Yang Yan's words made Ouyang Xuan even more embarrassed. At this moment, his heart was very messy. It was said that he had left all the power over the wedding to Lu Dezhi to negotiate with Yang Wen, and had never interfered. If something like this happened now, I'm afraid Yang Wen and Lu Dezhi were negligent. With Cui'er present, he was even ashamed to take off his clothes, let alone perform the courtesy of Duke Zhou in front of her. At that moment, he said sternly to Yang Yan: "On our bridal night, let Cui'er go out."
Before Yang Yan could answer, Cui'er cried even louder after hearing this. Her original low sobs turned into heart-wrenching wails, but the sound was not loud. It seemed that she was trying hard to suppress her cries. Of course Ouyang Xuan is not worried about anyone outside. The rules in the Yang Mansion are extremely strict, and no one dares to listen to the house on the eldest lady's wedding night. It’s not necessarily the case if the wedding is held in Pili Army. Let’s not talk about whether the room is soundproof or not. Take Cao Ergou as an example. Respecting Brother Xuan is one thing, but whether to have a wedding or not is another matter. .
Yang Yan walked to Cui'er, first comforted her, and then said sternly to Ou Xuanyang: "Brother Xuan, this is your fault..." As personal maids, Cui'er and Yang Yan Their relationship is very good. Although they are master and servant, they are actually sisters. They are also close friends in the boudoir. Yang Yan and Ouyang Xuan made an engagement, and she was secretly happy in her heart, because this was not only a major event for Yang Yan's marriage, but also a major event for her. Because according to custom, when the young lady married Ouyang Xuan, she had to accompany him as a maid. This Cui'er is also one of Yang Yan's dowries.
In fact, this custom exists not only in Miao territory, but also in Han territory. Especially now that there are frequent wars in central Sichuan, many young and middle-aged people have died in battle, resulting in more women than men. Land requires labor. Under the current productivity conditions, only men can engage in heavy physical labor such as farming. Therefore, the policy formulated by the Perak Army, although it advocates monogamy, does not prohibit concubinage. Ouyang Xuan also knew that aristocratic families had maids who were married to each other, and these people were either bought or brought as dowries. In the eyes of Yang Yan and Cui'er, everything seems natural. On the one hand, the concept is deeply ingrained, and on the other hand, marrying Ou Xuanyang will at least provide enough food and clothing.
To say that love is selfish, both men and women want to monopolize all love, and Yang Yan is no exception. She knew that Ouyang Xuan really liked her, but the custom was like this. How could she resist a high-ranking official, including her father, who didn't have three wives and four concubines? If he were to marry another woman as his concubine, it would be better to take Cui Er into his concubine, so that he could have a confidant to talk to. Moreover, the Yang family has always been sparsely populated. If he does not give birth to a son to carry on the family line, who will take over Ouyang Xuanyou's family business? If Cui'er gives birth to a son and a half-son for Ouyang Xuan, the mother will get rid of her status as a slave and will definitely be taken as a concubine. Cui'er is kind-hearted and loves her sisters, so she will definitely not get into trouble with her. This is a win-win for both myself and Tweety.
In Ouyang Xuan's concept, marriage is a matter between two people. The combination between him and Yang Yan was based on mutual love, like a natural and pure gemstone, not mixed with other things. He also doesn't want other things to get involved, and he doesn't want anyone to enter the emotional world of two people. In his view, forming an alliance with Bozhou was a natural choice in the context of the Anti-Mongolian War. It was an inevitable choice for the Pili Army's strategy and had nothing to do with Yang Yan's love. If there is a relationship, it is that this love has made the mutual trust between the two parties extremely high in a short period of time, and it will become unbreakable as time goes by.
Ouyang Xuan understands that the economic foundation is always the underlying logic of social customs. Cui Er's dowry seems to be a legacy of barbaric slavery customs, but it is actually the optimal solution under the traditional production method. However, Ouyang Xuan really couldn't accept this approach. This is not because Tweety is not beautiful, nor is it because she is of low status and is just a maid, but because his values do not allow him to do so, and he cannot convince himself to accept the concept of treating people as objects. He cannot change the current production methods, nor can he ban this custom in a short time, but he can take the lead.
After listening silently to Yang Yan's words, Ouyang Xuan took her hand and gently brought her to Cui'er, who was still sitting on the bed and sobbing. He stared into Yang Yan's eyes and said softly: "Yan'er, marriage is a matter of two people. Three people are too crowded. I feel lucky to have you in this life. Cui'er is your sister, that is, my sister. Today I I recognized her as my adopted sister." Ouyang Xuan said this euphemistically, but not only Yang Yan understood it, but Cui'er also understood it. He would not take Cui'er as a concubine, nor would he let her be his maid, but would instead give her her freedom. With the identity of Ouyang Xuan's adopted sister and her gentleness and beauty, it is not difficult for Cui'er to find a good family.
After hearing Ouyang Xuan's words, Cui'er burst into laughter and stood up to kneel down again. On the one hand, she was grateful to Ouyang Xuan for freeing her from being a slave, and more importantly, she was grateful to Ouyang Xuan for recognizing her as her adopted sister. In fact, the latter identity is more important, which means that you can have a stable living environment. In fact, in these troubled times, many people took the initiative to sell themselves into slavery, just to find a source of support to survive. Before Cui'er could kneel down, she was supported by Ouyang Xuan. He wiped Yang Yan's tearful face with her hand again, and said with a smile: "Then there is a sense in which a step sister kowtows to her brother. Is this going to shorten my life?"
The words have already made it clear that Cui'er can no longer stay in this bridal chamber. Yang Yan immediately sent her out. When she returned to her room, she found that only one of the several big red candles was still on, and the others had been extinguished at some point. When she was wondering, she suddenly saw Ouyang Xuan emerging from the shadow of the candlelight and suddenly picked her up. As she screamed, she found that she had been thrown on the bed. Fortunately, the bed was covered with thick quilts, so she did not feel any pain. "Brother Xuan..." Before he finished speaking, the last red candle had been extinguished, and his lips were pressed against a mouth smelling of alcohol, so he had to swallow the unspoken words alive.
After the wedding, everyone in the Pili Army stayed in Bozhou for more than half a month. During this period, Lu Dezhi led Zhu Tiaozi to discuss the details of cooperation with Manager Tian and a group of powerful chiefs, while Dong Hu led the soldiers of the Perak Army and the Bozhou Army to learn from each other. Although Ouyang Xuan is newlywed, he is not idle. Yang Wen took him to Hailongtun and the forts around Bozhou City. On the one hand, he inspected the Bozhou Army stationed in the camp and visited the local aristocratic families. On the other hand, he inspected the mines and factory construction preparations on the spot. Also accompanying Yang Wen was Yang Bangxian, Yang Wen's only son. As the eldest son of the Yang family, he would inherit the family business of Bozhou Youda in the future. Yang Wen brought him along to familiarize him with people's sentiments and government affairs.
It is said that although Yang Bangxian is only thirteen or fourteen years old, he has read poetry and books and is very knowledgeable. He has been proficient in martial arts, bow and horse since he was a child. Ouyang Xuan saw that his brother-in-law had a childish appearance but was far more mature than his peers, and his conversation and knowledge were different from ordinary people, so he gave him careful guidance. Unexpectedly, after hearing this, he regarded Ouyang Xuan as a treasure and pestered him all day long to tell him overseas stories, such as those whales as big as ships, the tribes that were rich in gold and silver but used human sacrifices, and those in the Miraculous crops with high yields can be obtained on the rocky dry land of Banshu... Ouyang Xuan couldn't bear the harassment but had no choice but to do anything. Sometimes he even had to hide in Yang Yan's boudoir. Zeng had expected that this kid would actually chase him, and even at night, he would not leave. Yang Yan carried him out by the ears several times.
