Chapter 935: Chapter 208: The Grand Occasion

The wedding procession was moving forward.

Ji Chengjue sat proudly on a white horse, with a reserved smile on his face, yet his demeanor exuded genuine confidence and openness.

It had been a very, very long time,

truly a very long time,

that he had forgotten the last time he carried himself with such poise in front of outsiders, despite being a prince.

People are naturally happy when they experience joyous events. Perhaps, the only regret now is that the one with the surname Zheng is not here; otherwise, if he were riding beside him as his groomsman, today would truly be perfect.

It’s a pity that Zheng couldn’t see this confident side of him today.

As the procession passed the main street, it soon encountered another procession. This was a group made up of flower carts, which weren’t the wheeled kind, but rather carried by anywhere from over ten to nearly a hundred strong men. On top of these carts was a platform, lavishly decorated on all sides.

On each flower cart,

there might be young women gracefully dancing,

or veiled ladies singing,

or the strumming of a zither and the reciting of verses, or the delicate sound of a pipa,

or fair-skinned lads composing poetry, outshining the ladies by threefold in charm,

or girls in colorful skirts twirling and spreading fragrant breezes;

their appearance drew the eyes of the nearby streets, causing crowds to gather continuously.

When the wedding procession approached,

the flower carts withdrew respectfully,

and as Ji Chengjue rode past,

he was met with respectful shouts:

"Xunfang Pavilion wishes the esteemed newlyweds a joyful marriage!"

"Michun Garden wishes the esteemed newlyweds a harmonious union!"

"Xilan Pavilion wishes the esteemed newlyweds a bountiful offspring!"

"Willow Pavilion wishes the esteemed newlyweds happiness and fulfillment!"

"Niulang House wishes the esteemed newlyweds harmony and beauty!"

Ji Chengjue simply smiled, waving in response.

Yanjing is a wonderful place, one could say without exaggeration, it’s the most prosperous and rich in heritage throughout all of Yan, even though it can’t compare to the Jiangnan of Qian State with its rain and heavenly beauty, but there are certainly plenty of amusements and entertainments to enjoy.

Today,

all the famous pleasure houses in Yanjing sent out their top courtesans.

It’s known that on usual days, even with a bulging purse, seeing one of them requires some luck. But today, they were all like street performers, appearing here, just to draw attention, to enhance the grandeur of the Sixth Prince, their benefactor’s wedding day!

With their presence, immense crowds quickly gathered, with half of Yanjing’s populace converging here.

It’s quite a realistic matter,

the court officials chose to remain indifferent to the Sixth Prince’s wedding, as they might soon serve the Crown Prince.

But these brothel establishments displayed immense enthusiasm for a simple reason, they currently feed off the Sixth Prince’s resources!

"Big guy, why did you put the banner away again?"

The sword maid sitting on Fanli’s shoulders asked.

"No need to hang it," Fanli replied.

"Who told you to hang it? My lord?"

"Yes, my lord originally instructed me to hang it for the Sixth Prince’s wedding, but now I feel there’s no need to hang it anymore."

Why was there no need to hang it,

because the banner was embroidered with: The entire top-tier girls of the Pleasure Garden wish the Sixth Prince a joyous wedding!

However, after witnessing such a scene, even Fanli, with his simple heart, felt that the banner was unnecessary.

My lord, it’s not that I don’t follow your orders, but they clearly don’t care about these things, because they themselves are the biggest madam in the capital.

...

"Absurd!"

Upon the southern city wall of the palace, the Yan Emperor stood there, listening to the reports coming from a continuous stream of eunuchs, and after hearing this, he uttered these two words.

An august prince of Yan, actually handling such business, wouldn’t that become the laughing stock if it got out?

Yet, the impact was evident, for the Yan Emperor standing on the city wall could clearly see several streets within his sight where the crowds began moving toward the wedding procession.

A grand wedding, to make it a spectacle, how could it work without people?

Wei Zhonghe, at his side, bent in half, trembling.

Even for him, a eunuch, this matter seemed incredible, and most importantly, the Spy Bureau failed to uncover this layer of connection. It seems this business wasn’t directly managed by the Sixth Prince but was instead fronted by someone else, while he hid behind the scenes.

Meanwhile, the publicly known bosses were the faces of various prestigious families, adding another layer of cover, misleading others to think these were properties under the noble’s domain.

Upon realizing this, Wei Zhonghe instinctively swallowed a gulp, saying that even though those willing to front such business wouldn’t be mighty nobles because the truly powerful nobles care about face, this still indicated that in secret, the Sixth Prince had weaved a web, one which he was oblivious to?

Looking at the emperor’s reaction, it seemed he wasn’t aware beforehand either.

It appeared, his peer also encountered oversights in his investigations.

But after the anger,

The Yan Emperor’s fury shifted towards the Ministry of Revenue once again,

"Those incompetent fools at the Ministry of Revenue!"

Wei Zhonghe breathed a sigh of relief, indeed, he couldn’t uncover it because the emperor hadn’t explicitly ordered a thorough investigation, and although he kept an eye on things usually, the intensity wasn’t the same.

But at that time, the emperor had specifically decreed the Ministry of Revenue to take over the businesses in the hands of the Sixth Prince,