Chapter 248: The Wedding Night

Regarding Pei Suiwan as a marriage partner, Yuwen Hu had thoroughly investigated and vetted her appearance and character...

Otherwise, even if A Yan had made his choice, Yuwen Hu would absolutely never have agreed!

This was a virtuous helpmeet who could assist him in the future!

"Bow to each other as husband and wife!"

As the master of ceremonies' gentle voice rang out once more, the two newlyweds stood facing each other and performed the kowtow ceremony.

At the very moment of bowing, Chen Yan gazed into Pei Suiwan's bright, piercing eyes—firm and luminous, brimming with ambition—and his heart was filled with incomparable fervor: "From this moment on, I and the Guanzhong clans can finally be considered as having you within me and me within you..."

"The Hedong Pei Clan and the Pei clan's descendants will all become my greatest support!"

This was what it truly meant to stand on firm ground!

Behind him, there was no longer just the Grand Chancellor, but also a powerful wife's family.

One hand on the imperial clan, the other on the great clans—this was the starting point of the path to becoming a powerful minister that he, Chen Yan, had dreamed of!

Beneath the red bridal veil, Pei Suiwan looked through the layer of red silk at her husband, who was within arm's reach. Her beautiful eyes grew deeper, and her heart surged: "I am now the wife of the Superintendent, and before long, I will be the wife of a Duke..."

"My husband has the favor and promotion of the Grand Chancellor, and the all-out assistance of my Pei clan; his future official rank will surely climb step by step!"

Pei Suiwan appeared to be love-struck, having taken a fancy to Chen Yan's appearance and talent...

But she had taken an even greater fancy to his potential!

The two sides were joining forces, and the future would surely be a smooth path to success.

"What a pity that the one who married Superintendent Chen is a daughter of the Pei clan..."

Wei Heqing looked at the man and woman bowing to each other and sighed, thinking to himself: "How wonderful it would have been if it were my younger sister!"

Thinking of this, Wei Heqing began to ponder in his mind about the eligible younger sisters of his clan...

It would be difficult for a legitimate daughter of the Jingzhao Wei Clan to become a concubine, but marrying off a daughter by a concubine to be a concubine was not impossible!

Using a younger sister by a concubine to bind his relationship with Chen Yan was a very worthwhile deal.

After returning, he would have to discuss it properly with his father and uncles...

Shang Ting stared fixedly at Chen Yan, thinking to himself: "Having married a Pei daughter and subdued the old troops of the Pillar States, he is still so young..."

"Chen Yan's future is limitless!"

Shang Ting could reach this conclusion because his ability was one aspect, and his age was another...

Even ten years from now, this young man getting married before him would only be twenty-seven; he was likely about to usher in his own era...

Although there had been friendship in the past, it was far from enough; he had to further improve their relations!

And marriage alliance was the fastest, most direct, and most efficient way...

The position of the primary wife belonged to the Pei clan, so there was no need to think about it, but Shang Ting could plot for his youngest daughter to gain the position of a secondary wife!

Among the high officials and nobles watching the ceremony, almost everyone who had an eligible daughter in their clan was calculating the same thing...

"The ceremony is complete—"

"Send them to the bridal chamber!"

The red candles burned high, illuminating the wedding hall with brilliance.

The night was like ink, with only the stars filling the sky like crushed diamonds, the Milky Way spanning the horizon, and a faint, clear radiance spilling onto the human world.

Deep in the courtyard, red lanterns wound along the veranda, dyeing the blue-brick ground a warm crimson, and the shadows of the lanterns swayed on the carved wooden windows, outlining the flickering candlelight inside the room as if they were there or not.

"Cangfeng, tread lightly..."

"Let's sneak over quietly!"

After seeing off his father and second uncle, Yuwen Ze led Lu Cangfeng and tiptoed toward the bridal chamber.

"Young Master, are we really going to crash Lord Chen Yan's bridal chamber?"

"Isn't that quite inappropriate?"

Lu Cangfeng frowned slightly and reminded him cautiously.

"What's inappropriate about it?"

"A Xiong won't be angry!"

Hearing this, Yuwen Ze said with absolute certainty.

After speaking, he pressed his hand down, signaling him to be one hundred and twenty percent at ease.

"..."

Lu Cangfeng pulled the corners of his mouth helplessly.

Was this a question of whether he would be angry?

His own spirited Young Master seemed to have missed the point entirely...

That gentleman was full of ingenious schemes; could his bridal chamber be crashed so easily?

Don't end up getting into trouble without even getting to eat the mutton...

"Li Tan, Song Fei, You Xian?"

"You three came so early?"

Seeing those familiar and sneaky figures under the bridal chamber, who were hunching their backs and crowding toward the base of the wall, Yuwen Ze lowered his voice and greeted them.

He thought he had arrived early enough, but he didn't expect these three guys to have arrived even earlier...

They were all birds of a feather!

"Shh!"

Seeing this, Li Tan immediately made a gesture for silence and urged: "Young Master, don't make a scene, don't disturb Big Brother!"

"How are you planning to crash the bridal chamber?"

Yuwen Ze's interest grew even higher; he covered his mouth lightly with his hand and asked in a voice only a few could hear.

A flash of cunning crossed Li Tan's eyes; he smiled playfully and said: "How can crashing the bridal chamber be as interesting as eavesdropping at the wall?"

He paused, then continued: "I'll tell Big Brother the details tomorrow..."

"Wonderful, wonderful!"

Yuwen Ze's eyes lit up, and he smiled wickedly: "A Xiong certainly wouldn't have expected that we would gather here to eavesdrop at the wall..."

It was both exciting and fresh.

Yuwen Ze had grown up so big and had never eavesdropped at a wall before!

At the same time, a few more people sneaked over from afar. Seeing this, Li Tan hooked his arm around the neck of Wang Xiong, who was walking in front, and asked in a low voice: "Wang Xiong, why did you guys come too?"

"You aren't all here to eavesdrop at the wall, are you?"

"Could it be that you are too?" Wang Xiong raised an eyebrow and asked back.

The first arrivals and the later arrivals looked at each other and pointed at one another, all smiling with tacit understanding.

"Sharing joy with others is better than enjoying it alone!"

"Come, come, come, everyone take a spot!"

Li Tan's mouth curled into an evil smile, and he greeted everyone, arranging their positions very actively.

Half an hour later.

"They've been inside for so long?"

"Why is there still no sound at all?"

Kou Luo pressed his right ear tightly against the base of the wall, listening carefully for the sounds inside, but gained nothing. Unable to hold back any longer, he asked.

"Logically speaking, the removal of the veil and the drinking of the nuptial wine should be over by now, right?" Dou Luling nodded, thoughtful, and muttered in confusion.

Although Dou Luling had never been married, he knew a thing or two about the bridal chamber process...

No matter how cumbersome the steps were, it had been over half an hour; shouldn't they have started the main event by now?

Why hadn't the highly anticipated sounds started yet?

Still in his flashy pink, Tao Yunshi agreed: "Yeah... ha... hahahaha!"

However, no sooner had he given an affirmative answer than he began to gasp uncontrollably, and then burst into laughter.

"Tao Yunshi, what are you doing?"

Seeing this, Liang Shiyan kicked the fat man and said through gritted teeth in a low voice: "Laughing so loudly, what if you disturb them inside?"

"Ha... hahaha!"

"I don't want to either!"

Not knowing if that kick had been too hard, Tao Yunshi lay straight on the ground, laughing continuously, not forgetting to explain: "Haha! I can't control the urge to laugh!"

He felt aggrieved in his heart too!

Heaven knows why he started laughing, and he couldn't stop at all...

"What kind of trick is this... hahahahaha!" Hearing this, Li Tan didn't understand and had just opened his mouth to complain, but strangely emitted the same laughter.

"Li Tan!"

"Hahahaha!"

Wang Xiong had just wanted to stop Li Tan from joining in, but he also started laughing uncontrollably.

"Hahahahaha!"

"My stomach hurts from laughing now!"

"What is going on?"

Dou Luling, Song Fei, Yuwen Ze, and the others joined the laughing team one after another.

They lay on the ground, rolling left and right from laughter.

The scene was truly spectacular!

"Ha... haha!"

"We've been tricked!"

Li Tan laughed miserably and suddenly realized: "Big Brother must have guessed long ago that we would come to eavesdrop at the wall, so he did something to the stone wall in advance..."

The words fell.

A wanton and mocking playful voice immediately rang in everyone's ears:

"Why say that you, Li Tan, have a quick mind?"

"How does the taste of my secret laughing powder feel?"