However, Ye Qing's promise to write a daily article was quickly broken, and the marriage came faster than expected.
It was noon that day, and the summer sunlight shone in through the window lattice, creating a dazzling scene. The red paper-cut flowers cast complex and beautiful shadows on the ground, reflecting the red gauze curtains.
Although there is a glass mirror, according to tradition, a newly polished bronze mirror is still used. The light can be used to judge people. In the mirror, there is a pretty face with a slight blush, the eyebrows are slightly frowned, the eyes are full of light, and there is joy in the expression.
The small window was closed tightly, and the crackling of firecrackers could be heard outside the boudoir. The noise sounded like something was being moved.
The maid Qiaoer couldn't stand at the door. Her steps were sneaky and she might have sneaked to the corridor to watch.
Cao Baijing sat alone in front of the mirror, wearing only plain white clothes, and slowly combed her face in front of the mirror.
The noise outside the window gradually became quieter, and the only thing that could be heard in the room was her own heartbeat. Cao Baijing felt that at this moment, her mind was tumbling, and all kinds of random thoughts were coming to her.
The first day of the fifth lunar month is the wedding in half a month... Marriage in the world is also called a wedding ceremony for a woman like me. The so-called ceremony strictly follows the procedures of accepting, asking for the name, accepting the invitation, accepting the invitation, asking for the date, and welcoming in person.
As for the wedding etiquette and customs, the more wealthy the family, the more particular they are about it, and every detail must not be careless.
Folk weddings are performed by professional matchmakers, with high and low levels. The low-level matchmakers wear coarse clothes and hang out in the urban and rural areas.
The middle-level matchmaker wears a crown, a yellow bun, and a green parasol.
Those who serve the rich are gorgeously dressed and dressed like ladies... Whether their status is high or not, in a relatively rigorous society, they are mostly a channel for men and women to place their hopes.
But matchmakers are obsessed with money, concealing the age of the man, making false claims about the wealth of the two families, exaggerating the appearance of the woman, confusing right and wrong, and mistaking a deer for a horse. To prevent this, they have to "match the bride."
Often the two families would make an appointment to meet in an elegant environment in the garden of a restaurant. If they liked the girl, the man would insert a gold hairpin into the woman's temples, which is called a hairpin to seal the relationship. If not, he would give her two pieces of colorful satin.
The woman can also refuse, but it always implies that the man is strong and the woman is weak.
If you don't go to marry your daughter-in-law, you have to resign yourself to fate. The funniest thing is that there was a wedding the year before last. Yan Wen, an official of the imperial capital, married a girl from the Sun family of a wealthy family. He was afraid that he would be old, so he didn't dare to go to the bride-to-be. He concealed his five-year age and went to the bridal chamber.
When they were exchanging gifts, they realized that this Sun girl was older than him. It turned out that she had hidden herself for ten years.
This ridiculous incident made the current emperor laugh, so it was widely reported as a curiosity. Within two years, it spread all over the country, even in remote border counties like Nancang County.
There is this lesson | I heard that more complicated blind dates are now on the rise.
But there are exceptions. If the man and woman are acquainted, or if the two families are bound to get married due to the interests of the two families, if they express their concern, the man will ask someone with a higher status to come forward as a matchmaker.
Lord Lu Ming, the most respected person in the county, came forward to propose marriage on Ye Qing's behalf and officiate at the wedding. This gave his father a lot of face, and he would praise everyone when he saw him: "I knew my son-in-law was truly affectionate."
The man and woman have known each other for a long time, they are childhood sweethearts, and the county magistrate is the matchmaker, so a lot of tedious blind dates are saved, and the second step is officially decided directly under the auspices of the magistrate.
Very straightforward.
Cao Baijing still remembers seeing Ye Qing's gold stickers, with dragons and phoenixes dancing in them, with the names and occupations of three generations of great-grandfather, grandfather, and father written on them. Of course, the three generations were all scholars, and the words "tongsheng" and "scholar" on the back were written, which was very glorious...
The one who is planning to get married is the seventh man in the clan. He was born on a certain day in the 17th year of Yuan Ding at a certain time. His parents are not in the house, and there are assets in the house worth 500,000 yuan.
"There's no need to be so exaggerated." This was the only thought in Cao Baijing's mind at that time. She spat out in embarrassment: "Are you showing off to me?"
Looking down, the person who presided over the wedding was Lu Ming, the magistrate of Pingshou County. I was speechless at this point. This is the only wedding post in this county.
Cao Baijing was a little embarrassed to write her own personal note, but she had to hand it back to the man in a reciprocal manner.
She and Ye Qing's family knew each other very well, so she couldn't help but imitate other families and post random false reports, so she had to grimace, grit her teeth, and write weakly, feeling that Ye Qing was being stabbed a thousand times: "It's all the same.
Now that you are a Jinshi, who doesn’t know how powerful you are, so why can’t you keep a low profile?”
"Bang bang bang" sounded in the front hall, and Cao Hufan laughed proudly again: "Ha, I'm right, this generous gift...is truly my perfect son-in-law."
Cao Baijing immediately blushed with embarrassment and covered her ears with her hands. She was so shameless. Is this her father?
She knew in her heart that this was a financial gift, and she would be getting married in half a month. It was almost time to give the financial gift, but her father was really rude like this.
In the third step, the ceremony was agreed, and the pace of marriage accelerated. The man chose an auspicious day in the zodiac, picked and picked, and finally chose May 23rd, which is said to be the most auspicious.
"Only a ghost can believe it..." Cao Baijing blushed and spat again. In fact, after hearing the inside story, Ye Qing directly asked the magistrate who was hosting the wedding: "Can it be done within two months? The sooner the better."
It is said that at that time, a thick stack of betrothal gift lists was thrown out. Lu Ming's eyes almost popped out when he saw it. He almost couldn't catch his breath. He pointed at Ye Qing with trembling fingers: "It's an insult to politeness, it's an insult to politeness."
The world is at peace, the world is prosperous and wealth is pursued, and the wedding date depends on the amount of money and gifts. This is human nature, but I have never seen it like this.
But the Cao family also wanted to get married as soon as possible, so when their father Cao Hushan and grandmother Yao Taijun saw the gift list, they immediately responded: "It's better as soon as possible."
"This is really his style..." Cao Baijing was not surprised at all. At this time, no one would come to listen to her opinion.
According to secular custom, giving financial gifts means that the marriage has become a "final conclusion", and there is basically no room for regret unless the family's reputation is tarnished.
"Well, I don't regret it..." Cao Baijing murmured, remembering that she had the courage to run to have a showdown with her cousin at night. She was still blushing now. How could she have such courage...
Ye Qing's reply surprised her. Is there really such a man in this world?
After letting out a breath, Cao Baijing stopped thinking too much and heard another exclamation outside the window. He heard a few words, which seemed to be about financial gifts.
Cao Bai sat quietly without moving, pricking up his ears to listen.
"Isn't it just that the gift list was mutually agreed upon?"
Wealth gift is a general term, which consists of two aspects: betrothal gift from the man and dowry from the woman.
Marriage is a major event, and all money must be spent on it. In wealthy families, the man gives the so-called three gold gifts as a betrothal gift, namely gold necklace, gold earrings, gold pendant... They are all used for the bride to wear a bright red harem.
Officials also gave as gifts gold or red satin with large sleeves, a yellow gold skirt, a red satin skirt, a crown of pearls and emeralds, flowers in a four-season bun, fine colored satin and silk, scented tea and fruits, and reunion cakes.
, sheep wine...
It's almost like a competition to give betrothal gifts to see who has the financial resources to give the best gifts.
The extravagance of the world is evident.
Cao Baijing recalled a recent marriage of the Li family in the county. Xiaozheng was a ninth-rank general and official, and his daughter Qingniang, who was rumored to be pure and beautiful, was promised to marry the son of Wanzhi County, Linxian County. The dowry cost alone was as high as 55,000.
Qianguan, and the two hundred acres of land that come with marriage are not included. Of course, the Li family is the county magistrate, and their direct descendants are not purely dedicated to official careers. They have their own division of labor. They cannot be measured by official rank alone, let alone those who are married to Wanzhi County.
political significance.
"I hope he won't be too extravagant..." Cao Baijing was a little worried, fearing that her family wouldn't be able to keep up.
If the dowry is not equal, she will be gossiped about if she marries her. Although she believes that Ye Qing will not say anything, people's words are terrible, and she is still a member of his tribe.
"It's so annoying..." She rolled back and forth on the bed, her head covered by the quilt, hiding her timidity in the face of the unknown fate.
"Sister, I have seen the betrothal gift. Do you know what it is?" His younger brother Cao Mingliang broke in again, only to find that the room was completely dark and he couldn't see anything: "Sister? What are you doing again?"
Cao Baijing remained silent in the darkness, secretly annoyed that her maid had neglected her duty, and quickly put on her coat and skirt. With a wave of her hand, red light flashed by.
The light in the room returned to bright, and Cao Bai sat quietly in front of the dressing table, dressing up in front of the mirror.
His sister had always been like this. Cao Mingliang didn't notice anything was different, so he shouted excitedly: "Brother-in-law has twenty-four boxes of gifts compared to ordinary officials, but what do he use... The palace made and sold gold sleeves,
Palace-made red satin with large sleeves, palace-made yellow rose gold skirt, palace-made..."
"Gong Zao, I heard that only Gong Zao Weaver Girl is allowed to be marked. It was placed in our small place in Nancang County. If my sister-in-law hadn't touched the material and felt that the material was as smooth as skin, and saw the hidden flower charms with her sharp eyes, no one would have recognized it."
"Children, don't talk nonsense if you don't understand. Have you ever been out of Pingshou County? How many times have you followed my father to the foot of Beimang Mountain and you dare to say that Nancang County is young?" Cao Baijing glared at her brother and avoided the key point.
question.
Cao Mingliang grinned: "Sister, the key is that this is different from the words written on the fixed post."
"Why is it different?" Cao Baijing pinched her eyebrows.
"Think about it, the man will pay for the betrothal and the woman will pay for the clothes. It must be equal, or even a little higher. But I saw my grandmother was dumbfounded and looked straight at our father."
As he spoke, he touched his chin like a grown-up, with evil intentions: "I don't think there's anything I can do about it. I'll probably have to come back and ask... Daughter, you can watch it yourself..."
"go to hell"
A gust of wind blew him out of the door, and he heard the naughty boy yelling: "Evil bitch, sooner or later my brother-in-law won't be able to stand it anymore... Uh, Dad
"Huh!" Cao Hushan ignored the scolding, stopped outside, and knocked on the door.
"Father, please come in." A girl's voice came from the boudoir.
"Ahem..." Cao Hushan understood the truth. His beloved daughter was about to get married, and there were many preparations for her daughter's family. It was not good for him as a father to go in rashly: "No, I will leave after asking."
Think about it and ask carefully: "This betrothal gift is a bit heavy, or can it be declined secretly? This way it won't be very difficult to put it back..."
I am very careful, fearing that my daughter will not accept it.
There was silence in the boudoir. Cao Hushan hesitated for a moment, but when there was no answer, he said again: "Maybe we can only give some money to the clan.
The boudoir was full of joy, and Cao Bai listened quietly, feeling sad.
At this time, he said: "Father, there is no need to be embarrassed. The Taoist robes my daughter has embroidered in the past two months have not been traded yet, so I can just repay the gift."
"Ah, this is not good."
"It's okay, he won't care about it." Cao Baijing sighed quietly and said: "Those palace-made fabrics, I heard that he brought back a group of palace-made weavers. Not many people know about this, and we don't have these on the market in Nancang County.
, the father left a satin red dress for his daughter as a souvenir, and sold the rest. The price is the best at this time, which can make up for the profit of Daoyi."
After hearing her father leave happily, she sat alone in front of the mirror, touching the shining Taoist robe, and then saw the words on the wall, her eyes fell behind: "I hate to press gold thread every year to make wedding clothes for others."
.”
Suddenly he came to his senses and felt a little annoyed: "This guy must have planned this a long time ago. He deliberately set up this trap and asked me to send this robe over..."
After sitting for a while, he carefully pulled out the drawer of the dressing table and took out a light green Taoist robe. The delicate material had dark splendor and three-color spiritual embroidery silk threads.