Chang'an is good

Zheng Chao came to Beijing with Shen Sanmao.

Zheng Chao also brought some personal good news. Like Shen Sanmao, he also had children, a son and a daughter, who were old enough to be married.

This matter began with the scattered members of the Zheng clan in Xingyang who came to Zheng Chao and asked him to return to his ancestral home. They were afraid that Zheng Chao would just do a perfunctory job, so they selected young men from the clan to be adopted by Zheng Chao as his sons.

This kind of thing is not new. Members of the Yuan family in Luoyang also went to Jiangdu to talk about their old relationship with Yuan Miao and Yuan Hao.

The Yuan siblings have never forgotten the ugly faces of their clansmen, nor have they forgotten the hardships and dangers they endured on their way to Jiangdu.

So Zheng Chao readily adopted the Yuan siblings as his adopted daughters and sons, held a grand banquet, and went to the government to obtain household registration documents.

With one action, he successfully brought trouble to both families and lived a life of immorality.

Zheng Chao, who had caused great trouble to others, came to the capital leisurely to marry his nephew - the nephew who had once been despised by the gentry in the world just like himself.

After entering the palace to meet the emperor, Zheng Chao took a lot of offerings, left the city and went to Cui's cemetery.

With the decline of the powerful Cui family, this cemetery has become truly desolate and gloomy. It was probably dug and searched by bandits and tomb robbers during the war, and some of the tombstones even collapsed and broke.

Now there is a garden keeper, who may be arranged by Cui Lang or Cui Jing. This is the only way he can show his concern. It is not a good idea to carry out repairs on a large scale.

When the gardener saw Zheng Chao coming with offerings and incense, he asked about Zheng Chao's identity in a friendly manner.

Zheng Chao just said, "I came to see my sister."

His only sister from the same mother was buried here.

This was the first time Zheng Chao came here. He searched for a long time in the huge cemetery before he found his sister Zheng Yu's tomb. However, he saw offerings had been placed in front of the tomb and a figure was sitting cross-legged, quietly burning paper.

Hearing footsteps, the man turned around.

Their eyes met, Zheng Chao was a little hesitant to recognize him: "...Cui Wei?"

Of course he had met his brother-in-law before, but that was many years ago, and the look and demeanor of the man before him had changed greatly.

Cui Wei recognized Zheng Chao at a glance, and Zheng Chao's temperament had not changed much.

Cui Wei stood up, bowed, and called out, "Brother Zheng."

Zheng Chao glanced at his sister's grave without saying anything. He nodded, bent down, placed the offerings he had brought, and lit the incense and candles.

Finally, he took out a pot of fruit wine, poured half of it in front of the tomb, and poured the other half into two wine cups. He sat cross-legged and motioned Cui Wei to drink with him.

There was a lot of dirt and grass on the ground, which was something Cui Wei would never do before. But before Zheng Chao came, he had been sitting in front of the tomb for a long time.

The two drank two cups of wine together, and Zheng Chao said, "Before, Ling An and I wrote to discuss the plan to move A Yu's grave out of here."

After a moment of silence, Cui Wei nodded: "Okay."

After drinking another cup of wine, Cui Wei said, "Please don't tell your father about my visit to the capital."

Zheng Chao nodded quickly: "Okay."

After they finished drinking half a pot of wine, Zheng Chao asked Cui Wei about his next plans.

"I want to follow my brother's example and teach people all over the world." Cui Wei looked to the south and said, "I will go all the way to Lingnan."

Zheng Chao sighed. His former brother-in-law has now developed a strong sense of self-exile.

It was exile and also redemption. Zheng Chao said again: "Alright."

Cui Wei said no more and stood up to say goodbye at the right time.

Just as I was about to leave the cemetery, I suddenly heard someone shouting, "Father!"

Cui Wei turned his head and his eyes trembled slightly.

Cui Lang ran over quickly and saw his father in plain clothes with white hair on his temples. His eyes suddenly turned red: "Father..."

"Don't call me that anymore." Cui Wei put one hand behind his back and clenched it into a fist. He said in a cold tone, "You and I have long severed our father-son relationship."

Cui Lang tried hard to hold back his tears: "...Where are you going?"

Cui Wei: "You don't need to ask."

"My son is engaged to a girl from Minister Qiao's family." Cui Lang said, "My sister is also looking for a marriage... She has gone to worship Buddha with her mother and doesn't know you are here yet."

As Cui Lang spoke, he saw his father looking quietly ahead, so he added: "Brother... has not returned to the capital yet."

He knew that his father stayed here probably because he wanted to see him, his sister, and his elder brother.

But my father probably didn't expect that my brother had not returned to Beijing yet when his wedding was about to begin.

Cui Yan did not show any disappointment on his face, but his shoulders lowered silently. He did not stay any longer and refused the money Cui Lang gave him, leaving only one sentence: "Take good care of your mother and sister."

Looking at the figure leaving alone, Cui Lang bowed deeply for a moment, then knelt on the ground and bid farewell in tears.

When the osmanthus flowers gradually bloomed, Cui Jing returned to the capital.

Cui Jing left the capital in December of last year. No one knew about it at first. It was not until news came back from various places that many ministers gradually learned that the giant Buddha had gone to supervise the military affairs in various places under the order of the emperor.

This was also the first time that all the officials personally understood what the existence of the Holy Prince meant. This sharp sword, which only stood upright at the emperor's hand, was sharp and would guard and observe the world on behalf of the emperor.

Everything was initially settled, and Cui Jing's whereabouts were not made public, so the various forces became more cautious.

The emperor issued many new military and political orders, and it was also the time to lay the foundation for rebuilding everything. If you want a tree to grow as you wish, you have to prune the messy branches from the beginning.

The emperor did not allow any investigation into Prince Husheng's whereabouts, so Cui Jing's trip back to the capital was kept secret, and even those who knew about it pretended not to know.

When Cui Jing returned to the Prince's Mansion, it was getting dark and Zhai Xi had been waiting for him there for a long time.

Cui Jing washed himself, changed his clothes, and tidied his appearance, then mounted his horse and headed for the imperial city without even having a cup of tea in his mansion.

When we entered the palace, the night was already falling. The glazed palace lanterns led the way until we arrived outside the Ganlu Palace.

As soon as Cui Jing entered the inner hall, he saw the person sitting cross-legged by the window leaning over to look at him from behind the curtain. The moment he saw him, his eyes were filled with smiles: "You're finally back. I've been waiting for you for so long."

Cui Jing was stared at by those smiling eyes and smiled unconsciously, forgetting to walk for a moment.

Until she waved to him and urged: "Come here quickly, Cui Lingan."

"I'm coming." Cui Jing came back to his senses, responded in a gentle voice, and walked over.

The dining table was placed near the window. Li Suining sat cross-legged at one end of the table, and Cui Jing sat opposite her.

She was wearing a long gown with wide sleeves, and her black hair was half-covered, still tied up simply with a brass hairpin. The fragrance of sweet osmanthus wafted through the window, and soon a palace servant brought in food and a pot of clear wine, which was Feng Zhiniang.

Cui Jing praised him seriously: "It seems that your Majesty's alcohol tolerance has improved again. You dare to drink freely on ordinary days."

"Today is not an ordinary day. I can only drink two cups, no more." Li Suining said to him, "I still need to stay awake, so I can take you to see something later."

Cui Jing asked what it was, but Li Suining did not answer. He just said mysteriously that you would know when you see it.

Li Suining had a tonic soup in the afternoon. The recipe and ingredients were all sent to the palace by Meng Lie. Xier cooked it every day and made sure Li Suining drank it.

At this time, Li Suining had just a simple dinner. When she stopped eating, she said to Cui Jing, "You can eat your food now. Don't be in a hurry. Don't deliberately stop eating with me. It's best to finish all the food so that it won't be wasted."

Li Suining was not used to deliberately slowing down or speeding up her eating speed for the sake of her companions. After becoming the emperor, she became more casual. Besides, this was her bedroom, and she just wanted to relax a little. So she said to Cui Jing, "In the future, you and I will have many meals together here. I will be casual, and you should be the same."

Cui Jing nodded and said "OK".

He ate his meal slowly, and Li Suining leaned back leisurely, drinking a cup of tea slowly, feeling the night breeze and looking at the moon outside the window, occasionally looking at Cui Jing and talking to him slowly, feeling comfortable and at ease. After Cui Jing finished his meal and washed his hands, Li Suining took him to a screen with a white crane and a red sun.

Two wedding dresses were hung on the sandalwood frame behind the screen. They were intricate and gorgeous, and shimmered like water waves under the candlelight.

"Does it look good?"

Hearing Li Suining's question, Cui Jing answered seriously: "It looks very good."

His eyes fell on the wedding dress, and he felt the thin warmth of her wrist, which was still in his hand. He suddenly had conflicting feelings. He hurried back to Beijing, and he felt that he had come back too late, but now he felt that he had come back too early.

"But they are all made according to your measurements before you left the capital." Li Suining carefully scanned Cui Jing's figure: "Now it seems that you have lost some weight. We need to ask the people from the Shangfu Bureau to come and see if it can be modified."

"No need." Cui Jing inexplicably cherished this wedding dress and was unwilling to alter it. He said, "It's fine to wear, and I haven't lost much weight."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Suining's hand that was holding his wrist moved up, pinched his strong arms and back, and gave a fair evaluation: "It's still a little thin, but there are still ten days left, remember to take good care of yourself."

Cui Jing lowered his eyes and looked at the person in front of him. His ears turned red silently, and his eyes were full of love: "Okay, I will."

So the next busiest person became Doctor Cao, who was guarding the Prince Sheng’s palace.

In addition to internal and external conditioning, medicinal baths are prepared every day and the diet is carefully matched.

Ten days was too short after all, and Cui Jing's daily habit of practicing martial arts could not be disrupted. As a result, he was not able to gain an extra two taels of meat, but it was still quite effective.

On the wedding day, all the officials saw the Protector of the Saint Prince, who was dressed in a crimson wedding gown. He looked clean, noble, and radiant, and he did not look like a mortal at all.

And it seemed that only this straight and tall figure could support this intricate wedding gown with nine-chapter patterns.

This was the first time in Cui Jing's life that he wore crimson, like red plum blossoms scattered among pine trees and snow, blazing and yet clear and flawless, making him even more outstanding.

Li Suining was wearing a wedding dress with a blue edge, and a wide-sleeved jacket with the twelve-chapter pattern of the emperor on the outside. A jade dragon pendant pressed down the front of his clothes, and his wide hem dragged on the ground, looking luxurious and brilliant.

The emperor did not need to cover his face with a round fan. The two stood side by side and, under the auspices of Chu Hui, only worshipped heaven and earth and the Li family ancestor in a solemn and reverent manner.

After paying homage to the Imperial Ancestral Temple, the Emperor and Prince Husheng returned to Chengtian Gate, and in front of the Hanyuan Hall, under the blue sky, on the Danbi Terrace, they received congratulations from all officials and envoys from various countries.

The autumn sun cast a clear golden glow, the breeze spread the faint fragrance of osmanthus, and the sacred and harmonious music, accompanied by the sounds of congratulations from all officials, filled the palace gates.

When all the grand ceremonies were over, the gorgeous crimson-gold evening light spread across heaven and earth.

The palace lanterns replaced the Golden Crow and continued the daytime.

When the full moon of August hung in the night sky, a sudden roaring sound rushed into the night sky.

Officials, dignitaries, palace maids, eunuchs, and ordinary people all looked up subconsciously.

The next moment, colorful lights filled the eyes of everyone and clusters of fireworks bloomed.

The first ones to react and exclaim in surprise were the children.

These were fireworks that had never been seen before, rising higher, blooming bigger, and with brighter colors.

Moreover, many officials, dignitaries and literati noticed that the sound of the fireworks when they exploded became more powerful and no longer sharp, like a wild beast that was tamed to become more powerful yet more controllable.

This must mean that there have been new improvements in Jiangdu’s gunpowder workshop.

This grand fireworks ceremony, which had never been seen before, was not only to congratulate the emperor's wedding, but also to demonstrate the country's rapid growth in strength and prestige.

Fireworks are set off at several locations, and the Ganlu Hall is one of the best places to watch them.

Brilliant fireworks bloomed outside the window of the main hall. On the wedding table inside the window was a golden bronze basin filled with clear spring water, which reflected the fragments of the fireworks.

Until the woman's white, bony hand was put into the spring water, disturbing the scene in the water. After a moment, a larger and slender man's hand fell into the water, holding up one of her hands, and with the other hand he carefully scooped water for her to wash. The sound of water was pleasant to the ear.

Then, Cui Jing took the red cotton towel handed to her by the historian and gently wiped the water droplets off Li Suining's hands.

Two wine cups were tied with the same red string, and they drank together under the candlelight in front of the window.

When the fireworks scatter, they are like stars falling into the earth.

As the night deepens, the fireworks continue.

The palace maids in the bedroom had already left with the female historian, and there was no third figure in the huge hall.

The autumn wind blows gently, and the bead curtain sways lightly, making the sound of pearls and jade hitting each other.

Li Suining drank more than two glasses of wine, and it was a good time to get drunk.

A lingering rose scent wafted from somewhere, mixed with a hint of wine, filling the tent.

After bathing, Li Suining, wearing a fine silk middle-length dress and with her hair loose, sat on the couch. She raised a hand from the bottom of her heart and stroked the profile of the young man in front of her.

Cui Jing grasped that wrist, leaned his cheek against her wrist bone, and the corner of his lips slowly fell on the inside of her wrist, as cool and pure as moonlight.

Li Suining, using the strength of his grip on her wrist, suddenly leaned over and pressed him down onto the couch. She stared at his features with a pair of smiling eyes and could clearly smell the light, clean woody medicinal scent on him.

It smells so good.

What you see is beautiful.

The touch between my fingers is so warm.

Li Suining felt that it was warmth coming from something as clear as a glacier.

When the moonlight and the night blend together, it is like the crystal ice cubes broken from the glacier and flowing with the gurgling water of the glacier, like the swaying flames that suddenly appear in the wild in summer, like the green breath when the wind blows through the pasture... like the true nature of all natural and sacred things.

People seem to be born with the need for the warmth brought by skin-to-skin contact. It must happen between those who are compatible, first from the soul, then from the body, and then usher in a new relationship that belongs only to her and him.

Their black hair was tangled together, their fingers were tightly clasped, and they felt drunk and hazy.

The young man was like a noble and elegant snow wolf, and he had put away his aura of keeping strangers away. He tried to please her, but also depended on her, taking and giving.

But when her fingers touched the corners of his eyes, they were slightly moist. The moist tears were as cold as the autumn rain and seeped into her palms.

While Li Suining was stunned, he had already lowered his head and leaned forward along her palm.

He slowly lowered his head into her smooth neck, as if he was licking the scars of the past for her, lovingly and loyally.

He called her Her Highness and also called her Ah Shang.

In her fluctuating thoughts, she suddenly asked him, "Cui Jing, where are the chestnuts I gave you... Why didn't you exchange them for anything?"

"Because Your Highness has given me everything I wanted." He replied, "Your Highness also gave me everything I didn't dare to ask for."

Li Suining could not hear clearly.

She was quite drunk, and it was not until midnight that she seemed to sober up a little and her eyes finally regained some clarity.

So he clasped the slender hand with his backhand and whispered, "Cui Jing... come again."

The candlelight and shadows overlap.

The sound of fireworks outside the window has not yet stopped.

The full moon is hidden behind the clouds and moves slowly.

The moon sets and the sun rises, and after an autumn rain, the capital becomes cooler.

Winter plums wither, spring water rises, the four seasons rotate naturally, and the years pass slowly and leisurely. (End of this chapter)