Catching Monsters

Chapter 494 The Big Wedding
Upon hearing this, the noblewoman quickly stopped Feng Huan, saying, "With your temperament, if you really go to see Jiang Yun, you're bound to have a fight. Let it go."

"Keep a close eye on your sister these next few days, and absolutely do not let her leave the Marquis's residence easily."

"Once Jiang Yun and Xu Suwen's wedding is over, she will naturally give up. Then we will find her a good family."

Upon hearing this, Feng Huan could only nod and give up.

Inside the Jiang residence, Jiang Yun had already brought Jiang Qiaoqiao to this mansion to stay. Jiang Qiaoqiao was in a good mood. She lived in a courtyard full of flowers and plants, and even had someone build a small nest for Xiao Hei in a wooden box in her boudoir.

They also bought quite a few books there.

During this time, Jiang Yun was very busy with a lot of miscellaneous matters. Fortunately, Wu Chi also hired a housekeeper for Jiang Yun named Yun Pingchuan.

Yun Pingchuan served in the Zhenchi Army in his early years. He was honest and kind, and also quite tactful in his dealings with others.

"My lord, the place has been almost cleaned up inside and out. Also, this is a list of guests to be invited, sent by the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. Please take a look and see if there are any problems?" Yun Pingchuan was wearing a blue robe, and the military aura on his body had largely disappeared.

Jiang Yun sat in his study and took a long list to look at. He had to notify all the people he wanted to invite for his wedding with Xu Suwen.

Jiang Yun didn't know many people in the capital, so he mainly had the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion draft the list.

After glancing at the proposed invitation list, which consisted mostly of high-ranking officials and dignitaries from the capital, there shouldn't be any major issues.

Jiang Yun nodded and said, "No problem, I'll leave these to you, Uncle Yun."

Yun Pingchuan smiled憨厚ly and waved his hand: "You're too kind, Lord Marquis. I'll go and make the invitations then."

After watching Yun Pingchuan leave, Jiang Yun closed her eyes to rest. She had basically finished all the things she needed to do, and now she just had to wait for the official wedding.

Thinking of this, a smile appeared on Jiang Yun's face. After coming to this world, it was because of Jiang Qiaoqiao's existence that she was able to experience the kinship she had never had in her previous life.

Now, another member will be added to his family.

……

Soon, the morning of the wedding arrived.

The entire Jiang residence was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, and the character for "happiness" was pasted everywhere.

And from the very first light of dawn, people from all corners of the capital began to send congratulatory gifts, from the Six Ministries and the nobles of the capital, and the gifts were all quite generous.

The main street outside the Jiang residence was packed with people delivering gifts. Yun Pingchuan and his servants stood at the gate, constantly counting and registering the gifts.

Of course, the wedding guests had not yet officially arrived. According to the traditional customs of the Zhou Kingdom, the wedding ceremony began in the evening.

"The Marquis of Weiwu's residence." When Yun Pingchuan received the gift list, he glanced at the servants from the Marquis of Weiwu's residence who had come to deliver the gifts, his eyes twitched slightly, and then he smiled and thanked them.

As Jiang Yun's steward, Yun Pingchuan had done his homework thoroughly and knew that his master seemed to have some connection with the young lady of the Marquis of Weiwu's mansion.

Of course, I can't say more about the specifics of the situation.

Jiang Yun was in her bedroom, wearing a red wedding robe sewn by Xu Suwen and a red round hat, pacing back and forth in front of a bronze mirror.

"Do I like this outfit?" Jiang Yun couldn't help but ask.

Sitting next to her, holding Xiao Hei, Jiang Qiaoqiao was holding nuts in her hand. Xiao Hei ate one, and she ate one: "Brother, you've asked me so many times, isn't it pretty?"

"Qiaoqiao, you need to explain the wedding process to me again, just in case things go wrong..."

Jiang Yun didn't know why, but on the day of her wedding, she suddenly felt inexplicably nervous.

The wedding process in Zhou was roughly the same as in the previous life: they set off at an auspicious time to pick up the bride, and after bringing the bride back to the mansion, they would perform the wedding ceremony.

Then came the thank-you to the guests, and so on.

Of course, this is the process for ordinary people.

As a scholar and the Marquis of Weinan, Jiang Yun should have been bound by some elaborate etiquette procedures, but he found them troublesome and omitted them.

Jiang Qiaoqiao said with a smile, "Brother, Uncle Yun said he has made all the arrangements, so you can just follow the normal wedding procedures."

Throughout the Marquis's mansion, the servants and maids were all busy and happy, with smiles on their faces. Early this morning, Steward Yun gave each of them twenty taels of silver, which was the Marquis's reward money.

How could servants and maids not work hard? When the mistress arrives, they should be given another reward.

At 5:15 PM, Jiang Yun, dressed in red, along with Qi Da, Dong Qiaofeng, and Zhu Zanyu, arrived at the Marquis's residence early to accompany their master to pick up the bride.

Jiang Yun rode his horse at the front of the procession, followed by six sedan chair bearers carrying a red bridal sedan chair. Behind them came musicians invited from the Ministry of Rites, who beat drums and gongs all the way, creating a lively atmosphere.

Further behind were hundreds of Imperial Guards dressed in flying fish robes.

Of course, Jiang Yun originally did not intend for the Embroidered Uniform Guard to be dispatched to escort his bride. He wanted to keep a low profile to avoid being caught by the censors of the court and accused of abusing his power for personal gain.

However, this marriage could not be kept low-key from the very beginning.

These Imperial Guards were specially approved by Li Wangxin. In Li Wangxin's words, "If the Imperial Guards don't come out to support you on your wedding day as the Commander of the Eastern Garrison, people will say that you are unpopular within the Eastern Garrison."

In short, the fact that the Imperial Guards personally went out to welcome the bride was a rare sight in the capital.

The group arrived in a grand procession outside the Zhenguo Duke's mansion. Wu Chi, accompanied by many servants, waited outside the gate with a smile on his face.

"The son-in-law has arrived."

"Please, son-in-law."

The custom of stopping the groom to ask for a reward also existed in the Zhou Kingdom, but it did not include wealthy families like the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

The reward money had already been given to the servants, and Xu Suwen was not waiting in her boudoir, but was dressed in a red wedding dress with a red cloth covering her head, sitting upright in the hall of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

Xu Xiaogang, dressed in a duke's robe, sat in the seat of honor, while Tao Yuelan sat to one side.

After Jiang Yun entered the hall, Tao Yuelan looked at Xu Suwen in the hall and couldn't help but wipe away her tears.

Before Xu Suwen was married, Tao Yuelan was anxious. But when her daughter was about to get married, and she realized that her daughter would belong to another family, she could no longer hold back her tears.

Jiang Yun first brought the tea to Tao Yuelan, then knelt down respectfully and said, "Mother-in-law, please have some tea."

Upon hearing this, Tao Yuelan took the cup of tea and said in a deep voice, "Jiang Yun, Suwen has married into your Jiang family, you must treat her well."

"Don't worry, mother-in-law."

After speaking, Jiang Yun stood up, walked forward, and took Xu Suwen's slightly warm hand in his.

"Mother, I'm leaving." Xu Suwen, covered with a red cloth, gritted her teeth slightly. Through the red cloth, she glanced in the direction where Tao Yuelan was before following Jiang Yun toward the gate of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

Watching Xu Suwen leave behind Jiang Yun, Tao Yuelan took a deep breath. Xu Xiaogang, who was standing to the side, said, "Mom, don't worry, my brother-in-law is a good person. He'll definitely treat my sister well."

Tao Yuelan glanced at Xu Xiaogang, then glared at him and said, "What do you know? It's only right to treat Suwen well, but once Suwen gets married, she'll belong to someone else's family."

"Let's go, let's head to the Jiang residence."

A grand wedding procession marched along the main road of the inner city, accompanied by numerous Imperial Guards. No commoners dared to block the road demanding rewards. In an inn beside the main road, a man with demonic eyes held a pipe in his hand, took a puff, and slowly exhaled thick white smoke, saying, "This Jiang Yun colluded with the Tiger Clan and the Fox Clan, killing so many of our Snake Clan members. Now he's holding such a grand wedding. Does he really think our Snake Clan is easy to mess with?"

“Clan leader, there are countless experts in the capital, and many important figures will be attending the Jiang family’s wedding today. If we make a move… we might completely enrage the Zhou court.”

The man, referred to as the clan chief, wore a gray robe and appeared to be about seventy or eighty years old, with gray hair and beard.

He was accompanied by a young demon.

"Today, I will only take the lives of Jiang Yun and his wife..."

"If anyone dares to stop me, Chang Wuming, I won't hesitate to kill them too."

After saying that, the demonic eyes in Chang Wuming's eyes disappeared without a trace, returning to normal. He turned around and walked out of the room, saying, "You don't need to follow me anymore. Go back to the Demon Kingdom first."

"I'll be back after I finish my business."

Chang Wuming's figure quickly disappeared from the room and headed towards the Jiang residence.

By this time, it was getting dark, and Chang Wuming soon arrived at the back gate of the Jiang residence.

This place has already attracted quite a few people of average means.

According to the custom of wealthy families in the capital, they would usually set up some tables and chairs in the back courtyard so that beggars, vagrants, or passersby could have a meal, which was considered an act of charity.

Of course, there weren't many ordinary beggars in the inner city of the capital, but many common people shamelessly came to drink.

Firstly, the banquet held at the Jiang residence today featured dishes prepared by top chefs, a feast that ordinary people might not even get to eat twice a year.

Secondly, when drinking with his cronies later, he could boast that he had attended the wedding of the Marquis of Weinan and the daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo.

Those who are more particular will simply bring something as a congratulatory gift.

Those who have no money can get in by saying a few kind words; why not?

The front yard was bustling with activity. After welcoming Xu Suwen back, Jiang Yun was extremely busy and did not immediately begin the wedding ceremony. Instead, he went to the door to greet the guests.

This is also why many distinguished guests choose to arrive at this time.

During the day, Jiang Yun was too busy to greet guests and could only wait for him to return from picking up the bride.

There was no other way; such occasions required a lot of etiquette, and many people were of such high status that Jiang Yun had to personally greet them.

"Commander Li Wangxin of the Garrison Command has arrived."

As soon as Jiang Yun arrived at the door, he saw Li Wangxin coming in dressed in luxurious clothes, accompanied by a noblewoman.

"This humble servant greets Lord Li and Madam Li," Jiang Yun hurriedly greeted them.

"Look at what you're saying. You're the groom today, so don't use any of those humble titles." Li Wangxin chuckled.

"Uncle Yun, please invite Lord Li into the house."

"Minister of Revenue Zheng Chengze has arrived."

"Minister of Rites Miao Yuanxing has arrived."

"Minister of War Du Huai'an has arrived."

The six ministers were basically all present. Of course, their presence was not entirely out of respect for Jiang Yun, but rather for the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

“The Chief Clerk of the Ministry of Personnel, Qian Buchou, has arrived.”

"Hey, hey, don't read it aloud, just let me sneak in." Qian Buchou had just told the servants at the door his official title when the servants started shouting at the top of their lungs.

This made Qian Buchou feel a little embarrassed. Damn it, he should have come earlier.

Logically speaking, a position as a principal officer in the Ministry of Personnel would be considered a significant figure anywhere.

But the person who came was of a higher status.

Qian Buchou was also somewhat dumbfounded, secretly clicking his tongue in amazement. He never expected that so many people would come to Jiang Yun's wedding.

Jiang Yun stepped forward, just about to exchange pleasantries with Qian Buchou, when Qian Buchou said, "Brother, let's catch up later. So many important people are here today, you should make sure they are entertained properly."

"We're all brothers, no need to be so polite."

Soon, Zhao Gongcheng arrived with Zhao Qin. He was a businessman, and he was dumbfounded when he saw this scene.

He had to hold on tightly to Jiang Yun, his in-law, no matter what.

"Congratulations, in-laws!" Zhao Gongcheng laughed heartily. Zhao Qin, standing beside him, blushed slightly and said, "Father, don't talk nonsense."

"It was bound to happen sooner or later..."

"Hey, Dad, why aren't you coming over?" As Jiang Yun's apprentice, Wen Chen was naturally standing at the door to greet the guests. He immediately saw his father sneaking around in the shadows on the bustling street, and he was too afraid to come over.

Wen Chen quickly went over and pulled him over.

Wenfanggang was also carrying some porcelain he had bought, which he originally intended to give as a congratulatory gift.

But as soon as he arrived, he heard the names of the six ministers being read aloud, which frightened him so much that he dared not come over easily.

"This must be a congratulatory gift that Brother Wen prepared for me, Wen Chen. Please keep it safe and invite your father to come in and take a seat."

"Yes." Wen Chen pulled Wen Fanggang along and led Zhao Gongcheng and Zhao Qin inside.

Soon, Jiang Yun also saw a figure. Qu Lanyu walked drunkenly toward Jiang Yun's residence, then patted his pockets and said, "Kid, I'm empty-handed. I've come to drink your wedding wine. You don't mind, do you?"

"Look at what Senior Qu is saying, Uncle Yun, please invite Senior Qu in."

Jiang Yun was so busy that she was dizzy. Just when she thought that most of the guests had arrived, a figure slowly walked over.

Jiang Yun was slightly startled and hurriedly stepped forward to kneel down: "Your Majesty."

Xiao Yuzheng, dressed in white casual clothes, reached out to help Jiang Yun: "Alright, I'm leaving the palace today to keep a low profile. I'll just join in the fun; there's no need to make a big fuss about it."

"Your Majesty, come, I will personally lead you inside."

"No need. I prefer to keep a low profile. Just find me a secluded spot to sit."

"That won't do."

"Then I'll just go in and find somewhere to sit." Xiao Yuzheng smiled and walked into the Jiang residence.

At this moment, twenty-eight tables of food and drink have been set up in the main courtyard of the Jiang residence, and many people have already taken their seats according to their status.

(End of this chapter)