Chapter 211

“This is Brother Hua, whom I mentioned before.”

　　”I’ve heard so much about you. Please come in. Since you’re Brother Lu’s friend, you’re also my friend, Zhang Lingyu.” Zhang Weihao greeted Hua Manlou directly, while also glancing at Xie Biwang a couple more times.

　　He was actually quite surprised that this could be connected to anything.

　　Hua Manlou is also played by a celebrity, namely the Shizun version, played by Zhang Zhiyao. Lu Xiaofeng is played by Zhang Zhilin, Ximen Chuixue is played by Ekin Cheng in the movie version, and Ye Gucheng is played by Andy Lau in the movie version.

　　Everyone came today, including Ye Gucheng. However, Ye Gucheng’s aura was significantly different from before. He was becoming more and more like the Ye Gucheng in the movie. His prestige and aura were completely different. He had clearly made a great breakthrough and reached a new level. He had cultivated a true kingly domineering aura.

　　The biggest difference between the movie version and the TV series and the original novel is that Ye Gucheng intends to directly usurp the throne, rather than helping the Prince of Pingnan to usurp the throne. One is a human skin mask, and the other looks very similar, so they can be mistaken for the real thing.

　　However, the Ye Gucheng here is not some kind of royal uncle, and his background has not been altered, so he should still be the version of the Prince of Pingnan, since there really is a Prince of Pingnan here.

　　The gifts I received today are all quite good. People in the martial arts world, especially top masters, are never short of good things, even if they don’t have much money. Even Lu Xiaofeng, who is known as a poor man, received an extraordinary gift this time. It was a very exquisite treasure box specially made for Yue Lingshan by his close friend Zhu Ting.

　　Zhu Ting is a character in Gu Long’s novel “The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng”.

　　Known as the “Master Boss,” he is said to be a descendant of Lu Ban, capable of making all sorts of unimaginable hidden weapons and tools.

　　Despite her plump appearance, her hands were skillful, delicate, and graceful.

　　He was Lu Xiaofeng’s best friend, whom he grew up with while wearing open-crotch pants.

　　He would never refuse to do anything related to Lu Xiaofeng.

　　A treasure box, also known as a jewel box, is a box filled with various treasures. It is also called a jewelry box or jeweler’s box, and is exquisitely crafted, primarily used for storing gold, silver, and other precious items. It can also be used metaphorically to describe a region rich in resources.

　　In the martial arts world, most famous courtesans and top courtesans have their own exclusive treasure boxes, the most famous of which is Du Shiniang’s angry sinking of her treasure box.

　　”Du Shiniang Angrily Sinks the Treasure Chest” is a short story in “Jingshi Tongyan,” a collection of vernacular short stories compiled by Feng Menglong, a popular novelist of the Ming Dynasty.

　　This is an adaptation by Feng Menglong of “The Tale of the Unfaithful Lover” by Song Maocheng, a contemporary writer, and belongs to the category of “imitation vernacular stories” from the Ming Dynasty.

　　The authentic story of Du Shiniang angrily sinking her treasure chest hasn’t been released yet, but “The Story of the Unfaithful Lover” already exists and is quite well-known. At the same time, daughters of truly wealthy families usually have similar treasure chests, and they are not exclusively for famous courtesans.

　　Yue Lingshan certainly didn’t have one; not every jewelry box qualifies as a treasure chest.

　　Therefore, the gift Lu Xiaofeng gave was not the most precious, but it was definitely the most thoughtfully crafted. It can be said that among all the heroes present, he was the one who understood women the most.

　　Lu Xiaofeng knew that Yue Lingshan had no shortage of expensive gifts today, but lacked a box to store these precious jewels. So he specially brought over such an exquisitely crafted treasure chest, which made Jiang Yuyan, who was standing to the side, a little envious.

　　Zhang Weihao was naturally very satisfied. Although his weapon-refining skills were definitely superior to Zhu Ting’s, he never thought of using them to refine any treasure chests. Instead, he learned a lot of new tricks to woo women.

　　After all, he understood women’s obsession with handbags better than anyone else.

　　“Bad boy, come and meet your brother Zhang.” Li Xunhuan pulled his newly adopted son, Li Huai, over and introduced him to Zhang Weihao: “Li Huai is the bad boy I mentioned to you, Lingyu, before.”

　　Adoption is different from adoption. Just like Yuan Shao, he was born to a slave girl and his biological father was unknown, but he was definitely a direct descendant of the Yuan family. After being adopted by his uncle Yuan Wei, he directly became Yuan Wei’s son and the direct heir of the Yuan family, which gave him the real foundation to start his family business.

　　Otherwise, what does the fact that the Yuan family has produced three dukes for four generations have to do with him, a servant girl born into a family? No matter how you look at it, it’s not his turn to inherit.

　　Li Huai was the same; he was only an illegitimate child. Even if he were to be recognized by his ancestors and included in the family genealogy, he would still be considered a son of a concubine and would have no right to inherit.

　　But things are different now. He was adopted by Li Xunhuan, so even though he is Li Xunhuan’s son, he is a legitimate son of Li Xunhuan’s lineage and has the right to inherit. Even if Li Xunhuan has other sons later, his status will not change much. At most, he will not be considered the eldest legitimate son.

　　”Brother Li!” Zhang Weihao is only 16 years old, a few months away from turning 17, so he must be the younger brother. Everyone here is older and of higher seniority than him. Even if we consider each person’s age, there’s nothing that a family friend like Li Xunhuan can do.

　　”Brother Zhang, you’re too kind,” Li Huai replied, mimicking Zhang Weihao, while secretly observing the renowned Young Master Lingyu.

　　Li Huai was originally supposed to be Li Xunhuan’s grandson, but now he’s become his stepson, and he looks somewhat like Lu Xiaofeng.

　　It was played by the same actor, but there are still many obvious differences, mainly because Lu Xiaofeng’s beard is too distinctive.

　　After greeting Zhang Weihua and presenting his congratulatory gift, Li Xunhuan took his son Li Huai to greet the other friends in the martial arts world.

　　Once all the guests were seated and the auspicious time had arrived, the wedding ceremony officially began.

　　The wedding sedan chair was taken directly to another gate (side gate) connecting the other courtyards of the Zhang family mansion. Firecrackers, gongs and drums were all present, making the scene very lively. Zhang Weihai went to receive the sedan chair under the guidance of the matchmaker, and helped his wife to the wedding banquet. Then they went into the hall to carry out the subsequent procedures. After the ceremony, the wedding was considered to be completed normally.

　　The biggest difference from modern weddings is that the bride does not show her face directly. She wears a red veil throughout the ceremony, and after the three bows, she is sent directly to the bridal chamber. She does not lift the red veil to show her face directly, at least not at the wedding banquets of wealthy families.