The wedding date is set for the late spring of March next year.
If the prince's wedding can be prepared in advance, all departments are already making preparations. After the prince returns to the capital, the specific wedding date will be set and the next details will be completed.
Therefore, more than a hundred days is already plenty of time.
From inside and outside the palace to the common people, everyone is paying attention and eagerly anticipating this upcoming wedding.
It is understandable that the officials are anxious - after all, after all calculations, the prince will be twenty-two years old after this year.
The one on the dragon throne seems to be unable to do anything to enrich the harem - oh, not to mention enriching it, even establishing a queen is a luxury!
If they can't count on being a father, then naturally they can only place all their hopes on the prince, right?
Therefore, all the officials showed unprecedented enthusiasm for the prince's wedding.
Under the enthusiasm, he works extra hard on everything, striving to do it properly, beautifully and gracefully.
After all, it was—these two men finally gave them the opportunity to have a happy event!
I don’t know when the next time will be!
Don’t you value this hard-earned busyness?
In this group's methodical preparations, from the twelfth lunar month to the New Year's Eve, the days really flew by.
Years later, Xu Mingyi heard a lot of good news one after another.
Good news came from the south. In the past, General Jin Yuanjin, who was under the command of King Yan, killed King Dongwu, which caused chaos in the army of Dongwu. After several successive attacks, the new King of Dongwu was forced to submit a peace treaty document. The disturbance in Dianzhou was finally over.
There is a state of calm.
Zhang Yun, the former magistrate of Mingzhou, also followed him and went to Beijing alone to express the intention of all Mingzhou to submit to the imperial court. In addition to submitting, he also apologized - when the deposed emperor was in power, this magistrate once led the Mingzhou disaster victims to rebel.
, his subordinates gathered more than 30,000 followers, and thus occupied the Mingzhou area and guarded it so tightly that even the suppression troops sent by the imperial court could not do anything.
After Emperor Zhaozhen ascended the throne, he did not launch any forceful attacks. Instead, in the past two years, he used practical measures to convince the other side and the entire Mingzhou Prefecture to regain confidence in the imperial court.
At present, the border crisis has been temporarily eliminated, everything is going smoothly, and stability is the general trend.
Under such circumstances, whether it is to clearly discern the emperor's heart or to understand current affairs, surrender has become the best choice.
Facing Zhang Yunsui who came to plead guilty, the court also punished him by taking away his position as the magistrate of Mingzhou.
When there is a fault, etiquette is where it should be dealt with.
Similarly, meritorious service must also be rewarded——
Therefore, Zhang Yunsui, who was deprived of the position of Mingzhou Prefecture, immediately took over the post of Mingzhou Prefecture Guard Commander.
This move shocked the people of Mingzhou.
To the people of Mingzhou, Zhang Yunsui was by no means a rebel, but a benefactor who had saved them from fire and water.
The benefactor shouldered the blame with all his strength and went to the capital to plead guilty with the intention of protecting Mingzhou. Not only did he return safely, he was also allowed to take over the military power to govern Mingzhou Prefecture——
Today's imperial court is not only generous and righteous, but also magnanimous and magnanimous.
Of course, if these statements are met by so-called wise people, they may laugh at the stupidity of the world.
Righteousness?
It is clear that there are extremely rational trade-offs and calculations hidden everywhere.
Even if Mingzhou is willing to surrender, if the imperial court seriously punishes Zhang Yunsui, it is impossible for everyone in Mingzhou to be without resentment. The creation of estrangement will be the same as laying the seeds of disaster.
Secondly, the imperial court is now in the process of recruiting people. Even if they take the imperial examination to select scholars, those who are truly capable of running a government cannot be developed overnight——
No one knows Mingzhou Prefecture better than Zhang Yunsui and can stabilize the hearts of the people of Mingzhou better.
To put it harshly, even if the imperial court wants to keep Mingzhou in its hands, it still needs to patiently wait for the opportunity and gradually divide.
Furthermore, the previous chaotic situation had spawned rebellion far beyond Mingzhou, so the court's magnanimous and benevolent attitude had only advantages and no disadvantages.
These all really exist.
These were also the pros and cons that Xu Mingyi wrote down on Zhang Yunsui's strategy at that time.
It is not difficult to take care of justice.
It’s not difficult to keep your sanity.
With reason and righteousness, even if there are calculations, why not do it?
Hearing that several more major land-occupying forces had presented documents of surrender, Xu Mingyi felt increasingly at ease.
Being able to quell internal troubles without spending a single soldier is what she wants to see most.
Civil strife is different from facing foreign tribes. They arise from the same root. If it is not necessary, no one would want to go to war and blood would flow like a river.
As the water in the pond becomes clearer, those who fish in troubled waters will soon have nowhere to hide.
Then all that is left is for the monarch and his ministers to work together to govern, improve everything, and rest and recuperate——
Slowly, the roots of Daqing will be deeply rooted in this country.
With longing for the future, Xu Mingyi's mood became clearer and clearer.
Therefore, although her marriage to Wu Chao came a little late, it was just right.
With everything calm, he and she can truly complete this major life event with peace of mind.
The new willow sprouts, and after a spring rain, the leaves spread like smoke.
March has entered, and in the garden of Dongyang Prince's Mansion, clumps of tender yellow and bright red bloom one after another.
Xu Mingyi's wedding banquet was scheduled for three days before the wedding.
On this day, relatives, friends and guests came to visit, and the long line of carriages, horses and soft sedans outside the mansion could not be seen, almost filling the entire Qingyun Square.
One after another, gifts of various sizes were delivered to Xiyuan.
There were hundreds of gifts in the box, but Xu Mingyi couldn't look at them one by one. He just asked Akui to pick out the ones that were closer to him based on the gift list.
There are those from Linyuan's maternal ancestors' family, those from Cui's family, those from Dingnan Prince's Palace, those from the eldest princess's Palace, those from Yunyao Academy, etc.
The two cousins of the Cui family prepared separate gifts, including an embroidered screen.
"I heard that Miss Qing embroidered it herself, and I have been preparing for it for more than half a year." A Kui said from the side.
Xu Mingyi looked at the picture of cranes, green cypresses and a red sun embroidered on the screen, and the golden red sun was particularly eye-catching. He couldn't help but smile and said: "Cousin Qing is interested."
"The princess has also prepared another gift, but the gift list does not seem to indicate what it is..." Akui picked up the box that was sent with the red coral statue from the eldest princess's mansion, "Girl, please open it and take a look.
?"
Xu Mingyi nodded, stretched out his hand and took it: "Give it to me."
It was not a big box, but it was heavy. As soon as I opened it, I saw a pile of books inside.
But on the cover of the book, there was no word at all, only a branch of red plum printed on it.
What book is this?
Xu Mingyi took out a volume in confusion and turned a page at random——
"...?!"
Her eyes widened suddenly, her breath was suffocated, and she quickly closed the book!
Seeing that her girl looked very strange, Akui couldn't help but curiously asked: "Girl, is this a storybook?"
"...Yes." Xu Mingyi nodded reluctantly.
Akui's eyes were slightly bright - can the girl take a look at it after reading it?
Seeing through her thoughts at a glance, Xu Mingyi, who had always been considerate of little girls, chose to remain silent.
He just said: "Tell someone to put all these things into the warehouse temporarily. I... will take a nap for a while."
Akui responded without any doubt, and saw her girl carrying the box into the inner room. She couldn't help but become more and more greedy for the box of conversation books - the girl held it and refused to let go, so she must be very attractive.
.
After entering the inner room, Xu Mingyi kicked off his shoes, got on the bed, and put down the curtain.
Only then can I dare to reopen the box again.
"..."
Even though I had made the preparations just now, I was still deeply shocked when I opened it again.
This is clearly...!
Xie Jiaojiao actually gave her this in public!
It was a good thing that no one else saw her, otherwise she might not be able to stay in this family any longer before she gets married!
But... why does this look different from the pamphlet that the nun from the palace showed her the day before yesterday?
The pamphlet sent by her grandma was full of overly straightforward illustrations. She only glanced at it briefly before closing it——
It’s not that I’m embarrassed to take a closer look…
But the people in the picture, especially the men, mostly look like middle-aged men, with sparse buns and beards. Regardless of whether they are fat or thin or have a loose body, they have no sense of beauty at all...
It's really the kind of thing that makes people not want to look at it a second time.
Not to mention lust, I'm afraid I'll lose my appetite if I keep reading.
This one is very different...
As for what exactly is different, she can't tell you completely yet. In order to distinguish what the difference is...well, she has to study it carefully.
So, Miss Xu sat cross-legged in the bed tent, looking at the booklet in her hand as if she were reading a policy paper.
At this sight, I was out of control.
The book not only contains pictures, but also has text. The text is not just an explanation, but also a story!
For example, this book tells the story of a fox demon and a scholar...
The scholar is drawn in a graceful and handsome manner, with a well-proportioned figure but with a sense of lines. The fox demon girl is even more charming and smart, and her furry fox ears make her look charming. The two figures are looming through the gauze curtain, and they are just right and charming.
There is absolutely no greasy feeling that makes people unable to bear to look at it.
More importantly, she saw that the pleasure of both parties was equal, instead of the brochure sent by her grandma, which was full of women pleasing and catering to men, as if a woman could only be obedient and patient -
For this reason, the thing in her hand is worthy of being widely circulated among the female relatives.
So, Xu Mingyi flipped through one volume after another, reading with gusto.
Well, I can't help it, the storyline is too attractive.
She would have to ask Xie Jiaojiao later - why did she keep such a wonderful story book secret until now and only think of giving it to her to read?
And, are there any others?
In the next few days, Xu Mingyi did not go out again.
It’s not like I just sit at home and read a storybook all day long...
After leaving the cabinet, you can only want to stay with your family and talk more.
In the afternoon of the day before the wedding, I stayed in Cui's courtyard until it was getting dark.
Xu Mingyi was sitting on the couch, drinking honey tea and listening to the instructions of her elders.
In addition to her mother, her second aunt was also there.
In other words, since marrying into the Dongyang Prince's Mansion, this is the place where the second aunt has been most often - horse riding, which has become a must-do for the two sisters every day.
The second uncle also found her for this purpose and told her sincerely that this was very different from the married life he had imagined. His wife left early and came back late, often not seeing anyone all day long, and she treated him extremely perfunctorily.
He also sighed and warned her - never try to be like your second aunt, just throw it aside when you get it. A man's heart can't stand being left out.
Looking at the resentful face of her husband, she didn't know how to comfort him.
But now, the instructions given by my mother and my second aunt were really different from others.
No one taught her how to care for a husband and raise children, or how to be a good princess. They only repeatedly used past experience to teach her how to live a comfortable and happy life.
Especially the second aunt, it seems that she has forgotten that the person she is marrying is her nephew, and she only retains her position as the aunt of her parents' family.
"Okay, I've said everything that needs to be said many times... We have to do business tomorrow, so Zhao Zhao should go back and rest early." Ms. Cui stopped talking and confessed: "Don't catch a cold at night, as you won't be able to catch a cold tomorrow.
There’s no need to get up too early, the maids will call you when the time comes.”
Xu Mingyi should all come down.
She left the inner room and walked out of the outer hall, but when she passed by the window, she faintly heard low sobs and sounds of relief coming from the inner room.
Her hearing was always very good, and she could easily distinguish the sound of her mother's cries.
Xu Mingyi felt warm and astringent in her heart.
After standing quietly under the window for a moment, she just left the Imperial Courtyard.
But instead of returning to Xiyuan, he went to his grandfather's courtyard and stayed there for more than half an hour.
The old man also drove her out and urged her to go back to sleep - and the old man also reminded her very delicately that if you don't sleep well and your eyes are dull, you will not be beautiful.
When she left, her father was also there, so the father and daughter left together.
After leaving the yard, Xu Jin said in a very gentle voice: "It's completely dark, do you want dad to take you back?"
Xu Mingyi smiled and nodded: "Okay."
Although I'm not afraid, what child doesn't like to have his father give him a gift.
The father and daughter walked slowly and talked slowly.
Seeing Xiyuan right in front of him, Xu Jin stopped and said with a smile: "Go back and rest early."
"Okay, so is dad."
Xu Mingyi had just turned around when he suddenly heard a familiar voice coming from behind him: "Zhao Zhao——"
She turned around and saw that her face, which always had a warm and lazy smile, now showed seriousness, looking at her lovingly, and said: "If anything goes wrong in the future, you must
Remember to tell your father and your grandfather."
Well, of course, it’s mainly the old man who vents his anger.
"That's natural." Xu Mingyi responded with a smile.
She has always loved talking to her father, who is always good at explaining complicated truths to her in the simplest and most understandable vernacular.
Her father's influence on her has never been less than that of her grandfather.
Xu Mingyi watched the round figure walk away, then turned around and returned to the courtyard.
If it wasn't what she expected, there should be one waiting for her at this time.
really--
As soon as he entered the hall, he saw a young man in blue robe sitting there waiting.
Obviously, this is the most difficult to "deal with".
Xu Mingyi sat down consciously and listened to the old woman's instructions.
After hearing the end, Xu Mingyi sighed slightly, looked at him, and asked seriously: "Mingshi, otherwise I won't get married, right?"
My mother secretly shed tears after she left.
The gray-haired grandfather stood quietly on the porch watching her go.
All these things made her feel that getting married was really a sad thing.
"...!" Xu Mingshi was startled: "What nonsense are you talking about!"
