She led the whole village to prosperity by raising koi fish.

Chapter 41: Re-wedding

Back at the palace, the Empress and the Emperor discussed the matter and decided to hold a wedding ceremony for Su Yuning and Ye Beichen, as their previous wedding had been too rushed and lacked any romance. The Emperor had no objections, believing in helping others achieve their goals.

However, Su Yuning and Ye Beichen were not happy at all when they heard the suggestion.

Ye Beichen immediately objected, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty, but we will not hold a wedding." Su Yuning remained silent.

The Empress asked in surprise, "What's wrong?"

Ye Beichen responded with a cold laugh, "Wedding ceremonies are never held multiple times. It doesn't sound good."

At this moment, the emperor retorted, "Didn't they hold two ceremonies in the northern desert before it was alright?"

This left Ye Beichen speechless, and he stood there angrily.

Su Yuning not only had to save face for Ye Beichen, but also prevent the Emperor and Empress from getting angry. After thinking for a moment, she replied, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty and Empress. Marriage is a major event that still requires the consent of our parents. Let's go back and discuss it before making a decision."

The Emperor and Empress exchanged a smile, then replied gently, "That's fine too."

In Xinghua Village, the village chief's nephew, Zheng Tianqi, resolutely packed his bags and went to the city to work in order to save enough money for his wedding, leaving the family affairs to be managed by Chestnut Girl.

Upon arriving in the city, Zheng Tianqi was fortunate enough to meet Su Muyang, the son-in-law of the emperor from the same village. The two chatted happily, eating and drinking together, and talking about everything under the sun.

"Congratulations on finding the right girl. What are your plans next?" Su Muyang asked with concern.

The village chief's nephew replied, "I'll find work in the city. As long as I can make big money, I'm willing to endure any hardship!"

Su Muyang responded generously, "If you're looking for a job in the city, this outfit isn't suitable. Come to my house later, and I'll find you some new clothes."

"Isn't that inappropriate? You and Her Highness the Princess have just gotten married. It would be too presumptuous for a country bumpkin like me to visit your residence," the village chief's nephew replied awkwardly.

"Look at what you're saying, as if I'm not from the countryside. Her Highness is an approachable girl and wouldn't embarrass you." Su Muyang poured wine for the two of them while trying to ease the awkwardness with a smile.

"If you don't mind the low pay, you can actually work at my shop. But if you're in a hurry to earn money to get married, I suggest you choose to be a dockworker or a bodyguard to transport goods. The hard work will be worth it, but the rewards will be greater."

The village chief's nephew thought for a moment, then replied, "Then I'll go check out the escort agency. After all, I'm good at driving carriages, and my skills are pretty good too."

The two then drank and chatted merrily.

Nangong Xiawu was quite lucky. She encountered a caravan on the way and took the initiative to talk to the leader. She learned that their destination was the capital of the Song Dynasty. So Nangong Xiawu gave her jade bracelet to the leader and asked for help. The leader readily agreed and took Nangong Xiawu to the city.

The place that would normally take ten days or half a month to reach, Nangong Xiawu arrived only half a day later than Su Yuning and the Empress.

In the city, although she had a younger sister, she didn't know where she was, so she could only go from house to house in the city to inquire about Nangong Xue'er's whereabouts.

Someone kindly helped her by taking her to the princess's residence and telling her that Princess Wan'er and Nangong Xue'er were relatives, and that she could just ask around there. She didn't even say thank you. The person shook their head in disappointment and turned to leave.

As Nangong Xiawu watched the elegant Tianqi emerge from the mansion, she grabbed his hand and wouldn't let go.

"Brother, take me to meet Xue'er, I'm her sister."

Zheng Tianqi flung her hand away, coldly tossing out, "You've got the wrong person!" and stormed off.

Immediately afterward, Su Muyang walked out of the mansion and looked around, only to find that Zheng Tianqi had already left. Only a girl dressed in exotic clothing sat at the entrance with a bundle on her back, seemingly waiting for someone.

So he went over and asked, "Miss, what are you doing here?"

Nangong Xiawu quickly stood up and replied, "Hello, I am Nangong Xue'er's older sister. I'm here to see her and hope she can help me find a job."

Su Muyang was both amused and exasperated. "Nangong Xue'er is an imperial concubine. My residence only has a princess. You've come to the wrong house."

Nangong Xiawu was on the verge of tears, feeling wronged. She whispered, "Someone told me that the princess and Xue'er are relatives and that they could help me find her, so I came here. Was I deceived?"

Su Muyang quickly waved his hand, "No, what they said is true. How about this, I'll take you to see Princess Wan'er first, and then she'll take you to the palace. You'll be able to see your sister then, and if you're lucky, the Emperor and Empress will even host a banquet to welcome you."

Upon hearing the word "Empress," Nangong Xiawu trembled with fear. After all, she had offended the Empress quite badly; going to the palace would be like walking into a trap and inviting trouble. So she quickly changed her story, saying she had other matters to attend to, and left without looking back.

There are three major escort agencies in the capital: Zhenwei Escort Agency, Longmen Escort Agency, and Chengyi Escort Agency. Among them, Zhenwei Escort Agency has the largest storefront, the most escorts, and does very well. The other two agencies are next in line. After inquiring, the village chief's nephew chose Chengyi Escort Agency because he believed that sincerity was the key to success.

When the village chief's nephew went to the security escort agency to explain his purpose and introduce his special skills one by one, the agency didn't care at all and suddenly said, "We don't need any people here."

The village chief's nephew was angry, but there was nothing he could do, so he had to go find work elsewhere.

He then went to Longmen Escort Agency, where they didn't need escorts, but they did need someone to clean up. They asked him if he was interested in doing odd jobs, but the village chief's nephew waved his hand and refused. Then he went to Zhenwei Escort Agency.

The area there was quite large, and the senior students were very friendly. As soon as he said he was there to look for a job, someone immediately took him to see the head steward.

The steward chuckled and sized him up, then asked him if he knew how to drive a carriage, if he knew kung fu, and if he owned a horse-drawn carriage. The village chief's nephew answered each question in turn, and the steward was very satisfied and took him under his wing.

On his first day of work, the village chief's nephew received a brand-new bodyguard uniform, a pair of suitable boots, and was assigned a four-person dormitory room.

"Greetings, seniors! I am the new bodyguard today. My name is Zheng Tianqi. I hope you will all take good care of me!" The village chief's nephew bowed to everyone.

The others smiled politely and responded in kind.

"Hello, my name is Qian Erniu, I joined the company last month."

"My name is Sun Shangzhi. I've been here for half a year. There's a lot of work here, and the pay is good. I can earn at least five taels of silver every month."

"My name is Zhu Daxi, and I've been a long-time employee of Zhenwei Escort Agency for ten years. Feel free to ask me any questions you may have, and I'll answer them to the best of my ability," the last roommate replied sincerely.

“Okay.” The village chief’s nephew nodded in agreement and then began to make his bed.

At this moment, Qian Erniu asked him, "Where are you from? How did you get here?"

The village chief's nephew answered in detail, "My family is from Xinghua Village. People from my village work in Beijing and have settled down here now. I came here through his introduction."

At this moment, Sun Shangwu, who was in the upper bunk, asked curiously, "It must cost a lot of money to settle down in the city, right? What do your fellow villagers do for a living?"

The village chief's nephew replied, "My fellow villager works as a waiter at the teahouse."

At this point, even the veteran employee Zhu Daxi couldn't sit still any longer and came over to ask, "How can a teahouse waiter afford a house? I've been a bodyguard for over ten years and I haven't been able to save up for a house. How did he do it?"

"He is Princess Wan'er's husband. They are already married, and their house was built with funds from the Emperor and Empress," the village chief's nephew answered truthfully.

"No wonder. It's truly a blessing to become a prince consort. We can only envy him; there's nothing we can do about it," Zhu Daxi, a colleague, replied helplessly.

"Mission out!" someone shouted at the gate. Immediately afterwards, several bodyguards ran to the courtyard to receive their missions. Although the village chief's nephew didn't understand the ins and outs, he followed closely behind.

When Zheng Tianqi arrived at the courtyard, many bodyguards had already received their missions and set off with the treasures. At this point, he went over to ask the manager...

"Senior, how do I accept a mission?"

The manager responded patiently, "Are you new here? Look, there are a lot of task orders posted on the notice board. After accepting the task, go to the treasure pavilion to retrieve the item, and then arrive at the destination within the agreed time to deliver the treasure."

"Oh, that's pretty simple. Are there any things I should be careful about?" the village chief's nephew continued to ask.

The manager replied, "The most important thing for a bodyguard is to protect the treasure from any damage. Also, they must do their utmost to guard the treasure from being stolen by bandits. If the treasure is lost, they will compensate double the amount!"

"Understood, I will do my best to keep an eye on the treasure." The village chief's nephew agreed, then walked to the notice board, took down a top-level mission order with a red paper and black clothing, and put the order into his shirt pocket.

At this point, the supervisor couldn't help but remind him, "Keep the task sheets safe too, as wages will be settled at the end of the month based on the orders."

"Okay, thank you!" The village chief's nephew replied with a bow, then strode off to the treasure pavilion.

On a nearby pavilion, an elderly man with white hair looked at the newly arrived young man with a satisfied smile and muttered to himself, "This child has courage and determination, just like me when I was young. He will definitely become a top-level bodyguard in the future."

The Treasure Pavilion had a grand name, but inside it resembled a delivery station, with treasures of all sizes packed in boxes, looking rather unremarkable. The village chief's nephew told the deliveryman the treasure's number and successfully retrieved it. Just as he was about to catch his train, the manager brought over a young woman and instructed him...

“This girl is also new here. Let her escort the supplies with you. It’s good to have a companion on the journey. You can look out for each other and it can also give you courage.”

The village chief's nephew waved his hand and refused, saying, "Let's forget it. I appreciate your kindness, but I think it would be a hassle to bring her along. I would have to look after the treasure and her at the same time. I'm too tired."

At this moment, the foreman replied with a serious expression, "Enough with the nonsense. Escorting supplies always involves teams of two or more people. No one goes alone. If you don't want to be a bodyguard, then get out!"

Left with no other choice, the village chief's nephew reluctantly agreed and then led the newcomers to escort the treasure.

Halfway there, the woman greeted him with a smile, "Hello, young master. We've met before, in front of the princess's residence. I am Nangong Xue'er's older sister, Nangong Xiawu, and also the eldest daughter of the Nangong family."

The village chief's nephew sneered, "So what if she's the eldest daughter? She's still out working just like everyone else. Does she think she's so special?"

This time, Nangong Xiawu fell silent.

Meanwhile, Su Yuning and Ye Beichen returned to Xinghua Village. Old Su and the woman greeted them with smiles and prepared a delicious meal for them.

Su Yuning asked curiously, "Dad, Mom, why didn't you go to work in the vegetable garden?"

Old Su replied, "The pumpkins and sweet potatoes have all been harvested, there's no work to be done in the vegetable garden, and the villagers are all staying at home."

Su Yuning then asked, "Then where did you get the money to buy all this delicious food?"

The woman was both amused and exasperated. "Look at what you're saying, as if we can't afford to eat. Your older brother has gone back to his old trade, selling braised pork offal on the street. Our family's life is getting better and better."

Only then did Su Yuning feel relieved and gently replied, "That's good, that's good!"

At this moment, Ye Beichen took the initiative to tell his parents-in-law about the Emperor and Empress's opinion, "Yu Ning and I have already held our wedding in the Northern Desert, but the Emperor and Empress want us to hold another one. What do you two think?"

The woman only made decisions on small matters; for important matters, she still consulted the head of the household. So she turned to look at Old Su.

Old Su, who was standing to the side, thought for a moment and then replied, "It's only right to hold a make-up ceremony. Firstly, we need to collect the money from the wedding gifts, and secondly, it's a lively and festive occasion, so everyone will be happy."

Then, Su Yuning asked, "Mom and Dad, where do you plan to hold our wedding?"

Without hesitation, Old Su blurted out, "Of course it's the village, where else could it be?"

At this moment, Su Yuning and Ye Beichen exchanged a glance, and then responded in unison.

"Let's hold it in the city."

The woman agreed with the children's opinion and nodded in response, "Yes, the emperor and empress can't possibly come to our little mountain village, can they? They should hold the wedding in the city. Those villagers who want to go can all travel together to attend the wedding banquet, and those who don't want to go can have two tables of food and drinks prepared at home to entertain them properly."

Old Su nodded, "Alright, let's do it this way."

"Thank you, Mom and Dad!" Su Yuning replied happily, and Ye Beichen smiled in response, "Thank you, Father-in-law and Mother-in-law!"

A week has passed in the blink of an eye.

Ye Beichen and Su Yuning's wedding was held at the Ni Chang Pavilion. Su Yuning wore a phoenix coronet and embroidered robe, while Ye Beichen wore a wedding dress. Under Su Muyang's arrangement, they bowed to heaven and earth, and then, under Princess Wan'er's guidance, drank the nuptial wine and ate comfort noodles.

Finally, all the relatives and friends went to Zhao Shouyi's restaurant for the wedding banquet. The emperor and empress sent congratulatory gifts after everyone left. In the evening, everyone went to the pavilion of Ni Chang Ge to enjoy the fireworks show. All kinds of fireworks bloomed and decorated the night very beautifully.

Ye Beichen and Su Yuning's wedding was a complete success!