Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 175 The One True God (Part 2)

The warm spring sun dispelled the morning mist. The houses of Luoyang were gradually bathed in a golden glow.

As soon as the city gates opened, a group of fifty imperial guards entered the city, carrying the waist tokens of the Prince of Jin's residence, and no one stopped them.

Among these people was a small girl who wasn't very tall.

After entering Luoyang, the fifty people arrived at an inconspicuous house on the south side, where the little girl knocked heavily on the gate.

Soon, the courtyard gate opened, and it was Sima You who came to open it.

At this moment, he was wearing a bright red robe, and his whole appearance was like a flower in full bloom.

It looks unusually flashy.

Anyone around him could easily be drawn to his vibrant colors, not to mention the large paper red flower on his chest!

Zhao Xiangfeng's face darkened; she didn't want to talk to this strangely dressed person and quickly entered the courtyard. She saw a group of people, including Shi Shouxin, all clad in lamellar armor and black military uniforms, looking menacing!

"Ah Lang, isn't this a coup?"

Zhao Xiangfeng asked with a worried expression.

"What 'surrender'? We're going to kidnap the bride! You lead the way!"

Shi Shouxin placed a large red wreath around Zhao Xiangfeng's neck and shouted to Sima You, "Your Highness, let's set off now! Mount your horse quickly!"

Upon hearing the shout, Sima You quickly led his horse out of the courtyard and mounted it.

Soon Shi Shouxin came over, took the horse's reins, and called out to Zhao Xiangfeng, "You lead the way."

He then shouted to the fifty Zhao family retainers, "You protect both sides."

Finally, he instructed the Su brothers, "Take your personal guards and follow behind me."

The group, in a grand procession, headed towards Yongnianli.

This group of people was dressed extremely flamboyantly, attracting countless onlookers from Luoyang. They were arguably the most stylish group in Luoyang that day. Sima You, in particular, was the only one riding a horse.

Everyone spotted him immediately, and countless eyes were fixed on him.

At this moment, Sima You silently recited the words Shi Shouxin had taught him the night before: As long as I don't feel troubled, then it is others who feel troubled!
As he read on, he suddenly stopped feeling embarrassed.

Anyway, even if he goes too far, it'll only be for this one day. He's been feeling incredibly stifled lately due to the pressure from various forces, including even his own parents!
Even if he wanted to express his dissatisfaction, he could have yelled at him, right?

The engagement with Jia was something that had been prepared for for so long, and yet it was canceled at the last minute. Who wouldn't be furious?
Sima You's expression kept changing, and soon the group arrived at Yongnian Village.

Following Shi Shouxin's instructions, Zhao Xiangfeng stepped forward and knocked on the door of an ordinary courtyard in Yongnian Lane. The door opened quickly, and Li Wan, dressed in a bright red ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), walked out with her head held high and her expression calm.

She immediately noticed Sima You on horseback and Shi Shouxin walking ahead.

Are you Shi Shouxin?

Li Wan looked at Shi Shouxin and asked.

"I am Shi Shouxin, the Sima of the second son of the Prince of Jin. Today, I will lead the way to the Jia family to welcome the bride on behalf of the Prince of Jin."

You are the bride's mother, and also her mother-in-law. Would you like to come with us?

Shi Shouxin asked with a smile.

"Women are inherently gentle, but become strong when they become mothers."

You're already a high-ranking official in the government, yet you're still so pedantic.

Although Ms. Li is a woman, she insisted on being at the forefront of the wedding procession for her daughter!

Li Wan looked up at Shi Shouxin with her head held high and spoke in a firm and powerful voice, then walked gracefully to the front of the group.

Following Shi Shouxin's instructions, Zhao Xiangfeng quickly followed Li Wan, walking beside her to protect her safety.

With Li Wan leading the way, the wedding procession of dozens of people arrived in front of Jia Chong's mansion in a grand procession.

Their commotion had already alerted the Jia family.

When the wedding procession arrived, dozens of Jia family servants, armed with sticks, were already lined up in a fan shape, guarding the gate tightly.

At this moment, let alone getting Li Wan to knock on the door, they couldn't even get close to the door.

"We will be welcoming the bride today, and there will be no bloodshed."

"Guards! Disperse these servants!"

Shi Shouxin drew his sword, pointed it towards the door, and shouted.

Zhao Xiangfeng couldn't wait any longer. He casually handed the knife at his waist to Li Wan, then rushed into the crowd and began to wreak havoc, his fists specifically aimed at the stomachs of the servants.

The elite soldiers inside the Zhao family's fortified village were far superior to the mere servants who guarded the house.

In the span of just four or five breaths, the ground was covered with people, and those who were still able to move scattered like birds and beasts!

Li Wan stepped forward and shouted into the Jia family mansion, "Guo Huai! You are a daughter of a military family, don't be a coward!"

That's a really harsh statement.

Sure enough, the gates of the Jia mansion were opened from the inside.

Guo Huai, dressed in a brocade robe, came out, but she noticed Li Wan's bright red ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), her indifferent expression, and her irresistible aura.

They actually took three steps back.

Several servants stepped forward to protect Guo Huai, but Zhao Xiangfeng knocked them all to the ground with a single punch.

"Guo Huai, Jia Bao is not your daughter, you have no right to decide her marriage."

Li Wan coldly rebuked Guo Huai, her attitude extremely firm.

Perhaps frightened, Guo Huaiqiang argued, "Jia Chong is the head of the family; only matters he approves can be decided."

Guo Huai dared not claim she could make the decision herself, instead pushing the blame onto Jia Chong. Sima You was, after all, Sima Zhao's own son; Guo Huai could cause trouble behind his back, but she absolutely could not speak nonsense to Sima You's face!
"Hmph, I'm taking Jia Bao to get married today!"

If Jia Chong has any objections, then let this old servant come to Yongnian!

I'm here every day, waiting for him to come!

Li Wan's eyes flashed like lightning as she glared at Guo Huai, making this rumored shrew dare not utter a word in response.

At this moment, a young and beautiful girl with a face shape that was seven-tenths similar to Li Wan's ran out. She was pleasantly surprised to see Li Wan and went up to ask her how she was doing!

This must be Jia Bao!
As expected, Li Wan instructed Jia Bao, "Your husband has arrived. Mount your horse and go to the wedding banquet!"

"Mount up?"

Jia Bao asked with a puzzled look. She looked around and saw no other horses except for Sima You riding a horse.

Shi Shouxin was so anxious he was about to cry, and without making a sound, he pinched Sima You's ankle hard!

We agreed on everything last night, so why is it that things are stalled at the very last minute?
When Shi Shouxin pinched him, Sima You finally came to his senses. He quickly dismounted, picked up Jia Bao by the waist without saying a word, lifted him onto the horse, and then mounted himself, sitting behind Jia Bao.

This romantic scene prompted the onlookers to cheer loudly.

Seeing that the matter was settled, Li Wan looked at Guo Huai with a half-smile and said, "I'm marrying off my daughter. If you want to marry off your daughter, marry the one you gave birth to yourself. If you're not happy about it, go complain to Jia Chong. I'll take care of it!"

After saying that, he turned and left with a flourish.

Guo Huai stood there trembling with anger, but dared not chase after him at all.

Jia Bao, still on horseback and confused about what was happening, heard Shi Shouxin shout at her from below, "Now that you've found your ideal husband, aren't you going to thank us?"

Upon hearing this, the wedding procession burst into laughter.

Li Wan looked at Shi Shouxin with admiration and couldn't help but ask, "When we go to the Prince of Jin's residence later, are you going to break in as well?"

Shi Shouxin simply replied, "Madam Li is joking."

But he refused to say more.

A group of people swarmed towards the Prince of Jin's residence like locusts.

The Prince of Jin's residence was quite a distance from Jia Chong's residence; it required crossing most of Luoyang.

Their wedding procession paraded through the city, with Sima You and Jia Bao riding on horseback, looking very much in love.

It was truly astonishing to onlookers!
Shi Shouxin thought to himself: What if Sima Zhao retaliates against him afterward?

But it doesn't matter anymore. A true man is quick to avenge wrongs. What's done is done, so what's there to be afraid of?

Half an hour later, the procession arrived at the gate of the Prince of Jin's residence.

At this moment, both Sima Zhao and Sima Yan stood at the door, their expressions complex.

They had already found out what was going on, and their mood was constantly changing, even to the point of being described as full of twists and turns.

Sima You's behavior today was certainly outrageous, but whether Sima Zhao should send someone to stop him is another matter. Often, face is of utmost importance; even if punishment is necessary, it can be dealt with quietly after today's events have passed and the storm has died down.

Li Wan stepped forward, bowed to Sima Zhao, and said, "Father-in-law, I wonder if the wedding banquet is ready? May we begin?"

Sima Zhao stepped forward and returned the greeting to Li Wan, saying, "The wedding banquet will not begin until tonight. Please go to the Prince of Jin's residence to rest first."

The die is cast, and most of the people in Luoyang have witnessed the entire spectacle. A little inquiry is all it takes to find out what happened.

At this point, if Sima Zhao were to tell the outside world that it was all a joke and that his family would never marry a woman from the Jia family.

In the end, who is the one who loses face?
Was it Sima You, who bravely snatched the bride?
Or is it Shi Shouxin, who is busy planning everything?
Or perhaps it's Li Wan, who is fiercely protective of her son?
I'm afraid neither is true.

The clowns who will be made fools of then will probably be Sima Zhao, Guo Huai, Jia Chong, and possibly Wang Yuanji as well. And Jia Bao, this young girl, will probably never be able to get married again.

Now that things have come to this point, can Sima Zhao call a halt?

Unable to vent his anger on Li Wan, Sima Zhao turned to Shi Shouxin, his face full of rage, and asked, "I gave you ten days off so you could recuperate at home, not so you could come and join the fun!"

“Prince Jin, I am the Sima of Sima You’s household. Today is his wedding day, and everyone has things to take care of. Would it be appropriate for me not to lend a hand?”

Shi Shouxin defended himself with a smile.

Sima Zhao wasn't really looking for trouble with him, so he stopped talking afterward.

In fact, if this matter had been handled smoothly, Sima You's attempt to abduct the bride from the Jia family would have been a celebrated story.

What else can we do but go along with it?

Sima Zhao stepped forward and personally led Sima You's horse. He looked at Sima You's conflicted expression and sneered, "What are you being so coy about? You are already engaged to Jia Shi!"

At this moment, he made no mention of how he had reluctantly agreed to break off the engagement at Guo Huai's urging.

Sima You, of course, would not expose this.

However, while everyone was overjoyed, there was someone at the entrance of the Prince of Jin's mansion who was so embarrassed that he didn't know where to put himself.

Sima Yan hesitated, unsure whether he should go forward to congratulate Sima You by leading his horse, or pretend he wasn't there and slip away.

"Is this it?"

Zhao Xiangfeng quietly pulled Shi Shouxin's arm and asked in a low voice. At this moment, everyone's eyes were on Sima You, and no one was paying attention to them anymore.

"That would solve it."

Shi Shouxin said with a smile.

He believed that Shi Chong must have been very happy when he learned that his fiancée had been taken away.

I'm so happy I want to kill someone!

(End of this chapter)