In the early morning of the next day, after Zhou Jun had breakfast at home, he followed Zhou Dinghai to the Xiao Mansion in Yongningfang.
Zhou Dinghai, who was on the horse, was still the same as yesterday. He couldn't stop talking about the Zhou family's gain in power.
Zhou Jun didn't listen to what he said at all, he was just thinking about something else.
At the end of the Sui Dynasty and the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, Shandong nobles such as Cui, Lu, Li, Zheng, and Wang, as well as Guanzhong nobles such as Wei, Pei, Liu, Xue, Yang, and Du, were synonymous with the upper class at that time.
Li Jingxuan, the prime minister in the reign of Emperor Gaozong, married three times, all of whom were members of the Shandong gentry; a cruel official in the reign of Wu Zetian came to Junchen, abandoned his old wife, and married the daughter of Wang Qing of Taiyuan; Prime Minister Li Rizhi in the reign of Emperor Zhongzong, and all the princes and ministers, all intermarried with famous clans.
The children of famous gentry families became a hot commodity for the dignitaries at that time to seek marriage. Many gentry families also accumulated a lot of wealth through buying and selling marriages.
By the mid-Tang Dynasty, the attractiveness of gentry marriage was not as attractive as before.
Children from poor families can pass the imperial examination and become the minister of worship in one fell swoop.
When noble families choose a match, they value talent, education and future more than family status.
But even so, a skinny camel is bigger than a horse, and the children of noble families still have some appeal.
The Xiao family of Yongningfang is a branch of the Shandong gentry, and it is also a relatively distant branch.
Although it can be regarded as a noble family, the real nobles do not look down on such side branches, and the Xiao family themselves also look down on those small households.
As a result, the marriages of the Xiao family's children were delayed again and again.
Thinking of this, Zhou Jun turned his head and glanced at Zhou Dinghai, who was very excited. He thought to himself that this trip to the Xiao Mansion would probably make the father come here in a hurry and return disappointed.
The pair of cavalry arrived at the gate of Xiao Mansion. Zhou Dinghai got off his horse and knocked on the door.
After a while, the concierge poked his head out, looked Zhou Dinghai up and down, and asked, "What's the matter?"
After Zhou Dinghai explained his purpose, the concierge looked at him and Zhou Jun again, said "wait here", and closed the door.
Zhou Dinghai was rejected, with a look of surprise on his face and a few complaints in his mouth.
Zhou Jun, who was watching from the sidelines, was speechless when faced with this father who felt good about himself.
After about a quarter of an hour, the door of Xiao Mansion opened a crack. The concierge stuck his head out and said to Zhou Dinghai: "Go along the outer street to the east. There is a side door there. Someone will tell you.
"
After saying this, the concierge closed the door directly.
After hearing this, Zhou Dinghai said angrily: "It is rude for a servant of the Xiao family to do this."
Zhou Jun got on his horse and said to Zhou Dinghai: "Father, let's go to the side door first."
Zhou Dinghai had no choice but to ride his horse to the side entrance of Xiao Mansion.
An older slave who looked like a steward was waiting there with his hands folded.
Seeing Zhou Dinghai and Zhou Jun appear, the old slave waved and said, "You two come with me."
Seeing the arrogant attitude of the old slave, Zhou Dinghai felt unhappy, but he had no choice but to suppress it and follow him with Zhou Jun.
The three of them came to the side hall of the palace. The old slave sat on the east table and asked directly without even pouring a cup of tea: "But are you here for the marriage?"
Zhou Dinghai looked at the old slave, confused, looked around and asked, "Why don't you see Master Xiao?"
The old slave was stunned and asked curiously: "Why bother the master of the house with such matters? I have made an agreement with you two and will report it myself."
Zhou Dinghai took a breath of cold air and was surprised in his heart. What a shame it was for the Xiao family to be so despicable as Li.
The old slave looked at Zhou Jun and asked, "Is this the betrothal man?"
Zhou Dinghai felt so rude when he heard these words, his facial features were tangled together, he wanted to get angry, but he didn't want to offend Xiao Mansion.
Zhou Jun glanced at Zhou Dinghai's expression, suppressed the smile at the corner of his mouth, nodded and said: "Yes."
The old slave looked at Zhou Jun carefully, nodded and said: "Lang Jun is quite decent."
Zhou Jun thanked him again.
Zhou Dinghai suppressed his anger and said: "It is against etiquette to say that you are not going to see the master of the family!"
The old slave was about to speak when he heard footsteps coming from behind the screen.
After standing up, the old slave looked back, saluted quickly and asked: "Madam, why are the Second Madam here?"
Zhou Jun also looked over and saw several beautiful shadows reflected on the screen.
Among them, there were two women sitting behind the screen, presumably the eldest and second daughters of the Xiao family.
Behind the screen, a maidservant spoke: "My lady has said, just talk, she only listens."
The old slave nodded in agreement.
When Zhou Dinghai saw the two daughters of the Xiao family coming out, he didn't want to get angry again, but he just wanted to make it clear.
The old slave sat down again and asked a series of questions to the Zhou family and his son.
Such as family background, residence, place of origin, occupation, age, family property, etc.
When he heard that the Zhou family was from a slave-ya family, the old slave curled his lips and tsked softly.
Zhou Dinghai's forehead was throbbing with veins, and he just said: "My son, as a candidate for the imperial examination, has just been sentenced to the Ministry of Justice."
When the old slave of the Xiao family heard this, he looked at Zhou Jun and his expression became better.
After writing down all this about the Zhou family, the old slave put the paper behind the screen.
Not long after, another piece of paper was handed out.
The old slave took the paper handed out from behind the screen, took the pen and ink, and said to the Zhou family and his son: "The eldest lady wants to test Zhou Lang's knowledge. Here are the first two couplets of the rhymed poem, limited to one stick of incense.
Please also ask Xiao Langjun to add the last two couplets."
Zhou Jun took the paper and pen and looked at it, and saw that the first two couplets were "The frost and drizzle are shining on the blue tiles, the red eyebrows are not painted on the floating cups, the pine leaves are planted in the brocade tent, and the fragrant gold dew enters whose house."
With chrysanthemum as the theme?
Seeing Zhou Jun frowning slightly, the old slave of the Xiao family smiled and said: "Don't blame me for being so meddlesome. Poems are the most pleasant. When you join the Xiao family in the future, the couple will have something to talk about."
When Zhou Dinghai heard this, he looked shocked, stood up and asked loudly: "What did you just say?!"
The old slave of the Xiao family asked puzzledly: "Take the school knowledge?"
Zhou Dinghai: "Not this sentence! That sentence after that!"
Old slave of the Xiao family: "In the future, my husband will join the Xiao family..."
Zhou Dinghai said angrily: "Who said my son is going to marry the Xiao family?!"
The old slave was also stunned: "The husband of the Zhou family is not here to marry into the family?"
Zhou Dinghai was furious and his face turned red: "My son wants to marry the eldest daughter of the Xiao family!"
As soon as these words came out, the whole hall fell into silence.
After a while, the laughter of the maids came from behind the screen.
The old slave of the Xiao family couldn't help but laugh and said: "Don't be ridiculous, how could the lady of the Xiao family marry into the slave Ya family?"
Zhou Dinghai trembled all over, and said to himself: "My son is a scholar, how can I not marry him?!"
The old slave of the Xiao family snorted coldly: "Don't say it's a minor official who has left the country. Back then, the minister's family even came to talk about the marriage, and the head of the family didn't let him go."
"The Xiao family is an aristocratic family, but a slave tooth man borrowed the courage from heaven and dared to covet the daughter of the Xiao family. It is really ridiculous and pitiful!"
Zhou Dinghai's body was shaky and he pointed at the old slave of the Xiao family. His teeth were chattering and he couldn't say a single word for a long time.
Zhou Jun on the side saw that the fire was almost done, so he raised his hands to the old slave of the Xiao family and said: "What happened today is that my Zhou family was in trouble. I didn't ask why before I came here, but it caused trouble for you all."
Zhou Jun picked up the brush on the table and quickly wrote some words behind the first two couplets of the poem. He dropped the brush and said with a smile: "I will leave now without disturbing you."
After the Zhou family and his son walked away, the old slave of the Xiao family glanced at the paper and suddenly froze there.
Then, he carefully picked up the paper and quickly walked behind the screen.
Not long after, the sound of a woman reciting poetry came from behind the screen.
"In the face of frost and drizzle, the blue tiles are covered with frost, and the red eyebrows are not painted on the floating glass. The pine leaves are planted in the brocade tent, and the golden dew fragrance enters whose house."
"When autumn comes on the eighth day of the ninth month, when the flowers bloom, hundreds of flowers will bloom. The fragrance will reach Chang'an, and the whole city will be filled with golden armor."