Chapter 436

On the eve of Princess Yuanqing's marriage to the Third Prince Xiao Wei, the capital again brought out a piece of good news. Gu Jiu Ling, who had returned to the Rui Wangfu, revived the poisoned and comatose Prince Rui. Although Prince Rui now looks not in good health, they have become lively and jumping about.

Soon, the wedding of Princess Yuanqing and Xiao Wei drew near, and the banquet was held at the imperial villa in the suburbs.

Because it involved the two states of Bei Di and Southern Qi, as well as envoys from other countries, and officials, nobles, and personnel from Bei Di and Southern Qi, there were simply too many people.

The Qionghua Hall inside the palace is really too small; it cannot accommodate everything.

Moreover, Empress Dowager Ning'an felt some indebtedness to the Duan family, so she took it upon herself to maximize the scale of this marriage, which surpassed the grandeur of any previous crown prince's wedding.

Emperor Longqing, on the one hand, had grown distant from Xiao Wei because Consort Duan had cuckolded him, and on the other hand, he was indeed ill, so he could not come to the imperial villa to attend the banquet.

Empress Dowager Ning'an, however, brought a few imperial consorts from the harem to show up, in order to give her grandson some face.

The remaining crown prince, the Sixth Prince Xiao Zheng, and several other princes also came one after another.

For a while, carriages came and went nonstop outside the imperial villa; the imperial guards were personally mobilized to maintain order, making the scene lively and grand.

At this moment, several sons of the Duan family gathered in the rear garden, each loosening their clothes and belts, shedding the rigid armor of warriors, and revealing a touch of the suave elegance of scholar-officials.

The eldest son, Duan Yun, had a composed expression, and the other two also lacked the joy that their cousin felt about the wedding.

It felt less like a wedding celebration and more like everyone was overly solemn.

Duan Feng looked toward Duan Yun and lowered his voice, saying, 'That scoundrel Xiao Yin has woken up.'

Duan Yun's eyes flickered slightly: 'How is the Azure Dragon Army over there?'

Duan Feng whispered, 'Up to now I haven't seen anyone from Xiao Yin's side making contact with the Azure Dragon Army; instead, Deputy Commander Zhou of the Imperial Guard went to the Rui Wangfu to inquire after the illness.'

'And what about Cheng Ming?'

Duan Heng hurriedly said, 'That brat has recently gone overboard, marrying a secondhand woman nobody else wanted, and has even fallen out with his own mother.'

'He has pampered his wife to the point of being unparalleled under heaven...'

'Get to the point!' Duan Feng hissed in a low voice.

Duan Heng gave an embarrassed smile and said, 'That scoundrel Cheng Ming has been drinking with us military officers these past few days, and at the banquets he has vilified Xiao Yin to no end.'

'Hehe! As it turns out, Young Marquis Cheng had long been deeply in love with the Lin family maiden, yet the Rui Wangfu seized her for a clash wedding, so who should Cheng Ming hate if not them?'

Duan Yun raised his eyebrows, his eyes flickering slightly.

Indeed, Empress Dowager Ning'an is skilled; a single clash wedding has turned the Princess's mansion and the Rui Wangfu into enemies.

If the two families are like this, it is an excellent opportunity for the Duan family.

On one side, Duan Feng looked at his elder brother and said, 'Elder brother, I have already sent people to keep an eye on that scoundrel Zhao Lang, but his attitude remains unclear even now.'

'He had also had conflicts with Xiao Yin before, which later fizzled out, and then he attached himself to the Crown Prince's side; now we don't know what his attitude is.'

'However, these days Zhao Lang has been dispatched to the frontier to garrison, and he won't be back for a while.'

Duan Yun nodded slowly, his thoughts settling a bit, and then he looked toward the flowers and grass in the grove, his eyes sharp.

'Has Princess Consort Rui arrived?'

Duan Feng understood his elder brother's meaning and quickly ordered the maid guarding outside to go to the front hall to inquire; shortly thereafter, the maid hurried into the flower hall and said, 'Reporting to my lord, Princess Consort Rui has just arrived at the gate; she is probably already in the flower hall now.'

The three Duan brothers glanced at each other, and their expressions instantly became a bit smug.

Gu Jiu Ling rode in a carriage from the Rui Wangfu to the imperial villa in the suburbs; she has now acknowledged her child and returned to her identity as Princess Consort Rui.

Xiao Yin, relying on his status as a patient, having just recovered but still weak, need not involve himself in such an occasion.

However, the Rui Wangfu cannot have no one attend, so Gu Jiu Ling brought some elders from the household to the imperial villa to offer congratulations.

Gu Jiu Ling got off the carriage and walked slowly toward the front hall.

At the entrance of the front hall stood the Minister of Rites of Southern Qi, along with several other officials of the Rites Ministry.

Today, Empress Dowager Ning'an, relying on her influence in the palace, gave Xiao Wei's wedding an exceptionally grand scale; even the officials guarding the gate are of high rank.

Empress Dowager Ning'an's actions are precisely because she fears that the Duan family, if overly stimulated, might do something inappropriate.

Looking at the bustling crowd coming and going before her eyes, the Duan family's side also shows nothing unusual.

She had initially taken it upon herself, following the standards of a crown prince's wedding, to arrange this marriage for Xiao Wei; Gu Jiu Ling alighted from the carriage and exchanged greetings with the Rites Ministry officials and others.

The officials' attitudes were also respectful and reverent, after all she is the wife of Prince Rui; even if this woman is utterly despicable, her status remains noble on this occasion.

Gu Jiu Ling had just entered the flower hall when some ladies came forward to greet her.

Still others were merely watching; the political situation in the capital is ever-changing, with several houses locked in fierce competition that has reached a white-hot pitch, and the rest are waiting to see which side will prevail.

Some also came to flatter Prince Rui, hoping to curry favor, while the rest are those who genuinely have a good relationship with Gu Jiu Ling as sons-in-law.

Only see Lin Ru Jun holding the hand of a woman, slowly walking toward Gu Jiu Ling.

That woman's movements are still somewhat limited now; she may give birth in a few months.

She wears a veil, covering the hateful scar on her face.

Here, few people wear veils, but this is a royal banquet; she worries that if she makes even a slight misstep, it will cause trouble for her husband Zhao Lang.

When Gu Jiu Ling publicly announced her intention to return to the Rui Wangfu, Jinzhi had already excitedly brought people over to look, but unfortunately the Rui Wangfu had closed its doors to guests, indicating that there were internal matters to be dealt with.

Jinzhi had no choice but to bring the people back, after all the couple had just met, and even her cousin Xiao Yin, she did not know whether his illness was real or feigned; during those days Jinzhi wanted to visit, but Xiao Yin had closed his doors and refused to see anyone.

At this moment, Jinzhi and Lin Ru Jun both saw Gu Jiu Ling entering through the gate, and they were especially happy, walking over to her.

Jinzhi had previously seen Gu Jiu Ling once, exchanging only a few hurried words; now they both came to attend this wedding banquet at the Third Prince's mansion.

As the daughter-in-law of the newly prominent Zhao family of Southern Qi, she has now become poised and graceful, apparently pampered by Lady Zhao into being like her own daughter; in her conduct, she carries an air of taking charge.

Jinzhi had just seen Gu Jiu Ling raise her hand, uttering some indistinct sounds, when Lin Ru Jun from the side seized her hand and laughed loudly: 'Forget it, I'll act as the go-between; Jinzhi younger sister, just a moment ago you were gesturing to me, saying you didn't know whether the princess consort would come today; I said the princess consort likes liveliness, if such liveliness she doesn't come, who else would? This girl just doesn't believe it.'

Gu Jiu Ling's attendance at today's banquet, and being able to meet these two people, has made her mood especially relaxed.

She has not made many friends since she transmigrated to this dynasty until now, and these two people can be considered her close confidantes.