Tang Dynasty: Father, if you don't rebel, I will!

Dressed in a noble and elegant red wedding gown, Qian Yingying, with Li Chengqian's personal assistance, slowly walked into the sedan chair behind her.

Qian Lou waved his hand, his expression serious and unsmiling. He seemed to always be the type of person who played roles like "assassin," "executioner," or "prison warden." But as he watched the wedding procession depart again, a hint of bewilderment finally appeared on his face.

Seeing this, Cui Xiaoguo, whose personality was similar to Qianlou's, walked to the other's side.

"Commander, rest assured. The fact that His Highness took the initiative to welcome the bride instead of having the Crown Princess escort her to the palace shows that His Highness is a sincere person."

Qianlou glanced at him, his expression instantly returning to its usual stern and unsmiling state.

There was a hint of coldness in his voice.

"Are there any blind fools along the way?"

Cui Xiaoguo bowed: "Yes, but they have all been resolved!"

Qian Lou nodded slightly and stepped back into the Qian residence. When he came out again, the magnificent robe he had worn when welcoming the bride had been changed into the official uniform of the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

"Have everyone keep a close eye on things! If anything goes wrong today, even if the villains don't harm the Crown Prince, it will still damage the reputation of our Great Tang and the Imperial Family!"

The Duke of Ying's Mansion.

The Crown Prince arrived to welcome his bride.

However, it was Duke Ying, Wu Shihuo, and his concubine, Lady Yang, who came to greet them, not the mistress, Lady Xiangli.

This should have been a serious breach of etiquette, but Li Chengqian seemed completely oblivious to it, and the officials in charge of presiding over the etiquette at the Duke of Ying's residence also remained silent.

The mistress of the Duke of Ying's mansion ruined the Duke's two sons.

As a result, Duke Ying of Wu Shiyue has now almost openly abandoned them, a fact that is common knowledge among the high-ranking officials of the Tang Dynasty.

It was inevitable that the emperor would divorce his first wife, Lady Xiangli, and elevate Lady Yang to the position of first wife.

"After today, I should also address the Duke of Ying as my father-in-law..."

Li Chengqian cupped his hands in greeting, a friendly smile on his face.

Samurai Yu said he dared not, but his face was already creased with laughter.

Yang, standing to the side, gracefully bowed and said, "Your Highness, please hurry and enter the palace. The etiquette in the palace will be even more complicated, and Your Highness and the Crown Princess will inevitably be exhausted."

She is intelligent.

I often heard my daughter Wu Shun say that the Crown Prince in the palace often grumbled about how the etiquette was too complicated, so I could tell at a glance that what the Crown Prince was saying didn't mean anything.

But all the tedious formalities along the way must have already annoyed him to no end.

Wu Shiyue, who was standing to the side, noticed his wife's expression and nodded slightly, almost imperceptibly.

"Hehe, Your Highness, please. The two little maids, Zhao'er and Si'er, have already been stopped by Prince Jin and his men. You may go directly into the manor to welcome the bride..."

Li Chengqian's eyes lit up, and he quickly cupped his hands in greeting.

He glanced deeply at his future mother-in-law, a woman from the Yang family of Hongnong. As expected of a lady from a prestigious family, she had raised her daughter so well.

And so adept at reading people's expressions...

Li Chengqian smiled and nodded slightly to the Duke of Ying beside him, conveying a reassuring look that everyone understood.

Outside Wu Shun's boudoir.

Whether he wanted to make amends to his elder brother or simply wanted to tease his beloved Wu Zetian, Li Zhi arrived at the Duke of Ying's residence well before the wedding procession.

At this moment, Wu Zetian was firmly blocked to the side.

Ignoring the other party's embarrassed and angry expression, and ignoring the pitiful look of Wu Si, the third daughter of the Wu family, with tears welling up in her eyes, he acted like a thug and turned to his elder brother with a smug smile.

"Your Majesty, you go ahead. I'll hold them off here!"

Li Chengqian: "......"

He shook his head slightly. This Ninth Prince clearly wanted to take the opportunity to flirt with Wu Zetian, but he insisted on using the pretext of "for my sake".

Gee...

In the boudoir.

Just as the wedding procession arrived at the gate of the Duke of Ying's mansion, a maid informed Wu Shun, who was already nervously anticipating the event, that he had just heard the commotion outside the gate.

Her slender, jade-like hands, holding a round fan, clenched nervously a little tighter.

She wasn't the type to enjoy conflict, just like her name suggests.

The power of the Duke of Ying's mansion can now be described as terrifying, and in many aspects it even surpasses the original five surnames and seven noble families. That is why she married the Crown Prince not for any power.

She simply admired such a wise and capable ruler and hoped to stay by his side.

But she never expected that the position of concubine, which was clearly considered a sure thing by Wang Yuyan and Zheng Lizhen, two noble ladies, would end up falling on her head.

This, on the contrary, made her, a concubine who only saw herself as a "minor concubine," feel immense pressure.

"What are you thinking about?"

A gentle voice suddenly rang out, startling Wu Shun so much that his body trembled instantly.

"Ah! Your Highness, when did you come in...?"

Li Chengqian smiled, and although the other person's head was covered by a veil, he could almost see their shy and nervous expression.

"Shun'er, I've come to marry you!"

The procedures for the two concubines afterward were similar for the Prince of Rencheng's Mansion and the Duke of Lu's Mansion.

Wang De, Sun Yi, and Gao Hai, these few eunuchs who were Li Chengqian's personal eunuchs, had been coming to him frequently to report how much silver they had received in the days leading up to the wedding.

As a result, Li Chengqian's subsequent wedding processions were not hindered in the slightest. Even if there were any, they were just for show, a few minutes of playful banter that ended without any real harm.

At the Prince of Rencheng's residence, Li Xueyan easily completed the procedures.

The group then changed course and headed to the Duke of Lu's residence.

"Waaah, Your Highness, I am ashamed, I am so ashamed..."

When Hou Junji, that old bastard, saw his daughter Hou Qianya being helped onto the imperial carriage by Li Chengqian, he burst into tears.

As he spoke, he pounded his chest.

Li Chengqian naturally understood his meaning.

That day, the Wang family of Taiyuan and the Zheng family of Xingyang rushed into the palace, wanting to secure a good position for Wang Yuyan and Zheng Lizhen.

Hou Junji, that old fellow, also participated.

In the end, Wang Yuyan and Zheng Lizhen could only be ranked as Liangyuan (a high-ranking concubine) alongside the foreign tribute women, while Hou Qianya, the daughter of Hou Junji who was equally confused that day, was able to obtain the rank of Liangdi (a high-ranking concubine) above the two of them.

This demonstrates Crown Prince Li Chengqian's tolerance towards Hou Junji and his care for Hou Qianya.

Li Chengqian helped the other person up.

"The matter is over. From now on, I and the Duke of Lu are family. You represent me in your actions. Remember to think twice before you act in the future. I will not let you suffer any injustice for no reason, but I also hope that... Qianya will not suffer any injustice because of your father-in-law."

"This is a one-time thing, and it must never happen again!"

Hou Junji was moved again and almost knelt down in gratitude, but Li Chengqian held him back tightly.

I could only tremble, my eyes brimming with tears of overwhelming emotion and gratitude.

"Your Majesty's teachings will be remembered! I will never again act recklessly!"

As the wedding procession left the Duke of Lu's mansion, Li Chengqian's visit to fetch his bride came to an end.

Afterwards, they toured around Chang'an City. The five ladies were Wang Yuyan from Taiyuan, Zheng Lizhen from Xingyang, Queen Kim Deokman from Silla, Zanmu Samaga from Tibet, and Princess Salmana from Sassanid Persia.

The massive procession, besides being guarded by the Six Guards of the Eastern Palace for security, also included dowries from various households stretching as far as the eye could see.

When Wang Yuyan and the other ladies-in-waiting joined Li Chengqian's main wedding procession, the procession stretched so far that it couldn't even extend across Zhuque Avenue.

Perhaps it was to save face, or perhaps it was to ask for Crown Prince Li Chengqian's forgiveness.

The Wang family of Taiyuan and the Zheng family of Xingyang doubled their original dowries.

They put a lot of effort into selecting porters with decent appearances...

royal palace.

In the Taiji Hall, all the officials were dressed festively today, with a layer of red gauze deliberately draped over their official robes, or the tassels on the sides of some officials' hats were changed to red.

As the master of ceremonies chanted the verses, Li Chengqian, returning from welcoming the bride, held a red silk ribbon adorned with flowers in one hand, while the other end was held by Crown Princess Qian Yingying.

Enter the main hall.

Looking at the dignified and imposing Crown Prince Li Chengqian, dressed as a groom.

Sitting at the head of the table, Li Yuan's eyes reddened slightly. In a daze, he seemed to see his sons welcoming their brides back then.

The royal family is ruthless.

Fortunately, Heaven took pity on him. Although Li Yuan lost two sons, he gained a grandson who was a hundred or a thousand times more outstanding. With this grandson around, the Tang Dynasty's achievements would surpass those of the Qin and Han dynasties.

Li Shimin felt a heavy weight in his heart as he watched his eldest son get married.

I felt like I was getting married again, with an extra responsibility on my shoulders.

The golden palace and jade steps are bathed in sunlight, and the dragon robes and phoenix crowns are shimmering in the morning glow.

The sound of drums and music travels for miles, and everyone is intoxicated by the grand wedding.

"On this auspicious day, at this auspicious time..."

"The newlyweds and brides serve at the ancestral temple."

"The successor shall be honored with proper rites..."

Tang Jian, the Minister of Rites, personally officiated at the wedding; despite his advanced age, he was remarkably spry.

As Li Chengqian led Qian Yingying into the Taiji Hall, palace maids hurriedly laid out prepared cushions on the ground and brought out auspicious items such as golden goblets and wild geese, placing them on either side.

Tang Jian's face was full of joy, and he spoke loudly.

"First bow to Heaven, Earth, ancestral temples, and the altars of the land—may blessings be bestowed upon us!"

"Bye~"

Li Chengqian and Qian Yingying turned around and knelt down to kowtow in the direction of the main hall of Taiji Hall.

"Bowing twice to the Emperor, Empress, ancestors, and teachers—respecting filial piety and upholding propriety."

"Bye~"

Li Shimin sat up straighter, his face full of fatherly kindness, and he chuckled softly, unable to contain himself.

As Li Chengqian and Qian Yingying bowed, Empress Zhangsun, standing to the side, couldn't help but take a deep breath, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

However, Li Gang, Yu Shinan, and Kong Yingda, who had been assigned seats to stand beside them, were the three people who were present.

"Old Kong, don't tremble. If you embarrass yourself today, His Highness the Crown Prince will definitely depose you as the Crown Prince's Junior Tutor again!" Yu Shinan smiled and nodded slightly as he looked at the Crown Prince and Crown Princess who were bowing to them.

He squeezed out a sentence through his teeth, a sentence that only he and Kong Yingda and Li Gang beside him could hear.

Kong Yingda: "I'm old, I'm old, I can't control myself..."

Fortunately, he was wearing loose clothing, and although his body was trembling like a leaf, only his beard was still trembling noticeably.

His facial muscles twitched incessantly, as if he were suppressing an escalating rebellion.

I want to laugh out loud, but I keep suppressing it...

Li Gang noticed something was wrong with him from the side, and gritted his teeth, gripping the other's trembling hand tightly with one hand.

"You surnamed Kong, if you dare to cause any trouble on the wedding day of my personally taught disciple, I will skin your entire Kong family alive!"

Yu Shinan said nervously, "Kong Yingda, are you about to die? Wait a bit longer before you die! At least until the Crown Prince's wedding!"

Kong Yingda: "Old man, I'll try my best... Ha, hehe, hee, woo!!!"

Done!

I'm going to love this! It feels amazing!!!