"Auntie, I want to go too!"
"Mom, I want to go too!"
In front of the palace gate, the two children were holding on to Zhong's clothes, but Zhong couldn't push them away.
Wang Zhi passed by, squatted down, and held one in each hand, "You can go, I have hidden ten packs of candied fruits in the backyard garden. If you both find them, I will take you there."
"Really?"
Two pairs of big, watery eyes blinked, looking at him innocently.
Wang Zhi nodded and replied seriously, "The time has not come yet, so we don't leave now. You go find him quickly. We won't leave until the time comes."
"Okay, keep your word, let's pull the hook."
Xiao Wang Ling was obviously still a little suspicious, but Xiao Wang Hang had already climbed over the threshold and ran into the yard.
Wang Erlang and his sister pulled the hook and stamped it.
Seeing that little Wang Ling also ran into the house and disappeared, Wang Erlang stood up and looked up at the sun, and said helplessly, "The time has come. It seems they can't come. Let's go."
"You kid."
Mr. Zhong laughed and cursed, greeted Mrs. Wang, and entered a carriage.
Wang Erlang got on his horse, said goodbye to his brother and sister-in-law, and followed Wang Zhen, who was already on his horse.
Two horses cleared the way, followed by thirteen carriages, followed by twelve tribute officials driving boxes, and drove out of Rulin Alley in a majestic manner, attracting the admiration of passersby on the roadside.
The Cao Mansion is in Beicheng and the Wang family is in East City. The motorcade needs to drive to Xuande Street, pass the old Cao Gate into the inner city, turn into Maxing Street, pass by Donghua Gate, then go out of the old Fengqiu Gate, and cross the Wuzhang River...
Along the way, we passed the Ancestral Temple, Wazi, Alum Tower, Baolong Temple, Wansui Mountain, Iron Pagoda, and Gen Mountain... The scenery was infinitely beautiful, and people felt refreshed.
Wang Xun was away on an expedition and had not returned to Beijing for more than two years. He was surrounded by harsh mountains and rivers every day, and he was deeply moved when he suddenly entered this paradise on earth.
Of course, I feel even more emotional for the little son next to me. I remember that when this kid went out, all the people on the street would stay away, for fear that he would be hit by bad luck and get punched again. But now...
People along the way came to greet them one after another. Some people shouted congratulations, some gave away items from their stalls, and some young ladies secretly shed tears and watched them off from afar...
This kid, regardless of whether he knew him or not, he always called everyone he met and responded warmly to everyone without stopping. It was in stark contrast to himself who no one cared about.
Looking at the young man next to him in bright clothes and white horse, Wang Zhenlaohuai was delighted.
He has really grown up and is better than himself. If he has a son like this, what else can he ask for?
In front of Cao's house, Cao Ji and a young man over twenty years old and dressed in gorgeous clothes were already waiting eagerly in front of the door.
If you look carefully, you will see that this young man is also a good-looking man, very similar to Cao Ji. He is the biological and only son of Cao Ji and the Wu family, Cao Xi, the biological brother of Lady Cao.
I don't see him every day because Cao Xi and his wife were kicked out by Cao Ji and his wife less than a year after they got married. According to Cao Ji's words, it's 'out of sight, out of mind'.
"Oh, Dad, I don't know when the Wang family will arrive. Let's go back to the house and wait. Let the servants keep an eye on us. It won't be too late to notify us when they arrive."
Cao Xi got a little impatient while waiting, frowning and rubbing his hands in boredom.
"I see you haven't been gambling for a day, so your hands are itchy!"
Cao Ji glanced at him and said in an angry tone: "If your sister hadn't gotten engaged today, do you think you would have been allowed to enter this family?"
"You can leave as soon as today's business is over. Don't be an eyesore here and make me and your mother angry."
Cao Xi laughed and did not refute. After all, this old man was not only his biological father, but also his God of Wealth. Not to mention scolding him, he would not dare to retaliate even if he was beaten.
"Hey, dad, look, they are coming!"
Cao Xi pointed at the entrance of the alley and yelled. Cao Ji quickly looked around. Although they were far apart and the figures were mottled, all the luster of the young man in bright clothes and a white horse was lost when he came into view. There was only one young man left in the picture. .
"Quick, go and tell Madam to prepare, the Wang family is coming!"
After Cao Ji ordered a servant behind him, he hurriedly picked up his robe and came forward to greet him.
When the Wang family and his son saw someone from the Cao family coming to greet them, they quickly dismounted.
"Oh, brother Wang, the Wang family, I have been waiting for you for a long time, but now I have you back."
Cao Ji stepped forward and held Wang Zhen's hand tightly with a smile on his face.
"How dare you bother your in-laws to come and greet you in person?"
After exchanging pleasantries, Wang Chen called out: "Zhi'er."
Wang Zhi followed his mother's instructions in advance and took the two caged wild geese from the hands of the tribute officer behind him, bowed and handed them over with both hands: "I have met my father-in-law, and I have met my uncle."
"well…"
Cao Ji did not rush to take the wild goose. Instead, he held his father-in-law with one hand, stroked his beard with one hand and asked, "My worthy son-in-law is here carrying the wild goose. Do you know what this 'wild goose' is?"
"The wild goose is a sincere person. Not abandoning the old, weak, sick and disabled is loyalty. Being with your partner forever and never leaving is chastity. Autumn goes and spring comes and staying the same for ten thousand years is trust. The yang outside the yin and the husband sings and the wife follows suit is compatibility. The husband and wife get along with each other. There is nothing better than the four words of loyalty, chastity, trust, and unity."
Wang Zhi was prepared in advance, so he naturally answered quickly and neatly.
Cao Ji stroked his beard and smiled, his eyes filled with satisfaction.
Before he could say anything, he heard the cheap son-in-law slowly singing again: "We are traveling from all over the world, how many times have we been to the cold and heat? What is love in this world? It tells us that life and death are together."
As soon as this word came out, several people in the audience were stunned. Cao Ji's hand stroking his beard stopped in mid-air, and his eyes went straight.
Wang Zhen looked at his son's face with confusion. This was not in the script for the morning rehearsal.
Cao Xi stared straight at the betrothal caravan in front of him, unable to see the end of it, and couldn't help but swallow his saliva.
"Ask what love is in this world, and it will teach you how to make love between life and death..."
"Travelers from all over the world, Lao Yi has been through the cold and heat several times..."
Cao Ji couldn't help but murmured and repeated, his eyes seemed to have reflected the scene of wild geese flying southeast in pairs.
The smug Wang Erlang was a little stunned when he heard him repeat it. It seemed that he had indeed sung the wrong song, but it didn't matter. I remember correctly that the improvised lyrics should be Hou Yuan's work, and no one was there at this time. I have heard that it is not up to him, Wang Erlang, to decide which sentence comes first and which comes last.
"Good words, really good words. As soon as this word came out of ancient love affairs, it has its destination. It is not inferior to Dongpo, Yi An and others. He is just a virtuous son-in-law..."
Cao Ji thought about it for a while, but couldn't help but ask, "What is the name of this word and who wrote it? Why is there only half of it? Why have I never heard of it?"
"this……"
Wang Zhi was dumbfounded. Is this half a palace? What is a full palace?
"A good son-in-law?"
"Oh, um, father-in-law, this word has no name, but it came from my son-in-law's feelings. The remaining half of my son-in-law hasn't thought about it yet."
Wang Zhi said, raising the wild goose above his head and blocking it in front of him. He just wanted to get over this situation quickly. Next time, I won't use the poems of younger generations to decorate my pen, okay?
Cao Ji was even more shocked when he heard this. Such a masterpiece was just casually written by his son-in-law. This is really... embarrassing to all scholars throughout the ages.
He is different from Wang Zhen, a rough guy who is half-informed and half-informed around him. Although he was also an official who became a scholar with kindness, he is still a civil servant, and he is still a cabinet minister who organizes and summarizes imperial edicts and memorials. He has been dealing with writing for decades. , I have never seen any good articles or poems, and his literary skills are not inferior to those of Jinshi and court officials. If the imperial court had not banned the method of selecting scholars through imperial examinations, he would not be able to drag his middle age to take the test.
As soon as this half-Que poem came out, he knew it was perfect. He could become a god. He could not escape if he left his name in history. With such a talented son-in-law, what more could he ask for.
"My dear son-in-law, I remember to finish this sentence when I have time, and let me know as soon as possible..."
Cao Jilian stopped holding the hand of his in-laws, and Dayan stopped looking at it, and kept staring at the lyrics.
"My son-in-law knows it, my brother-in-law knows it."
Wang Erlang nodded repeatedly, feeling regretful and unable to get over it, "That father-in-law...this Yan..."
"Oh, yes, Cao Xi."
Cao Ji shouted, but when he saw no response from behind, he looked back and saw that the scoundrel was still staring at the bride's betrothal gift. He couldn't help but feel angry and let out a loud groan.
Only then did Cao Xi come back to his senses. Facing his father's fiery eyes, he hurriedly lowered his head and stepped forward to collect the geese.
"Brother-in-law, I haven't seen you for a while. How are you doing lately?"
Wang Zhi felt that the atmosphere was a bit awkward, so he smiled and stepped forward to put his arm around Cao Xi's shoulders, and greeted him warmly.
Cao Xi: "Brother-in-law..."
After Wang Zhi's warm appearance, Cao Ji also smiled and greeted Wang Zhen and a group of people who pressed boxes for the ceremony officials to enter the house.
After Cao Xi led the Wang family and his son into the mansion, Cao Ji waited for Mr. Zhong and Mrs. Wang to get out of the car, exchanged a few words with each other and then entered the mansion together.
After entering the mansion, they saw that Mrs. Wu had already led a group of close relatives and servants of the Cao family to wait in the courtyard.
Wang Zhi saluted the Wu family, and under the guidance of the Wu family, he greeted all the close relatives and elders of the Cao family one by one. The elders looked at the "human-looking" Erlang of the Wang family and were full of praises. They even said that the Cao family had found a man. Such a good son-in-law made Mrs. Wu smile so happily.
Under the leadership of Mr. Wu, everyone entered the lobby. Wang Zhen and Mr. Zhong were invited to sit down at the top and tea was served. Wang Zhi naturally took his seat at the bottom.
"Xiao Ru, please bring Congee here too."
Wu ordered, Xiaoru nodded and stepped back.
All the elders in the hall were talking and laughing with each other, and Erlang Wang was restless. He liked the excitement, but he didn't like this kind of excitement. He liked to be praised, but this kind of praise, like watching a monkey, was really a bit annoying. Awkward.
Finally, the person who shared the burden came, and Xiao Ru helped Mrs. Cao, whose face had not calmed down a bit, into the lobby.
Although her complexion has not yet calmed down, she still has no missing makeup, and with her slightly pale complexion, I feel pity for her, so charming.
Wang Zhi stood up and wanted to greet him, but he was embarrassed in front of everyone, so he could only stay where he was.
An elder of the Cao family called Mrs. Cao to sit down next to her, opposite Wang Zhi.
Fortunately, there was an elder from the Cao family beside Wang Zhi who asked him to sit down, so he was not allowed to continue the awkward situation.
Miss Cao didn't even look at him from the time she appeared until she sat down, and covered her face with her fan. Even if Wang Erlang wanted to make eye contact, he could only show it to the blind man.
Wang Po saw that all the protagonists had arrived, and slowly walked into the hall to start the engagement process.
