After Zhan San left, everyone felt relieved: the unrest within the country should have subsided.
As the first batch of 400 acres of millet matured and the second batch of 400 acres of millet sprouted, Zheng Anping felt a little confident. First, starvation will not happen; second, there should be enough grass for raising horses and sleeping.
Because the car dealership does not have much business, it only has two people, a carriage and an ox. Zheng Anping thought that if four horses came, he would have to recruit grooms to raise them, which seemed a bit unaffordable. If you can keep it in a car dealership, the people there are also professional. If you don't have much money, it will save you worry.
He told the people around him that Wuwang was the first to quit, and said: "The horse given by the king must be a big horse, so how could it be in the hands of a slave? There must be someone to care for it, wash it, feed it, and keep it clean."
Brother Su and others also said the same thing. Although the carriage house raises horses, they are only used for pulling goods; the horses used for combat must be fed by the driver himself, so that they can be driven satisfactorily when going into battle; if someone else does it for them, I don’t know what will happen on the battlefield. ! Zheng Anping thought about it and had to give up the idea. Thinking that you have a chariot, where will you find the driver and right driver? You can't ask Cao Bao to help you feed the horse again! If you ask Cao Bao to introduce one, I don’t know how much it will cost.
At noon, the postman also came back, and Cao Bao also came back. Everyone gathered together for a lunch break and exchanged opinions.
The postman reported that Putian told him that the fabric for Guan Ling's wedding clothes had been purchased and was being dyed; while the construction of the city wall at Nanguan had not yet been completed, and the city gates and towers were being built.
Zheng Anping reported the situation of Zosan's request for offerings and also sent two pieces of dried meat.
Cao Bao said that things in the city were easy to handle, mainly matters in the government. There are no female relatives in the house, how can she serve Nie Ji when she comes? The four pairs of mother and son have to take turns cleaning everywhere every day. It seems that they can only do menial work, and they may not be able to do the work of waiting on people.
Brother Dog said: "Your Majesty granted me a marriage and got Wu Di's nephew? Why don't you bother?"
Zheng Anping said: "Nie Ji is a concubine, and there must be no concubines. I am a scholar, and I cannot be a concubine with etiquette. The husband's official affairs are outside, and the wife takes care of things inside. This is the distinction between scholars. There is no need to keep concubines. If it is needed for the wedding, But four daughters can be used. She has a son, and the mother and son depend on each other, so there will be no problem. Moreover, Nie Ji has lived in Guanyi for a long time. At that time, she was very humble, and Guanyi was known to everyone. Once she becomes respected, people may not accept her."
Cao Bao thought about it and realized that it made sense, so he gave up.
The lunch break was not long, so everyone went their separate ways. The four postmen went to tend their fields; Cao Bao went to the car dealer to order a car and prepared to go to Xingyang tomorrow to deliver goods, and then went to Guanyi; Xiao Si went to patrol; the remaining three sat together and discussed the marriage.
Zheng Anping said: "Among them, Brother Dansu's marriage can be described as such."
Brother Su said: "I am a commoner, and I am getting married as a commoner. On the last day, all the weak and hairy people from all over the country gathered together, and the one who found the favorite returned home. There was no acceptance of anything, and there was no personal welcome ceremony. Don't make an example. !”
Brother Quan said: "When I get a wife someday, I should be like Brother Su, not like Brother Zheng."
Brother Su said: "I think Guanyi does not have the courtesy of Shangsi. What can I do?"
Brother Dog said: "But it's okay to treat it as a common courtesy."
Zheng Anping said: "No. When Brother Su gets married, he is a commoner, so he must marry with the rites of a commoner. When Brother Quan gets married, he is a scholar, so he should do it with the rites of a scholar. Don't mess with it."
Brother Dog said: "Let me see if the four brothers marry wives, they may increase or decrease. - They will definitely not be as complicated as Brother Zheng's!"
Cao Bao went to Xingyang the next day to purchase wedding supplies for Zheng Anping, including straw mats, quilts, and a full set of ritual tableware - completely different from the tableware used for cooking and eating. When he came back at night, he told him that Dou, Dun, Zun, Zhuo and Jue had not bought any of the wedding gifts. Uncle Tang told him that such ritual utensils were not used by ordinary people at all, and could only be used by nobles in ceremonies; Daliang did not sell them, and only Zheng could customize them. So Cao Bao rushed to Huayang the next day, visited the Bai family, and wanted to order wedding supplies from Zheng. When Bai Gen heard that Zheng Anping had been granted a marriage by Lord Xinling, he immediately asked Lu Buwei to customize a set of ritual utensils from Zheng. He said that it was a congratulatory gift from four car dealers in Huayang and Cao Bao would not have to pay for it.
January has gone by in a blink of an eye, and the ears of Yizu’s fields have begun to bear fruit. The best man from Mr. Wei's residence came several times to check on the preparations for the wedding. On the day of departure, Xiaosi sent all four postmen out to find out the news. Under the training of Xiaosi, these four postmen have basically learned that in addition to no longer being afraid of meeting officials, they can also learn about information and run errands to report information. Now they went farthest in order to the vicinity of Liangxi Station. At noon, Liang Xiyi had already discovered the wedding convoy; at dusk, the convoy was resting in the enclosure. We set out on the next day and walked until the end of the day before entering the field.
Entering Putian means entering Guanyi territory early tomorrow morning, so Zheng Anping and others were busy. In the back hall, the newly received gift vessels containing fermented glutinous rice paste, glutinous rice flour, millet, millet, millet and other items were placed in corresponding positions according to regulations; the fine wines contained in the statue were also placed in place. The most indispensable ones are the statue at the bottom of the south gate and the jue and hexin held in a basket next to it. Under the steps, a tripod was placed. Soak a newly bought piece of pork in water in the cauldron and wait until the fire is started.
After arranging things in the hall, Cao Bao rushed to Guanyi to inform the city lord and the parents of each family that Qingcheng would go out to welcome him tomorrow, and notified every household one by one.
At night, Zheng Anping and the other five stripped naked, opened their hair, jumped into the river, and rinsed their hair and body thoroughly. After returning home, they wiped the water from their hair and helped each other finish the ceremony again. Everyone dressed up as scholars, hung ribbons on their chests, and sat in the front hall to rest.
The sound of drums from Guanyi could be heard faintly. Everyone got up and headed out of the city, followed by two boys and four postmen. When they left the abandoned city and came to Guanyi City, all the people who could come out of Guanyi City had already come out. There were about two to three hundred men and women, both old and young. The city lord once again vacated his front house as a temporary residence for the bride.
After Zheng Anping arrived, he told everyone about their hard work and then went to the Great Wall. It took almost an hour to walk because there were old people, children and women there for more than ten miles. Five miles outside the city gate, everyone stopped. Five scholars stood in front, and the stewards stood in the back. Under the restraints of the city lord and parents, they formed a relatively neat team.
After an unknown amount of time, the bells in the city rang, and a carriage drove out first, followed by a carriage, followed by an empty carriage and a baggage carriage.
Seeing the carriage approaching, Zheng Anping stepped forward quickly. The carriage in front also stopped, and the best man jumped out of the car and asked pretentiously: "But are you in charge of your subordinates?"
Zheng Anping said: "Zheng Anping, the minister in charge of the order, and his colleagues, would like to welcome Mr. Wei!"
The best man reported to Zuo of the carriage, who got out of the carriage and said: "I am a member of Mr. Wei's mansion, and I have been entrusted to protect my daughter and her family."
Zheng Anping said: "Your Majesty, Zheng Anping, would like to lead you!" The family members and the best groomsmen led Zheng Anping to the place where the car was installed, and said: "The female family members are in the car."
Zheng Anping saluted outside the car and said: "I, Zheng Anping, would like to teach you!"
The female voice in the car responded: "Guan Ling has worked hard!"
The clan leader and the best minister then led Zheng Anping to the second empty chariot and said, "I have been taught to give Zheng Anping one military chariot, one halberd and spear, one bow, one hundred arrows, and one sword."
Zheng Anping saluted again and said, "How virtuous I am, how dare you receive such a generous gift!" Brother Su came up, took the empty carriage away, and walked in front. Zheng Anping took the reins from the charioteer and led Anche to follow. Brother Quan and Xiaosi were holding each other on the left and right. Behind it is the carriage. Cao Bao accompanied the clan, the driver and the best man.
When the car passed by the stewards, the stewards, under the command of the city lord, shouted "Long live!" Follow the carriage back to Guanyi.
The ceremonial gate of the city lord's mansion opened wide, and Zheng Anping led the car into the courtyard. Brother Quan and others stayed outside the house, and only two people from Mr. Wei's house came in. Zheng Anping opened the door of the car. Gai Nie came out first and saluted Zheng Anping. Then a woman in elegant clothes came out with her head lowered and helped Gai Nie's hand to get out of the car. After hurriedly bowing to Zheng Anping, the women from the city lord's house came from both sides and took the slave to the back house.
The city lord invited Brother Su and others to come in and held a banquet in the hall. ——It was naturally arranged by Cao Bao. In the hall, five people, Zheng Anping and others, sat in the east, and three people in Wei Gongzi's house sat in the west. Under the corridor, the city lord sat in the east and the three coachmen sat in the west. The food at each table is the same, one tripod and two gui, plus a few plates. There was sake in the hall, and the seats on both sides entertained each other.
The groomsman said: "The guard can drive the leather chariot and the carriage back to welcome the bride at dusk. We will rest here temporarily and we can go tomorrow."
Thanks to Zheng Anping!
The five people did not dare to eat more. After three payments and five meals, the five people resigned. The clan member took out a slip and said, "Young master, I will order you to accept the dowry!"
Zheng Anping took one look, bowed to the ground, and said, "How dare you accept this generous gift from your Majesty!"
The disciple said: "This shows the friendship between the young master!"
Zheng Anping said: "I dare to die if I don't retaliate!"
Among the five, only Cao Bao and Zheng Anping could drive a carriage. Two people drove the car, and the other three led the cart. The second young man and the fourth soldier followed the car back to the house. ——It’s almost noon.
Suddenly there were eight more horses and an ox in the house, making it look chaotic. Cao Bao had no choice but to invite a driver to help take care of the horses and cattle.
After taking a short rest, Zheng Anping began to change his clothes. I had my hair done again, put on my wedding clothes, and put on my Jue Bian. Cao Bao called four women to serve in the back house.
After sitting for a while, he calmed down and saw that it was almost dusk. Everyone helped prepare the two carriages. Zheng Anping carried a prepared wild goose, and Cao Bao each drove one out of the city again.
Although the sky is still brighter, torches have been lit in the city lord's mansion, which is brightly illuminated. The guards coming and going could see what was going on in the hall: the bride was sitting in the middle of the hall, wearing a red wedding dress; Genie was sitting in the back, wearing all black. Both the family members and the best minister were dressed in purple and walked slowly in front of the hall.
When the servants heard the sound of the carriage, the family members and the best man came to the door to greet him.
The two drove to the gate of the City Lord's Mansion, and Zheng Anping and Cao Bao got out of the car. Cao Bao took Zheng Anping's car and Zheng Anping stepped forward. The clan members turned to the east, Zheng Anping was to the west, and the two met each other with the compliments of the best man. Enter from the east and west sides.
