixteen thick dragon and phoenix candles, as thick as a child's arm, illuminated the room brightly. The incense from the blue porcelain lion incense burner filled the room, and the candlelight and incense smoke made the room hazy, like a fairyland.

Yueyang slowly sat down next to Hailanzhu, reached out to cup her face, and felt the smoothness of her skin. A sense of happiness welled up in his heart. He whispered in her ear, "Hailanzhu, from today on, you will be my wife for life. Are you happy?"

"Silly, since the day my father betrothed me to you, I have been your wife." Hailanzhu smiled, a beauty beyond words.

Faced with this scene, Yueyang was at a loss for words. The saying "silence is golden" was most appropriate at this moment.

Most of the sixteen bright candles had been blown out, leaving only two to dimly light the room. In the bridal chamber, a single lamp flickered under the red wedding quilt, and two bodies intertwined, the red waves revealing glimpses of smooth, delicate skin.

Hailanzhu's outer robe had been removed by Yueyang, leaving her in a white silk belly band with a design of mandarin ducks playing in water. A pair of lotus flowers bloomed on her high, firm breasts, pushing the two soft peaks, and the lotus flowers constantly changed shape, the water seeming to ripple. With the lotus flowers opening and closing, her heart pounded, and occasionally, soft, alluring moans escaped, her clear eyes becoming hazy like a pool of green water, extremely captivating.

Yueyang gently kissed his beautiful new wife, pulling her plump waist closer to feel his hardness and dominance. Finally, he could not resist and leaned down, and soon, soft, gentle moans filled the bridal chamber...

The next day, it was not until the sun was high that Yueyang and Hailanzhu, dressed neatly by Xiaoman and another maidservant, went to the backyard to pay respects to the old lady.

After marriage, Hailanzhu could no longer wear her Mongolian clothes. She combed her hair into a horse-tail bun and changed into a plain robe, which made her less heroic but more gentle. When the two of them came to pay respects to the old lady, she smiled so much that her mouth could not close.

The old lady took out two red envelopes and gave them to Yueyang and Hailanzhu, instructing them to love each other and have children soon. Hailanzhu's face turned red, and even Yueyang, who was usually thick-skinned, felt uncomfortable.

Finally, the old lady seemed to remember something and said to Yueyang, "Grandson, yesterday was your big day, and the governor and Lord Wei came to congratulate you, which was a great honor for our Yue family. You should go to the prefecture office to visit them later, so that no one will think our Yue family is impolite!"

"Grandson understands!" Yueyang quickly agreed.

After having breakfast with Hailanzhu, Yueyang, accompanied by several guards, went to the prefecture office and presented his name card. He was soon led to the back hall, where Xu Dingchen, Wei Tonghe, Tang Xueying, and Zheng Fakui were already seated.

"Hehe... Yueyang, they say newlyweds are hard to part, but I didn't expect you to come so early. This is quite a surprise to me," Xu Dingchen joked upon seeing Yueyang.

"Damn, I didn't realize this old man was so disrespectful," Yueyang thought to himself, but could only smile bitterly and say, "Your subordinate dares not. Your visit to my humble home was already a great honor, and I would never dare to indulge in pleasure and neglect my duties."

"Hehe, alright, I won't joke with you anymore," Xu Dingchen knew that too much of a good thing was bad. Joking once was appropriate, but doing it again would be over the line and make him look unprofessional.

Pointing to Lord Wei, Xu Dingchen said, "Yueyang, the reason I and Lord Wei came together this time is because your clerk Tang said you are willing to pay the remaining salt tax. Is that true?"

Hearing this, Yueyang's spirit was immediately lifted. He knew the matter was at hand and quickly bowed, "Yes, your subordinate heard that the court ordered the collection of this year's overdue salt tax, so I dared to take the initiative to share the burden of the emperor and the court."

Xu Dingchen stroked his beard and nodded, "Your willingness to do this is commendable. This time, I and Lord Wei came together, first to congratulate you, and second to tell you that the court is facing many difficulties. Your willingness to shoulder nearly half of Shanxi's salt tax is commendable, but you must continue to share the burden of the emperor and the court."

Yueyang quickly bowed, "Yes, your subordinate will follow your instructions."

Xu Dingchen nodded and turned to Wei Tonghe, "Lord Wei, do you have anything to add?"

"This old man, his words are a warning to Yueyang, but also a hint to me not to overstep," Wei Tonghe thought to himself. (To be continued)