Chapter 177: The Day of the Grand Wedding, a Dispute of Local Factions!

Inside the main hall of the front courtyard of the Dong residence.

Dong Zhuo sat upright in the seat of honor, the smile on his face reflecting his current mood.

Duan Yu and Li Ru sat in the positions to his left and right, respectively.

"Ziyi, Liu Zijian has already sent over the official appointment document from the imperial court. Starting tomorrow, you will be the Commandant of this Jinyang County."

Dong Zhuo said with a happy smile: "I have already had someone calculate the dates. Three days from now is an auspicious day, and it is also the day of your wedding."

"The residence and everything else have already been prepared for you. In two days, you can move into the estate."

"Three days from now will be the day you are wed."

Hearing Dong Zhuo's words, Duan Yu stood up, bowed, and cupped his hands in thanks: "Your son-in-law thanks you, Father-in-law."

Dong Zhuo waved his hands repeatedly, signaling Duan Yu to sit down: "What are you thanking me for? We are all one family, no need for such formalities. I only have this one daughter; if you treat Yi'er well in the future, that will be thanks enough for me."

"Additionally, this is the dowry list for Yi'er. Take a look."

As Dong Zhuo spoke, he signaled a servant nearby to bring a roll of red silk to Duan Yu.

Duan Yu unfurled the silk and looked at the dense, dragon-like list of dowry items; the corners of his mouth couldn't help but twitch slightly.

It had to be said, his father-in-law was truly generous.

Simply inhumanly wealthy.

It was said that in the Eastern Han, power was held by the noble clans, while wealth was held by the powerful local magnates.

As the undisputed number one magnate in Bingzhou, the wealth held in Dong Zhuo's hands was incalculable.

And now, with Dong Zhuo in the midst of his official career advancement, he could be said to hold wealth in his left hand and power in his right.

The first item on this dowry list was monetary.

Ten million in cash, a residence in Liangzhou, a residence in Jinyang, dozens of shops, fine horses, cattle and sheep, pastures, and fields—all starting with the number in the thousands.

As for silk, gold and silver jewelry, servants, carriages, and all manner of utensils, they were countless.

There was simply too much.

It could be said that just with Dong Yi's dowry, Duan Yu had instantly transitioned from a commoner to a powerful magnate.

"Ziyi, are you satisfied with these dowry items?" Dong Zhuo asked with a smile.

Duan Yu closed the silk and bowed to Dong Zhuo again: "Your son-in-law thanks you for your great kindness, Father-in-law."

"Haha!"

Dong Zhuo threw his head back and laughed: "As long as you are satisfied, as long as you are satisfied."

"I can help you with these material things, but the way of officialdom is not my specialty."

"Therefore, now that you are the Jinyang County Magistrate, how far you go in the future depends on yourself."

"There is one thing I must tell you in advance: in a short while, I may resign as the Inspector of Bingzhou."

"I will be moving to Hedong to serve as a Prefect."

"You must prepare yourself mentally." Dong Zhuo's expression suddenly turned solemn.

Hm?

Duan Yu was stunned.

So soon?

Historical records stated that after Dong Zhuo served as Inspector of Bingzhou, he was recommended by Yuan Kui and transferred to serve as Prefect of Hedong Commandery.

It wasn't until after the outbreak of the Huang Jin Rebellion that he began leading troops to suppress the Taiping Dao.

He had known beforehand that Dong Zhuo would go to Hedong Commandery to serve as Prefect, but he hadn't expected it to be so soon.

The next Inspector... should be Zhang Yi, who was killed after the outbreak of the Liangzhou Rebellion.

Perhaps seeing the change in Duan Yu's expression, Dong Zhuo waved his hand and said: "My good son-in-law, do not worry. My transfer to Hedong Commandery is a good thing."

"Furthermore, Hedong Commandery is not far from Taiyuan. If there is any major event, just notify me immediately."

"I have been in Bingzhou for many years, and this time I was recommended by the Minister. Even the new Inspector of Bingzhou will have to show me some respect."

"My good son-in-law, do not worry."

Duan Yu knew that Dong Zhuo had misunderstood.

In fact, he wasn't worried at all.

Because he had long known that Dong Zhuo would go to Hedong Commandery to serve.

"You don't need to worry about the new Inspector, but you must be careful in dealing with Prefect Liu Wei and the Wang family," Dong Zhuo cautioned.

Duan Yu nodded.

Because of the previous incident, although it didn't directly involve Liu Wei, it was somewhat linked to him.

Liu Wei had been very quiet recently, but he feared what methods he might use in the future.

After all, once he took office as the County Commandant, he would be an official under Liu Wei.

And then there was Wang Yun's eldest son, Wang Gai...

This was also a hidden danger.

The root cause of everything was Wang Yun's eldest son, Wang Gai.

It was just that from beginning to end, Wang Gai had never personally stepped forward, and now with Chen Ye acting as a scapegoat in front of him, Wang Gai had never been implicated.

But this didn't mean that he and Wang Gai would be at peace in the future.

And...

Even if Wang Gai was prepared to let the matter drop, he had no intention of doing so.

Time flew by, and two more days passed.

Over these two days, the news that Duan Yu was about to marry Dong Zhuo's daughter, Dong Yi, had spread to almost every corner of Jinyang.

Even the various noble clans within Taiyuan Commandery had received invitation cards from Dong Zhuo.

East of Jinyang City, the residence of Wang Rou.

The two brothers of the Jinyang Wang family: Wang Rou was currently the Prefect of Yanmen Commandery, while Wang Ze was the Prefect of Dai Commandery.

One family with two officials earning two thousand shi; their status was prominent, not a bit inferior to the Qixian Wang family.

Wang Yun currently only served in the Minister's office under Yuan Kui; in terms of real power, the Jinyang Wang brothers were a step ahead.

It was just that Wang Yun was an official in Luoyang, and his assignment to a local post was only a matter of time.

At this moment, in the main hall of Wang Rou's residence, Wang Rou's son, Wang Ji, was hosting a banquet for his peers in Jinyang City.

Before the sons of noble clans entered the imperial court as officials, they mostly spent their time at home making friends and hosting guests to expand their connections.

In Luoyang, at the feet of the Son of Heaven, and even in Yingchuan, young talents often criticized current politics to gain fame.

And the noble sons of the border commanderies, even if they didn't talk about politics, often held gatherings.

If they were to serve as officials together in the future, they would mostly be local allies.

Over these two days, the frequency of gatherings among the noble sons in Jinyang City had become even more frequent. ===== CHAPTER 179 =====