July 5, the second year of Huining, is an auspicious day.
　　The prince of Lin'an had already visited the Zhu family's daughter, and Meng Shen had no objection to this marriage that his mother had carefully selected. The marriage was naturally held as scheduled.
　　Dong Lingjiu was the queen mother, so she didn't need to arrive too early, so the palace servants accompanying her were not impatient and were cautious and meticulous. What Zheng Yuheng didn't expect was that even Xuan Duzhi would accompany the queen mother out of the palace.
　　Xuan Jingyun accompanied Zheng Yuheng down from the carriage, smiled and glanced at the carriage of the queen in front of him, and said: "This dress seems to be newly made. Doctor Zheng hasn't been back to the Imperial Hospital for a while."
　　Zheng Yuheng said: "Thank you for your concern, your humble servant... I am grateful for your favor."
　　Xuan Jingyun was ordered to take care of him, so he did not go forward to accompany the queen mother closely. He led a few young eunuchs behind him. They were all silent and solemn, behaved in a proper manner, and were very agile. Except for answering, they hardly said a word, which made Xuan Duzhi train and teach them very well.
　　The marriage of Prince Lin'an was held in the former residence of the prince's mansion in Beijing. The princess has lived here in the past few years when she came to Beijing. She hasn't returned to her territory for a while. Even the news that Prince Lin'an was seriously ill a few days ago was transmitted from afar. However, thinking of the quarrels between the couple when they were young, this deep estrangement between life and death seems understandable.
　　The former residence of the prince's mansion was arranged by someone. Now it is luxurious and decent, with lights and decorations. The courtyard for entertaining officials and concubines is divided into two parts, the inner and outer courtyards. The female concubines enter the inner courtyard and eat with the princess, while the officials in the court are invited to the front courtyard and received by the prince.
　　Except for the prince Meng Shen, there is no other direct bloodline in this lineage. As for some of the concubines of the King of Lin'an, they are suppressed by Mu Xuehua. Not to mention attending the banquet, they can't even go to the capital.
　　Fortunately, this is a marriage granted by the Queen Mother. As early as a few days ago, Du Yuewan led the female officials and eunuchs who have positions and salaries in the palace to assist the princess in handling the marriage. Therefore, even though the palace is small, everything is in order now
　　. The Queen Mother came in person. When the carriage team stopped outside the palace, the servants who announced the good news kept shouting into the inner courtyard. So the officials who arrived first and the female concubines with imperial edicts stood up together to see the emperor.
　　The marriage ceremony was held at dusk. Two rows of rouge-red lanterns were lit in the courtyard. The music stopped for a while, and everyone waited in silence. The palace, which was chatting with each other, suddenly became quiet, and you could hear a pin drop.
　　Outside the gate, servants knelt and kowtowed against the two doors. Dong Lingjiu got off the carriage and entered through the main gate with the help of a maid. He walked around the stone entrance that blocked his sight and saw Mu Xuehua and Meng Shen waiting not far away.
　　The arrival of the Queen Mother was extremely noble and respectable, and in terms of form it was almost comparable to the marriage of princesses and princes. Princess Lin'an was very moved, her eyes were slightly red, and she led the prince to bow and said, "I wish the Queen Mother Kun's health. The Queen Mother is so kind to me. Shen'er will benefit from this kindness for the rest of his life."
　　Meng Shen came back from military training, and it can be seen that General Geng Zhe did not take special care of him because of his noble status. The prince was in high spirits, but his skin was slightly rough from the sun. He bowed his head and said, "Shen'er pays respects to the imperial aunt."
　　Dong Lingjiu also watched Meng Shen grow up. If she hadn't helped, Mu Xuehua might not have been able to keep this child by her side to educate him, and the prince might not be like this now.
　　She raised her hand, patted Meng Shen's shoulder gently, and said lightly, "You have grown a lot taller, and you have started a family and career. In the future, you will have to take care of your mother."
　　Meng Shen respected her very much and restrained everything from the sharp claws of Wu Erlang: "Shen'er understands, please rest assured, imperial aunt, I will definitely take good care of my mother."
　　Dong Lingjiu smiled at him.
　　The queen mother, the princess, and the prince were talking in the court. The rest of the officials and their wives did not dare to come forward, but just listened silently and peeked quietly. Among the entourage behind Dong Lingjiu, Zheng Yuheng also saw this scene.
　　He stared at the hand that fell on Meng Shen's shoulder, quietly not knowing what he was thinking.
　　At this time, Xuan Jingyun happened to say to him: "Although Xiaosama Zheng is a medical officer and serves the royal family, the Imperial Hospital is an official institution after all, and you are also a court official in official uniform. Wait for the queen to enter the inner courtyard to talk with the princess, and I will take you to sit with the adults."
　　Zheng Yuheng was staring at him absent-mindedly, and was awakened by this sentence. He turned his eyes hurriedly and replied: "Thank you, Xuan Duzhi."
　　Xuan Jingyun watched his expression and didn't understand what he was observing. However, he was not very curious, so he didn't ask any more. After everyone paid homage and greeted the queen mother and the princess entered the inner courtyard, he led Zheng Yuheng to another direction with the eunuchs. There were
　　naturally people welcoming and seeing off in the palace. The female officials and eunuchs were divided into two rows, and their footsteps entered quietly. After the reception was completed, the sound of stringed instruments and strings rang again gently and leisurely.
　　Dong Lingjiu arrived late, and the daughter of the Zhu family had been taken into the palace, but she had to wait for the queen mother to arrive before she could perform the formal ceremony.
　　After all, this was a joyous event. The officials invited to the ceremony did not wear court robes, but slightly more formal daily clothes with belts and jade crowns. They were either well-educated scholars or practical people who had been in office for many years. Naturally, they had their own internal circles for friendship and discussion.
　　Among them, Zheng Yuheng seemed a little out of place.
　　The official title of the Imperial Hospital was not low, but medical officials were different from civil officials after all. They had no hope for a career in officialdom, so it was inevitable that they would be looked down upon. But he was the accompanying imperial physician of Empress Dowager Dong, so the palace attached great importance to him and arranged him next to several retired old ministers, and let Zheng Yuheng sit at the last seat.
　　These old ministers were all great Confucian scholars of the time. When Emperor Mingde was in power, they had pointed out the country and made great speeches. They had also argued with Emperor Mingde over certain national policies and quarreled for several days. Now that they have retired from office and are living in their old age in a mansion in Beijing, at least half of the officials in the court call these great scholars "Teacher". With
　　such a respected status, even if he is not in office, even if Zheng Yuheng is allowed to sit at the last seat, it is not an insult to him at all, and it even greatly honors him.
　　Zheng Yuheng is too young to know these old ministers, but he has a keen sense of smell and feels that the atmosphere around him is a little unusual.
　　He cautiously followed the waiter to the table and sat at the end of the long table. His back was straight, but his posture was gentle and humble. He saluted the elders before taking his seat. After
　　he took his seat, the air around him seemed to be even more silent.
　　Zheng Yuheng was a little confused, but he couldn't ask or turn around to ask for another arrangement. He could only wait with a stiff back. During this period, he felt the eyes of several elders passing by him. That kind of vague, slightly thoughtful gaze almost swept him from head to toe.
　　Zheng Yuheng hypnotized himself, pretending to be a motionless vase.
　　After the ceremony, gongs and drums sounded in the front yard, and the servants and maids of the palace served wine to the banquet. After everyone drank, the voices of conversation became a little louder and murmured.
　　"...Is it him? Did he come with the queen?"
　　"Oh, it's this kid, look at his eyebrows and eyes."
　　"...Really, it looks more like him this way."
　　Suddenly, an old minister who was closest to Zheng Yuheng put the cup on the table hard, and a heavy sound was heard. The surroundings were silent for a moment, and then someone smiled and advised: "Mr. Han, who are you so angry about? You can't even lift a pen. In the past, you could be a pen-and-paper clerk and kill people with your writings. Can you still control people's mouths now?"
　　Old Han sneered, "You are old enough to still talk about a child. You don't care about your dignity."
　　"We are just surprised. Old Han, don't be so sensitive." An old man with a white beard half closed his eyes and said slowly, "But this is the wedding banquet of the prince of Lin'an. You should restrain yourself."
　　Old Han threw away his sleeves and drank in silence.
　　Zheng Yuheng vaguely realized that their topic might involve him, but he couldn't find a suitable time to interrupt and ask. He even felt a little uncomfortable sitting between these people.
　　He lowered his hands and gently stroked the wine glass.
　　Although the atmosphere on this side was stiff, on the other side of the banquet, the generals and deputy generals invited from the Shenwu Army had already been unable to control themselves and started to make trouble. When they were not drinking, they still cared about the Queen Mother. Once they drank, there was no limit on their mouths and hands. They clamored and made a fuss to get the prince to drink.
　　Meng Shen treated these people completely differently from the civil servants. He would either drink up all the wine in one gulp or curse back. For a while, the noise reached its peak. Two more lanterns were lit outside the courtyard, and the flames were bright, illuminating the darkened sky, making it a night without sleep.
　　At this time, a drunk general of the Shenwu Army bumped into him from the other side, ran to Old Han with a smell of alcohol, patted his chest loudly, and shouted loudly: "Mr. Han! When you were lecturing, you said that I, Hong Hao, was stupid, brave but not wise, and would never get ahead even if I entered the army. Look at me now! The contributions of General Geng and I in suppressing bandits are so great that I can't even describe them all--"
　　Before he finished speaking, two servants rushed to stop him, saying, "The general is drunk, the general is drunk."
　　The servants couldn't stop him at all. Several other people from the Shenwu Army went up to stop him. While apologizing to the old gentlemen, they made fun of him in an irresponsible manner, "Hong Hao, when have they ever said anything wrong about you, you simple-minded idiot with strong limbs."
　　General Hong was as stubborn as a cow. He shook his shoulders and struggled, shouting, "I, Hong, have brains. I really have brains!"
　　As everyone knows, the more people shout like this, the simpler their thinking is. But Hong Hao was so strong that two people could not easily restrain him. Once he got rid of his hands, Hong Hao squeezed directly between Zheng Yuheng and Han Lao.
　　He was drunk and talked to the old man, which made Han Lao angry and embarrassed, but General Hong did not react. The military generals who had conflicts with the civil officials did not deliberately stop him to disgust him, but just made a scene.
　　After General Hong finished talking to Han Lao, he turned his head and pulled Zheng Yuheng aside to talk about everything, but he did not grab him.
　　Zheng Yuheng had already avoided the corner, far away from General Hong, and looked at him very cautiously.
　　Hong Hao did not grab him, and his drunken eyes widened in surprise. Then, his eyes widened, and he suddenly cried: "Why didn't you tell me when you came!"
　　General Hong was over 40 years old, vigorous, and strong, and could eat three bowls of rice in one meal. Although he was a whole generation younger than Han Lao and others who were nearly 60 years old, he was a few years older than Zheng Yuheng's father.
　　The word "you" almost frightened Zheng Yuheng. He quickly put down the cup and tried to stand up, but General Hong held his shoulder with his hand, shaking him sincerely and wildly.
　　"Old Hong really wants you to see the scene of peace in the south." Hong Hao burst into tears, drunk to the point of not knowing what the world was, but his speech was still clear, "The Shenwu Army has been fighting outside for so long, and your last edict is still under the battle formation in the Shenwu Army camp. Why did you abandon the queen and us old ministers... Xining Qianqiu, Xining Qianqiu!"
　　Emperor Mingde only used the reign title "Xining", so after his death, the people also believed that he was also called "Emperor Xining". Xining Qianqiu was a common saying during his reign, mostly from ministers to monarchs, meaning, "I hope that your majesty's reign can last for thousands of generations."
　　But Xining did not last for thousands of years, and only lasted for the seventeenth year. Emperor Mingde's "golden age" only lasted until he was forty years old.
　　Zheng Yuheng was dizzy because of him, and his voice made his ears buzz. Not far away, Meng Shen, who was not drunk yet, changed his face and gave a look to several sober generals.
　　The generals who had just been watching the show stepped forward and quickly took General Hong away. An old general of the same level as him even joked: "What do you call Old Hong's huge capacity? He doesn't know the roundness of the sky and the squareness of the earth after a few bowls. He is so drunk and keeps talking nonsense!" As soon as
　　he said this, someone immediately took up the conversation, and after a few rounds, Hong Hao was covered by his mouth and taken away, which was considered a trick.
　　Zheng Yuheng just breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the prince Meng Shen wearing a scarlet wedding dress and came to toast.
　　He seemed to know who he looked like.
　　But after knowing this, the atmosphere of the meal became even weirder. The air was cold and sticky, forcing people to breathe a little.
　　The prince toasted several old gentlemen first, and the atmosphere was harmonious. When it came to Zheng Yuheng, Meng Shen held the wine glass and looked at him calmly, saying, "Mr. Zheng, the chief physician of the Imperial Hospital."
　　Zheng Yuheng said, "I dare not, I am Zheng Yuheng, the subordinate, please call me by my name."
　　I don't know if it is a common problem for all those with the surname Meng, or it is due to the royal education. Even in this cautious prince of Lin'an, Zheng Yuheng can clearly feel their natural arrogance of noble birth.
　　The emperor Meng Cheng is like this, the legitimate princess Meng Zhaiyue is also like this, and the prince is no exception. In addition, Emperor Mingde almost chopped off his head that year, Zheng Yuheng really felt that he had a conflict with this surname.
　　The prince said, "It's disrespectful to call him by his name. I'll call you Doctor Zheng."
　　He drank the wine in the cup, suddenly took a step closer, and said quietly, "Did Doctor Zheng cancel the engagement with the Zhu family because he climbed up the big tree of the imperial aunt?"
　　Zheng Yuheng was slightly startled and whispered, "Not so."
　　Meng Shen stared at his eyebrows and said, "As a junior, I will not forgive anyone who has evil intentions against the imperial aunt. Doctor Zheng, it's important to know yourself."
　　After that, he naturally stepped back.
　　Zheng Yuheng raised his hand to drink, and couldn't help but add in his heart that you people with the surname Meng have another common problem, that is, you either rely too much on Dong Lingjiu or you have too much protective desire.
　　He listened quietly and gently, looking like a gentleman, gentle and refined, but in the interval between nodding and drinking, Meng Shen faintly heard him whisper something.
　　"...If you are sick, go get treatment. Don't delay."
　　Meng Shen paused, turned around and saw his harmless and docile expression, wondering if he had heard it wrong.