Chapter 159 Shen Yulou's Wedding
As the banquet neared its end, Li Hui quietly leaned towards Shen Yulou, lowering his voice and asking with a hint of impropriety, "Lord Shen, do you happen to have any remedies for strengthening the kidneys? I anticipate a tough battle tonight..."
Shen Yulou understood perfectly, and also lowered his voice, whispering a few medicinal ingredients into his ear.
As soon as he finished, he turned around to find Song Hu tilting his head, pressing his ear close to eavesdrop.
"What are you listening to?"
Song Hu:... The customs in Hun Kingdom are really bad; they're so secretive about good things...
After the meal, Shen Yulou and Song Hu walked back to the palace.
The night was deep when Song Hu suddenly spoke, whispering a few words into Shen Yulou's ear in a voice only they could hear.
Shen Yulou's steps abruptly halted, the relaxed smile on his face instantly froze, and he looked at him with a face full of surprise.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
...
Shen Yulou's memorial was approved by Emperor Ren the next day.
Imperial family members and officials of the third rank and above could send their children to the Imperial Academy if they wished.
As soon as this news broke, the entire capital was in an uproar.
Who wouldn't want their child to be classmates with princes?
This was a top-tier networking resource!
Moreover, Shen Yulou's reputation was now well-known; he could even straighten out good-for-nothings like the Eighth Prince and the Ninth Prince. Handing their children over to him, what was there to worry about?
And Shen Yulou's medical skills were also excellent; he could even save Princess Qionger, who had drunk he ding hong. Their children's health would also be guaranteed.
One must know that in this era, even among wealthy families, the probability of child mortality was very high.
For a time, Madam Li became a frequent guest in various mansions, happily busy.
And Shen Yulou's wedding invitations, naturally, increased by several hundred.
At the same time, in the western suburbs, atop Yanling Pagoda.
A cold wind howled as a handsome man with a long bow on his back stood by the railing, his robes fluttering, his eyes sharp as an eagle.
Behind him, Consort Shu, dressed in plain clothes, slowly approached in the night wind.
"I knew you hadn't forgotten me." Consort Shu's voice carried a hint of resentment.
The man didn't turn his head, his voice as cold as ice.
"What do you want from me?"
Consort Shu walked forward, feigning sadness, looking into his eyes with tenderness, her tone aggrieved.
"You clearly came, why are you so cold to me? If you didn't have me in your heart, why would you have come to the appointment?
In this world, besides me, who else can command the Shadowless General, ranked second on the fengyun ranking?"
This person was the Shadowless General, Shadowless Xiao, who was ranked one place above Li Hui on the fengyun ranking.
At this moment, Consort Shu's feigned tenderness was completely different from her usual demeanor.
Consort Shu's level was so high that even Shen Yulou would have to call her a master of the tea ceremony.
Unfortunately, the straight man in front of her obviously couldn't discern it.
Even if he could, he would still fall for it.
Consort Shu handed him two scrolls, both drawn by Bi Yingming.
"Kill them. One is Shen Yulou, and the other is Zhao Ying."
Shadowless Xiao took the scrolls, glanced at them, his voice still icy.
"This is the last time. From now on, you and I owe each other nothing."
"How can you bear it?"
Consort Shu, however, suddenly leaned in, pressing her soft body tightly against his back, her breath like orchids.
Shadowless Xiao's body stiffened abruptly, he slowly closed his eyes, a trace of pain and helplessness appearing on his face...
Wedding day.
Before dawn, Shen Yulou was pulled out of bed by a group of people, like a lamb to the slaughter, at the mercy of the imperial nannies and eunuchs.
First, bathing and burning incense, hot water filled with petals, making him, a grown man, smell fragrant, so much so that he himself wanted to sneeze.
Then came dressing.
To be precise, being forced to dress.
Shen Yulou felt a thousand alpacas galloping through his mind.
Was this a wedding or an execution?
Three layers inside, three layers outside, each layer redder than the last, each layer thicker than the last.
By the end of it, he felt like a human-shaped red envelope, needing to lean on the wall to walk, afraid of tripping over himself.
Finally, he was dressed and adorned, wearing a golden crown, a large red wedding robe, a jade belt around his waist, and cloud boots on his feet.
The person in the bronze mirror had sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, exceptionally handsome, truly dashing.
It was Shen Yulou's first time as a groom. Before, he didn't want to get married because he didn't want to give up the entire forest for one tree.
But in ancient times, he didn't have to worry about this problem; he could just marry all the ones he fancied later.
After all this fuss, Shen Yulou mounted a magnificent white horse and, amidst the sounds of ritual music, majestically set off for the palace to welcome his bride...
At this time, in Kunning Palace, the Empress was holding the Princess's hand, giving her "pre-marital education."
The Empress's gaze was somewhat complex as she looked at her niece, who was about to marry the man she loved, and said earnestly, "Zhao Siyi, men are just like that. You have to make him feel like he can't live without you, but you can't truly let him get too comfortable. You must grasp the right balance in this."
The Princess blushed and nodded obediently.
Subsequently, Emperor Ren personally attended and performed the Jiao Jie ceremony for the Princess, personally pouring her wine and admonishing her to adhere to wifely virtues after marriage.
After a series of intricate procedures, the Princess, adorned in a phoenix coronet and embroidered robes, sat in an eight-bearer sedan chair, surrounded by a grand honor guard and drum corps, and left the palace.
She met with Shen Yulou's welcoming party, and they majestically headed towards the Princesss Residence.
Today, the Princesss Residence was adorned with lanterns and streamers, guests were as numerous as clouds, truly a sea of people.
Outside the residence, Qingqing, accompanied by a dozen maids and servants, was busy receiving gifts and registering them.
Gifts piled up like mountains, from the front hall all the way to the courtyard. One might have thought some unlucky minister had his home confiscated again.
Tao Hong and Qin Guiru also came to help, both astonished by the spectacle.
Good heavens, it was their first time seeing so many gifts.
Tao Hong nudged Qin Guiru's arm and whispered, "Sister Guiru, are you jealous?"
Before Qin Guiru could answer, she continued on her own, "Don't worry, when Lord Shen marries you, the display will surely be just as grand!"
Qin Guiru's pretty face flushed, and she spat, "You talk too much!"
Despite her words, as she looked at the grand scene, she clearly felt a tiny bit of sourness in her heart.
However, she secretly held some anticipation, thinking that perhaps Shen Yulou really would take her as a concubine.
She used to think that marrying Shen Yulou wasn't a big deal, but now she realized it was a bit of an overreach; being a concubine would already be very good.
This would also depend on whether the Princess would agree.
She recalled when Shen Yulou requested a marriage decree from the Emperor, and she felt a faint regret, wishing she had agreed back then...
As the auspicious hour approached, Shen Yulou arrived at the Princesss Residence.
Following closely behind was Prince Rui, who served as the main officiant.
As soon as Prince Rui stepped out of his carriage, the Eighth Prince Zhao Lü scurried over like a pug, hooking his arm around his shoulder, a look of fawning on his face.
"Royal Uncle! You've arrived!"
These two used to be frequent patrons of the Brothel; one was responsible for creating atmosphere, and the other for paying, making their relationship very solid