Chapter 15: Wearing Flowers as Your Wife 1
Since the case was closed, the Detective Department has been a bit idle. Qinqin's spirit has finally recovered. This day, Meng Fan sent her to the academy before going to the yamen. As soon as he stepped into the door of the Detective Department, he felt a cool breath blowing towards him.
Huo Chi sat upright, dangling a newly made exquisite throwing knife in his hand. Yan An had his back to him, his head resting on the wall, thinking hard.
"I say..." Meng Fan started, pulling out his chair and sitting down, "What are you two doing here? Hey, where's Zhou Zhenzhen? Hasn't she come yet?"
Huo Chi paused and raised his chin towards the opposite side. Meng Fan touched the goose bumps on his arms, stood up and put the chestnuts he brought today on the table by the window.
If Cheng Jue and Zhou Zhenzhen had a clear hierarchy before, then after the case of the Zheng brothers and sisters, the two of them completely ignored worldly affairs and became "in cahoots with each other."
Zhou Zhenzhen had made great contributions in this case, so Cheng Jue specially asked the emperor for permission to promote Zhou Zhenzhen. Now she is second only to Cheng Jue in the Dali Temple.
Meng Fan was quite speechless about this. He didn't know what His Majesty was thinking, and he actually approved Cheng Jue's request.
After that, Zhou Zhenzhen almost lived in Cheng Jue's office. In response, Cheng Jue said: "Mr. Zhou has a higher official position than all of you. It is not appropriate for him to stay with you. However, I am the only one who has a higher official position than you in the Dali Temple. It is reasonable for Mr. Zhou to work with me."
Meng Fan: ...It was the first time he heard someone use public resources for personal gain so confidently and logically.
He shook his head, turned around and pointed at Yan An and asked, "What's wrong with Doctor Yan? Why are you still facing the wall and thinking about your mistakes?"
Huo Chi said: "Doctor Yan is thinking about how to ask Master Cheng for the consultation fee."
"You want to go back?" Meng Fan patted Yan An's head. "Why go back to your place? It would be better for you to stay in Dali Temple and help with the case. You have contributed a lot to this case. Lord Cheng loves talents and will definitely not let you go. Based on my experience, I advise you that when you come here, you belong to Dali Temple in life and will be a dead person in Dali Temple in death. Just accept your fate, ah!"
Yan An still didn't speak, so Meng Fan pushed him again, causing his forehead to hit the wall. He woke up immediately, covered his forehead, turned around, and asked sleepily, "What did you say?"
It turns out he is catching up on his sleep!
Huo Chi said, "Oh," and said, "He is advising you to accept your fate and not leave the Dali Temple."
Yan An yawned, stood up and stretched his waist: "Who said I'm leaving Dali Temple?"
"So you still want to ask for the consultation fee?"
"Why not?" Yan An asked with a puzzled look on his face, "I want to stay in Dali Temple because I want to do something. It's my responsibility to ask for the medical fee. There is no conflict."
Meng Fan's forehead twitched, unable to refute. The three of them were talking incoherently when the door was pushed open and Zhou Zhenzhen rushed in, her face flushed. Without saying a word, she walked to the innermost table and hurriedly picked up a file and started flipping through it.
She flipped through the file over and over again, almost tearing it apart before she stopped, her eyes fixed on a certain page.
Meng Fan and Huo Chi looked at each other, thinking: What happened again that made Zhou Zhenzhen rush back to look through the files? Yan An was very sharp-eyed and had excellent eyesight after years of practicing medicine. He took a look from a distance and said calmly, "She got the files the wrong way around."
Meng Fan said "Oh", glanced at Zhou Zhenzhen's red face, then looked across and touched his chin. Something was happening.
Zhou Zhenzhen was in a trance the whole day, blushing and grinning from time to time. When she was leaving the yamen, she bumped into Cheng Jue opposite her. She lowered her head even more and hurriedly took Meng Fan away.
If it were any other time, Meng Fan would have been courting his own death, but today Cheng Jue just looked at them with a smile the entire time, without any murderous intent, which made Huo Chi even more confused.
"Lord Zhou's blood is boiling, his face is red, his eyes are erratic, and his behavior is slow. This is a typical case of excessive excitement." Yan An counted on his fingers and concluded, "I think there will be a wedding in Dali Temple."
Although Yan An always speaks incoherently, he always manages to speak out the truth.
In the morning, Zhou Zhenzhen entered Cheng Jue's office and cleaned up the table as usual, put the cakes she brought from Manyue Tea House on it, and boiled a pot of hot water. When Cheng Jue came, he drank the warm osmanthus tea.
The two were already used to this kind of interaction, and after finishing their meal, they buried themselves in their work. Zhou Zhenzhen, through Cheng Jue's connections, borrowed the defense list of Gaizhou City over the years from the Ministry of Revenue.
In the room filled with the sweet fragrance of osmanthus and the rustling sound of turning pages, Zhou Zhenzhen felt at peace. What she had always wanted was something like this, with sunshine, the fragrance of tea, and her Master Cheng by her side.
She turned another page with a smile, and suddenly pushed a piece of paper over to her with a single finger.
——It is really inappropriate to peek while working.
Zhou Zhenzhen's face suddenly turned red, and Cheng Jue pushed another piece of paper over to her.
——It’s better to do some serious work in between office tasks.
Zhou Zhenzhen sat upright, straightened his back and wanted to do the so-called "business". Unexpectedly, Cheng Jue was quiet for a while, picked up the pen and wrote something quickly, and pushed it over as usual.
Seeing this, Zhou Zhenzhen's heart almost jumped out of her throat, and even the not-so-bright sunlight seemed as thick as honey.
——
I have prepared firewood and three stars are in the sky. What a night it is, to see this good man? My dear, what a good man!
I am preparing my food and gathering my straw, and three stars are in the corner. What is this night, that we meet by chance? My dear, why do we meet like this?
The three stars are in the window. What night is it tonight? Why do you see such a charming girl? My dear, why do you see such a charming girl?
Zhou Zhenzhen has read this passage from the Book of Songs: Preparing and bundling firewood, men and women get married, and each gets what he deserves.
In an instant, a blush appeared on his cheeks, but Cheng Jue still had to ask seriously, "How about this serious matter, Lord Zhou, are you willing to do it?"
Zhou Zhenzhen's mind was in a mess, she was shy and nervous, but more of a surprise. She couldn't control her words, afraid that if she said a wrong word before doing such a big thing, she would regret it for the rest of her life, so in the end she said nothing, opened the door and fled.
Cheng Jue was not surprised by her reaction. He pinched his eyebrows and smiled gently.
Zhou Zhenzhen hid for ten days in a row, but on September 13th, she could no longer hide.
She woke up before dawn, tossing and turning on the couch, unable to fall asleep. Today was her birthday, and she had mentioned it to Cheng Jue before. With his meticulous personality, he would definitely remember it well and not forget it.
In these ten days, he never mentioned what happened that day again, as if he had just written it casually. When she glanced at it casually, she could only hide the true meaning.
Afterwards, Zhou Zhenzhen couldn't help but regret why she was so hesitant and didn't agree on the spot. What if... what if Mr. Cheng changed his mind? What should she do then?
Zhou Zhenzhen got up after struggling for a long time, and she lit the fire and kneaded the dough herself, planning to bring some cakes she made to Cheng Jue today. Today was her birthday girl, and if she bribed him, Cheng Jue would not refuse it if she mentioned it!
Zhou Zhenzhen did not give in at all on the issue of marrying Cheng Jue. Even if she said or did something wrong, it was better than missing it.
After filling a food box with all kinds of cakes that Cheng Jue liked, Mrs. Wang walked into the kitchen and said, "Hey, why are you cooking for the little birthday boy yourself today?"
Zhou Zhenzhen smiled sheepishly: "Well, I had something to do at the Dali Temple today and I needed to go there earlier, so I got up early to do it."
Sister Wang closed the lid of the lunch box, and then she thought of something and said with a smile, "Come back tonight to eat, and I'll cook you a table of your favorite food."
"Okay." Zhou Zhenzhen picked up the lunch box and ran out quickly. Mrs. Wang thought that it would be a good idea to settle the matter between Zhenzhen and Mr. Li Er while the day was good.
It’s a nice day today, the sky is blue like green jade, thin clouds are all over the sky, and the sun is dazzling.
The man who was even more dazzling than her was standing not far from the teahouse. He was wearing an indigo official robe and looked at her with a smile in his eyes. She didn't know how long he had been waiting.
Zhou Zhenzhen's pace suddenly slowed down, and Cheng Jue quickened his pace and walked in front of her in a few steps.
"Why are you out so early?"
Zhou Zhenzhen was speechless. Cheng Jue opened the lunch box with his fingers and raised his eyebrows, "Is this for me? Why are there so many things?"
Zhou Zhenzhen was still hesitating, and Cheng Jue didn't seem to notice anything was wrong. He said, "I was just passing by here, and I remembered you were inside so I stopped to look for a while. I didn't expect you to come out just then. It's still early before I go to the government office, will you walk with me first?"
Zhou Zhenzhen knew that he was going to attend court, so she nodded obediently and stayed beside him.
Along the way, Cheng Jue kept saying something, Zhou Zhenzhen's mind was in a mess, and she just agreed perfunctorily. When Cheng Jue stopped, she bumped into him, and her nose was sore.
"That's how you bumped into me when we were in the princess's mansion. Times have changed, but you really haven't changed at all."
Zhou Zhenzhen touched her nose and looked up: "Hey, where is this?"
This is not a palace, but a government office with a quiet entrance. There is no plaque hanging on the door, so it is impossible to tell what place it is.
"In local areas, matchmakers are all in the local government offices. Chang'an is the capital. Since the founding of our Great Yu Dynasty, the population has increased dramatically. In order to avoid delays, matchmakers are set up in different streets."
Zhou Zhenzhen opened her eyes wide and looked at him in disbelief: "Master Cheng...you..."
When men and women in Dayu get married, they must have the imperial court's certification to be recognized as husband and wife by the law, and they must go to the matchmaker to register and receive a marriage certificate. But usually, they must have their parents' permission and the matchmaker's words, and they must first be engaged privately among the people before going to the matchmaker's office, but it is obvious that Chengjue directly skipped that first step.
"If you enter this door today and come out again, you will be my bride." He said it seriously and directly, without any detours or hesitations. Zhou Zhenzhen pinched the corner of her clothes. When the time came, she no longer had the recklessness she had before. She couldn't help but be hypocritical like a little girl, muttering, "What if I don't enter?"
"I don't want to..." Cheng Jue deliberately dragged out his voice, paused, and said indifferently, "Then let's go back!"
"Hey, hey, hey..." Zhou Zhenzhen immediately blushed and held his hand, her voice even softer, "Yes, I do."
Cheng Jue curled his lips slightly, held her hand, and knocked on the door of the matchmaker's office.
He was unsure of His Majesty's intention, but he was determined to get Zhou Zhenzhen.
She had been wandering all the way, helpless and helpless. He often wondered how this frail little girl could stand in front of him. Just thinking about it made his heart clench. Today was her birthday, so he gave her a big gift.
From then on, she was his bride and he was her husband. Even if there were thousands of storms ahead, he would be the one to withstand them for her.
After discussing with Zhou Zhenzhen, Cheng Jue decided not to tell anyone about the marriage. Cheng Jue knew that she would not feel at ease to marry until the Huainan Marquis was removed, so he took her back to meet his parents first, worshipped her grandmother, and then got married.
Zhou Zhenzhen was grateful for his thoughtfulness and felt warm in her heart. When he arrived at the palace gate and teased her to call him husband, she also suppressed her shyness and called him softly.
The word "husband" was so soft and gentle that Cheng Yu was overjoyed. If he hadn't been concerned about the presence of someone next to him, he would have really wanted to hug her.
"Be good and wait for your husband to come back from court at the Dali Temple."
Zhou Zhenzhen nodded with a red face, turned around and left happily.
After the morning court session, Emperor Xuanhe summoned Cheng Jue to the imperial study room. His tone was very gentle, as if he was just an ordinary elder: "In a few days, it will be Concubine Mother Qing's birthday. Concubine Mother likes younger children, and she used to like Feng Jue the most. A few days ago, Concubine Mother Qing's illness recurred, and she mentioned Feng Jue several times in her conversation. I thought that if you have time, you should go to the palace more often, just as a way to comfort her heart!"
Cheng Jue remembered that his mother often mentioned Concubine Qing to him. She was a very easy-going person. After the death of the former empress of the late emperor, Concubine Qing took charge of the six palaces and treated all the children equally.
"I obey your order."
