Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

Zhang Jingwei did not invite many people to his wedding, but at the suggestion of his father-in-law and Liu Yanzhi, he invited some officials and generals whom he had never met before. Gao Jiong agreed very much, thinking that this was also a good opportunity for the military to develop externally, so there were also many wealthy businessmen and gentry among the guests.

As time went on, guests continued to arrive, and the scene became increasingly lively. People toasted each other, laughing and chatting. However, by the end of the banquet, even Zhang Jingwei, who could hold his liquor well, felt a little tipsy.

At this moment, a middle-aged man of medium build, dressed in official uniform, walked up to Zhang Jingwei and said with a smile, "Master Zhang, I am the chief clerk of Gaoyang County. I have come specially to congratulate you on your wedding!"

Zhang Jingwei narrowed his eyes slightly, trying to stay awake, and responded, "Oh? So you're a colleague. May I know your name, Chief Clerk?"

The chief clerk hurriedly bowed and replied, "My humble official's surname is Xiao!"

Zhang Jingwei nodded and said with a smile, "Gaoyang hasn't had a chief official for a long time. I'm sure you, Xiao Zhubu, must have worked very hard during this period!"

Xiao Zhubu hurriedly said humbly, "This is all my duty. Serving the people is something I'm willing to do no matter how hard or tiring it is! Now that you've arrived, Gaoyang finally has a leader!" He then asked with concern, "After you take office, do you plan to live in the county government office, or in the private residence left by the previous county magistrate? I can then arrange for repairs and cleaning."

Zhang Jingwei thought for a moment and replied, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Chief Secretary Xiao. I think it would be more convenient for me to stay at the county office."

Xiao Zhubu nodded repeatedly and responded respectfully, "Your Excellency has considered it carefully. I will immediately arrange this matter after I return." After that, he turned and left.

After Xiao Zhubu walked a little further away, Zhang Jingwei turned to look at Wang Ergou beside him and asked in a low voice, "Have you conducted a detailed investigation on this person before?"

Wang Ergou said solemnly, "Xiao Kewei was a well-behaved official during his early career, never committing major mistakes, but neither did he achieve any notable achievements. Furthermore, his relationship with the previous Gaoyang County Magistrate was quite strained, with many disagreements. This was especially true during the investigation of the smuggling case, when he assisted the co-magistrate in collecting a large amount of evidence implicating the Gaoyang County Magistrate in his crimes."

After hearing this, Zhang Jingwei narrowed his eyes slightly and said thoughtfully, "It seems that this person is quite scheming! We can't let our guard down. We must thoroughly investigate his background and see if we can find any evidence to hold him accountable or something to use against him."

Wang Ergou nodded quickly and said, "Don't worry, Master. I'll arrange for a thorough investigation right away."

……

As the sky gradually darkened, the guests left one after another, but a few young people were still toasting each other and had no intention of leaving.

Zhang Jingwei looked at the people in front of him and said with difficulty, "Everyone, it's getting late. If we delay any longer, I'm afraid we'll hit curfew."

Ma Tianmao waved his hand nonchalantly and replied with a laugh, "No problem, no problem. We'll just rest up at your house tonight. We still have to go to the bridal chamber later."

Zhang Jingwei was shocked when he heard this and quickly tried to dissuade them, "Absolutely not! We are all well-educated and well-mannered people. How can we act so recklessly?"

At this time, Li Can on the side retorted disapprovingly: "Brother Zhang, you are wrong. We have all been drinking to this extent. We must witness the beauty of my sister-in-law with our own eyes, and watch you make love with the sheets."

Zhang Jingwei's face flushed red upon hearing this. He scolded her in shame and anger, "Vulgar! How can you allow others to peek into the private affairs between husband and wife?"

Li Can spat on the ground and said disdainfully, "Bah, who wants to see what you're doing? This is custom. Of course, someone like you getting married for the first time naturally doesn't understand the ins and outs."

Seeing Zhang Jingwei still looking bewildered, Zhang Liu, who was standing nearby, quickly stepped forward and, lowering his voice, explained in detail. After hearing this, Zhang Jingwei finally woke up from his dream and muttered to himself, "Oh, so this is how 'rolling in the sheets' works! I mistakenly thought..."

Seeing this, Li Can couldn't help but say smugly, "Besides, when the face-removing ceremony is being held, we should shout a few words to liven up the atmosphere."

Qian Ming, who had been silent all this time, spoke at this time: "I am already a family man, so I won't join in the fun. Young master, I will take my leave and go home today, and I will come to pick you up at your house early tomorrow morning." After that, he bowed to everyone, turned and left.

Zhang Jingwei looked at Qian Ming with a smile on his face and said, "Go back early and bring some beef home. It's very rare."

A hint of surprise flashed in Qian Ming's eyes, and he quickly responded: "Thank you so much! In that case, I won't be polite!" After that, he carried two baskets of beef from the kitchen. Seeing how hard he was struggling, it must be that he really wasn't polite.

……

At the beginning of midnight, Zhang Jingwei and several friends supported each other and went to the bridal chamber. Mu Tou, who was waiting at the door of the bridal chamber, went up to report the matter of "passing the red gate" with an anxious look on his face.

Gao Ying shook his head helplessly, muttering, "Alas, the customs of the South are so unpredictable. These little girls..."

At this moment, a delicate voice suddenly came from the tightly closed door: "Is that the groom Zhang standing outside?!" The voice was crisp and pleasant, like the sound of a yellow oriole singing in a valley. As soon as you heard it, you can tell that it was made by Jiuer in the room.

When Zhang Jingwei heard the call, he quickly responded, "It's me! I wonder what you ladies can do for you?" There was a hint of anticipation and a bit of nervousness in his words.

Jiu'er said loudly, "Hmph, stop being so slick! As the eldest sister, I'm going to give you the easiest test today. As long as you obediently present me with a satisfactory wedding gift, we sisters will naturally let you in!"

Gao Jiong quickly responded with a smile, "Okay, okay, I've already prepared the red seals for the ladies. Please open the door quickly so I can hand the wedding seals to you."

However, Jiu'er smiled cunningly and replied, "Hehe, do you think I'm stupid? Who knows if you're playing some tricks? It's not that easy for me to open the door, so you'd better just squeeze in through the crack!"

Gao Ying couldn't help but smile bitterly and said, "Oh, my red envelope is really big, look at this tiny crack in the door, how can it fit in?"

Jiuer thought for a moment, then said, "Okay, I'll open the door a little bit, and you have to be quick and stuff the Xifeng in for me."

After saying this, Jiu'er carefully removed the door latch, revealing a narrow gap. Gao Ying saw this and quickly passed the red envelopes one by one through the gap.

After a while, Jiu'er's surprised cry came from the room: "Wow, there are actually fifty taels of silver!"

Then, Sima Yanran was heard yelling in dissatisfaction: "Why do I only have five taels? This is not fair!"

Xiaolan beside him also echoed: "That's right, I only got five taels!"

Finally, Douya timidly said, "Wow, wow, wow... I have even less, only a pitiful one or two ounces of silver!"

Just as they were looking at the banknotes in the red envelope with great joy, suddenly, there was a loud bang. The door that had been tightly closed was unexpectedly kicked open by Gao Ying! Everyone was startled and looked up.

Seeing this, Sima Yanran was not afraid at all. She put her hands on her hips and said coquettishly, "Humph, I haven't even said you've passed yet, so this doesn't count!"

Zhang Jingwei, who was standing by, pointed at Jiuer and said with a smile, "Look at Jiuer's satisfied expression. Doesn't that count as passing the test?"

At this time, Jiu'er was already grinning from ear to ear, nodding repeatedly in response: "Count it, count it, I have definitely passed this level!" As she said that, she couldn't wait to carefully put the silver note with a face value of fifty taels into her sleeve, as if she was afraid that it would be snatched away by others.

Seeing Jiu'er being so greedy, Sima Yanran couldn't help but curl her lips and muttered, "Big sister is greedy for money and forgets righteousness!"