"He’s just an adopted child, not a real member of the Chu family! What gives him the right to lecture me?"
But he was already cursed and dared not say a word.
Lady Tian stepped in to smooth things over. "Chu Yan, your second uncle understands now; he doesn’t have the heart for such matters at the moment."
Chu Yan showed more respect to Lady Tian. "As long as Second Aunt says so, it’s fine. Take Seventh Sister with you. I need to entertain the guests."
After Chu Yan left, Chu Hanming was still fuming and complained to Lady Tian, "None of them respect me as the second uncle anymore! I’m Ying’er’s biological father! How could I be so shameless as to sell her belongings!"
But Chu Nanying raised her head, her eyes clear yet naively sharp. "But Father, didn’t you sell the supplements Second Brother sent over before?"
Chu Hanming glared at her. "Are you even my real daughter?"
"Of course, which is why I’m advising you," Chu Nanying blinked her eyes innocently. "Father, stop doing such things. Otherwise, Grandmother won’t even let you step foot here anymore."
Being reprimanded by his not-yet-ten-year-old daughter left Chu Hanming utterly frustrated and unable to refute her.
"Fine! I won’t sell anything again!" he grumbled.
Even if he wanted to, he wouldn’t have the chance now, as Grand Lady had forbidden her daughter to live with him.
Besides, if his daughter stayed at his home, Chu Shuo wouldn’t send anything over. That stingy little brat would never do so.
All things considered, it was better to let his daughter stay at the Duke’s manor. At least here, she was well-fed and dressed in luxury.
Chu Yan went to the front yard to entertain the guests.
In addition to officials from the court, there were also several wealthy merchants who were business partners with Chu Shuo.
While the court officials naturally didn’t mingle with the merchants, Chu Shuo had already made arrangements, assigning people from his household to receive them.
Having seen these merchants a few times at either the manor or Chunxi Tavern, Chu Yan greeted them politely.
After Chu Yan left, a merchant dealing in spices remarked, "The Fifth Young Master is truly remarkable—polite and well-mannered. I wonder if Lady Chu has arranged a marriage for him yet. My daughter’s age and looks are just right for him!"
Another merchant retorted, "Stop dreaming. The Fifth Young Master is now a Deputy Secretary at the Dalisi Procuratorate with a promising future! How could he marry the daughter of a merchant like you?"
The spice merchant didn’t mind. He patted his belly and laughed. "Why not? The Second Young Master is married to a merchant. And I don’t think the Fifth Young Master looks down on us merchants."
Others nodded in agreement.
Whether someone looked down on them or not was something they could easily discern.
However, the spice merchant suddenly seemed to recall something. Stroking his chin, he said, "I once went to Qidu for business earlier this year and saw the Emperor of Qi’s younger brother, the Prince of Jingyang, from a distance. Strangely, he looked a bit like the Fifth Young Master."
The others burst into laughter, teasing him for being drunk and spouting nonsense.
"How could the Fifth Young Master resemble the Prince of Jingyang? He’s a true member of the Chu family!"
But these words were overheard by a passing lower-ranking official.
At first, the official also found it absurd, but he casually probed the spice merchant further and learned that during the time in question, the Chu family had claimed that Chu Yan was ill and recovering at a countryside estate.
Moreover, Chu Yan... was brought back from the border by Chu Hanlin, who had remained tight-lipped about who Chu Yan’s biological mother was!
The lower-ranking official was both shocked and excited. At long last, he had found a potential weak point in the Chu family!
Forgetting about the banquet entirely, he immediately headed for the Cao Mansion.
Just as the man left, Chu Shuo brought his bride to the manor.
When Lu Yanyan stepped out of the wedding sedan, the onlookers, both commoners and guests, gasped in awe.
Their eyes nearly popped out, and their jaws practically hit the ground.
Lu Yanyan’s wedding attire was extraordinarily lavish. Not only was it embroidered with golden phoenixes and peonies, but the collar and cuffs were adorned with rows of small pearls that shimmered under the sunlight.
Her headdress was even more extravagant, encrusted with gemstones and larger pearls, exuding wealth and grandeur.
To ensure the headdress was clearly visible, the fabric of her bridal veil was meticulously chosen to be sheer, adding an ethereal beauty.
Holding the ceremonial red ribbon, Chu Shuo and Lu Yanyan entered amidst cheers and blessings.
Ye Siheng, although not one to join the commotion, stood not far from the front yard, watching the bride’s entrance.
Not only was the bride’s attire dazzling, but even Chu Shuo’s wedding robes and hat gleamed with gold.
Ye Siheng remarked, "A’Li, the Emperor permitted him to hold an extravagant wedding, but did he really need to go this far? Did he empty out his family’s coffers for this?"
Nanli replied, "Not quite. The Qian family contributed funds as well."
Ye Siheng noted how quickly Lu Yanyan walked despite her elaborate attire. "Her outfit must be heavy. How is she walking so briskly?"
Nanli’s lips curled into a slight smile. "She trained for three months in her courtyard just to wear this ensemble for her wedding."
"..." Ye Siheng had heard of people training to improve their martial arts, but this was the first time he’d heard of someone building up strength just to wear wedding attire.
Lu Yanyan was probably the first in history.
And judging by her upright posture and graceful ease, she had clearly trained well.
The newlyweds reached the main hall for the ceremony.
Ye Siheng and Nanli naturally joined in to witness the occasion, and no one dared block their way.
Chu Shuo was all smiles. Besides the elders present, Madam Qian stood beside Madam Shen, her eyes red with emotion.
Seeing her son getting married, Madam Qian was overcome with joy.
Though having a concubine in the hall wasn’t customary, since the hosts didn’t object, the guests kept quiet.
Just as the couple was about to bow to each other, Chu Shuo glanced around and suddenly frowned. "Wait! Where’s Beihan?!"
As his close friend, how could Beihan be late?
He was about to send someone to look for him when Chu Hanlin hurriedly said, "Shuo, Beihan is unwell. He’s already apologized and won’t be attending your wedding banquet."
Madam Shen added, "Go ahead with the ceremony. Missing the auspicious hour wouldn’t be good."
But Chu Shuo refused. "No! He has to be here for my wedding! This was our promise since childhood. I attended his wedding, and now he’s missing mine? What’s that supposed to mean?!"
Someone chimed in sarcastically, "Second Young Master, don’t blame Xie Beihan. He’s lost his title. Wouldn’t showing up here just make him a laughingstock?"
"What title? Today is my wedding day, not a day to test my temper! Say another word of nonsense, and I’ll have someone slap you!" Chu Shuo snapped.
The man, unwilling to back down, raised his voice. "Don’t you know? The Emperor issued a decree just yesterday, stripping the Xie family of their noble title! Xie Beihan has no official rank now. He’s just a commoner! What right does he have to sit at the same table as me?!"