The auspicious time has arrived.
Mrs. Shen, Magistrate Shen and Shen Zheng walked out of the main hall.
"Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedule to come to our Shen Mansion. There are two things to do for the big banquet today." Mrs. Shen said with a smile, "Everyone knows the first thing, that is, my incompetent grandson. Thanks to the blessing of my ancestors, I was admitted as a scholar. Although it is only a small fame, it is still worthy of joy. Please come and have fun. The second thing is that my grandson has some unknown fate and has fallen into the eyes of the Sui Ru people. , I plan to hold a marriage recognition banquet this time, and I will recognize Sui Ruren as my godmother."
As soon as these words came out, many people at the scene took a deep breath.
They all had not even said a few words to Sui Ruren, but the Shen family had already boarded Sui Ruren's boat.
Although Magistrate Shen is a seventh-rank official, Sui Ruren is also a seventh-rank official, and everyone can guess that Sui Ruren's official position can probably be promoted to another level. The most important thing is that Sui Ruren also has a nephew who has become an official. After winning the court examination case, the Cheng family was the only one in Ping'an County with two dignitaries.
"Wanwan, come on, come up." Mrs. Shen waved, "Dashan, you guys are coming over too."
Cheng Wanwan walked over with the children. She was the elder and sat down directly, while the children stood in two rows.
Mrs. Shen said loudly: "Light the incense!"
The waiter stepped forward and immediately lit the incense candles on the desk. After the incense candles were burned, the ceremony officially began.
"bye!"
Mrs. Shen shouted loudly.
Shen Zheng lifted up his robe, knelt down on the futon, and kowtowed three times.
Ah Fu handed over the tea. He respectfully handed the tea to Cheng Wanwan: "Godmother, please drink tea."
Cheng Wanwan took the tea, took a slight sip, and then took out a large red seal and a golden longevity lock from her sleeves. This was a specially prepared wedding gift that she had inquired about from Mrs. Zhao last night. .
The longevity lock was meant for babies to wear. Even though Shen Zheng was old, he could still wear it symbolically.
After the godmother gave gifts, the godson also had to give gifts. According to custom, Shen Zheng prepared a hat, a pair of shoes, and a piece of satin fabric.
The gift-giving is over and the ceremony is complete.
Next, Cheng Wanwan's four sons served tea to Mrs. Shen and County Magistrate Shen, and then Cheng Wanwan served tea to County Magistrate Shen, his godbrother, and Mrs. Shen. This is not a formal recognition of godfather. This step It means that the two families have become one, which means they will often move around in the future.
Mrs. Shen prepared generous gifts for her four sons, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter.
After a cup of tea, the recognition ceremony was finally over.
Those who watched the ceremony were filled with envy.
"County Magistrate Shen calmly became a member of the same boat as Sui Ruren. He will definitely be promoted in the coming year."
"County Magistrate Shen made many meritorious deeds last year just because of the Sui Ru people. He will be in trouble in the future."
"I was born into a family in the village of Sui Ruren, and after becoming a godson with Magistrate Shen, I will surely rise to great heights in the future."
"These two companies will definitely get better and better in the future, which is enviable."
"..."
Mrs. Zhao and Mr. Zhao stood in the crowd and sighed in unison.
Last night they knew that the eldest daughter-in-law was going to marry the Shen family. At that time they felt excited, but now after seeing this scene with their own eyes and hearing the comments of the onlookers, they couldn't help but feel a little melancholy.
The eldest daughter-in-law walked higher and higher, as if she was getting farther and farther away from them. The Zhao family had to raise their heads high to see the back of the eldest daughter-in-law.
This feeling made the two old people feel disappointed.
"Grandpa Zhao, let's go and sit over there." Shen Zheng walked over with a smile and put his hand on Old Man Zhao's shoulder very familiarly, "Er Gou said that you can drink, so I will drink a few more drinks with you today. "
Here, Mrs. Shen held Mrs. Zhao's hand and said with a smile: "I have always heard Xiaozheng talking about the Zhao family's grandpa and grandma. When we met today, we were particularly cordial. From now on, our Shen family and Zhao family will be one family. Come, Grandma Zhao, sit at the main table."
At the beginning of the banquet, men and women were seated separately. The grandfather and grandmother of the Zhao family sat at the main table. Many people came over to propose a toast, which dispelled the disappointment in the hearts of the two old people.
At the men's table, Magistrate Shen took the lead, followed by the magistrates of each county, as well as Old Man Zhao, Master Yu, and Shen Zheng. The magistrates did not talk about political affairs, but about farm matters. After all, this time It's spring plowing season, and Old Man Zhao has a lot to say when it comes to rural affairs.
The old man took a sip of wine and said slowly: "At the end of March, the village is plowing and preparing the fields. This step requires patience. The cow is plowing slowly. You can't rush it. If you push it, it will follow. Are you anxious... The cows pulled the wooden sticks back and forth in the field several times, and the fields gradually became level... There are not many cows in our village, and every household is queuing up, so even in the evening, the cows have to be busy. Rest, we can’t rest, we continue to be busy in the fields..."
Several county magistrates had never heard of this, and they listened with great interest.
Shen Zheng was sitting on the edge, feeling very bored. He quietly stood up and went to the table next door. That table was filled with his classmates. Cheng Zhao, Qian Hui were all here. The literati gathered together, that is, poetry Songs and poems, poems and essays, all quoting scriptures, they are all talented scholars.
"Everyone has almost eaten." Shen Zheng said with a smile, "The crabapple flowers in my back yard are blooming. Would you like to change places to enjoy the flowers and drink?"
Zheng Wangfeng stood up and said: "Then let's enjoy the flowers and write poems, and then the county magistrates will judge who is the top winner today."
He said and glanced at Cheng Zhao.
He was overpowered by Cheng Zhao in the college examination, and this time when he was appreciating flowers, he would overpower Cheng Zhao no matter what.
Cheng Zhao did not refuse: "The end of March is when the crabapple flowers are in full bloom, go and have a look."
Shen Zheng led the way, and a dozen literati students walked toward the backyard together. Everyone was eating and drinking in the front hall, and there was no one in the backyard.
Several weeping begonias were in bloom, and the branches were full of flowers, hanging down in colorful colors. When the breeze blew, petals fell down, and the ground was crimson, and it was suddenly beautiful.
These literati were suddenly inspired, and one by one they began to recite poems and write poems. The boy had already prepared pens, inks, paper and inkstones, and the literati wrote down their favorite works.
Shen Zheng drank a lot of wine, and now his mind was in a mess. He just proposed to come and enjoy the flowers. Why did he suddenly want to compose a poem?
He glanced at Cheng Zhao and then at Zheng Wangfeng. Both of their poems were so wonderful. If he composed one, he would probably be laughed at.
After all, there were so many of them, and only three of them were admitted as scholars. If he, a great scholar, could not produce poems as good as these boys, where would he put his face?
Shen Zheng drank a large glass of wine and burped: "I'm going to make a convenience."
Qian Hui sneered: "Brother Shen, you must be peeing and running away. Don't think that everything will be fine if you run away. We will be here waiting for you to come back and write poems."
Shen Zheng rolled his eyes and walked towards the back yard carrying the wine bottle.
There were begonia flowers everywhere in the backyard of the county government office. As he walked, he began to walk slowly. When he saw a big stone in front of him, he lay down directly on the stone. He raised the wine bottle and poured wine into his mouth, and said vaguely: "I'm so happy today, I'm a great scholar haha, I have a godmother hahaha... drink, drink..."
He drank and fell unconscious.
At this moment, a beautiful figure walked out of the begonia flowers.
This is a luxuriously dressed boudoir lady, wearing a light cyan dress, with an oval face, almond eyes, and red lips. She has the temperament of a lady.
A maid followed beside her. The maid looked left and right: "Didn't Miss Fu say she came here to enjoy the flowers? Where are they?"
Because the literati were admiring the flowers there, the girls in the boudoir found a secluded place to enjoy the crabapples. However, the master and servant walked around and saw no other girls. They were looking for them, but they couldn't see them. There is a person lying on the big rock in the distance...
