Guide to Traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty.

Chapter 1210 Epilogue : Wedding Night

A few days before the wedding, several people from the Xie family came to Beijing.

Xie Shizhang and his son Xie Yiqin came to Luoyang in advance to go through the formalities, mainly to bring money to purchase the betrothal gifts.

This time, Xie Yan's fourth uncle, fifth uncle and younger sister came again.

The fourth and fifth uncles not only came to attend the wedding, but also to inspect the new cement factory. Xie Yan licensed the cement patent to them for free, and first set up a family factory in Cangzhou.

It is also possible not to set up a factory in Cangzhou, but we have to find a place nearby that has the relevant raw materials.

My younger sister, Xie Wan, came purely to attend the wedding banquet and was escorted north by loyal servants.

"The auspicious time has come!"

Xie Wan and her mother were standing in the corridor. When they heard the ceremonial officer's call, they couldn't help but stretch their necks to look outside.

Then, she was slapped on the head by her mother.

"Stand still and don't move." Wang Yitong scolded in a low voice.

"Oh." Xie Wan pouted.

But Xie Yan was seen wearing a red brocade robe, walking up to the elders and bowing to greet them.

Xie Yiqin began to perform the ritual. He picked up the wine cup on the tray, poured a glass of wine, handed it to his son, and said, "Go and welcome the noble princess, and make our Xie family's ancestral hall more glorious." (It means: Go and welcome the noble princess, and make our Xie family's ancestral hall more glorious.)
"Just follow your strict orders." Xie Yan took the wine glass and drank it all.

After drinking, Xie Yan put down the wine glass, bowed to his elders again, then turned around and went out to ride his horse.

Xie Wan laughed and said, "Sixth brother is so awesome today!"

Wang Yitong was very proud: "How can you be a princess if you are not majestic? Let's go to the princess's house."

The Xie family's process is basically over here, with only the final wedding ceremony left.

Xie Yan was indeed very majestic today. The red brocade robe was a gift from the emperor and was estimated to be worth hundreds or even thousands of strings of cash.

The influence of Zhu Guoxiang and his son Zhu Ming on this time and space is also reflected in many folk customs.

For example, Zhu Ming joked that "marriage is like a small imperial examination", meaning that getting married is like getting a name on the list of successful candidates in the imperial examinations, so he changed "new son-in-law" to "newgroom" - in the Tang and Song dynasties, newgroom referred specifically to a Jinshi who was newly appointed as a Langguan, and generally referred to a new Jinshi who was newly appointed as an official.

Since getting married is like taking the imperial examination to become an official, it is only natural for the groom to wear the uniform of an official. Zhu Ming also allowed the groom to wear the uniform of a ninth-rank official when welcoming the bride, so that all grooms could experience the feeling of being an official on their wedding day.

This change in customs was immediately welcomed by the people and spread throughout the country in just a few years.

Soon after, "new bride" was changed to "bride", and Zhu Ming's obsessive-compulsive disorder was finally cured.

"Groom, groom!"

"My Lord..."

On both sides of the street, people gathered to watch and shout, and those who had nothing to do came to see the fun.

Yesterday, the betrothal gifts were delivered in a lively manner. Boxes of betrothal gifts were carried from the Xie family's temporary residence to the palace. All the gift boxes were opened, and you could see what was inside. Many onlookers were calculating their value.

Xie Yan was already feeling elated at this moment, riding on his tall horse as if he was in the clouds.

Before I traveled through time, I was always miserable and I could never even dream of such a scene.

Xie Yan smiled and bowed towards both sides of the street. However, because he was not very good at riding, he held the reins with his left hand and waved towards the crowd with his right hand.

In the past, there were princes-in-law who would throw money lavishly along the way when welcoming their brides, and the onlookers would rush to grab the money, causing stampedes.

No one dares to spend money now.

"Groom, groom!"

"Catch the flowers!"

In a luxurious restaurant facing the street, Wu Yaochen, Ding Shaoyan and other ghost-fire boys leaned on the windows and shouted towards the street.

Behind them were servants holding flowers, and the will-o'-the-wisp boys picked up the flowers or wreaths and threw them hard in the direction of Xie Yan.

It was only because Xie Yan married the eldest princess that these guys would have done something bad, throwing fruits at the groom on purpose, and even competing to see who could hit the groom the most. There was no way to hold them accountable afterwards, as they were just throwing fruits and flowers, what bad intentions could they have?
More than ten years ago, a young man from a wealthy family in Beijing got married in a grand ceremony, but was knocked off his wedding by the evil young men of the time who threw fruits at him.

A wreath flew over and knocked Xie Yan's hat askew.

Xie Yan couldn't help but turn his head to look, and immediately found the group of ghost fire teenagers. He smiled and gave a middle finger in the direction of the restaurant window.

Bastards, I’ll remember you!
"I made the shot, I made the shot, give me the money quickly!" Ding Shaoyan cheered and celebrated, but he was actually playing a game of hitting the groom.

Wu Yaochen said: "Don't worry, watch me show my skills."

This guy swung the wreath and threw it at Xie Yan, as if he was using the Qiankun Ring to hit Nezha, the third prince of the Dragon King.

Xie Yan caught it and gave the middle finger to the upper floor again.

You bastards, I will take care of you sooner or later!

Wu Yaochen thought that giving the middle finger was a greeting, so he also smiled and gave Xie Yan the middle finger.

The wedding procession arrived at Donghua Gate in a lively atmosphere, and stopped outside the gate. Only Xie Yan rode alone, leading his fourth and fifth uncles, who were in charge of holding the geese, to Donghua Gate.

Outside the Donghua Gate, there was a concubine standing dignifiedly, with dozens or even hundreds of noble ladies with imperial titles behind her.

They were responsible for sending the princess to the mansion, and now they had to wait slowly. With nothing to do, they began to evaluate the groom.

They watched Xie Yan enter Donghua Gate and whispered to their girlfriends.

"Young Scholar Xie is really handsome today. No wonder he has won the heart of the Grand Princess."

"I heard that yesterday's betrothal gift included a rare musical score that included the lost Guangling San and Huaxu Yin."

"Is this true? Guangling San has been lost for thousands of years."

"My son-in-law works in the Imperial Academy. How could what he saw with his own eyes be false?"

"That's really impressive!"

"I know about 'Hua Xu Yin', but 'Guang Ling San' is also a lost ci tune?"

Inside Donghua Gate.

The ceremonial officer came forward and Xie Yan dismounted.

Xie Yan was led by the ceremonial officer and continued to move forward. His fourth uncle and fifth uncle followed, each holding a wild goose. After walking for seven or eight minutes, they finally arrived outside the inner east gate.

……

in the palace.

Zhu Tangxi looked at herself in the mirror again and again. No matter how she looked at herself, she felt so beautiful that she almost died of beauty.

Outside the courtyard stood the many widows of Emperor Dingtai and the former crown prince (the father of the young emperor).

No matter how these concubines and imperial concubines spent their days on weekdays, they were all in high spirits today. They dressed up beautifully and were waiting for the banquet - a banquet was held inside the imperial palace.

In addition, there is a 14-year-old eldest princess, who is the little emperor's half-sister. She will not be officially named a princess until she reaches the age of 15 next year.

They were going to go with Empress Dowager Ye to send the princess to the outside of Donghua Gate.

"The Empress Dowager of the Eastern Palace has arrived!"

"The Queen Mother of the West Palace has arrived!"

There are two empress dowagers now. The little emperor’s biological mother, Empress Dowager Ye, is the Empress Dowager of the Eastern Palace.

There was also a Queen Mother Meng in the West Palace, who was the biological mother of the young emperor. However, she was almost fifty years old and usually didn't care about anything. She only ate vegetarian food and chanted Buddhist scriptures in her own palace.

Queen Mother Meng was sitting in the carriage, fiddling with her rosary beads, as if today's events had nothing to do with her. Don't ask, if you ask, she was praying for the princess and her husband.

Queen Mother Ye pushed the door open and walked in: "Are you not dressed yet?"

Zhu Tangxi stood up and turned around: "Sister-in-law, do you think I look beautiful today?"

"Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, as pretty as a flower, but she is too good for that boy." Empress Dowager Ye's face was full of smiles, as if she was sending her daughter off for marriage.

The aunt and the sister-in-law sat in the room chatting.

Until the ceremonial officer shouted outside: "The auspicious time has arrived!"

Empress Dowager Ye took Zhu Tangxi's arm and walked out of the courtyard until they got into the carriage.

A group of carriages moved forward slowly.

When they reached the Inner East Gate, everyone got off the bus.

Empress Dowager Ye and Empress Dowager Meng supported Zhu Tangxi on both sides, while the other concubines, imperial concubines, princesses, and female officials stood behind them and waited quietly.

"The one holding the goose comes in!" Xie Yan's fourth uncle and fifth uncle were trembling with fear as they were led into the inner east gate.

It was their first time entering the Imperial City, and they entered the Inner East Gate. Seeing a large group of noble ladies in front of them, they were so frightened that they lowered their heads and dared not look at them anymore. They bent down and bowed to offer the wild goose in their hands.

At this moment, Xie Yan stood outside the Inner East Gate, bowing towards the inside of the gate, waiting for the ceremonial officer to verify whether the wild geese were healthy - as long as they were not dead.

The wild goose was confirmed to be correct, and Zhu Tangxi also faced outside the door and bowed to the prince consort across the inner east gate.

Soon, Zhu Tangxi came out surrounded by the noble ladies in the palace. When passing by Xie Yan, the two smiled at each other.

Xie Yan opened his mouth and said silently: "Sister is so beautiful."

Zhu Tangxi felt extremely sweet and also communicated with her mouth: "Wait for me!"

They showed off their affection without any hesitation, which made many ladies in the palace smile. Of course, some people were jealous or sad, and the concubines and imperial concubines who came to see them off were very lonely.

Xie Yan bowed to the princess again, and only after he saw the princess change to a Zhai carriage was he led out of the Donghua Gate by the ceremonial officer.

"drive!"

Xie Yan mounted his horse again and galloped all the way to the princess's residence. He wanted to go back and wait in advance instead of going with the princess.

Zhu Tangxi sat in a brand new Zhai carriage and was slowly escorted to Donghua Gate by nobles from the palace.

They got off the car here, and after some formalities, Empress Dowager Ye handed the princess over to the young concubine who was guarding outside the door.

Zhu Tangxi got back into the car and drove out of Donghuamen.

Outside the gate, many noble ladies from the capital lined up in a row and walked to see the princess off to get married.

There were even more people watching on the street. It was rare to see so many noble ladies gathered together, and they didn't even take a car.

Many young ladies and wives, especially those unmarried girls, stared at the princess's carriage with great envy. Such pomp and ceremony, such a grand occasion, was so magnificent that if they could experience it, it would be worth it even if they lived twenty years less.

"Your Highness, be steady and don't lift the curtain!" Qingluan shouted beside the carriage.

Zhu Tangxi said, "I want it. I want to see with my own eyes how lively it is today."

Qingluan was speechless and too lazy to say anything more.

A new plaque was added to the front door of the princess's house today. It was Zhu Tangxi's idea.

Two plaques.

The top one reads: Princess Qin Guojing's daughter.

The next piece is: Prince Consort’s House.

No princess had ever done this before, but Zhu Tangxi insisted on doing so to show how much love she had with her husband. This was not only the case for the princess's family, but also for the consort's family.

The band played music and soon arrived at the door of the mansion.

Under the guidance of the ceremonial officer, Xie Yan stood outside the gate and bowed to the princess who was getting off the car.

Zhu Tangxi bowed to return the greeting, then turned around and saluted the imperial concubine and the noble ladies in the capital who were sending her off for marriage.

The concubine and the noble ladies in the capital returned the greetings, and their mission of escorting the bride was completed. They all had to go to the palace to have a feast with the noble ladies who escorted the bride.

The maid helped Zhu Tangxi into the gate, and Xie Yan accompanied her to the inner courtyard bedroom.

The house was so huge that it took a long time to walk from the gate to the bedroom.

Standing outside the steps of the bedroom, Xie Yan bowed again and took the princess to the courtyard of the bedroom to wash.

There were already palace ladies waiting there, and the placement of hot water and towels was also very particular, and there were also wedding cups and other items for drinking the wedding wine.

There is no such thing as bowing to heaven and earth first, and then to parents.

The female official who came out of the palace guided the prince consort and the princess to wash their hands and faces, and then poured the wine in the jug into the cup.

"Sister!" Xie Yan said with a smile.

Zhu Tangxi was filled with sweetness, but she also looked annoyed: "Are you still calling me sister?"

Xie Yan said: "I will always be your sister. Sister-in-law!"

Zhu Tangxi gave him a sidelong glance.

"Ahem!" The female official couldn't bear it any longer and coughed repeatedly to remind him.

Xie Yan then said, "Madam, please drink the wedding wine."

Zhu Tangxi raised the cup and said, "My husband, please drink."

Actually, you don't need to exchange cups for this thing. Just use two ladle for wine and each of you holds the ladle to drink.

However, Xie Yan held the princess's hand, and under the shocked gazes of the ladies-in-waiting, the couple interlocked their arms and drank from the cup of wine, the first real wedding wine in the world.

Zhu Tangxi felt very surprised and surprised. This way of drinking made her smile. The deep love in her eyes almost melted away. She said angrily, "You have so many tricks. You are not polite at all."

"As long as my sister likes it." Xie Yan continued to flirt.

How could this bastard be so good at coaxing women? Even the wedding ceremony was filled with surprises.

Zhu Tangxi wanted to throw herself into her lover's arms and make love with him. She turned to the ladies and said, "Stop laughing!"

The ladies-in-waiting quickly stopped smiling and said in a serious tone, "Don't worry, Your Highness. We will never tell anyone about this."

Zhu Tangxi said, "Who told you not to spread it? Just tell it, it's not something shameful."

"Pfft!"

Qingluan was the first one who couldn't hold back and laughed with her hands covering her mouth.

She understood the princess's thoughts and she wanted to show her love to everyone in the world.

This love-brained person is beyond help.

The other female officials also tried to hold back their laughter until they helped the couple complete the hair-tying ceremony.

The wedding ceremony is now complete.

The guests who came to the wedding banquet were greeted by the Minister of Zongzheng Temple and Xie Yiqun, so the newlyweds did not need to show up in public and toast everywhere.

Except for Xie Yan's relatives, the other guests who came to drink today were all powerful and important officials.

All seven cabinet ministers came, without a single one left.

This is nothing. In the Southern Song Dynasty in another time and space, the wedding of Princess Zhou Han was even more grand.

Just by hearing his title you can tell how favored he was, both Zhou and Han.

At that time, the princesses of the Southern Song Dynasty had been dying young, and no princess had married for many years. The old emperor didn't even have a son. Not only was the emperor happy, but even the ministers and the people were happy. The wedding of Princess Zhou Hanguo was truly a celebration for the whole country.

Even the prime minister personally inspected the betrothal gifts.

Unfortunately, the title was too great for her to bear. In the year when she was promoted from Princess of Zhou to Princess of Zhou Han, she died of illness at the age of 21.

"It's getting dark and it's quite lively outside." Xie Yan listened to the faint noise of the banquet.

The bright moon rises and the red candles burn.

Zhu Tangxi lay in her lover's arms, lying together on the newlywed bed. After lying for a long time, she changed to a more comfortable position: "It's a bit hot today, and I sweat a lot in my wedding dress."

"Sister's sweat smells good." Xie Yan took a deep breath.

Zhu Tangxi let him sniff around, stroking her belly and said, "Husband, we have had sex many times, why is there still no movement? I really want to give birth to a few children for you as soon as possible."

"Then let's make love ten times tonight!" Xie Yan turned over and held her down.

Zhu Tangxi laughed and said, "You just know how to brag. If you do it ten times, you would have collapsed from exhaustion."

"You little girl, how dare you underestimate your husband? Today I will let you taste my husband's skills!" Xie Yan was furious and began to take off his clothes.

Zhu Tangxi pushed him away mercilessly: "Hey, go take a shower first, you're all sweaty."

"Wash together!"

Xie Yan picked up the princess and carried her on his shoulders like a bandit seizing the wife of a bandit leader, and walked towards the bathroom.

Zhu Tangxi was so frightened that she screamed repeatedly, and then burst into laughter.

Qingluan curled her lips and said to the maid beside her: "Prepare the bath."

(End of this chapter)