The Military Governor in Dream of the Red Chamber

The auspicious time arrives, and the newlyweds perform the wedding ceremony.

A worship of heaven and earth.

Two worship the high hall.

The husband and wife bow to each other.

After the ceremony, Jia Chen brought the bride, whose head was still covered with a red veil, to Chen Tai's table.

Chen Tai was the most important guest at the event, so Jia Chen naturally had to offer him a toast.

Because Qin Keqing was still covered by a red veil and could not see her surroundings, she gave Chen Tai a curtsy at the prompting of the wedding attendant beside her.

After drinking the cup of wine offered by Jia Chen, Chen Tai said, "I still have military affairs to attend to and cannot stay any longer, lest I disturb the refined enjoyment of our guests. I wish you and your spouse a harmonious marriage and many children."

Jia Chen dared not neglect him and escorted Chen Taigong to the door.

Ye Fandong also left with them.

Chen Tai came over, had a drink, and left, so Jia Chen didn't think much of it.

Chen Tai didn't want to cause himself any trouble.

If Chen Tai had been present, none of the guests would have dared to drink to their heart's content. Only after he left did the atmosphere truly warm up.

There's one more thing, which Jia Chen could probably guess.

After all, he was a member of the Jia family. Although Chen Tai had come over without avoiding suspicion, he couldn't stay too long.

With Chen Tai gone, there were still unfinished wedding procedures to continue.

Send it to the cave.

Jia Chen walked slowly to the bedside and looked at the bride sitting on the wedding bed. She was still covered with a red veil embroidered with mandarin ducks playing in the water. She was slender and her hands were nervously twisting the hem of her clothes.

Jia Chen took a deep breath.

I never thought I'd actually marry Qin Keqing today.

Jia Chen felt like he was dreaming.

At this moment, the matchmaker presented a tray with a silver scale on it.

Jia Chen knew that this meant he was to lift the bride's red veil.

A silver scale symbolizes satisfaction and fulfillment of one's wishes.

Jia Chen picked up the silver scale and gently lifted a corner of the veil, his movements extremely slow, as if he were unveiling a rare treasure, not daring to be careless in the slightest.

As the red silk slid down inch by inch, the bride's stunningly beautiful face, capable of both anger and joy, was finally revealed to the public without reservation.

Her eyes were lowered, two intoxicating blushes rose on her cheeks, and the pearl hairpin at her temple swayed gently with her slight trembling. Her eyes were full of shyness.

Jia Chen didn't know what Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai would look like in the future, but he could probably see some resemblance to those two women in Qin Keqing.

Qin Keqing's heart was pounding like a deer's. When the veil was lifted, she couldn't help but steal a glance at Jia Chen.

Having experienced the incident of mistaking someone for someone else, she really wanted to know what Jia Chen looked like.

That one glance was enough to take in Jia Chen's appearance.

He wasn't as dashing as Baozhu had described, but he was still quite good-looking.

He's just a bit dark-skinned.

Qin Keqing understood that Jia Chen was in the military camp, exposed to the wind and sun all day long, so it was no wonder he was tanned.

Jia Chen noticed Qin Keqing's furtive glances and smiled inwardly.

She was curious about herself, and naturally, she was also curious about what she looked like.

"My wife!" Jia Chen called out softly, putting aside the many thoughts in his mind.

Qin Keqing then slightly raised her eyes, glanced shyly at Jia Chen, and quickly lowered her head again, saying sweetly, "Husband!"

At this moment, the matchmaker, beaming with joy, brought over a silver tray with two nuptial cups tied together with a red string.

This is the nuptial wine ceremony.

Jia Chen and Qin Keqing each held a cup, their arms intertwined, their eyes meeting.

This glass of wine symbolizes that from now on we will share joys and sorrows, and that we will be intertwined, each other's presence.

The two tilted their heads back and drank the wine in their glasses in one gulp; it was spicy yet mellow.

Seeing this, the matchmaker smiled, took the empty cup, said "May you have a long and happy marriage," and then tactfully withdrew, gently closing the door behind her.

Only two people remained in the room.

Jia Chen was at a loss for words, after all, it was the first time they had met.

"My lady, there are still guests outside. I need to go and offer them a toast. Please wait inside for a moment," Jia Chen said after thinking for a moment.

The real wedding night isn't now; it's still midday, and the guests are still here.

As the groom, he still had to go out and deal with the guests.

Qin Keqing gave a soft "Mmm".

When Jia Chen came out, the two maids at the door hurriedly called out, "Young Master!"

Jia Chen knew that these must be Baozhu and Ruizhu, who were Qin Keqing's attendants, and they were indeed pretty and charming.

"You can go in now," Jia Chen nodded.

When Jia Chen returned outside, Jia Zheng pulled him aside to speak with him alone.

"Second Master, what is this?" Jia Chen looked at the paper that Jia Zheng had stuffed into his hand with some confusion.

"This is the deed to the house. From this day forward, this courtyard house is yours," Jia Zheng said with a smile.

Previously, Jia Zheng and the other two had discussed giving Jia Chen the right to use the courtyard house.

After all, land in Beijing is incredibly valuable, so this house isn't cheap.

"Second Master, this is far too valuable," Jia Chen said hurriedly.

He was a little surprised, because Jia Zheng and the others had only told him to stay here with peace of mind.

It didn't say that the courtyard house would be transferred to him free of charge.

"You have rendered such a great service, which is also an honor for our Jia family. This is a reward from the clan to you, so there is no need to refuse," Jia Zheng said with a smile.

Chen Tai just arrived and brought a generous gift.

This was completely beyond Jia Zheng's and his companions' imagination.

In their view, even if Chen Tai valued Jia Chen highly, Jia Chen's personal attendance to congratulate him was already a blessing that Jia Chen had accumulated over several lifetimes.

As for a congratulatory gift, giving a hundred taels of silver would be quite generous.

But Chen Tai also added silk and a pair of jade ruyi scepters.

These gifts must have cost no less than a thousand taels of silver.

Such an unusually generous gift made Jia Zheng and his companions suspect that there was something they didn't know about it.

Even an outsider like Chen Tai sent such a valuable congratulatory gift, which makes the Jia family's previous actions seem somewhat inappropriate.

So after discussion, the decision to give away the house was made.

Jia Chen could roughly guess what was going on; it was probably related to Chen Tai's arrival.

Since Jia Zheng and the others are giving it to me, I have nothing to be afraid of accepting it.

Although I have enough money to buy such a courtyard house, I'm afraid that actually making the purchase would cause a lot of trouble.

He was just a minor centurion before, where did he get so much silver?

It's completely inexplicable.

Therefore, Jia Chen did not refuse again.

While Jia Chen was hosting a banquet, Liu Tianwang and Liu Guangde learned from those who had delivered gifts to Jia Chen that Chen Tai and Ye Fandong had personally come to offer their congratulations.

Whether Ye Fandong goes or not, Liu Tianwang doesn't care.

He was still quite surprised that Chen Tai dared to come to his door in person.

"Father, do you think Chen Tai doesn't know he should avoid suspicion? Or does he think he's gotten a bit arrogant after being granted a title?" Liu Tianwang asked.

He didn't believe Chen Tai was unaware of the Jia family's current situation, and that approaching them at this time would easily bring him trouble.

"Regardless of whether Chen Tai is arrogant or not, one thing is certain: he wants to win over Jia Chen," Liu Guangde said in a deep voice. "You did something stupid. How could you have acted so recklessly in front of Qianshan Fortress?"

Liu Tianwang looked embarrassed; it was about his previous attempt to frame Jia Chen as a scapegoat.

After telling her father about it, she was given a severe scolding.

"Father, Jia Chen is indeed a rare talent. I think we need to make amends. How about I go there in person now and prepare a generous gift?" Liu Tianwang said, composing himself.

"Nonsense!" Liu Guangde scolded. "If Chen Tai really wants to win over Jia Chen, you probably can't stop him."

"Yes, a higher rank can crush you," Liu Tianwang said with a wry smile.

"However, in my father's opinion, since it is difficult to protect Jia Chen, it is not a problem to abandon him," Liu Guangde said.

Liu Tianwang stared at his father with some surprise.

"Jia Chen's achievements are not solely due to his own merits," Liu Guangde said, his eyes gleaming. "They are the result of his valiant and skilled elite troops, who have captured so many Northern barbarian heads. Once you have these men in your hands, what is Jia Chen? Whether Chen Tai is a general or the Earl of Pinglu, as long as you have troops at your disposal, and elite soldiers capable of taking on ten men each, what is there to fear?"