My younger sister insisted on marrying me and made me the Marquis' wife.

Chapter 648 Great Accumulation
Gu Baozhu mingled inside and chatted with a few familiar aunties for a bit, but before she could even wash two dishes, she was kicked out.

"Oh dear, go find your mother to talk to, or go play with your sisters. We don't need you here. Be careful not to burn your skin."

Gu Baozhu chuckled twice, obediently dried her hands, and left the kitchen.

Behind them came the complaint of a woman from some unknown household: "Luckily I was watching, otherwise I would have broken the bowl and brought bad luck upon myself."

Gu Baozhu: "..."

After finally finding Qin Yuan and Madam Gu, Gu Baozhu said, "Mother, sister-in-law, I'm a little hungry."

She rode back on horseback without even having eaten any pastries to stave off hunger, and she didn't even have time to touch a single pancake in the kitchen.

Qin Yuan took out two pastries from her purse to coax her: "Your third brother will preside over the ceremony, the clan leader will accompany him, and the eldest son of the tenth branch will offer sacrifices... It will begin when the time comes. Use these to fill your stomach first. The feast will start after the ancestral worship."

Madam Gu also said, "You sit here properly. The women of the clan are all cooking, and the clan leader's wife is also busy making arrangements. We are the direct descendants of the Marquis of Dingbei's family, so we don't need to do these things. But if you're not going to do anything, don't cause trouble and annoy people."

Gu Baozhu grabbed a pastry, stuffed it into her mouth, nodded, and sat down obediently.

A moment later, a sound came from afar. Xiao Hong hurriedly ran in and said, "Madam, Madam, Seventh Miss, preparations for the sacrificial ceremony have begun outside. The Marquis has arrived, dressed in military uniform. He looks incredibly majestic. All the young men of the clan are gathered around talking to him."

Madam Gu hurriedly adjusted her headdress, helped Qin Yuan out, and saw from afar that Marquis Gu was surrounded in the center, with the clan chief and elders standing on the side chatting and laughing with the clansmen.

When the clan chief's wife and several elders saw Qin Yuan and the others come out, they also gathered around.

Today's chief officiant is Marquis Dingbei, so naturally, all subsequent matters will be handled by Old Madam Gu. Moreover, the clan elders say that although Qin Yuan is young, she is farsighted and sensible, and will surely be blessed by the ancestors. They also want Qin Yuan to perform divination in front of the ancestors, so they naturally want to find a way to befriend her.

The bells rang, signaling the auspicious time had arrived.

The men all stood in order according to the ancestral order, with Lord Gu as the chief officiant and the clan head as the assistant officiant. Although Sixth Master Gu was standing at the back, he was still filled with passion as he watched his third brother's every move.

Through layers of brocade curtains and embroidered screens, the densely packed ancestral tablets inside were not clearly visible. However, he knew that since his third brother was presiding over the ceremony today, the ancestral tablets of his own lineage should be placed at the front.

Sixth Master Gu silently called out to his father and brothers in his heart, hoping that they would also protect him, and kept repeating these words in his mind.

"...My son is also of the Marquis's bloodline. Our ancestors have blessed my third brother and sister-in-law. My father and brothers have also spoken well of us to our ancestors, asking them to bless my son as well."

The son doesn't aspire to be as transformative as his third brother or as capable as his third sister-in-law; he only wishes to live a quiet and respectable life, so that the world doesn't look down on him and his descendants won't be ashamed to mention him.

Then he made a great vow: "When my son's painting skills are fully developed, I will replace all the statues of my father and brothers in the ancestral hall and family hall to show my filial piety..."

After the sacrificial ceremony, everyone followed the clan chief to the main hall.

Hanging in the main hall is a statue of the Gu family ancestor who accompanied Emperor Taizu in conquering the country.

The brocade curtains hung high, and the incense and candles shone brightly beside the colorful screen, making the ancestor, draped in a python robe and jade belt, appear even more majestic and solemn.

The walls around the room were decorated with portraits of descendants arranged according to their ancestral order.

The men retreated outside the door in the same order as before, while the women, led by Madam Gu, served dishes, soup, wine, and tea.

Each dish was passed from the kitchen to the ceremonial gate, where it was received by the male grandsons of each household. They passed it from one person to another until it reached the clan head, who then passed it on to Gu Jinghui.

Because the eldest branch of the Marquis of Dingbei's family had no eldest grandson, the throne was passed to Qin Yuan across the threshold. Qin Yuan then passed it on to the neighbor's daughter-in-law, and finally to the clan head's wife, before finally being passed on to Old Madam Gu.

Madam Gu personally placed it on the offering table.

Only after all the dishes, rice, soup, and wine had been offered did Gu Jinghui step out and stand outside the threshold, before the clan leader, as the head of the men.

After Madam Gu finished reciting the prayer, she lit incense and bowed. Everyone knelt down, filling the hall, eaves, steps, and passageway completely, leaving no empty space.

At this moment, all was silent except for the clanging of the iron plates hanging from the eaves of the ancestral hall, which seemed to be the ancestors' message to their descendants. Then, a light, delicate sound of golden bells rang out.

The ceremony is over.

There was still complete silence, except for the clinking of the woman's jade pendants and hairpins, and the light tapping of the man's boots as he knelt down.

After a moment of silence, they heard Old Madam Gu call Qin Yuan to the altar to cast a divination.

Everyone watched with utmost caution as the graceful figure slowly walked towards the offering table.

This is the newlywed wife of the direct descendant of the clan. She is the daughter of the Imperial Academy Chancellor of the Imperial Academy. She was not well-known before, but unexpectedly, she has accomplished many great things at a young age and has built an invincible family fortune for the future generations of the Gu clan.

The veterans who had followed the Gu family for many years were also properly resettled.

Such a daughter-in-law must have been blessed by the ancestors to marry into the clan.

The Marquis of Dingbei's mansion was already the strongest branch of the clan. With such a sensible, capable, generous, and compassionate matriarch, the clan would likely prosper for another hundred years.

I wonder what divination she will get from the ancestral tablets.

This divination may determine the future fate of the Gu family.

Qin Yuan was not qualified to enter the ancestral hall of the Qin family. This was the first time she had entered the ancestral hall to worship her ancestors, so she was very careful in everything she did, for fear of making a mistake and being secretly ridiculed.

When the time for casting the hexagram finally arrived, her heart pounded faster and faster, fearing that she would draw a bad hexagram.

Every step she took toward the offering table felt incredibly heavy. Seeing her solemn expression, Old Madam Gu gently squeezed her hand before letting go as she approached.

Qin Yuan understood that her mother-in-law was telling her not to be afraid. She nodded slightly, lowered her eyes to clear her mind, lit incense and prayed. Then she knelt down and kowtowed three times before getting up and taking the divination tube from the table and shaking it gently.

The heavy iron skewers made a rustling sound in the skewer tube, and finally one fell out and landed on the table. Qin Yuan opened her eyes, picked it up and examined it closely. It was engraved with seal script, which read "Da Xu" (Great Accumulation).

Qin Yuan's heart skipped a beat.

After she finished bowing, the clan chief's wife and Old Madam Gu came over to look at the fortune stick. They were somewhat surprised to see that it was "Great Accumulation," but they were also relieved.

“Auspicious omen,” said Madam Gu. “May our ancestors bless us.”

The clan chief's wife said happily, "Our ancestors' achievements will last for a thousand years. We, their descendants, are blessed by them and will continue to prosper. This is a good thing, a good thing."

Those waiting outside were overjoyed to learn that Qin Yuan had drawn an auspicious hexagram. They all said, "How could someone blessed by our ancestors not draw a good hexagram? Now, the expenses for our descendants' education and martial arts training are guaranteed, the clan's communal land ownership has increased, and the veterans are even more loyal. This is a sign of prosperity."