Having eaten some food at noon, Fan Xian didn't remember what exactly, only that he had drunk a lot of wine. Many officials, with good intentions or driven by greed, urged him to write a few poems to commemorate this auspicious time, beautiful women, and charming scenery. But no matter how much Fan Xian drank, he firmly remembered his declaration of retiring from the poetry scene, and politely declined them all.

During the banquet, the people from the Jing Prince's residence finally arrived, and all the officials in the courtyard stood up to greet them. Looking at that prince who resembled a flower farmer, Fan Xian smiled wryly, thinking to himself, why hadn't he recognized him the first time he saw him?

Jing Prince had always liked Fan Xian, and seeing him dressed so flamboyantly today, he said in a muffled voice, "This thing doesn't know how to dress."

Fan Xian knew his temperament and replied with a smile, "I wonder what the Prince looked like during his own wedding."

The heir, Li Hongcheng, whispered beside him, "Probably not as good as you."

Jing Prince exploded, cursing, "I didn't even *have* you when I got married, what do you know?"

The officials nearby, seeing the Prince and the heir bickering, didn't dare to say much and hid to the side to snicker. Only Si Nan Earl Fan Jian, as the host, was troubled, shaking his head and smiling wryly as he advised, "I say, Your Highness, those words are unnecessary." Although he was only an Earl, the two families had been friends for decades, so he spoke casually to Jing Prince.

Jing Prince waved his hand, ignoring the younger ones, and went straight into the inner hall with Fan Jian. Halfway there, he stopped, turned back to Fan Xian, and said seriously, "You're not bad."

Fan Xian was taken aback and quickly bowed to thank him. Jing Prince frowned again and said, "I was thinking of betrothing Roujia to you in a couple of years, but I didn't expect my sister to snatch my son-in-law." He seemed genuinely regretful, shook his head, and walked inside.

Who was Jing Prince's sister? Naturally, it was Fan Xian's future mother-in-law, the Eldest Princess. Luckily, his words were spoken softly and weren't heard by everyone. But Fan Xian, hearing that the Prince had intended to betroth the Princess Roujia to him, couldn't help but feel a lingering fear, thinking that marrying Roujia would truly be a terrifying thing. In a flash, he remembered that his mother-in-law looked much younger than this Prince, and couldn't help but feel perplexed.

While he was lost in thought, Li Hongcheng patted him on the shoulder and said softly, "Based on our friendship, I should have come earlier, but you know, it's not convenient for me to arrive too early on such an occasion."

Fan Xian understood. Although the other party had a good relationship with him, he was, after all, the heir of Jing Prince, and it wouldn't be proper to arrive first to help the son of a minister. That would be too out of line. He smiled slightly, preparing to say something, when he heard Li Hongcheng whisper again, "Roujia didn't come today. She asked me to tell you."

Fan Xian raised an eyebrow, thinking that Roujia usually had a good relationship with Ruoruo, and also with him, so why wouldn't she come to his wedding?

Seeing his expression, Li Hongcheng said with a wry smile, "My sister is currently wiping away tears in the Prince's residence. What Father said earlier was true. If your fiancée wasn't also of great importance, Father might have really gone to ask the Empress Dowager to intervene and have you marry Roujia instead."

Fan Xian was first stunned, then felt a pang of bitterness in his heart, realizing that today he really didn't know what to say and it was better to keep his mouth shut.

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Finally, it was time for the ceremony to heaven and earth. Fan Xian and Lin Wan'er held the ends of the red silk thread, gazing at each other affectionately through the red cloth, and slowly bowed down. That sugary scene moved Fan Ruoruo to tears, while it made Fan Sizhe, standing next to her, feel so nauseous he wanted to freak out.

When bowing to their parents, Si Nan Earl Fan Jian sat stroking his beard, while Madam Liu sat rather awkwardly in the position of the matriarch. The observing officials and dignitaries were greatly puzzled, wondering when Madam Liu had been formally instated.

They didn't know that this was the result of Fan Xian's secret planning for the past month. Fan Xian wasn't a person who returned evil with good, but he wasn't one to hold grudges blindly either. Although his vigilance towards Madam Liu couldn't be eliminated, he saw that she was indeed devoted to his father. Therefore, if Madam Liu was formally instated, it could appease her faction and also make her feel more secure.

Of course, if Madam Liu took any action that was detrimental to him again, Fan Xian now had the ability to protect himself and harm his enemies. He just didn't want to do that—after all, according to his conjecture, Madam Liu was actually just an unfortunate person, and besides, there was Fan Sizhe between them now. Si Nan Earl Fan Jian had never nodded in agreement, but last night, a message finally came from the palace, the Empress Dowager had spoken, and he had no choice but to default to this fact.

After enduring for ten years, Madam Liu finally sat in the rightful position. She touched the smooth armrest of the chair somewhat uncomfortably, and uneasily accepted the tea offered by the new bride, taking a shallow sip without tasting the flavor. When she looked at Fan Xian out of the corner of her eye, she became somewhat uneasy.

Fan Xian's eyes weren't looking at her, but he was smiling slightly as he offered tea to his father.

Madam Liu's lips struggled to form a smile.

The officials in the hall were somewhat confused because they didn't know the inside story. The officials from Madam Liu's family in the side hall couldn't help but sigh as they watched this scene.

Just then, a commotion came from outside the mansion. Fan Xian stood up, and the wedding matron also helped Wan'er up. The family looked outside together.

"An imperial edict has arrived! The Fan family is to receive the decree!"

Eunuch Hou, who was familiar with the Fan family in the palace, pushed the door open with a smile and announced the imperial decree. Today was a joyous occasion, and whether it was Fan Jian or Fan Xian, they had both guessed that the palace would definitely have some arrangements, so they weren't surprised.

However, the ministers of the Six Ministries in the courtyard were somewhat surprised. The rewards mentioned in Eunuch Hou's edict were really somewhat out of line. The amount of gold and silk far exceeded the standard, and some tribute items were also on the list. No matter how you looked at it, it didn't seem like the rewards that should be given for the wedding of a minister's son. It was more like a princess was getting married or a prince was taking a wife.

Even if it was a marriage between the Prime Minister and Si Nan Earl, the royal family shouldn't pay this much attention.

While listening to the edict, Fan Xian whispered to his wife under the red veil, "Did you hear that? I'm enjoying your blessings, darling."

Lin Wan'er under the red cloth blushed deeply.

……

……

After Eunuch Hou retreated, the officials breathed a sigh of relief, but unexpectedly, they heard someone shouting loudly outside again, "The marriage of the Fan and Lin families, a match made in heaven, Imperial Noble Consort Shu bestows gifts."

Fan Xian was taken aback and bowed with Wan'er again. Imperial Noble Consort Shu rewarded the original version of that set of rare books. Imperial Noble Consort Shu was the birth mother of the Second Prince. Unexpectedly, she also had a connection with the Fan residence. The officials couldn't help but click their tongues in amazement.

Unexpectedly, after a while, they heard someone shouting loudly outside again, "The marriage of the Fan and Lin families, a match made in heaven, Consort Ning sends her congratulations." The officials were shocked again. Although this Consort's rank wasn't high, her only biological son was the First Prince, who had been leading troops outside and was deeply valued by His Majesty.

Consort Ning's gift was a sword, which suited her Eastern Yi origins. Fan Xian and his wife had no choice but to bow again and reluctantly accept the sword. Fan Xian whispered to his wife, "See? It's the Imperial Consorts' turn to give rewards. Consort Ning's sword is a reward for you. If anything goes wrong, you can use the sword to chop me."

Lin Wan'er blushed again. Under the public gaze, she couldn't bite this damned husband.

Since Imperial Noble Consort Shu and Consort Ning had both sent gifts, the other imperial consorts naturally also had intentions to send, but the few whose reputations weren't prominent sent them together. Only Imperial Concubine Ning was from the Liu family, so she was particularly different. Moreover, she received the news last night that the Liu family had finally been formally instated, so she was overjoyed and made a lavish gesture. The gift list alone was two feet thick, scaring the officials in the courtyard.

After the imperial consorts, it was the Empress's reward. As the mother of the nation, the Empress's reward was naturally extraordinary, a jade *ruyi* scepter with a crystal clear body, extremely precious and invaluable, beyond description.

Today, the ministers had finally opened their eyes. Since the founding of the Qing Kingdom, no wedding of a minister's children had ever alarmed so many noble figures in the palace!

Of course, the high-ranking officials who knew Lin Wan'er's true identity naturally understood the inside story. Lin Wan'er was not only the illegitimate daughter of the Eldest Princess, but the most important thing was that she was always extremely favored by the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, and had grown up in the palace since she was a child, so of course her relationship with these noble figures was extraordinary.

Gradually, the tables in the courtyard quieted down, and the officials of the Six Ministries finally understood what was going on. Their expressions became more restrained and serious, and the way they looked at the bride changed slightly.

Finally, the most heavyweight bomb exploded. His Majesty's personally handwritten calligraphy was carried into the Fan residence by the eunuchs like a treasure. A large group of people in the courtyard knelt down.

"By imperial decree, the Emperor proclaims: The marriage of the Fan and Lin families, a propitious time blessed by heaven, a painting inscribed by hand, to offer congratulations."

Fan Jian and Fan Xian carefully received it and unfolded it to show the crowd. On the clean white paper were written four large characters: "百 年 好 合" (Bǎi Nián Hǎo Hé) - "A Hundred Years of Harmony."

It was a simple meaning, but for His Majesty, who usually didn't like to participate in the affairs of his ministers' families, to write it himself, the hidden meaning was very significant. The people in the courtyard speculated that Fan Xian had married Lin Wan'er, and was probably as lucky as picking up a big gold ingot.

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In a room deep within the palace, His Majesty, the Emperor of Qing, was smiling as he looked at a painting. The painting was a meticulously detailed depiction of a woman in a yellow dress.

The Emperor had married his most beloved Wan'er to Fan Xian, thinking that the woman in the painting would also like this daughter-in-law. Today, the marriage of the Fan and Lin families had such a grand scale, and everyone thought it was because His Majesty cherished Wan'er, even the imperial consorts in the palace hadn't thought of anything else. But this supreme ruler knew that he just wanted to make up for Fan Xian's regret of not being able to have a grand wedding as a prince.

The Emperor looked at the woman in the painting, a smile appearing on his lips: "You always liked this kind of lively spectacle, I hope he likes it too."