Guide to Traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty.

Chapter 1203 Epilogue : My poor son who is bullied
South of the city, Li’s house.

Upon hearing that Xie Yiqun and Wang Yitong had arrived, Li Minqiu quickly opened the main door to welcome them.

The Xie family presented gifts, and the Li family slaughtered chickens and sheep.

Li Minqiu said, "You two have traveled a long way. Why don't you stay at my humble home tonight? I have asked the servants to clean up the guest room and prepare the bathing water."

"I appreciate Mr. Li's kindness. We have been staying in Luoyang for more than a day or two, and it would be too abrupt to bother you for a long time. I have already chosen an inn outside the city." Xie Yiqun declined politely.

After another round of invitations and refusals, Li Minqiu stopped trying to keep them and began praising their son.

After chatting for a long time, the couple went back to the yard where Xie Yan rented a house to rest.

Xie Yan took two male attendants to the princess's house, and there were still two male attendants and two female servants left here.

"Are you the maids hired by Liu Lang? Where is your home?" Wang Yitong asked.

Daiyu bowed and answered carefully, "My lady, my name is Daiyu and her name is Baochai. We are both locals."

Facing Xie Yan's parents, Baochai was as frightened as a quail, and added in a soft voice: "Daiyu's family lives in Beigezhao Village, and my family lives in Diaoyao Village."

Wang Yitong smiled and nodded. She had a better impression of Daiyu because she was more polite and behaved calmly.

Xie Yiqin asked, "Does Liu Lang often go to the princess's house?"

The man who followed Xie Changshou said, "I've been there five or six times."

"Did you stay overnight at the princess's place?" Wang Yitong asked.

Xie Changshou said: "I stayed... I stayed two or three times."

The couple looked at each other.

Xie Yiqin turned his head to look at the clock and ordered, "Wang Xing, go to the princess's house and tell her that we have arrived in Beijing. It's getting late, so go and come back quickly. If you are late, you may be locked up in the city."

"Yes!" Wang Xing immediately ran out.

Xie Yiqin asked about his son's performance in Luoyang, and Xie Changshou, Daiyu and Baochai only talked about the good things.

After listening to the scattered narration, Xie Yiqin's eyes lit up: "Liu Lang has met the Queen Mother and His Majesty?"

Xie Changshou said: "It happened a few days ago."

Wang Yitong was all smiles.

At dusk, Li Minqiu sent someone to invite the couple to the banquet.

They are all farm dishes, but they are served in a grand manner.

Li Minqiu even called some young men and women from the village, had them change into nice clothes and temporarily act as servants, carrying cups and plates to and fro. This was the only way to make the Li family look like they had a large number of servants.

Xie Yiqin didn't know the details, and Li Minqiu kept bragging about it, so he really felt that the Luoyang Li family had a deep foundation.

Li Dunshi kept his head buried the whole time, feeling extremely embarrassed.

"Although my house is not big, noble people often come to live here..." Li Minqiu began to tell the glorious history again.

Xie Yiqin said with emotion: "It is worthy of being the capital of Luoyang, worthy of being a noble family, not comparable to the local gentry!"

Li Minqiu was very pleased and stroked his beard, saying, "The Li family of Luoyang has always been frugal. The wine and food prepared today are really too shabby. I hope you will forgive me for what I have prepared."

The couple quickly said that it was already very rich.

While they were drinking and chatting, Xie Yan finally came back.

He rode in the princess's carriage and sped out of the city, but happened to encounter the city gate being closed and was almost stuck in the city.

Xie Yan first paid his respects to the Li family, and then paid his respects to his parents.

After a feast, Xie Yan accompanied his parents back to the courtyard: "Dad, Mom, do you have a place to live?"

Wang Yitong said, "I chose an inn outside the city this afternoon."

Xie Yiqin asked: "I heard that you have improved cement and are going to open a factory in partnership with the Grand Princess?"

Xie Yan said: "The land has been bought, and it is sixty miles away from Luoyang City."

The couple asked about the details again, and Xie Yan answered them seriously.

After explaining the situation in general, Xie Yan said, "Back home, you can also ask your uncle to open a new cement factory. As for my grandfather's family, if they are willing, I can also provide patent authorization free of charge."

After hearing this, the couple couldn't help but sigh in their hearts that their son had really grown up. He was still confused a year ago, but now he is famous all over the world. Not only is he about to marry a princess, but he also does things in an orderly manner.

Wang Yitong asked the male and female servants to leave and asked in a low voice: "Did the princess force you? Have you ever considered a career in politics?"

Xie Yan smiled and said, "The princess and I are of the same mind, and there is no coercion."

Wang Yitong asked again: "I heard that princesses all have bad tempers and are really hard to serve. Is this princess easy to get along with?"

Xie Yiqin didn't want to hear such questions: "Why are you asking these questions? As parents, how can we interfere in the private affairs between Liu Lang and the princess? Are you going to give the princess a copy of "Female Rings" to warn her?"

"This concerns my son's life. What's wrong with me as a mother asking?" Wang Yitong glared at her husband.

Xie Yiqin said: "It's useless to ask, so don't waste your breath."

Wang Yitong said, "I haven't come to you to settle the matter of you going to the singing house yet!" In front of his son, Xie Yiqin was grabbed by the pigtail and instantly lost face: "Let's put things aside. Why are you bringing this up? This is Luoyang, not Huangzhou Prefecture!"

"Do you still want to visit the singing houses in Luoyang?" Wang Yitong asked.

Xie Yiqin felt that he could not communicate, and said angrily: "It's unreasonable!"

The couple were both slightly drunk and there were no outsiders around, so they started arguing after just a few words.

Xie Yan was very embarrassed and sat there without saying a word.

After arguing for a while, Wang Yitong asked the main question: "What are the rules for the princess's wedding?"

Xie Yan has already inquired:

"I will write a letter of engagement myself and ask the matchmaker to send it to the Zongzheng Temple. If the Zongzheng Temple accepts the letter of engagement, I will prepare a gift of geese and go to the Zongzheng Temple with my father to express my gratitude. At that time, several tables will be set up and both parties will have a meal together. The woman's side will mainly be attended by clan members, and the Queen Mother and His Majesty may also come."

"Then, the Zongzheng Temple will send a relative to act as a matchmaker, and the two parties will compare their birth dates. If the dates match, His Majesty will officially grant the marriage."

"After the marriage is granted, you will reward me with a huge amount of money, a BMW, a silver saddle, and other things. We will prepare the gifts and formally sign the marriage contract, and choose an auspicious day for the wedding."

"Before the wedding, the royal family will vacate a mansion for my father and mother to live in temporarily. The wedding will be held in the mansion, which is similar to a common wedding. Afterwards, the two elders will leave Beijing and return the mansion, and I will move to the princess's residence with the princess."

After listening to this, Xie Yiqin said, "So should I come to Luoyang again?"

Xie Yan whispered, "The horoscopes match, and the auspicious date has been chosen. After completing the three letters and six ceremonies, we can get married next month."

"So anxious?" Wang Yitong asked in surprise.

Xie Yan chuckled: "I'm afraid something unexpected will happen."

What kind of surprise could there be?
The princess got pregnant!

If everything had been done in a normal manner, the princess would have given birth by the time of her wedding.

Xie Yan went to the study and brought back a letter of appointment: "Please help me polish it."

The engagement letter is one of the three documents and is best written by the man or his elders, and then sent to the woman's home by a matchmaker to propose marriage.

Although Xie Yiqin was a little drunk, his mind was still clear. After reading the letter of appointment, he frowned and said, "What is this? It is a mixture of classical and vernacular Chinese, and it doesn't make any sense. All those years of studying have been wasted. If you don't polish it up and send it to the Zongzheng Temple, you will be laughed at for the rest of your life. I will take it back to the inn tonight and rewrite you a brilliant letter!"

Wang Yitong asked: "Have you found a matchmaker? We are only close friends with Minister Chen in this capital."

Xie Yan smiled and said, "The old president of the Royal Society is willing to act as a matchmaker."

"Is it the old president who was born into a royal family, served in several dynasties, and is highly respected?" Xie Yiqun said in shock.

Xie Yan nodded.

Xie Yiqin clapped his hands and laughed: "My son has met a noble person. I heard that this old president has been very smart since he was a child. He was chosen by Emperor Taizong to be taught by his side, and he also served as the late emperor's companion for three years."

Wang Yitong said hurriedly: "Then we must prepare a valuable gift to express our gratitude to the old president."

Xie Yan said: "The old president does not want any gifts. Asking the princess and I to have a baby quickly is the most precious gift. He and the late emperor are close friends, and the princess is the late emperor's favorite daughter, so the old president also treats the princess as his own daughter."

"We should be courteous," Xie Yiqin said, "I'll go back and revise the engagement letter and prepare some small gifts. Let's take the opportunity to visit the old president while delivering the engagement letter."

After finishing the discussion, the couple took their servants and went to Li Minqiu to say goodbye.

They stayed in an inn in the suburbs in the south of the city. Li Minqiu was thoughtful and sent a carriage to take them there.

After returning to the inn to wash off the dust from the journey, Xie Yiqin began to draft the letter of appointment, and Wang Yitong helped him spread out the paper and grind the ink.

Wang Yitong was in a good mood and smudged the ink. She smiled and said, "Liu Lang has really made great progress. I never thought of it before. I thought his elder brother was the most successful."

Xie Yiqin sighed, "He is quite a promising man. Although the old president has no title to pass on to the next generation and does not hold any powerful official position, his disciples are all over the world. He can be a matchmaker for Liu Lang. As long as Liu Lang does not commit the ten heinous crimes, he can enjoy wealth and glory in this life."

Wang Yitong was still a little worried: "I'm afraid that the princess will be difficult to get along with. Liu Lang will be bullied sooner or later if he lives in the princess's house. Why not let the clan members pool money together to buy Liu Lang a separate house in Luoyang so that he can at least have a place to live outside if he gets bullied."

"Can you afford a house in Luoyang? How much money do your clansmen have to raise?" Xie Yiqun shook his head repeatedly.

The prince consort's residence cannot be an ordinary commercial house, and the area it occupies cannot be too small, otherwise it will be too shabby and become a laughing stock.

Even a powerful fifth-rank official like Xie Yiqin would be at a loss if he wanted to build a large mansion in Luoyang. It would be impossible for the Xie family to raise money, because that would require selling many of their properties.

A mansion in Luoyang city is worth an entire family of an ordinary local gentry!

Wang Yitong thought about it carefully and had to face the reality. She sighed and said, "My poor son, I don't know how much he will have to endure in the future. I just hope that the princess can be a little gentler and not drive her husband out of the house at every turn."

Xie Yiqin was speechless: "The more you talk, the more nonsense you become."

"This is not without precedent," Wang Yitong said. "Several decades ago, the Princess of Xu kicked her husband out of the house. Unfortunately, the husband had no property in the capital and had to live in an inn for a month. It was not until the late emperor reprimanded my sister that he gave up. This joke has become known to the world. I heard many rumors when I was studying in the girls' school."

Xie Yiqin said, "Don't worry about it. Your son has only been in Luoyang for half a year, and he has already made such a big name for himself. He hasn't even gotten married yet, but he's staying at the princess's house. Doesn't he have any tricks? Don't treat your son like a child."

"He is only seventeen years old, isn't he just a child?" Wang Yitong sighed, always feeling that her son would suffer from the princess.

But she could not imagine that the princess was also worrying about what gift to give to her future parents-in-law.

The princess was afraid that since she was getting married for the second time, her parents-in-law would look down on her!

(End of this chapter)