Qizhou governor's office.
At this moment, the place is full of guests and very lively. Wang Renbiao is the governor of Qizhou, and the eldest son of the Wang family in Taiyuan is getting married. Who among the officials in Qizhou officialdom dare not come?
Not only the officialdom, but also the well-known wealthy businessmen and gentry in Qizhou all wanted to attend the wedding banquet. After all, Wang Renbiao was the "boss" in Qizhou, and two heavyweights, Wang Yu and Princess Tong'an, were also in Qizhou. , if we can use this wedding banquet to establish some relationship with Wang Renbiao or the Wang family, it will be completely prosperous!
So even though many people couldn't get invitations, they still came over to send congratulatory gifts. They wanted to be familiar with Wang Renbiao, Wang Yu, and Princess Tong'an. No matter what, it was good to form a good relationship!
However, as the Wang family was an aristocratic family the year before, they were naturally not short of money, so in terms of gifts, guests who had nothing to do with the Wang family would not accept any gifts! If you come to celebrate Wang Renbiao's wedding, you are welcome to eat at the running banquet outside the governor's office. But if you want to take this opportunity to bribe Wang Renbiao with a heavy gift, then I'm sorry, the Wang family will not accept this gift!
This rule was set by Wang Yu, but now the family is in turmoil. Three of the five surnames and seven hopes have disappeared. There are only four of the seven major families left, including the Li Tang royal family. Now Wang Renbiao and Wang Yu are both court officials. In terms of style, Wang Yu is quite cautious! In his opinion, the Wang family has a lot of wealth, so how has it ever been short of money? There is no need to let the censors catch them just for this little profit!
You must know that since the fall of the Cui family and the Zheng family, the censors in the court now especially like to collect the evil deeds of the children of the aristocratic families to prove their uprightness and noble character! Wang Yu will never make a stupid mistake in this matter!
And Wang Renbiao also supported his decision very much! Wang Renbiao was the governor of Qizhou, so he naturally did not want his county officials to send him expensive gifts for his wedding. The land of Qizhou was not rich, and most of the officials could only live on the salary from the court (of course, , except corrupt officials), in this case, how could Wang Renbiao be willing to ask for their congratulatory gifts? And this can easily lead to a trend of comparison!
So when he sent people to distribute invitations to officials in Qizhou counties, Wang Renbiao asked his servants to clearly inform them that people could come, but no gifts would be accepted!
This kind of behavior has naturally been unanimously praised by the officials in Qizhou officialdom. In the early years of the Tang Dynasty, the administration of officials in various places was relatively clear. It cannot be said that there are no corrupt officials, but the proportion of corrupt officials is definitely very small. Most officials are still relatively Incorruptible. Before that, many officials were worried when they knew that Wang Renbiao was about to get married. Because Wang Renbiao was the governor of Qizhou and the eldest son of the Wang family in Taiyuan. If they gave him shabby congratulatory gifts when he got married, wouldn't they be offending their superiors in vain? , Offend the Wang family? But if the gift is too expensive, my wallet won’t allow it! This is really a dilemma!
Therefore, Wang Renbiao's move made most officials in Qizhou breathe a sigh of relief!
Not only that, the people are also full of praise for the marriage of Wang Renbiao and Li Jingchu, because today, there are thousands of tables of flowing water banquets on the street outside the governor's office, and these flowing water banquets will be placed for three days, during which all the people will You can come and eat for free.
This is Wang Renbiao’s handiwork!
When Li Zexuan and Han Yuxi got married last year, they invited almost the people of Chang'an City to eat "chicken nibbling" (of course, there was a prerequisite at that time, that is, everyone had to bring a bouquet of flowers before going). Now Wang Renbiao Wang Renbiao naturally wanted to have a lively wedding with Li Jingchu, because Li Jingchu had suffered too much for him, and he wanted to use this to compensate her!
"The bride is here! The bride is here!"
At three o'clock in the morning, the wedding team finally returned. The crowd outside the Governor's Mansion took the initiative to move out of the way. Wang Renbiao got off his horse and pulled Li Jingchu out of the carriage. Seeing the newlyweds, the people watching and the guests at the Governor's Mansion couldn't help but admire:
"Prince Wang is young and handsome, and this young lady from the Li family is beautiful. They are a match made in heaven!"
"Who says not? The groom and the bride are such a perfect match!"
"This Miss Li is from Yong County, and she is bringing honor to Yong County now!"
"Maybe Governor Wang will stay in Qizhou because of this, and we people in Qizhou will also be blessed!"
"Haha! That's right!"
There are those who praise and bless them from the bottom of their hearts, and naturally there are also those who make sarcastic remarks, but these sarcastic remarks only dare to whisper in small faces:
"But I heard that the Li family is just a family of merchants, but Governor Wang is from the Wang family in Taiyuan. Isn't this a bit inappropriate?"
"Yes! It is said that the head of the Wang family and Princess Tong'an came all the way from Suizhou this time just to break up the pair!"
"Then why are they still together now?"
"You don't know this, right? It's said..."
Faced with these gossips in private, Wang Renbiao and Li Jingchu were too lazy to listen or pay attention. They both knew that it was not easy for them to get together now, so naturally they would not worry about others' opinions!
Wang Renbiao and Li Jingchu jointly held a piece of red silk and walked on the red carpet into the governor's house. Next, the newlyweds will have to go through three "levels" - crossing the brazier, crossing the saddle, and crossing the rice bag!
In the courtyard, the master of ceremonies sang loudly: "The jade phoenix raises its feet to step on the fire basin, and the evil spirits hide on both sides. Happiness falls from the sky into the blessed nest, and the good days are prosperous! The newlyweds are stepping on the fire basin——"
"A piece of sandalwood is carved into a jade saddle. The newlyweds step over to ensure safety at every step. The newlyweds are stepping on the saddle——"
"Each generation with food and clothing is better than the next. Newcomers are stepping into rice bags——"
At this moment, taking advantage of the opportunity for the newlyweds to enter the palace, the Chief Governor of the Governor's Office also began to sing congratulations. This congratulations song is also an indispensable part of the wedding. One is to show the connections in the groom's family, and the other is to send congratulatory gifts to the couple. A kind of respect from the guests!
Previously, Wang Yu and Wang Renbiao did ask the officials and ordinary people in Qizhou who came to the banquet today not to bring congratulatory gifts, but that was because the relationship between those people and the Wang family was not that good. Even if they were to send congratulatory gifts, they would not They were not here to sincerely congratulate Wang Renbiao on his wedding, but to use this opportunity to please Wang Renbiao and cling to the Wang family! But this does not mean that the governor's office will not accept gifts today!
For those who are close to the Wang family or Wang Renbiao, they still have to accept their congratulatory gifts. After all, this is the courtesy exchange that should occur between friends and acquaintances! If you don't accept it, it will look inhumane!
I saw Chang Shi at the door holding a long list of gifts and singing loudly:
"Liu Wenchang, the governor of Xiangzhou, came to congratulate him and gave him 400,000 yuan, a pair of red gold buckles inlaid with precious stones, a pair of white jade mandarin duck buckles, and a gold hairpin with double luan holding longevity fruit~!"
"Zhang Wenfang, the magistrate of Sui County, came to congratulate him and gave him 100,000 yuan, a jade Buddha, a pair of gold cups, and six silver necklaces~!"
"Deng Guangcai, the magistrate of Xiangyang County, came to congratulate him and gave him 100,000 yuan, a pair of white jade mandarin duck buckles, and a jade Buddha~!"
"Mr. Zhang Jing, the academic master of Suizhou Prefecture, came to congratulate him and gave him 30,000 yuan, a copy of the Four Treasures of the First Class Study Room, and a copy of the calligraphy treasures of King Youjun, the sage of calligraphy~!"
"Mr. He Wenqing, the academic director of Xiangzhou Prefecture, came to congratulate him and gave him 30,000 yuan and a rubbing of "Qin Tu Tu"~!"
("Picture of Qin Qin" was created by Gu Kaizhi, a painter of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and his representative works include "Picture of Luo Shen Fu")
Most of the people at the front of the gift list are local officials from Suizhou or its vicinity. Of course, there are also gentlemen from local government schools. Wang Yujiu was an official in Suizhou, so of course he got to know many local officials. These people came to congratulate and give gifts. The Wang family Of course you have to take it!
Among these gifts, there are gold and silver jewelry, as well as calligraphy and paintings by famous people. Generally speaking, these gifts are not worth a million dollars, but they are more important because they are light on gifts and heavy on affection. After all, these people are either officials in one party or scholars in the government. Not to mention being rich and wealthy, with a fortune of tens of millions!
The people and guests who came to congratulate Suizhou officialdom and knew the inside story were not surprised, but everyone felt that these gifts seemed almost meaningless. After all, ten thousand dollars is only about a dozen strings, and one hundred thousand dollars is only about a dozen. It was only over a hundred strings, which was completely worthless for a thousand-year-old family like the Wang family!
But soon, the "rich man" everyone was waiting for arrived:
"Lu Chengqing, the Lu family of Fan Yang, came to congratulate and gave four million in money, four gold necklaces, six silver necklaces, a gold phoenix with silk beads, a gold hairpin with double luan holding longevity fruit, and a pair of gold phoenix hairpin with beads. , a pair of phoenix and bird hairpins inlaid with emerald green and Tian white jade, a pair of phoenix hairpins inlaid with emerald green silk~!"
"Li Jingxuan, the Li family of Zhaojun, came to congratulate him and gave him four million in money, a pair of white jade mandarin duck buckles, four pairs of beads and beeswax turquoise gown buttons, two jade-handled and ivory-handled small swords and fire sickles, four gold necklaces, and six silver necklaces. A~!"
The crowd suddenly let out waves of exclamations:
"Hey~! Four million yuan as a gift! People from Fan Yang's Lu family and Zhaojun's Li family are actually here! Governor Wang is so proud!"
"Lu Chengqing? Li Jingxuan? They are the eldest sons of Fan Yang's Lu family and Zhaojun's Li family respectively! They actually came in person!"
"This is why the Wang family has such influence!"
While everyone was discussing, they heard the governor, Shi, continue to read loudly:
"The Marquis of Yong'an of Chang'an sent someone to congratulate his sworn sister on her wedding to the governor Wang. He sent a special gift of 8 million, four pairs of top-quality night pearls, a golden phoenix with pearls, a golden hairpin with two lanterns holding longevity fruits, and A pair of pearl-gold phoenix hairpins, a pair of phoenix hairpins inlaid with emerald green and Tian white jade, a Qiquge carriage, three second-generation bicycles, and a special electric car made by the Qiquge workshop~!"
More than a month ago, there was a huge locust plague in Guanzhong, and Qizhou was also severely affected by the locust plague. When Li Zexuan led the Tianji brigade to the north, they passed by Qizhou. Within a few days, they wiped out all the locusts in the farmland in Qizhou. All in all, the people of Qizhou all thought of Li Zexuan's kindness. Now when they heard the governor Shi read out the three words "Yong'an Marquis", how could the people watching and the guests in the mansion not be shocked? Everyone was not only shocked by the congratulatory gifts in the gift list, but they were also even more shocked by the bride’s other identity:
"Send eight million as a gift! How heroic is Marquis Yong'an to take action!"
"What? Marquis Yong'an also came to congratulate you?"
"I heard that Marquis Yong'an and our Governor Wang are close friends. I didn't know whether this rumor was true or false before, but now it seems to be true!"
"In that case, aren't we, the people of Qizhou, also blessed? Yong'an Hou's Yanhuang Chamber of Commerce has many novelties. I wonder if we can come to Qizhou to open a branch!"
"Who said there is no branch anymore? The carriages sold by Miss Li's car dealership are shipped from the Yanhuang Chamber of Commerce!"
"Is there still such a thing?"
"Tsk, tsk! Eight million dollars! How much does this cost! I have never seen so much money in my life!"
"Tch! What is this? You heard that the last two gifts in the gift list are the most precious ones!"
"What gift?"
"Here! It's the second-generation bicycle, and the electric car specially made by Qiquge Workshop!"
"Second-generation bicycle? Is it the second-generation bicycle mentioned in the "Datang Daily" a while ago? We don't even have many of these in Qizhou, right?"
"Isn't that true? Look at how generous Yong'an Marquis is. He gave away three cars as a gift! In fact, it's nothing. The most precious thing is the electric car specially made by Qiquge Workshop!"
"What is this electric car? Why have I never heard of it?"
"Hey! This electric car is so amazing. Most people don't know it at all. My uncle has been doing business in Chang'an, so he heard some news! It is said that this electric car is a very huge iron box, and people sit in it. , there is no need for animals to pull it, and there is no need to use your feet to push it, the car can move on its own, it’s amazing!”
"Hey~! Is there such a car in this world?"
"Well! Before that, there was only one car in the entire Tang Dynasty. It was given by Marquis Yong'an when Yan Shaoning, the son of the Minister of Industry, got married. Unexpectedly, Marquis Yong'an also sent one to our king, the governor, for his wedding. If only I could see it with my own eyes. At first glance, I really have no regrets in this life!”
"Eh? No, did you just notice that the Governor Shi said that Miss Li is the adopted sister of Marquis Yong'an?"
"Yes, yes! I heard it too!"
"When did Miss Li's family become Marquis Yong'an's foster sister?"
"Hey! Some people said before that Miss Li's family and Governor Wang are not close friends. Let me see who dares to say that now?"
"Yes! Miss Li and Governor Wang are obviously a perfect match, a talented man and a beautiful woman. Who dares to say that they are not a good match in the future? Let me see if I don't tear their mouths apart!"
A month ago, Li Zexuan saved more than 100,000 acres of farmland in Qizhou, which saved tens of thousands of people in Qizhou. In the hearts of the people in Qizhou, Li Zexuan has become a lifesaver, so now I heard that Li Jingchu looks at Li Zexuanyi Sister, under the love of the house, they also began to respect and love the bride Li Jingchu!
This is Li Zexuan's reputation in Qizhou! Although he is not an official in Qizhou, his reputation is not much worse than Wang Renbiao, the governor of Qizhou!
"Sister-in-law? Wang...Renbiao, when did I become Lord Marquis' adopted sister?"
While the people were talking and cheering, Li Jingchu, the person involved, was full of questions. After she and Wang Renbiao had just finished crossing the rice bags, she couldn't help but stop, tugged on the red silk in Wang Renbiao's hand, and asked in a low voice.
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