Chen Xiaobei snapped back to reality, awkwardly rubbing his nose.
"I know, I know, I just didn't react for a moment."
At this moment, Liu Kai silently walked forward and opened a wooden niche beside him.
Several memorial tablets were placed inside. He picked up three sticks of incense, lit them, cupped his hands towards the tablets, and inserted them into the incense burner. He then clasped his hands together and muttered to himself.
After mumbling for a while, he turned to Liu Rumei and said, "Lord Marquis had already instructed that everything should be kept simple. Let's not bother with any excessive rituals. You two come and pay your respects to the ancestors, and this matter will be over."
Liu Rumei nodded and took two steps forward, pausing to look back at Chen Xiaobei. She said with a slightly composed tone, "Brother Xiaobei, you come too."
Chen Xiaobei snapped back to reality and quickly stepped forward to Liu Rumei's side, following her to the memorial tablets.
Upon arriving, Chen Xiaobei finally saw the name written on it: Liu Xiaotian.
Putting aside the person himself, the name alone carried a sense of dominance.
Liu Rumei clasped her hands together and murmured, "Grandfather, your granddaughter is about to be married. May your spirit in heaven bless everything to be safe and smooth."
"Also, Rumei will be leaving Wannian City soon. When I return, I will definitely come to your grave to tell you how much I miss you."
After murmuring, Liu Rumei bowed respectfully at a ninety-degree angle, and Chen Xiaobei followed suit. After offering incense to his grandfather, he turned to Liu Yuanwen and asked, "Brother, do you have any other instructions?"
Liu Yuanwen waved his hand, "No, no, I have nothing."
Liu Rumei looked at Liu Kai again, and he also waved his hand.
Since they had nothing else to say, Liu Rumei smiled and turned to Chen Xiaobei, "Brother Xiaobei, shall we go then?"
Chen Xiaobei nodded. He had expected it not to be too complicated, but he hadn't expected it to be so simple. It was too simple, so simple it was unbelievable. However, simplicity could also be described by another word: perfunctory.
Frankly speaking, who wouldn't want a grand wedding?
Even Liu Yuanwen, of course, wanted to marry off his sister with great fanfare, but with everything as it was now, it was impossible. Choosing such a simple way was a move of desperation.
Fortunately, Liu Rumei did not seem to mind much. She made a gesture to Xiao Qing, who immediately stepped forward and placed a red bridal veil into Chen Xiaobei's hand.
Chen Xiaobei understood this gesture. He adjusted the red veil and placed it over Liu Rumei's head.
He then clasped his fists again towards Liu Yuanwen and nodded at the old butler, Liu Kai. Turning around, he took Liu Rumei's arm. "Rumei, let's go."
Liu Rumei answered with a clear sound and took Chen Xiaobei's arm.
Chen Xiaobei took small steps, supporting Liu Rumei as they left the reception hall.
The sedan bearers in the courtyard were all servants of the Liu family. Seeing Liu Rumei emerge, they immediately lowered the sedan poles, allowing Chen Xiaobei to easily help Liu Rumei into the sedan.
After helping Liu Rumei into the sedan and settling her in, Chen Xiaobei leaned out and gave Xiao Qing a few instructions before confidently stepping back and waving his hand.
"Lift the sedan!" someone shouted. The gongs and drums nearby immediately began to play.
Hearing the sounds of gongs and drums, the crowd of onlookers outside the mansion gate became excited. They all stood on tiptoe, craning their necks to get a good look, eager to be the first to see the sedan emerge.
As the sedan slowly left the house, Liu Rumei was overcome with emotion, and tears began to stream down her face.
Liu Rumei had imagined her wedding countless times, but she had never thought she would be married in such a way.
Of course, she could have made it more grand, but her father was absent and her mother had died young. Even if it were a grand affair, who would see it? So, it was better to keep it simple and quickly leave this sorrowful place.
Meanwhile, Chen Xiaobei clearly could not understand Liu Rumei's feelings inside the sedan. Of course, Chen Xiaobei's mood was not much better. This marriage was forced upon him by the Emperor, and the woman he loved, Huang Ying, had died. It had only been a month, and he couldn't bring himself to find new love so soon.
But even though he couldn't, he had to force himself to put on a smiling face.
Riding on his horse, Chen Xiaobei still had to wave to the onlookers from time to time. At this moment, he was completely unaware that at a corner ahead, several men in green were staring intently at him. They looked like ordinary people, but it was clear they were not.
The leader was, of course, Luo Xi.
Seeing Chen Xiaobei approach, he lowered his voice and said, "Remember this face. He is Chen Xiaobei. We'll give them some leeway tonight during the wedding feast, but tomorrow they won't be so lucky."
The men beside him nodded repeatedly. "Brother, just tell us what to do."
"As usual, they are getting married today, and tomorrow they will have to go to the palace gates to express their gratitude. We'll wait there. We'll have a chance to capture this Chen Xiaobei."
After discussing, the men watched for a while longer. Once they had firmly imprinted Chen Xiaobei's appearance in their minds, they quietly departed.
Just as they had arrived, Chen Xiaobei was not in a hurry to return to the Fang Zheng's mansion. Instead, he rode his horse, leading the others, and circled more than half of Wannian City before finally stopping in front of Fang Zheng's mansion.
At this moment, the little maidservant had already brought people to decorate the entrance of her own home. When the commoners saw that Chen Xiaobei had finally stopped here, they were also a bit stunned. After all, Chen Xiaobei had initially called out on the street for people to notice him, and they didn't know where Chen Xiaobei had come from.
"Hey, did you see? Why has he come to Old Prime Minister's house?"
"Exactly. Could it be that Chen Xiaobei is related to the Old Prime Minister?"
"You saying that might be possible. Look, the Old Prime Minister's mansion is also decorated. It looks like they're going to have the wedding ceremony here." Su Dan Novel Network
"Yes, yes. Chen Xiaobei, a mere villager in the capital, naturally has nowhere to stay. The Old Prime Minister kindly let him stay in his old house and left this residence for him to get married."
The onlookers chuckled at this remark. Their laughter was, of course, filled with contempt for Chen Xiaobei. It was understandable. Coming to the capital to get married and not even having a place to live, he had to borrow one in the end.
"Look, Chen Xiaobei is dismounting. He's about to enter the mansion."
In front of Fang Zheng's mansion, Chen Xiaobei jumped off his horse from a distance, holding the reins and walking forward. When he reached the main gate, he saw the little maidservant smiling as she approached him and clasped her fists. "Congratulations, Brother Xiaobei, congratulations."
"Oh, and according to the customs of Wannian City, you have to use this to pull Sister Rumei into the mansion."
As she spoke, the little maidservant waved her hand, and someone beside her brought over a large red silk ribbon about three feet long.