The Glory After Rebirth [ɇÇ”Ÿä¹‹Å°Šè£] Chapter 406- 408

Chapter 406: The Imperial Wedding (4)

The moment Yuwen Tong walked into the courtyard and sighted Ling Zhang, all his unease and anxiety slowly ebbed away, tension consuming him like never before. As though everything and everybody else around him had suddenly disappeared, he could only see the person opposite him, who, wearing the wedding robes he’d tried on the other day, was standing in sunlight, every inch of the robes so becoming and so enthralling as though the beauty of them were bewitching his heart and mind.

Ling Zhang quietly stood still where he was, watching Yuwen Tong making towards him, also unable to see anybody else.

Yuwen Tong walked closer to Ling Zhang step by step. As he saw that Ling Zhang was gazing squarely at him with only his reflection in his eyes, his mind was occupied by the thought that the whole being of this person in front of him belonged to him now, his heart hammering madly, its every beat making his eardrums throb. He could feel his heart pounding more violently with every step he took towards Ling Zhang, as if only by walking up to Ling Zhang would he be redeemed.

The morning breeze lifted the hem of Ling Zhang’s scarlet wedding robes, which were fluttering. The red silk ribbons attached to Ling Zhang’s headwear were flying, entrancing Yuwen Tong further with their every flutter. Such was the beauty of Ling Zhang on this day that Yuwen Tong was entranced. Although he had once seen Ling Zhang in these robes, he was still fascinated at this moment. This kind of beauty was a combination of masculinity and femininity. Yuwen Tong had never seen this side of Ling Zhang before, so impressed by his charm that he involuntarily held his breath, but his heart was racing faster with every beat.

Likewise, in Ling Zhang’s eyes, Yuwen Tong looked so handsome on this day that he was unable to bring himself back to his senses for quite a while. The two of them clearly had tried on their wedding robes in the imperial bedchamber the other day, and they’d known beforehand how they looked in their wedding robes, but they felt that on this day something was different, that the visual stimuli were exceptionally intense. On that day Ling Zhang had stared unblinkingly at Yuwen Tong because the latter had looked so handsome in the wedding robes that he’d been unable to take his eyes off him, but on this day, apart from handsomeness, there was also something else about Yuwen Tong, something that even Ling Zhang himself found inexplicable, something that was making his heartbeat quicken. If he was to describe it with words, he would say it was probably destiny.

The destiny that had brought him and Yuwen Tong together.

His father had once told him that in his last incarnation, although Yuwen Tong had never met him, and the two of them had never been in love, Yuwen Tong had still avenged the massacre of the Ling family by killing Zhang Chong and members of the Jia family; afterward, Yuwen Tong had spent the rest of his life in the north-west like a warlord and never married. Their paths had been supposed to cross, but what with the woeful fate of the Ling family, the two of them had missed the opportunity to meet, which had resulted in his early death and Yuwen Tong’s lifelong bachelordom. After he was reborn and started this incarnation, because of a misunderstanding, he’d decided to call off the engagement to Yuwen Tong on his own account; the Ling family’s butler had set off to the capital city to deliver the Letter of Revocation but had chanced upon Yuwen Tong halfway there; Yuwen Tong, after being informed of the existence of the engagement, had gone to Tanyang of his own accord and thus their paths had crossed. Afterward, Yuwen Tong had helped him get his revenge, ridding the Ling family of the threat from their foes, ensuring the Ling family’s safety. All this struck Ling Zhang as a cosmic plan.

It was as though his rebirth had been meant to make sure he crossed paths with Yuwen Tong. The convergence of their paths had changed the Ling family’s fate, his fate, Yuwen Tong’s fate, and even the fate of everybody in this country. Sometimes Ling Zhang really couldn’t help but wonder whether or not it’d been because something had gong awry in his last incarnation that had caused their paths, which had been meant to cross, to fail to cross, but this destiny still stood. Providence had given him a chance of rebirth and he’d seized it, and now they had walked into each other’s lives.

Sometimes this feeling of his was very intense, especially after the fortunes of this world were changed. The Great Wen had been built, with Yuwen Tong being its emperor, who had the ambition of unifying the world. Maybe this would affect the whole world directly.

It struck Ling Zhang that maybe, to a certain degree, his rebirth had really been meant to have him cross paths with Yuwen Tong.

If that was the case, Ling Zhang would be very grateful to providence. Having been reborn and met Yuwen Tong and fallen in love, he was very content. Even if divine providence had just been using him, he would still feel it was okay. He was willing to be used this way. Besides, this time around he and Yuwen Tong had both found happiness.

During the process of Yuwen Tong covering the short distance of several paces between them, Ling Zhang thought about a lot. It felt like an instant but also felt like a lifetime.

Yuwen Tong, standing before him, took his hand and with that Ling Zhang’s eyes met Yuwen Tong’s. For a long moment, neither of them uttered a word.

“I look especially handsome today, don’t I?” asked Yuwen Tong, his eyes gleaming. Seeing Ling Zhang gazing at him in infatuation, Yuwen Tong archly asked this question in a furtive and low voice, intending to have him answer it unawares.

Ling Zhang, totally unprepared, dreamily made a reply with an inclination of the head. “Very handsome.”

It was undoubtedly the same robes Yuwen Tong had worn the other day that he was wearing now, but he was more attractive than he’d been that day.

Because he knew that from this day on they’d be a married couple, a married couple who were pronounced husband and husband at an official wedding ceremony. They would be together for the rest of their lives. Yuwen Tong was the emperor, and he was the empress. Their names would be mentioned together. They would stand in front of the others shoulder to shoulder. Most importantly, this person would belong to him thoroughly and completely.

Who wouldn’t be fascinated by, obsessed with and addicted to this kind of feeling?

Ling Zhang knew that he would never be able to escape for the rest of his life. He had once said to Yuwen Tong that if one day Yuwen Tong dared forsake him, on no account would he let it go, that he would get Yuwen Tong back to him by hook or by crook and kill him. A true lover would rather destroy their loved one than give them up to a third person.

Maybe because Yuwen Tong noticed the flicker of strong desire and ferocity cross Ling Zhang’s eyes, his eyes instantly became so possessive as though they were deep ponds which were trying to trap Ling Zhang inside them. In that instant, he felt that Ling Zhang was just as possessive as he was. This desire to take possession of him quickened his heartbeat. How could one not want their loved one to be highly possessive of them?

Yuwen Tong was possessive of Ling Zhang, much more possessive of Ling Zhang than Ling Zhang was of him. He strongly wanted Ling Zhang to belong to him. He wanted to own Ling Zhang and lock him up in his embrace so that nobody else would be able to see him or find anything out about him. Sometimes he even wished he could incorporate Ling Zhang into his own body, so that wherever they went and whatever they did, this person would belong to him, and nobody could separate them no matter how hard they tried.

Yuwen Tong feared that this would scare Ling Zhang. After this kind of strong craving to own him came into existence and he distinctly sensed it, he had been intentionally curbing it and concealing it from others, but this didn’t mean that it was no longer there. It was not only still there but also growing stronger by the day. Sometimes it was so strong that Yuwen Tong suspected he would lose control of himself and do something crazy if he didn’t marry Ling Zhang and put him under his complete control right away.

And now, he saw the same craving in Ling Zhang’s eyes. In that instant, ecstasy swept over him, making him feel as though all his blood were boiling. He knew what he was excited about and what he was anticipating. Ling Zhang’s being possessive of him took his thrill to such a frenetic pitch that he was only too anxious to… to swallow Ling Zhang in one gulp!

However, he still had some of his senses left, which were telling him that this was not the right time, that he was not supposed to let his longing get the better of him at this moment, that he needed to restrain himself however intense his desire was, otherwise he wouldn’t be able to successfully marry his sweetheart or take him back to hide him in the imperial palace.

A gleam flashed across Yuwen Tong’s eyes in an instant. It was so quick that it was barely perceivable. Ling Zhang didn’t notice it either. He was still immersed in his own thoughts, still looking at Yuwen Tong, unable to blink, still thinking about a lot of things, including how cruelly he would retaliate against those who tried to stop him after he married Yuwen Tong…

“Can you be more specific?”

Yuwen Tong asked another question. He wanted Ling Zhang to express more of his thoughts and even felt an almost overwhelming urge to flaunt it. He wanted more people to know about Ling Zhang’s heartfelt, irresistible desire to control him and rely on him. As a result, suppressing his excitement, he managed to ask this question in a seemingly calm tone.

Ling Zhang was unaware of Yuwen Tong’s intention or the fact that this man in front of him, whom he wanted to own completely, was actually bubbling over with extreme thrill because of his possessiveness.

As a result, he gave a chuckle in a very natural way and then, in a somewhat low and deep voice tinged with manifest firmness, replied, “So handsome I’m besotted. I don’t want anybody else to see you so handsome. I want to be the only one who has the privilege.”

“Just like the other day when we were in the bedchamber, when you were the only one seeing me in these robes?” Yuwen Tong’s voice became even lower and seductive.

Ling Zhang was like Yuwen Tong’s quarry that was walking into a trap unawares. “Yeah. Just like the other day when we were in the bedchamber, when I was the only one seeing you in these robes.”

A wild and unbridled smile curved the corners of Yuwen Tong’s mouth, which had never appeared on his face before, and which was mixed with some kind of demented smugness and a crazed resolution to get what he wanted at all cost. “Go back to the palace with me right now and I’ll let you hide me.”

Ling Zhang’s eyes instantly brightened. He looked at Yuwen Tong and asked, “Really?”

Looking back at him, Yuwen Tong smiled, “Really.”

In that instant Ling Zhang’s eyes glittered with such extreme excitement as though he was feeling some kind of overwhelming sense of contentment. His desire to own his lover was satisfied to the core, so he was very happy, as if he had just obtained the most precious treasure in the world.

“Nobody is to see you. You are mine, and mine alone. If anybody dares glance at you, I’ll…”

Ling Zhang suddenly left his sentence hanging, fixing Yuwen Tong with a stare, a murderous look flitting across his eyes.

Chapter 407: The Imperial Wedding (5)

If anybody dared steal a glance at Yuwen Tong, he would gouge their eyes out.

This remark quietly came floating into Ling Zhang’s mind, instantly rendering his eyes reddish.

Yuwen Tong saw it clearly, but he didn’t try to stop him. Not only did he have no intention to stop Ling Zhang, but the feverish excitement in him which he had just managed to restrain welled up again and, as though the constraints on it had disappeared, threatened to get out of control.

A sudden cough, as though it had issued from another dimension, was abruptly heard in the minds of the two of them who were gazing at each other.

The chimes brought the two of them back to their senses, whose emotions were teetering on the brink of burst boundaries.

It was Ling Zhaowu’s voice. Of all the people present, Ling Zhaowu was the first to perceive that there was something wrong with the mood of Ling Zhang’s and Yuwen Tong’s conversation. He had been through numerous tough situations and had dealings with countless people of all descriptions. There had even been a time when he himself didn’t scruple to do whatever he wanted, sometimes fell prey to his hate and pain, let his desire for vengeance get the better of him and failed to refrain from doing horrible things.

So he knew very well that right now there was something not quite right about Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong. Clearly things had been going pretty well in the beginning, but suddenly they’d got out of hand.

No, it hadn’t been all of a sudden that things got out of control. From the moment Yuwen Tong had walked into this courtyard, the two of them had been emanating an air that deterred everybody else from breaking in. The two of them had been in a state where they could see nobody but each other. They’d submerged themselves in a world of their imagination and nearly failed to extricate themselves from it!

Others present were still somewhat confused. They had just seen Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong standing opposite and looking at each other for quite some time, as though they could never get tired of seeing each other, but as this day was all about the two of them, one of whom was the emperor, and the other the empress-to-be, nobody had dared at this point in time disturb their eye contact or ruin the sweet moment the two of them had been enjoying, so they’d pretended not to notice any of it, some standing with their heads down, some still staring vacantly. Eventually they’d sensed that something felt wrong about the atmosphere, that the whole courtyard was cloaked in a weird aura which was quite powerful but not emanating from themselves. It’d been only two people, Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong standing in the middle of the courtyard, who were radiating it. None of them had been able to fathom out what that aura was exactly, but they had perceptively sensed a whiff of danger, as though something perilous was approaching and about to drag every one of them into some kind of whirlpool. At last Ling Zhaowu had suddenly let out a cough, breaking them out of that atmosphere, suddenly allowing them to breathe after having held their breath unawares for a long time. Many people were still in perplexity, wondering what had just happened, and for what reason that kind of thing had appeared without warning. Jiang Yu and Zhao Jiusi, who were quick-witted, both perceptively realized that it’d been Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong who were the source of that perilous air.

That’d been some kind of fierce, almost palpable emotion which was so intense as though it could burn everybody present to ashes.

Zhao Jiusi was still looking at Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong in fear, but Jiang Yu, in the next moment, had identified the problem. He had even come to know what that thing had been about specifically…

Ling Zhaowu was also fully aware of it. He’d always known that Yuwen Tong was very good to Ling Zhang, that Ling Zhang was the light of his life, and he certainly knew that Yuwen Tong was a man of his word, that he would keep the promise he’d made to Ling Zhang. Also, thanks to his memories of his last incarnation, Ling Zhaowu knew how stubborn Yuwen Tong was, so he had no worries about the reliability of Yuwen Tong’s feelings for Ling Zhang, confident that their marriage would endure. He also knew how his son felt about Yuwen Tong – that was something more complicated and deeper than common love. Ling Zhaowu had only a vague idea of it.

But Ling Zhaowu had never thought that Ling Zhang would be so possessive of Yuwen Tong, or that Yuwen Tong, who unmistakably had known that Ling Zhang was on the verge of franticness, would tempt Ling Zhang repeatedly in a low voice with the intention to drag Ling Zhang into the abnormal mental state he’d been in and trap him there for good, even if the cost was his own sanity… This was virtually madness.

Did either of them still remember that this day was their wedding day? Did they really want to ruin everything at this point in time?

Ling Zhaowu, who had let out a cough just in time to bring them back to their senses preventing them from losing their minds, found his palms wet with cold sweat. It’d been a very, very long time since the last time that Ling Zhaowu had been in this kind of mood.

Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong were standing opposite each other. On hearing Ling Zhaowu’s cough, they both came to themselves, but after that, Ling Zhang also felt that it was incredible.

He also could hardly believe what he had just thought about. It’d been as though he wanted to possess Yuwen Tong thoroughly. That kind of franticness, which he’d never felt before, had seemed to be devouring his sanity and almost driven him crazy. He’d never realized that deep down there he was actually so insecure about himself, so badly wanted Yuwen Tong to belong to him, and was unwilling to even let anybody else see Yuwen Tong…

This kind of feeling was demented but… addictive.

Ling Zhang lowered his eyes, a glitter flashing across them. If that glitter was to be described with words, it would be “savoring the fine aftertaste”.

He could scarcely forbear from thinking back to the few moments they’d just had. There was even a voice in his mind urgently telling him to go back to the palace with Yuwen Tong straight away to do something so that these intense emotions inside him would be allayed.

And then, thanks to Ling Zhaowu’s cough, he managed to preserve part of his sanity. After briefly savoring the aftersensation, he soon suppressed his feelings which were within an inch of getting out of control, hoping that the others wouldn’t perceive anything, especially not in the presence of his father.

Yuwen Tong standing before him came to realize that his behavior had angered Ling Zhaowu somewhat, that just now he’d acted irrationally. He’d done it in the wrong place at the wrong time, but the state Ling Zhang had been in just now was so uncharacteristic of him, and there was no telling when he’d have another opportunity like that if he’d let it slip away. He must seize it. He must find out about Ling Zhang’s truest thoughts hidden in the deep recesses of his mind, because he was insecure as well. He liked to see Ling Zhang crazy about him, because the sight of him being like that was so reassuring.

But it was such a pity that he could no longer see that at this time, for Ling Zhang had hidden that side of himself.

However, Yuwen Tong’s worry was now gone. He knew that it existed fathoms deep inside Ling Zhang and would never disappear, that Ling Zhang would be highly possessive of him for the rest of his life, not allowing anybody to take him away. That was enough for him. He still had plenty of time to lure Ling Zhang deeper into the whirlpool of affection, making sure he would fall into the abyss of his love and never be able to get out.

Of course, just now that moment had indeed been intoxicatingly amazing, and the lingering thrill inside him was the best proof of it.

But right now the first priority was to placate his future father-in-law.

Of all the people present, his future father-in-law had been the first to realize the situation and let out a cough in time to stop it from getting worse. Yuwen Tong knew that he’d been through a rebirth, and that he was quite secretive, but this was his first time feeling it so strongly that his future father-in-law would the biggest hindrance to the fulfillment of his goal. This person, who had already perceived it, wouldn’t allow him to trick Ling Zhang into the abyss of his love or trap him there.

Ling Zhaowu loved Ling Zhang very much, so he wouldn’t allow his son to be thoroughly deprived of his personal freedom like a bird having its wings broken…

But how would he have the heart to break Ling Zhang’s wings? He would let Ling Zhang fly freely in his domains, but under no circumstances would he allow Ling Zhang to fly beyond the boundaries!

“You look gorgeous today as well, even more gorgeous than you did the other day. I can’t even get my eyes off you.”

Yuwen Tong affected a natural air of delight and said these words to Ling Zhang.

The presiding official was baffled as to what had happened just now, but as the wedding officiant, he naturally knew what was the right thing to do in these circumstances. Seeing this, he immediately said, “Your Majesty and His Highness are a match made in heaven, one for which there’s no precedent, and which will never be equaled.”

On hearing his words, all the others naturally started offering congratulations to the two of them, making witty remarks with a flood of eloquence, each of which was more pleasant to the ear than the last. The atmosphere in the courtyard house soon became harmonious and festive once again. Everybody ignored what had happened just now, as if it were just an insignificant interlude.

However, the two people who’d been the cause of it both knew that it wasn’t water under the bridge yet. Ling Zhang raised his eyes to glance at Yuwen Tong and saw a flicker flash across Yuwen Tong’s eyes.

Ling Zhaowu looked at Yuwen Tong with faintly admonitory eyes which were quite threatening.

Of course, Yuwen Tong, who wouldn’t be so foolish as to argue with his future father-in-law at this point in time, conducted himself in the most natural and most unexceptionable way.

“Father-in-law, just now I got a little carried away when I saw Brother Zhang, and I behaved discourteously. Please forgive me.”

As Yuwen Tong was the emperor and had put it so gracefully, and this day was his wedding day, Ling Zhaowu naturally wouldn’t be unforgiving with him, but they both knew very well about what had really happened and the existence of what had caused it to happen.

Ling Zhaowen laughed, “Today is the big day of the two of you, so that’s quite understandable. Back when I was on my wedding day, I was even less composed than you are, Your Majesty.” He’d been standing behind Ling Zhaowu all along, and what with his position, he hadn’t seen the whole thing and just believed that Ling Zhaowu was unhappy because Yuwen Tong had stared at Ling Zhang unblinkingly for too long, so he made these remarks in an attempt to smooth things over.

On hearing Ling Zhaowen’s words, Ling Zhang, catching on, feigned to be embarrassed and sneaked a surreptitious glance at his father.

Ling Zhaowu noticed this furtive glance from his son and had no choice but to keep his many thoughts to himself.

“I’m very glad to see that things between you two are so great, and I hope they’ll stay this way for the rest of your lives.”

“Your Majesty, Your Highness, it’s time to move to the hall to bid farewell to the elders of the Ling family,” said the presiding official in a timely manner.

Chapter 408: The Imperial Wedding (6)

Neither of them really dared step out of line in the presence of Ling Zhaowu. Ling Zhang believed that he hadn’t exposed any of his true thoughts and had been concealing them very well, that Ling Zhaowu was merely reminding him to stop being in a daze. Yuwen Tong, however, was fully aware of what was going on. He was just pretending he didn’t dare do anything beyond the pale.

Ling Zhaowu, though knowing the truth, had no alternative but to listen to the presiding official whose job was to remind everybody of what they were supposed to do.

Ling Zhang went to the main hall in the front yard with Yuwen Tong to officially bid his elders farewell.

There were a lot of guests attending the wedding ceremony on this day. While taking their leave of the elders, the two of them could still hear magpies twittering outside.

It was a festive day with a fine weather, red silk ribbons fluttering in the breeze to the jubilant wedding music which was quite pleasant to the ear.

After bidding farewell to the elders, Yuwen Tong and Ling Zhang walked out of the doors hand in hand. With the help of the cues from the presiding official, the two of them finished the many steps of the rigmarole which were fairly complicated but full of benediction. When they had reached the gateway, Yuwen Tong helped Ling Zhang mount his horse.

North Wind looked extremely spirited on this day. Snowflake had run out of the residence to stand by his side some time before. The two horses, one black and the other white, their heads adorned with red satin ribbons, appeared full of mettle.

Sitting on horseback in front of the gates of the Ling Mansion, Ling Zhang looked over his shoulder at all his family members who had come out to see him off. For an instant his eyes burned and stung slightly. After he left this residence this day, his public identity would be Ling Zhang, the empress of the Great Wen, rather than Ling Zhang, the eldest grandson of the Ling family’s patriarch.

As Ling Xingzhong sensed his grandson’s reluctance to leave, his eyes which were full of parting sentiment and expectation also became unnoticeably wet with tears.

Ling Zhang dismounted, walked back to him, held his hand and said in a faintly choked voice, “Grandfather.”

Ling Xingzhong also held his grandson’s hand tight, somewhat unwilling to let him go. He had watched Ling Zhang grow from a baby in swaddling clothes into a promising young man. Ling Zhang was the light of his life, and now his beloved grandson was about to marry into another family, how could he not feel upset about it? Parental love had been absent from most of Ling Zhang’s childhood, and Ling Xingzhong had given Ling Zhang far more care than he’d done any of his other family members. It could be said that he’d personally brought Ling Zhang up, keeping an eye on him at all times.

“We’re your family and nothing’s going to change that. As long as you have a happy life, we’ll be happy as well. You need to be cautious with your words and deeds after marrying into the imperial family and put your own safety first in all circumstances.”

This was the most explicit remark Ling Xingzhong had made so far on this day. A few moments before when Ling Zhang had been officially bidding his elders farewell in the main hall, Ling Xingzhong had also drummed a lot into Ling Zhang, but by exhorting Ling Zhang to put his own safety first in all circumstances, Ling Xingzhong was speaking from the perspective of a concerned grandfather.

Ling Zhang could understand. He knew about Ling Xingzhong’s concern for him. “I know, Grandfather. I promise I’ll protect myself and take good care of myself. There’s no need to worry. Only if you stay healthy can I have complete peace of mind.”

Ling Xingzhong inclined his head and tightened his hold on Ling Zhang’s hand for a moment before he released it and said, “You should get going.”

The moment Ling Xingzhong’s grip slackened, Ling Zhang felt as though his insides had instantly disappeared. It was a sensation that he couldn’t describe with just a few words, but he felt it in the most distinct way, his eyes instantaneously reddening with tears in spite of himself.

Right at this moment, Yuwen Tong standing beside him reached out a hand and grasped Ling Zhang’s tightly. The warmth from Yuwen Tong’s firm grip immediately comforted Ling Zhang, who was sent into a fleeting trance before shifting his gaze to Yuwen Tong.

Holding his hand tight, Yuwen Tong said, “Let’s go. It’s time for us to return to the palace. This residence is not far away from the imperial palace. You may come back here to keep your grandfather company any time you want.”

As though his insides had reappeared in his body at these words, Ling Zhang could now breathe normally again. He looked from his family’s encouraging eyes to Yuwen Tong’s expectant ones, held Yuwen Tong’s hand which was gripping his, said goodbye to his elders for the last time and then made towards North Wind hand in hand with Yuwen Tong.

Yuwen Tong didn’t let Ling Zhang ride Snowflake. Instead, he had Ling Zhang share North Wind with him. North Wind raised his head and let out a long neigh, looking quite smug.

Snowflake rubbed her head against Ling Zhang’s shank. Ling Zhang reached out a hand to stroke her head, allaying her restlessness.

“Mount! Back to the palace!”

The presiding official gave an instruction loudly and with that the convoy started progressing slowly.

Following the processing convoy was a seemingly endless succession of trousseau chests carried by pairs of servants, and heading the trousseau-delivery team were Jiang Yu and Zhao Jiusi, Ling Zhang’s two advisers. After quite a long time, when Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong had disappeared from view at the end of the street, trousseau chests were still being carried out of the residence one after another, as though there were an inexhaustible stock of them in there.

All lookers-on were shocked by this scene. Hardly any of them had ever seen a trousseau of this scale. Was the Ling family really so wealthy?

None of them had expected this. Previously they had all believed that the Ling family wouldn’t be able to offer Ling Zhang many presentable items as his trousseaus.

Now the fact had proved all of them wrong. Many people were green with envy at the sight of these trousseaus.

What was more astounding was that when the seemingly inexhaustible trousseaus finally stopped coming out of the front gates, twenty men walked out and followed the team, every one of whom was dressed like a merchant. All lookers-on were bemused, wondering who they were. It was not until someone among the crowd recognized some of the merchants that all the onlookers came to know that these people were keepers of some famous stores, wineries and chambers of commerce in various cities around the country.

Most people gasped in astonishment after being informed of this. These people were actually part of Ling Zhang’s trousseau-delivery team. What did it mean?

Those relatively smart ones had guessed the answer already.

The Ling family had forked out such a fortune!

At this time, someone else among the crowd finally disclosed that what they were seeing was just a small part of Ling Zhang’s trousseau.

“Rumor has it that there’s a list, and those on the list are the most important part.”

“You see that? That little casket Jiang Yu is holding, the one that looks the most insignificant – I heard that it’s filled with long-lost kung fu manuals, which are priceless!”

“You can’t be serious. My goodness. Since when have the Ling family got so many good things?!”

“That I don’t know. Anyway, Childe Ling’s trousseau is far more than what we’ve seen.”

The broadest street in the capital city had been cleared, guards standing on the two sides of it. Behind the guards was a seething mass of arms and legs. All these people were residents of this city, who were watching the wedding convoy from the Ling Mansion. As an imperial edict had been issued specially sparing them the trouble of getting on their knees when seeing the emperor on the street on this day, they got to stand at the roadside watching the large wedding convoy slowly passing by.

Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong were sharing a horse. North Wind was proudly proceeding forward at a gentle pace.

Seeing the residents nearby, Ling Zhang still felt somewhat shy, and his quickening heartbeat was just the beginning.

“Why are they…”

Ling Zhang had thought that these people would kneel. It was not that he badly wanted to see them on their knees, but with so many eyes staring squarely at him, he really felt quite embarrassed.

Holding him, Yuwen Tong said in his ear, “This is our wedding ceremony. Wouldn’t it be better if more people bear witness to it?”

Yuwen Tong was doing this on purpose. He did want everybody to see that he and Ling Zhang were a match made in heaven, that they were made for each other, and how awe-inspiring Ling Zhang’s trousseau was. He wanted it known to all that the two of them got married. This day was all about him and Ling Zhang, and the whole nation would revel with them.

Ling Zhang could divine what he was thinking just by hearing his tone. Looking at their hands whose fingers were interlocked, he asked, “Are you not afraid that people might gossip about you because of this?”

Yuwen Tong chuckled, “Who would dare do that? Even if anybody did do that, they would just be doing it out of jealousy.”

They would be jealous of him marrying the best person in the world, and all gossip would be nothing but sour grapes.

Ling Zhang also chuckled, “You’re so thick-skinned.”

Smiling, Yuwen Tong held him tight. The two of them sitting on the same horse was such a public display of affection that all onlookers were astonished. Originally the residents of the capital city, following instructions from specially-designated officials, had been scattering petals and candies along the way, but at the sight of the intimacy between the two of them, all of them were dumbstruck and unable to come to themselves for quite a while.

Petals strewed the road along which marched the wedding convoy decked out in scarlet satin ribbons that were fluttering. It was windy, but the sunshine was genial. The procession was so long people couldn’t see the end of it.

This was an imperial wedding, and their emperor and empress were the most conspicuous ones in the convoy.

For many people, this was the first thought that popped into their minds after they pulled themselves out of their trance.

And with that all their other ideas were forced out of their heads by the shower of petals and candies as well as the uproar of the crowds. The whole city, the whole nation, joined in the grand celebration.

…

It took the convoy a long time to reach the imperial palace, for they hadn’t been traveling fast, and Yuwen Tong had intentionally had North Wind walk slowly, led the procession around the city at a leisurely pace to let everybody see the pomp of their wedding.

Moreover, the Ling family’s trousseau-delivery team was way too long. Bringing up the rear were Wang Dashan and the other twenty-three bodyguards, who were very far away from the front gates of the imperial palace when Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong arrived there.

This was the first great occasion of such splendor that the Great Wen had seen. Also, it was an imperial wedding ceremony. These scenes had been engraved in the memory of everybody that had seen them on this day and would be there for a very long time. Nobody would forget this in a hurry, for it would be a popular topic of conversation for all those that had seen the wedding.

From mouth to mouth spread messages about the pomp of the imperial wedding, and eventually people in all cities of the Great Wen came to know about it. For quite a few days, different versions of the story circulated among associates, friends, relatives, etc. Because of relaters’ embellishments, the occasion was lauded to the skies. On top of that, some professional storytellers added some artistic elements to it and eventually the wedding became an unsurpassable classic in most people’s eyes.

Of course, that was another story. Right now, after Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong entered the palace, Yuwen Feng, the Minister of Rites, personally acted as the wedding officiant. From the moment the two of them walked into the palace, a series of time-consuming ceremonials were waiting for them to finish.

Ling Zhang had been in a good mood while enjoying the breeze with Yuwen Tong on horseback, and the latter had been talking in his ear non-stop all the time. The two of them were both indulging themselves in this kind of happiness. It was not until he caught sight of Yuwen Feng that he abruptly came to realize the situation.

Having done a dry run in the palace the other day, they knew what they needed to do next. It was a very lengthy ritualistic rigmarole…

Ling Zhang’s countenance changed briefly and with that the hair on his scalp began to prickle. The mere casual dry run had struck him as too much trouble, and now the real thing was happening. From this moment on, he and Yuwen Tong wouldn’t have another instant as enjoyable as the time they’d spent together just now…