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Sanchun, Chai, Dai, Xiangyun and others stopped to watch. Fengjie's phoenix eyes were fixed on Yuanchun's bright red wedding dress embellished with gorgeous peonies, as if she were seeing a priceless treasure.
"This is the wedding dress made of Phoenix Brocade. I am really impressed today."
Sister Feng walked forward with a smile on her face, holding up the hem of Yuanchun's wedding dress and looking at it towards the light. Through the light from the carved window, a lifelike phoenix pattern appeared on the wedding dress. As the light flowed, the majestic and noble phoenix appeared and disappeared among the exquisite peonies, which was very gorgeous.
A wedding dress made of phoenix brocade is what the young ladies in the capital dream of the most. Alas, why don’t I have this luck?
Seeing how obsessed Feng Jieer was, everyone started laughing. Daiyu's eyes moved and she smiled with her hands covering her mouth: "If Feng Jieer is jealous, why not ask Second Brother Lian to think of a solution?"
Feng Jieer knew that she had made a fool of herself, and her face turned red. But who was she to be disturbed by such a small scene? She just frowned, put her hands on her hips and cursed: "Don't laugh at me, I don't believe that you don't feel jealous at all."
Everyone was silent when they heard this. Even Daiyu, who was always picky about everything, opened her mouth but could not say anything. As long as she was a girl, who didn't want to marry in a grand manner? This was true even if she had a cold personality. It was her nature and had nothing to do with anything else.
The one who was most deeply touched was Tanchun. It was not because she envied the wedding dress made of phoenix brocade, but as a girl, who doesn't want to wear a phoenix crown and a bridal robe? However, as a dowry participant, how could she possibly wear a wedding dress?
Yuanchun listened quietly, her heart also filled with joy. The phoenix coronet, the bridal robe, and the ten-mile-long red makeup were things she had not hoped for since she entered the palace. Who would have thought that they would come true today? How could she not be excited?
At this moment, the maid ran in excitedly and shouted, "The message came in from the front, the prince is coming, young lady, hurry up and get ready."
When Yuanchun heard this, her eyes were filled with autumn water, and her husband came to pick her up.
In front of the Rongguo Mansion.
Shui Rong and his group came in a mighty procession. They were "harassed" by the children of the Jia family at the door for a while, and then they entered the Mansion of Duke Rong.
After a round of greetings, they came to the flower hall.
Shui Rong was sitting at the top in auspicious attire, and below him were the generals of the Beijing Camp, led by Wang Ziteng, and some of the Jia family's old men. Among them were Feng Qing, the hereditary first-class baron of Liucheng Marquisate and the current governor of Liwei Camp, and Xie Jing, the hereditary second-class baron of Dingcheng Marquisate and the guerrilla commander of the Beijing Camp.
Although Wang Ziteng's title is not the highest, his status is different. After all, he will soon be the prince's uncle, so he sits in the first seat.
Shui Rong looked at Wang Ziteng and asked, "Uncle, how is the reorganization of the Beijing Camp going?"
This time Shui Rong gathered everyone together and affectionately called Wang Ziteng "uncle", which was to support him.
Wang Ziteng bowed and said, "The reorganization of the Beijing camp is fine. All the silver earned from the vacancies will be handed over. We are currently training the soldiers in the military academy, and we have laid off about 10,000 old and weak soldiers. According to this situation, when the reorganization is completed, the number of laid-off soldiers is estimated to be as high as 30,000. I am afraid that there will be some trouble."
Wang Ziteng acted decisively and efficiently in the reorganization of the Beijing camp. Even though the twelve commanders were dissatisfied, the reorganization was allowed by Emperor Yongkang and supported by Prince Beijing's Palace. It was the general trend, so they had no choice but to accept it. Those who did not have enough money at home had to sell some valuable items in the palace.
However, as more and more soldiers are being eliminated, an undercurrent is surging underneath. Even if there is a so-called resettlement fee, once they are eliminated, the power they have will dissipate, and the dissatisfaction will become stronger.
Shui Rong remained silent upon hearing this. The Beijing Camp had only 80,000 soldiers left due to vacancies, and now another 30,000 would be lost after a reduction in quotas. That is to say, after the reorganization, the Beijing Camp would not even have 50% of its soldiers. Shui Rong knew that the military discipline in the Beijing Camp was lax, but he did not expect it to be so corrupt. He really did not know what to say.
Sure enough, the top beam was crooked and the bottom beam was crooked. The Jia family, which was the foundation of their livelihood, was corrupted and the people who had their homes ransacked were not unjust.
After a moment's silence, Shui Rong looked at everyone and said calmly, "Everyone, I heard that the military discipline in the Beijing camp was lax, and I was also very sad, so I asked my uncle to rectify it. I hope you will cooperate."
The layoff of 30,000 people could really cause chaos if someone with ulterior motives instigated it, so Shui Rong wanted to remind these governors to do their best.
Everyone was thinking about what was going on when they heard this. Although they handed over the silver truthfully, they were still dissatisfied in their hearts, so they turned a deaf ear to the matter of laying off the old and weak soldiers. But now that Prince Shui Rong had spoken, everyone had no choice but to respond.
Seeing this, Shui Rong's expression improved slightly. Although he didn't know whether they would try their best to cooperate, at least he showed his attitude.
After a pause, Shui Rong looked at Feng Qing, the governor of the Liwei Camp. He remembered that Feng Qing had served in the Beijing Camp for some years, but he was not sure exactly how many years, so he smiled and asked, "How long has Governor Feng served in the Beijing Camp?"
Feng Qing saw Shui Rong asking, and although he didn't understand what he meant, he still replied respectfully: "I have served in the Beijing Camp for more than ten years."
Having served for more than ten years, he is a veteran and his prestige in the Beijing camp is definitely not low.
After thinking for a moment, Shui Rong asked, "Does Commander Feng have any plans to transfer?"
Feng Qing was paused when he heard this. With his current official position, if he was transferred, he could only be promoted. Thinking of this, Feng Qing was somewhat tempted. After all, promotion and salary increase are what normal people want.
However, Feng Qing was good at cultivating his Qi, and he said calmly, "I will obey the imperial order."
To obey the imperial order is to agree.
Thinking about this, Shui Rong nodded slightly and said, "The right governor of the Central Military Governor's Mansion is suspected of dereliction of duty. Maybe he can do something about it."
Shui Rong would certainly have to reorganize the current Central Military Governor's Office. Currently, the former members of the Beijing Prince's Mansion and the Jia family are considered a force, so reintegration is necessary.
Moreover, since Feng Qing was promised the position of Right Commander in Chief of the Central Military Governor's Office at this time, he must have understood what to do. This was already a benefit.
Feng Qing's eyes turned slightly when he heard this. The Right Commander of the Central Army Commandery is a first-rank official position, which can be said to be the pinnacle of military command.
Shui Rong said no more. Everyone was smart and should know what to do. So Shui Rong looked at Wang Ziteng and said, "Uncle, the reorganization of the Beijing Camp is not only about cutting down soldiers, but also replenishing them. His Majesty has given you a month to reorganize. How about this? You replenish the Beijing Camp to 80,000 soldiers and horses, and you don't need to worry about the rest."
The troops of the Beijing Camp are vitally important. If there is a shortage of nearly 70,000, it is indeed too many, and Emperor Yongkang cannot provide so many people to fill the gap. So Shui Rong simply fills in part of the gap first, and the rest will be handed over to the new governor of the Beijing Camp.
Upon hearing this, Wang Ziteng responded in a deep voice, but the others became a little confused. As Wang Ziteng was the governor of the Beijing camp, how could he not worry about anything?
Seeing everyone's confusion, Shui Rong did not hide anything and said bluntly: "My uncle will be ordered to inspect the border in a month. At that time, His Majesty will appoint a new governor of the Beijing Camp. When he takes office, you all should mind your own business and respect him."
Everyone understood what the prince meant. He wanted them to not make things difficult for the new governor of the Beijing camp and to keep their own people under control. This might be the agreement reached between the prince and the emperor.
After discussing with everyone, the next thing to do is to take my wife home.
Chapter 89 Tanchun: Keqing is a strong rival?
In the Beijing Prince's Palace, the three vermilion doors with animal heads were wide open, ready to welcome the mistress of the palace.
At this time, there was a crowd in front of the palace. As the newcomers trotted over, they shouted "Here they come". For a moment, there was music and ceremony. The old servant guarding the door held up a string of firecrackers with a bamboo pole, and another person lit it skillfully. The firecrackers crackled.
Soon, Shui Rong led a large wedding procession and carried the bridal sedan to the gate of the mansion. After he dismounted from the horse, someone had already presented him with a soft bow for the best man to send him off.
Shui Rong took the bow without any panic, after all, he had learned archery and horse riding.
The Jacquard Arrow bends the bow and shoots an arrow at the sedan chair, which means to drive away evil spirits and keep the bride safe and auspicious.
Afterwards, the sedan bearers carried the big red sedan across the fire basin, and the bride's sedan was sent directly to the bridal chamber. Shui Rong had to go back to the room to tidy up his clothes and appearance.
Just as Shui Rong had tidied his appearance and was moving towards the main hall, a servant came to report that the emperor had personally visited Prince Beijing's Mansion.
Hearing this, Shui Rong raised his eyebrows slightly. The emperor came in person to congratulate, this is really unique!
Shui Rong didn't have time to think about it and immediately went to the gate of the mansion to greet him.
Outside the Beijing Prince's Mansion, the Jinyi personal soldiers led the way, and the dragon sedan followed. Shui Rong stepped forward and saluted, saying, "Your Majesty, your servant Shui Rong pays respect to you."
Emperor Yongkang got off the dragon sedan chair and walked in front of Shui Rong with the gait of a dragon and a tiger. He helped Shui Rong up and said kindly, "Today, as your elder brother, I am here to congratulate you on your wedding. Little Sixteen, there is no need to be polite."
The elder brother comes to congratulate, is this “brotherly love and respect”?
Emperor Yongkang called him brother. Shui Rong couldn't help but think of the words "blood brother" that Emperor Yongkang said when he met the emperor after the mourning period was over. He was moved and said with a smile: "Royal brother, you said that. I have a small matter to ask for your help. You can't refuse."
Emperor Yongkang laughed and said indifferently: "Since it is your big day, I will definitely respond."
As the saying goes, "A king's words are never joking." This was all to be fulfilled, which was truly magnanimous. However, Shui Rong understood that Emperor Yongkang knew that he would not make excessive demands.
"I don't have anything important to ask, I just want you to be the master of ceremonies for me. I wonder if you can grant me this favor."
Since Emperor Yongkang wanted "brothers to be friendly and respectful to each other", Shui Rong made it happen. It was reasonable for fathers, brothers and elders to preside over the wedding.
Emperor Yongkang paused when he heard this. He didn't expect Shui Rong to let him be the master of ceremonies. He thought that most of the people who came to Prince Beijing's Mansion to celebrate were meritorious officials. If he were to be the master of ceremonies, it would undoubtedly show the "brotherly friendship" and also show his kind attitude towards meritorious officials, which would be beneficial to him.
Not only that, the person in Daming Palace would also be more lenient in his attitude if he knew about this.
Thinking of this, Emperor Yongkang couldn't help but look at Shui Rong. He was originally very satisfied with Shui Rong's behavior and wanted to give him a big gift, so he followed Shui Rong's words and responded with a smile: "This marriage was arranged by me. In this case, I will be the host of the wedding."
The emperor presides over the wedding, so this ceremony is extremely important.
Shui Rong was delighted to see that Emperor Yongkang had agreed. There was no precedent for an emperor to preside over a wedding. The fact that Emperor Yongkang had agreed to this matter showed the superior status of Prince Beijing's Mansion. This would be extremely beneficial to Shui Rong in the future, and the cohesion of the people below would also become stronger. It was totally worth it.
After both parties were satisfied, Shui Rong welcomed Emperor Yongkang into the palace. When the guests saw the emperor coming in person, they had different thoughts, especially when they knew that Emperor Yongkang would be the presiding wedding host, they were even more surprised.
In the main hall, Concubine Beijing was sitting in formal attire, looking more elegant and graceful than before. Shui Rong and Yuanchun, who was wearing a phoenix coronet and a red silk veil, came into the main hall holding the wedding band.
"The Book of Changes regulates heaven and earth, and husband and wife are the beginning of human relations. The Book of Songs states that marriage is the source of the king's rule. Therefore, the sound of the phoenix predicts that it will prosper for five generations."
Shui Rong looked at Emperor Yongkang who was singing along loudly, and felt sad. Could this scene be considered as a demotion of the emperor? Regardless of Emperor Yongkang's purpose, it was indeed inexplicable that the emperor did this.
After the wedding ceremony, Yuanchun was sent back to the bridal chamber first, while Shui Rong stayed behind to welcome the guests, especially Emperor Yongkang, the most distinguished guest among distinguished guests, who must not be neglected.
At dusk, everything is hazy in the new house.
Yuanchun was dressed in red, with a red veil covering her head. She sat upright and gracefully on the embroidered couch with her hands folded in front of her belly.
Tanchun glanced at the bridesmaid from the palace, stepped forward, took out a square cake from her purse, quietly handed it to Yuanchun, and said softly, "Big sister, the prince is entertaining guests in the front hall and won't be here for a while. Eat some cakes first to fill your stomach."
Yuanchun was moved when she heard this. She had only eaten some vegetarian food in the morning. She had been busy all day and had not eaten anything yet. She was already feeling hungry and thirsty.
Pursing her lips, Yuanchun took the pastry and started eating it, trying to avoid smudging her lip makeup and losing her manners.
The bridesmaid pretended not to notice and just stood aside. After all, the other party was a legitimate princess and the emperor was the master of ceremonies, so she would naturally have good eyesight.
And generally speaking, it is normal for the bride to eat some cakes or something. If she really has an empty stomach, she will not have the energy to spend the wedding night.
Yuanchun was just sipping her wine when she suddenly heard a noise outside the room. She was startled. Could it be that the prince had returned? But she had to entertain guests right away, so how could he come back so quickly?
Without having time to think about it, Yuanchun hurriedly stuffed the pastries to Tanchun and sat upright on the embroidered couch. Her delicate face was slightly flushed and her heart was pounding fast, as if she was being spitted at. What the hell is going on?
Tanchun put away the cakes and looked at the door with her big, seductive eyes, her heart trembling a little.
Not long after, Tanchun saw two maids in festive attire walk in. She felt a little disappointed, but then she thought it was normal. After all, the guests had not left yet, so how could they have the time to come to the bridal chamber? They would not come here to have sex!
Tanchun whispered to Yuanchun, "The prince is not here." Then she saw that the other party seemed to be holding a food box. Her eyes moved, and she stepped forward and bowed, saying, "May I know who are you, sisters?"
Although the other party was dressed as a maid, they were currently in the palace and no one knew who she was, so Tanchun addressed her politely to avoid any misunderstanding.
Seeing that the other party was so polite, the two of them bowed and returned the greeting, and introduced themselves as Yingluo and Xiangling, the maids beside Shui Rong.
Tanchun could tell who was older and who was younger at a glance. She looked at Yingluo and said politely, "Sister Yingluo, I wonder what brings you here."
The maidservant beside the prince came here. Could something have happened? This made Tanchun feel uneasy.
Yingluo said respectfully, "Miss, you don't have to be polite. Just call me Yingluo. I came here because the prince asked me to bring some food."
Having said that, he asked Xiangling to place the food in the lunch box on the high table.
Seeing this, the bridesmaid stepped forward and said politely, "Miss, this won't do."
A bride has her own rules, and the bridesmaid can ignore small movements, but this cannot be turned a blind eye to at the moment, especially when the bride is eating. Not to mention whether the veil should be lifted, her makeup will certainly be ruined.
Yingluo smiled and said, "Mammy, the prince said that we don't need to worry about these etiquettes, and let the princess eat first and then cover her with red silk."
As she spoke, Yingluo handed over a large golden nude and whispered, "Mammy, just pretend you didn't see anything. No one will blame you."
Originally, the bridesmaid was in a dilemma, but now, seeing the big golden nude, she became interested. Besides, this was also the prince's order, so she just pretended that she saw nothing.
Thinking of this, Xi Niang called Jin Luozi's men and said something like "going out for a walk" and left the house.
Seeing this, Yingluo was very proud. She put on a smile and said respectfully to Yuanchun who was sitting on the embroidered couch, "Princess, I will serve you dinner."
The prince said that this was the time for her to curry favor with the princess, so she had to do her best.
When Yuanchun heard that the prince had specially prepared a meal for her, her heart warmed. She thought that what Xiniang said was not wrong. This was the rule, and the prince had agreed, but she could not break the rule.