Sister Is Getting Married.
The Imperial Capital of the Zhou Kingdom.
At the crack of dawn, as soon as the sky began to brighten, the people of the Imperial Capital woke up.
Every face was wreathed in smiles, as if the Spring Festival had arrived.
There was no other reason: today was His Majesty's wedding ceremony.
Setting aside the fact that, for the next three years, the entire Great Zhou would celebrate, with taxes cut in half—that alone was enough to make people happy.
And besides, enjoying a spectacle was simply human nature.
If they missed the royal wedding procession, who knew how long it would be before they saw another?
So the people rose early and claimed their places along the streets the procession would pass.
The peddlers hurried to ready their wares and set up shop on the streets.
Meanwhile,
a small village on the outskirts of the Imperial Capital seemed even livelier than the Zhou Kingdom's capital.
The previous evening, the men of the village had returned from spring plowing, only to find soldiers stationed at the entrance.
At first, they thought someone in the village had gotten into trouble.
But as soon as they drew near, they were each handed a red envelope.
Only then did they learn that a wealthy young woman was getting married.
That left them even more puzzled.
Where would a wealthy young woman come from in their remote little village?
Even if someone from the village had struck it rich, wouldn't they have moved to the Imperial Capital?
Why would anyone come back?
The men were curious, and their wives were even more so.
Yet even the most sharp-tongued, nosiest wives stopped asking questions as soon as they made a few inquiries.
The Village Chief said nothing at all. He only