Chen Ran quickly found the left Qianhu of the Jinyiwei.
After handing over fifty taels of silver as a "bribe," the Qianhu official readily provided him with a pardon document.
With the pardon document in hand, Chen Ran took out eight hundred taels of silver from his system space and, accompanied by Shen Lian and the others, went to the Jiaofangsi to redeem Zhou Miaotong.
Seeing that Chen Ran had really paid eight hundred taels of silver to redeem her, Zhou Miaotong couldn't help but burst into tears of joy.
Originally, she had planned to give herself to Chen Ran tonight, thinking that she would inevitably sink into the depths of Jiaofangsi and would give her most precious thing to Chen Lang.
But Chen Ran was not a heartless man. He turned around and actually managed to raise eight hundred taels of silver for her, allowing her to escape from the clutches of misery.
It's easy to find priceless treasures, but rare to find a true lover.
Especially one who is so kind and compassionate, saving her from a life of hardship.
Thinking of this, Zhou Miaotong looked at Chen Ran, her tears overflowing!
The madam of Jiaofangsi, seeing that Chen Ran had indeed produced eight hundred taels of silver and that he had a group of Jinyiwei guards, including Lu Jianxing and Shen Lian, surrounding him, no longer dared to make excuses. She readily accepted the pardon document and allowed him to redeem Zhou Miaotong.
The madam also shed a few crocodile tears, pulling Zhou Miaotong close:
“My daughter, it's not that your mother is being cruel, it's just that once you fall into the depths of Jiaofangsi, in the end, you can only do some welcoming and sending off business! Thankfully, Chen Lang has redeemed you now, and you are finally free from this life of hardship!”
Then she turned to Chen Ran:
“Chen Zongqi, my Miaotong may be from Jiaofangsi, but if you are going to marry her, other things can be lacking, but the bride's wedding dress and the bridal sedan chair cannot be missing!”
Zhou Miaotong blushed crimson on the side, whispering:
“No need! Having Chen Lang's sincere love is enough for me…”
Which woman doesn't yearn for her wedding day?
Being from Jiaofangsi, she dared not dream of a grand ceremony with six rituals and eight palanquins, but the red wedding dress and the sedan chair that a girl wears when she gets married are the dreams of every woman in this era!
So, even though she said that, her beautiful eyes couldn't help but look at Chen Ran.
Chen Ran smiled:
“Madam, that's the most human thing you've said today!”
“Don't worry, I'll marry Miaotong. Other things can be lacking, but the bride's wedding dress and sedan chair will definitely not be missing!”
Hearing this, a rosy glow spread across Zhou Miaotong's face, and she felt as if her heart was filled with joy and sweetness.
……
A grand red sedan chair, carried by two sedan bearers, went from the Jiaofangsi all the way to the narrow alley where Chen Ran lived.
Along the way, people from the neighborhood would point and whisper:
“That sedan chair seems to be coming from Jiaofangsi!”
“I heard it's that Jinyiwei Zongqi Chen Ran marrying his wife!”
“Goodness! This Chen Ran, even though his ancestors were all Jinyiwei, is actually marrying a woman from Jiaofangsi. Old Chen's coffin lid is probably going to fly off!”
“The women from Jiaofangsi must be beautiful. This little Chen is just driven by lust!”
“Beautiful or not, a good family wouldn't marry a woman from Jiaofangsi!”
“Don't say that. Do you know how much it costs to redeem someone from Jiaofangsi? You also need a pardon document from the officials. This Chen Ran has not only made a fortune, but his power has also grown!”
“…”
The onlookers on the street all had something to say, and most of them were sarcastic remarks and gossip.
Chen Ran stood at the entrance of the alley, occasionally hearing some snippets of their words, but his face remained unfazed.
After all, he was a modern man who had traveled through time. He wouldn't care about those things.
What's a fallen official's daughter, a Jiaofangsi entertainer!
Zhou Miaotong is still a virgin, and she loves him truly.
This is more important than anything else!
As for gossip?
If gossip were effective, then what would he need his embroidered spring knife for!
Shen Lian and the other three saw Chen Ran standing at the entrance of the alley, unfazed by the gossip on the street. They couldn't help but admire him even more.
Brother Chen is fearless in the face of gossip, unwavering in his heart. He truly is a gentleman!
Soon, the sedan chair reached the entrance of the alley.
Chen Ran lifted the curtain of the sedan chair and saw Zhou Miaotong, dressed in a fiery red wedding dress with a veil covering her head, sitting inside, her head lowered.
“My wife, come home with me!”
Upon hearing this, Zhou Miaotong trembled all over, and tears couldn't help but stream down her face.
These were tears of happiness.
Wife, home…
What beautiful words!
From today onwards, she was no longer a woman who had fallen into the depths of Jiaofangsi, homeless and vulnerable to abuse!
Chen Ran grabbed her wrist and led her out of the sedan chair. Then he picked her up on his back and carried her into their home in the alley.
Chen Ran's home was very simple, just a small courtyard with three tiled rooms. But it was clean and tidy.
Shen Lian and the other three had already helped him decorate it. They had hung red lanterns at the door and pasted up red paper with the character "囍" (double happiness), creating a celebratory atmosphere for the wedding!
Chen Ran carried Zhou Miaotong to the bedroom and let her rest inside. Then he turned around and went outside to greet the guests.
There weren't many people coming to the wedding feast today. Among Chen Ran's Jinyiwei colleagues, he only invited Shen Lian and the other three. The rest were all neighbors from the nearby alley.
People with status would naturally not come.
First, because of Chen Ran's Jinyiwei status.
Right now, the Ming Dynasty was in turmoil everywhere, and the Jinyiwei were responsible for a lot of bloodshed. Ordinary people couldn't afford to provoke them.
Second, because Chen Ran was marrying a Jiaofangsi woman.
Apart from the neighbors who were all commoners, people of status wouldn't come, afraid of tainting their own reputation!
Chen Ran didn't want to invite those tiger-like colleagues either.
Even though there were few people and no musicians, the courtyard was filled with tables of food and wine for the wedding feast.
Shen Lian, Lu Jianxing, and Jin Yichuan were all red in the face from drinking, but they were genuinely happy for Chen Ran.
After the feast ended, Chen Ran closed the courtyard door and returned to the inner room.
He saw Zhou Miaotong, still sitting on the bed, her head covered in the red wedding dress.
The red wedding dress, although loose-fitting, still subtly outlined her graceful curves!
Chen Ran lifted the veil with one hand, and he saw Zhou Miaotong's face, with its mixture of joy and shyness, revealed.
Under the glow of the red veil and the candles, her skin appeared like jade, her eyes like spring water, her lips like cherries!
She was incredibly beautiful!
What was even more remarkable was that she possessed an air of cultured grace that was rare and unmatched among ordinary women!
Chen Ran looked at Zhou Miaotong, his heart filled with joy.
What's Jiaofangsi, what's a fallen official's daughter?
Marriage is like shoes. Only the person wearing them knows how comfortable they are!
“My wife, you…”
“What did you call me?”
Zhou Miaotong looked at him with a mixture of joy and shyness.
“I called you my wife, do you dislike it?”
Zhou Miaotong blushed crimson, her eyes filled with shyness and joy as she looked at him:
“I like it when you call me your wife. I just want to hear you call me that more…”
Hearing her soft and shy words, Chen Ran felt a surge of desire in his heart. He reached out and embraced her slender waist, then blew on the candle.
The red candle flickered and struggled, finally succumbing to the wind and dying out.