The wedding banquet had started on time. Thousands of guests were divided into three areas. There was no doubt that the hierarchy in the Tang Dynasty was very strict. The third-rank officials could barely sit at the same table as the fourth-rank officials with real power. For example, the minister of Guanglu Temple was from the third-rank official.
, but its real power and status are not as good as those of the fourth-rank officials, the Minister of Libu and the Minister of Hubu, who can sit together.
But the Minister of Guanglu Temple will never sit at the same table with a fifth-grade official doctor or a household doctor.
Another example is that many social celebrities, such as heads of famous families, may not be officials, but they have a high social status, so you cannot group them with businessmen.
There is a lot of emphasis on this. Arranging seats has always been a big question. If the arrangement is not done well, it is easy to offend people. Everyone racked their brains and made repeated confirmations before arranging the seats.
There was a lot of people drinking and drinking in the garden house. Pei Sanniang and several wives of the Li clan stood on the pier behind the house and looked at the water. The wedding boat came from Qujiang, so when entering, they had to walk around to the front door.
They all wore red carpets.
Pei Sanniang is really worried. It's time for the welcoming fleet to arrive, why hasn't it come yet?
"Madam, they are coming!"
A sharp-eyed maid suddenly pointed at the water and shouted.
Pei Sanniang also saw a group of small black dots appear on the water. She breathed a long sigh of relief and smiled: "Finally here!"
She quickly said to Liu Wu, who was in charge of setting off firecrackers next to her: "Light the fire and prepare to set off the firecrackers!"
Liu Wutong quickly led several warriors to light the fire, and each bamboo tube was ready.
The ship got closer and closer, the drum music sounded, and the gongs and drums got louder and louder. At this time, the sound of "bang bang!" firecrackers sounded one after another. In the sound of firecrackers, the ship docked, and eight palace maids came up first.
They are all strictly trained fan-wielding maids. Today they have only one task, which is to cover the bride.
Because brides in the Tang Dynasty did not wear headscarves, the bride was not allowed to be judged by the guests before the wedding ceremony. This was especially important when the daughter of a powerful family got married.
The two brides helped the bride to the shore, and Dugu Xinyue took the initiative to give a blessing gift to Pei Sanniang who was standing next to her. Pei Sanniang was so happy that she couldn't close her mouth.
"Good boy, come in quickly!"
The eight maids held up their fans and walked slowly on the thick carpet. The bride Dugu Xinyue was walking among them, completely covered by the fans. Thousands of guests came out and stood on both sides of the carpet.
But they could only see eight maids holding fans and two wedding brides, and could not see the bride at all.
However, the eight girls holding fans were maids from the palace, which made everyone very curious. They were all looking at them and commenting on them. What did the maids of the palace look like?
The group walked along the red carpet and entered the gate of the small house and the husband's house. Dugu Xinyue officially became the daughter-in-law of the Li family. The door slowly closed and the guests went back one after another.
At this time, someone suddenly shouted: "His Royal Highness has arrived with a congratulatory gift!"
A group of eunuchs carried gifts and entered the gate of the garden. Prince Li Chu of Guangping came to attend the wedding on behalf of his father. This was a congratulatory gift from Prince Li Heng to Li Ye. Prince Li Heng was very low-key, and news about him was generally unknown.
Appearing on occasions such as weddings and birthdays, this was the first time in three years that he had given wedding gifts to ministers, which caused a lot of discussion among the guests.
Li Dai and Dugu Lie quickly welcomed Li Chu to the VIP table and sat down. King Guangping asked with a smile: "When is the auspicious time?"
Li Dai smiled and said: "The bride and groom are here, let's rest for a while."
Wedding also refers to evening ceremony, which is held at dusk. The place of ceremony is in the lobby. A green house has been set up in the lobby. This is the custom of the Han people in the north. The wedding must be held in a green house.
There are many opinions on why weddings are held in Qinglu. Yan Zhenqing believes that this is a custom of the Hu people and the Han people learned it.
But it is also said that during hundreds of years of chaos, the northern Han people were displaced and fled in all directions, but their descendants had to continue. They would set up a temporary tent on the road to hold a wedding for the newlyweds, and this ceremony has been preserved.
Came down.
There are many interactive activities at weddings, which vary from place to place and from one class to another. People at the bottom like to have a son-in-law and a bride. Although these activities are lively, they are vulgar and immoral, and may even maim or kill the son-in-law.
.
For example, there is a game that puts a son-in-law in jail. The son-in-law is put in a box or a large urn and sealed. Many sons-in-law will suffocate to death.
He was also dissatisfied with the groom's etiquette and used sticks to beat the son-in-law into a disability.
Bride grooming allows many swindlers to take advantage of the bride. These bad habits have been around since ancient times, and they were not invented by modern people.
But the more wealthy and powerful the wedding, the less such activities will be, or even non-existent. This is also to maintain the dignity of the husband's family and the bride's family.
In fact, the wedding in the Tang Dynasty refers to the six rites, and the process has already begun. The welcoming is the last part of the six rites. The moment the groom steps into the husband's house, the six rites are over, and the bride Dugu Xinyue is
Officially became the daughter-in-law of the Li family.
It is equivalent to obtaining a marriage certificate from the Civil Affairs Bureau. The two are already legally married.
As for some of the subsequent wedding ceremonies, they are more of a symbol of a clear marriage. The four most important links are bowing, tying hair, merging and spreading tents. Others are optional, but these four links are indispensable.
At this time, the music sounded, the auspicious time had arrived, and the wedding began.
Li Lin, the king of Sining, was the matchmaker and the officiant.
In the midst of laughter, the groom and the bride were invited out, and they were holding red silk embroidery balls. Because Qinglu was not big, the wedding was not complicated, but the sense of ceremony was very strong. Although weddings in the church only started in the Song Dynasty,
It also evolved from the marriage ceremony of couples in the Tang Dynasty.
The main thing is that the couple should worship both parents together, which is a must. After the ceremony, the couple will tie their hair. Each couple will cut a lock of hair, and the eldest Mrs. Dugu will tie it into a knot. This is also the origin of the knotted couple.
It means that husband and wife are one.
Next, drink Hexin wine, cut a gourd into two pieces, each use half of it as a wine cup, fill it with wine and drink it all in one gulp. This is how the couple should help each other and share joys and sorrows.
They also worship, tie their hair, tie their hair together, and perform the last ritual of spreading the tent.
At this moment, the master of ceremonies suddenly shouted: "The emperor's gift has arrived, and the imperial concubine's gift has arrived!"
The guests stood up one after another, and Li Dai and Dugu Lie hurriedly came forward to greet them. They saw Gao Lishi walking in with a smile. Later, the eunuch came in carrying more than a hundred large boxes, and the congratulatory gifts were unprecedentedly thick.
Gao Lishi smiled and said: "The Holy Emperor and the Imperial Concubine cannot come in person, so we can only let our family congratulate them on their behalf. Li Ye is a county king, and the Holy Emperor has specially approved it to congratulate him as a prince. The other half is a private gift from the Imperial Concubine.
"
"Thank you, Your Majesty and the Imperial Concubine, for your love!"
The two invited Gao Lishi to sit down, and Gao Lishi smiled and asked, "What part is it now?"
"Down below is the tent!"
Gao Lishi smiled slightly and said: "It seems that I have arrived to give the last blessing."
Spreading the tent is a blessing ceremony. The newlyweds sit on the couch and put up a small tent with lights and candles inside, so they can see the two of them.
Spreading the tent is a blessing. Relatives and friends scatter money and fruits on the tent, wishing the two people to grow old together and be loving as husband and wife.
The wedding room was decorated in a festive and splendid way, and was extremely quiet. A pair of wedding candles were burning brightly, and the newlyweds hugged each other tightly and kissed passionately.
There were food and wine prepared for them on the table, but the two of them turned a blind eye.
Li Ye took off the bride's phoenix crown and hairpin, and her black hair fell down like a waterfall.
Slowly unbuttoning her dress, the suet-like skin appeared in front of his eyes. Xinyue was a little shy, and with a wave of her hand, the two red candles went out with a 'pop!'
It was dark in the bridal chamber, so Li Ye simply picked her up and walked quickly to the hibiscus tent.
At this time, the two of them didn't need to say a word, their hearts were already in perfect harmony with each other, and their bodies were slowly becoming one.