Chapter 1 The Feast

Under the crowd's escort, after the head wolf was sent into the Dai mansion in Ningyuan City, the luncheon began. After the somewhat restrained luncheon ended, Ye Tao and Dai Yun rode side by side, circling half of Ningyuan before arriving at the newly renovated Yunzhou Pacification Commissioner's Office. In reality, whether it was Ye Tao, Tan Weixin, or later Dai Yun, they would spend most of their time inspecting and handling various affairs throughout Yunzhou. Even when they wanted to gather, they might choose those more refined villas and gardens scattered throughout Yunzhou. The renovation of the Yunzhou Pacification Commissioner's Office made the entire complex resemble a hybrid of an office area and a salon-style garden, perfectly suited for hosting various large-scale banquets. Although there were comfortable residential areas, they did not occupy a major portion of the Pacification Commissioner's Office's grounds, which was very much in line with Ye Tao's consistent emphasis on space utilization and residential comfort.

Although people had been arriving at the Pacification Commissioner's Office since noon, the entire office arranged the various guests according to their respective fields, status, and degree of closeness, seating them in different halls for tea and conversation. This subtle arrangement even took into account those who usually had disagreements, separating them into different halls. This thoughtfulness alone made all the guests feel warm inside. Elders such as Dai Shikui and Ye Lao Geng, with their kind-hearted natures, happily shuttled between the different halls, chatting with everyone and even mediating between those with minor misunderstandings. The long wait before the wedding banquet turned into an excellent social opportunity. Undoubtedly, the various precious gifts sent by distinguished guests from all sides piled up like mountains. The guests also learned about many new products from Ye's Workshop, Yunzhou, and Dongping, as well as what an attractive land Yunzhou would become in the future, through the pre-banquet waiting and the banquet itself. From this perspective, the wait before the banquet became a very successful large-scale public relations event.

The banquet's prelude was heralded by the aroma of wine. Just as the banquet was approaching in the evening, the servants busily bustling throughout the Pacification Commissioner's Office went to each hall to notify everyone that they could take their seats at any time. Soon after, the waiters, temporarily borrowed from famous restaurants in Danyang to improve the wedding banquet's service quality, began to crack open jars of Nu'er Hong (daughter red wine) buried in the ground for as many years as Dai Yun's age. They started to heat up the beeswax used to seal the mouths of the large porcelain bottles transported from various places, pried open oak barrels freshly transported from Gray Goose Winery, opened exquisite pottery bottles with the Gray Goose mark, and routinely distributed various wines according to the number of people at each table and whether they drank. The rich aroma of wine almost completely captivated the gourmets among the guests. The variety and quality of the wines appearing at this wedding banquet were unprecedented, far surpassing even when Ye Tao married Tan Weixin, almost like a small-scale wine expo. Among the various fragrances of famous and fine wines, a faint, smoky aroma prominently expressed its opinion. Thus, everyone began to learn about Gray Goose Winery's Baili Nian Tan (centennial pool) from the waiters, and also learned that Gray Goose Winery had an even more special and potent wine called "Gray Goose Essence"… Although Ye Tao was good at seizing various opportunities, he didn't want to deliberately turn his wedding into a Baili Nian Tan launch and wine tasting, as that would be unfair to himself and even more unfair to Dai Yun. However, many officials at all levels working in the Agricultural Trade Bureau knew that Gray Goose Winery was actually Ye Tao's property, an important part of the Agricultural Trade Bureau's efforts to research new products and develop markets. Unknowingly, Baili Nian Tan and Essence wine became the center of everyone's discussion. The Baili Nian Tan whisky, which had only been soaked in oak barrels for a short time, was of ordinary quality. In terms of quality, it was not comparable to those aged and genuine Nu'er Hong, but these whiskies extracted from distilled spirits, were superior in that they had a high alcohol content and quickly captured a large number of gourmets. And the pure and fierce Essence wine had long conquered Ye Tao's tribal guard. Now, Essence wine quickly became the favorite of the locals and tribal members of Yunzhou.

No one could have imagined that everyone would start drinking before the banquet even began, and they drank quite a lot. Baili Nian Tan only provided a little bit of samples, allowing everyone to taste it lightly, but Essence wine, which had simple materials and a simple process, was basically supplied without restraint. Before the official start of the banquet, quite a few people were already drunk, and these drunken people became a unique scenery of this wedding.

While toasting the guests attending the banquet in accordance with Yunzhou customs, Ye Tao suddenly realized that he had fallen into a trap. Tribal banquets were held around several bonfires by the entire tribe. Even if the groom got carried away and drank a few more cups with everyone, it didn't matter, since there weren't many seats. But facing the densely packed thirty seats in the inner hall and fifty seats in the outer hall, Ye Tao couldn't even make it through one round. In fact, he began to feel dizzy when he reached the fourth table, the Blood Kirin Army officer corps, and almost subconsciously drank, toasted, and spoke, before collapsing when he reached the nineteenth table.

However, regardless, customs were customs. After sending the groom back to his tent, the banquet had to continue. And neither the officers of the Blood Kirin Army Iron Cloud Cavalry, nor even someone as esteemed as Tan Weiran, dared to mention anything about disturbing the bridal chamber. Ye Tao might admit that he was a groom with the obligation to entertain the masses, but everyone could see Dai Yun's abnormality and shyness these days. Just this afternoon, when Ye Tao and Dai Yun rode side by side, facing the crowd, cheers, and good-natured teasing and jokes from the people of Yunzhou, the blush on Dai Yun's face never faded. Other women might be at a loss when they were shy and nervous, but would Dai Yun? Perhaps she would, but no one dared to test it. Everyone knew that Dai Yun might not be at a loss, but if she was teased too much, beyond her tolerance, this former Blood Kirin Army Inspector General and Yunzhou Pacification Commissioner's Office Commander was going to lose it.

Wedding customs varied from place to place, but at least this wedding had one thing in common with regular weddings: Dai Yun had to wait silently in the bridal chamber. When Ye Tao was escorted into the backyard by a large group of people much earlier than expected, Dai Yun asked Guan Huan, who had a face full of smiles, with some disbelief, "What happened?"

"He got himself drunk with the strong liquor he made himself," Guan Huan said with a chuckle. "Don't worry, it's not drowning his sorrows."

Dai Yun's teeth itched. If she had a cavalry sword by her side at this moment, she would definitely slash at Guan Huan without hesitation, even though she knew that she, Peng Ji of the Lotus Leaf Sword's highly skilled disciple, was far inferior to Guan Huan. Even Peng Ji of the Lotus Leaf Sword himself might not be a match for Guan Huan now. However, Guan Huan was notoriously bad-mouthed, and Dai Yun felt that there was no need to bother with such a person. She asked, "Then… the carriages aren't ready yet, are they? How much longer?"

Guan Huan put away his joking expression and replied seriously, "The attendants of the guests are making a lot of noise right now, and there's no way to get away from the stables and parking lot all at once. I've already ordered two carriages to be borrowed from the Dai mansion, entering directly from the door near the backyard warehouse. About half an hour, I guess. The guards are ready to depart at any time."

"Help Ye Tao into the room first," Dai Yun said helplessly. There were safety considerations, as well as other factors. They were only nominally in the bridal chamber in Ningyuan today. So many guests and their attendants filled the Pacification Commissioner's Office that it was impossible to count them all after the banquet ended. It was hard to say whether someone with ulterior motives would lurk in the Pacification Commissioner's Office, waiting for an opportunity to act. Moreover, after today's wedding banquet, plus the consumption of various gifts distributed by the two families, almost half of Ningyuan was drunk, and this environment was really not reassuring. As long as the carriages were ready, they would return to the villa where they had originally settled.

After placing Ye Tao flat on the bed, lighting incense in the room to clear his mind, and taking off his shoes and outer clothes, Dai Yun actually felt that these things that she didn't do very often, or even never done before, weren't so unpleasant after all. The sleeping Ye Tao was very different from the temperament he usually showed. Although Ye Tao was usually gentle and kind, and didn't put on airs, he had various complicated things to do and various things to consider, which kept him in a state of thinking. This Ye Tao showed a unique sharpness, a power that was not aggressive but could convince people. And the sleeping Ye Tao was so quiet. And in this quietness, it seemed as if something else was hidden. Dai Yun felt that even in his sleep, Ye Tao hadn't let go of all his burdens, let go of all the complex and difficult work that perhaps only he could handle in this world, and achieved a rare peace. Ye Tao's brow held an almost imperceptible arc, adding a bit of cynicism to his calm expression. Was he thinking about something? Perhaps some kind of self-deprecation?

Observing her husband for the first time, Dai Yun found it very interesting. From now on, she would have enough time to understand this interesting person, but the corners of her mouth also curved into an arc of self-deprecation. She pushed open the door, revealing a narrow gap, and said to Shi Liu, already a battalion commander, who was waiting outside the door for her orders, "Shi Liu, warm up a pot of wine for me. Just a little bit, and get me some beef…"

"Yes…" Shi Liu's current state could be described as "petrified." She was suddenly stunned and couldn't understand what kind of trick her always somewhat unconventional young lady was going to pull. But she still completed Dai Yun's orders with the highest efficiency.

Dai Yun laid out the Nu'er Hong of her own age on the table in the room, and arranged the beef. She sipped the wine and ate the excellent salted beef, which still had residual warmth, while carefully examining Ye Tao's unique expression in his sleep and listening to his even and steady breathing. Drinking while using her husband's sleeping posture as a snack, she didn't know if she was the first to do so.

————————————

Actually, holidays are very painful… My train of thought is broken again.