I, a prison guard in the Heavenly Prison, secretly became invincible thanks to the system.

Chapter 280 You're defying the imperial decree

"I am Xie Liancheng, the head of the Xie family. I welcome Her Highness the Ninth Princess to visit the Xie family."

The eldest uncle, representing the Xie family, bowed with his hands clasped in greeting.

Yun Jinxi nodded and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Mr. Xie. I heard there is a wedding banquet today, so I'm here to attend the celebration."

"The banquet has been prepared. This way, Your Highness."

Xie Liancheng mounted his horse and led the way.

Princess's convoy followed, while Yun Jinxi moved closer to Ye Kang.

"Long time no see, Lord Ye~"

Ye Kang smiled slightly: "Actually, it's not that long, only about half a year."

"You know it's only been half a year! And you've already become a ninth-rank master! Tell me, did your master give you a divine skill manual?"

Ye Kang shook his head: "I have no teacher."

"Boring. By the way, what about the demon sword I picked out for you? Do you still have it?"

Ye Kang was taken aback, not expecting that Yun Jinxi's first question would be about this.

He took out the demon sword, which was already corroded and badly damaged, with embarrassment.

"I don't want to either."

"...That's normal. After all, the demon sword's grade is what it is. It's reasonable that it can't keep up with you."

"Your Highness, are you really here for a wedding?"

"What? Isn't it possible?"

Yun Jinxi smiled playfully and then sat back in her carriage.

Ye Kang didn't ask any further questions, and the group returned to the Xie family.

Weddings in this world don't necessarily have to be held at night, so at noon, taking advantage of the snow stopping, Ye Ping rode his horse back from the Cui family to fetch the bride.

A long procession of wedding sedan chairs stretched along the road, led by mischievous children dressed in red cotton-padded jackets, who threw coins and candies to the people on both sides of the street as they walked.

The beating of gongs and drums, the procession through the streets and alleys, brought a rare liveliness to Nanjing, a city that had been plagued by snow for many days.

The bridal sedan chair landed, and both sets of parents arrived. Xie Shanhe and the Cui family patriarch sat at the head of the table in the grand hall, where the wedding ceremony officially began.

The wedding preparations took many days, with officials and their families from all over Nanjing in attendance. The Xie family vacated all their houses and set up a banquet with a total of a thousand tables.

Even the guardian of Tianying Town, after meeting the Ninth Princess, sat with her in the VIP section to watch the ceremony.

Finally, the time for the newlyweds to perform the wedding ceremony arrived.

Ye Ping, dressed in a bright red robe, and Cui Xueping, together held a red ribbon, symbolizing their marriage.

Ye Ping looked slightly nervous, but fortunately his family was there, which kept him smiling.

The eldest sister-in-law, Cui Xueping, was a typical lady from a prominent family. Her every step and gesture was graceful and proper. Her family members were also fully supportive of her, with a dazzling array of colorful flags and dowry.

Logically speaking, Cui Xueping, being from a collateral branch of the family, should not receive such treatment.

But with Ye Kang's reputation growing, the Cui family dared not neglect him, and gave him a dowry even more generous than that given to direct relatives.

Ye Long and his wife sat up there, looking at Ye Pingli with tears in their eyes.

Lingyu and Lingxiu held each other's hands, their faces beaming with joy.

Ye Kang looked at the two of them with a smile, feeling a warm glow in his heart.

The joy of seeing one's family happy is a happiness that the protagonists in orphanages can never experience.

Finally, the ceremony was completed.

Ye Ping and Cui Xueping officially became husband and wife.

The cannons roared, the whole city cheered, and a host of bigwigs threw out lavish gifts, officially opening the thousand-table banquet.

Finally, the Ye family breathed a sigh of relief; a huge weight had been lifted off their shoulders.

Just then, the Ninth Princess suddenly stood up. To Tianying's astonishment, she held a royal decree and walked smilingly to the front of the newlyweds.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Jinxi congratulates the newlyweds and, on behalf of my father and mother, extends my best wishes to the Ye family."

As soon as these words came out, the whole place fell into silence.

Xie Jinghong had just dipped her chopsticks into the hot pot when she silently took them out again.

Ye Kang's expression hardened.

As expected, the visitors were up to no good.

He stepped forward and said, "Ye Kang, listen to my decree."

Upon hearing this, Ye Ping and Cui Xueping were stunned for a moment, and quietly approached Ye Kang: "Brother, should we kneel down?"

Ye Kang waved his right hand slightly, indicating that he didn't need it.

Yun Jinxi pretended not to see it and continued, "His Majesty has decreed that Ye Kang, as the Deputy Commander of the Imperial City Guard and concurrently a Tongzhilang, has completed his training period and is required to return to the Imperial City to report after the Spring Festival. In addition, I heard that the Ye family is overjoyed. His Majesty has bestowed upon them ten thousand taels of gold, a thousand acres of fertile land, three residences in the Imperial City, six stewards, twenty servants, and a number of guards. He has also appointed Ye Long as the Director of Foreign Affairs of the Imperial Wine Bureau and Ye Ping as the Deputy Director. This is to celebrate their good fortune."

Having said that, without waiting to accept the decree or not, Yun Jinxi stuffed the imperial edict into her sleeve and looked at Ye Kang with a smile.

"Congratulations! Your father thinks highly of you and even tasted Uncle Ye's wine. He was very pleased. Don't worry, the position of Director of Foreign Affairs at the Imperial Wine Bureau is just a nominal one. It won't be too much trouble for Uncle Ye. He only needs to attend the morning meeting at the Imperial Wine Bureau once a month."

After saying that, she looked at Ye Long, who was completely bewildered.

"Uncle Ye, all the rewards have been handed over to Master Jin Baobei, who lives at the Ye residence."

After speaking, Yun Jinxi glanced at Ye Kang with a complicated expression, then sat back down in her seat.

The garrison commander of Tianying Town stared at her in disbelief, then glanced at the silent Ye Kang.

He whispered, "Your Highness, this..."

"Don't look at me, it is the Emperor's will, I have to pass on the message."

Yun Jinxi spoke in a low voice, not daring to meet Tianying's gaze.

All she could do was try her best to make Ye Kang look presentable, so that at least the Ye family members wouldn't have to kneel or stand on ceremony in front of her.

If it were any other princess or prince, it would have been even worse.

The scene remained deathly silent; the entire Ye family was completely still, save for the sound of the boiling hot pot.

Everyone looked at Ye Kang.

"Kang'er, this..."

Ye Long was completely baffled. He was just brewing wine, how did he end up becoming an official?

Xie Shanhe and the Cui family patriarch, among others, had complex expressions and secretly clenched their fists.

They had suspected it, but they didn't expect it to happen so quickly, and at Ye Ping's wedding no less.

Ye Kang rose to power too quickly, almost reaching the capital, forcing the authorities to take measures.

With such a reward, the Ye family had no choice but to return to the capital and also had to use it as a means to control Ye Kang.

The art of rulership is simple and unpretentious.

Finally, Ye Kang smiled and said loudly, "Your Highness, I am humbled by such imperial favor. The Ye family only knows how to brew wine and does not know how to be an official. We will inevitably be criticized. Therefore, the Ye family will not return to the capital."

Ye Kang's voice was soft, but firm.

Decisive and without hesitation.

Immediately, a series of gasps of astonishment rippled through the air.

Yun Jinxi sighed helplessly.

The worst has happened...

She said, "I know what Father Emperor means, and I'm very sorry, but what you're doing is disobeying the imperial decree..."

"No, this is a resignation. I will personally deliver the Ye family's resignation memorial to His Majesty. Your Highness, please take a look."

"..."

Yun Jinxi's eyes narrowed, and after a moment, she nodded and said, "I'll go with you and plead for you."

Upon hearing this, Ye Kang's eyes flickered slightly.

The wedding music started playing, and the lively banquet continued. Everyone acted as if nothing had happened, enjoying hot pot and drinks.