Chapter 682: A Small Interlude in the Happy Event [Thanks! Thanks again! 37K chapters owed]

The next day,

Xingguo Lane,

At the entrance of the Ningyuan Marquis's Mansion,

With the arrival of the Huang family's wedding procession, the atmosphere around became increasingly lively.

The stone lions on both sides in front of the Gu family gate were tied with festive red silk, and the side was full of commoners watching the excitement.

On the steps in front of the Gu family gate between the two stone lions, Gu Tingye, dressed in bright clothes, stood there with his arms crossed.

Accompanying Gu Tingye to block the gate were Gu family members such as Gu Tingxuan, Bing, Yang, and Di, as well as children from Gu Tingye's aunt's family, including Yang Chenmin.

There were enough Gu family members and relatives, so Xu Zaijing naturally didn't need to stand inside to make up the numbers; he just stood at the side gate watching the excitement.

Liang Han, Qi Heng, and others also stood not far from Xu Zaijing.

And the groomsmen who came with Huang Qingyue, apart from two juniors from the Zhang family of the Xiao Xiao Gongye of England, also included several tough and sturdy young men who looked like Huang Qingyue's comrades-in-arms in the military.

Xu Zaijing also knew those two Zhang family juniors; they were the two sons of Zhang Fangyan, the heir of the Xiao Xiao Gongye of England: Zhang Shengshou and Zhang Shengxun.

Xu Zaijing had gone to a banquet at the Xiao Xiao Gongye of England's mansion in winter and had drunk with these two at the banquet.

The groom and groomsmen dismounted,

When Huang Qingyue walked toward his brother-in-law Gu Tingye, he saw Xu Zaijing standing to the side and smiled and cupped his hands, seemingly thanking Xu Zaijing for not participating in blocking the gate.

The few tough young men beside Huang Qingyue followed Huang Qingyue's gaze and, after seeing Xu Zaijing nodding in greeting, whispered to each other or asked with their eyes.

After the few young men exchanged a few words and learned Xu Zaijing's identity, the look in their eyes when looking at Xu Zaijing was different from just now.

There were many more looks of curiosity, admiration, and surprise in their eyes.

After the few tough young men were happy, they glanced at the Gu family members beside Gu Tingye a few times.

Without much communication, after the few people exchanged glances, the formation of their walking changed, and the few tough young men took a few quick steps to the very front.

Xu Zaijing stood at the gate and shook his head: "It's bad, those few might not be able to be blocked."

Qi Heng, who was standing to the side watching the excitement with a smile, tilted his head and smiled: "Jing Ge, why do you say that?"

Xu Zaijing looked at the situation in front of the gate: "Yuanruo, the quality of the Gu family members beside Erlang has been seen through. Those little lads beside Yue Ge'er look like powerful characters on the battlefield; Gu Tingbing and the others can't hold them off."

"Ah? Really?" Qi Heng continued to look at the gate with confusion.

"Let's lean forward, otherwise they will go directly into the Gu family gate." Xu Zaijing said.

As soon as the words fell,

The few young men who walked not far in front of Gu Tingye and the others just looked at Gu Tingbing and the others with a straight smile, which made the Gu family members' smiles stiffen, and they retreated two steps in fear.

The few tough young men continued to walk forward with a smile, while the two Zhang family brothers apologized with a smile and cupped their hands: "Seen Second Uncle."

Seeing that the Gu family members were about to 'surrender without a fight' and be directly entered into the Gu family gate by Huang Qingyue and the others, Qiuniang, who was watching the excitement at the gate, hurriedly turned and ran toward the courtyard.

Quickly entering the inner courtyard,

In the courtyard,

It was also very lively at this time, with many official wives and noble ladies walking in the corridor of the courtyard, while the titled ladies were mostly sitting in the room talking.

"Madam, Madam."

Qiuniang's somewhat anxious voice came from outside the room.

Inside the room, Madam Bai, who was smiling and talking to her relatives, turned her head to look over.

"What is this?" Mother Chang, who was standing to the side, looked at Qiuniang who entered the room and frowned.

Qiuniang hurriedly bowed to everyone in the room and said urgently: "Madam, the few little young masters brought by the son-in-law at the gate are a bit tough and powerful. Our few brothers didn't hold them off, and they are about to enter the courtyard."

"What?" Madam Bai immediately looked toward the gate.

Inside the room, the expressions of the elders of the Fourth and Fifth branches of the Gu family were also a bit ugly.

Outside the room,

Other female guests who were some distance away from the main room where Madam Bai was, seeing the situation in the main room with the door wide open, sent maids and mothers to inquire.

Maids and mothers walked quickly in the courtyard, and soon, the news that 'the Gu family members at the gate couldn't hold them off, and the wedding procession of the Huang family of the Earl of Shoushan was about to enter the courtyard directly' spread.

The guests had different expressions and moods.

To say that no one was jealous of Madam Bai, a daughter of a merchant family, becoming the Marquis's Madam in one fell swoop, was impossible.

Now that the Gu family had this matter, those ladies who prided themselves on deep family background and noble origins were mostly smiling and shaking their heads, waiting to see a joke with a look of hope.

If the Huang family boy of the Earl of Shoushan entered the gate so quickly, they would have another joke to talk about in their daily lives, which was very suitable for ridiculing Madam Bai behind her back in the future.

If the Third Da Niangzi of the Gu family didn't have a good life in the Earl of Shoushan's family, for these people, that would be the best thing.

In their spare time, they could also gather together to continue chatting about today's observations.

Inside the main hall,

Ladies and titled ladies with good relationships, such as Madam Sun, Madam Wu, and Madam Pan, were naturally a bit anxious in their hearts.

Madam Wu stood up somewhat anxiously, poked her head to look outside, and said: "Tsk! How did this happen? Although our family blocking the gate is for excitement, it also has a flavor of two families competing."

"The wedding procession just arrived, and it hasn't been dozens of breaths, and they are about to be entered directly into the gate. Isn't this saying that our family members are all straw bags?"

As soon as these words came out, the expressions of the Madams of the Fourth and Fifth branches of the Gu family became even uglier.

The Madam of the Fourth branch of the Gu family had a straightforward temper; she glared directly and flicked her handkerchief, saying: "This Huang family child is really rude, coming to our family to marry a daughter-in-law, and actually not giving any face at all! Not a good one!"

Hearing this,

Many official wives and titled ladies in the room covered their mouths with handkerchiefs or round fans, whispering something to each other.

Madam Wu glared at this one.

Madam Sun, who was to the side, glared and took a few deep breaths before finally not scolding, but smiled and said: "Sister, you don't know, the Huang family boy is under the command of the heir of the Xiao Xiao Gongye of England, and he is a vanguard general."

"Before the Great Battle of Keyi Gate, it was this Huang family boy who broke into the gate of the Keyi Gate fortress first, not letting the defenders close the gate! This child, being a vanguard and able to make such contributions, how can he not be amazing!"

As soon as these words came out,

The whispering voices of the noble ladies and official wives in the room disappeared quite a bit instantly.

They only knew that the heir of the Earl of Shoushan had made contributions, but they really hadn't heard much about what Madam Sun said.

Han Wulang Branch Madam of the Gu family was a woman of exquisite mind and deep calculation; she hurriedly smiled and said, "Eldest Sister-in-law, looking at our son-in-law, he truly is a man of great capability. His future is certainly promising!"

The guests in the room smiled and echoed a few words.

Pingmei, standing beside Madam Bai, looked at her mother, Madam Sun, not far away, and said to her mother-in-law, Madam Bai, with self-reproach: "Mother-in-law, this is my fault. If I had known this, I should have let Little Five and Erlang block the gate together."

Madam Bai patted Pingmei's hand, smiled and nodded to the younger sister-in-law of the Fifth branch of the Gu family, continued to look at the Gu family maids and servants outside, and smiled: "We have said so much, according to reason, the son-in-law should have brought people into the courtyard, why is there still no movement, and no one came to report."

Hearing this,

Everyone in the room looked outside one after another.

Madam Wu turned her head, looked at the personal steward mother behind her, and said: "Jin Cui Mama, go"

Before she finished speaking, Madam Wu saw the look in Jin Cui Mama's eyes, and then turned around and looked outside following Jin Cui Mama's gaze.

In the field of vision, a little maid beside the Second Madam of the Gu family, Yu Yanran, had already walked quickly from the outside toward the hall.

This little maid's figure also attracted the attention of many people outside the room.

Entering the room,

The Madam of the Fourth branch of the Gu family hurriedly shouted: "Is it people from the Earl of Shoushan's family who entered the courtyard?"

Madam Chai, who was sitting in a quiet place in the room, shook her round fan and shook her head at Princess Pingning beside her: "Looking at this one, she is not hoping for anything good."

Princess Pingning covered with a round fan and said in a low voice: "Sister-in-law, in my father's generation, the Fourth branch is also an elder, I really can't say much."

"But my family lives close, so I can't help but hear people chewing their tongues saying that after the family split, the life of the Fourth branch of the Gu family is a bit difficult."

Hearing this, Madam Chai shook her head, looked at the little maid who entered the room, and said earnestly: "Hope that Huang family boy is not reckless. If he is not careful, letting the father-in-law's family bury a thorn in their hearts will not be good for the future."

Princess Pingning also nodded, smiled and looked at Chai Zhengzheng, who was sitting beside Madam Chai, and also poked her head to look.

"What's the situation in front of the gate?" Yu Yanran stood not far from Pingmei and asked somewhat anxiously.

"Did the official and several uncles hold them off?" Yanran added.

The little maid bowed to everyone in the room, looked at everyone's concerned eyes, and said with a crisp voice: "Returning to the Second Madam, the two young masters of the Xu family, the Young Xiao Xiao Gongye, the Sixth Young Master Liang, the Second Young Master Yu, and others, held them off together."

"When this servant came, the Fifth Young Master of the Xu family was setting questions to examine the groomsmen."

After the little maid finished speaking with a crisp voice, the atmosphere in the room seemed to become relaxed all of a sudden.

Mother Chang, standing beside Madam Bai, nodded with satisfaction.

A smile from the heart appeared on Madam Bai's face. After looking at Madam Sun, she smiled: "Oh? What is Jing Ge'er, that child, examining them on?"

The little maid said with a crisp voice: "Returning to Madam, this servant vaguely heard something like Tiger Tao, Leopard Tao, Dog Tao"

As soon as these words came out,

The noble ladies and official wives in the room all showed some confusion, and the room was quiet for a moment.

Xiaodie followed her eldest sister-in-law Ni Qiqiu and stood beside the ladies and Madams of the Marquis of Yongyi's mansion. Hearing this, her eyes turned and she said: "Could it be the 'Tiger Tao, Leopard Tao, Dog Tao' in the military books?"

Everyone in the room heard this and looked at Xiaodie who made the sound, making Xiaodie feel at a loss.

Madam Wu laughed loudly: "Those children like Ye Ge'er are all scholars. Before, when the Huang family boy was drunk at the Zhu family's, it was Jing Ge'er, that child, who subdued him! In this way, isn't this making things difficult for people!" This remark attracted quite a bit of attention, making Xiaodie breathe a sigh of relief.

After Madam Wu finished speaking, there was a burst of good-natured laughter in the room.

Madam Bai hurriedly waved her hand, turned back and shouted to Mother Chang: "Mother, go and give a warning quickly, don't let them make too much trouble, delaying Yue Ge'er and these children from entering the gate."

"Yes, Madam."

Mother Chang hurriedly took two maids and walked quickly toward the gate.

Madam Sun, standing to the side, shook her head with a smile. Madam Wu asked: "Sister, what do you mean by always shaking your head?"

Hualan looked at her sister-in-law, Madam Xie, and smiled: "Madam, Mother-in-law's shaking her head means that if she had known Aunt Bai was so anxious, she should have warned Fifth Young Master to just let them in directly."

Madam Pan, the mother-in-law of Anmei, smiled and looked at the few ladies around, and smiled: "Sister Bai, we think Hualan's words make sense."

Madam Bai hurriedly waved her hand with a smile: "It's not as anxious as Hualan said."

Everyone in the room heard this, and there was another burst of good-natured laughter.

In a quiet place in the room, Madam Chai smiled and said to Princess Pingning: "When I came, I knew the Xu family boy wouldn't block the gate, and I thought he had nothing to do today, but didn't expect..."

Princess Pingning smiled and nodded, and said in a low voice: "Just now I thought about it, the little young masters who can be groomsmen for the Huang family boy today are mostly capable people among the new elite captains under the command of the Xiao Xiao Gongye of England, Zhang family, and they must have made contributions on the battlefield."

The contributions Princess Pingning mentioned can also be put another way at this time: killed enemies and seen blood.

Chai Zhengzheng, who was to the side, listened to Princess Pingning's words and nodded repeatedly: "Her Highness's words make sense."

Princess Pingning smiled and continued: "It is only Jing Ge'er, this child who has been on the battlefield and seen big scenes, who can suppress them! If someone else came, it's really not certain what would happen."

Madam Chai smiled: "The eldest son of the Gu family is a scholar. If he came, wouldn't he be able to suppress that group of boys?"

Princess Pingning shook her head: "That big brother of mine? It's also enough." According to seniority, Princess Pingning should call Gu Tingyu like this.

Madam Chai looked outside the room and added: "In the past, when I saw Jing Ge'er, this child, he was always gentle, polite, and thoughtful. Today, to suppress that group of little young masters, I don't know what kind of appearance he will show."

Chai Zhengzheng, who was to the side, listened to the conversation, and the scene of the first time she saw Xu Zaijing a few years ago flashed in her mind instantly.

The scene in Chai Zhengzheng's memory was still quite clear. Compared with Xu Zaijing today, Xu Zaijing's face at that time was much more green and tender.

At the entrance of the Gu family gate,

One of the tough young men following Huang Qingyue smiled and cupped his hands: "Young Xiao Xiao Gongye, Brother Zhang, I admit defeat, admit defeat! Please, both of you, raise your hands high."

As he spoke, he smiled at Gu Tingye again.

Qi Heng smiled and looked at Zaizhang, nodded and cupped his hands: "Let you."

Gu Tingye looked at Huang Qingyue with a proud look and smiled: "Eldest Brother, since this brother has spoken, then you have passed the literary barrier. Next, let's compare the martial barrier!"

When Gu Tingye was speaking, Mother Chang came to the gate with a smile and whispered a few words to Xu Zaijing.

Xu Zaijing nodded after listening and said in a low voice: "Mother, Erlang will only make trouble for a short half-quarter of an hour, it won't delay the auspicious time."

Mother Chang smiled: "Good, Fifth Young Master, you have a count in your heart, so I can rest assured."

Subsequently,

There was another burst of joy at the gate,

Everyone was for the excitement, not really not letting the wedding procession enter the gate.

Therefore, when the Huang family groomsmen and Xu Zaijing and others were making a scene, Huang Qingyue, who sensed the 'opportunity', quickly squeezed past Xu Zaijing and rushed into the Gu family gate.

Seeing this, Zaizhang and others stopped blocking people and walked toward the gate with the Huang family groomsmen with a smile.

At the gate, the Huang family servants and maids hurriedly threw various copper coins and dried fruits, and the Gu family gate became even more lively.

Gu family main hall,

Madam Bai and Gu Yanka sat in the upper seat, with Gu Tingye, Pingmei, Yanran, and the younger children standing on both sides.

On both sides were the elders of the small branches of the Gu family.

Gu Tingyi and Huang Qingyue held the red silk together and served tea to the Ningyuan Hou Gu Yanka and the Bai clan.

The Gu Yanka couple were naturally full of emotion, after all, Gu Tingyi was the youngest child of the two.

After some exhortations and blessings, amidst the shouts of the lucky lady, the two left the hall together and walked toward the gate.

On the way back to the Earl of Shoushan's mansion,

The Gu family's wedding procession was very long,

Commoners with hearts counted, and this Third Da Niangzi of the Gu family had as many as 108 dowry loads.

Xu Zaijing didn't see the excitement of the Earl of Shoushan's mansion, because only Gu Tingye went to send the bride.

The next day,

When coming to the Sheng family to go to school, Gu Tingye's face was very ugly.

During the break, Xu Zaijing asked a few questions sideways, and only then did he know that the former Earl of Zhongqin, Master Yuan, had brought the Second Young Master of the Yuan family to attend the wedding banquet.

"I heard from that boy Liang Han that the Second Young Master Yuan also has a noble concubine, seemingly surnamed Zhu. Did you see it yesterday, Erlang?" Xu Zaijing asked.

Gu Tingye looked at Xu Zaijing curiously: "Fifth Young Master, back in Yang Zhou, didn't we see that noble concubine surnamed Zhu? Why are you asking this?"

Xu Zaijing's eyes turned and he smiled: "Just asking."

Gu Tingye: "Oh! I saw that little lady twice at the wedding banquet yesterday, and she was carrying a girl, seemingly the daughter of the Eldest Young Master Yuan. I took a look, and it seems life is okay."

Xu Zaijing nodded, stared at Gu Tingye and said: "Just this, nothing else?"

"Mm! They are female relatives, can I stare at them? Fifth Young Master, you are inexplicable today!" Gu Tingye looked at Xu Zaijing and said.

Xu Zaijing smiled and didn't say much.

On the other side,

Minglan, who was looking outside the room but listening to the conversation between Xu Zaijing and Gu Tingye with her ears pricked up, also shook her head with some incomprehension.

This made Qi Heng, who was turning back to talk to Changfeng but looking at Minglan, stop his words and smile: "Sixth Younger Sister, is there anything you don't understand?"

Minglan turned her head with a blank face, looked at Qi Heng and said: "Ah? Young Xiao Xiao Gongye, what are you saying?"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 683 =====