Chapter 1117: The Wedding Banquet

Because the Qin Duke's residence was too small and lacked space, the wedding banquet tables were set up directly outside the mansion, with the additional seating taking up two entire streets. They said it wouldn't disturb the people, but when it was actually carried out, how could it not encroach on public resources? In advance, even the Kaifeng administration had dispatched some constables to coordinate matters and maintain order.

The people attending the wedding could hardly be described as merely rich or noble—they were all powerful elites, either bearing noble titles or holding official posts. The gathered carriages and canopies almost lined up beyond Lepin Ward, and many who arrived could only walk a stretch on foot to reach the ducal mansion, await arrangements, and then present their gifts and congratulations.

As night fell, inside and outside the Duke of Qin's mansion, there was naturally a scene of blazing lanterns and gathered guests, bustling with excitement. The place where Emperor Liu's family sat was naturally at the center—not the liveliest spot, but the one carrying the most aristocratic aura.

The Emperor's large family took up a full four tables to be seated, with the princes and princesses alone filling two big tables. In recent years, the pace of childbearing had visibly slowed, but a few sons and daughters had still been added. By now, Emperor Liu had thirteen sons and seven daughters—neither more nor less, exactly twenty imperial princes and princesses in total.

This was both an affirmation of Emperor Liu's procreative ability—the imperial house spreading its branches and growing strong—and a symbol of the Great Han Empire's prosperity and the continuation of its succession.

Seated at the head position was the Empress Dowager. Already past sixty, she was visibly showing her age. Even with the most comfortable life and the most thorough care, she still could not resist the erosion of time; the Empress Dowager's health was sliding further and further down the slope.

However, the marriage of her eldest grandson clearly filled the Empress Dowager with immense joy and gratification, and a kindly smile lingered on her face throughout. Liu Chengyou was naturally happy in his heart, and couldn't help saying to Lady Li: "Mother, with Liu Xu married, your long-cherished wish has finally been fulfilled..."

Hearing this, Lady Li immediately shot him a reproachful glare: "What are you saying? Don't you care about your own eldest son's marriage?"

"Of course I care—otherwise I wouldn't have let them put on such a grand spectacle!" Liu Chengyou said at once.

In truth, although guests had gathered in droves, with civil and military dignitaries and even the common folk of the Eastern Capital offering congratulations together, the sheer scale of the display still put Liu Chengyou on guard inwardly. It was too ostentatious—how much money had this cost, and how much manpower and material resources had been consumed...

If one son was like this, there were still twelve more to come, perhaps even more, plus a Crown Prince. If the Duke of Qin's affair was already on this scale, then the Crown Prince's standard would inevitably have to be even higher.

Of course, Emperor Liu's thoughts of this kind were not something to share with others. When a happy occasion was at hand, joy was the most important thing; whatever ideas or measures he had would have to be implemented afterward.

With his mind turning over many thoughts, Liu Chengyou said to Lady Li: "I'm just feeling a bit emotional—time passes so quickly. Before I knew it, Liu Xu has grown into a man. Perhaps in a year or two, Mother, you'll be holding a great-grandchild!"

Emperor Liu's words clearly struck a chord with the Empress Dowager, and Lady Li smiled: "And you'll be holding a grandson too!"

Liu Chengyou was momentarily at a loss for words, instinctively stroking his neatly trimmed beard and saying: "It seems your son is getting old too!"

Mind you, Emperor Liu was, at most, only thirty-four years old by now. If he could hold a grandson by thirty-five or thirty-six, well, that really would be quite early...

"Father, you're not old at all!" At that moment, a somewhat frivolous voice sounded by his ear. It was his fifth son, Liu Yun, who had walked up beside Emperor Liu, looking a bit tipsy, and laughed: "You can surely still add some more younger brothers and sisters for us..."

"Liu Yun, shut your mouth!" Hearing this, before Emperor Liu could speak, Worthy Consort Lady Zhe scolded him, then rose and walked to Emperor Liu's side, pulling Liu Yun into a graceful bow as she said to Emperor Liu: "Your Majesty, Liu Yun spoke rudely—it is my failure in discipline. Please punish me!"

"Eh, on such a joyous day, don't make such a big fuss..." Seeing that people had already begun to notice the commotion, Liu Chengyou quickly helped Lady Zhe up.

Then he glanced at Liu Yun, noticing the wine flask in his hand, and said: "You can't hold your liquor—you gulped down a few mouthfuls of that yellow swill and now you're spouting nonsense in front of your old man!"

Hearing this, Liu Yun looked at his mother, whose phoenix brows were furrowed in anger at him, then met Liu Chengyou's gaze, and only then did he somewhat come to his senses. He instinctively hid the wine flask behind his back, squinted his dazed eyes, and said sheepishly: "With eldest brother getting married, as his brother, I felt joy in my heart, so naturally I offered wine as congratulations..."

"Yan Tuo!" Liu Chengyou summoned the attending palace eunuch, pointed at the table where the princes were gathered, and instructed: "Keep an eye on them for me—don't let them drink, especially the younger princes and princesses!"

"Yes!"

Because the princes and princesses were mostly young, the drinks prepared for them were mostly fruit juice and tea, but the older princes could still have some wine—especially the brothers Liu Xi and Liu Fang. And now, Liu Yun had also begun to try it.

Of course, given Liu Yun's usual behavior, this was hardly surprising. Seeing his dazed, bleary-eyed state, Emperor Liu couldn't help feeling a bit annoyed, and shot him a glare: "What did you come to see me for?"

With a sheepish chuckle, Liu Yun said to Liu Chengyou: "I was thinking—eldest brother is married now, so when will you grant me a wife too..."

This kid Liu Yun was truly bold. The consorts seated nearby all turned to look askance at him, and Lady Zhe wanted nothing more than to twist her son's ears off.

As for Emperor Liu, facing Liu Yun's expectant gaze, he immediately scolded with a laugh: "You little brat—your feathers haven't even grown in yet, and you're already thinking about women!"

Then he instructed Lady Zhe: "Take him down to sober up. Don't let this rascal cause any trouble at the banquet!"

"Yes!" Seeing that Emperor Liu wasn't angry, Lady Zhe felt somewhat relieved, and then led Liu Yun away. She suddenly felt that she had been too lax in disciplining the children she had borne.

Lady Zhe had given birth to four sons and one daughter in total: the fourth prince Liu Fang, the fifth prince Liu Yun, the eighth prince Liu Ai, the eleventh prince Liu Xiao, and the sixth princess Liu Lei.

The fourth, Liu Fang, appeared frequently and needed no further mention; the fifth, Liu Yun, had always been clever, but his personality was flighty—even more active than the third. He liked to try everything but only dabbled in each, didn't study his books well, didn't practice martial arts well, yet was simply smart, acting like a complete scoundrel.

Compared to his two more outstanding brothers, the eighth prince Liu Ai, born in the ninth year of Qianyou, was a well-behaved child—but that also meant he was unremarkable. The eleventh prince Liu Xiao was not yet six years old, but was frail and sickly, having once made Emperor Liu worry that he might perish like the several princes and princesses who had died young. Fortunately, he had pulled through, but his body remained weak. As for the sixth princess Liu Lei, she was only a little over three years old, and nothing could be discerned from her yet.

"Your Majesty, I'm not speaking ill of him behind his back, but this child Liu Yun—you're simply too indulgent with him. You should discipline him more. If you let him run loose, I'm afraid he'll cause trouble in the future!"

The only one who would say such things, and dare to say them, was Noble Consort Gao. When it came to discussing Liu Xi's education, she had reacted the same way. Therefore, Emperor Liu didn't mind her words, merely smiling: "He is a bit lively, but discipline has never been relaxed—it's just his nature. Once he's older, he'll learn to mind his limits..."

"Today is Liu Xu's happy day. We've all watched him grow up, and now that he can start a family and establish his own household, we should be happy for him. As for other matters, this is not the place to discuss them..." At this point, the Empress, the elder Lady Fu, also spoke up. With a beaming smile, she raised her cup and invited: "Let us all drink a toast together to congratulate him."

When the Empress spoke, everyone naturally had to show respect. Although everyone seated, except the Empress Dowager, was a woman who had shared intimacies with the Emperor, the gap in status was still obvious, and even Noble Consort Gao said no more.

Though the night was growing deep, both inside and outside was brightly lit. The night sky above was adorned with brilliant fireworks, and beneath the fireworks were song, dance, and harmonious joy.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

"Our felicitations, Your Majesty!"

The ministers and dignitaries naturally came forward with faces full of smiles to offer their congratulations. Hearing the words of congratulation repeated again and again, Emperor Liu nearly couldn't stop himself from saying "Congratulations to you all as well."

Not only Emperor Liu—as the protagonist of the day, he too, surrounded by well-wishers, thanked everyone for their congratulations. Even if it was just going through the motions, after making a full round, he, with his poor tolerance for alcohol, was already feeling dizzy. If the elder Lady Fu hadn't called a stop, he might have had difficulty even reaching the bridal chamber that night.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty, on gaining a fine daughter-in-law!" This time, two people came forward together—it was Wang Yansheng and Guo Jin, who had just returned to court not long ago.

These two towering, burly generals who had silenced Hexi with their slaughter were still meek and submissive before Emperor Liu. Since their return to court, Emperor Liu had not yet formally received them, which had made them quite uneasy. Naturally, they wanted to use this festive occasion to test the waters and offer their apologies.

Noting their expressions—Guo Jin's face was taut, unable to hide his nervousness, while Wang Yansheng was even more conspicuous in his docility, a stark contrast in demeanor—Emperor Liu couldn't help but be amused. He raised his cup and clinked it with theirs: "Thank you both! You've worked hard fighting in the northwest. It's rare for you to be back in the capital, so enjoy yourselves—make the most of tonight!"

"Yes!" Seeing Emperor Liu's attitude, the two were overjoyed. Even as they acknowledged, they drained their cups in one gulp.

Some minor incidents did occur at the banquet. For instance, the seventh prince Liu Hui wrote a congratulatory poem for his eldest brother, earning a round of praise. Liu Fang, meanwhile, had drunk quite a bit and actually went to borrow a sword from the guards to perform a sword dance for entertainment—only to be stopped. At a grand wedding occasion, how could this kid be allowed to wave a blade around?

Also, the Marquis of Anding, Zhang Yanwei, drank too much and threw a drunken fit at the banquet...