February.
A few days before Zhang Wu's wedding.
Huainan transfer envoy Wu Chong has returned to Beijing. Although Wu Chong returned to the mansion and was 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. The matter is solved immediately, and the truth is extremely clear. It is truly worthy of my lady’s discipline.”
Li Taijun looked happy after hearing her husband's compliment.
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 worry that she can't provide for her husband's family, and take care of both the inside and outside. 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. Mr. Zhang Sanlang'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 care."
"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."
"In addition, 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. You must not be self-possessed and look down on your brother and sister-in-law. You need to share the 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 seeing that the Wu family was very sincere in their intentions, and they used some tricks, they entered the Wu family's door. However, a few years after Shi Qi's biological mother entered the Wu family, the two had many arguments. 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 in the future, Wu Chong didn't 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, Taijun Li called the Seventeenth Mother and gave her careful instructions. In addition to what Wu Chong said, a woman's beauty is to be submissive. After marrying into the Zhang family, she must serve her brother and sister-in-law respectfully and respect her husband.
Mrs. Fan listened on the sidelines, and after Li Taijun left, she and Qi Niang laughed and said, "I also said 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 don't always have to be humble and humble. They must be filial and obedient. 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 babies? Sooner or later, a bride must listen to her parents-in-law's instructions after she enters the family. 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, the two 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 girl'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 his duties due to his busy schedule. However, Zhang Yue insisted on inviting Ouyang Xiu, so he personally went to Ouyang's house 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 been there but were not there.
In addition, officials such as Fan Zhen and Wu Kui 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 that they would definitely not come, so he politely sent out invitations. They all excused themselves by saying that they were not feeling well. 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 langhao 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, there is also Ouyang Xiu among them, and Han Zhongyan’s face is in it.
As for other officials, there were also gifts. Among them, Bao Zheng, the deputy privy envoy who had no contact with Zhang Yue, also gave him an inkstone.
And Wang Anshi, who always disliked him, actually gave him gifts. Zhang Yue was surprised. He had thought that it would be enough for Wang Anguo and Wang Anli to come on his behalf, and sending invitations was just a polite act.
However, Zhang Yue suddenly understood after seeing what Wang Anshi had given him.
Wang Anshi presented his masterpiece "Huainan Miscellanies" as a gift. Zhang Yue couldn't laugh or cry when he saw it. There was no reason to give his book as a congratulatory gift. There is also a saying by Wang Anshi in this "Huainan Miscellaneous Comments": "If he could catch a glimpse of Mencius when he was young, he would dare to look up to Han Gong for the rest of his life." '
Zhang Yue understood that this was the consistent opinion of Wang Anshi's master Meng Zunhan.
In addition to "Huainan Miscellanies", there is also a congratulatory letter 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 seven-foot ceremonial guard used by the emperor?
Guo Lin, Fan Zuyu, Huang Haoyi and other classmates all followed 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 Qizhang Yue did not intend to invite him at all. However, this person was his fellow countryman and classmate, so it would be hard not to invite him just to save face. But the other party knew how to measure things very well, and actually took the initiative to let someone tell him that he was sick and couldn't come. Zhang Yue naturally wished for this.
As for Jinshi in the same year, except for himself and Wujia who were waiting for election in Beijing, all of them went out to serve as officials. Zhang Yue recalled that when he first became a Jinshi, it was the peak period for catching a son-in-law, and he had several wedding banquets.
If I didn't hold the wedding banquet at that time, I would really 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 building had been erected in front of the Zhang family. The bamboo sheds of the colorful building were tied with colorful silk. People in the streets had already known that the current number one scholar lived here.
The Zhang family built such a tall colorful building, and 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 at 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 Yaqi's house and bought some servants.
Although there are many poor people who settle down in Bianjing every day to sell themselves, good servants are not easy to find.
Zhang Shixin bought these servants. At that time, he only cared about sympathy for each other's poor life experience, and didn't look at anything else.
As a result, when we arrived at Zhang's house, he 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 Yu Shi dared to show off his face.
Zhang Yue saw that he didn't say anything after that, and ordered Tang Jiu to send this person away, so that the back house became more peaceful. However, I have no experience in managing people in my previous two lives, and I don’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 are good at training their servants.
When Mother Chen 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 had a very high 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.
When the cleaning was almost done, Mother Chen bowed to Zhang Yue again, and then said respectfully: "My husband, 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 exit the new house" and then lowered her head.
Zhang Yue understood, he understood that this was a wedding custom in Bianjing, so he said: "I understand, then I will go to the wing and sleep for one night."
Mother Chen leaned forward and said, "That's right. After I made the arrangements, I ordered 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 you love 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 Xu's mother and us in the future. When we meet such a Lang, we can be regarded as 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 didn't have to sleep that night. There were too many things on his mind. When 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 and saw Zhang Shi climbing up the colorful building with a bamboo ladder. It turned out that one of the colorful forgings was hanging sideways, so Zhang Shi climbed up and straightened 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, only to see a theater tent being set up at the other end of the street. According to Zhang Shi, the Zhang family's wedding has caused trouble to the neighbors, and it is very inconvenient for such a big lottery building to block the neighbors' access.
Therefore, he invited a famous shadow puppet troupe from Bianjing to come here to perform, not only to thank the neighbors, but also to create a lively atmosphere.
After hearing this, Zhang Yue thought this idea was a good one.
While the two brothers were chatting, Zhang Shi had tied up the colorful 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 at the door 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 will produce 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.
