The betrothal gifts were carried through the gate of the Wu family one by one.
The servants of the Wu family spread rumors about how expensive the Zhang family's betrothal gifts were, and also about the amount of the betrothal money.
The Seventeenth Mother was in the boudoir at the moment, and she also ordered the female servants in the room not to come in or out, but she still couldn't stop the female servants in each room from passing in gossip.
What did my uncle give me again?
So what about my uncle?
My uncle values our girls so much.
As for Mr. Li Taijun of the Wu family, he was also very happy and felt that it was very honorable. Everyone in the Wu family knew that this uncle came from a poor family, but the fact that he could offer these betrothal gifts showed his sincerity.
Li Taijun told the Zhang family that the Zhang family's gifts were too precious, and that his own daughter was just an average person, so why should she value it so highly?
These words have also reached the ears of the Seventeenth Mother, complaining that the old lady is belittling her own girl in front of outsiders. How can anyone speak so plainly? It seems that she is not worthy of the Zhang family's betrothal gift.
The Seventeenth Mother said in a reasonable and reasonable manner: "This is extremely blaming. If the two families are in harmony, there will be no other troubles, so we have to say it."
After Li Taijun finished speaking here, he not only added the valuable jewelry, gold and silver and the entire bride price to the Seventeenth Niang as a companion, he also added three hundred acres of the suburbs of Bianjing to the Seventeenth Niang's dowry.
of fine farmland.
Anyway, no matter how much the Zhang family gave, the Wu family not only used most of it as a dowry, but also doubled it as a supplement. These are all real benefits.
If he had been married to a prime minister's family like the Xia family, the Lu family, and the Wen family before, the Wu family would have been gossiped about by others, talking about trying to please the in-laws, etc. However, no one in the Zhang family would have said that, because Zhang Yue was from a poor family, and Wu
The reason why the family gave more dowry was so that their daughter could live a better life in the future. This made others less gossipy and praised the Wu family for their generosity.
But Seventeenth Niang understood that when the two families were discussing the marriage, Li Taijun had explicitly hinted more than once that if the Zhang family paid more for the bride price, it would be included in Seventeenth Niang's dowry, and the Wu family would double the amount in the dowry.
The significance of the betrothal gift and dowry is not just a face-saving gift. Taking out so many betrothal gifts from a poor family like the Zhang family is equivalent to draining part of the Zhang family's financial resources, although in the end it was returned to Zhang in the form of a dowry.
family, but the dowry is actually in the hands of Qi Niang.
It is up to the married woman to decide how to use the dowry in the future, so that the married woman can have security in her husband's family.
For a wealthy family like the Wu family, no matter how much the dowry is, they can afford it. However, as far as Seventeen Niang is concerned, the more the dowry is, the more she will be valued by the Zhang family, and she will naturally take over the family.
Financial power and the right to speak in front of everyone in the family will also be very important in the future.
This ensures that Zhang Yue and the Wu family are in the same boat.
Of course, this is also a conspiracy. Everyone in the Zhang family is not so stupid as not to see this, so they are well aware of it.
Marriage is the so-called alliance!
No friendship or friendship unless receiving money.
When a man and a woman discuss marriage, they must first write down the family property of both parties on it.
After that, they gave gifts to each other, and every time they gave each other gifts, they always had the meaning of bargaining.
The love between a man and a woman is a matter between two people, and the important matter of marriage is related to the alliance between two families. The marriage between upper-level officials has more interests and benefits, but less so in the Zhang and Wu mansions.
Now that the Zhang family had given the betrothal gift, Li Taijun immediately fulfilled his promise and added to the original dowry to Seventeen Niang three hundred acres of high-quality farmland on the outskirts of Bianjing, as well as twenty or thirty villagers who managed the village.
The body deed was also given.
This move is really grand.
Seventeen Niang remembered that this was the dowry for Li Taijun when he married into the Wu family. The three hundred acres of farmland produced more than two hundred dollars every year, even in the year of disaster.
Mrs. Wu and the 15th Niang had both coveted it, but none of Li Taijun's four biological daughters gave it to any of them. The 17th Niang thought that Li Taijun would leave her two sons, but she never thought that she would give it to herself in the end.
As for Seventeenth Mother, she also has a lot of things to deal with in her room.
Many of the female envoys beside her have been with her for many years and are used to enjoying wealth and honor in the Wu Mansion.
The first-class female envoys who seemed to have followed Li Taijun in the Wu Mansion could receive two taels of silver per month from the accountant. The second-class female envoys could also receive one taels of silver per month. As for the new entrants, they were not given any money.
Although there is not much silver per month, there is a supply of clothes for all seasons, and all the clothes are made of silk and silk. The Wu family has never been unkind to the servants in this regard.
Because the servants are also the face of the Wu family.
In addition to clothes and food, the Wu Mansion's female envoys have the same food on weekdays. People at a table can eat five vegetables and two soups, and they can also eat mutton twice a month.
In addition, during New Year's Day, the host's family gave out many rewards from time to time. In addition, he also asked doctors to treat him when he was sick, and the money for soups and medicines was paid by the Wu family.
Therefore, although the ordinary female envoys in Wu Mansion serve people, their lives are much better than those of ordinary women in ordinary families.
However, after marrying into the Zhang family, Shi Qiniang and her nanny made it clear that the monthly payment would be halved, and the clothes would be reduced to two pieces of cloth a year. As for the food supply, it would be far less than when she was in the Wu Mansion. After all, Zhang Yue Zhang usually
In fact, what I eat is nothing more than this.
After hearing what Seventeenth Mother said, everyone understood that they were going to the Zhang family to endure hardships. Although the Wu family was not as strong as before due to Wu Yu's death in the past few years, it was better than those run-down official families who had "no people in front of their doors"
Much stronger.
Therefore, the people around Seventeenth Niang asked for various reasons to stay in the Wu Mansion and did not want to marry her to the Zhang family. Not only did Seventeenth Niang not stay with them, but they also made arrangements for them to have another place in the Wu Mansion.
Of course, there are many nuns who are willing to follow. In addition to those who really have a deep relationship with Qi Niang, there are also some who have other thoughts.
Those who are willing to follow are certainly not stupid, so they go to endure hardships and hone themselves. What they focus on is Zhang Yue’s future. The Zhang family has few servants, so they don’t have to worry about being ostracized by dowry. At the same time, Zhang Yue will be the big one in the future.
The probability of success is about to rise, so following the mistress will inevitably lead to a rise in success.
Therefore, they were all prepared to follow Seventeenth Mother to the Zhang Mansion and endure hardships for a few years. As long as they got over it, they would have a good life in the future.
Most of these people are young and ambitious.
Among them were two female envoys who had met Zhang Yue and had helped deliver the message. They were willing to marry the Seventeenth Mother, but they had other plans. They were the ones who were most eager to inquire about all the news about Zhang Yue in the house.
, every time I talk about my uncle, I always get excited.
The Seventeenth Mother knew what the people around her meant, so she did not bring the two female envoys as dowries or arrange for them to stay in the Wu Mansion. Instead, she found a good family for them and gave them a generous dowry.
The two of them will have no worries about food and clothing in the future.
The two female envoys shed tears for a while after hearing this. The Seventeenth Mother was also heartbroken when she saw this, but she had to do this.
In addition, the Seventeenth Mother also screened out a few female envoys who were obviously ambitious or who behaved inappropriately.
After such a reduction, there were only a few people left in the Seventeenth Mother's room. The Seventeenth Mother understood that it was not good to bring too many people with her when she married into the Zhang family. After all, Zhang Yue's brother and sister-in-law lived together.
There were not many people around them to wait on them. What would they think when such a large group of people passed by?
However, the Seventeenth Mother went to Taijun Li and asked three old ladies and capable female envoys who had served for many years to dowry her. Finally, the arrangements were made and the number of dowryers was controlled to less than ten people.
You must know that when the fifteenth mother married into the Wen family, she brought fifty or sixty people with her.
However, although there were fewer people around Seventeenth Niang, everyone was cautious, respectful, and capable.
As the wedding day approaches, Jiayou's sixth year has passed.
After the appointment, men and women are not allowed to communicate with each other, and no one will visit each other if nothing happens, let alone meet each other.
Zhang Yue handed over the house from Langzhong Cheng, obtained the red deed, and once again became a homeowner in Bianjing.
After buying a house, it is inevitable to entertain relatives and neighbors. The principle that distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors is the same no matter what time it is.
On this day, Zhang Yue was at home. Suddenly Wen Jifu and Ouyang Fa came to visit, and Zhang Yue went somewhere.
Zhang Yue was about to ask, but Wen Jifu and Ouyang Fa didn't say anything. Zhang Yue got into the carriage and went together.
Zhang Yue looked at these two people and thought it was a Hongmen Banquet?
The three of them arrived at a farm on the outskirts of Bianjing City.
Entering the main courtyard of the farm, I saw four people sitting under the tree, all young people in their twenties.
They watched Zhang Yue enter with smiles on their faces.
Zhang Yue wondered, what kind of battle is this?
But the person who saw him laughed and said: "I have heard the name of Zhuangyuan Gong for a long time, but I have never seen him. Now Brother Tuowen and Brother Ouyang have really got what they wanted."
Zhang Yue saw that this man's gestures were extraordinary, so he raised his hands and said: "Nice to meet you, please forgive me for my poor eyesight, and I don't know your name?"
The other party smiled and said: "I am Grandmaster Han, my father is embarrassed."
Zhang Yuexin thought that the man in front of him was actually the son of Han Jiang. Han Jiang was another general of the reform sect in history, and he and Wang Anshi quoted each other.
The other three people on the side also stood up.
One of them was named Xia Boqing in his own name, and the other two were cousins, one named Lu Xiji and the other named Lu Jiawen.
After hearing the names of these three people, Zhang Yue finally knew what kind of game this was. It was the in-law game of the Wu family.
It turned out that due to Seventeenth Mother's marriage, the second daughter and three daughters of the Wu family also traveled from Xijing to Bianjing respectively.
The second daughter of the Wu family married Lu Xiji. Lu Xiji was the second son of Ren Tianzhang, who served as a minister and served as a student of Lu Gong's works, and was the grandson of the former prime minister Lu Yijian. Although Lu Xiji inherited the influence of his ancestors, his father and ancestors were all high-ranking officials in the court, so in order to avoid suspicion, he and several None of the brothers has served as an official.
He is now in Xijing, with his elder brother Lu Xizhe and younger brother Lu Xichun all worshiping Shao Yong. Now the Wu family's wedding has come to Bianjing.
The Lü Yijian clan had great power in the court. Lü Yijian's uncle was the Prime Minister Lü Mengzheng. Lü Yijian himself had been in the position for twenty years. Historically, there were seven members of the Lü clan who were in charge of government affairs for seven dynasties.
Today, the Lu family is the most prosperous family in the world.
The three daughters of the Wu family married Xia Boqing. Xia Boqing was the son of Xia Anqi, a direct bachelor of Longtuge and an attendant, and the grandson of Xia Song, the former prime minister. Xia Song and Xia Anqi have died successively, but the Xia family still has considerable influence in the court.
After the two came to Beijing, they made an appointment with Wen Jifu and Ouyang Fa, who were also members of the Wu family's son-in-law party. Wen Jifu naturally agreed, but being a sociable man, he made an appointment with Master Han. .
Grandmaster Han was a straightforward person, so he came forward to form a bureau and invited them to the Han family's annex on the outskirts of Bianjing.
Why did Han Zongyan come forward? Because Wu Yu's eldest daughter was married to Han Zongyan, the son of Han Yi's eldest son Han Gang, and Han Zongshi's father, Han Jiang, was Han Yi's third son, so he was also related by marriage to the Wu family.
Historically, Wang Anshi recommended Wu Chong as the privy envoy to Song Shenzong. Song Shenzong didn't want to use it and said to Wang Anshi, Wu Chong is your in-law. Han Jiang on the side stepped forward and said, Wu Chong is also the in-law of the minister.
Zhang Yue greeted everyone one by one, and when Lu Jia asked at the end, Zhang Yue bowed to him.
This man had a lovely smile. Zhang Yue looked at him and secretly wanted to laugh. Like Lu Xiji, he was the grandson of Lu Yijian.
During the Qingli New Deal, Lu Yijian and Fan Zhongyan fought fiercely. When Lu Yijian's sons came to power, they also fought fiercely with Wang Anshi during the Xifeng Reform.
But what about Lu Jia?
As a member of the Lu family, he should side with the conservatives, but he supported the reform.
Lu Gongbi and Lu Gongzhu decided to impeach Wang Anshi in a memorial, and the matter was made public within the Lu family. However, Lu Jiawen secretly stole the memorials prepared by Lu Gongbi and Lu Gongzhu to impeach Wang Anshi and secretly gave them to Wang Anshi.
Wang Anshi knew the contents of the impeachment in advance, so he escaped disaster. After the incident spread, Lu Jiawen was regarded as a "family traitor" by the Lu family, and was removed from the genealogy, and was no longer included in the Lu family's family tree.
Zhang Yue thought he wanted to sit down and chat with them, since he came to Bianjing just to mingle with others.
Unexpectedly, Master Han said to Zhang Yue: "My father wants to meet the Number One Scholar!"
Zhang Yue was stunned when he heard that Han Jiang actually wanted to see him.
Han Jiang once served as Yushi Zhongcheng, but was dismissed because he impeached Fu Bi. Now he is out of town and just returned to Beijing to resume his duties.
Although he was demoted, he was still the official Zuo Jianyi, and he was a high-ranking official who had served as Yushi Zhongcheng. At the same time, Zhang Yue also knew that Han Jiang was a resolute reformist.
Han Jiang's political views also influenced his younger brother Han Wei.
Han Wei was a good friend of Wang Anshi. He, Sima Guang, Wang Anshi, and Lu Gongzhu were known as the Four Friends of Jiayou. Han Wei later served as Song Shenzong's teacher when he lived in his dormitory. When Song Shenzong agreed with Han Wei's novel ideas, he Han Wei always said that this is nothing. This is the opinion of my good friend Wang Anshi.
Han Jiang and Han Wei both recommended Wang Anshi in front of Song Shenzong. Without them, Wang Anshi would not have been prime minister. However, they later disagreed with Wang Anshi and were kicked out of the court.
Grandmaster Han said to Zhang Yue: "My father will leave Beijing the day after tomorrow, but he wants to see the style of the current number one scholar, so I asked Zhou Han, Bohe, and you to have a family dinner in the evening."
Zhang Yue was stunned.
Han Jiang paid homage to the Prime Minister four times during the Shenzong Dynasty, but Wang Anshi was still dragged into Zhongshu by him. The other party was also an in-law of the Wu family. Now, was he included in the other party's investigation?
It is indeed a method of employing people in politics.
Choose capable people from acquaintances, choose acquaintances from capable people.
All in all, one needs both familiarity and ability, both of which are indispensable. At the same time, the most important thing is political opinions, which all support reform.
Zhang Yue said: "It is a great honor for Zhang to be granted an audience by Mr. Han."
So Master Han took Zhang Yue to a small pavilion and saw an old man in his fifties looking at the scenery of the manor from the window.
