Starting from a thatched cottage, the farmer embarked on the road to wealth through imperial examina

The wedding procession entered the Duke of Wei's Mansion smoothly. The guests who came to congratulate had already filled the front yard of the Duke of Wei's Mansion. They saw the groom, who was wearing a bright red round-collar robe and a black gauze hat with flowers and kingfisher feathers on his head, and a group of groomsmen who came to welcome the bride entered the yard. The Duke of Wei's son even came forward to greet them personally.

Ye Changyan and Liang Jingcheng followed behind Wang Xinkuan, and naturally felt deeply the importance that the Duke of Wei's Mansion attached to this marriage. The father-in-law came to greet them personally. Wang Xinkuan respectfully bowed to the Duke of Wei's son, and then followed the Duke of Wei's son to the front hall under the gazes of the guests.

The Duke of Wei and his wife were sitting in the middle of the front hall. When they saw the groom and the groomsmen coming into the front hall, they couldn't suppress their joy.

Wang Xinkuan bowed respectfully to Duke Wei and his wife. Duke Wei then stood up, took Wang Xinkuan's hand, and introduced him to the distinguished guests in the main hall. Naturally, the guests who could be introduced by Duke Wei were of high status and position.

They naturally knew that Wang Xinkuan was trusted by His Majesty, and it was not ruled out that there were people like Duke Wei who had received the inside information. If this handsome young man in front of them had really been promoted to the prefect of Xuyang Prefecture after only serving as the co-magistrate of Xuyang Prefecture for half a year, then this young man would have a bright future.

Although these people were either rich or noble, Wang Xinkuan, who was favored by the emperor and had a bright future, naturally no one was unwilling to make friends with him. Everyone greeted Wang Xinkuan politely.

Ye Changyan, Liang Jingcheng and other groomsmen were arranged to drink tea and wait in the flower hall nearby. When they heard the master of ceremonies shouting "The auspicious time has arrived", Ye Changyan, Liang Jingcheng and other groomsmen came to Wang Xinkuan.

The bride, who was covered in pearls and jade, with a shawl on her shoulders, a phoenix crown on her head and a big red veil, was seen coming to the main hall supported by the bridesmaid. After a series of pre-wedding rituals, Tong Luyao's brother Tong Jun carried the bride out of the Duke of Wei's mansion on his back.

There were bursts of music and firecrackers. When the bride got on the sedan chair, Wang Xinkuan also mounted a tall horse. The best man gestured to the gong to clear the way. There was a "dong" sound, and then the best man shouted "Lift the sedan chair!". Accompanied by the crisp gong and cheerful music, the wedding procession began to set off.

Naturally, the ones walking in the front are the gongs that clear the way, followed by the deacons holding various wedding signs. These wedding signs, fans, banners and umbrella covers have words written on them that indicate status and blessings, such as "Imperial Bestowed Marriage", "Family of Scholars", "A Happiness for a Hundred Years", etc., which increase the momentum and grandeur of the entire wedding procession.

Following closely behind was the ceremonial music team, playing cheerful music, and then there were people holding big red lanterns with words such as "happiness" and "blessing" written on them in gold paste.

Next came the groom, who was riding on a tall horse, smiling and nodding at the crowd from time to time. The groomsmen, including Ye Changyan and Liang Jingcheng, followed closely behind the groom.

Ye Changyan and Liang Jingcheng walked at the end of the groomsmen group, with the eight-man sedan behind them. Both of them looked back at the sedan from time to time. Suddenly, a spring breeze blew and lifted the curtain of the sedan. Both of them looked inside the sedan with curiosity.

Although they had seen Tong Luyao's appearance at Caifu Farm in Sanyuan County, Ye Changyan and Liang Jingcheng were still very curious about how beautiful Tong Luyao would look in her bride costume.

The curtain of the sedan chair that had just been lifted by the wind had not yet fallen down, and a stronger wind blew over again. Ye Changyan and Liang Jingcheng saw a corner of the bride's red veil lifted by the wind.

It was not known whether it was because of the color of the red veil or because of the bride's makeup, which was just as rumored, painted like a monkey's butt. Both of them saw the lower half of Tong Luyao's face, which was indeed bright red.

Ye Changyan and Liang Jingcheng couldn't help but giggle, and then Ye Changyan noticed that Liang Jingcheng's face had flushed without him noticing.

Just when Ye Changyan was a little confused, he saw Liang Jingcheng move closer to him and spoke in a low voice.

"Have you ever imagined the lively scene of you riding a tall horse and welcoming your bride?"

Ye Changyan was still wondering why Liang Jingcheng was blushing, but after hearing his question, Ye Changyan had nothing to understand. He looked around and found that no one was paying attention to him, so he approached Liang Jingcheng and whispered something in his ear.

Liang Jingcheng's face suddenly turned red to his ears, but he couldn't hide his sweet smile, and a hint of shyness could be clearly seen in his smile.

They had long heard that the Duke of Wei's Mansion was the most powerful family in Shengjing City. When Ye Changyan and Liang Jingcheng looked back and saw the dowry procession following the bridal sedan that was so long that it seemed to have no end, they had a deep understanding of the situation.

Tong Luyao's dowry weighed a total of 128 loads, and each load was filled with real stuff. Among them, there were gold, silver and jade articles, each packed in several large boxes. There were twelve shops for the dowry, all of which were two-story shops in the core areas of Shengjing City and several surrounding provincial capitals. The largest ones were even larger than the Yunfeng Building of the Imperial College.

There were also four farms as a dowry, two of which were located in Shengjing, only a quarter of an hour's drive from the city gate. They were closer than Mr. Cai's farm in Sanyuan County. The areas of these four farms were much larger than Mr. Cai's, especially the one in Linzhou, which covered hundreds of acres.

In addition, there are two other courtyards and many antiques, calligraphy and paintings, and countless treasures. The onlookers are all amazed by the grandeur of the Weiguo Mansion.

However, what the world does not know is that these are only what is shown on the surface. Due to Tong's status as a Duke, and the fact that the marriage was granted by the Emperor, this is the most that can be shown. Any more would be beyond the rules, and it would not be worth it if it was reported by the censors.

Last night, the Crown Prince and his wife gave their daughter a stack of banknotes on their own. In addition to the superficial dowry, Tong Luyao's brother and sister-in-law also gave Tong Luyao banknotes for her own safety. In addition, the Duke's wife used her own dowry to buy a full set of mahogany furniture in the two villas that came with her dowry. These were not registered in the dowry.

The 128 loads of dowry alone formed a line nearly a mile long on the main street of Shengjing City. Following the wedding procession at the end, in addition to Tong Luyao's brothers and sisters-in-law, the bride's family included Tong Luyao's uncles, aunts, cousins, and some close relatives of the Duke of Wei's Mansion, numbering more than a hundred people.

The entire wedding procession, walking along Kangle Street where the Duke of Wei's Mansion is located, was like a long dragon with no end in sight. Even the people who had lived in Shengjing City for a long time could not help but sigh that such a wedding scene was a rare and spectacular sight.