Her guards

Chapter 229 Miss Yang's Treatment
With Miss Yang's return to the Duke of Ding'an's mansion, the marriage arranged by the emperor began in a lively and bustling manner.

The people of the capital first watched as the Wei family's people delivered betrothal gifts to the Duke of Ding'an's mansion, a lively procession of dozens of palanquins circling the city.

Immediately afterwards, the emperor sent a dowry to Miss Yang of the Duke of Ding'an's mansion, and the eunuchs and palace maids were busy all day long.

This sparked another round of discussion throughout the city.

"It's definitely the treatment one would expect when marrying off a princess."

"Oh, didn't I already say that it's because His Majesty arranged the marriage that His Majesty added to the dowry? This is to give face to the Wei family."

"Ha, it's even spread from the Duke of Ding'an's mansion that Miss Yang's wedding gown was woven by eunuchs."

Amidst the discussions, Lady Wei and Lady Yang completed all the pre-wedding rituals. On a clear morning in early April, Lady Wei's carriage stopped outside the Duke of Ding'an's mansion. This time, Wei Jiao also came, and he entered the Duke of Ding'an's mansion surrounded by a group of embroidered ladies.

"...The groom is here! The groom is here—"

Several children from the Ding'an Duke's Mansion excitedly shouted as they rushed into the courtyard.

Yang Hui corrected: "You should call him brother-in-law."

Yang Shanshu frowned, "They're not married yet, don't address each other like that."

This time, Lady Ding'an spoke first, rebuking him: "The form of address doesn't matter. His Majesty has arranged the marriage; how can he possibly go back on his word?"

That's true. Yang Shanshu fell silent, watching a dark cloud drift in.

The once brightly lit courtyard suddenly became gloomy.

Yang Shanshu's heart skipped a beat. Alas, apart from His Majesty's arrangement, this marriage was truly without any merit.

To marry Wei Jiao, a man with a notorious reputation.

Yang Shanshu watched as the young man in the dark clouds drew closer and closer, his face becoming increasingly dazzling.

"Brother-in-law!" Yang Hui pushed past him and took it first, calling out excitedly.

This time, Wei Jiao was no longer arrogant; his gaze swept over her for a moment.

"Yes," he replied with a smile.

Yang Hui had only one thought in her mind: Wei Jiao was her brother-in-law.

The Duke of Ding'an coughed lightly, and his wife quickly pulled her daughter away.

"Uncle and Aunt," Wei Jiao greeted them with a smile and a gesture of respect.

Duke Ding'an twitched the corner of his mouth: "The Commandant need not..."

Before Duoli could even finish speaking, Wei Jiao had already stood up.

“Uncle, am I right?” he said with a smile. “I said before that we are relatives, so now you can’t argue with me calling you uncle.”

Earlier... Duke Ding'an remembered that Wei Jiao said he and Yang Luo were fellow disciples, so they were relatives and he called him uncle.

Now it really is true, I have to call him uncle.

“Brother-in-law, this is fate!” Yang Hui exclaimed from the side.

What fate or destiny? It's obvious that the two of them had a secret affair beforehand! The imperial edict even said they were mutually in love, but who knows when they started to be mutually in love! Duke Ding'an snorted inwardly.

“In the future…” He prepared to adopt the airs of an uncle and give a few words of admonition.

Before he could even open his mouth, Wei Jiao flicked his sleeve and went inside: "Where is my bride?"

Duke Ding'an uttered two "Hey, hey," but couldn't stop Wei Jiao. Yang Hui followed closely, saying, "Brother-in-law, I'll take you there—"

Lady Ding'an stamped her foot, wanting to chase after them, when two elders from the Wei family, who had been blocked behind the embroidered women, were pushed out.

"My lord, my lady."

The two quickly bowed.

The same two people had made the initial bet. The Duke of Ding'an and his wife didn't want to deal with Wei Jiao, and they felt more comfortable talking to these two normal people. So they couldn't bother to stop Wei Jiao anymore and started exchanging compliments with the two of them.

……

……

"Cousin, cousin."

"Brother-in-law is here."

Yang Hui's shout came from outside. Mo Zheng, who was sitting by the window, looked over and saw Wei Jiao stride in.

Mo Zheng smiled and said, "Good morning, Commandant."

Although it wasn't a formal wedding, it was clear that the girl by the window had dressed up; her complexion was rosy and fair, unlike her usual light makeup, and at first glance, she was almost unrecognizable...

Wei Jiao stared at that face for a moment, then turned away and lazily said, "It's getting late for a journey," before stepping inside.

"Brother-in-law, this is my cousin's yard, right next to the garden. Brother-in-law, would you like to take a stroll? Our garden is beautiful, it's like a painting from the ancient dynasty..."

"Yang Hui, is it my young lady getting married or you? You're making so much noise."

"You little brat, you—"

"Don't interrupt my young lady's conversation with the Commandant of the Guards."

"You maid, you should address him as 'son-in-law'—"

Amidst the arguing, Yang Hui was pushed out by Yang Luo, leaving only Mo Zheng and Wei Jiao inside.

Mo Zheng smiled at him and whispered, "She doesn't know you've already been shopping."

Wei Jiao suppressed a laugh. How could he have said that… “How about we look around some more?” Mo Zheng said again, her expression seemingly shy. “After all, this is your first time here during the day, Commandant.”

This time, Wei Jiao couldn't help but burst out laughing.

That bastard is unbelievable.

But before Wei Jiao could stroll in the garden or even speak, Yang Hui rushed in again.

"Cousin, so many people came to help you with your makeup!"

So many people?
Mo Zheng looked outside and saw that the Duchess of Ding'an was leading a group of ladies and young ladies over, their clothes sparkling and shimmering in the sunlight.

At a glance, Mo Zheng recognized them as the study companions.

However, Liu Chan and Jiang Rui were not among them, and Qin Ying, who was not a study companion, was also present.

Although the ladies were taken aback when they saw Wei Jiao, they didn't mind. It was a joyous occasion, and it was Wei Jiao's own happy event; he couldn't possibly go crazy.

Congratulations, Ms. Yang.

"This is my first time meeting you; I've long admired your reputation."

"She is indeed more intelligent and beautiful than the children described when they got home."

The room was filled with laughter and chatter for a moment.

But it was also empty and uninteresting laughter.

"It's so noisy," Wei Jiao thought. "Should I kick them out?" But before he could speak, a female companion, after being winked at by several of her friends, suddenly stood in front of him and forced a smile.

"Captain, please go to the front hall to rest first, and let us girls have some private conversations."

The laughter and chatter in the hall ceased, and countless eyes turned to Wei Jiao. The older ladies looked worried and uneasy, while the young ladies who accompanied her were also somewhat nervous...

Wei Jiao scoffed inwardly, thinking it was as if he wanted to stay there. He stood up, swayed, and strode out.

As I stepped outside, I heard the noise behind me return, filled with laughter and chatter from girls.

"Oh dear, the captain has actually left."

"Oh my god, I was so scared! I was afraid he would hit me."

"How could that be? Miss Yang is here."

"Hehe, you mean Wei Jiao is afraid of his wife?"

Wei Jiao frowned in the courtyard. Was this their private conversation?!
What does it mean to be afraid?
He just thought they were too noisy.

Noisy.

"Ladies, ladies, stop laughing and joking, don't forget the important reason you're here."

Fortunately, some of the people inside had the same idea, and a lady stopped them.

However, that's not quite right. What's the point of all this? Just send the dowry and that's it. All that talking about it is pointless.

Wei Jiao stood in the courtyard and looked back. He saw that, following the woman's words, the young ladies pushed and shoved each other to stand in the hall, and suddenly raised their hands to give a solemn bow to Miss Yang.

Not only the young ladies, but also the wives all curtsied to Miss Yang.

Is this the proper etiquette for adding to the bride's dowry? Wei Jiao thought to himself, scoffing inwardly. Was this some kind of gesture to curry favor with the princess?

Unfortunately, they didn't know that the Ms. Yang in front of them was not Ms. Yang.

As he passed these people, he saw that Miss Yang looked slightly surprised, but then she seemed to realize something and smiled.

She was neither flustered nor did she try to dissuade anyone. Instead, she accepted the greetings calmly and then curtsied in return.

Wei Jiao silently nodded, realizing what these people were thanking him for.

At the time, Miss Xie Yang stopped Princess Heisei from arresting the young ladies who were accompanying her to the Yeting Prison while she was at the National Academy.

If we really arrest them, their lives will be ruined, and their families will be disgraced.

They could not thank Miss Yang at the time, and afterwards the emperor forbade them to mention the matter again, so they could not come to thank Miss Yang for it.

Now, they and their family are using Miss Yang's wedding as an opportunity to express their gratitude.

After the silent exchange of thanks concluded, the hall returned to its lively atmosphere.

"...Qin Ying, what are you doing here? You're not here as a study companion."

"Oh dear, I've come to congratulate Ah Sheng on her wedding. Of course, I must come to offer my congratulations on Ah Sheng's daughter's marriage."

"I'm truly impressed by you; you even managed to curry favor with a mere maid."

Wei Jiao's gaze swept over the young lady surnamed Qin. This young lady really made the right choice in attaching herself to someone; she has good taste...

He immediately scoffed inwardly.

It had nothing to do with taste; it was just a desire to curry favor with Miss Yang and establish a relationship through the maid.

That bastard is a master of disguise; since she's going to impersonate someone else, she'll inevitably steal everyone's attention.

With her around, no one can see anyone else.

Wei Jiao looked at the girl in the room. She had bright eyes and a radiant smile. When she looked at you, no one could take their eyes off her.

Even when she's not looking at you, you can't take your eyes off her.

　If you find the transition before the map changes boring, feel free to write a short article about it.

　　(End of this chapter)