CHAPTER 656: CHAPTER 636: GRAND WEDDING 3

The imperial wedding of the Empress and Emperor was met with nationwide celebration. The palace feast was lively and bustling, and after Xie Xun left, the civil and military officials became even more restrained, especially the group of military officers from Ningzhou. In their hearts, Fengyu was already the Empress. They knew that if it hadn’t been for Fengyu’s financial and logistical contributions, the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry wouldn’t have lasted three years. The imperial wedding was simply the natural course of events, and Fengyu’s standing in the military was second only to Xie Xun and Xie Jue.

The conflict between Ningzhou’s military generals and the court’s military officials was long-standing and unsurprising. Civil officials largely hailed from aristocratic families, raised under stringent discipline, valuing rules and propriety above all. While some military officials came from similar backgrounds, the majority were rough individuals who had climbed up from the bottom alongside the Marquis Zhenbei’s family. In the Yuwen Dynasty, which inherently valued civil over military, the civil officials naturally disapproved of the military officials, both in social context and personal preference.

The Beining Dynasty was different — though it didn’t privilege military over civil, it surely wasn’t as lopsided as the Yuwen Dynasty in favoring civil officials. Both Xie Xun and Xie Jue hailed from military backgrounds; the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry was directly under their command and naturally aligned with them. After Xie Xun ascended the throne, he promoted more than ten military generals, elevating them to the highest rank as civil officials. Three veteran generals were even granted noble titles, basking in immense glory.

On ordinary court mornings, arguments about governance would often devolve into chaotic disputes. The civil officials were unmatched in verbal sparring, frequently insinuating that the military officials were ignorant of state affairs and nothing but brute warriors. Xie Xun wanted to defend his favored side, but he also recognized that years of warfare in Ningzhou left the military officials lacking in governance experience. He could only strike balance, muddying the waters. The civil officials, however, felt that the Emperor was overtly partial to Ningzhou generals. Naturally, conflict arose as they couldn’t openly express dissatisfaction with Xie Xun himself, placing the blame on the generals. Most generals, known for their hot tempers and rash actions, harbored deep resentment in return.

So, as soon as Xie Xun departed, the military officials exchanged knowing glances and picked up wine pots to challenge the civil officials to drinking contests. Xie Jue, seated in the first row on the left side, saw the military men stirring up trouble but remained silent, making no effort to intervene. Marshal Fang would never concern himself with such matters; instead, he encouraged the Jiangnan generals and the Ningzhou generals to mingle more.

In less than an hour, few civil officials attending the imperial wedding banquet were still sober. Even Lin Helin had been forced to drink several cups. Zhang Boxin, Lin Xiao, Zhou Liyu, and others naturally stood by their generals, while the rest watched the drunk civil officials descend into absurd behavior.

Some recited poetry, others sang loudly, some spoke recklessly to provoke arguments. General Cui Lansong got drunk and tangled with the censors, knocking one unconscious with a punch.

Zhang Boxi, the leader of the Forbidden Army, abstained from drinking to ensure the safety of the banquet. When he witnessed the scene, he ordered the Forbidden Army to lift the fallen censor aside. His subordinate murmured, "General Cui probably did it intentionally; Mr. Li just accused him in court a few days ago."

Zhang Boxi was well aware of the events in the Jinluan Palace: Cui Lansong hadn’t caused any major disturbances, only confronting a few unruly young nobles while passing by. One of the spoiled sons took a punch, lost his balance, hit his head on a stone, and remained unconscious for three days, teetering on the brink of death.

It was rare for aristocratic clans to find fault with military officials, and they seized the opportunity to escalate the matter. Mr. Li accused Cui Lansong of reckless actions that disregarded the law.

Fortunately, the young noble eventually woke up, and Xie Xun sentenced Cui Lansong to pay reparations, apologize, and docked his salary for three months. Mr. Li, however, persisted in his accusations for several days, deepening their animosity.

Shockingly, someone drunkenly cursed Yuwen Jing as a foolish ruler, claiming he had doomed the empire.

The crowd: "..."

Of course, the moment those words escaped his mouth, the Marshal made a gesture, and someone swiftly went over, covered the man’s mouth, and dragged him away to sober up. The man was one of the Marshal’s old subordinates.

Usually thriving in these settings, Fang Chuning was uncharacteristically silent this night, his demeanor icy, as though he were a different person entirely. Zhang Boju tried to avoid drinking beside him and noticed Fang Chuning hadn’t exchanged a word with Xie Jue throughout the banquet. "Weren’t they reconciled? Why are they still quarreling?"

Fang Chuning made no effort to approach Xie Jue. Other than Lin Helin, essentially no one dared to address Xie Jue directly, primarily because there wasn’t much to say beyond pouring him drinks.

The Prince Yan doesn’t drink!

"Shut up and mind your own business."

"Alright, I’m just running my big mouth!" Zhang Boju smacked his lips. "Come on, let’s drink."

All in all, the banquet was an uproarious affair.

Nothing was off-limits!

When Xie Xun returned to Changshou Palace, Fengyu was already asleep on her side. She had barely rested the night before her wedding and was exhausted after an entire day of busy events. After eating a little soup, she fell into a deep sleep. Xie Xun returned to Changshou Palace in high spirits, expecting to find Fengyu waiting for him, only to discover his bride had long since succumbed to slumber. Qiuxiang intended to wake Fengyu, but Xie Xun stopped her.

"Let her sleep; it’s fine," he said.

Xie Xun was still brimming with excitement. There was no need for palace maids to serve them inside the chamber; Qiuxiang and Chunlu, along with the other palace maids, kept watch outside, never venturing far in case the Emperor and Empress needed assistance.

After Xie Xun finished washing up and returned to the chamber, Fengyu was already upright, properly seated on the bridal bed waiting for him. Xie Xun chuckled softly, "Why are you awake now?"

"A shared sense of intuition!" Fengyu blinked. She had only meant to take a short nap and had instructed Qiuxiang and Chunlu to wake her upon Xie Xun’s return. Unexpectedly, she had fallen into a deep sleep.

Though Xie Xun had told Qiuxiang not to disturb her, Qiuxiang and Chunlu thought it inappropriate for the bride to sleep through her wedding night. They decided to wake Fengyu while Xie Xun was washing up.

The wedding chamber was bathed in radiant red, illuminated by dragon-and-phoenix candles, creating an intoxicating atmosphere of warmth and joy. Fengyu could feel Xie Xun’s intense gaze on her; her palms sweated nervously. When Xie Xun kissed her, it was both fierce and urgent. Fengyu gently resisted, placing her hands on his chest, tenderly accepting his passionate gestures and ardent affection.

This was the moment they had waited for so long!

Xie Xun held her on his lap, encircling her in a domineering yet protective embrace. His hands brushed aside her collar, causing Fengyu to jump in alarm. She hastily tried to stop him.

"The nuptial wine..." Fengyu’s cheeks were flushed pink, her face awash with color, and her lips had become heated and moist from the kisses. Xie Xun, fully enraptured, felt his blood boiling, swept up in desire so overwhelming that he even forgot about the nuptial wine. As he buried his face in her neck, he took several deep breaths to suppress his burgeoning emotions. He gently let Fengyu go and brought over the ceremonial wine.

Fengyu gazed at Xie Xun’s handsome features, her heart brimming with tenderness and affection. After all these years, his visage never failed to captivate her; every time he looked at her, she remembered the moment her heart first stirred for him. Even now, he was a ruler with limitless power, yet in her heart, he remained the young man who had stolen her affection.

She had fallen for him sooner than he ever expected.

"Did you eat dinner yet? Drinking on an empty stomach is bad for you," she asked with concern.

"You’re such a spoilsport." Fengyu laughed softly. Despite her teasing, the warmth in her heart grew — her poor health had always made Xie Xun attentive, his concern for her daily habits as scrupulous as ever, even after she turned eighteen.

"Yes, I’m an unromantic blockhead." Xie Xun smiled. The two drank their nuptial wine, and he suddenly leaned toward Fengyu, kissing her deeply. Fengyu accidentally choked on the wine and raised her hand to smack him. Xie Xun laughed, catching her wrist, taking her breath away, and pushing her downward.

"Ayu, are you happy?" Xie Xun asked, his fingers removing the jewel-encrusted hairpin from her coiffure, his gaze mixing desire with tenderness.

"I’m happy!" Fengyu responded, raising her arms to embrace his neck. Her silky-black hair cascaded over the pillow as her eyes glimmered with intoxicating affection. "Marrying you is the happiest moment of my life."

Xie Xun, who lacked restraint when it came to her, couldn’t withstand her allure and kissed her deeply once again.

The night was fleeting, and the hibiscus bed was warm.