Chương 255: Father-in-law agrees, wedding preparations begin, wedding commences

Cai Yong stroked his beard and pondered for a long time.

In the end, I couldn't persuade this kid otherwise.

He was a great Confucian scholar who valued etiquette and law above all else.

But the daughter is willing, and the son-in-law is the Prince of Yan, whose achievements are unparalleled... Why bother arguing?

"Alright," he finally relented, "it's settled then! But Bo Lue, the wedding customs can't be omitted; the three letters and six rites—none of them can be left out!"

Liu Ce laughed and said, "That's right! Father-in-law, rest assured, I will definitely marry Yan'er into the family in a grand and glorious manner, and I will never let the Cai family lose face!"

Zhen Yi chuckled and said, "Bo Lue, what about my five girls..."

"Same!" Liu Ce waved his hand dismissively.

"Ten bridal sedan chairs, ten betrothal gifts, perfect in every way!"

"Great, great, great!" Zhen Yi grinned from ear to ear.

Liu Ce continued, "All the proper etiquette will be followed, but we'll compress the time a bit—we'll complete all the procedures within a month and get married on the fifteenth of next month."

Cai Yong nodded and said, "I will go and make preparations immediately."

Zhen Yi also said, "The Zhen family will fully cooperate!"

After his two fathers-in-law left, Liu Ce breathed a sigh of relief.

Get it!

...

For the next month, Zhuoxian County was completely overwhelmed with work.

The entire process of betrothal, name inquiry, auspicious date selection, gift presentation, and wedding date setting—the three letters and six rites—was carried out without exception, but the time was compressed to the extreme.

The Prince of Yan's residence, the Cai residence, and the Zhen residence were bustling with people every day, even more lively than a market day.

Liu Bo, the steward of the Liu family, became the busiest person—he was involved in the whole process, coordinating all parties and arranging matters. He lost a little weight from exhaustion, but he always had a smile on his face.

"The young master's wedding is not to be taken lightly!"

"This is a matter of utmost importance for our Liu family."

"Young master is getting married, and with ten brides no less! This old servant would be happy even if he were worked to death!"

The scene was spectacular on the day the betrothal gifts were delivered.

Fang Xuanling personally led a team of three hundred soldiers, carrying dozens of large gift boxes wrapped tightly in red silk, blocking half of the street in front of the Cai residence.

"Master Cai, please accept the gift!"

Fang Xuanling had a loud and clear voice, full of energy.

With a wave of his hand, the soldiers slammed the gift boxes to the ground with a clatter, making the ground tremble.

Then he unfolded the gift list and began to read:

"One hundred bolts of black and crimson silk! A pair of jade discs! Ten bushels of pearls! Two jade ruyi scepters! A coral tree! Five hundred taels of gold! Fifty fine horses! Three hundred bolts of brocade! Ten sets of lacquerware! Ten bronze mirrors..."

As soon as the soldiers heard the same words, they lifted the red silk covering a gift box.

Glittering gold, a dazzling array of items.

Everyone in the Cai household, from the gatekeeper to the maids, stared in disbelief.

Cai Yong stood at the door, stroking his beard, his face beaming—his son-in-law's high regard for him made him, the father-in-law, look good too.

Cai Yan, Zhang Ning, Ren Hongchang, Zou Yu, and Du Xiuniang hid behind the screen, listening to the noise outside, their cheeks flushed red.

"Husband... this is too extravagant," Cai Yan said softly.

Zhang Ning smiled and said, "Sister Yan'er, this means our husband values us!"

Ren Hongchang smiled and said, "This shows that my husband values us."

Zou Yu and Du Xiuniang's eyes reddened again—they had never imagined that people like them could receive such a lavish betrothal gift.

Meanwhile, Du Ruhui brought betrothal gifts of the same standard to the Zhen residence.

Looking at the mountain of betrothal gifts, Zhen Mi whispered to her sisters, "Did my husband bring all the family's wealth?"

Zhen Jiang chuckled and poked her forehead, saying, "Silly girl, your husband is now the Prince of Yan and the Governor of Youzhou. What's a little betrothal gift?"

Zhen Tuo and Zhen Dao had already begun to imagine what it would be like to wear their wedding dresses.

Zhen Rong was quite pragmatic and had already started calculating how much the betrothal gifts would be worth.

...

Three days before the wedding, the girls returned to their respective homes to await their marriage.

Zhang Ning, Ren Hongchang, Zou Yu, and Du Xiuniang followed Cai Yan back to the Cai residence—since they had no maternal family, Cai Yan took the initiative to suggest that they marry out of the Cai residence to make it seem more formal.

The five Zhen sisters returned to the Zhen residence.

Every day, the girls were surrounded by maids to do their makeup, try on their wedding dresses, and learn etiquette, feeling both nervous and expectant.

"Sister, my heart is beating so fast..." Zhen Mi said, holding Zhen Jiang's hand.

"Me too." Zhen Jiang smiled, her eyes sparkling.

Back at the Cai residence, Zhang Ning looked at herself in the mirror, dressed in a bright red wedding gown, as if in a dream.

Two years ago, she was the daughter of the Yellow Turban leader.

Now, she is going to marry the Prince of Yan of the Han Dynasty.

"Father, did you see that?" she murmured to herself, "Your daughter... is getting married."

Cai Yan was, after all, the principal wife, and her wedding dress was the most magnificent: it was a bright red base with phoenixes and peonies embroidered in gold thread, and her headdress was made of pure gold and inlaid with pearls and gemstones. It was so heavy that her neck ached, but she was happy in her heart and was willing to wear it no matter how heavy it was.

Zhang Ning's wedding dress was deep red, embroidered with cloud patterns, simple yet elegant, reflecting her cheerful personality.

Ren Hongchang's wedding dress was predominantly pink, which made her skin look as white as snow and her eyebrows and eyes as beautiful as a painting.

Zou Yu and Du Xiuniang's wedding dresses were maroon, and although not as gorgeous as the previous ones, they were still exquisite and beautiful.

The wedding dresses of the five Zhen sisters each had their own unique characteristics: Zhen Jiang was dignified and composed, her wedding dress was elegant; Zhen Tuo was quiet and gentle, her wedding dress was simple and refined; Zhen Dao was lively and lively, her wedding dress was bright and colorful; Zhen Rong and Zhen Mi... their wedding dresses were made of high-quality materials.

Every evening, Liu Ce would send someone over with something: sometimes it was snacks, sometimes jewelry, and sometimes just a note that said, "I miss you all."

The girls felt a sweet warmth in their hearts as they looked at those things.

...

Finally, the wedding day arrived.

The fifteenth day of the twelfth month in the third year of Zhongping.

On the day of the wedding, the entire town of Zhuoxian was deserted!

Before dawn, people crowded on both sides of the street, waiting to see the excitement.

"I heard the Prince of Yan plans to marry ten women at once!"

"Ten? My goodness! No wonder he's the Prince of Yan!"

"Every bride is as beautiful as an angel!"

......

Liu Ce got up very early in the morning.

The palace maids surrounded him, helping him put on the royal robes embroidered with golden dragons—a specially made wedding dress that conformed to the regulations for royalty while also exuding joy.

Wearing the King of Yan's golden seal at his waist and a crown on his head, he exuded a heroic aura while also carrying a touch of newlywed joy.

"Your Highness is so handsome!" a maid couldn't help but exclaim.

Liu Ce looked at himself in the mirror and grinned, "Of course! Today is my most joyous day, how could I not look handsome?"

When he went out, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Dian Wei, Guo Jia, Xi Zhicai, Xu Da, Xue Rengui... a group of brothers were already waiting at the door.

Everyone was dressed in brand-new clothes, beaming with joy.

"Brother!" Zhang Fei shouted the loudest, "Today is your big day! I, Old Zhang, will clear the way for you!"

Guan Yu stroked his beard and said, "Third brother, be more composed. Today is our elder brother's wedding; we must not be impolite."

Guo Jia, carrying a wine gourd, was allowed to drink today as Liu Ce had made an exception: "Your Majesty, you'd better hold your liquor when we offer you a toast later. All of us brothers are waiting to get you drunk."

Liu Ce laughed and scolded, "Fengxiao, if you dare to force-feed me today, I'll have Zhongjing prescribe ten doses of bitter medicine for you tomorrow."

Guo Jia's face fell, and he said, "No, no, no, I'll just drink a little."

The crowd laughed.