Chapter 449: Count Pingye!
By the time Count Zheng returned to his room in the inner courtyard, it was already deep into the night.
He sat beside the writing desk for a while.
The “duel” between the Regent and Fifth Prince kept replaying in his mind.
True their contest had lacked the magnificent spectacle of autumn musters on a battlefield.
Yet it had possessed another kind of tacit understanding, one shared by everyone involved.
Resolving the fate of an entire state through something resembling a jianghu martial contest looked childish on the surface.
In truth, it was perfectly normal.
In his previous life, Count Zheng had once visited Mount Li as a tourist.
He had even gone to look at the cave where Chiang Kai-shek had hidden during the Xi’an Incident.
Releasing a long breath, Zheng Fan threw all those messy thoughts out of his mind.
He stood.
Walked to the washbasin.
Scooped water in his hands.
And washed his face.
Because the end of his previous life had been exhausting and bitter, Count Zheng had always wanted this life to remain as easy as circumstances permitted.
After washing, Zheng Fan walked to the threshold and sat down.
A full moon hung high overhead.
Moonlight spilled across the courtyard, creating an atmosphere of extraordinary stillness.
He closed his eyes.
Drew in one deep breath.
Then stretched both arms wide and loosened his body.
Pretending he was absorbing the essence of sun and moon.
A long time later—
Zheng Fan opened his eyes.
Tomorrow was the wedding.
He stood and walked toward the Princess’s sleeping hall.
Eunuch Zhao stood faithfully outside.
The moment he saw Count Zheng approach, a flattering smile appeared across his face.
Zheng Fan knew Zhao Cheng could have acted far more subtly.
This young man, who had fought his way up from the absolute bottom of society, possessed a streetwise sense of proportion ordinary eunuchs did not.
Yet before Zheng Fan he deliberately lowered himself as much as possible.
Like a dog exposing its belly.
Dogs generally revealed their most vulnerable belly only before someone they trusted or someone to whom they had completely submitted.
Eunuch Zhao did not announce Zheng Fan’s arrival.
He did not even greet him.
He simply bent his waist, retreated several steps, and silently cleared the way.
But Zheng Fan stopped.
“Zhao Cheng.”
“This servant is here.”
A long silence followed.
Count Zheng said nothing.
Zhao Cheng did not dare speak.
Finally—
Count Zheng reached out and placed one hand on Zhao Cheng’s shoulder.
Zhao Cheng trembled faintly.
Count Zheng patted him twice.
Then said:
“Good evening.”
“Good evening, Master.”
Precisely because Zhao Cheng was intelligent—
Count Zheng did not need to say much.
For Zhao Cheng, his only right was to drift with the current.
He had no qualification to sit at the table.
A servant like this was actually ill suited to remaining at one’s side merely to pour tea and serve food.
He might be far more useful elsewhere.
But for now having Zhao Cheng here was genuinely convenient.
Count Zheng pushed open the sleeping-hall doors and entered.
The moment he stepped inside a python’s head dropped from the roof beam and hung directly before his face.
Only about eight inches separated Zheng Fan from the snake’s head.
The Green Python’s tongue flicked close enough to brush his cheek.
Inside the creature’s eyes—
Count Zheng saw disdain.
Its posture was extremely arrogant.
Only the Princess’s control prevented it from simply swallowing him.
Count Zheng suspected this happened because the Demon Child concealed his aura too completely.
That was why this beast dared behave so insolently before him.
Still—
Count Zheng had no intention of arguing with an animal now.
When the Pixiu first arrived, it too had held its nose toward the heavens and acted as though nothing beneath Heaven was worthy of notice.
In the end had the Demon Kings not trained it into something closer to a quail?
This Green Python’s future would be no different.
Count Zheng bent down and walked around the snake.
The Princess sat on the bed.
She had probably been lying down before and only sat up when she heard the doors open.
She wore no shoes.
A skirt covered her lower body.
Her casual clothes looked relaxed and light, carrying a faintly seductive softness.
“Aren’t you afraid of catching cold?”
Count Zheng walked over and sat beside her.
The Princess leaned in on her own initiative and wrapped both arms around his shoulder.
The two remained like that for a long time.
Finally—
Count Zheng’s shoulder began going numb.
He asked:
“Why aren’t you saying anything?”
The Princess answered:
“I don’t know what to say.”
“You haven’t even entered my household yet and already we’ve run out of things to talk about?”
“No.
“It’s just— what can I say now?
“If I start talking about exactly what kind of life I want after going to Yan with you, wouldn’t that sound as though I were negotiating terms?
“If I tell you how complicated my heart feels right now— how hesitant how tangled wouldn’t you think I wasn’t absolutely determined to follow you?
“So no matter what I say, you’ll dislike it.
“And eventually it will affect whose name appears in your final edict.”
“Hehehe.”
Count Zheng laughed.
He pulled his arm free, adjusted his posture, and wrapped it around the Princess instead.
“Truthfully, I’m not thinking that much,” the Princess continued.
“Master Yao once wrote a poem comparing a person’s life to a mayfly.
“You may already have exhausted every ounce of strength you possess.
“But in truth— you still cannot change the fate of drifting wherever the current takes you.
“For me now—
I genuinely cannot marry Qu Peiluo anymore.
“If I follow you, whether I eat meat or husks afterward— that will still be my own choice.
“Oh, right.
“Where did you and my imperial brother go during the day?”
Zheng Fan told her what had happened.
He concealed very little.
Letting the Princess know that her elder brother’s visit to see her had only been incidental was actually more beneficial to Count Zheng.
Afterward, Zheng Fan briefly explained some of tomorrow’s arrangements.
It was still technically night.
By later-generation standards, the time was only a little after one in the morning.
But Eunuch Zhao had already walked to the sleeping-hall entrance and reported:
“Your Highness.
“The hour is approaching.”
Outside the inner courtyard, dozens of makeup attendants and titled married ladies were already waiting.
A Princess was marrying the legitimate heir of the Qu Clan.
In this region the occasion was naturally unprecedentedly grand.
Preparations before the bride left had to begin extremely early.
The previous quiet of the inner courtyard had existed only because the Princess herself requested peace.
She had disappeared before and needed time to settle her spirit.
Both the Qu Clan and palace attendants had agreed.
Then Zheng Fan arrived.
Then the Regent.
Naturally, the quiet had continued.
But today that could no longer remain.
“It’s beginning,” Zheng Fan said.
The Princess caught his sleeve.
Her decision had been made long ago.
But now that the moment had truly arrived her emotions could not remain completely calm.
She was in the end only a young woman.
Yet the man before her happened to be deeply self-centered in certain ways.
Very domineering.
More accurately extremely sensitive.
She could not truly pour out her fears to him.
And despite that she could not bring herself to resent him.
Much less hate him.
Instead, she even felt some expectation toward the life awaiting her.
Because she knew if she followed this man, her future at least would never become dull or lifeless.
Until Count Zheng left the sleeping hall the Princess never asked:
*Aren’t you afraid I’ll change my mind?*
And Count Zheng never said:
*Whatever you do, don’t change your mind.*
The Princess knew asking such a question had no meaning.
If she intended to betray him asking would change nothing.
If she did not why ask?
Count Zheng, meanwhile, had always understood one principle very clearly:
If you wanted to put on a certain level of swagger you had to be willing to accept the corresponding level of risk.
He too wanted to live step by step.
Develop land.
Raise troops.
Develop more land.
Raise even more troops.
But first, reality did not allow a man to remain hidden and cautious forever.
Second even he would eventually find that life unbearably dull.
Human beings were simply like that.
After living amid storms for too long they yearned for peace.
After living peacefully for too long their hearts began itching again.
After leaving the Princess’s hall, Zheng Fan returned to his own room and found Hero Chen sitting at his writing desk.
Hero Chen looked up.
“Today will be very lively.”
“Mm.”
“Congratulations.”
“Congratulations for what?”
Hero Chen answered as though it were obvious:
“Happy wedding.”
“That counts?”
“Isn’t that what this is?”
“It does seem to be.
“Oh, right.
“What happened to that Silver-Armored Guard woman from last time?”
When they searched for the Helian Clan treasure vault, Hero Chen had accompanied Master Yao along with a female Silver-Armored Guard.
Zheng Fan remembered Yao Zizhan seemed interested in bringing the two of them together.
The Silver-Armored Guard of Qian had a tradition of arranging wives for its men anyway.
And Yao Zizhan’s face certainly carried enough weight.
Who would have guessed Hero Chen would simply shake his head?
“She wanted me to join the Silver-Armored Guard.
“I didn’t want to.
“Later, Master Yao asked what I thought.
“Once he knew, the matter ended.”
“There are plenty of fragrant grasses beneath Heaven.
“Don’t worry about it,” Count Zheng comforted him.
Hero Chen replied:
“I want to entrust this entire life to my sword.
“I hope one day I can stand shoulder to shoulder with the Sword Saint.
“The Sword Saint cut down a thousand cavalry with one sword before Snow Sea Pass.
“I hope one day I can perform a scene like that too.
“Master Yao says life is like a play.
“I think if my life contains one scene like that— then this lifetime will have been worthwhile.”
“If you ever stand in front of an army like that, check the banner first.
“Don’t let it be mine.”
Hero Chen looked at Zheng Fan.
“If it happens in Qian territory— even if I meet you—
I will not retreat.”
“I will.”
Hero Chen opened his mouth.
For a time no words came.
Count Zheng leaned against the writing desk.
He took a peppermint candy from the metal case, tossed it into his mouth, and slowly chewed.
“Are you deceiving me?” Hero Chen asked.
Count Zheng smiled.
Hero Chen continued:
“Even if you are deceiving me—
I still feel moved.”
“I’m not deceiving you.
“Old Chen.
“I genuinely regard you as a true friend.
“If that day ever comes— and you see a Yan army opposite the city with my banner above it take your sword.
“Leave the city.
“Come to my camp and find me.
“You’d dare, right?”
Hero Chen nodded.
“I would.”
“Then we can discuss it.
“If conditions permit and the city is not one I absolutely need, I’ll simply go around it.
“If it is a city I must take, I can guarantee my soldiers won’t massacre the people.
“Or I can leave one road open and allow the civilians inside to evacuate safely.
“If—
I mean if it is one of those places where I absolutely have to fight to the death and you absolutely refuse to retreat then we can still put two dishes and one pot of wine on the table.
“Eat well.
“Drink well.
“And the next morning—
I’ll personally send you on your way.”
“Good,” Hero Chen agreed.
“There’s one more thing I think you should know.
“You just said the Sword Saint is your goal?”
“Yes.”
“But the Sword Saint now has a wife, a child, and a warm bed waiting for him at home.”
“...”
Hero Chen.
...
The sky was still dark.
Suddenly three gongbeats rang out.
Every red lantern was raised at the same time.
The gates of the inner courtyard opened.
A group of makeup attendants and titled married women entered in orderly lines.
The makeup attendants carried every sort of cosmetic implement imaginable.
Truthfully, only a fraction would actually be used.
But nothing could be missing.
Every category had to be complete.
The titled ladies carried teacups, cushions, chopsticks, jade pendants, and other ceremonial objects.
Every one of these women still had a living husband and had given birth to at least one son.
They were considered women of good fortune.
Only women like that could be selected to help dress the Princess for marriage.
Two files of armored soldiers in red entered with them.
One file belonged to the Imperial Clan Guards.
The other the Azure Luan Army.
They carried no sharpened weapons.
Instead they bore ceremonial melon-headed maces, golden standards, and other ritual implements.
Their purpose was to display the dignity of the imperial clan and the Qu household.
A red carpet was rolled from the inner-courtyard gate all the way outward.
At the same time, servants placed long benches atop it at fixed intervals.
The sleeping-hall doors opened.
Makeup attendants and titled women streamed inside.
The Princess, now dressed in white underrobes, sat properly at the edge of the bed.
“Greetings, Your Highness!”
“Greetings, Your Highness!”
The Princess slowly swept her gaze across the women before her.
Finally she raised one hand.
“Rise.”
...
Count Zheng remained inside the inner courtyard.
He did not leave.
The Qu Clan would never ask him to depart.
They knew he had been brought here by the Regent.
Besides having one of Master Yao’s distinguished disciples witness the entire wedding brought glory to the Qu household.
Though the glow might be slightly green.
Amid orderly preparations the sky brightened.
Here, the Princess had begun dressing before dawn.
Elsewhere, the Qu Clan’s bridal escort had also departed while the sky was still black.
Qu Peiluo rode what looked almost like a rhinoceros.
It was presumably a demon beast.
Red silk draped over the creature’s horn.
Qu Peiluo himself wore brilliant groom’s robes.
One had to admit—
Qu Peiluo genuinely possessed a beautiful face.
“Today especially, he truly had the air of the old line: ‘A man like jade upon the road; a young lord peerless beneath Heaven.’”
One hundred and eight white-horse retainers surrounded him.
Chu lacked horses.
The reason the Azure Luan Army had once become trapped to death at Yupan City was precisely because it was fundamentally an infantry force.
Once it lost the external support of savage cavalry and found itself surrounded by Yan cavalry corps it had no answer.
So gathering one hundred and eight high-quality white horses had not been easy.
Not one carried obvious mottled coloring.
The Qu Clan had probably prepared them for a long time.
But looking at the scene the effort had been worth it.
The visual effect was astonishing.
Still it was not yet time for the groom to enter the courtyard.
The eunuch responsible for proclaiming the decree unfolded an imperial edict and began reading.
The edict had arrived long ago.
Even if the Regent had never come, it would still have been read now.
First, the decree affirmed the Qu Clan’s extraordinary contributions as a line of Pillars of State.
Then it looked toward the future.
Only at the end did it reach the real point the marriage itself and deliver formal imperial blessings.
“Prince-Consort.
“Receive the decree.”
“This subject, Qu Peiluo, receives the decree!”
Once Qu Peiluo accepted it, the white-horse retainers around him released one unified low shout.
Then, clear, resonant horns sounded.
A large company of court musicians began playing the music of Chu.
Among the Four Great States the country that preserved Great Xia customs most completely was not Qian, despite having risen within Great Xia’s traditional heartland.
It was Chu.
By temperament, Chu people loved romance and pursued freedom and ease.
Every spring and summer, it was common to see young Chu men and women running barefoot beside little rivers, putting on the air of unrestrained heroes.
Yet in cultural custom—
Chu remained deeply archaic.
Ancient rites were sacred and not to be profaned.
Two elements that seemed completely opposite lived inside the Chu people with astonishing harmony.
Coexisting.
Blending.
The music was beautiful.
Grand and majestic, yet carrying beneath it a faint sense of romance weathered by time.
Count Zheng held a charcoal pencil over a drawing board.
Eyes closed.
For a while he actually became absorbed in the music.
Only when a whip cracked outside did Zheng Fan awaken and open his eyes.
Hero Chen stood beside him.
“You looked intoxicated.”
Zheng Fan nodded.
“When I go home, I need to make the Blind Man organize a proper musical troupe too.”
Truthfully, the Blind Man had long possessed the same idea.
He liked playing the erhu.
So whenever official work ended, he often called several people over and had everyone play together.
When soldiers received ideological instruction at night, artistic performances were sometimes included.
The Blind Man had already cobbled together a **Count Pingye Battle-Breaking Song.**
“I don’t understand poetry.
“I know nothing of music.
“But I know— they are beautiful,” Hero Chen said.
“Mm.
“They are.”
“May the Prince-Consort enjoy health and fortune!”
“May the Prince-Consort enjoy health and fortune!”
Qu Peiluo entered.
The soldiers inside the courtyard knelt.
Servants and attendants knelt as well and offered greetings.
Behind Qu Peiluo came a group of Qu clansmen carrying baskets.
They began distributing red packets.
In effect gifts marking the change in forms of address.
Almost everyone present received one.
Count Zheng remembered Little Sixth once writing that a wedding was much like decorating a house.
If you wanted to make it tasteful fine.
But if you threw enough silver at it then no matter how poor your taste was, the final result could never look too cheap.
Even Zheng Fan received a red packet.
Only his came personally from Qu Peiluo.
Count Zheng accepted a small box.
It was heavy.
Silver would have been somewhat embarrassing at this level.
So it was probably gold ingots.
Funny, wasn’t it?
Qu Peiluo was actually handing Zheng Fan gold.
Count Zheng accepted it anyway.
Then offered congratulations:
“May the Prince-Consort enjoy health and fortune.”
“Many thanks, Mr. Su.”
Qu Peiluo was probably still thinking about having “Su Mingzhe” compose a poem for his wedding.
So this counted as an advance writing fee.
What Qu Peiluo did not know was that Count Zheng had something else on his mind too.
The sleeping-hall doors remained closed.
Eunuchs stood in two lines outside.
Eunuch Sun stood at their head.
Eunuch Zhao followed behind him.
Eunuch Sun had come from the imperial palace.
He had seen truly grand occasions.
The instant Qu Peiluo approached, Eunuch Sun shouted:
“Kneel!”
Qu Peiluo dropped to one knee.
Eunuch Sun continued:
“Offer greetings!”
Qu Peiluo replied:
“This subject pays respects to **Princess Mingci**.
“May Your Highness enjoy health and fortune for a thousand years!”
**Mingci** was the Fourth Princess’s formal title.
It carried the meaning of understanding principle and possessing a compassionate heart.
The boundary between sovereign and subject was the greatest divide of all.
Eunuch Sun was establishing the Princess’s position.
Even as Prince-Consort, before Qu Peiluo had actually married the Princess, he remained a subject of the imperial house.
So he had to kneel.
He had to offer formal greetings.
An imperial wedding naturally contained nothing like rowdy bridal-chamber games or commoner door-blocking customs.
But what Eunuch Sun was doing now was essentially the same as what many fathers did when sending off their daughters.
Warning the son-in-law.
Eunuch Sun turned toward Zhao Cheng.
Zhao Cheng immediately hurried to the sleeping-hall doors and reported:
“Your Highness.
“General of Tiger Might has arrived.”
**Creak...**
The sleeping-hall doors slowly opened.
Princess Xiong Liqing emerged in full ceremonial dress, supported by attendants on both sides.
There was no red veil covering her face.
Instead she wore a phoenix crown with a hanging curtain of pearls.
Her beautiful eyes swept downward.
The majesty of the imperial house poured naturally from her.
“Haa...”
Count Zheng quietly exhaled.
Clothes truly made the man.
A saddle truly made the horse.
The Princess’s attire today did more than leave the prospective Prince-Consort kneeling below dumbstruck.
Even Count Zheng the *real* Prince-Consort was stunned by her beauty.
When people spoke of beautiful women, some preferred the tofu-seller beauty.
Others liked the lotus-gathering girl standing in a pond.
Certainly, such women—pure as flowers rising unstained from mud—could make a man yearn.
But women born among commoners, no matter how naturally beautiful, often could not carry ceremonial dress like this.
Force it onto them and something would feel wrong.
Xiong Liqing was a genuine Princess of Great Chu.
Imperial blood.
Treasured by the Emperor of Chu since childhood.
After the Emperor died, her own elder brother, the Regent, had still never allowed her to suffer the slightest grievance.
She had always been noble.
Only now did Count Zheng truly understand:
“Princess” did not merely describe a title.
It described her entire person.
After taking her home he would need several more sets of clothes like this made.
After saluting the Princess, Eunuch Sun turned toward Qu Peiluo, who remained kneeling.
He flicked his horsetail whisk.
Zhao Cheng personally carried forward a bowl of mugwort wine and placed it before Qu Peiluo.
Eunuch Sun raised his voice:
“One bowl— to drive away illness and pain!”
This was an old Chu custom.
In the early days, sons of Chu often answered their lord’s summons and followed the ruler into the Great Marsh to fight Shanyue tribes and seize territory.
Chu ancestors believed mugwort wine could drive away evil and prevent miasma from invading the body.
Qu Peiluo accepted the bowl while kneeling.
He drank it dry.
“One bowl— to welcome fortune and health!”
Zhao Cheng brought a second bowl.
Red dates floated in the wine.
They symbolized blessing and health.
Qu Peiluo emptied it again.
“One bowl— never leave, never part!”
Zhao Cheng brought the third bowl.
Inside the wine lay a stone wrapped with a strand of hair.
When Chu ancestors left for war, their wives cut one lock of hair, tied it around a stone, and had their husbands carry it.
The Chu people, steeped in shamanic belief, trusted that if a man died in foreign lands, the grief carried by that lock of hair could guide his soul home.
Qu Peiluo drank without hesitation.
Three bowls.
One ritual completed.
Eunuch Sun shouted:
“Son of the Qu Clan!
“Open your eyes and look carefully.
“Who is the woman you intend to marry?”
Qu Peiluo straightened while still kneeling.
His gaze rested upon the Princess before him.
“Her Highness the Princess.”
“An imperial daughter lowers herself in marriage to your household.
“Son of the Qu Clan— how will you treat her?”
As he spoke—
Zhao Cheng carried over a small idol of a shamanic god and placed it before Qu Peiluo.
He was being asked to swear before it.
The statue was small.
Zhao Cheng carried it without difficulty.
“I shall protect her.
“Respect her.
“Honor her.
“My only wish in this life is that we grow old together.”
Eunuch Sun nodded.
His expression remained stern.
He turned toward the Princess.
Then said:
“Your Highness.
“Please choose.
“Inside this threshold lies the imperial house.
“Outside— the Qu household.”
The Princess was being asked to choose for herself.
Of course, this was merely part of the wedding ritual.
At this point, whether or not she would marry had long been settled.
An imperial daughter’s wedding could hardly contain the sort of last-second haggling sometimes found among commoners, where one side suddenly demanded extra carriage money or additional bride-price before stepping into or out of the sedan.
Count Zheng watched the entire ritual with fascination.
He had missed Little Sixth’s wedding.
So this was genuinely his first proper wedding ceremony in this world.
It felt almost like watching a local folk-custom performance while traveling in his previous life.
Only back then he would have paid money to watch.
In this life he watched and received a box of gold ingots.
He did not find all the ritual questioning tedious either.
After all, even Western weddings in later generations redundantly asked whether husband and wife would remain together through poverty, sickness, and hardship.
A wedding was fundamentally built from ritual.
If you did things the barbarian way instead, bringing a gang charging in, seizing the woman, carrying her home, and throwing her straight onto the bed how dull and tasteless would that be?
Hm.
Wait.
Count Zheng frowned faintly.
Why did that suddenly feel like he was cursing himself?
The Princess lifted one foot.
She stepped across the sleeping-hall threshold.
Eunuch Sun’s stern face instantly transformed into a flattering smile.
He hurried down and personally helped Qu Peiluo rise.
“Auspicious blessings to the Prince-Consort.”
Qu Peiluo immediately pulled a jade pendant from his clothes.
As he stood, he slipped it into Eunuch Sun’s hand.
Eunuch Sun’s smile became even brighter.
The Princess had crossed the threshold.
Immediately, a group of titled noblewomen surrounded and escorted her.
Just as Qu Peiluo had arrived surrounded by white-horse retainers the Princess too would leave amid an entourage.
Qu Peiluo could not walk ahead of her now.
He had to follow behind.
Those were the rules.
Who told you to marry an imperial daughter?
Once the Princess left the inner courtyard, Count Zheng packed up his drawing board and prepared to follow.
Qu Peiluo saw him carrying the board and walked over curiously.
He discovered the picture on it was actually himself.
It had not been painted with a brush.
Yet it looked extraordinarily lifelike.
“Mr. Su.
“Was this painting method brought from the Western lands?”
As the legitimate heir of the Qu Clan, Qu Peiluo naturally possessed considerable knowledge.
Count Zheng nodded.
“Yes.”
“It is truly excellent.”
“I ask the Prince-Consort to allow this Su to remain beside the procession.
“I intend to draw several more scenes.
“In the end, I hope to combine them into a complete painting of the Prince-Consort’s wedding.”
“Many thanks, Mr. Su.”
Why would Qu Peiluo refuse?
He immediately ordered someone to help carry the drawing board and arranged a place for Zheng Fan in the procession.
After the Princess left the inner courtyard representatives of the various households within Qu Clan fief territory knelt in row after row.
Every family had sent someone to congratulate the master household on the marriage.
Even Nian Yao’s residence had sent representatives.
The enormous outer courtyard was packed black with people.
Whenever the Princess passed a section everyone on both sides knelt.
Eunuch Sun called out the names of their households.
Not every family even qualified to have its name announced.
Even the Fan Clan, despite having contributed so much labor and money to the wedding, was only called among a group:
“The Fan Clan, Tian Clan, and others.”
The Princess stepped along the benches laid above the red carpet.
From that elevated path, she passed over the people prostrating on both sides.
The severity of Great Chu’s social hierarchy could be felt clearly here.
Compared with this—
Yan’s atmosphere remained much more open.
At least on the surface, people preferred the idea of “sharing joy with the common people.”
Whether they truly believed it inwardly or not they were willing to perform it.
Count Zheng followed behind.
From time to time, he added several strokes to the drawing board.
But most of the time his gaze rested on the Princess’s back.
People possessed one common trait: food fought over always tasted more fragrant.
Inside the atmosphere of this grand wedding, Count Zheng suddenly realized his own mentality was changing slightly.
That was not some moral defect.
It was simply human nature.
Count Zheng knew he could not escape ordinary human instincts.
Nor had he ever wanted to become some saint.
One thing he felt grateful for was that the Princess was not wearing Manchu-style flowerpot shoes.
So walking along the benches remained stable.
They continued forward.
Leaving the courtyard did not mean leaving the imperial villa.
The villa covered a vast area.
They had only left the residential section.
Ahead stood an enormous, magnificent carriage decorated in splendid wedding colors.
The final stretch of benches was carved from gold, silver, and jade.
Count Zheng had not noticed at first.
Once he did he actually turned and counted them.
He calculated inwardly that even if he failed to steal the Princess, stealing these benches alone would finance quite a few additional soldiers.
Zhao Cheng walked to the front.
He bent slightly and raised one hand.
The Princess rested her palm on the back of his hand.
He supported her down from the final silver bench.
Then the Princess slowly stepped onto the great carriage.
The carriage was enormous.
In truth, it resembled an imperial **traveling pavilion** more than a normal carriage.
The front platform was broad.
The rear contained something almost like a small house.
Inside Chu, ordinary people—even nobles—were not permitted to build traveling pavilions of this specification.
But the Princess was different.
Her rank allowed it.
The Princess stood at the front, supported by two palace maids.
Eunuch Sun and Zhao Cheng led more than ten eunuchs into the structure behind her to inspect and arrange everything.
Some objects had to be placed only now.
This was the Princess’s bridal traveling pavilion.
Its interior furnishings could not be fully prepared in advance.
Otherwise it would appear as though the Princess was too eager to marry damaging imperial dignity.
Earlier, inside the residential courtyards, the families of Qu Clan fief territory had kowtowed in congratulation.
Now the Princess would receive representatives sent by the great noble houses and leading officials of the court.
Those inside earlier were hereditary servants.
The Princess did not even remain on the same level as them, instead walking above them on benches.
The reason representatives from Nian Yao’s household had knelt there too was simple.
Even though Nian Yao was now a Grand Commander, he had originally been a household slave from the Regent’s princely residence.
So fundamentally he remained the Regent’s household retainer.
Naturally, his representatives knelt inside with the others.
Now the Princess stood at the front of the traveling pavilion.
One household after another sent representatives to announce gifts and congratulations.
Most were younger members appearing on behalf of their clans.
The Princess responded to each with a slight curtsy and some variation of:
“Please convey my regards to Uncle.”
The process was long.
But not a single part could be neglected.
That was ritual.
And besides this was a political marriage.
The ritual itself was the true substance of the marriage.
How could it possibly be omitted?
Under ordinary Chu custom, the groom’s friends and relatives waited at the groom’s household while the bride’s family waited on her side.
Both sides displayed their background and strength.
But here not only the families within Qu territory, but representatives of other great nobles friendly with the Qu Clan and high officials serving alongside them at court had all gathered at the imperial villa.
That too was perfectly natural.
Who dared stage a rival display against the imperial clan?
Naturally, everyone came here to add prestige to the Princess’s side.
Even the Qu Clan itself would never dare think otherwise.
While the Princess continued receiving one congratulatory representative after another at the front another ritual began behind her.
According to Chu custom, the Qu Clan needed to arrange representatives of **Letters, Arms, Shaman, and Fortune** to enter the traveling pavilion first and “weigh it down.”
Among commoners this was called weighing down the bridal sedan.
They did not remain inside and travel with it.
Each person entered, drank one cup of tea, walked through the space, then came out.
Chu custom believed joyous occasions easily attracted baleful things.
Bridal sedans were especially vulnerable.
Lonely ghosts could not bear to see human happiness and would approach weddings to create mischief.
So the auras of Letters, Arms, Shaman, and Fortune were used to suppress them.
Among common folk the representative of Letters might simply be whoever in the village could read the most characters.
For Arms, if no soldier could be found, a butcher might substitute.
For Shaman, nearly every Chu village possessed some local shaman who presided over seasonal sacrifices and treated illness.
And Fortune meant whoever the villagers considered most honored or simply most blessed.
After Eunuch Sun and Zhao Cheng finished arranging the great chamber with the other eunuchs, Eunuch Sun stepped outside.
He flicked his horsetail whisk.
He did not shout.
He merely beckoned for the ritual to begin.
The reason he did not call it aloud was that speaking openly about suppressing ghosts invited bad luck.
And second the Princess was still receiving one wave after another of noble congratulations at the front.
Following Eunuch Sun’s signal the weighing ritual began.
The first to approach were more than two hundred shamans wearing black robes, painted faces, and carrying long banners.
They surrounded the traveling pavilion and began a prayer rite.
Their clothing originated from Chu’s absorption of Shanyue sacrificial culture after entering this territory.
There was no wild jumping or ghostly spectacle.
The shamans merely raised their long banners and moved very slowly.
They warned malign things along the road not to approach.
At the same time they prayed blessings upon the bride and groom.
The first person to enter was an elderly Shaman Rector.
He had already retired after once holding office in Ying Capital.
His branch specialized in ceremonial sacrifices.
If one divided the vast profession of Shaman Rectors into categories he was essentially a civil official.
The old Shaman Rector leaned on a cane.
Supported by two Qu clansmen, he climbed the rear steps of the traveling pavilion.
Eunuch Sun received him and led him inside.
After about ten minutes the old man came trembling back out.
People below helped him down.
At that moment, one of Qu Peiluo’s uncles, a titled general named **Qu Yinglun**, approached Count Zheng.
He lowered his voice.
“Mr. Su.
“Could I trouble you to help weigh down the pavilion a little later?”
“You wish this junior to perform the Letters role?”
“Yes.
“I wonder whether Mr. Su finds it convenient.”
“Of course.”
Count Zheng agreed readily.
Then he pointed toward his drawing board.
“Could I go a little later?
“I still lack several strokes.”
Qu Yinglun looked at the board.
It depicted the Princess standing at the front of the traveling pavilion vivid and lifelike.
“Of course.
“Many thanks for honoring us, Mr. Su.
“My Qu Clan is deeply grateful.”
For the Qu Clan when it came to the “Letters” category, nobody could possibly be more appropriate than Su Mingzhe, distinguished disciple of Master Yao.
The Qu Clan also knew even the Regent had praised Su Mingzhe’s talent.
So naturally the original candidate was discarded.
For Count Zheng this was truly a pillow arriving the instant he became sleepy.
He had planned to board that pavilion anyway.
Now he did not even need to invent an excuse.
He could do it openly.
Calmly.
So not only Qu Peiluo the entire Qu Clan from top to bottom were good people.
For Fortune a hundred-year-old woman went up.
She was practically the matriarch of the Tian Clan.
Her longevity was one reason.
Another was that she had given birth to fourteen sons and every one survived to adulthood.
Not one died young.
The Qu Clan had another reason for selecting her.
There was no realistic way to find someone whose status was more honored than the Princess’s to weigh down the pavilion.
So they simply took another route.
People more honored than the Princess did exist.
The Regent, for example.
Or imperial dowagers and consorts within the Ying Capital palace.
But could you invite them?
Even the Regent had not appeared today.
Many great nobles had guessed he had probably visited after seeing Imperial Clan Guards around the villa.
Yet though nobody had seen the Regent himself not one dared ask.
What?
You wanted to inquire after the Regent’s movements?
Planning to assassinate the ruler?
Truthfully—
Count Zheng felt the Fan Clan Matriarch would have been ideal for the Fortune role.
But given that old woman’s personality she would never dare appear in a place like this today.
The hundred-year-old matriarch came down.
Every step trembled.
After full ceremonial dress, makeup, and all this movement the ritual probably consumed no small portion of the old woman’s remaining vitality.
But the Qu Clan had issued the request.
The Tian Clan certainly could not refuse.
For Arms they chose an old veteran who had once campaigned beside Qu Tiannan’s father.
The man was old and no longer commanded troops.
But among the Qu Clan’s people, he possessed the richest battlefield experience.
So he went up.
After the veteran came down—
Qu Yinglun approached Zheng Fan again.
Count Zheng added the final stroke to his drawing.
He saluted Qu Yinglun.
Then swept one sleeve and walked up the traveling pavilion steps.
While climbing—
Count Zheng deliberately glanced toward the Princess still receiving congratulations at the front.
His thought was:
*Mm.*
*The ceremonial dress really does look excellent from the front.*
*From behind, though—*
*it hides her figure far too thoroughly.*
“Mr. Su.
“Please.”
Eunuch Sun personally lifted the curtain and invited Count Zheng inside.
“Many thanks, Eunuch.”
Count Zheng entered.
The interior was enormous.
A traveling pavilion of this specification could carry an Emperor inspecting the realm during peacetime.
In wartime maps or sand tables could be spread inside while commanders discussed strategy.
“Little Cheng.
“Serve tea to Mr. Su.”
“Yes.”
Zhao Cheng carried over a cup of tea and handed it to Zheng Fan.
Zheng Fan accepted it.
Then walked directly to the central couch.
And sat down.
Eunuch Sun frowned slightly.
Everyone else who entered to weigh down the pavilion merely drank some tea, walked around once, and left.
That was enough to fulfill the symbolism.
But this Mr. Su from Qian had actually sat down to leisurely enjoy the tea?
And Eunuch Sun found something about the man’s sitting posture strangely discordant.
Chu people loved romance.
True.
But Chu nobles were also among the strictest people in matters of ritual.
Eating.
Sitting.
Walking.
Sleeping.
Everything possessed rules.
And in Eunuch Sun’s understanding, a Qian gentleman should value such propriety even more.
Yet this Mr. Su sat there in a way that felt wrong no matter how he looked.
Because Count Zheng did not sit in some restrained scholarly posture.
He held the tea.
Legs apart.
Back straight.
Sitting like a general occupying command.
Mr. Su.
Disciple of Master Yao.
Those roles could now be waved goodbye.
Count Zheng used the lid to brush floating tea leaves aside.
He blew gently.
Then drank.
At first, Eunuch Sun said nothing.
But after waiting he realized Mr. Su had nearly finished his tea and still showed no intention of rising.
Outside, the Princess had already finished receiving congratulations.
They were preparing to proclaim the Empress Dowager’s decree.
Yet Mr. Su still had not come down.
This could delay the auspicious hour!
Eunuch Sun hurried several steps closer.
He smiled apologetically.
“Mr. Su.
“It is time to—”
Zheng Fan slowly raised his head.
And looked at Eunuch Sun.
At the same time the Demon Child released the concealment around Count Zheng’s aura.
Eunuch Sun’s heart lurched violently.
His body instinctively staggered backward several steps.
*Damn his mother!*
*What is happening?*
*Why did one look from this man frighten me so badly?*
Truthfully a eunuch remained a eunuch.
Palace life gave them an extraordinary abundance of survival wisdom.
But people raised permanently inside walls how could their bearing compare with a veteran general tempered amid slaughter?
“Godfather.
“Godfather, what’s wrong?”
Zhao Cheng immediately stepped forward and supported Eunuch Sun.
Eunuch Sun finally steadied himself.
He looked suspiciously toward Zheng Fan.
“Mr. Su.
“Mr. Su, the hour has come.
“Please—”
“Yes, Godfather.
“The hour has come.”
**Pfft!**
Eunuch Sun’s body jerked violently.
In disbelief, he lowered his head.
A dagger had already entered his heart.
And the hand holding it belonged to the new godson he had personally accepted.
“Wh...
“Why...
“Why would...
“Why...”
Eunuch Sun truly could not understand.
Why now?
Why here?
Why would his own godson kill him?
Why?!
Zhao Cheng brought his mouth close to Eunuch Sun’s ear.
Then whispered:
“Godfather.
“Your son thanks Godfather for all the principles you taught me these past days.
“I’ll benefit from them for the rest of my life.
“And your son has always remembered your teachings.
“For example—
Godfather said the most important thing in the palace is choosing the right master.
“Godfather.
“Be happy for your son.
“Your son chose— a very formidable master.”
“You...”
Eunuch Sun’s hand clutched Zhao Cheng’s wrist.
Zhao Cheng drew in a breath.
Truthfully he respected this old eunuch greatly.
He had never expected he would need to put a dagger into him so soon.
But Zhao Cheng possessed no choice.
Back then, to survive he had stabbed himself.
Now still to survive he continued stabbing outward.
The instant Eunuch Sun was struck half of the dozen-plus eunuchs inside suddenly drew daggers and stabbed the companions beside them.
In an instant the interior of the traveling pavilion filled with the scent of blood.
But because incense burners were burning inside the smell was quickly suppressed.
Count Zheng overturned his teacup.
He poured the remaining tea into the incense burner before him.
Then said slowly:
“I already told her.
“I don’t like the smell of incense.”
After that Count Zheng set the cup down.
Spread both arms.
And ordered:
“Armor this Count.”
...
“Why hasn’t Mr. Su come down yet?”
Qu Yinglun stood beside his eldest nephew and muttered to himself.
Qu Peiluo did not appear worried.
He instead explained:
“Perhaps inspiration struck and he is writing poetry inside.
“Qian scholars are all like that.”
Qu Yinglun heard this and nodded.
At that moment, the Princess raised an imperial document in her hands.
“Decree of the Empress Dowager!”
Before leaving the residential compound, the Regent’s decree had been proclaimed.
That was the formal state document.
Now before the traveling pavilion departed the Empress Dowager’s decree would be read.
Family matters that were inappropriate for an imperial edict could be placed inside an Empress Dowager’s decree instead.
In principle, the inner palace did not interfere in government.
So decrees of the Empress Dowager normally did not leave palace gates and applied only to people within.
Here it functioned somewhat like a mother-in-law’s private instructions to her son-in-law.
But the mother-in-law’s status was extraordinarily noble.
The Regent might not yet have ascended the throne.
But the Empress Dowager’s position had long since become certain.
“Long live the Empress Dowager!
“A thousand years, a thousand years, a thousand thousand years!”
“Long live the Empress Dowager!
“A thousand years, a thousand years, a thousand thousand years!”
Everyone around the traveling pavilion knelt together, preparing to hear the decree.
The shamans continued moving slowly as they prayed.
The Princess personally read her mother’s decree.
That symbolized the bride’s mother lending her own authority to support her daughter.
“By mandate of Heaven, the Empress Dowager proclaims:
“Since this palace first followed the late Emperor, I bore for His Majesty...”
Everyone knelt and listened.
The broad meaning was simple:
The Empress Dowager had given birth to only one son and one daughter.
This daughter was the pearl held in the palms of both her and the late Emperor.
Precious beyond measure.
The unspoken message was that the husband’s household had better not mistreat her beloved girl.
According to the ceremony, once the Empress Dowager’s decree was finished, the Prince-Consort would step forward to receive it.
That was the final ritual before departure.
Equivalent to receiving the daughter directly from her mother.
Then, the bridal procession could set out toward the husband’s household.
Under the formal arrangement previously agreed between palace stewards, the Ministry of Rites, and the Qu Clan once the Prince-Consort accepted the decree, he too would board the traveling pavilion.
The Princess would enter the chamber behind and sit.
The Prince-Consort would stand at the front where she currently proclaimed the decree.
The symbolism was that from now on he would open the road for her.
Shelter her from wind and rain.
Qu Yinglun reminded him:
“Peiluo.
“You can go up now.”
“Yes, Uncle.”
Qu Peiluo slowly stood.
He had already heard the closing words:
“My son-in-law shall treat my daughter well. May you enjoy a hundred years of harmonious union, in peace and prosperity...”
“My daughter” naturally referred to the Princess.
The next line should have been:
**“Qu Peiluo, legitimate son of the Qu Clan, receive this decree and offer thanks.”**
Qu Peiluo had already stood and begun walking toward the traveling pavilion.
Though this was a political marriage at this moment he truly was happy.
The Princess might not possess some demonic, nation-toppling seductiveness.
But she was dignified.
Generous.
And today, wrapped in full ceremonial splendor she radiated a sacred majesty that seemed almost impossible to profane.
Qu Peiluo was satisfied.
Truly satisfied.
He tried to control his emotions.
But this was his first marriage.
And the woman he was marrying was a radiant, noble Princess.
The corners of his mouth refused to stop rising.
Qu Peiluo even felt if his life contained only this one day then perhaps the entire life had already been worth it!
Truly worth it!
The Princess reached the final sentence.
Paused.
Her gaze first landed upon Qu Peiluo walking toward the traveling pavilion one foot already stepping onto the first stair.
Then, the Princess moved her gaze away.
Closed the decree.
And called loudly:
“**Count Pingye Zheng Fan of the Great Yan Dynasty— receive the decree!**”
The smile remained on Qu Peiluo’s face.
He had even reached one hand out instinctively despite still being far away from the Princess.
His excitement had already become impossible to restrain.
Then, as he stepped onto the second stair he finally processed what the final sentence had actually said.
He froze.
Then looked around in confusion.
“...”
Qu Peiluo.
Below, the huge mass of kneeling representatives from princely and noble households, together with local clan heads, lifted their heads in shock.
A wave of uproar spread.
What was happening?
Had she read it wrong?
But what exactly had the Princess misread?
Even if she accidentally spoke the wrong name for the Prince-Consort, people could understand.
But why had the words **Great Yan** appeared?
Why **Count Pingye**?
Why **Zheng Fan**?
The Qu clansmen were the ones struck most violently by those words.
Because their previous clan head—
Pillar of State Qu Tiannan had died beneath the blade of that very Count Pingye of Yan.
Qu Peiluo looked toward the Princess.
He could not believe his ears.
He wanted to rush up and seize that decree.
That decree had to be fake!
Yet at that moment the curtain of the traveling pavilion was lifted.
A man in gleaming armor slowly walked out.
As he passed Qu Peiluo—
Count Zheng even turned his head slightly and swept one glance across him.
“Mr... Mr. Su?
“Why are you— you...”
Qu Peiluo’s mind was complete chaos.
He genuinely could no longer understand the scene unfolding before him.
“Protect the Count!”
“Protect the Count!”
At the same time the shamans who had been circling the traveling pavilion and praying ripped away their black robes.
They turned.
From recessed compartments beneath the pavilion, they drew long sabers and crossbows.
In an instant they formed a defensive formation facing outward.
The traveling pavilion stood behind them.
Count Zheng walked directly toward the Princess.
The Princess turned and watched him approach step by step.
Then, she moved toward him on her own initiative.
Like a tame cat she threw herself into Count Zheng’s embrace.
Both arms wrapped around his waist.
The contrast was almost violently sharp.
Only moments earlier she had been the lofty Princess of the imperial house.
Now she looked like a docile woman nestling against her man.
Count Zheng wrapped one arm around the Princess.
His other hand rose.
He waved toward the black sea of Chu nobles around them.
Admiring expressions of shock fear absurdity and disbelief.
Above the pavilion chamber two great banners rose.
One the Black Dragon Banner of the Great Yan Dynasty.
The other a banner bearing the character **Zheng**.
Count Zheng lifted the Princess around the waist.
Then said:
“Many thanks to all of you for honoring me— and attending **this Count’s wedding.**”
At that moment, Qu Peiluo—nearly mad—pointed at Zheng Fan and roared:
“Who are you?!
“Who the hell are you?!!!!”
So Qu Peiluo truly was a good man.
A selfless man.
Even at a moment like this he still volunteered to play the supporting role and feed Count Zheng the perfect line.
Count Zheng suddenly felt faintly guilty.
If he had known Qu Peiluo would cooperate this beautifully why had he killed the man’s father back then?
Yet before Count Zheng could answer someone else spoke first.
One could only say an intelligent person was an intelligent person.
And the true mark of intelligence was knowing exactly what needed to be done at exactly the right moment.
Just like Zhao Cheng’s decisiveness when he drove the dagger into Eunuch Sun.
Once you chose a road continuing to look ahead and behind showing sentimental mercy hesitating wavering those became the truly foolish choices.
They were the greatest irresponsibility one could show toward one’s own life.
Every person’s fate had to be fought for with their own hands.
Then someday, when old age arrived and they looked back they would not regret.
Perhaps they would even feel grateful for how decisive they had once been.
The Princess in Count Zheng’s arms swept her gaze across everyone around them.
Then, using the same voice with which she had proclaimed the Empress Dowager’s decree she shouted:
“Every one of you, listen carefully!
“This Princess’s man is—
**Zheng Fan, Chief Commander of Snow Sea Pass of the Great Yan Dynasty—
Count Pingye!**”
[End of Chapter 449]
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