With his current status, there is not much difference between him and the Bai family.
This move was just that Bai Xiongqi didn't want to arouse criticism.
After all, the number of imperially appointed members is still very precious... Bai Xiongqi doesn't want to make any mistakes in this, so he must consider everything carefully.
"It's a happy thing that Brother Xiongqi can appoint an imperial council member..."
Bai Gui nodded slowly. When Bai Xiongqi left Japan last year, he had some predictions about Bai Xiongqi's purpose based on the news in the newspapers. He had identity, background and strength. He was an appointed member of the Zizhengyuan.
It's really not difficult to get.
Members of the Zizhengyuan seem to have little real power and need to vote to decide on some official matters.
But... this is equivalent to the Hanlin Academy in the Ming Dynasty. It was a place of leisure, dignity, and good hopes. If you want to enter the imperial court, you must first enter the Hanlin Academy.
Even if he is released outside, he is still more noble than ordinary local officials!
"Meihe, if you make a marriage agreement now, you won't be able to regret it in the future!"
Minister Wu smiled.
If you regret your marriage, or if you are a famous lady who regrets it, your reputation will be completely ruined.
Especially for a powerful person like Bai Xiongqi, once he regrets something, he will know the consequences.
"Xiuzhu and I are in a free love relationship, not an arranged marriage. I will definitely not regret it..."
Bai Gui replied.
Although he and Bai Xiuzhu didn't meet much, they kept in touch.
Moreover, Bai Xiuzhu was extremely suitable for him in all aspects. When they were at the Izu Hotel, Bai Xiongqi had already asked him if he was engaged, and he also had this intention.
"That's good……"
Minister Wu breathed a sigh of relief and felt relieved.
He is now afraid that Bai Gui doesn't realize that he has a young mind and thinks that love comes first, forgetting everything and not being able to distinguish some things.
There are some differences between family and love.
Now that Bai Gui has said this, he can continue, "The ancients had three letters and six etiquettes from engagement to marriage. The three letters are the letter of appointment, the letter of etiquette, and the letter of welcoming the bride. The six etiquettes are to accept the gift, ask for the name, and accept the gift.
Accept the levy, ask for an appointment, welcome in person..."
"Acceptance is the proposal of marriage and engagement..."
Bai Gui nodded.
These three books and six rites were established as early as the Western Zhou Dynasty. For example, "Zhou Li: Hunyi" says: "Those who are weak in rites will combine the best of the two surnames, and the upper ones will serve the main temple, and the lower ones will inherit the descendants..."
Zhou Li clearly stipulates various wedding procedures and etiquette.
Future generations only need to continue.
He and Minister Wu are both well-known scholars, so they naturally know these etiquette procedures clearly.
"Meihe, you come from a humble background, and as the minister, although I have the right to take care of all matters concerning the students studying in Japan, such as illness, studies, social interactions, etc..., I am not good at marriage, and it is not suitable."
Minister Wu pondered for a while and said.
It's not that he doesn't want the beauty of adulthood, but that Bai Gui also has elders, relatives and friends. It's enough for him to write letters to bring them together. It's better to leave the subsequent lottery to Bai Gui's own elders.
He is a matchmaker, not the man's parent.
Besides, if he is willing, maybe Bai Gui is not willing.
"The minister has thought carefully."
"I have mentioned this matter to my family before, and I will write a letter later..."
"But there is no need to be so solemn about accepting the lottery. Qin Province and Yanjing are far away. If you go there, the Zizhengyuan will probably have opened. I will also write a letter to Brother Xiongqi to finalize this matter. I will show some courtesy in the future.
Then make it up slowly.”
Bai Gui replied.
Although Na Cai said it would be best for his family to go there in person, Qin Province was too far away from Yanjing, and it would take a lot of time for him to write the letter. When he packed up and left for Yanjing, the day lilies were cold.
.
In addition...it seems that the Qing court is still peaceful now, but in a short time, it will be Tianqing!
It's best to stay in your hometown, the countryside is the safest.
There is no need to be so solemn about accepting the lottery, you only need to reply to a letter.
With the proof of the letter, the matter is settled!
Minister Wu also agreed. What Bai Gui said was also reasonable. There is no need to be so solemn about accepting lottery tickets.
Simpler is better.
With the letter proving it, this matter cannot be false.
Borrowed pen and ink.
Bai Gui thought about it for a while, and immediately wrote a letter to the Bai family: "I am happy that the red rope is tied today, and the beautiful couple is in perfect harmony. I hope we will be together forever in the future..."
He has a metaphor.
Bai Gui is a beautiful jade and Bai Xiuzhu is a jewel. They are not just a perfect match.
A few hundred words eloquently.
After finishing writing, Bai Gui thought about it and took out three hundred yen from his pocket. It's not time to pay the bride price yet, but he still needs to prepare gifts when accepting the lottery. "Mr. Minister, I don't have any money now."
I even went to the trouble of entrusting someone to redeem the tickets, etc., and then bought the gifts and sent them to the White House..."
In the early years of the Republic of China, one U.S. dollar could be exchanged for 2.4 silver dollars. One U.S. dollar was equal to two Japanese yen.
However, the US dollar and the Japanese yen are based on the gold standard, which is relatively valuable, while the silver dollar is on the silver standard, and the price of silver fluctuates...
So three hundred yen is really a lot, and can be exchanged for at least about four hundred silver dollars.
The colorful gifts are enough.
Definitely more than enough!
"Meihe, you are really rich..."
Minister Wu couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
"The minister is laughing."
Bai Guidao.
In the provincial capital, it is difficult to earn so much money by digging food in Bailu Village in a lifetime.
But Tokyo is a prosperous place, and his writing skills are high enough...
Comparing the two, the gap is huge.
Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many illegal immigrants going to developed countries to work.
…
It didn't take long.
About ten days or so.
It was now mid-August.
Bai Xiongqi sent a telegram in Yanjing and accepted the gift of acceptance.
"Brother Xiongqi has a rich family. Look, although the telegrams sent all the way from Yanjing are not many, the cost is nearly a hundred yuan..."
"The Bai family is doing business in Amei's country. If you marry Bai Xiuzhu, the dowry will probably be quite large..."
Minister Wu pointed to a line of text on the telegram and said.
The charge for each word in a telegram was eight cents, with an additional two cents and four cents for every province. Bai Xiongqi only sent a dozen words, which cost nearly a hundred gold.
Extremely luxurious!
"I'd like to thank you for making the engagement this time."
Bai Gui nodded.
Then he took out the gifts and took the opportunity to give them to Minister Wu.
"Meihe, you have a heart."
Minister Wu was stunned and opened the delicate wooden box. Inside was a silver shield wrapped in silk cloth. It was about the size of a fist.
So he immediately smiled.
The silver shield was a high-end gift among the people in the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China. It was probably introduced during the Tongguang period of the Qing Dynasty. It evolved from the family emblem and military emblem of the Western aristocrats. It has a rare solemn, solemn and precious meaning.
A common silver shield is to engrave some auspicious patterns or congratulatory words in the middle of the shield, and sign the names, titles, mutual relationships, etc., of the gift giver and the recipient at the same time on the left and right sides.
There are many occasions for giving silver shields, but the most common ones are weddings and 100-day banquets for children.
"As my matchmaker, it is natural for the minister to give gifts."
Bai Gui smiled.
Although Minister Wu seemed very kind and did not give him any trouble, Minister Wu had great power over their students, and although he could not do anything to him, he was well prepared for making friends.
Besides, according to the etiquette, after the gift is completed, it is necessary to prepare a gift for the matchmaker.
It is more appropriate to give a silver shield.
valuable!
You can get a lot of money by financing it.
And it’s much more elegant than sending money directly.
"I will also worry about you asking for your name after receiving the gift, Najib and the five gifts..."
"You just need to study with peace of mind..."
Minister Wu immediately reciprocated the favor and said.
At first, he matched Bai Gui and Bai Xiuzhu because he was grateful for Bai Gui's generous donation and set up an emergency fund, so he wanted to imitate the ancient people and create a good story. However, no matter how high the passion was, it would gradually fade away. After the engagement, he did not plan to do anything else.
I'm asking, but now that I have Bai Gui's silver shield... I can still continue my work.
The starting price of a silver shield is fifteen silver dollars, and the one given by Bai Gui is undoubtedly more expensive, at least around fifty silver dollars.
To be honest, Minister Wu is really not short of this little money, but there is still a difference between giving gifts and not giving gifts...
"By the way, Old Hero Huo also replied to your previous letter about helping Chen Zhen."
"Thank you very much. If you plan to learn martial arts, he can go to Japan and teach you personally..."
Minister Wu sighed, with a complicated look on his face.
Huo Yuanjia's moral character is quite strong. You must know that the journey from Shanghai to Tokyo is not only tiring, but also the money spent is not a trivial matter. Moreover, Huo Yuanjia is not young now.
Although forty or fifty years old seems to be in the prime of life, it should be understood that the ancients were sixty-year-old and seventy-year-old.
You can call yourself an old man at the age of thirty.
When martial arts practitioners reach this age, they are also covered in hidden wounds!
Throughout the ages, many people have died young due to the fatigue of traveling and traveling.
"It's better not to worry about this matter. I can go to Shanghai in person when I have time..."
Bai Gui frowned. He also knew what Minister Wu meant. It was better not to agree to this easily. Not to mention whether it was for Huo Yuanjia's health. Once something happened to Huo Yuanjia, even if he returned to
He passed away not long after the Shanghai Stock Exchange. As a junior, he will definitely be criticized by some people, and he has no respect for his seniors at all...
Scholars are all fine people and consider issues very thoughtfully.
So it’s better to refuse as much as possible.
"Well, that's what I meant. I immediately sent a telegram to the Shanghai Stock Exchange. Mr. Huo did not get up, but he wrote back and asked his disciple Chen Zhen to pass on the 72-way grappling hand to you..."
Minister Wu said.
"Seventy-two road grapplers?"
Bai Gui was slightly startled.
In Heroes of Jingwu, the martial arts used by Chen Zhen is the Seventy-two-way Grappler. In fact, there are many versions of the Seventy-two-Way Grappler in the martial arts world. Basically, each sect has spread it more or less, but
Huo Yuanjia is a master of the generation. The 72 grapplers he passed down cannot be said to be the best, but they are also top-notch!
In addition..., he was taught the Great Sage Fist by Kou Si at the government office in the provincial capital, and he also had a foundation in Pi Gua Fist. Now he is learning the seventy-two ways of grappling, and this is the foundation of the Great Sage Pi Gua Fist.
The Great Sage Pi Gua Men means using the Great Sage Fist to attack the lower three paths, the Pi Gua Fist to attack the upper three paths, and the Seventy-Two Grappling Hands to attack the joints.