The Splendor of the Red Chamber

The next day arrived on the actual day.

The Sun family mother and son seemed more enthusiastic than anyone else. Although they didn't do any hard work, they shouted the loudest than anyone else.

The eldest branch of the Sheng family was, after all, the richest family in Youyang, and although they had separated from the second branch, which was an official in another city, for decades, they had maintained a good relationship.

So by the afternoon, almost all the local gentry and prominent families had arrived, and even the magistrate of Youyang County personally came to offer his congratulations.

As soon as the magistrate arrived, Sun Zhigao clung to him, acting all warm and friendly like old brothers. If one didn't know better, they might think that the Sun family and the magistrate had been friends for generations.

In fact, Sun Zhigao's close relationship with the county magistrate was thanks to the Sheng family.

Because Sheng Wei came from a merchant family, he always felt inferior to officials. Since he had Sun Zhigao, a scholar who had passed the imperial examination, as his son-in-law, he asked Sun Zhigao to handle all official matters on his behalf.

As a result, Sun Zhigao extorted money from the Sheng family under the guise of the county magistrate, while simultaneously bribing the county magistrate in his own name.

Later, he even boasted to his father-in-law, Sheng Wei, that it was all thanks to his close friendship with the county magistrate that the magistrate was willing to make things convenient for the Sheng family's business.

As usual, Sun Zhigao deliberately highlighted his close relationship with the county magistrate in front of everyone.

Sheng Wei suddenly came over, cupped his hands to the magistrate, and said, "Magistrate, please allow me a moment to speak."

Sun Zhigao had something to hide, so naturally he didn't want Sheng Wei to have much contact with the county magistrate.

He immediately frowned and said, "Father-in-law, my brother and I are discussing the writings of the sages. If there's nothing urgent..."

"Your Excellency, Magistrate."

Normally, Sheng Wei would have tolerated it, but today was a special occasion, so he interrupted Sun Zhigao directly and said, "A distinguished guest came to our residence yesterday. We would like to invite you to come and meet him."

Upon hearing the words "distinguished guest," Sun Zhigao immediately thought of the "Imperial Censor's daughter" his mother had mentioned the night before, assuming that an Imperial Censor was passing through the area and had come to attend the wedding out of respect for the second branch of the family.

This is not uncommon; there have been precedents where Sheng Hong, who passed through Youyang in the same year, took the initiative to visit him.

Sun Zhigao then enthusiastically said, "Then I'll go and meet them too. Although the censors and officials of this dynasty are not as illustrious as those of the Ming dynasty, they are still noble civil officials. They must be very learned and knowledgeable."

His mother had just offended Jia Lian yesterday, so Sheng Wei dared not let him go and make a fool of himself.

He hurriedly advised, "My dear son-in-law, you should stay outside and entertain our relatives and friends on my behalf."

As he spoke, he hurriedly led the magistrate of Youyang away.

Sun Zhigao was humiliated in public, and his face immediately darkened.

Thinking to himself that his brother-in-law had only just obtained a minor official position, the Sheng family was already looking down on him; it was simply outrageous!

If I don't publicly reprimand them, how can I deceive both sides and reap the benefits in the future?

It was also his mother's fault for being so uncultured and crude. She only mentioned that they had met the daughter of an imperial censor, but failed to remember the prefix "salt inspector." Without those two words, the difference would be like heaven and earth.

Otherwise, no matter how arrogant and domineering Sun Zhigao was, he wouldn't dare to cause trouble at this critical juncture.

the other side.

The magistrate of Youyang followed behind Sheng Wei, also filled with doubts. He initially thought that it was Sheng Hong, the prefect of Dengzhou, who had returned.

As the saying goes, a local official is more powerful than a distant one. Although Sheng Hong was a fifth-rank prefect, he was still expected to show respect and deference to his local magistrate. It was impossible for him to be so rude.

Who is this distinguished guest?

Could it be that the second wife's brother from her maternal family has arrived?

But why would a noble family like the Wang family condescend to attend the wedding of a mere merchant in Youyang?

After racking his brains for a long time without finding a solution, the magistrate couldn't help but whisper, "Master Sheng, may I ask who this distinguished guest is?"

"this……"

Sheng Wei pretended to hesitate for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Let's meet the important person first, then I'll introduce you to the master."

A benefactor?

This is a level above that of a distinguished guest.

The magistrate of Youyang County racked his brains but couldn't figure out what kind of influential person the Sheng family could have climbed up to.

He had heard that the second wife of the Sheng family came from a noble family, but the family had long since fallen into decline.

Completely bewildered, the magistrate of Youyang followed Sheng Wei to a side hall guarded by seven or eight servants. He looked up and saw a young nobleman in his early twenties sitting in the main seat.

Just by looking at his appearance and demeanor, he is definitely not an ordinary person.

"Mr. Sheng, who is this gentleman?"

The magistrate of Youyang County subconsciously bent down slightly and cast a probing glance at Sheng Wei beside him.

"Ahem~"

Sheng Wei cleared his throat and said loudly, "This gentleman is Jia, the eldest son of the Rongguo Mansion, who is the nephew-in-law of Wang Taiwei, the fifth-rank candidate for vice prefect and commander of nine provinces."

When others introduce items, they usually start with the most valuable ones, but Sheng Wei deliberately does the opposite.

The magistrate of Youyang bowed deeply halfway through the conversation, and upon hearing the whole thing, he knelt down with a thud and prostrated himself, saying, "Your humble servant, Chen Congyun, the magistrate of Youyang, pays his respects to Your Excellency."

Jia Lian raised a hand and gestured to support him from a distance, saying, "There is no superior-subordinate relationship between us, Magistrate Chen, there is no need for such a grand gesture."

Magistrate Chen remained kneeling on the ground, respectfully clasping his hands and saying, "It was extremely impolite of me not to have come from afar to greet you. This is merely an attempt to make amends."

This is also a spineless opportunist who knows how to scheme.

Jia Lian turned his gaze to Sheng Wei: "Master Sheng is busy today, so there's no need for you to stay here with us—Magistrate Chen, please stand up and speak."

"Thank you, sir!"

Magistrate Chen then got up, turned around and said with a smile, "I will stay and serve you, sir. You may go and attend to your business, Master Sheng."

There was even a hint of flattery in that smile.

Sheng Wei had never seen the county magistrate in such a state before. He felt completely relaxed and refreshed. He bowed and retreated outside the hall, pondering how he could truly establish connections with this powerful figure.

Previously, he had been hoping that Sun Zhigao would repay his wife's family, but now, seeing Jia Lian's power...

What a load of bull! He's not even as good as a single hair on the young master's leg!

Inside the hall.

Seeing that Magistrate Chen had half his buttocks slumped in the chair, Jia Lian asked with a smile, "I heard that Magistrate Chen and that scholar Sun Zhigao are very close friends?"

Although Magistrate Chen did not know why Jia Lian would attend the Sheng family's wedding, he was certain that this young nobleman had some connection with the Sheng family.

So he cupped his hands and smiled, saying, "Scholar Sun is a rising star in the literary world of Youyang. I hit it off with him at first sight, and we often exchange poems and essays. I wouldn't dare call it a friendship between gentlemen, but..."

"Instant connection, a friendship between gentlemen?"

Jia Lian interrupted him, pressing, "So, he secretly took in a courtesan named Hua Niang, resulting in her pregnancy. I presume Magistrate Chen also approved and supported this?"

Xing'er naturally found out about this.

Upon hearing Jia Lian's tone, Magistrate Chen's heart skipped a beat, realizing that he had made a fatal mistake.

So he hurriedly stood up and bowed, saying, "My lord, I only ever discussed poetry and literature with Sun Zhigao, and we never discussed private matters. If I had known he was of such poor character, I would never have associated with him!"

"Is it really none of your business?"

Jia Lian sneered: "Didn't he ask you to remove that courtesan's registration from the register?"

"Absolutely not!"

Magistrate Chen immediately swore an oath to the heavens, saying, "If you hadn't personally reminded me, I wouldn't have known he had committed such a disgraceful act!"

Hehe~

Sure enough.

This dynasty prohibits marriage between people of different social classes.

If it's a private prostitute, you can quietly buy out her contract, since there's no official record anyway; but if it's an official prostitute, you need to go through official procedures to get rid of her lowly status first.

The general process is as follows: first, the local prefectural or county magistrate personally approves the application, and then two officials of the fifth rank or above or two local gentry act as guarantors, guaranteeing that the applicant will "behave properly and never cause trouble after being removed from the register of residence."

Finally, the prefectural government issued a license, which allowed the prostitute to leave prostitution.

If one takes a prostitute as a wife or concubine without official approval, it is considered "privately releasing official slaves and defiling official conduct."

However, this process is not so easy to get through; for most people, it is like an insurmountable barrier.

In addition, the imperial court was not strict in its investigations, so most people just bought indentures as a formality, relying on the principle that if the people did not complain, the officials would not investigate.

However, if someone of sufficient status were to report this matter to the education commissioner, Sun Zhigao would be stripped of his academic honors, thus ending his future career prospects.

Jia Lian immediately ordered, "In that case, make a copy of the official prostitute's register of lowly status, and arrest the madam and all the witnesses, and hand them over to my attendants for safekeeping."

He paused, then added, "I'm just annoyed by Sun Zhigao's immorality and moral depravity, but it has nothing to do with the Sheng family. You handle this matter quietly and don't disturb the marriage."

Magistrate Chen felt as if he had been granted a pardon and quickly and respectfully accepted the offer.

So he hurriedly went outside, calling his personal attendants to do what Jia Lian had instructed, while secretly pondering the whole story.

He didn't know that Jia Lian was standing up for his cousin; he only thought that the Sheng family had fallen out with Sun Zhigao and were deliberately trying to ruin him through Jia Lian.

This made him feel more respectful towards the eldest branch of the Sheng family, and he even went to Sheng Wei to say a lot of good things about him.