Wu Chong, the transfer envoy to Huainan, has returned to Beijing. Although Wu Chong returned to his home still fresh from the dust, he still asked Li Taijun to discuss with him the details of the Zhang family's preparations for the marriage.
Two female envoys were washing Wu Chong's feet. Wu Chong wiped his face with a kerchief and said to Li Taijun: "I have always been at ease in Shiqi. She has not been weaker than her sisters since she was a child. I asked her about her reading experience.
He has a clear explanation of the matter, and the truth is extremely clear. It is truly worthy of being taught by the lady."
Li Taijun looked happy after hearing her husband's praise.
Wu Chong continued: "She will take care of a household of two to three hundred people in the future. Even the wife of the prime minister can do it. I don't have to worry about her not being able to provide for her husband's family, both internally and externally. But I'm afraid of her..."
Li Taijun asked: "Officer, what are you worried about?"
Wu Chong said: "It is said that marrying a daughter from a high family and marrying a daughter-in-law from a low family. Women from our official families who marry into poor families often underestimate their husbands and are proud of their brothers and sisters-in-law. Zhang Sanlangjun's brother and sister-in-law raised him, which is true.
Just like parents are the same, brothers and sisters-in-law need to respect and serve them, and live together with the same wealth."
Li Taijun frowned slightly after hearing this. It was okay to live together without separation, but it was not necessary to have the same wealth.
After hearing this, Li Taijun did not refute but said: "I don't have to."
"In addition, a woman should still regard quietness as a virtue. Although she is not a puppet, she is knowledgeable and afraid that she will make her own decisions in everything and not follow the opinions of her brother and sister-in-law."
"The daily service of three teas and six meals, three soups and two servings, and making the bed and stretching out the quilts are also done like ordinary women. Don't be self-possessed and look down on your brother and sister-in-law. You need to share a good life with her to avoid getting married.
My brother and sister-in-law will not be happy."
After Wu Chong and Li Taijun gave their orders, they remembered Shiqi Niang's biological mother, who was also a girl from a good family. She was attracted to her, so she asked her parents to be her concubine.
The parents of the other party did not want their daughter to be a concubine, but they saw that the Wu family was very sincere in their intentions and used some tricks, so they entered the Wu family. However, several years after Shiqi's biological mother entered the Wu family, the two had more and more disputes.
Wu Chong gradually alienated her, and a few years later she became a monk.
Before his mother became a monk, she told Wu Chong that she did not want her daughter to marry into a wealthy family in the future, but she wanted her to be safe and happy throughout her life.
Wu Chong then agreed.
When he first fell in love with Zhang Yue, he did it firstly for Ouyang Xiu's sake, and secondly because he felt that he had a good temper and would not treat his daughter badly in the future.
As for whether he would be a Jinshi or not in the future, Wu Chong did not care that much. Instead, he felt that his family status was not high and he did not dare to treat his daughter poorly.
now……
Wu Chong was lost in thought when he thought of this.
The next day, Li Taijun called the Seventeenth Mother and gave her careful instructions. In addition to Wu Chong's words, the other thing is that a woman regards meekness as the beauty. After marrying into the Zhang family, she must serve her brother and sister-in-law respectfully and respect her husband.
Mrs. Fan was listening on the sidelines, and after Li Taijun left, she and Qi Niang laughed and said, "I still believe that parents only train their daughters-in-law like this, not their daughters."
The seventeenth mother said: "My parents are also a bowl of water, and they are afraid that I will not marry well."
Mrs. Fan said: "It's difficult for us. Wives-in-law are not always so low-key and are young. They must be filial and submissive. They are not allowed to talk too much. Anyone who talks too much will be tabooed."
"What else is there to teach a new wife to teach a baby? After a bride enters the family, she must listen to her parents-in-law's instructions sooner or later. She should listen to them for at least a year. There are also some daughters-in-law who don't know the rules, and it takes two or three years."
"In addition, there are some rules. After getting off the sedan chair to eat cold food, the wife must go to the stove on the third day."
Mrs. Fan told Qi Niang all these things one by one, and finally said: "If I talk too much, I'm afraid you won't want to get married."
The Seventeenth Mother nodded. She remembered that her biological mother had married her father as a concubine, and she was full of joy at first. However, as time went by, her parents argued more and more.
The father felt that the mother was not gentle enough, and finally...
Thinking of this, Seventeenth Mother became more worried about her marriage.
Three days before the wedding, the Zhang family sent a makeup gift to the Wu family, such as crowns and pollen, while the bride's family returned to the Wu family to wear formal clothes and flowers.
When officials get married, gifts and gifts are exchanged several times, and this is the last time before the wedding.
Zhang Yue also sent out a large number of invitations. Wang Anguo, Wang Anli, Zeng Gong, Sun Jue, Lin Xi, Su Xun, Su Che, Lu Huiqing, and Han Wei were all invited. They all promised to come face to face after receiving Zhang Yue's invitation.
arrive.
As for Ouyang Xiu, Zhang Yue was worried that he might shirk it due to his busy government affairs. However, Zhang Yue definitely wanted to invite Ouyang Xiu, so he went to Ouyang Xiu's house in person to invite him. He said sincerely that if Ouyang Xiu had not come forward to protect the matchmaker, he would not have been able to get such a good marriage.
.
Ouyang Xiu liked how others gave him such honor, and seeing Zhang Yue's hospitality, he happily agreed to attend.
As Ouyang Xiu, the counselor and political officer, was willing to come in person, Wang Gui, Hu Su, Yang Tian, Sima Guang, Shen Tao, etc., who were hesitant to come, agreed to come to congratulate him one after another.
However, when Ouyang Xiu was present, there were also some people who would have arrived but did not.
In addition, there were officials such as Fan Zhen and Wu Kui who could not refuse, perhaps because they respected their status.
As for Han Qi, Zeng Gongliang, Cai Xiang and other big shots, and even Wang Anshi himself, Zhang Yue knew they would definitely not come, so he politely sent out invitations. They all excused themselves by saying they were unwell. Although they would not arrive, they were still polite.
Will definitely arrive.
Sure enough, before the wedding, Han Qi gave Zhang Yue one tael of agarwood, a pair of Khitan saddles, and a pair of fine sandalwood screens.
Zeng Gongliang gave Zhang Yue a folding fan and two thousand coins as a gift.
Cai Xiang gave Zhang Yue a wolf-hair pen and a pair of small silver ingots.
Among them, Han Qi gave the most generous gifts because of his ability to win over people. Of course, Ouyang Xiu and Han Zhongyan's face were also included among them.
As for other officials, there were also gifts. Among them, Bao Zheng, the deputy privy envoy who had no dealings with Zhang Yue, also gave him an inkstone.
And Wang Anshi, who had always disliked him, actually sent gifts. Zhang Yue was surprised. He thought that Wang Anguo and Wang Anli came on his behalf, and sending invitations was just a polite act.
However, Zhang Yue was suddenly enlightened when he saw what Wang Anshi had given him.
Wang Anshi presented his own masterpiece "Huainan Miscellanies". Zhang Yue couldn't laugh or cry when he saw it. There was no reason to give his own book as a congratulatory gift. There was also a sentence from Wang Anshi in this "Huainan Miscellanies": "He is as young as a man."
Take a peek at Mencius, and look forward to the Duke of Han for the rest of your life.'
Zhang Yue understood that this was the consistent opinion of Wang Anshi's master Meng Zunhan.
In addition to "Huainan Miscellanies", there was also a congratulatory money of three thousand. Although the money was not much, it still made Zhang Yue look at Wang Anshi with admiration.
Finally, there is the official himself. Of course the emperor will not attend his wedding banquet, but this marriage is a gift from his royal family. Zhang Yue and his father-in-law Wu Chong expressed their gratitude to each other successively.
The official family was also fond of adult beauty, so they immediately lent Zhang Yue seven ceremonial guards and allowed him to use them on his wedding day. At the same time, they also gave him ten pieces of brocade.
Zhang Yue couldn't help but sigh after hearing this.
Although Han Qi and others could not appreciate him, if Su Shi had not gone to Shaanxi to serve as an official, five of the Eight Great Families of the Tang and Song Dynasties would have been present at his wedding banquet.
Who dares to believe this circle of friends?
Driving a luxury car as a wedding car on your wedding day is very prestigious? How about comparing it with the emperor's seven-legged ceremonial guard?
Guo Lin, Fan Zuyu, Huang Haoyi and other classmates all went with him to the Wu Mansion to welcome his bride that day. However, Huang Lu and Han Zhongyan, the two classmates with whom he had the best friendship, were not in Bianjing, so he had to give up.
Zhang Yue did not invite too many of his classmates from Taixue, and He Qizhangyue did not intend to invite him at all. However, this person was his fellow countryman and classmate, and it would be difficult to save face if he did not invite him. However, the other party knew how to use his discretion and took the initiative to let him go.
The man told him that he was ill and could not come. Zhang Yue naturally wished for this.
As for Jinshi in the same year, except for himself and the Wujia who were waiting for election in Beijing, they all went out to serve as officials. Zhang Yue recalled that when he first became a Jinshi, it was the peak period for people to catch sons-in-law, and he had several wedding banquets.
.
If I didn't hold the wedding banquet at that time, I would have lost a lot of money. Thinking about it, I feel so distressed that I can't sleep.
On the day before the wedding, a huge colorful pavilion had been erected in front of the Zhang family. The bamboo sheds of the colorful pavilion were tied with colorful silks. People in the streets had already known that the current number one scholar lived here.
When the Zhang family built such a tall colorful building, the neighbors came to help with their work and effort, and it was completed in just a few days.
According to marriage customs, the day before the wedding, the Wu family goes to the groom's house to make the bed.
But the Seventeenth Mother's dowry arrived first, and the red boxes and cages filled the west courtyard where Zhang Yue lived, and then they were carried into the new house.
The person in charge was Mrs. Chen from the Wu Mansion, and she handled things very well.
When Zhang Yue arrived in Bianjing, he had two servants, Tang Jiu and Zhang Gong, by his side. When he originally stayed in Zhang Yu's house, although there were some servants to serve him, they were not taken away. When he arrived at the new house, Zhang Shi went to buy some from Ya Shi.
servant.
Although there are many poor people who settle down in Bianjing every day to sell themselves, good servants are not easy to find.
When Zhang Shi newly bought these servants, he only cared about sympathizing with each other's poor background and didn't look at anything else.
As a result, when we arrived at Zhang's house, Zhang Shi was clumsy, and there was another person who thought Zhang Shi was easy to talk to, and actually had a bit of a temper. Zhang Shi didn't say anything, and even Mr. Yu dared to show off his face.
Zhang Yuejian didn't say anything after that, and ordered Tang Jiu to send this man away, so that the back house became more peaceful. However, he had no experience in managing people in his previous life, and he didn't know how to teach others rules.
Now he saw that the Wu family's female envoys were doing things quickly under the command of Mother Li. Along the way, the female envoys bowed to him in a very polite manner and called him husband. Zhang Yuexin said that officials knew how to teach him.
people.
When Chen's mother saw Zhang Yue, she also bowed and saluted. Zhang Yue also smiled and said, "Mother Chen, you are polite."
Mother Chen is the female envoy who has been with Li Taijun for many years. This time she came to the family with the Seventeenth Mother. Zhang Yue knew that the female envoy who had been with the officials for many years and had taken care of several generations of masters was of great status. Sometimes she even ignored the master's words.
I dare to say a few words, but such female servants are extremely loyal to their masters, and they are half family members.
But I saw that Mrs. Chen personally arranged for people to hang curtains in the new house, lay out the dowry equipment, etc., all of which were newly laid.
Zhang Yue looked completely different. This was still his room in the past, so it might not be too luxurious.
After finishing the cleaning, Mother Chen bowed to Zhang Yue again, and then said respectfully: "I would like to inform you, husband, that the new house is filled with the dowry of the seventeenth girl. No one is allowed to enter or leave the new house after the bed is made according to the rules."
At this point, Mother Chen emphasized the words "no one is allowed to enter or leave the new house" and then lowered her head.
Zhang Yue understood, and he understood that this was a wedding custom in Bianjing, so he said: "I understand, then I will just go to the side room and sleep for one night."
Mother Chen leaned forward and said, "That's right. After I made the arrangements, I asked a trustworthy female envoy to guard the door. I hope you don't think the old slave is too nosy."
Zhang Yueyan said: "Mother Chen is a person that the old lady can trust. I still need your guidance on matters in the inner house. If you have anything to say in the future, you might as well say nothing to me. Don't have any scruples."
Mother Chen was stunned for a moment and then said yes.
After Zhang Yue left, Mother Chen heard the dowry girls on the left and right talking: "My uncle really thinks highly of Mother Xu."
"I think there's a saying here, you love the house and the bird you love."
"Just from buying a house for the girl to live in, I know that my uncle is a person who understands the cold and the hot, and he is reluctant to see the girl marry and suffer. My uncle values the girl, and he will also value mother Xu and us in the future. When we meet such a Lang, we are
Blessed."
Mother Chen thought a little after hearing this, but she said with a straight face: "What are you talking about behind your back? Why don't you go do something quickly."
The female envoys did not dare to speak after hearing this, and immediately obeyed the order.
But Zhang Yue couldn't sleep that night. There were too many things on his mind. As soon as he lay in bed and closed his eyes, his mind was filled with things.
At the fourth watch, the genius was slightly bright. He went to the west courtyard for a walk, but saw that the Wu family had already decorated their new house. Zhang Yue was very satisfied with it.
Zhang Yue walked to the door of his house, only to see Zhang Shi climbing up to the colorful building with a bamboo ladder. It turned out that a colorful fork was hung at an angle, so Zhang Shi climbed up to straighten it out.
Zhang Yue quickly stepped forward to hold the ladder and said, "Brother, what are you doing climbing so high? Be careful of falling. Just ask a servant to handle such a small matter."
Zhang Shi smiled and said: "The servants are all still sleeping. We are busy today and can't bear to disturb them. I saw them and came to sort them out. Third brother, what are you doing up so early? You are still not resting."
"I can't sleep! Brother, let me go up and do the colorful forging." Zhang Yue said.
Zhang Shi chuckled and said, "No, I'll take care of it. I haven't slept all night anyway! I have plenty of free time. I can just find something to do. Have you seen the theater tent set up?"
Zhang Yue turned his head and looked into the distance, but saw a theater shed being set up at the other end of the street. According to Zhang Shi, the Zhang family's wedding had troubled the neighbors, and such a big lottery building also blocked the neighbors' access. , very inconvenient.
Therefore, he invited the famous shadow puppet troupe from Bianjing to perform here, which was not only a way to thank the neighbors, but also to create a lively atmosphere.
After hearing this, Zhang Yue thought this idea was a good one.
The two brothers were chatting. Zhang Shi had tied up the colored silk again, climbed down from the bamboo ladder, stood side by side with Zhang Yue, and then said with great admiration: "Look at the colorful building in front of our house. How grand, the congratulators who came to congratulate us today will definitely say that our Zhang family's wedding was a glorious one."
Zhang Yue smiled when he heard this, looked at the colorful building in front of his house and said, "Yes, I finally look like an official."
"We finally have something. Our family is like this. In our Zhang family, not only have you become an official, but also the second brother has become an official. In the future, Xi'er will also become an official. Our family has three Jinshi, and we will have children and grandchildren in the future." .”
Zhang Yue couldn't help but smile after hearing Zhang Shi's cheerful words.