In the blink of an eye, three months have passed since the Sheng family entered Beijing, and the time has come to July.
Hua Lan is getting married in a few days.
Uncle Sheng Wei of the Sheng family also rushed to Tokyo from his hometown in Yuyang.
Uncle Sheng Wei came to Beijing this time mainly for two things. One was to give Hua Lan a dowry, and the other was to give a fortune to Sheng Hong, who had just arrived in Beijing.
In addition to gold, silver, and copper coins, various Suzhou silks, Hangzhou forgings, Shuzhou brocades, Huizhou rice paper, pens and inks, various pearl agates, jade seeds, antique calligraphy and paintings, etc. were also sent.
The capital city is large and the residence is not easy. It is applicable to any dynasty, even the great Zhou Dynasty with high salary and integrity.
Sheng Hong's monthly salary of forty or fifty pounds, even with various subsidies, is not enough for the Sheng family to pay their servants a monthly salary.
Sheng Hong's income mainly comes from the produce of the farm in his hands. Making money from farming is still a bit slow. There is no problem in maintaining the family's expenses, but it is impossible to have too much surplus.
When Sheng Hong first came to Beijing, he inevitably needed to take care of various relationships. How could he have a smooth official career without spending money?
The goods sent by Sheng Wei are all there, and Sheng Hong doesn't need to worry about buying them no matter what kind of favors he has or his worldly connections.
Uncle Sheng Wei sent several large ships of goods to Sheng Hong, which was enough for Sheng Hong to deal with favors and smoothly integrate into Tokyo officialdom.
Mr. Sheng Changbai married the daughter of a scholar and had three sons.
Because the Sheng family originated from Mr. Sheng, and relying on his ability, there is no doubt that Mr. Sheng became the head of the Sheng clan.
The three sons of the Grand Master split up their families and were divided into three families, the main line of the Youyang Sheng family.
The development of the three sons of Mrs. Sheng was not as expected. The eldest son of the eldest family inherited the family business and took the business route. However, he was greedy for sex and became obsessed with a concubine who was a singer. He made a farce of doting on his concubine and destroying his wife. When he died, his family property was almost completely destroyed, and even the ancestral home of the Sheng family was sold.
Grandpa Sheng Changbai, the second roommate of the Sheng family, was admitted to the top universities and welcomed his daughter.
Life went smoothly when my grandfather was in charge of me, but after my grandfather got old and passed away.
Tanhualang also failed to manage the family home, spoiled his concubines and destroyed his wife, and had a marital quarrel with Mrs. Sheng.
In the officialdom, without the help of the Hou family, Tanhua Lang's health was not good either. He died of a cold before he was thirty.
Not to mention the third wife of the Sheng family, the grandpa's youngest son has never done anything serious in his life. He eats, drinks, whores, and gambles. He is useless. He has also ruined the family fortune that was originally divided into two families.
The only outstanding thing about the third child may be that he has a long life and is still alive and well.
Sons inherit their father's legacy, and the third generation of the Sheng family all follow the same path as their respective fathers.
The eldest brother, Sheng Wei, was engaged in business, the second brother, Sheng Hong, took the imperial examination, and the third brother continued to eat, drink, whore and gamble, becoming a prodigal son.
The three generations of the Sheng family can be considered successful. Sheng Hong passed the Jinshi examination. Although his ranking was average, he married Ruofu, a noble queen. With the support of his in-laws, Sheng Hong's career was considered smooth.
Uncle Sheng Wei was a talented businessman. He was a Jinshi from Sheng Hong. After he had a backer, his business became better and bigger.
After more than ten years of hard work, he made a lot of money and restored the momentum of the prosperous family when the old man was there.
With the support of Sheng Wei, Sheng Hong has no need to take bribes and bend the law.
In each position, he was able to win over superiors and subordinates well and achieved good results.
Relying on the Wang family's connections on one hand, the financial resources provided by Sheng Wei on the other, and his own abilities, Sheng Hong was able to thrive in the officialdom.
When the uncle Sheng Wei arrives, of course Sheng Changbai and his nephews also want to pay their respects.
Sheng Hong's children also received gifts from their uncle.
Gifts for girls are mostly gold and silver jewelry, silk and satin.
Gifts for boys are mostly pens, ink, paper, inkstones, paper fans and jade articles.
Because he has also read books, this wealthy uncle is not a philistine, but has a Confucian-business attitude.
"Sister, stay."
Thinking of Hua Lan, who was about to get married, Sheng Changbai stopped Hua Lan after meeting Sheng Wei and going out together.
Because one is mostly in the front yard and the other is mostly in the backyard.
Hua Lan was basically locked up in her own courtyard again, restraining her temper and waiting to get married, so the two of them didn't have much time to talk.
"Erlang, what's the matter?" Hua Lan stopped and said.
Hua Lan is handsome, graceful, gentle, knowledgeable and courteous, inheriting the good genes of the Sheng family.
Unlike Ru Lan, she inherited the genes of her mother Wang Ruofu's Wang family, which can only be said to be correct.
Whether it is Sheng Hong, Wang Ruofu, or Mrs. Sheng, it is not without reason that she likes Hualan more than Rulan. Hualan is much better in character and appearance, and Hualan is by no means the first of the two. child.
"My eldest sister is about to get married and leave home. I want to have a chat with her?"
"Then let's go to the pavilion in front and chat."
Under the feudal ethics, Sheng Changbai and Sheng Hualan, siblings, must always pay attention to their distance when they come into contact with each other.
From this comparison, it is really too much to have Qi Heng and the daughter of the Sheng family study in the same school.
The girl is only six, seven or eight years old now, so it looks fine. But when the daughter is over ten years old, it will be inappropriate for boys and girls to mix together.
Even if the dirty Han Dynasty was causing chaos in the Tang Dynasty, serious scholars would not support this kind of thing.
"That's fine."
After arriving at the pavilion, he ordered his servants to prepare tea. After there were no servants around, Sheng Changbai said: "During this period, I have inquired a lot about Yuan Wenshao."
"Ah?" Hua Lan was a little surprised, not expecting Sheng Changbai to talk about this.
"You are about to marry into the Yuan family. How can you not know the situation of the Yuan family? Let me tell you about the situation of Yuan Wenshao that I recently learned about?"
Without speaking, Hua Lan just nodded. In front of Sheng Changbai, his biological brother, Hua Lan had no need to pretend, so she pretended to be shy after hearing the news about her fiancé.
"Yuan Wenshao's reputation is pretty good. I didn't find out in the city that Yuan Wenshao liked to hang out in Goulan. He has now found a job in the city defense army, and he is considered to be well-promoted among the nobles."
First of all, Sheng Changbai gave an affirmation and reassured An Hualan.
No matter what age you are, fear before marriage will always occur.
"I know this."
Hualan has not been idle during this period. He also knows a little bit about Yuan Wenshao's situation through various channels.
"Then let me tell you something you don't know. I heard that Yuan Wenshao was extremely filial to his mother-in-law and listened to his mother in everything."
Yuan Wenshao is a filial son in ancient times and a modern mama's boy. This means that in ancient times, when parents' orders and matchmakers' words were the norm, Yuan Wenshao was able to marry a daughter-in-law. But in modern times, the ultimate mama's boy is really hard to find a partner.
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Seeing that Hua Lan was indifferent and didn't understand what a mama's boy was, Sheng Changbai continued: "Why should Yuan Wenshao listen to his mother? His mother favors their eldest brother, Yuan Wenchun, and Yuan Wenchun married his uncle's cousin, Mrs. Zhongqinbo.
Niece, do you understand what I mean?"
"I understand that the eldest lady of Earl Zhongqin's Mansion will favor the eldest son and eldest daughter-in-law."
Although Hualan is not very thoughtful, her IQ is still sufficient.
"Yes, and the relationship between brothers Yuan Wenchun and Yuan Wenshao is not very good."
From the day they were offered the job, it was obvious that Yuan Wenchun and his wife wanted the Luosheng family's reputation.
Not only did Yuan Wenchun look down on the Sheng family, but if the Sheng family lost Pinyan, Yuan Wenshao would also be embarrassed. Yuan Wenchun also had a bad relationship with Yuan Wenshao.
Hualan's face became a little more serious, and she said with a heavy tone: "I know what to do."
"What do you know? What I said is not that after you arrive at Earl Zhongqin's Mansion, you should be cautious and keep a low profile. What I mean is that after you go there, you should be more defensive." Kan Hua
Sheng Changbai could probably tell from Lan's expression that Hua Lan was wrong.
"You can be bold when doing things. You are from your natal family, so as long as you are reasonable, you don't need to endure the anger in the Yuan family. The Yuan family only has the false name of Earl's Palace, but in fact it is a broken family.
The official family didn't like their family, so only one Yuan Wenshao in their family became an official, and he was a lowly official in the city defense army. The family didn't have much property, and I heard that they could no longer make ends meet. Their family had no power or wealth, and was far inferior to ours internally.
Sister, there is no need for you to think that marrying into their family is a privilege."
Sheng Changbai wanted to talk to Hua Lan to comfort Hua Lan.
Don't go to Yuan's house and feel wronged, just endure it alone without telling your parents' family.
Tell your parents that the worst possible outcome is that Wang Ruofu can't help but lose his temper and go to Yuan's house to cause trouble.
Although it was a bit embarrassing after the quarrel broke out, it could still solve some of Hualan's urgent needs.
After marrying into a family like the Yuan family, the Sheng family is still qualified to support Hua Lan.
It's just that Sheng Hong is a well-rounded person and doesn't want to break up with others.
A few years later, Sheng Changbai passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi as a young man. He had a bright future and was qualified to support Hualan.
After all, it was the Zhou Dynasty and a normal feudal dynasty.
It is a normal national policy that the noble in culture and the weak in military affairs should be favored.
Because Taizu of the Zhou Dynasty bullied other people's orphans and widowed mothers and took away other people's families.
One thing that Zhou Taizu was most worried about was that others would do the same thing to him.
Therefore, they were naturally more wary of military officers and nobles than other dynasties.
The emperor of the old Zhao family was born with a disdain for military commanders.
The use of scholars to suppress warriors is engraved in the bones of Lao Zhao's family.
Therefore, Zhongqin Bofu, an honorable noble who has participated in rebellion and is not liked by the emperor, is really easy to bully.
Although the civilized nobles and the military were humble, the Zhou Dynasty was also serious about it. For decades after the founding of the country, the emperor never killed any civil servants.
On the contrary, most of the nobles who were canonized by Taizu during the founding of the country were confiscated and exterminated.
Sheng Changbai was preparing for the next imperial examination, so he took the imperial examination.
If he can pass the Jinshi examination as he wishes, he will be a young Jinshi from a noble family.
It is enough to act as a deterrent against the corrupt nobles like the Yuan family.
In fact, Sheng Hong has already entered the Chancellery, although he does not have any real power.
It was Sheng Hong who took up such a casual position at the Chancellery. He was very selective and thought carefully about it, just to avoid being involved in the chaotic battle for the right to inherit the throne in Tokyo.
But it can be considered that we have entered the center, and the future is visible to the naked eye.
Given Sheng Hong's current age of early thirties, as long as he lives long enough.
It's not impossible to become a third-grade official wearing a purple robe.
There is really nothing about the current Sheng family that can offend Earl Zhongqin's mansion.
It’s not like your daughter is married to someone else, and even if you’re wronged, you won’t dare to stand up for your daughter.
Hua Lan was relieved here, but Sheng Changbai actually wanted to talk to Yuan Wenshao.
After the Sheng family came to Beijing, Yuan Wenshao only visited the Sheng family twice.
Sheng Hong and Wang Ruofu are the protagonists, and Sheng Changbai has no chance to chat with Yuan Wenshao alone.
Sheng Changbai occasionally went out and participated in some literary and poetry gatherings, and he was not in the same circle as Yuan Wenshao.
I have never met Yuan Wenshao, so I have no chance to chat with my future brother-in-law.
In late July, when Hualan got married, Sheng Changbai met Yuan Wenshao for the third time.
The Earl of Zhongqin's Mansion managed to maintain the dignity of the Earl's Mansion by pretending that it was a noble family and that the legitimate son was getting married.
When Hualan got married, the Sheng family's preparations were much more respectable, with a dowry of one hundred and twenty-eight dollars.
A farm on the outskirts of Beijing, a shop in the city, a dozen boxes of luxurious clothing materials, a customized set of pure gold head and face jewelry for all seasons, shop dividends, a large amount of cash, and a roommate.
A complete set of precious mahogany furniture including bed, table, cabinet and box.
Shili Hongzhuang, both Sheng Hong and Wang Ruofu handled this matter openly and openly.
These dowries are not only enough for Hua Lan to support herself for several lifetimes.
Even if Hualan gives birth to a few children, it is enough to raise them well, and then Hualan can help the children get married.
In the Zhou Dynasty and even throughout ancient times, a woman’s dowry was in charge of the woman herself and was regarded as her private property, and her husband’s family had no right to take it at will.
The future use of these dowries will also be passed on to the children born by the woman herself.
In most cases, the more a woman's dowry, the higher her status in her husband's family.
Women don't need to be raised by men, so women will naturally have more confidence.
A man with ambition would not want to use his wife's dowry to supplement his family income.
The money Wang Ruofu usually subsidized to Sheng Changbai came from Wang Ruofu's original dowry, so Sheng Hong was completely unqualified to manage it.
Wang Ruofu's family had status and he was rich, so Wang Ruofu always wanted to overpower Sheng Hong.
After meeting Yuan Wenshao three times, it didn’t take long to see Yuan Wenshao again.
Three days after the wedding, Yuan Wenshao returned home with Hua Lan Sanchao.
The young couple paid a visit to Mrs. Sheng, and then to Sheng Hong and Wang Ruofu.
Hua Lan was taken to the Wang's inner house by Wang Ruofu, and they talked about the private things between mother and daughter.
Yuan Wenshao stayed in the front yard, and was left by Sheng Hong to receive Sheng Changbai.
Sheng Hong not only maintains his status as an elder, but also has a relationship with the warrior's son-in-law, who really can't get along with each other.
The Yuan family came from a distinguished family, so of course they could read and practice calligraphy.
But for a noble military general, one only needs to study clearly and study the art of war.
Poetry, poetry, and poetry were not within the scope of Yuan Wenshao's study.
"Brother-in-law, I heard that you have been practicing martial arts since you were a child. You are very skilled in martial arts and are skilled in bow and horse. Can you give me some advice?"
After a few polite words, Sheng Changbai spoke.
"Why not?"
Yuan Wenshao's personality is quite bold and bold, and he looks okay.
"Then please invite my eldest brother-in-law to move to the martial arts arena."
In addition to giving this brother-in-law a show of strength, Sheng Changbai has always wanted to do something that would allow him to test the power of the military attache of the Zhou Dynasty.
No weapons were used, the two of them started practicing with bare hands.
"No fight, no fight, Erlang, how about we compete with bows and arrows?"
Boxing and kicking were Sheng Changbai's strong point. After practicing for less than fifty rounds, Yuan Wenshao couldn't stand it anymore. This was the result of Sheng Changbai's lack of strength to bully others.