The meal at Princess Tong'an's house was not interesting.
There was nothing really interesting to talk about at the banquet. It was really like inviting relatives to dinner.
A princess, two consorts, a prince,
Then Wu Huaiyu, the former prime minister,
The most distinguished relatives in Chang'an only talk about polo, tea, wine and singing and dancing.
At the end of the banquet, the eldest princess made a request to Wu Huaiyu:
"Whenever the Duke of Jin is free, please draw a portrait for me. A small portrait will do."
"If the eldest princess has no special request, I can draw a picture for the eldest princess now."
Wu Huaiyu's paintings, especially portrait paintings, are a masterpiece today, but now it is very difficult to ask Wu Huaiyu to paint a portrait.
The eldest princess did not expect Wu Huaiyu to respond so happily. She was very happy and immediately asked Huaiyu what paints, brushes, canvases, etc. she needed and prepared them immediately.
There are portraits in the water pavilion leading to the curved bridge in the pond in the backyard,
Lotus pond, curved bridge, waterside pavilion,
The eldest princess specially changed a set of clothes, which looked very luxurious and graceful.
All the materials needed for painting are also fully prepared, such as the pigments, which are all top-grade mineral materials. They are very rare and precious, more expensive than gold of equal weight. The advantage is that they can last for a long time without fading or discoloration.
Huaiyu started painting as soon as he picked up his pen,
I drew a medium-sized, relatively simple one,
However, given Wu Huaiyu’s level, no matter what kind of painting method, for the Tang people, it was a very superb new painting technique that established a sect.
It took about an hour to paint,
A realistic portrait was completed without much thought or thought and art, but it is already a very good portrait, and it is very similar.
Although Chinese painting does not pay attention to portraits, but to charm, but for portraits, especially for ladies like the eldest princess, their needs are more important. Not only should they be like, but it is best if the portrait can also have a little bit of charm.
Beauty, filters, etc.
Not only must it be dignified, but it must also be beautiful.
Wu Huaiyu had painted portraits of the empress before, as well as the emperor and the emperor's concubines. Of course, he had also painted portraits of the wives of Li Jing, Qin Qiong, and Fan Xing, so he knew their needs very well.
There is no difficulty in painting such a painting. Wu Huaiyu can even chat while painting.
An hour passed and the painting was finished. Wu Huaiyu also had a deep conversation with the eldest princess and learned a lot about it.
For example, Princess Dachang's husband once served as the governor of Suizhou, but died of illness in the eighth year of Wude.
Her husband's family belongs to the Qixian Fang branch of the Wang family in Taiyuan, which is also a large family. Her father-in-law Wang Bing was once the general manager of Xiangzhou, and her husband's grandfather was once the prince of Taiyuan.
The eldest princess also had a daughter who once married into the Sui Dynasty palace and was Yang Guang's concubine.
Another example is that the eldest princess had a good relationship with Li Shentong and Li Ji, and even had a good relationship with Wei Zheng. In the second year of Wude, Dou Jiande conquered Liyang, and the eldest princess was there with Li Shentong, Li Ji's father Li Gai and Wei Zheng.
We were made prisoners together and were held for ten months before being released.
Wu Huaiyu even knew about Wang Renyou, the nephew of the eldest princess, who passed the Jinshi examination this year and was still a candidate for the Ministry of Civil Affairs. He had a daughter who was already very beautiful and intelligent at a young age. The Wang family originally had an idea. Arrange to enter the East Palace in a few years,
But now Wei King Li Tai wants to have this marriage with the Wang family, even though the emperor has already betrothed the Yan family's daughter on behalf of Wei King.
Although the princess is over sixty years old and her husband is dead, she is in good health and is respected by the emperor. She is also quite capable. Anyway, the Wang family in Taiyuan now has the final say.
The eldest princess was very satisfied with the completed portrait. Although the woman in the painting was covered with silver hair, she did not look old at all. Instead, she showed a royal and noble temperament.
Wu Huaiyu painted the eldest princess's skin very well, with no wrinkles and a good complexion, especially her eyes, which are very lively and beautiful. The princess was fascinated by it, as if she was caught in the memories of her youth.
"Okay, the painting is really good."
When the eldest princess was happy, she not only gave Wu Huaiyu a hundred taels of gold as a thank you gift, but also said that she would get married to Wu Huaiyu.
She offered to marry Wang Renyou's young, beautiful and intelligent daughter to Wu Huaiyu as her daughter-in-law.
"The third legitimate son born to Mrs. Jin hasn't been married yet, right?" the eldest princess asked.
The third son of the Wu family, Wu Shibalang, admitted that he was indeed not engaged yet and was only born last year.
"If Prime Minister Wu doesn't dislike this girl from my Wang family, then this matter will be settled like this?"
The eldest son of Wu Huaiyu was betrothed by the emperor to Princess Nineteen, born to Yang Jieyu of the Hongnong Yang family. The second son was betrothed to Cheng Yaojin to the eldest daughter of Chu Mo and Cui family of Qinghe.
The third legitimate son is also the eighteenth son in the family.
The girl the eldest princess is talking about is the daughter of Wang Renyou. Wang Renyou's great-grandfather Wang Sizheng was once the minister of the Northern Qi Dynasty Zuopushe. The eldest princess's husband Wang Yu is Wang Renyou's uncle.
Wang Renyou's father and Wang Yu are brothers from the same mother, and they are also the legitimate sons of the Wang family.
Wang Renyou was also a direct descendant, and the girl mentioned now was also a direct descendant of her and her main wife, the Liu family of Hedong.
The eldest princess originally wanted to be sent to the East Palace in a few years, but Wei King Li Tai took a fancy to the Taiyuan Wang family's family status, came to beg her aunt, and even wanted to win Wang Renyou into his Wei palace.
But after the half-day contact, the eldest princess changed her mind and took the initiative to propose marriage to the Wu family.
Huaiyu used to be familiar with the wine-fighting bachelors Wang Ji and his brothers. They were from the Wang family in Longmen, Hedong. He was not familiar with the Wang family in Qixian County, Taiyuan.
But after recalling it carefully,
Wang Renyou didn't seem to have achieved much in the Tang Dynasty because he died early and seemed to have only served as a county magistrate. However, his daughter was quite famous. His daughter later became the eldest princess who acted as a matchmaker and married Jin Wang Li Zhi, and then became the king. Queen.
Although the queen is quite tragic, she still has a reputation for beauty in history.
"The third brother of the Duke of Jin is also the daughter of bachelor Wang Ji who is engaged to me, the Wang family in Longmenfang, Taiyuan, right? Why not marry her, and good things will come in pairs." The eldest princess said with a smile.
This old princess is indeed powerful, and she deserves to be the head of the Taiyuan Wang family.
There is really no harm in this marriage. It is a house in Wangqi County, Taiyuan. Besides, Wang Renyou is a Jinshi. He is also young and has a good future. Wang Renyou's wife is from the Liu family in Hedong.
The Liu family belongs to the Guanlong family. Liu's grandfather Liu Dan was the Taichang Shaoqing of the Sui Dynasty. His uncle Liu Heng once joined Wagang and then joined the Tang Dynasty. Now he is the governor of Qiongzhou and a man from Shouling County.
The Liu family's elder brother Liu Shi also joined Wagang with his uncle, and later returned to the Tang Dynasty together. Now he is a member of Zhongshushe. He is a well-known member of the younger generation of the Liu family, and is said to be quite talented.
If Wu Huaiyu marries Wang Renyou, it means not only marrying the Wang family of Taiyuan, but also marrying the Liu family of Hedong, especially the identity of Princess Tong'an.
"Thanks to the eldest princess for taking a liking to my little eighteenth son, Huaiyu is deeply honored. Thank you very much."
The eldest princess was very satisfied when she heard this answer. In fact, she was actually persuaded by the little fat man Li Tai and wanted to give her grandniece to King Li Tai of Wei as his concubine. However, the emperor's attitude changed recently and he showed obvious dissatisfaction with Li Tai. He wanted to enfeoff southern Xinjiang and establish a vassal state.
The old princess also hesitated. She really liked Wu Huaiyu after meeting her today. It's a pity that she is over sixty years old. If she was in her thirties or forties, she might have the desire to pursue her.
The old princess was very optimistic about Wu Huaiyu, and Wu Huaiyu was able to give him a face-saving portrait, and the conversation was so speculative, so she decided to take the initiative to get married.
After the matter was settled, the old princess also called the Wang family's nephews and announced the good news.
Wang Renbiao was surprised, but did not object to the old princess's arrangement.
"Mother, my son has a heartfelt request,"
The old princess didn't like this eldest son of a concubine who was not her biological child, so she said, "Tell me."
"Da Lang Fang Yi is seven years old. He is very smart and studious. My son wants to ask his mother for help and let Da Lang study under the Duke of Jin."
Wang Renbiao’s son is named Wang Fangyi. He is smart and sensible at a young age, but he is somewhat congenitally weak due to premature birth.
The old princess didn't like the eldest son of the concubine very much, and she didn't like his wife of the Li family in Zhaojun. She also didn't like her sick grandson.
But today Wang Renbiao asked in public, and she was unwilling to show it in front of outsiders.
She was still hesitating, but Wu Huaiyu remembered that Wang Fangyi was a fierce general in the Gaozong Dynasty in history. Unfortunately, because he was the cousin of Queen Wang, he was suppressed by Wu Zetian.
"Eldest Princess, Brother Wang, you might as well ask this child to come over and meet him. If he is destined to do so, he can be accepted as his disciple."
When the old princess saw this, she couldn't say anything else. Wang Renbiao was so happy that he sent someone to call Wang Fangyi's mother and son.
Wang Fangyi is quite tall, but thin.
His mother, Mrs. Li from Zhaojun, was gentle and polite.
Huaiyu tested Wang Fang's knowledge in front of everyone. He read a lot of books. He was indeed very smart, but he was weak. He checked his body.
"The child is born weak, but it's not a big deal. Just follow me. I'll teach him to read, and at the same time I'll prescribe some medicines for him to recuperate, and he'll practice bows, arrows, swords, and guns. In less than ten years, he'll be strong. Like an ox."
Wang Renbiao and Mrs. Li were very excited after hearing this and thanked Wu Huaiyu endlessly. The old princess also said a lot of thanks after hearing this. No matter how much she disliked her grandson, he was still part of their Wang family.
Wang Renyou and Wu Huaiyu exchanged their children's birth certificates, signed their children's engagement contracts, and concluded their marriage.
Here Wang Renbiao and his son Wang Fangyi knelt down to Wu Huaiyu, offered tea, and performed the apprenticeship ceremony.
Good things really come in pairs.
Chai Shao, Yang Shidao and Li Tai all became witnesses.
No one expected that so many things would happen in one meal. Chai Shao was still wilted and just looked at these things indifferently.
Yang Shidao seemed very happy. He had good relations with the Wang family in Taiyuan, the Wu family in Bingzhou, and the royal family anyway, so he was happy to see this good thing.
On the field, only the little fat boy Li Tai smiled very reluctantly, his fat face was very stiff, and his smile was uglier than crying. He must have been extremely shocked.
This banquet was actually his contact behind the scenes. It was Du Chuke who planned it. He wanted to use the eldest princess's banquet to set up a situation, and then use the Bohai King brothers as an introduction to establish a relationship with Wu Huaiyu, and even get the eldest princess. The Wang family in Taiyuan was wooed and wooed,
Who would have thought that after all the hard work and effort, I would end up making wedding clothes for someone else?
I feel aggrieved and want to cry,
The little fat man felt like an unprecedented failure.
