Phoenix Coronet and Robe Conceal a Delicate Face, Emperor Presides Over Wedding, Intoxicated by Golden Goblet

"Hey, Old Li, have you heard?"

At a tea stall on a street corner, a man excitedly slapped his thigh.

"Our Great Song Emperor really did die a few days ago! He was only saved thanks to the miraculous medicine bestowed by that legendary immortal, Jiang Che!"

"And His Majesty personally issued an imperial decree: on the eighteenth day of the first lunar month, he'll personally preside over the wedding and have the immortal marry Minister Li of the Ministry of Rites' daughter, along with the Liu girl, the immortal's original wife!"

"I heard about it ages ago. Who in Bianliang City doesn't know by now?"

The tea drinker across from him, called Old Zhao, gulped down a mouthful of coarse tea, his face full of gratitude and reverence.

"I have to say, that immortal is truly a living Bodhisattva—a wonderful man!"

"The immortal holds all the people under heaven in his heart, which is why His Majesty exempted us from taxes for a full three years! With the few meager acres my family has, we can finally save up enough grain to survive these next three years!"

"Exactly, exactly! With such an immortal watching over Bianliang, why should our Great Song worry about anything but favorable weather, national prosperity, and peace for the people?"

"Heaven bless Great Song! This is truly a blessing for all its people!"

Amid the citywide fervor and the frenzied anticipation of the masses, the eighteenth day of the first lunar month—the perfect auspicious date jointly calculated by the Bureau of Astronomy and the Ministry of Rites—finally arrived.

On this day, the entire city of Bianliang became a joyous sea of red.

The ten-mile-long avenue stretching from beneath the Imperial City walls to the Listening to Rain and Observing Waves residence was entirely covered in