Chapter 5: 5

The Mount Tai landslide situation improved. After the aftershocks subsided, public opinion changed somewhat. From the beginning, it was a secret insinuation that it was a punishment from God, but now everyone was talking about the marriage between the General and the Deputy Prime Minister.

Cut-sleeves were not prevalent in the Xuan Dynasty, but there was no harm in a rich and powerful businessman with special hobbies raising one or two men in the house as new playthings.

According to the ancestors of the Xuan Dynasty, a man could not be a main wife, especially in the royal family.

But now, Zhao Yelan would be given to Yan Mingting as his main wife. There were various speculations about it, and opinions differed, but what was certain was that no one was optimistic about this marriage.

However, no matter how far the rumors spread, the Zhao Mansion and the General’s Mansion were not affected in any way, and everything went on as usual.

What Xiao Gao brought back from the General’s Mansion was not only a chicken, but also a dowry booklet.

“Housekeeper Qin said that the General’s Mansion has not been lived in by the master for a long time, and many things are too old to be used, so he hopes that the Zhao Mansion can bring some useful dowry over there.”

“This was clearly Yan Mingting’s idea.” As soon as Housekeeper Qin saw him, he became an old quail and didn’t dare ask him directly. Zhao Yelan took the booklet and looked at the sky outside. The rain had stopped at some point, and the dark clouds dispersed. He hadn’t heard any news he wanted so far, so he could only go to the palace again by himself.

After finishing the morning court, the emperor went all the way to the main hall to review the memorials. When he saw him coming, he asked: “You didn’t come earlier, but now you’re here. What’s the matter?”

Zhao Yelan said bluntly: “I want to protest the decree.”

Zhao Xuan smiled instead of getting angry: “When the Imperial decree was first issued, I thought you would resist it. Why wait until now?”

“This minister has dedicated himself to the Emperor, but General Yan is an intolerable bully.”

“How did he bully you?”

Zhao Yelan handed over the booklet: “This was delivered to the mansion by General Yan. How dare he make such a request? It is clear that he doesn’t attach importance to Zhao Mansion and Your Majesty.”

Zhao Xuan opened it and looked at it for quite a while, then laughed and picked up another booklet from the table: “Does this look familiar to you?”

Zhao Yelan replied: “It was delivered to the General’s Mansion by this minister.”

“General Yan handed this thing over to me after the morning court, and said the same thing as you. He also wants to protest,” Zhao Xuan said. “Were you waiting for the news that I agreed with General Yan to call off the marriage? You couldn’t wait any longer, so you came to me in person to withdraw your agreement?”

Having been together for many years, they had long become familiar with one another’s temperaments.

Zhao Xuan walked up to him with a smile. The smile gradually faded, and he said in a low voice: “You know it is impossible for me to rescind an order I have already issued.”

As soon as the Imperial decree was issued, everyone knew that if you openly disobeyed the Emperor’s order, it would only lead to death. The only option was to come at it from another angle, such as taking the initiative to make Yan Mingting think of retreating. It was best to come to the Imperial court to file a complaint and blame the other. Maybe there was still a chance.

But Zhao Yelan also knew that this trick could be easily seen through by Zhao Xuan. Yan Mingting might also see through it, but if he still wanted to make a fuss, it depended on whether the Emperor was willing to turn a blind eye and take advantage of the stability of Mount Tai to cancel the decree.

But obviously, Zhao Xuan was not just Zhao Xuan anymore. He was also the Emperor who kept his promises.

“That will be all for now, go back and rest. People from the Ministry of Rites will take care of the details of the marriage, and I will definitely let you get married in a glorious manner.”

What a ridiculous marriage.

Zhao Yelan sneered in contempt, but when he raised his head, his pitiful expression had returned to his face: “This minister will obey the order.”

Seeing his appearance, Zhao Xuan’s voice softened unconsciously: “Will you blame me?”

Zhao Yelan: “This minister wouldn’t dare.”

“Then will you get along well with the General?”

Zhao Yelan’s mind moved slightly. The Emperor seemed to be asking casually, but he had to choose his answer carefully. The throne’s biggest taboo was officials shielding one another, not to mention that he was going to marry Yan Mingting, who held an army in his hands.

“If Your Majesty wishes so, this minister will live in harmony with him,” Zhao Yelan replied very meticulously.

Zhao Xuan smiled and patted him on the shoulder: “It doesn’t matter, you just need to be yourself after you get married.”

“Yes.”

“By the way, General Yan is very heroic, and he is a perfect match for you. It seems that you haven’t seen him yet, right? He looks exactly the same as what I’ve seen before……”

“This minister has seen him.”

Zhao Xuan was startled, and asked with a smile: “Then what do you think of him?”

“He’s not like that.”

Zhao Xuan laughed loudly: “In the past few days, everyone in the court is praising him, and you just look down on him.”

Zhao Yelan didn’t stay for too long. When there was no hope of withdrawing the decree, he took his leave.

Zhao Xuan watched him leave, his frail figure drifting away from the resplendent palace. He twirled the jade ring on his thumb and murmured: “Eunuch Gao,[2] tell me……he really won’t blame me?”

Eunuch Gao poured tea for him and said: “Zhao-daren’s life belongs to you, the Emperor. He has devoted himself all these years, and once blocked an arrow for you. There is no second person in the world who is so loyal. Now that you have found a good marriage for him, how could he blame the Emperor?”

“Yes, ah, his health has not been good since he was hit by the arrow.” Zhao Xuan subconsciously pressed that place on his chest. If Zhao Yelan hadn’t blocked it for him back then, he might have been the sick man. He might have even died on that snowy night. He turned his head and said, “Go to the Tai Hospital and find a new doctor with good medical skills, and take them to Zhao Mansion for him to have a good look.”

Not long after Zhao Yelan returned to the mansion, people from the Tai Hospital came to check his pulse and prepare medicines. He listened sleepily to the sounds of people coming and going outside.

After a good while, Xiao Gao came in with a bowl of medicine. Zhao Yelan frowned, put the medicine aside, and went to the study.

Xiao Gao chased after him to the study room with the medicine bowl in his hands, coaxing and persuading him: “My lord, please take a sip, good medicine tastes bitter. This time there is a new doctor, maybe it will make your illness better.”

“Leave it, ba.” Zhao Yelan unfolded a piece of paper, picked up a writing brush, and began to draw.

“My lord, take a sip first.” Xiao Gao didn’t seem to be afraid of him getting angry. Just like an old hen, he kept making noises.

After the medicine had cooled down, Zhao Yelan put down his writing brush and picked up the bowl. He closed his eyes and drank it calmly, then handed over the painting he had made on the table to Xiao Gao.

Xiao Gao was overjoyed. When he took a closer look, the painting was clearly of an old hen.

The wedding date was getting closer and closer, and the Zhao Mansion and General’s Mansion were visibly busy. Although there were people from the Ministry of Rites to take charge of this matter, the two main participants still had to cooperate.

They must be familiar with the procedures of wedding clothes, wedding banquets, and big gifts.

Unexpectedly, even an old maid in the palace was sent to the Zhao residence, bringing with her many boudoir items.

As soon as Zhao Yelan heard her mention consummation, he invited the person to leave his house.

There were many things he needed to do, but he didn’t want to hear such nonsense. He wanted to look at his account books. He had saved a lot over the years, and knew very well that he would never be cheaper than others.

Xiao Gao came in with brand-new big red wedding clothes in his arms and saw him sitting at the table with a gloomy face. He stepped forward and asked: “My lord, why are you unhappy?”

Zhao Yelan glanced at him: “You are very happy.”

“Of course, I think my lord will look very good in these clothes.” Xiao Gao trembled with joy, and Zhao Yelan’s face turned darker.

Xiao Gao hung his clothes aside and asked, “My lord, what are you worrying about?”

Zhao Yelan didn’t make a sound. Even if he told him, he wouldn’t understand. After getting married, it would be very difficult to hold the position of Deputy Prime Minister again, and it was not certain whether he could go to early court. The emperor didn’t give his promise, so if he couldn’t keep it, he would have to stay in the back house[3] like an ordinary woman.

But he intuitively felt that the Emperor would definitely deal with it in this way, which not only restrained him, but also restrained Yan Mingting, killing two birds with one stone.

He didn’t mind staying at home for the rest of his life, being a wealthy idler. The idea was to live safely, but would those enemies allow him to do so?

“By the way, where is the basket?” Zhao Yelan asked.

“Wait a minute.” Xiao Gao turned his head to get the basket. He couldn’t figure it out, but thinking about the strange things in the basket, he handed it to Zhao Yelan directly. “It’s strange, there seems to be nothing unusual about these ones today.”

There were only some snacks in the basket today, red dates, peanuts, longan, melon seeds. Ziao Gao scratch his head, completely confused: “What do these things mean? My lord, you don’t seem to like the food either, ba?”

Zhao Yelan threw the basket out and said angrily, “Clean all of these up.”

In the blink of an eye, it was the day of the big wedding. There were officers and soldiers on both sides of the street, and some common people who watched with excitement lined up from the Zhao Mansion to the General’s Mansion. The grand scene of the ten-mile red marriage procession could only be seen when the Emperor welcomes the Empress.

The welcoming line was very long, and the sending line was even more so. There were many boxes hanging behind the sedan chair, and the heavy dowry was enviable.

Zhao Yelan was sitting in the sedan chair. He was covered in red, holding a bridal veil in his hands that was embroidered with the golden word “Happiness,” which did not match his complexion.

The chattering voices outside carried into the sedan chair. Some guessed how much the dowry was worth, and some scolded him for stealing people’s wealth……He lazily closed his eyes to sleep, until the sedan chair was kicked three times and he heard the matron of honor say: “Please receive the new bride from the sedan chair.”

He woke up slowly, and saw a hand stretched out from outside the door curtain. It was a big palm with calluses all over the fingertips, the hand of a person who practiced martial arts all year round.

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Today’s grand ceremony was presided over by the Emperor himself. All the officials had come to congratulate him, and Zhao Yelan didn’t want to lose face in front of everyone, so he simply put on the veil. What the eye didn’t see, the heart didn’t grieve over. He reached out and took that hand.

That hand froze for a moment, and then helped him down from the sedan chair. They stepped across the threshold of the General’s Mansion together, and went to the main hall.

Wearing bright yellow informal clothes, Zhao Xuan sat on the main seat and said a few words of congratulations. Standing on both sides were civil and military officials, each with their own thoughts, watching the couple together.

“The auspicious time has come, let us pray to heaven and earth.”

“Second, pay respects to the parents.”

“Bow to husband and wife.”

After that, Zhao Yelan was led to the new house, but the person next to him who had been quiet all of a sudden sneezed: “Achoo! Achooachoo!”

Zhao Yelan: “……….”

“General, bear with it,” the matron of honor whispered.

“I’ve endured it for a long time, and I almost did it just now during worship.” Yan Mingting flexed his fingers and rubbed his nose.

Zhao Yelan thought in his heart: Boor!

After the bridal procession, Yan Mingting was urged to drink with the guests. Regardless of whether you had met this group of people or not, whether you were familiar with them or not, you had to save face in this kind of life. He dealt with the Emperor first, waited for him to leave, and then turned around to drink with those well-mannered colleagues 

The military leaders were each better at drinking than the one that came before, and it didn’t take long to drink this group of civil servants to the ground. All that was left was a group of military officials fighting for wine.

Zhong Yuehong was the only female military leader here – although she could drink well, she was no match for so many people. She was about to change tables, and saw Yan Mingting sitting on the threshold, holding a bottle of wine in his hand as he drank from it from time to time.

“General, the moon is out.” Zhong Yuehong reminded him, “Leave this to us, ba, you should go back to your room.”

Yan Mingting sighed, propped himself up, and stood. Then Zhong Yuehong  whispered: “If the General is not willing, why did he accept the decree? We have so many brothers, so just……”

Before she finished speaking, He Cuizhang appeared from behind and covered her mouth: “Yuehong, this is the capital, be careful what you say!”

Zhong Yuehong elbowed him backhand. “I’m just offended on behalf of the General, he went through life and death for the Emperor and finally won the battle, but in the end he gave him a man? And a person like Zhao Yelan, isn’t this ruining the General’s reputation for nothing? How will future generations judge the General?”

The others were also silent, because she spoke out loud what was in everyone’s hearts, and the soldiers were also complaining on the General’s behalf in private.

Yan Mingting raised his head and took a sip of wine, then said abruptly: “I don’t live and die for the Emperor.”

Everyone was taken aback.

“I live and die for the people.”

“General……” Hearing these words, several people became even sadder, and their eyes turned red one after another.

“This is what Zhao Yelan told me.”

The people’s tears froze in an instant, then retreated back in.

“When did he tell you that?” Zhong Yuehong asked curiously.

“When we met for the first time,” Yan Mingting recalled.

Back in Beijing that year, the princes rushed to visit his father, trying to win over the Yan family’s army.

His father was at a loss. Because he didn’t know when the poison in Yan Mingting would be cured, he wasn’t sure how long his son would have to stay in Beijing. It might be for his entire life.

The princes would definitely use Yan Mingting to blackmail him. The crown prince was licentious, the second prince was cruel by nature, the third prince was powerless, the fourth prince had no great wisdom, and the fifth prince was weak and naive. It was hard to choose one of them, and if he chose wrong, the entire Yan army might be buried with him.

Yan Mingting bumped into Zhao Yelan, who was waiting for someone in the mansion, and asked him: “Since you belong to the third prince, you also came to find my father?”

“I’m here to see you, Major General.” Zhao Yelan’s voice was not loud, but calm and unhurried.

“Me?” Yan Mingting felt this was very novel, as if he was also a big shot. There were countless guests in the mansion and all of them were looking for his father. Because of his poisoning, it was difficult for him to see outsiders, let alone gain publicity. It was only mentioned that he was going back to Beijing to visit relatives. What’s more, he didn’t expect to be rumored to be a famous ugly man in Beijing.

“Major general has been fighting alongside the general since he was a child and will be a first-class figure in the future. It’s just that if a wrong decision is made now, it will not only be a loss for the Yan family army, but a loss for the entire Xuan Dynasty.”

Yan Mingting said: “So you want to persuade us to join the third prince?”

“No, I hope you don’t join any camp.” Zhao Yelan shook his head.

“Why?”

“Because you are fighting for the people, not for the Zhao family. Don’t get involved in this conspiracy, you can continue to protect the people on your own.”

Yan Mingting was stunned: “But, if we don’t make a choice, the Zhao family can kill our Yan family army at any time.”

“That’s because you have to stay in the capital right now. What if you didn’t have to?” Zhao Yelan said, “Major General, the person who tied the bell on the tiger’s neck should be the one to untie it,[1] but it depends on whether you have the courage.”

Yan Mingting understood the meaning behind his words. The current dilemma was that his father would not disregard his life, so he was at an impasse. 

He talked with his father all night, and finally his father agreed that he would not treat him in Beijing and instead go back to the military camp, exchanging his health for the stability of the Yan family army and avoid stepping foot into this Imperial city that killed without spilling blood.

Unexpectedly, a few days later, the third prince secretly sent the Imperial doctor in charge of his illness to the frontier. The old general accepted his favor, and only said that if the third prince came to the throne in the future, Yan Mingting must be obedient.

The memory came to an abrupt end, and the details didn’t need to be shared with this group of subordinates, so Yan Mingting just smiled helplessly: “I’m not happy about this marriage, and Zhao Yelan might also not be happy, so you should all stop talking like this.”

Zhong Yuehong: “Then why did you keep sighing?”

“I was thinking……” Yan Mingting rubbed his chin. “Zhao Yelan has always thought I’m ugly, so when he suddenly sees my handsome appearance, will he faint in surprise? He was secretly in love, so wouldn’t he be infatuated now? This is tricky, how should I deal with this relationship problem……”

Subordinates: “……….” Excuse us, we’re very worried about you.

After handing over the courtyard to his subordinates, Yan Mingting passed through a corridor with red lanterns on both sides that made people blush and beam with joy.

When he came to the door, he felt a rare nervousness. He straightened his clothes, smelled the scent of alcohol on his body and fanned it with his hands, and then pushed open the door –

It was empty.

Yan Mingting blinked and looked around. Could he be hiding?

He went in and carefully checked the beams, the wardrobe, the underside of the bed, but there was no trace of anyone.

“Servants.”

Soon, a little maid ran over with a flustered expression.

“Husband……Zhao……where did he go?” Yan Mingting pointed at the room and didn’t know what to call him for a moment.

The maid hurriedly replied: “Answering the General, your husband……Zhao……aiya, it’s not good, he went to your storeroom!”

“Why did he go to the storeroom on the wedding night instead of staying in the room?” Yan Mingting strode toward the storeroom.

The servant girl said: “He took the gift list and went to the storeroom to count the gifts from the guests!”

Yan Mingting: “……….”

– – – – – – – – –

The author has something to say: 

The couple on their wedding night –

Yan Mingting: If he is stunned by me and falls in love with all his heart, what shall I do……

Zhao Yelan: Let me see, who gave too little gift money, who looked down on me? Assassination tonight.jpg

 

[1] “The one to tie the bell on the tiger’s neck should be the one to untie it” means that the one who started the trouble should be the one to end it. ⮐

[2] This is a different Gao than the one we know and love. Xiao Gao is definitely not two-timing with the Emperor! ⮐

[3] Consider the ‘back house’ to be an official’s family, a wife, siblings, etc. These people cannot be involved in court matters since there would be a conflict of interest if mutual family members banded together to accomplish a goal. ⮐

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