Di Ming

Chapter 255 Discussion of the Wedding
The young woman, like a radiant lotus in full bloom, gracefully approached Zhu Yin. Even before she drew near, a fragrant breeze caressed his face.

She was naturally beautiful and rarely dressed up. But today, she wore inverted brows and a blushing makeup look, with a plum blossom dot between her brows. This outfit instantly made her look much more charming.

The setting sun shone on her like a rosy cloud, making her look even more radiant.

The young woman who led everyone out to greet them was none other than Madam Ning.

Ning Xiaoniangzi followed behind her older sister with her short legs. She was as cute and sweet as a pink dumpling, a porcelain doll, or a tender bud, and she was full of the noble air of a pampered lady from a high-class family.

She was only six years old, a tiny, adorable little girl, but she looked quite spirited. Her big eyes were full of laughter and stories.

As soon as the Ning sisters came out to greet them, the musicians in the mansion began to play melodious tunes and instruments, including the zither and lute, and performed a piece called "Joyful Reunion," which was quite lively.

Upon seeing the two, Zhu Yin couldn't help but feel delighted and said with a smile, "Why such a grand occasion? I'm not a distinguished guest."

Looking up, one could see that Caiwei was radiant and stunning, even more beautiful and charming than before, with a taller and more voluptuous figure. However, she was only fifteen years old, and her appearance still had a touch of childishness, so she deliberately wore a mature woman's hairstyle to add a touch of mature charm.

Ning Caiwei stepped forward, her sleeves emitting a fragrant scent, and gave a graceful curtsy, laughing cheerfully as she said:
"My lord has returned home victorious from his expedition to the Northwest. How could I possibly be careless? This is already quite a neglect."

Her voice was like pearls falling on a jade plate, full of joy, sounding both crisp and gentle.

As the girl spoke, her bright, intelligent eyes scanned Zhu Yin. She noticed that the little tiger hadn't lost a single hair, but it had lost some of its elegance and gained more of its heroic spirit, and it had also grown taller.

She had been worried about Zhu Yin all this time, and every few days she would report to Huya on Zhu Yin's whereabouts in the Northwest. She even prepared to organize a merchant group from the Northwest Chamber of Commerce to rescue Little Tiger if necessary.

Fortunately, the little tiger fought very well, and the thing she was most worried about did not happen.

With the little tiger home today, she can finally rest easy.

In front of everyone, she certainly couldn't be too intimate, after all, this was ancient times. The two hadn't officially married, and they were just living together in a mansion in this ambiguous way, which had already caused a lot of gossip and rumors to spread outside.

"Little tiger!" Ning Qingchen called out in a cute, childlike voice, opened her arms and hugged Zhu Yin, hanging on him.

She had missed Zhu Yin terribly after not seeing him for several months. Seeing the little tiger return safely and well today, she was finally relieved.

Zhu Yin chuckled as he picked up Ning Qingchen, stroking her hair in a bun, and said with a flourish, "My Qingchen has gotten heavier and more spirited."

Ning Qingchen smiled, revealing a pair of dimples through her missing baby tooth, and said, her words slightly muffled:

"Little tiger, you look even more majestic now, leading troops into battle must be very impressive."

Ning Qingchen reached out and grabbed the ivory tablet attached to Zhu Yin's belt, then touched the beam of his crown, acting spoiled and childish. She liked the little tiger's embrace, finding it both warm and safe.

Although the little girl is six years old, she still has a sweet, milky scent and her voice is still childlike.

However, the image of Zhu Yin holding a child while still wearing solemn court robes was rather incongruous.

Seeing this, Ning Caiwei was speechless.

Why does my little sister cling to the little tiger so much? She's six years old, not a three-year-old anymore, and she still asks for a hug when they meet?

When I returned to Beijing a while ago, my sister wasn't this enthusiastic. But today, with Little Tiger back, she was much happier than if she'd seen me.

But thinking about it, it's understandable. Because the younger sister actually lacked love when she was little. Apart from her older sister, no one in the family cared about her, including her parents and grandfather.

The Ning family is so wealthy that kinship is actually quite weak. Besides money and material possessions, my younger sister lacks many other things.

My younger sister's rebellious and somewhat unconventional behavior is also related to her family situation.

Perhaps that's why she's so close to the little tiger.

"Get down quickly!" Ning Caiwei pulled her younger sister, who was a human-shaped puppet, off Zhu Yin and snatched the ivory tablet from her hand. "Your brother-in-law is still wearing his court robes. You're just going to rub yourself against him. If you get it dirty, you can wash it yourself."

Ning Qingchen was pulled down by her sister and couldn't help but feel a little annoyed. She could only look at the black dog behind Zhu Yin, reach out and pat the dog's head and say, "Little Black, you're a dog general now."

Little Black hadn't seen the little girl for months, and when she touched his head, his tail wagged like a windmill.

Seeing this, everyone covered their mouths and chuckled. When the eldest mistress wasn't back, the second mistress was the little tyrant of the mansion. Although she was young, she had a very strong will and was really difficult to serve.

To this day, a group of veteran doctors are under house arrest in her mansion, and she refuses to release them no matter what.

After the Ning sisters had all met Zhu Yin, the housekeepers and guards bowed together and said in unison:
"Welcome home, my lord!"

"Greetings, Father!"

"Kowtowing to the master!"

Jin Yunniang and other of his earliest subordinates all addressed Zhu Yin as "Master," as he was the most trustworthy person. The maids who were bought and trained called Zhu Yin "Father." The government slaves given to him by Tian Yi called Zhu Yin "Master."

Seven or eight hundred people lined up from outside the mansion all the way to the screen wall inside, a huge, dark mass, arranged according to rank.

Hongying, Wei Zhongxian, Lancha, Kangxi and others also met with the Ning sisters.

When Galo saw Lancha, her eyes were also filled with tears. She was heavily pregnant and about to give birth.

Ning Caiwei said, "What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and pull the cart inside!"

The servants immediately stepped forward and hurriedly pulled Zhu Yin and his guards' carriages through the side gate, leading them to the stables and carriage corridors on both sides of the front yard.

Zhu Yin entered the gate and saw two century-old osmanthus trees in the outer courtyard, which were in full bloom. The whole courtyard was filled with the fragrance of osmanthus, making people feel intoxicated.

For a moment, Zhu Yin couldn't tell whether the wild ferns beside him smelled better or the osmanthus flowers smelled better.

There was supposed to be a sedan chair shed in the outer courtyard, but now there wasn't a single sedan chair. Ning Caiwei had posted a notice that no guests would be received today.

After passing the long screen wall, you will enter the ceremonial gate leading to the central courtyard.

Two strings of red lanterns hang in front of the ceremonial gate. It has five bays with a mortise and tenon joint, a double-eaved roof with a curved gable, a fire-resistant wall with four horse-head gables, six auspicious cloud stone pillars at the eaves, a pair of drum-shaped stone bases and two pairs of stone beasts in front of the main gate.

Upon entering, there is another large screen of eight floor-to-ceiling rosewood panels.

Every stone brick and every pillar is exquisitely carved and extremely ornate.

Just by looking at this ornately decorated ceremonial gate, one can tell how wealthy the Zhu family is. In Ning Caiwei's own words, this mansion, with so much money spent on it, is no less than the residences of dukes and marquises.

Walking around the floor-to-ceiling screen for several meters, you'll see a large artificial mountain covered in lush moss directly in front of you, and a pond of autumn water to your right. To the left is another arched flower gate, leading to a covered walkway that passes through a large central courtyard and leads directly to the backyard.

The covered walkway is several tens of feet long, suspended in the air, seven feet off the ground. On both sides of the walkway are flowering and fruit trees, the canopies of which are just the same height as the walkway. Grapevines grow on top, so you don't have to climb the trees to pick fruit or flowers; you can just reach out and touch them.

It was late August, the perfect time for autumn fruits to ripen. Pears, dates, pomegranates, grapes, and other fruits hung heavily, looking incredibly tempting. The mansion had several covered walkways, and this particular one was called the Flower and Fruit Walkway.

Ning Caiwei had already given the order: the head of the family would be returning soon, and no one was allowed to pick any fruit from the flower and fruit arbor; they had to wait until the head of the family returned to eat them.

Zhu Yin casually picked a bright yellow pear, and could still feel the warmth of the autumn sun when he touched it.

Walking along the covered walkway, one can look down upon the entire magnificent and tranquil central courtyard. Zhu Yin glanced to his right and saw several elderly men lounging in reclining chairs in the courtyard's medicinal garden, watching the sunset.

"Which one is Li Shizhen?" Zhu Yin asked, his gaze sweeping over the several old men not far away.

Ning Qingchen, holding Zhu Yin's hand, pointed with a grin at the white-haired old man in a blue robe and a square-shaped headscarf, "That's him. He's the noisiest one, always wanting to go home like a child." Zhu Yin laughed, "You forced them to stay here for months, and you're blaming others for wanting to go home? Nonsense."

Zhu Yin always doted on his sister-in-law. Even though she was very willful, Zhu Yin couldn't bear to get angry with her, unlike Ning Caiwei who would scold her at the drop of a hat.

“Little Tiger, I only kept them here for your sake.” Ning Qingchen raised her little face and said righteously, “I know you really want to see Li Shizhen. If I let him go, you will never have the chance to see him.”

"As soon as my sister came back, she wanted to decide to let them go, but I stopped her no matter what. We even had a fight over it, but she couldn't win, so she had to give up. Little Tiger, tell me, who's right and who's wrong?"

Ning Caiwei snorted coldly, "I can't argue with you? Didn't you threaten to run away from home if you let Li Shizhen and the others go? I'm afraid you'll do something reckless, not that I can't argue with you."

Zhu Yin could only try to smooth things over, saying, "They're all right, they're all right. Caiwei and Qingchen are indeed being very unreasonable. But I really do want to see Li Shizhen..."

Ning Caiwei immediately felt a headache when she saw her younger sister's smug smile.

Since her return, my younger sister has toned down a lot, but it's clear she's been holding back. Now that the little tiger is back, she has a powerful backer and is likely to cause trouble again.

Ning Caiwei said, "When are you going to see Li Shizhen? Once you see him, let them leave immediately. A group of people have been locked up in your sister-in-law's mansion for months, and their families are about to report it to the authorities. Is this acceptable? The Zhu family isn't a bandit family. If this continues, even the censor will impeach you."

Zhu Yin said, "They've been forcing us to stay for months, so what's a day or two? I'll go see them again later and apologize in person."

As they talked, they entered the inner courtyard of the vermilion-lacquered mansion.

As the sun sets, the inner courtyard, with its many pavilions, is already illuminated with lanterns, casting a hazy, dreamlike glow.

Zhu Yin went directly to the main building, Hanzhang Hall, where he usually lived and slept.

When the group entered the house, they first changed their shoes in the dressing room outside the pavilion, putting on their most comfortable silk shoes and casual clothes before stepping into the main room.

Inside the painted hall, the lights shone brightly, the embroidered curtains were lightly rolled up, and golden hooks hung diagonally. A wisp of ambergris incense rose from the bronze beast-shaped incense burner, filling the hall with its fragrance.

The walls of the hall are inlaid with tortoiseshell carved rosewood panels. Against the wall, a display cabinet made of huanghuali wood is filled with antique treasures. On a flower stand, clusters of precious autumn chrysanthemums, their petals delicate and fragrant, are in full bloom.

The walls are adorned with calligraphy and paintings by renowned artists, depicting landscapes or figures. The brushstrokes are bold and unrestrained, the spirit is vivid, and the ink is rich and vibrant. One can see verdant mountains, vigorous pine branches, and graceful cranes, creating a profound and serene atmosphere. This room is truly a magnificent place to behold.

Against the east wall was another long desk, covered with various stationery items. Behind it was a nanmu wood bookshelf that took up an entire wall, filled with rare editions of classics, histories, philosophical works, and collections of literature, many of which were unique copies.

Beside the long table were a zither table, a sword rack, an incense table, and a tea table. There was also a clock stand with a newly produced mechanical clock from Daishan on it.

Two layers of luxurious carpets from the Western Regions were laid on the ground, embroidered with rare birds and animals, clouds and flowers.

Even a king or nobleman wouldn't feel uncomfortable living in this painted hall.

The painting hall was divided into two parts; this was the outer room. Zhu Yin and Ning Caiwei usually spent most of their time here, chatting, reading, drinking tea, playing chess, and playing the zither.

Behind the curtains and beaded screens was the inner room where Zhu Yin and Ning Caiwei, the sisters, would sleep.

Separated by a curtain and screen on the west side, there was another exquisite and magnificent dining room. The three of them usually ate their meals here.

The three entered the dining hall of Hanzhang Hall, where several musicians were already gently playing the strings of their instruments. The sound of the pipa was like pearls falling on a jade plate, or the gentle murmur of flowing water. Ning Caiwei and Ning Qingchen came from wealthy families and were used to listening to music while eating.

Several maids carried silver platters in the outer corridor of the dining hall, which were filled with various delicacies, including bird's nest soup, abalone sashimi, chicken stewed with deer antler, osmanthus cake, almond shortbread, candied fruits, etc., and placed them on the table one by one.

Zhu Yin had been away for several months, eating with his soldiers. Although they were full, the food was very coarse. Seeing the delicacies at home this time, he couldn't help but have a great appetite.

After dinner, a maid served fresh seasonal fruit.

Zhu Yin ate some melons and fruits haphazardly, and several maids then served him plates, cups, spittoons, washing vessels, towels, bowls, and basins.

Finally, Jin Yunniang, sensing the opportune moment, came to report: "My lord, the bath is ready. Please take a bath."

Zhu Yin got up and went to the east side of Hanzhang Hall. He walked through a covered corridor that was several feet long and arrived at Xuan Pond.

There are many bathhouses in the mansion, but the Xuan Pool in Hanzhang Tower is generally only used by Zhu Yin and the Ning sisters.

Besides these three, Yunniang, Galuo, Hongying, Kangxi, and others were also invited to use the food.

Xuanchi is a bathing pool built with large pieces of green jade. The pool is not large, only about ten feet in diameter, but the water in the pool is flowing water.

Moreover, the Xuanchi Pond even has a showerhead and a flush toilet "invented" by Zhu Yin, making it truly unique.

Even the bathhouse has a stove, a vase, and other necessities, as well as artificial hills, flowers, root carvings, bookshelves, and a tea table.

Even the most materialistic emperor in the palace would be unable to enjoy the beauty of this Xuanchi Pond.

Logically speaking, someone of Zhu Yin's status should have someone scrubbing his back when he takes a bath. However, Ning Caiwei was too embarrassed to come in, since they weren't married yet.

Other women are even less allowed to enter.

Fortunately, Yunniang was thoughtful and had prepared two twelve or thirteen-year-old servants to come in and wipe Zhu Yin's back.

The dust and smoke from the battles in the Northwest have finally been wiped away.

After taking a bath, Zhu Yin returned to Hanzhang Hall and found Xiao Hei nestled comfortably under the desk. He lifted the beaded curtain and entered the bedroom, where he saw the Ning sisters sitting barefoot on the carpet, brewing tea and chatting softly with smiles on their faces.

The aroma of tea wafts through the air, and red candles burn brightly. Under the lamplight, the girl appears exceptionally alluring.

A carved, intricately crafted canopy bed is draped with brocade curtains. A huanghuali wood dressing table displays cosmetics, jewelry, and a precious mirror, all gleaming and sparkling.

A few freshly picked osmanthus flowers were placed in a vase on the dressing table, their subtle fragrance mingling with the scent of ambergris, creating a delightful and refreshing atmosphere.

A large screen made of rosewood and silk tapestry stands beside the bed, inlaid with landscape paintings. The distant mountains and nearby waters are layered in a well-organized manner, like a three-dimensional painting.

The Ning sisters, dressed in moon-colored silk pajamas, leaned comfortably against the embroidered cushions.

"Is the little tiger clean?" Ning Caiwei turned her head and smiled, personally pouring tea for Zhu Yin, her snow-white neck as elegant as a swan.

Zhu Yin sat down leisurely, took a sip of tea, and asked, "Don't you take baths?"

Ning Qingchen said, "You think we're dirty? Of course we've already showered. We came out after a bath when we were welcoming you, hee hee."

Ning Caiwei brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and said with a smile, "Tonight we're all together, let's have a family meeting. What's the first thing? Little Tiger, guess."

Zhu Yin knew perfectly well what was going on and said without hesitation, "It's our wedding next month."

"Perfect answer." Ning Caiwei's smile grew even brighter. "It's the wedding. Little Tiger still has a conscience; he hasn't forgotten."

"The wedding is on September 12th. There are only ten days left at most. What should we do about the wedding? We have to come up with a plan tonight."

Seeing that Zhu Yin looked a little confused, Ning Caiwei quickly added:

"Let me make this clear, little tiger, I'm not desperate to get married, I'm only fifteen. But it's really not going to work out right now, there's a lot of gossip going around. You're a government official, your reputation is very important."

Zhu Yin laughed and said, "Who said you're eager to get married? I'm the one who can't wait to get married. But what about the wedding? That's a real problem. The formalities of the three letters and six rites are easy enough, but where am I supposed to pick up the bride? I can't just go from the Zhu family home to the Zhu family home, can I?"

P.S.: That's all for today. I've been very busy and haven't had time to write. What do you all think? How should the wedding procession be conducted?

(End of this chapter)